Saturday, June 26, 2010

Bordering On the Obscure (Playlist 1005))

Artist: THEM
Song Title: "The Moth"
Source: LP: TIME OUT, TIME IN, FOR THEM (Original Vinyl)
Release Year: 1968
After Van Morrison left Them to pursue a career as a solo artist, his old band decided to head back to Ireland and recruit Kenny McDowell for lead vocals. Them then moved out to the San Francisco Bay area and hooked up with Tower Records, which was already getting known for psychedelic garage bands such as the Standells and the Chocolate Watchband, as well as for soundtrack albums for cheapie teen exploitation flicks such as Riot on Sunset Strip and Wild in the Streets. The 1968 Time In, Time Out For Them was one of two psychedelic albums the group cut for Tower before moving into harder rock and another label.

Artist: THE ODYSSEY
Song Title: Little Girl, Little Boy
Source: CD: WHERE THE ACTION IS: L.A. NUGGETS 1965-69 (originally released on 45 RPM vinyl)
Release Year: 1968 (2009)
As far as I can tell, this band of L.A. garage-rockers only cut one record before disbanding. This was Turtle Howard Kaylan's (aka the Eddie half of Flo & Eddie) first (and for many years only) attempt at being a record producer.

Artist: JEFFERSON AIRPLANE
Song Title: "Today"
Source: LP: SURREALISTIC PILLOW (Original vinyl)
Release Year: 1967
Another Airplane set?? Didn't we just do that a couple weeks ago? Well, yeah, but this show was recorded back in March as an emergency backup in the event something happened to keep me from doing a show this week. Like a timing belt breaking and causing serious valve damage due to the car having something called an interference engine. Which is something I had never even heard of until it happened. Now that I know what an interference engine is I have to ask the obvious question: why would anyone make something like that???? What does this have to do with the song "Today," you ask? Nothing, but since I already said something about it a couple weeks ago I figured I'd just use the space for a rant. Thanks for your time.

Artist: JEFFERSON AIRPLANE
Song Title: "Blues From An Airplane"
Source: CD: THE WORST OF JEFFERSON AIRPLANE (Originally released on LP Jefferson Airplane Takes Off)
Release Year: 1966
The opening cut from the first album. The band considered this one strong enough to include on their first anthology album as well.

Artist: JEFFERSON AIRPLANE
Song Title: "Somebody to Love"
Source: LP: SURREALISTIC PILLOW (Original vinyl-also released as a 45 RPM single)
Release Year: 1967
The monster hit that put the San Francisco Bay area on the musical map in early 1967. This was actually the second single released from Surrealistic Pillow

Artist: JEFFERSON AIRPLANE
Song Title: "It's No Secret"
Source: CD: THE WORST OF JEFFERSON AIRPLANE (Originally released on 45 RPM vinyl and on the LP Jefferson Airplane Takes Off)
Release Year: 1966
Although national stardom was still an album (and a couple of essential personnel changes) away, this song got a lot of airplay in the bay area and was featured in a Bell Telephone TV special on the hippie movement in 1966.

Artist: JEFFERSON AIRPLANE
Song Title: "White Rabbit"
Source: LP: SURREALISTIC PILLOW (Original vinyl-also released as a 45 RPM single)
Release Year: 1967
For many the definitive song of the psychedelic era, this LP cut, released as a single after getting extensive airplay on "underground" FM stations, was the second (and final) top 10 hit for the Airplane in the summer of '67.

Artist: MOUNTAIN
Song Title: "Blood of the Sun"
Source: CD: WOODSTOCK: 40 YEARS ON: BACK TO YASGUR'S FARM
Release Year: 2009 (Recorded 1969)
This is not the same recording that appeared on 1972's Woodstock 2 LP. The band (or possibly their management) was not satisfied with this recording of the actual Woodstock performance and insisted that a new "live" recording be used instead. One of the strengths of Back to Yasgur's Farm is that Rhino Records made a conscious decision to present the original performances unaltered for this anniversary release (the exact opposite of what was done for the Anniversary edition of the Woodstock movie, in which the producers in some cases actually commissioned re-recordings of some of the instrumental tracks in order to improve audio clarity). The producers at Rhino felt that it was worth putting up with various technical flaws such as buzzes, pops, helicopter noises and the occassional bad note in order to present a more exact replica of what the audience actually heard.

Artist: THE FIVE AMERICANS
Song Title: I See The Light
Source: LP: NUGGETS (80s vinyl series) VOL. 1: THE HITS (Originally released on 45 RPM vinyl)
Release Year: 1966
The debut single from this Dallas Texas band, who were best known for their follow-up record "Western Union" which made the top 10 in 1967.

Artist: THE LEAVES
Song Title: "Let's Get Together"
Source: LP: ALL THE GOOD THAT'S HAPPENING (CD reissue)
Release Year: 1967
Despite never having been a major hit, Jimmy Reed's "Let's Get Together" (not to be confused with the Youngbloods song) was covered by several garage/psychedelic bands, including the Blue Magoos, the Shadows of Knight, and L.A. band the Leaves, appearing on their second LP (their only one for major label Capitol Records).
Artist: CYRKLE
Song Title: "Two Rooms"
Source: 45 RPM single B side
Release Year: 1967
The Cyrkle were just a bit too clean-cut for their time. Looking like early 60s college fraternity guys, they had a great 1966, scoring back-to-back top 10 singles with Red Rubber Ball and Turn Down Day, hiring Brian Epstein as their manager and getting signed to be the opening act for Epstein's other band, the Beatles, on their final US tour. Despite having more than their share of talent, creatively, vocally and instrumentally, they found themselves unable to keep up with rapidly changing public tastes, and soon faded off into obscurity. This rare 1967 B side shows just what could have been.

Artist: SPENCER DAVIS GROUP
Song Title: "Gimme Some Lovin'"
Source: CD: BILLBOARD TOP HITS: 1967 (Originally released on 45 RPM vinyl)
Release Year: 1967
One of many British bands to have far more success at home than abroad, the Spencer Davis Group nonetheless scored big in the US in early 1967 with two songs co-written and sung by 17-year-old Steve Winwood, who would soon leave the band to form Traffic. The first of these, "Gimme Some Lovin'" would gain renewed popularity in the 80s when it was prominently featured in one of the first films to use a "60s nostalgia" soundtrack, The Big Chill.

