When I was 14, back when dirt was new and saber toothed tigers ruled the earth, John S, Sherrie C and I formed a "tribute group" called Lyle, John & Sherrie for a school talent show. We enlisted my best friend at the time, Dennis, who was pretty proficient on the acoustic guitar, and we learned a ton of PP&M songs.
Our voices blended pretty well for the callow yoots we were, and our audition for the talent show was well received. In fact, we were the only 'act' that got to play twice in the show. When I complained to Mrs Bauer that we were put last in the order, she patiently explained that "We always save the best for last." That was a nice moment.
Our first offering was 500 Miles, and we closed the show with "The Cruel War" which brought down the house. (This was fairly early in America's troops' involvement in Viet Nam.) We weren't prepared for that reception and stood there, gobsmacked, but were hugely gratified.
Sherrie's brother was killed three years later in that goddam war.
This morning The Girl and I were both up shortly after 3 following another night's unsuccessful attempt to reset our internal clocks after our ten days in Greece. She told me of Mary Travers' passing and I downloaded 24 PP&M songs, played them all and am still reeling under the effects of a nostalgia deluge.
Now listen up.
The absolute minimum you must have in your library is: I Dig Rock And Roll Music; Early Morning Rain; 500 Miles; Puff, the Magic Dragon (I am NOT kidding); their definitive Where Have All The Flowers Gone; Don't Think Twice, It's Alright; and most importantly The Great Mandela, which of course will always have a special resonance for me.
If I find out you don't have these on your device, and in regular rotation, it will not go well for you when I'm in charge.
Posts
2 comments:
When's the last time you were put in charge?!
I'll download those songs tonight and check them out.
What I remember from those performances was the excruciating anticipation of trying to play the Bb chord on the guitar without my little finger getting caught under a string. It never happened, and the resulting blurping sound always caused the whole group to stare incriminatingly amused in my direction - while the sweat poured down.
Post a Comment