Voice recording #223, Dec. 30
Creedence Clearwater Revival, "Lodi" from '69, I believe. 4,250.
Tommy James and the Shondells, "Crimson and Clover", I'm pretty sure '67. That's because I believe I remember it from my spring break trip to Panama City, Fla., that year. 2,200.
Oliver, "Jean", 1969. This was the theme song for "The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie", for which I'm pretty sure Maggie Smith won an Oscar in the title role. Pamela Franklin had a good role in the movie too. Jean Brodie was what once would have been called an old-maid teacher. She was very idealistic, if impractical and kind of the equivalent of a stage Mom or Little League Dad who wanted her students to live out her dreams. Miss Brodie was proud of a student who, knowing little of what she was getting into, went to help out in the Spanish Civil War. Oliver's brother, John Swofford, was the athletic director at North Carolina at that time. The song is a nice ballad. 4,400.
Len Barry, "1-2-3" from '65, I believe. 4,050.
The Beatles, "Drive My Car", 1965. I never really listened to the lyrics on this one until. It's about a dreamer who appears to have neither a girlfriend nor a car, but if he ever gets a girlfriend, she could drive his car -- if he had a car. 3,700.
The Lemon Pipers, "Green Tambourine" from '67. This was their greatest hit. True to its name, the song features the tambourine more prominently than possible any other song. There's a lot of percussion in it -- drums, triangle and one of those things with grooves in the side that you run a stick across to make a scraping sound. (I just looked it up, it's a guiro.) There's echo in it, there are sweeping slurs of notes. It's a good tune, too. 1,800
Barry McGuire, "Eve of Destruction", 1965. Also his greatest hit. The lyrics were germane to that particular time, but the sentiments would apply to just about any time. There are crises in the world, and somehow we've been overcoming them since before 1965. Crises keep coming around, but I guess the song's lesson is that it's not as bad as it seems. I might have done this before, and would have given it about 3,100, as high as 3,000.
Four Seasons, "Rag Doll" from '64. It's typical Four Seasons. The subject matter is different. It takes on the fact that the people we love aren't always ones our parents think are good enough for us, that opposites attract. Sometimes we can transcend differences or economic backgrounds. We just love who we love. 2,900.
Nancy Sinatra, "Sugartown", 1966. Not her best. It's almost a stuttering song: "Shuh, shuh, shuh, shuh, shuh, shuh, shuh, shuh, shuh, shuh, shuh-shuh, Sugartown," and it's 4,450.
The Association, "Along Comes Mary", I think '66. It's one of The Association's better ones. Their music hasn't held up really well over time. It's not even representative of the mid-'60s. 3,600.
The Isley Brothers, "It's Your Thing", '66, I think, possibly later in the '60s. When they sing, "I can't tell you who to sock it to," it's like a reference to "Laugh In". This is good soul music. 4,100.
Little Anthony and the Imperials, "Goin' Out of My Head", I think '67. Little Anthony had a pretty good voice and a fairly good number of hits, and this is one of the Imperials' better ones. 3,400.
Billy Joe Royal, "Down in the Boondocks", 1962 or '63. 2,800.
Stone Poneys, "Different Drum", 1966 or '67. Linda Ronstadt makes this song with her great voice. 2,100.
Canned Heat, "On the Road Again", 1968. I'm pretty sure Canned Heat sang this at Woodstock in '69. It's also played on Sirius Channel 6 a lot, to the point where I'm almost tired of it. 3,300.
Gary Puckett and the Union Gap, "Lady Willpower", '69, I'm pretty sure. I almost wrote, "Kirby Puckett." This group was a little behind its time. They were singing ballads in more of a hard-rock, psychedelic age. This one is 3,950.
Every Mother's Son, "Come on Down to My Boat", '66 or '67. It's a catchy tune with a good beat. They also play this a lot on Channel 6, but I'm not tired of it yet. 2,200.
The Bachelors, "Diane", 1964. It's a powerfully sung song, with a nice ending. 4,200.
Chad and Jeremy, "Yesterday's Gone", I'm guessing '66. I saw part of their concert at Ohio Wesleyan, but it wasn't very good. This song is OK, but nothing special. 4,400.
Tommy James and the Shondells, "Crystal Blue Persuasion", '69. It seemed as if they were trying to bridge some gaps in music and time. The horns are a bit of a throwback. I think the bongos are supposed to show that the Shondells were hip, but bongos seem more '50s beatnik than hippie. 4,100.
Jackie De Shannon, "What the World Needs Now", '68 or '69. It's a good song, but nothing special. 4,050.
The Outsiders, "Time Won't Let Me", I think '66. 2,750.
Keith, "98.6", about '67. 4,500.
Creedence Clearwater Revival, "Bad Moon Rising", '68 or '69. 3,200.
The Fireballs, "Bottle of Wine", '68. I'm not sure whether this is the same group that was Jimmy Gilmer and The Fireballs. I checked, and it is the same group. It started without Gilmer, and recorded at the same studio in Clovis, N.M., as Buddy Holly. They were "Jimmy and" for "Sugar Shack", but later went back to being just The Fireballs even though Gilmer was still with them. 4,550.
James Brown, "I've Got You (I Feel Nice)", '65. Quintessential James Brown. If you haven't seen the biopic, "Get On Up", it's very good. Portraying Brown is Chadwick Bozeman, who also played Jackie Robinson in "42" and did a good job in both. This song has a lot of horns, and the hardest-working man in show business. 2,300.
Gary Lewis and the Playboys, "Count Me In", 1966. 3,400.
The Lemon Pipers, "Green Tambourine", '67. I did this one earlier on the same day. I think 1,900 is about right. Up above I said 1,800, so 1,850.
Start next time with voice recording #230, Jan. 1.
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