Artist: MUSIC MACHINE
Song Title: "The Eagle Never Hunts the Fly"
Source: LP: NUGGETS (80s vinyl series) VOL 2: PUNK (Originally released on 45 RPM vinyl. Also included on LP Bonniwell Music Machine)
Release Year: 1967
Someone should make a movie based on the life of Sean Bonniwell, the former member of the "whitebread folk" group New Christy Minstrels turned black-clad leader of one of the premier punk-rock bands of all time. Between being lied to by record companies and screwed over by his own manager, Bonniwell nonetheless managed to record two LPs worth of high-quality tracks with two entirely-different incarnations of the Music Machine before becoming disillusioned and leaving the music business entirely by the end of the decade. "The Eagle Never Hunts the Fly" was one of the last songs recorded by the original lineup.
Artist: CREAM
Song Title: "Anyone For Tennis"
Source: CD: GOODBYE CREAM (Bonus track not on original LP. Originally released in UK on 45 RPM vinyl)
Release Year: 1968
Not much to say about this British-only single other than to note that it is possibly the earliest example of Clapton's willingness to record some pretty tame stuff compared to the music he performs live. This from the guy who purportedly left the Yardbirds because the song "For Your Love" was too commercial-sounding. hmmm.

Artist: CREAM
Song Title: "Sunshine Of Your Love"
Source: LP: DISRAELI GEARS (CD reissue) (An edited version was released on 45 RPM vinyl as well)
Release Year: 1967
Although by mid-1967 Cream had already released a handful of singles in the UK, "Sunshine Of Your Love," featuring one of the most recognizable guitar rifts in the history of rock, was their first song to make a splash in the US. Although only moderately successful in edited form on AM Top-40 radio, the full-length LP version of the song received extensive airplay on the more progressive FM stations, and turned Disraeli Gears into a perennial best-seller. Clapton and Bruce constantly trade off lead vocal lines throughout the song. The basic compatibility of their voices is such that it is sometimes difficult to tell exactly who is singing what line. Clapton's guitar solo (which was almost entirely edited out of the AM version) set a standard for instrumental breaks in terms of length and style that became a hallmark for what is now known as "classic rock." Yeah, I write this stuff myself.

Artist: CREAM
Song Title: "Doing That Scrapyard Thing"
Source: LP: GOODBYE CREAM (CD reissue)
Release Year: 1969
In its original form, the album Goodbye Cream had three new studio tracks on it, one for each member of the band. Jack Bruce's contribution was this tune, co-written (as were the majority of Bruce's compositions) by Pete Brown. Lyrics don't get much more psychedelic than this.

Artist: CREAM
Song Title: "White Room"
Source: LP: WHEELS OF FIRE (original vinyl) (also released on 45 RPM vinyl)
Release Year: 1968
Musically almost a remake of "Tales of Brave Ulysses" (from the Disraeli Gears album), "White Room" is arguably the most popular song ever to feature the use of a wah-wah pedal prominently.

Artist: CREAM
Song Title: "Badge"
Source: LP: GOODBYE (CD reissue) (also released on 45 RPM vinyl)
Release Year: 1969
Famously co-written by Clapton and a psuedononomous George Harrison, "Badge" remains one of the most popular songs in Clapton's repertoir. Both guitarists are featured prominently on this recording. Felix Pappaliardi (the unofficial 4th member of Cream and co-founder of Mountain) plays the tinkly piano.

Artist: LOVIN' SPOONFUL
Song Title: "Do You Believe In Magic?"
Source: 45 RPM single stereo reissue (also featured on LP Do You Believe In Magic?)
Release Year: 1965
This first single by the Lovin' Spoonful was instrumental in establishing not only the band itself, but its label, Kama Sutra Records as well. Within the next five years, the Spoonful (and later John Sebastian as a solo artist) would crank out a string of hits. Not to be outdone, Kama Sutra would morph into a company called Buddah Records and come to dominate the "bubble gum" genre of top 40 music to close out the 60s.

Artist: BLUES MAGOOS
Song Title: "Queen of My Nights"
Source: CD: ANTHOLOGY (originally released on LP Psychedelic Lollipop)
Release Year: 1967
When I moved to a new town (actually a converted Panzer barracks being used as a housing complex for US military dependents in Mainz-Kastel, Germany) in the summer of '67 I was given a crash course in what was cool and what wasn't. This record, along with Sgt. Pepper's, topped the list of cool albums. For those living off-post (known as living "on the economy") 45 RPM records were the cool thing (albums still being something of a rarity in German stores at the time), especially anything by the Who.

Artist: ANIMALS
Song Title: "House Of The Rising Sun"
Source: CD: BEST OF THE ANIMALS-VOL 1 (originally issued on 45 RPM vinyl)
Release Year: 1964
If you were going to play guitar in a rock and roll band in the mid-60s you had to know how to play this song. It helped if you were still able to play it six verses later.

Artist: JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE
Song Title: "Voodoo Chile"
Source: LP: ELECTRIC LADYLAND (original vinyl)
Release Year: 1968
Note: this is not "Voodoo Chile (slight return)" which is usually listed as simply "Voodoo Chile." This is the slow jam from side A of Electric Ladyland that takes up about 2/3 of the album side. Enjoy!

Artist: ELECTRIC PRUNES
Song Title: "Dr. Do-Good"
Source: LP: UNDERGROUND (CD reissue) (also released on 45 RPM vinyl)
Release Year: 1967
Apparently someone at Reprise Records didn't bother to actually listen to this bit of weirdness from the second Electric Prunes album. Instead, they apparently just looked at the songwriting credits, saw that this track was written by Annette Tucker and Nancy Mantz, the same songwriting team that had come up with "I Had Too Much To Dream (Last Night)" and decided to issue it as the first single from the album, leaving everyone, including the band and their producer, scratching their heads.

Artist: PENTANGLE
Song Title: "Hear My Call"
Source: LP: THE PENTANGLE (original vinyl)
Release Year: 1968
From the debut album by Britain's first folk-rock-jazz supergroup, featuring (among others) Bert Jansch, John Renbourne and Jackie McShea. How could it not be good?

Artist: MOODY BLUES
Song Title: "In Search of the Lost Chord-Side 2"
Source: LP: IN SEARCH OF THE LOST CHORD (CD reissue)
Release Year: 1968
Featuring (in order of appearance):
"Voices in the Sky"
"The Best Way to Travel"
"Visions of Paradise"
"The Actor"
"The Word"
"Om"

Thursday, June 24, 2010

Welcome WITT-FM

First off, I'd like to say welcome to WITT 91.9 FM in Zionsville, Indiana, which will be broadcasting Stuck in the Psychedelic Era at a time to be announced soon on their website at http://www.919witt.org/
Big thanks to Jim Walsh for making it possible.

