A SUMMER PLACE – THEN and NOW

Summer is pretty much obeying the calendar around here. Maybe it’s not all that chilly, but the leaves are certainly falling – mostly from lack of rain! Tonight it’s Dinner and a Movie with some friends. It kind of got me thinking about movies, and summer, and that made me think of one of my favorites oldies, (Theme from) A Summer Place. The theme song was a huge slow dance hit for Percy Faith and his Orchestra back in 1959, when I was only 12.The movie starred the adorable Sandra Dee and the equally adorable (for different reasons) Troy Donahue, in one of those early generation gap movies. There’s a wealth of clips from A Summer Place on YouTube. You could practically watch the entire flick if so inclined, but I’ve selected a couple here that I think make a good sampling, for your viewing pleasure.

This first is one a montage of scenes, the longest one featuring Molly and Johnny (Sandra and Troy) discussing their rather Romeo and Juliet love life (their parents are trying to tear them apart!). You can hear the famous theme in the background at the very beginning.



I had to include the second clip because it’s just so bizarro, IMHO. This must have been pretty suggestive stuff at the time. Molly and Dad are reclining closely together, in bed, both in their jammies, having some serious face time about how frigid and sexually repressed Mom is, and how sexually free Molly thinks things should be, and the intimate details of…oh heck just go watch the clip.



All I can say is, this is definitely not the 1959 I think most of us baby boomers remember! Nor is it likely to be anything resembling "the talk" any of us got. Of course, back then I was just starting to get interested in the dance moves I saw on Bandstand, yet was still capable of dressing up Revlon dolls (early precursor of Barbie) with my girlfriends. And going to see our favorite teen idols at the movies. Well, that's enough summer and youthful reminiscing for now. I think we're having pizza tonight, and watching "Happy Feet" (animated penguins, and we all know how sexy they are...) See how things change when you grow up.

Videos from YT members WarnerBrosOnline (top) and littlerings

SEPTEMBER 11, 2001-2008 - WE REMEMBER

Lyrics

MY FALL RITUAL

Today is so nice, perfect combination of sun, low humidity and cool temp. It’s been so dry here that many of the leaves are curling and dropping before they have a chance to turn color, but I don’t care. It’s time for my annual fall ritual, now that the hot sticky days of summer behind us. So I fired up the O.C. – that would be my bright Poppy Red ’65 Mustang, fondly nicknamed Orange Crush – and went out for a spin with, like Chuck Berry, I had no particular place to go, and to heck with wasting a little gas; I didn’t drive it much this summer. Why not? Because with no A/C and those black vinyl seats, it’s just too too too hot. But now, everything's perfect, so I took my fall songs and headed out. They aren’t all true vintage tunes, but all sound great with the windows rolled down. Just plug the MP3 player to the radio, and roar off. So here it is, my fall 2008 playlist:


The Boys of Summer - Don Henley (play, repeat at least 3 times)
See You in September – The Happenings
Remember (Walkin’ in the Sand) – The Shangri-Las
Farmer’s Daughter – The Beach Boys
In the Parkin’ Lot – The Beach Boys
Little Lonely Summer Girl – David Box
Comin’ Home – Delaney and Bonnie




Gas photo at www.jalopnik.com

A VERY SENTIMENTAL REVIEW OF THE NEW BRIAN WILSON ALBUM

As some of you already know, I am a dyed-in-the-wool Beach Boys fan, and that extends to Brian Wilson in his post-BB solo career. When I heard he had a new album, called Lucky Old Sun, coming out, I made a beeline to Amazon to pre-order. Then Brian was on Leno Wednesday night to promote it, and what I heard just made me even more eager to hear the whole thing. Well, today my CD arrived, and I popped it into the Tamale (red Grand Caravan) and headed off to do some errands. When I pulled back into the garage, the last song, “Southern California,” was about halfway through. Normally I would have turned off the engine and gone in the house without thinking. But I couldn’t interrupt it; I just sat there in the darkened garage, listening until it finished. And, my friends, there was even the hint of a tear in my eye.

