What Were We Thinking (updated)

A friend on facebook posted Kenny Loggins, Danny's Song last night. It's a great song and it had been a while since I had heard it. I started to search for some other songs from the 1970's and it started to become all to clear, what were we thinking with some of our music choices. The fact that Muskrat Love was a hit for one band is evidence enough but when you realize that two bands had hits with it is astounding. Now there are songs that are recorded by multiple bands, for example, I Heard It Through The Grapevine was first recorded by Smokey Robinson in 1967, Gladys Knight and the Pips in 1967, a signature tune for Marvin Gaye in 1968 and Creedence Clearwater Revival in 1970 (oh yeah, the California Raisins in 1986) but this is one of Billboard Magazines greatest hits of rock and roll, I'm talking about Muskrat Love. The folk music revolution of the 1960's gave us great songs of war protest and civil rights. The folk music of the 1970's gave us songs of relationships. Cat Stevens, Jim Croce, Loggins & Messina, Seals & Croft, Dan Fogelberg, it was a decade of sappy love songs. For every Bad, Bad Leroy Brown and Your Mama Don't Dance there are three or more, Longer, Return To Pooh Corner and We May Never Pass This Way Again types. What were we smoking? In today's world of Red Bull and Five Hour Energy drinks it's hard to think that there was a time when people would take drugs to mellow them out, you never hear about quaaludes anymore. Look at the music and you will understand. Now that the high school students of the 1970's are in their fifties and less prone to loud heavy metal music (I still listen but not as often) we do spend more time with easy listening music. When you mix classic rock with easy listening you get 1975 all day long. So sit back, turn on your lava lamp and sing along with me, Muskrat Suzie, Muskrat Sam. Do the jitterbug out in muskrat land. And they shimmy, Sam is so skinny (Bahahahaha how long will that stay in your head).



Since I posted this the other day people have been going out of their way to add songs to the list of bad songs of the 1970's. Here are just a few, Don't Go Breaking My Heart, Elton John and Kiki Dee; Saturday Night by The Baycity Rollers (remember the pants) anything by Barry Manilow, You Light Up My Life, Debbie Boone, ABBA, need I say more, Jim Stafford's I Don't Like Spiders and Snakes, Eric Carmen's All By Myself. You see, the list grows and grows and I haven't even mentioned the BeeGees and if you can remember who sang  Thunder Island you are doing better than me.

Go Big Blue

Superbowl week has started, well to be correct, Superbowl two week has started. Yesterday the division championship games were held. The AFC Champion is the New England Patriots, or as I like to call them, the New England Football Red Sox, are again heading to the big game. Facing the Pats will be the New York Giants of the NFC. Both games yesterday were exciting right down to the end but were both a bit sloppy. Baltimore Ravens kicker Billy Cundiff (not to confused with actor Billy Crudup, Almost Famous, Big Fish, Watchmen) did his best Scott Norwood imitation by missing a field goal in the waning seconds of a huge game. The Giants also were handed their win by the mishandling of not one but two punts by San Francisco 49er's punt return man, Kyle Williams. Now missed field goals and fumbles are just part of the game but when they happen on the big stage they just seem to stand out more, and are remembered forever (just ask Leon Lett, who's blunder in the snow on Thanksgiving day gave the victory to Miami ). Not withstanding Yesterday was a great day of football. I think that football is the kind of sport that you need to watch with a group of people. Super Bowl parties are the norm and places like Buffalo Wild Wings makes their living on football. The down side of watching football in a group is that there is always someone who knows more than the coach. Let me explain this, some moak who works for, let's say, the Dept. of Motor Vehicles, is watching the game and critiquing every play because he knows more about football then the highly paid professional coach.This folks is your sobriety check, if you are able to keep from smacking this loud mouth in the chops you're probably sober (this theory should not be usedas your defence in a court of law the same way the truck in the TV ad did not snowboard or do a barrel roll). This all adds to the fun of the game, at least if your team is winning. So all of you football fans out there, get ready, you have two weeks to study film, read charts and prepare yourself for the big game. I suggest you watch, Rudy, Any Given Sunday and The Replacements (come on football and stripper cheerleaders )so you can say all the right things before Joe Buck does and everyone will think you are the real football genius. And for all the baseball fans, pitchers and catchers are just four weeks away.