This week I'm still having transportation problems, so once again I'm forced to pull something from the vault. Luckily, I recorded a couple extra shows back in March just for situations like this one, so you'll still be getting a previously unaired show.

Speaking of which, I thought about subtitling this week's show "Bordering on Obscurity," due to the number of album tracks, but then I realized the ratio between easily recognizable songs and the deeper cuts isn't really much different that the average week. It just seems that way since a couple of the shows that have aired since syndication started have been a bit heavy on the singles. So consider this week's show to be pretty much representative of what's in store for the future. And enjoy the long, "live in the studio" version of Voodoo Chile from side A of Electric Ladyland in the second hour. Yeah, the version you never hear.

That's all for now. I'll be posting a complete playlist this weekend. I could put it up sooner, but the RIAA frowns on posting playlists before airing. Apparently they think people are still taping off the radio.

Sunday, June 20, 2010

Playlist 6/19-20/10

Artist: CRAWLING WALLS
Song Title:: "The Brain That Wouldn't Fry"
Source info: LP: CRAWLING WALLS (original vinyl)
Release Year:: 1985
We start this week off with a ringer, of sorts. This band from Albuquerque was one of the first "Neo-Psychedelic" bands of the 80s. Led by Bob Fountain, this band featured guitarist Larry Otis, whom I've known since we were in high school on a military base in Germany. How this LP, which I found in the WEOS vinyl archives last year, came to upstate New York from New Mexico is beyond me. Oddly enough, both an LP and an EP by one of Larry's earlier Albuquerque bands, the Philisteens, was also in the archives. If anyone has any info on how these rare pressings found their way up here, I'd love to hear it, as I lost contact with Larry back in the mid-1980s when he left Albuquerque to move to....umm, somewhere in New York.

Artist: THE BEATLES
Song Title: "I Wanna Be Your Man"
Source: LP: WITH THE BEATLES (US CD reissue of British LP)
Release Year: 1963
This song was written for the Rolling Stones. John Lennon and Paul McCartney, who considered the song a "throwaway," nonetheless decided to record a Beatles version (with Ringo on vocals) a couple weeks after the Stones version was released.

Artist: STEPPENWOLF
Song Title: "Born To Be Wild"
Source: LP: STEPPENWOLF (CD reissue)
Release Year: 1968
Few songs achieve anthem status. This is one of them.

Artist: JETHRO TULL
Song Title: "For a Thousand Mothers"
Source: LP: STAND UP (CD reissue)
Release Year: 1969
For years, the only copy I had of this track was a homemade cassette tape. As a result I was under the impression that this was actually two separate songs. Long silences will do that. Long silences will also trip automatic sensors on automated radio station equipment, which partially explains why such a great track has always gotten far less airplay than it deserves.

Artist: CREAM
Song Title: "Tales of Brave Ulysses
Source: LP: DISRAELI GEARS (CD reissue)
Release Year: 1967
In Europe this song was released as the B side of "Strange Brew," also from Disraeli Gears. Cream was one of the first bands to break tradition and release singles that were also available as album cuts. This tradition likely came about because hit singles tended to stay in print indefinitely overseas, unlike in the US, where a 45 RPM single usually had a shelf life of around 4-6 months then disappeared forever.

Artist: JOHNNY WINTER
Song Title: "Mean Town Blues"
Source: CD: RETURN TO YASGUR'S FARM: (Woodstock 40th anniversary collection)
Release Year: 2009 (recorded 1969)
1969 was a breakthrough year for Texas blues guitarist Johnny Winter, driven primarily by live performances at large venues such as the Dallas International Pop Festival and of course the Woodstock Performing Arts Festival, where this ten-plus minute track was recorded.

Artist: ULTIMATE SPINACH
Song Title: "Ego Trip"
Source: LP: ULTIMATE SPINACH (original vinyl)
Release Year: 1967
In late 1967 MGM records responded to their failure to cash in the San Francisco scene by attempting to create the "Bosstown Sound" on the east coast, signing three Boston-area bands (the others being Orpheus and the Beacon Street Union) and promoting the hell out of them. It didn't work at the time, however all three are now considered classic psychedelic bands. "Ego Trip", featuring a spoken vocal introduction, opened the first Ultimate Spinach album.

Artist: MUSIC MACHINE
Song Title: "Wrong"
Source: LP: TURN ON (CD reissue)
Release Year: 1966
Sean Bonniwell was a member of the mainstream (i.e. lots of appearances on TV variety shows hosted by people like Perry Como and Bob Hope) folk group New Christy Minstrels in the early 60s. By 1966 he had morphed into one of the more mysterious figures on the LA music scene, leading a proto-punk band dressed entirely in black. Bonniwell himself wore a single black glove (Michael Jackson was about seven years old at the time), and was one of the most prolific songwriters of the time. His recordings, often featuring the distinctive Farfisa organ sound, were a primary influence on later LA bands such as Iron Butterfly and the Doors.

Artist: AMBOY DUKES
Song Title: "Journey to the Center of the Mind"
Source: CD: NUGGETS box set.
Release Year: 1968
From Detroit, the one and only Ted Nugent! Originally released as a single on Mainstream Records, the same label that released the first Big Brother & the Holding Company album. After butchering Big Brother's debut, Mainstream's engineers must have taken a crash course in rock engineering as they did a much better job on this one just a few months later.

Artist: THEM
Song Title: "Here Comes the Night"
Source: LP: THEM (original US vinyl)
Release Year: 1965
Them's first album was originally released in the UK as THE ANGRY YOUNG THEM, and did not include this single. Originally recorded by Lulu (of "To Sir With Love" fame) and the Luvvers, this track is a true rarity: a song sung by Van Morrison that he did not write himself.

Artist: ROLLING STONES
Song Title: "Tell Me"
Source: CD: THE SINGLES COLLECTION
Release Year: 1964
The first single written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, "Tell Me" was only available as an LP cut in the UK. The first Jagger/Richards penned British single would be "The Last Time" six months later.

Artist: RUTLES
Song Title: "Hold My Hand'
Source: LP: MEET THE RUTLES (CD: THE RUTLES)
Release Year: 1963
OK, so this really came out of a mockumentary called "All You Need Is Cash" from Eric Idle of Monty Python and Neil Innes of the Bonzo Dog Band in 1978 (actually, the concept itself first appeared as a short film on a 1977 episode of Saturday Night Live that featured Idle as guest host). We can still pretend that they performed this song on the Ed Sullivan Show, right?