I have to tell you, as much as I enjoy rock and roll in all its various vintage forms – rockabilly, folksy, surfer, girl groups etcetc – nothing over the years has effected me quite the way this album did today. I have clapped and whooped, laughed and shouted, but I’ve never had a reaction like this. Why? Well, I had to do some thinking about that. A recent review in the San Francisco Chronicle called Brian’s new album a “love letter to Los Angeles” – they took the words right from under my fingertips! I’d only add “…and all of Southern California.” But that’s not exactly the reason I was so affected. This album is like an autobiography of Brian’s long and varied musical career, and his equally varied life, with songs and spoken narratives inter-mingled (and don’t nobody go wrinkling none of their respective noses – I’m telling you, it works!) But that’s still not the reason. No, what got me is that the this album has the feel of a man, an artist – one of the most influential and lauded of his era – coming at last to a high place that affords him a view, a look back form a perspective that youth doesn’t offer. Do I think it sounded like a swan song? No, I wouldn’t say that. It sounded like the thing I suspect most people do when they get past a certain age (Brian is 65). This album feels to me like a summation, a stock-taking, a pause, and a moment of gratitude. It’s all in there, a musical scrapbook for the ear, but it’s not a simple rehash of his old styles and material. It’s fresh and vigorous and very much in the present, for all its nostalgic touches.

Brian Wilson is a few years older than me; I’m from the mid-West Rust Belt. We grew up in very different lives together, but we’ve been with each other every step of the way. Mind you, I’m not the kind of fan who joins clubs, memorizes birthdays and other personal trivia; I only know what most everyone else interested in the music gets by osmosis just from watching TV and reading the paper. I’ve never been to California, never even got to a Beach Boys concert. But that doesn’t mean I don’t feel a relationship. This is my music, and Brian Wilson is my main music man. We’ve both taken stock, and now we’re growing old together. And I feel very lucky to have this beautiful album beside me.



If you’re a baby boomer music fan, a Beach Boys fan, or a Brian Wilson fan, I think you will appreciate this album, too. Here’s a link case you want to check it out further.

Album cover from Amazon.com

WHY? WELL, BECAUSE THEY’RE YOUNG

Here’s a trailer from one of the best/worst 60s teen dramas ever, featuring a whole swack of youthful stars who went rather quickly from “rising” to…you know, I’m not even sure some of them ever made it to “where are they now.” Not only that, it’s the acting debut (notice how the trailer calls it a “challenge”!) of Dick Clark. This was pretty steamy stuff back in the day (yes, I’m tired of that phrase, too). The reason I’m putting it up here is because it’s such a time capsule. I totally love this song, but not the James Darren version. No, for me it’s gotta be the Duane Eddy instrumental. Oh, don’t get me wrong, James Darren is a read “doll” but I don’t think I’ll draw too much fire if I say his rendition is kind of wishy-washy. Jimmy may be a sweet thang, but for this song, we want the twang thang.


Because They're Young Trailer


Duane Eddy and His Twangy Guitar



Trailer video by YT member OurManinHavana
Duane Eddy Video by YT member MorriconeRocks
Shoes from Wikimedia

MORE DOO WOP, MORE FALSETTO, MORE ROCKIN' SAX...

Okay, so maybe by 1962 poodle skirts and saddle shoes were pretty much a thing of the past, but that didn't mean we were through dancing! This will get you up "off your chair, dear lady"* (and gentleman too)







Video by YT member loucacciot

* from lyrics to Gary U.S. Bond's "Dear Lady Twist' Oh heck, this is such a great vid, let's do this one, too!



Video by YT member JBauder1948

HAPPY LABOR DAY!

Here's classic footage of Joan Baez, singing at Woodstock.... Have a great day!










Video by YT member MyMindIsShot