In the Heat of the Summer of Love – July 1967
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The Summer of Love had typical hot weather throughout the country, but the musical temperature in 1967 was even hotter. The burgeoning youth movement had finally coalesced into something tangible, and for the first time in history, the kids were alright, and they were doing things (mostly) for themselves. It was a heady experience, a rush, to be a teenager in those years, because it really did feel as though the world was changing before our very eyes – and ears. Most of these songs, all from July 1967, capture an element of that spirit.
Here’s a list of songs featured in today’s program;
1) All You Need Is Love – The Beatles
2) Pleasant Valley Sunday – The Monkees
3) A Whiter Shade of Pale – Procul Harum
4) Carrie-Anne – The Hollies
5) To Love Somebody – The Bee Gees
6) My Mammy – The Happenings (as a “Bad Hit”)
…and our featured album tracks…
7) Hey Grandma – Moby Grape
8) Omaha – Moby Grape
9) Holiday – The Bee Gees
10) Cucumber Castle – The Bee Gees
posted by Tom Ryan @ 5:52 PM
1 Comments:
June, 1967. I was 24, living on a houseboat at Gate 5, Sausalito, just about through the spring semester of San Francisco State College.
What a month. Started out on Mt. Tam with the Magic Mountain Festival and although there were many groovy groups, for me, standing facing the ocean, blitzed n mescaline, it was the Doors blasting out The End. I remember thinking that life was never going to get better.
Two weeks later, though, my young wife ran offwith my last roommate in college, but Dan Hicks, who lived on a boat next door, asked me if I wanted to make 20 dollars helping bring in some equipment at the Monterey Pop Festival. As we were doing this, I found a back stage pass. Since there had never been a festival like this before, who knew what I could do with it.
With it in hand, I sauntered backstage and partook, up close the sets of Otis Redding, Janis Joplin, the Who and others, but the one that will always stand out, is Jimi Hendrix. I snuck up as close as I could and was at the most 10 feet away from him, just offstage, when he set the tone for the rest of the decade with that blistering set. I could go on and on about that summer and I haven't even mentioned that Sgt Pepper came out just then also. The amazing thing is, Jimi Hendrix didn't even have an album out when he played Monterey! California Dreaming at its best.
Just a few days after Monterey Pop, a group of people who were headquartered at the Psychedelic Shop on Haight St, put on a free concert in Golden Gate Park. A t the meeting, someone asked if anyone had a car and I lifted my hand. Go pick up Jimi at the Travelodge at Fishermen's Wharf and bring him to the Panhandle at Golden Gate Park. I drove over in my beat up '59 Studebaker Lark ragtop. He answered the door and we drove back to where the 2 and a half ton flatbed was that would be the stage. I rolled up a bomber and got wrecked and quickly got out of the car and ambled over to the stage, getting directly under Jimi. I am the guy with the fur hat on and you can check this out in Rolling Stone issue 1030/1031, July 12, 2007.
Jimi and the Experience did a blistering set and then life did get better.
See you back here soon.
Peace,
Jeffrey
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