Artist: MONKEES
Song Title: "Opening Ceremony/Porpoise Song"
Source: LP: HEAD (original vinyl)
Release Year: 1968
Resembling Michael Nesmith's 1980 "Elephant Parts" far more than the Monkees own TV series, Head was a major flop at the time of its release, but now has attained cult classic status, due in part to a cameos by Frank Zappa, Jack Nicholson and Teri Garr among others and the fact that the film was co-written by Nicholson. Monkees fans of the time were completely confused by the surreal psychedelic imagery of the film, while the art crowd, who might have liked Head if they had given it a chance, tended to avoid anything associated with the Monkees.

Artist: MOBY GRAPE
Song Title: "Naked If I Want To"
Source: LP: MOBY GRAPE (original vinyl)
Release Year: 1967
This is the really short (less than one minute) version of the tune that also appeared, in expanded form, on the second Moby Grape album WOW.

Artist: BUFFALO SPRINGFIELD
Song Title: "Sit Down I Think I Love You"
Source: CD: RETROSPECTIVE: THE BEST OF BUFFALO SPRINGFIELD
Release Year: 1966
This Stephen Stills tune originally released on the first Buffalo Springfield album was a minor hit for the Mojo Men in 1967. I prefer the Springfield version myself.

Artist: LED ZEPPELIN
Song Title: "You Shook Me / Dazed and Confused"
Source: LP: LED ZEPPELIN (CD reissue)
Release Year: 1969
I've heard it said that Willie Dixon sued Zeppelin over the use of You Shook Me, which is puzzling to me since Dixon is clearly credited as the songwriter on the label. Still, I don't know enough about copyright laws to say for sure whether this could have happened or not. Dazed & Confused, on the other hand, is a Jimmy Page composition that was performed by the Yardbirds (with different lyrics) as early as 1966.

Artist: TEN YEARS AFTER
Song Title: "Woodchopper's Ball"
Source: LP: UNDEAD (original vinyl)
Release Year: 1968
Live albums were still somewhat of a rarity in the 60s, and generally featured material that had not been previously released in the studio. Such was the case with the second Ten Years After album, Undead. Guitarist Alvin Lee flat out smokes on this one.

Artist: PINK FLOYD
Song Title: "Set the Controls For the Heart of the Sun"
Source: LP: A SAUCERFUL OF SECRETS (CD:RELICS)
Release Year: 1968
With mental illness pretty much taking Sid Barrett out of the Floyd equation, other members stepped up their own songwriting. This Roger Waters composition is the only Pink Floyd recording to have both Barrett and his replacement, David Gilmour, playing guitar parts and was considered strong enough to be included on the Works compilation album in the early 80s.

Artist: WEST COAST POP ART EXPERIMENTAL BAND
Song Title: "Tracy Had a Hard Day Sunday"
Source: LP: VOLUME 2 (original vinyl)
Release Year: 1967
Once upon a time record producer Kim Fowley hired the Yardbirds to play a private Hollywood party. The Harris brothers, a pair of local art school students who had sent their homemade tapes to Fowley were impressed by the band's musical abilities. Bob Markley, an almost-30-year-old hipster with a law degree and an inheritance was impressed with the band's ability to attract teenage girls. Fowley introduced the Harris brothers to Markley, who expressed a willingness to finance them in return for letting him be their new lead vocalist, and the West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band was formed. And speaking of record producer Kim Fowley...

Artist: KIM FOWLEY
Song Title: "The Trip"
Source: single (CD: NUGGETS box set)
Release Year: 1966
The best description I have heard of this is "psychedelic novelty record." Lyrically speaking, I suppose it is, but the instrumental track is an excellent representation of the Southern California brand of garage rock as well.

Artist: IRON BUTTERFLY
Song Title: "It Must Be Love"
Source: single B side
Release Year: 1969
From the album Ball, this is the "CSG processed mono" B side of "In the Time of Our Lives." Whatever that means.

Artist: SPIRIT
Song Title: "Prelude-Nothing To Hide"
Source: LP: THE 12 DREAMS OF DR. SARDONICUS (CD reissue)
Release Year: 1970
Spirit's previous efforts had generated good reviews but poor sales. 12 Dreams was considered at the time to be their last chance to reach a larger audience. It worked. The pseudo-polygamous lyrics are actually about the band members' commitment to their music, a commitment that is apparent throughout this classic album.

Artist: BLUES MAGOOS
Song Title: "Life Is Just a Cher-O'-Bowlies"
Source: LP: ELECTRIC COMIC BOOK (original vinyl mono pressing)
Release Year: 1967
Although not as big a seller as their first LP (probably due to a lack of a major hit single), Electric Comic Book was nonetheless one of the great psychedelic albums. "Life Is Just a Cher-O'-Bowlies," with its tongue in cheek approach, is about as typical a Blues Magoos song as anything this New York band ever recorded.

Artist: EASYBEATS
Song Title: "Heaven and Hell"
Source: single (CD: Nuggets, vol. 2 released in early 90s and replaced by box set)
Release Year: 1967
Throughout the mid-60s Australia's most popular band was the Easybeats, often called the Australian Beatles. Heaven and Hell was written by band members Harry Vanda and George Young, who would eventually go on to produce Australia's most popular band of the late 70s, AC/DC, which featured Young's younger brothers Angus and Malcolm.

Artist: THE WHO
Song Title: "Pictures of Lily"
Source: British single (CD: Meaty Beaty Big and Bouncy)
Release Year: 1967
Now considered one of the great bands of British Rock, the Who was primarily a singles band in their early years and had a regular gig on a popular TV dance program (sort of a British Paul Revere and the Raiders without the silly suits). "Pictures of Lily", with its unconventional subject matter (adolescent masturbation), was the last real single released before the classic WHO SELLS OUT started their transition to album-oriented rock that would lead them to produce the first-ever rock-opera: TOMMY. Both US albums that featured this song (MEATY, BEATY, BIG AND BOUNCY and MAGIC BUS: THE WHO ON TOUR) were actually compilation albums consisting primarily of previous British single releases.

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

Playlist 6/12-13/10

Artist: VANILLA FUDGE
Song Title: "Shotgun"
Source info: LP: NEAR THE BEGINNING (original vinyl)
Release Year: 1969
Yes, it's the Jr. Walker song. Hey, they did Motown before with "You Keep Me Hangin' On," so why not?

Artist: PINK FLOYD
Song Title: "Be Careful With That Axe, Eugene"
Source info: LP: UMMAGUMMA (original vinyl)
Release Year: 1969
Before "Dark Side of the Moon" came out, this was one of their most popular cuts.

