LOOKING BACK
A few links on LinkFilter have me thinking of the music I grew up with.
I was fortunate to spend the late 60’s and early 70’s in Vancouver which was close enough to really feel the influence of the California sound. A few of my friends were musicians and I used to be a not bad guitarist and wannabe bass player.
Let me share a few memories.
“Fresh Air” by Quicksilver Messenger Service was a favorite. Quicksilver wasn’t as polished or as popular as some of the other bands but that song struck a few chords with me and you’ll still find it playing in my Jeep on a warm sunny day. The band fizzled out in the late 70’s and the members (some of whom have died) ran through some rough periods but a few of them are still making music.
“Lather” from the album “Crown Of Creation” by Jefferson Airplane was a song of lost innocence that somehow seemed appropriate as I was finishing highschool. Grace Slick’s vocals drip with a longing for a childhood that will never return. The Airplane went through many incarnations and, sadly, ended up recording trash like “We Built This City”. During the transition, Paul Kantner and
Grace Slick joined up with other musicians including Jerry Garcia and David Crosby to record “Blows Against The Empire”. “Have You Seen The Stars Tonite” was a lovely song.
“It’s A Beautiful Day” was another group that did something to me. “White Bird” will always have a place in my jukebox.
Finally, The Youngbloods and their song “Darkness Darkness” paints a mournful picture:
Darkness, Darkness, be my pillow, Take my head and let me sleep
In the coolness of your shadow, In the silence of your deep
Darkness, darkness, hide my yearning, For the things I cannot see
Keep my mind from constant turning, To the things I cannot be
Darkness, darkness, be my blanket, cover me with the endless night
Take away the pain of knowing, fill the emptiness with light