Songs in the Key of Life

Why is it that some songs just fill your head with memories as soon as you hear the first note? What makes that song so special? The song above, you would think, would bring back those warm memories of a girl named Amy ( or Amie or any other way you want to spell it) but you would be wrong. Back in the late '70's ok the mid '70's we would all go to the Across The Street Pub, it was the local hangout and the SUNY kids stayed away. The song Amie played over and over on the jukebox there. So this song fills my head with the memories of youth and freedom. A time before marriage, kids, and responsibilities. There are songs that do bring back those warm fuzzy memories, Chris Issacs', Wicked Games for one and wait I'm enjoying those memories..............................OK, I'm back, another one is the Cars' My Best Friends Girl, (those started warm and fuzzy but ended much different). So, what is it about a song that changes the way you smile when you listen to it. Now are those songs ruined for further use? I mean, what if, hypothetically, you meet a person one night and hit it off, as you often do when you meet someone and booze is involved, and let's say, you dance and look longingly into each others eyes and the song playing is, for example, Van Morrison's Into The Mystic, the next morning ,right away you know you made a mistake, is that song gone forever in your memory? Can you re gift, so to speak, a song? Can you go to the same bar each week, play the same song and win the heart of a different lady? If you can't, then I may have wasted a few great songs on the wrong person. Now we are at the point of this posting. I was playing around on youtube looking for songs to post that fell into the mood I was in. I kept thinking that if I posted a certain song someone may see it and think I was doing it for her when all I wanted to do was share a good song with others. Maybe if I posted it with a disclaimer, "Mary, This is not for you" that might work. Then again Mary may hate me more than she already did, if that's possible. I'm sure I wouldn't be able to stop with just "It's not for you", I would ramble on and dig the hole I was in deeper and deeper, but that's just the way I roll, stupid to a fault. So, again, should we read more into a song then we should? If on facebook someone post a song do we over think the situation and hold an intervention or is it just that they like the song cocaine by Eric Clapton? If we used to dance or make out to Van Morrison's Have I Told You Lately, it doesn't mean I want to get back together with you, perhaps I have become a bit religious or maybe, just maybe, I like Van Morrison. So keep the memories to yourself and sit back and enjoy the music, but "Bill" (go back to Sept. 2006 for the meaning) I still think of you warmly when I hear You Don't Know Me, by Van or Ray.

Put Away Your Fancy Clothes

So the Ancient Order of Hibernians have had another round of installations. The new officers for the five local divisions are set and 2012 looks like a good year. Way back in November of 2011 Schenectady installed Steve Mackey as the new chieftain of their Division. A wonderful diner was held and Steve was also named the Hibernian of the Year. In December, both Albany and Troy held their Installations. Liam McNabb is serving a second term in Albany and E. Richard Boland returns to the head of the table in Troy. Current Albany County President Kevin O'Reilly was named the Albany Hibernian of the year. Skipping the holidays and heading into January, The Watervliet division installed John McAvoy as their new President and Chris Bergman remains in charge in Saratoga.
     All the Divisions are looking forward to a productive year and have very good men in the position to lead them. Check back here throughout the year to see just what the Irish in your town have planned.

Reality Sets In

So, we made it through the weekend. Now it's Jan. 3rd and everyone is back at work, Oh yeah you had a smile on your face when you went in, the radio dj's were talking about resolutions and you are trying to keep yours but reality is setting in. On Saturday night and Sunday morning facebook was full of New Years wis hes of better times in 2012, how long will that last? Or have you all ready bitched out loud in the car about the guy who just cut you off. Did you go out shopping yesterday and complain about the lines? Last week people were still holding the door for a stranger, now we are back to real life. How can we continue to feel the warm glow of the New Year after the weekend is over? I'm thinking maybe set things for each month. I found out last night that my cousin Haley may be making her first trip to the USA this summer, now there is something to look forward to. The Giants made the playoffs so that keeps me happy for one more week.  Pitchers and catchers report in February so that will be good (don't even try for  a happy Valentines day for me eight weeks would be like four women away). March is always a happy time in my family, busy, but happy so I'm good through March. April, the baseball season starts with it's hint of the summer to come. May the nice weather arrives, June, the summer kicks in, the warm days the beach, vacation is close. July is set for picnics and my birthday, August the track is in full swing. September brings the beauty of the changing leaves and the sound of football once again. October is Halloween and November brings Thanksgiving and family. December brings us back to Christmas and the happy feelings of joy and good will to our fellow man, what? No Christmas this year? The world ends before Christmas! Dam Mayans just ruined my whole year and I was all set with that new resolution to be nicer to others but noooo, you had to end the world this year. Crap well there goes my resolution, at least I made it to Jan. 3, this year, better than the "lose weight" resolutions of years past.