Artist: PALACE GUARD
Song Title: "Falling Sugar"
Source info: single included on Nuggets CD box set.
Release Year: 1966
Whereas most garage bands favored a Rolling Stones approach to rock 'n' roll, this LA band tried hard to emulate the Beatles. Unfortunately, they didn't have the talent to really pull it off, despite the presence of drummer Emmet Rhodes, who would soon leave the Guard to front his own band, the Merry-Go-Round, then embark on a moderately successful solo career.

Artist: NASHVILLE TEENS
Song Title: "Tobacco Road"
Source info: single included on a CD collection called British Beat
Release Year: 1964
Despite the name, these guys were pure British rock. Maybe they and the Palace Guard should have traded names?

Artist: ROLLING STONES
Song Title: "High And Dry"
Source info: LP: AFTERMATH (CD reissue)
Release Year: 1966
This Stones album track is an early attempt at the sort of twisted country that would reach its peak with the "Let It Bleed" album in the early 70s.

Artist: JETHRO TULL
Song Title: "Beggar's Farm"
Source info: LP: THIS WAS (CD reissue)
Release Year: 1968
From the first Tull album, the only one to feature Mick Abrahams on lead guitar and the most bluesy of all Tull albums. And speaking of blues....

Artist: JOHN MAYALL
Song Title: "Blues From Laurel Canyon (Side 2)
Source info: LP: BLUES FROM LAUREL CANYON (original vinyl)
Release Year: 1968
The first release following the breakup of the Bluesbreakers, this album featured a 19-year-old Mick Taylor on guitar. The album itself is autobiographical, documenting Mayall's LA vacation in the summer of '68. The Bear that was "rolling in the shade" was Robert Hite, lead vocalist and harp player for Canned Heat. The "strange, elusive Miss James" was reportedly the famous groupie Catherine James. Other references to people and places are presumably just as real.

Artist: IRON BUTTERFLY
Song Title: "Real Fright"
Source info: LP: BALL (original vinyl)
Release Year: 1969
The last IB album to feature guitarist Eric Brann, who then moved on to a totally unremarkable solo career.

The landmark album Surrealistic Pillow was probably the most important album ever released by a San Francisco group. Not so much for the quality of the album itself, but for its effect on American culture. The success of Surrealistic Pillow was a major contributing factor to the mass migration of young people to the bay area that resulted in the "Summer of Love," which would forever change not only the city of San Francisco but America itself in ways that are still being felt today.

Artist: JEFFERSON AIRPLANE
Song Title: "Today"
Source info: LP: SURREALISTIC PILLOW (CD reissue)
Release Year: 1967
Uncredited guest guitarist Jerry Garcia adds a simple, but memorable recurring fill riff to this Marty Balin tune.

Artist: JEFFERSON AIRPLANE
Song Title: "D.C.B.A.-25"
Source info: LP: SURREALISTIC PILLOW (original vinyl)
Release Year: 1967
Writer Paul Kantner claims that the song title is nothing more than the chord changes of the song itself.

Artist: JEFFERSON AIRPLANE
Song Title: "Somebody to Love"
Source info: LP: SURREALISTIC PILLOW (CD reissue)
Release Year: 1967
If not for this song, no one would even remember that Grace was once married to a guy named Darby Slick.

Artist: JEFFERSON AIRPLANE
Song Title: "How Do You Feel"
Source info: LP: SURREALISTIC PILLOW (original vinyl)
Release Year: 1967
This song features one of the nicest recurring rhythm guitar rifts ever recorded.

Artist: JEFFERSON AIRPLANE
Song Title: "My Best Friend"
Source info: LP: SURREALISTIC PILLOW (CD reissue)
Release Year: 1967
Written by Skip Spence, the original Airplane drummer who was already playing guitar for Moby Grape by the time Surrealistic Pillow came out.

Artist: JEFFERSON AIRPLANE
Song Title: "3/5 of a Mile In Ten Seconds"
Source info: LP: SURREALISTIC PILLOW (original vinyl)
Release Year: 1967
The song title reportedly comes from two unrelated lines taken from the sports page the day it was written.

Artist: JEFFERSON AIRPLANE
Song Title: "She Has Funny Cars"
Source info: LP: SURREALISTIC PILLOW (CD reissue)
Release Year: 1967
Apparently drummer Spencer Dryden's girlfriend had unusual tastes in vehicles.

Artist: JEFFERSON AIRPLANE
Song Title: "Comin' Back To Me"
Source info: LP: SURREALISTIC PILLOW (original vinyl)
Release Year: 1967
When Marty Balin arrived at the studio with this brand new song, only Grace Slick, Paul Kantner, Jack Cassidy and Jerry Garcia were on hand to play on the subsequent recording. Balin, Kantner, Garcia and Cassidy all play guitar, while Slick provides the airy recorder track.

Artist: SIMON & GARFUNKEL
Song Title: "Sparrow"
Source info: LP: WEDNESDAY MORNING 3AM (CD reissue: The Complete Collection)
Release Year: 1964
One of Paul Simon's original tunes from the first Simon & Garfunkel album. The album, originally uncharted, was re-issued in the wake of the success of the newly electrified "Sound of Silence" in 1966.

Artist: MUSIC MACHINE
Song Title: "Double Yellow Line"
Source info: single, included on Volume 2 ("Punk") of 1980s vinyl Nuggets series.
Release Year: 1967
This song may have also appeared on the Bonniwell Music Machine album, but so far I've been unable to locate a track listing for that lost classic.

Artist: BLUES PROJECT
Song Title: "Black Night"
Source info: LAZARUS
Release Year: 1971
The fifth incarnation of the Blues Project was a power blues trio featuring founders Danny Kalb on guitar and Roy Blumenthal on drums and vocals.

Artist: CHAMBERS BROTHERS
Song Title: "Time Has Come Today"
Source info: 4 3/4 minute single version included on Vol. 9 ("Acid Rock") of the 1980s vinyl Nuggets series.
Release Year: 1968
This is actually the 4th version of this song to be released. The first, recorded in 1966, is entirely different. The second, appearing on the album The Time Has Come, runs over 10 minutes. A three minute, 15 second edit was issued as a single but was eventually pulled and replaced by this version, which bears the same catalog number. Technically this could be argued to be a fifth version of the song, since the single was only issued in mono. Probably the engineers at Rhino were the ones who meticulously re-created the original edits for this stereo version, although it is possible that they could have used a "cut down" from a syndicated programming company such as Drake-Chenault or Century-TM as well.

Artist: SAM & DAVE
Song Title: "Soul Man"
Source info: single (original 45 RPM vinyl)
Release Year: 1967
A lot of talent on this classic single from the Stax label, including guitarist Steve Cropper, bassist Donald "Duck" Dunn, and songwriters Isaac Hayes and Darrell Porter, not to mention the Bar-Kays on horns. Although not considered "psychedelic" itself, it was still one of the anthems of the Summer of Love.

