The College Crowd Digs Me

Tripwire by Lee Child (1999) Paperback, 581 pages NO SPOILERS:       Tripwire is the third novel in the Jack Reacher series, though you don't have to read them in order.  I certainly haven't.  I just grab one off a shelf and kick it.  And I have become seasoned to our all-powerful coffee-drinking hero, Jack Reacher.  Knowing that Reacher is always going to out-think and out-fight the bad guys in the end allows me to curl up with my own cup of "Chock Full…" and enjoy all the ass-kickery.  Lee Child's  page-turning concoctions are so much fun and just perfect to cleanse the palate between the more challenging novels I have on my reading list.      And that's not a knock on Lee Child , the brainstormer of all these page-turners.  I luv'em.  I mean, if it was easy, everyone would be mega-successful.  Here, Jack Reacher has been keeping it on the down-low, digging swimming pools in Florida, when he learns a strange...

"SAHB Stories" - The Sensational Alex Harvey Band (1976 )       The Sensational Alex Harvey Band  has always enjoyed adding a little slice of avant-garde to their sound.  A little twist to their lemons.   On  "SAHB Stories"  (pronounced "Sob Stories"),   however, the theatrics are toned down just a smidge, and yet the album still delivers more often than the midwives at the Nonnatus House.   Everybody came to the party, especially guitarist Zal Cleminson and bassist Chris Glen , who always seem to play off each other with such ease and chapeau.  "SAHB Stories,"  the band's sixth album, has it all and with no drop-off.   The riffage bangs right alongside  Alex Harvey's  tongue-in-cheek swag without any problems.  Add a little atmosphere and attitude, and you have yourself a  surprisingly strong hoss for being this deep in their discog rodeo.         The Sensational Al...

"71Spiders" - Spider Fingers (2017) (CD front and back)       "71Spiders" is a pretty tasty piece of guitar-driven crankage that bangs out in various directions with a mid-70s hard rock flair. The influences are numerous on this 11-song collection and ring out from coolly familiar yet oddly different places.  And it's this curious chasm that draws you in and creates unexpected flashes of awareness, making for a fun spin.  One you'll want to crank up.       Spider Fingers  is a founding member of both  The Flying Sixty Nine  and  Electric Monster.    Spider  is responsible for all the music and lyrics on this, his solo debut album, and is a chameleon of sorts, being whatever is necessary.  There are a couple of traffic cones on this square, but most of the songs work, maintaining a cool tone that often carries an enjoyable and unexpected edginess.  If you like your 70s guitar churn-and-burn c...

"Anthem Of The Sun" - Grateful Dead  (1968 )        "Anthem of the Sun," the band's second studio album, is the one I've wanted to own for the longest time.  And I intentionally avoided listening to this album until I could actually spin it for myself.  Probably the  Grateful Dead' s most psych-ified album, where the colorful 'pass-it-around' circle rug begins to spread wider and wider for everyone to enjoy.  An essential album, especially for psych enthusiasts.  Soon, the band would drift into a more cosmic country-folk-rock direction while still maintaining their community aura of headiness.        The trip-fest square   is a multiple-net-free tightrope walk across hundreds of wires strung from every direction… and crossing streams like you wouldn't believe.  An almost blindfolded adventure of sorts.  The band is fearless in their 1968 lysergic leap of faith.  This square is the purp...

"A Summer's Night" - Montreal (1970 )       "A Summer's Night" is a unique and pleasant ride on a very lightly acid-ized jazz-folk train car that gives the mind a wee-curious sensation.  This was Montreal's only album, but it did make its way into the Acid Archives .  It's pretty unusual to find a copy out here in Kansas, and it was cheap, so I had to grab it.  "A Summer's Night" is sort of loungy and gentle, but more than ordinary.  Something's going on.  Fran Losier's vocals have a nice timbre that recalls elements of both Françoise Hardy (without the French accent) and a softer Connie Devanney (Ill Wind).       Richie Havens signed Montreal to his own label and contributes some sitar and koto (a zither-like instrument) with a light touch.  Nothing that would suggest a Woodstock flashback.  There is also some occasional flute that I'm a sucker for.   "A Summer's Night" isn't a great album, but it...

A Man On The Moon by Andrew Chaikin (1994) Paperback, 685 pages      Space: The final frontier, as the mantra goes.  And going to the moon has been the greatest, boldest adventure we small humans have undertaken in our lifetime.   In A Man on the Moon ,  Andrew Chaikin   takes us along as we follow the Apollo Program from its inception in 1967.   From Apollo 1 to Apollo 17, the last mission, we are reminded of the tragedies and near-tragedies, as well as the amazing triumphs and accomplishments.  This almost reads like a novel.        We learn so much about the astronauts.  In many ways, the astronauts are a lot like us and yet nothing like us at all.  There's a fearlessness and bravery gene hidden inside each one of the astronauts that somehow allows them to rub shoulders with the shadows of death.  Savoring the risks and begging for the triple-dog dares.  We also learn how important mission ...