The College Crowd Digs Me

"Younger Than Yesterday" - The Byrds (1967 )       "Younger Than Yesterday"  falls into the middle of what I like to think of as the band's psych-dust trilogy, which includes  "Fifth Dimension"  and  "Notorious Byrd Brothers."   These are the squares I spin most often.  It's a coin flip which one is my favorite, but "Younger…" captures the hippie-trippie westcoast elements the best.  The album expands your mind, blows your love-happenings, and carries you away long after the needle has returned to its resting place.       The album's vibes are warm to the touch and cool to the mind.  Roger McGuinn's vocals and cool  jangly psych-rock 12-string are delivered perfectly.   David Crosby is at his hedonistic best, throwing floaty, dreamlike thought-bubbles into the air like incense.  You can get high just taking the album outta the jacket sleeve.      But it's quiet Chris Hillman who step...

"In The Garden" - Gypsy (1971)      I really like Gypsy , and this was the album I was missing from my collection.  "In The Garden" was Gypsy's sophomore effort following their fantastic double LP debut, and it picks up pretty much right where they left off.  Not quite as strong, but there's very little drop-off.  Enjoyable spin front to back.  Only an ill-advised drum solo causes aspersions to be cast.  Not bad, but certainly unnecessary.  As for the rest of the spin, I'm cool.        Out of Minnesota,  Gypsy  was a progressive rock band with melodic flavors lightly dusted in psych affectation.  The band has always had a unique and identifiable sound.  The gorgeous B3 Hammond, along with the guitars, vocals, and harmonies, pleases the senses like a thousand marbles bouncing their way through the East River Tunnel .  Not non-stop, but there are moments throughout the square that defini...

"Tonto's Expanding Head Band" - Tonto's Expanding Head Band (1971 )      The music is spacey electronic splashes of very early Moog synth that tip-toe through the fields of prog-psych trippiness.  Tonto's Expanding Head Band , created by Malcolm Cecil and Robert Margouleff , offers a weird and experimental mind game on their debut.  The album has been credited as being a big influence on numerous musical acts, from Stevie Wonder to Devo.        I didn't love this square initially, but it's definitely been a grower.  Tonto's Expanding Head Band is a spin that requires active listening free from distractions.  Being in the right frame of mind matters.  Headphones are your friend, and though I don't listen to this a lot, the album still gives more than it takes.   "Tonto's Expanding Head Band" - Tonto's Expanding Head Band (back) Favorites include: "Aurora" "Riversong"      My copy is a 1...

"The Savage Seven" Stk  (1968)      " The Savage Seven" Soundtrack is from one of many cash-in biker/hippie counter-culture B-movies that flooded the summer drive-ins in the '60s.  Low-budget bottom feeders.  Edgy stuff for the period, but poor acting and weak scripts usually had the bongwater leaking out before the first hit.  Still, the passage of time makes these movies and soundtracks a lot of fun.  I'm a sucker for this kind of stuff.      As for the tracks on this square, there is  an atypical song from Cream,  "Anyone for Tennis,"  which was recorded during their  "Wheels of Fire"  sessions but then released on the soundtrack.    Two songs,  "Unconscious Power"  and  "Iron Butterfly Theme,"  were culled from Butterfly's debut album,  "Heavy"  (1968).   A couple of songs from  Barbara Kelly & The Morning Good  have an Austin Powers aura. ...

"Solar Music - Live" - Grobschnitt (1978 )      I've spun this album a lot since picking it up a few weeks ago.  "Solar Music - Live" is a bit of a space-rock adventure in the way Pink Floyd would sometimes trip off into.  A little kraut-psych in the juices, as well.  Ron at The Hog's Ear Report describes the square a little like Floyd following up their "Animals" album by never going into "The Wall" at all, and that's not inaccurate.  A what-if...if you will.  There is definitely a "Meddle/Animals" aura about this, yet very much unique in its own right.  The first track is neither here nor there.  Nothing special.  But after that, let the games begin.  By the time you get to the end of side two…you've been places.       Grobschnitt is legendary across the pond, with their live shows often lasting several hours.  "Solar Music - Live"  was recorded in 1978 at the Otto Pankok Forum in Mühlheim, German...

American Boys by Steven Phillip Smith (1975) Paperback, 435 pages NO SPOILERS:      Oftentimes, the worst part of going anywhere is the anticipation of the return.  American Boys  follows four soldiers in Vietnam in 1966.  The writing was partially based on the author's personal experiences during the war.  Steven Phillip Smith left little doubt about the brutality and monotony of war, and just how hard it was to balance the highs with the lows.  Totally a mind-flayer keeping it all in check.  There are some brutal scenes Smith delivers that really leave a mark.   And yet, his descriptive prose somehow finds beauty in the mundane and the chaos.        The fighting was more from a helicopter/gunnery perspective, which I found both fascinating and horrific.  And the importance of it all was not lost on me.  As with all aspects of war, each moment can spell your last.  Lucky this; unlucky that....