Artist: EASYBEATS
Song Title: "Friday On My Mind"
Source info: single, included on one of three Nuggets CDs released in the early 90s prior to the issue of the 4-disc box set currently in print.
Release Year: 1966
Considered by many to be the "greatest Australian song" ever recorded, it certainly was the first (and for many years only) major international hit to emerge from the island continent. Rhythm guitarist George Young would go on to produce another Australian band featuring his two younger brothers: AC/DC.

Thursday, June 10, 2010

Coming Attractions

Coming up this week on Stuck in the Psychedelic Era:

About 3/4 of the Jefferson Airplane Album Surrealistic Pillow

An entire album side of John Mayall's Blues From Laurel Canyon

Lots of other stuff.

(See, there really are advantages to pre-recording the show.)

Wednesday, June 9, 2010

isms

And now for something completely different (if this doesn't stir up a comment or two, I don't know what will).

Communism.

Terrorism.
Any other kind of schizm.
Not a one of those will bring us down.
(unfinished song lyrics)

No, it's a different kind of ism altogether that will cause our way of life to give way to whatever is scheduled to come next:

Consumerism.

Did you know that Americans consume about a quarter of the world's resources while producing less than a tenth? (The actual numbers are even more lopsided, but I don't mind understating a little when describing an elephant. It's still big, no matter how you look at it.) Obviously the current situation can't sustain itself indefinitely. It's mathmatically impossible to continue to consume more than you produce forever. Eventually there is nothing left to consume.

However, it is highly unlikely that we will ever actually get to that particular point. For one thing, the consumption rate in the rest of the world is growing faster than it is here. That's probably because a lot of the good jobs are moving overseas and being replaced with lower paying service industry jobs, and it's hard to be able to buy as much stuff as you used to when you don't get paid as much as you used to. Not to mention the fact that the people who got your old job now have the money to buy the stuff you can no longer afford.

For another thing, there are people in this world who view the whole US consumption-to-production ratio as somehow unfair. Some of these people are angry about it. Some of them, in fact, are angry enough to kill somebody over it, even if they risk or even sacrifice their own lives in the process. Guess who their target is.

As far as I'm concerned there is no moral justification to go out and kill a thousand people with a suicide bomb. But it happens, and will continue to happen, right or wrong. Anti-terrorism measures (all of which bring to mind cliches involving insects, large weaponry, needles and haystacks) won't stop it. In fact, most anti-terrorism measures do little more than scare the public they are supposed to be protecting. And isn't "scared" a synonym for "terrorized?" Talk about self-defeating!

So what's to be done? Probably nothing. We, the American people, are way too addicted to our current lifestyle to even consider alternatives. We will continue to expect what the rest of the world sees as more than our share of the pie. We will continue to be genuinely shocked when we get violently reminded of just how much the rest of the world resents us for it. We will continue to believe our politicians when they tell us that it is freedom and democracy that's under attack, even as they place more and more restrictions on freedom and democracy in an effort to make us feel safer.

And we will continue to assume that we have a future.

Monday, June 7, 2010

STUCK IN THE PSYCHEDELIC ERA
Playlist for June 5-6 2010

Part One: Having a Rave-Up

Artist: YARDBIRDS
Song Title: "Heart Full of Soul"
Source Info: single. Hit # 2 on UK charts (biggest hit ever), # 9 in US. Fake stereo on LP: GREAT HITS
Release Year: 1965

Artist: YARDBIRDS
Song Title: "Still, I'm Sad"
Source Info: single B-side of "Evil-Hearted You" in UK, "I'm a Man" in US.
Release Year: 1965

Artist: YARDBIRDS
Song Title: "I'm a Man"
Source Info: single (US only) hit # 17. Also included on LP: HAVING A RAVE-UP. Fake stereo on LP: GREAT HITS
Release Year: 1965

Artist: STRAWBERRY ALARM CLOCK
Song Title: "Incense and Peppermints"
Source Info: single
Release Year: 1967

Artist: BYRDS
Song Title: "Have You Seen Her Face"
Source Info: LP: YOUNGER THAN YESTERDAY (also released as single)
Release Year: 1967

Artist: PAUL REVERE AND THE RAIDERS
Song Title: "Louie, Go Home"
Source Info: LP: MIDNIGHT RIDE
Release Year: 1966

Artist: SAVOY BROWN
Song Title: "Sunday Night"
Source Info: LP: LOOKING IN (All band members except leader Kim Simmonds left after this album to form Foghat)
Release Year: 1970

Artist: THE MOON
Song Title: "Mothers and Fathers"
Source Info: LP: WITHOUT EARTH (included on 2009 CD: WHERE THE ACTION IS: LA NUGGETS)
Release Year: 1968

Part Two: Man, that DJ has Stones!

Artist: ROLLING STONES
Song Title: "2000 Light Years From Home"
Source Info: LP: THEIR SATANIC MAJESTIES REQUEST (also released as B side of "She's a Rainbow")
Release Year: 1967

Artist: ROLLING STONES
Song Title: "Heart of Stone"
Source Info: US-only single (# 24). Fake stereo version: LP: BIG HITS (High Tide and Green Grass)
Release Year: 1964 (LP 1966)

Artist: ROLLING STONES
Song Title: "Sing This All Together (See What Happens)"
Source Info: LP: THEIR SATANIC MAJESTIES REQUEST
Release Year: 1967

Artist: ROLLING STONES
Song Title: "19th Nervous Breakdown"
Source Info: single (Hit # 2 in both US and UK). Fake stereo version: LP: BIG HITS (High Tide and Green Grass)
Release Year: 1966

Artist: ROLLING STONES
Song Title: "Gomper"
Source Info: LP: THEIR SATANIC MAJESTIES REQUEST
Release Year: 1967

Artist: ROLLING STONES
Song Title: "Play With Fire"
Source Info: single B side charted # 96 in US. Fake stereo version: LP: BIG HITS (High Tide and Green Grass)
Release Year: 1965 (LP 1966)

Interlude: My Sunday Feeling (At least when listening to WITH)

Artist: JETHRO TULL
Song Title: "My Sunday Feeling"
Source Info: LP: THIS WAS
Release Year: 1968

Part Three: Singles Coast to Coast

West Coast:
Artist: LOVE
Song Title: "My Little Red Book"
Source Info: Love's first single. Included on the album: LOVE
Release Year: 1966

