The College Crowd Digs Me

Stone Cold by C. J. Box (2014) Paperback, 398 pages NO SPOILERS:      Stone Cold is the 14th novel from the "Joe Pickett Series" created by author C. J. Box .  Each story stands alone, so don't be afeard.  Joe Pickett is a Game Warden, a family man with Boy Scout virtues and skills.  And Joe's job title might sound lame, but the action and pacing of the novel quickly put any reading trepidations to rest.  In this story, Joe Pickett has been requested by the governor to go to far corners of Wyoming to quietly investigate large land purchases made by some moneybag mysterioso and the small town he seems to have a grip on.  Oh yeah, and there are also rumors that this fellow might be involved in a murder-for-hire operation.       Our hero  Joe Pickett is smart and clever, and he likes to push the envelope.  He's not a bad-ass rogue, like say, Jack Reacher, but Pickett is easy to root for.  The story is more myster...

"Aoxomoxoa" - Grateful Dead (1969 )      I've never been a deep-diver of The Grateful Dead , but I do have a handful of their albums, both studio and live stuff.  I like the vibes they give off.  I like the spirit.  I like the mojo.  I've been especially wanting to collect their early stuff from the 60s when the purse strings allow.  I still need "Anthem Of The Sun," but I did pick up  "Aoxomoxoa" recently.   I'd been looking for a nice copy for quite a spell, and knew one would show up soon enough, so I forgoed listening to the album until I had one in my hands.  On this square, The Grateful Dead still employ the psychematized strangeness of the late 60s, but now with hints of  "Workingman's Dead" and "American Beauty" which were soon to follow.  Of course, the improvised noodling still remains, and it's almost the best of both worlds.  Apart from one dirtclod on side two, mostly because it's out of place, th...

"Hall Of The Mountain Grill" - Hawkwind (1974)      "Hall Of The Mountain Grill" is much more chill than I expected, but wonderfully so.  The music is dense with layers of synths, Mellotrons, and oboes. Saxes and tasty guitar-riffage.  Pleasing sounds that surprise the mind.  Hawkwind  rocks and trips whenever and wherever it pleases, as they are wont to do.  But this square sounds even more in-the-moment.  Cosmic, but without the debris.  I really liked it.         Perhaps not as hard as Hawkwind's earlier albums, but it doesn't disappoint.  Apart from an occasional odd mixing (a little muddy in places), I like everything about it.  And it's a delicious conundrum that you can crank this puppy without restraint in the daytime or kick back in the late-evening and chill the fawk out.  It's a square that's two mints in one .   "Hall Of The Mountain Grill" - Hawkwind (back) "Hall Of The M...

Once An Eagle by Anton Myrer (1968) Paperback, 1291 pages NO SPOILERS:      Once An Eagle is a story that explores soldiering and the choices made in becoming a good soldier and leader.  And rank, fair or not, means almost everything.  And how the military can become an intoxicating lifestyle for some.  Just as interesting are the effects on the family.  Wives, in particular, must be skillful in weaving their way through the unwritten social rules within the military circle.  That's an interesting trip in and of itself.        Amid all this flibbety-floo, the book introduces two main characters, each with their own approach to leading men.  Each presented as the antithesis of the other.  Neither is completely right nor wrong.  However, our main protagonist, Sam Damon, is a leader we would all hope to follow as he rises through the ranks.  Damon's military journey takes him through the course of th...

"The Revolt Of Emily Young" - Foxx (1970)      Well, the album cover and gatefold are very cool, and guess what?  "The Revolt Of Emily Young"  is pretty cool, as well.  The album is a mix of psych-pop and psych-rock, lightly lysergicafied.  And without the least bit of gum.  "…Emily Young" is an attempt at a concept album, but don't let that scare you away.  A young girl, a bit of a rebel, but a good kid, takes off on her own, where her mind gets expanded, as does her view of the world.  And, spoiler alert, Emily becomes a death notch on the belt of life.  Something like that, but it doesn't really matter because the songs are amazingly good.  No stinkers anywhere.  The band mixes up the vibes with crazy-smart lyrics and tempos that keep everything interesting.      Foxx may be a little-known band with a little-known album, but for a psych obscurity, it still has a modest price.  "The Revolt Of Emily...

"And it humbles you in ways that  you should be humbled because there are so many great players." ~ Gerry Polci ~      Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in.  Everyone loves  The Four Seasons , the golden vocals of Frankie Valli , and the gazillion hit singles they released.  To some, they were The Beatles before The Beatles.  When the 70s arrived, however, the band was still loved but mostly forgotten.  Frankie was still pulling down solo hits now and then.  Good ones, but not the same.  But then some strange rock-n-roll magical thing happened, and The Four Seasons caught everyone by the unawares.  In 1975, the band released a new album, "Who Loves You," and it was like Boom Boom Mancini going fifteen again.  And radio loved'em.      Sure, the golden one, Frankie Valli , was still sounding great as ever, but as the 70s rolled on, new faces were beginning to replace old faces in the...