ROCKOLLECTIONS: 1967 AND THE SUMMER OF LOVE PT.11

After a week off, a return to that great year 1967, And The Summer Of Love.
AM Radio back then was Top Forty, but for a number of years that wasn't even true- they played about 25 records, sometimes 23.
Think about that...the SAME 25 songs over and over!
The advent of FM Radio as a Rock force brought with it not only far more songs, but other forms of Music, other worlds of Music.
This chapter I'll take just a small look at Folk Music, where artists quietly had been making albums for years, unheard on Radio.
Outside of College Stations who would play these songs?
We all had a lot of catching up to do, and I thank Scott Muni on WNEW-FM for opening up a huge genre of Music I quickly and eagerly devoured.
Muni, and Jonathan Schwartz, Rosko and Alison Steele, made me a Folkie.
Which I remain to this day, a comfort zone for me.
So, songs that ask questions, that SAY something.
Some of the Poets of the Time,
Join me in a listen to The Words!

Here are the needed links to hear The Singer/Songwriters, The Poets- your pick of one or the other- to Mike Pell Rockollections:

At Podomatic

http://radiopell.podomatic.com/entry/2012-09-03T19_03_38-07_00

And at Soundcloud

http://soundcloud.com/radiopell/11-summer-of-love-2012

Mike

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Comment by Mike Pell on September 8, 2012 at 4:41pm: RJ,

I am wearing briefs today, lol!

That Tim Buckley song says quite a lot if you follow the poetic story he lays out in that epic.

It's Goodbye And Hello, album title too, and a worthy recipient of the Golden Pell!

Strange that not one person has mentioned that scathing song about parking your parents in an old age home by Janis Ian.

Good to hear from you, I have no energy, think I almost killed myself in the heat yesterday,

Mike

Comment by RJhog (Admin) on September 7, 2012 at 9:18am: Must be brief today.

I did like the Simon and Garfunkel tune you started with, but I'll give the Golden Pell to the last song you played. I think you said it was Tim Buckley. But I didn't catch the song title. Either way, it's quite an epic little folk song.

Comment by Mike Pell on September 6, 2012 at 11:24pm: Jon,

You know what I'll do?

I'll send you and RJ some pictures of Ken and the station.

Maybe RJ will post them at the site if they are interesting enough.

I finally saw Carnal Knowledge a few years ago myself, on a premium TV station.

My memory is it was alright, and cleavage.

Could be an obsession, lol?

Nick Drake was very good, nothing to be afraid of...but he was nicknamed by some of us the Dark Donovan, lol!
Mike

Comment by Jon on September 5, 2012 at 6:09pm: Great...now you just have to PROVE that there is/was someone else in the studio with you and my life will be complete.

I saw Carnal Knowledge years ago, I don't remember it being good at all. Kinda talky and boring. Don't remember any breastages, probably because I fell asleep.

Heard of Nick Drake but don't think I've heard much from him. He scares me.

Comment by Mike Pell on September 5, 2012 at 7:28am: That's the guy, in Carnal Knowledge yessir!
Nasty stuff? I just remember boobs, lol!
Jeff Buckley did some good music, but no pedestal- although that sometimes seems to just come with dying young.
More worthy would be...say Nick Drake.
I might as well announce it to the world.
Jon, I mentioned you in the 2nd half of the show, Part 12.
I found myself singing again...thought of you and how you hate my singing, and
mentioned that fact, lol!
Mike

Comment by Jon on September 5, 2012 at 7:07am: Garfunkel...I remember a Garfunkel in a movie called Carnal Knowledge. Couldn't have been the same guy because that movie was about nasty stuff.

So, in your infinite wisdom, why all the hoopla about Jeff Buckley? Do you put him on a pedestal of greatness as most everyone else does?

Comment by Mike Pell on September 4, 2012 at 8:50pm: Jon,

Glad you liked the Tim Buckley song, and there are a few Jeff Buckley things I like.

Tell you this, there was more hoopla about him than there ever was about his father, lol!

I do the show in real time, so there are times during playback when I wish I hadn't said what I did.

But I refuse to go back and change it.

It is what it is.

I shouldn't have said "group" in reference to Dave Van Ronk, since he was a solo artist except for that one album with the Hudson Dusters.

He was a bearded, gray-haired, overweight older guy who talked and sang with a lisp.

But he was probably more knowledgeable of the Village Folk scene than anybody.

He saw, and helped, them all passing through.

And out of sync or not, I remember that song fondly- for him and for Scott Muni and for that impressionable time in my life.

As for Simon & Garfunkel...nah they made a few albums.

Garfunkel made a couple of movies as an actor, then dropped out of sight.

The other guy I don't know what happened to him, lol!
Thanks for the listen and writing,

Mike

Comment by Mike Pell on September 4, 2012 at 8:33pm: Scott,

That is not progress at all.

I don't know who to blame- maybe radio program directors who lost trust in DJ's playing what they like in favor of what few songs the people are supposed to like.

But I am sure MTV had an effect, and they don't even play music anymore.

Progressive Folk? Well it never had that name, lol!

So what does it mean when Simon and Garfunkel are the most upbeat song in the playlist?

It means that I was flaunting my freedom to play anything I WANT!

Just as those DJ's were doing back then.

You have to understand that this was in 1967- there was no classic rock, no one was tainted by anything and there were not many guys playing distorted geetars or doing solos, just maybe Clapton, Hendrix, Jeff Beck and a few others, it was all experimental.

Most of the avalanche of new music coming in daily was singles, and Folk music was an obvious alternative.

It was music with an edge, making social commentary.

Today it may not satisfy your musical curiosity...but you had to be there then!

Jonathan Schwartz for example, would ofter begin his show with almost an hour of non-upbeat songs, as he worked his way to a more rocking sound.

Kind of like when we go to work and ease into anything mildly productive, lol!

Each air-personality had his own tastes and quirks.

There are times I am more mellow than others, the music I choose reflects that and I like it- it allows people to know me better.

And sometimes I deliberately choose songs I am pretty sure not many people will know.

That was easy with the Folk episode, lol!
But a valid representation of listening to FM radio in 1967!

Thanks for listening to me in 2012, and for writing about it,

Mike

Comment by Jon on September 4, 2012 at 4:56pm: I did like the Buckley song, but I still don't see what the hoopla about Jeff Buckley is. niels postred a video and I thought the song absolutely sucked. But that's me.

Lessee...two versions of one song. The first: Good. The second: Not so good. Seemed like everything was out of psynch with the second one.

Never heard of Simon & Garfunkel. Were they big or something?

Comment by Scott on September 4, 2012 at 9:46am: The same 25 songs over and over.. So now radio plays the same 40 songs over and over, that's progress? Whatever happened to the spirit of FM radio? I remember hearing so much new music and full length concerts as late as the early eighties and then *POOF* MTV screwed it all up...

Progressive Folk? Dare I say that's what the last two sounded like?

So what does it mean when Simon and Garfunkel are the most upbeat song in the playlist? This one was 100% new to me, and I am always grateful for the chance to hear new-old music, but this style of music doesn't really satisfy my musical curiosity (if that makes sense). Maybe I've been tainted by classic rock and distorted geetars...

Thanks Mike! Nice Series...