Artist: SEEDS
Song Title: "Can't Seem to Make You Mine"
Source Info: The Seeds' first single. Included on the album: THE SEEDS
Release Year: 1966

East Coast:
Artist: VANILLA FUDGE
Song Title: "Where Is My Mind"
Source Info: single
Release Year: 1968

Artist: THE NAZZ
Song Title: "Open My Eyes"
Source Info: single B side of "Hello, It's Me" (Todd Rundgren's vinyl debut)
Release Year: 1968

Artist: BLUES MAGOOS
Song Title: "(We Ain't Got) Nothin' Yet"
Source Info: LP: PSYCHEDELIC LOLLIPOP (also released as single)
Release Year: 1967

Part Three and a Half: Deep in the Heart of Texas

Artist: FEVER TREE
Song Title: "Ninety-Nine and One Half"
Source Info: LP: FEVER TREE
Release Year: 1968

Part Three and Three Quarters: Going Back to California

Artist: THE STANDELLS
Song Title: "Black Hearted Woman"
Source Info: LP: WHY PICK ON ME
Release Year: 1966

Artist: WEST COAST POP ART EXPERIMENTAL BAND
Song Title: "I Won't Hurt You"
Source Info: LP: PART ONE
Release Year: 1967 (Possible first use of an actual human heartbeat as a musical instrument on a pop record)

Part Four: Joe and Janis, Sittin' In a Tree...

Artist: BIG BROTHER AND THE HOLDING COMPANY
Song Title: "Turtle Blues"
Source Info: LP: CHEAP THRILLS
Release Year: 1968

Artist: JANIS JOPLIN with the KOZMIC BLUES BAND
Song Title: "Ball and Chain"
Source Info: CD: Woodstock: 40 Years On: Back to Yasgur's Farm (Box Set)
Release Year: 2009

Artist: JANIS JOPLIN
Song Title: "Mercedes Benz"
Source Info: LP: PEARL
Release Year: 1971 (Final take recorded one day before her death in 1970)

Artist: COUNTRY JOE AND THE FISH
Song Title: "Not So Sweet Martha Lorraine"
Source Info: LP: ELECTRIC MUSIC FOR THE MIND AND BODY
Release Year: 1967

Artist: COUNTRY JOE AND THE FISH
Song Title: "Section 43"
Source Info: EP (Original mono recording from RAG BABY issue # 2 insert). Included on the 2007 CD: LOVE IS THE SONG WE SING: SAN FRANCISCO NUGGETS
Release Year: 1966

Thursday, June 3, 2010

Software

Computer programmers need to realize that just because something runs great on a dual-processor mega megahertz machine with a terrabite or so of memory doesn't mean it will run just as well on the average three or four year old PoS. The reason I say this is because with every new version or upgrade of just about any type of program these days comes a corresponding increase in the amount of lag that users have to put up with when using that program. I used to think this was limited to game developers, who naturally would prefer to have state of the art equipment to test their new ideas on, but now I am seeing the same phenomenon happening with other types of programs as well, such as client-server database software. And before someone says that it's all part of a continuum that drives consumers to upgrade their hardware I need to mention that, in non-game applications, it's usually an employer that owns the hardware and some poor employee that's stuck dealing with all the lag, usually with the boss breathing down their neck wanting to know what's taking so long and saying things like: "This is brand new software. You should be able to do the job in half the time it took with the old stuff."

I am becoming more and more convinced that computer programmers should be restricted in the type of hardware they are allowed to use when developing software, or at least be made to give it a test run on substandard (hell, I'd settle for standard) equipment before turning it loose on an unsuspecting public. Frank Zappa, according to legend, used to play every mixdown he made through cheap little three inch speakers just to see if all the complicated stuff he was putting in would be heard by the low-end listener or if it would instead be an unlistenable mush. The result was a series of recordings that not only sounded halfway decent played through a cheap system, but sounded great through a more expensive one as well. Is it too much to ask programmers to make sure their "upgrades" actually improve performance when used on the same machines that ran the previous version rather than decrease it?

Just askin'.

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Stereophonic, also playable mono

I was able to listen to the inaugural broadcast of Stuck in the Psychedelic Era on WITH Sunday night. Well, technically it wasn’t the broadcast itself, since I am outside the WITH listening area; instead I went to the new WITH website (www.withradio.org) and hit the “listen live” button. I’m happy to say that the streaming sounds great, and, as an added bonus, it’s in stereo.


For those of you who are not aware of this, the live streaming at www.weos.org is, and has always been, in mono, playable through a standard media player such as Real or WMP. This is done to reduce the bandwidth so that even listeners with the poorest connectivity (e.g. dialup) can listen to WEOS broadcasts without the signal breaking up. WITH, on the other hand, is using the same built-in streaming system that WXXI uses, which offers a choice of high or low quality signal. What this means to online listeners of Stuck in the Psychedelic Era is that now you can either catch the show when it first airs at 9PM Saturday on weos in mono, or wait until Sunday night at 10 and hear the same show in glorious stereo (or you can do both. Works for me).


Of course, over-the-air listeners get the show in stereo either night, which in a way is kind of ironic, since almost half the music on any given show was recorded in mono anyway. Ah, but the cuts that are in stereo are a real treat, as they represent an era in which stereo was still being experimented with.


Some of the cuts sound a little strange now, such as most of the Beatles 1966 output with vocals sometimes isolated all the way in one speaker with instruments coming out of the other (which made for some truly bizarre listening when one of the speakers wasn’t working).


1967 brought the first true works of stereo genius, such as Jimi Hendrix’s guitar bouncing from side to side in time with his wah-wah pedal on “Up From the Skies,” and the psychedelic experiments in the studio being done by San Francisco bands Jefferson Airplane and of course, the Grateful Dead.


By 1968 the eight-track recorder was becoming the new standard for stereo recording, and groups like Cream took full advantage of the new technology to create, for the first time, true stereo drum mixes (with only four tracks, a true stereo drum mix would have left only two available tracks for all the other instruments and vocals combined, making overdubs virtually impossible).


In subsequent years, analog recording capabilities would increase first to 16 tracks, then eventually to 64 tracks before giving way to the new digital technology with (theoretically) an unlimited number of tracks to play with. Still, the years that four and eight-track machines were in use can now be seen as a kind of golden age of stereo recording. Lucky for us that golden age coincided with the Psychedelic Era.

Playlist 5/29-30/10

Name STEPPENWOLF
Song Title MAGIC CARPET RIDE
Name of CD STEPPENWOLF THE SECOND (1968)
Name JEFFERSON AIRPLANE
Song Title PLASTIC FANTASTIC LOVER
Name of CD SURREALISTIC PILLOW (1967)
Name TROGGS
Song Title NIGHT OF THE LONG GRASS
Name of CD British single (1967)
Name DAVID BOWIE
Song Title ANDY WARHOL
Name of CD HUNKY DORY (1970)
Name STRANGELOVES
Song Title I WANT CANDY
Name of CD single (1965)
Name THE UNIQUES
Song Title YOU AIN'T TUFF
Name of CD single (1966)
Name GRAHAM NASH
Song Title PRISON SONG
Name of CD WILD TALES (1972)
Name SLY AND THE FAMILY STONE
Song Title EVERYBODY IS A STAR
Name of CD single (1969)
Name OTIS REDDING
Song Title SITTIN' ON THE DOCK OF THE BAY
Name of CD DOCK OF THE BAY (1968)
Name JETHRO TULL
Song Title HYMN 43
Name of CD AQUALUNG (1971)
Name THE ELASTIK BAND
Song Title SPAZZ
Name of CD single (1967)
Name THE MUSIC MACHINE
Song Title TALK TALK
Name of CD TURN ON (1966)
Name THE JOINT EFFORT
Song Title THE THIRD EYE
Name of CD single (1968)
Name GRASS ROOTS
Song Title YOU'RE A LONELY GIRL
Name of CD single-B side (1966)
Name PINK FLOYD
Song Title MATILDA MOTHER
Name of CD THE PIPER AT THE GATES OF DAWN (1967)
Name CREAM
Song Title WHITE ROOM
Name of CD WHEELS OF FIRE (1968)
Name THE KINKS
Song Title EVERYBODY'S GONNA BE HAPPY
Name of CD KINDA KINKS (1965)
Name ERIC BURDON AND THE ANIMALS
Song Title WINDS OF CHANGE
Name of CD WINDS OF CHANGE (1967)
Name ANIMALS
Song Title I PUT A SPELL ON YOU
Name of CD ANIMALIZATION (1966)
Name ERIC BURDON AND THE ANIMALS
Song Title MONTEREY
Name of CD THE TWAIN SHALL MEET (1968)
Name ANIMALS
Song Title ONE MONKEY DON'T STOP NO SHOW
Name of CD ANIMALIZATION (1966)
Name ERIC BURDON AND THE ANIMALS
Song Title SKY PILOT
Name of CD THE TWAIN SHALL MEET (1968)
Name ANIMALS
Song Title GIN HOUSE BLUES
Name of CD ANIMALIZATION (1966)
Name ERIC BURDON AND THE ANIMALS
Song Title A GIRL NAMED SANDOZ
Name of CD single-B side (1967)
Name ANIMALS
Song Title MAUDIE
Name of CD ANIMALIZATION (1966)
Name ERIC BURDON AND THE ANIMALS
Song Title WHITE HOUSES
Name of CD EVERY ONE OF US (1969)
Name ANIMALS
Song Title INSIDE LOOKING OUT
Name of CD ANIMALIZATION (1966)
Name SEEDS
Song Title A FADED PICTURE
Name of CD A WEB OF SOUND (1966)
Name DOORS
Song Title STRANGE DAYS
Name of CD STRANGE DAYS (1967)

Liberals, Big Government, Fat Cats, the Tea Party and George Washington

OK…time for a random political thought or two, just to add a little variety to the blog page.


It occurs to me that the liberals are taking the wrong tactic when dealing with the Tea Party movement. It seems to me that instead of being defensive and apologetic or even in denial when it comes to the subject of Big Government, liberals should be embracing the concept, and loudly proclaiming their support for Big Government.


"What?!?", you say? That’s insane! That’s political suicide!

Yeah, well, that kind of thinking is precisely why liberals are gonna get thrashed this November, wimps that they are.


It’s all a matter or perspective. Here’s mine:


We the people need Big Government to protect us from the Fat Cats.


Simple, eh? Let’s look at it a little more closely. The U.S. is the most powerful nation on earth, no question about it. In fact, I’d be willing to wager that the U.S. is the most powerful nation in history. Think about it. Has anyone else ever had the power to destroy the entire world several times over? No. Point and match.


Now, if Big Government were to be seriously downsized, what do you think is going to happen to all that power, huh? You think it’s just going to go away? Do you really think it will somehow end up in the hands of the little guy? Yeah, right. The power is there, folks. There is no escaping it. If it is not in the hands of Big Government (an entity that is controlled by elected officials), who’s hands will all that power end up in? Who else but:


The Fat Cats. You know who they are. The greedy people at the top. The rich guys who sit in offices and figure out ways to get even richer without actually doing anything to earn it. The ones who get together with other Fat Cats and make master plans to merge their companies and eliminate redundant jobs in the process, maybe even yours. The ones who, by and large, have gotten where they are by screwing over whoever gets in their way. The ones who have been, for the past 20 years, eliminating American jobs and replacing them with cheap labor from third world countries. The ones who run up huge financial debts, knowing that we the people will have to bail them out because they are too big to fail. The very same people that the Tea Party people are railing against.


So let’s stop and review this for a minute. The Tea Party is up in arms because taxpayer money is being used to prop up greedy Fat Cats when they screw up and damn near topple the world’s economy. The Tea Party’s solution is to downsize the most powerful government in the history of the planet and give that power to those same Fat Cats. Am I the only one who sees something fundamentally flawed with this solution?


The real problem, folks, is that Americans have been led to believe that the U.S. Government is a separate entity from the American people. Read the Constitution. We the people own this government. Granted, for longer than anyone can remember we have been content to allow professional politicians have their way with it, but the fact remains that it is our government, and everyone who works for it is our employee, including those same professional politicians. That’s why they call it the public sector, after all.


Here’s a novel idea. If you don’t like the way the government is being managed for you, hire a different management team. It’s your government, after all. Why shouldn’t you have a say in how it’s run? And how do you hire a different management team? By voting, of course. But don’t just settle for the lesser of two evils. If you feel than neither major party candidate will run your government the way you want it run, vote for someone else. Don’t assume that only the major party candidates can win an election. If a majority of voters say “no” to both major parties, neither party can claim a mandate. So pick a minor party candidate. Better yet, do some research and figure out for yourself who is best suited for the job and write their name in on the ballot, even if they are not officially running for office. Then tell everyone who will listen who you voted for and why. Maybe some of them will agree and write in the same name. If enough people write that person’s name in, maybe that person will get the job. I mean, imagine this: Wouldn’t it be a hoot if for once someone got the job who was qualified but didn’t want it? I may be mistaken, but I believe the last time that happened was a guy named George Washington.


I wonder how the Tea Party people would have treated him.