Best of 71

The very first song was "I never promised you a rose garden" pretty apropos considering. This entire record was full of songs that were good when done by their original artist but when done by some Orchestra and chorus left a lil to be desired. That's not to say it was bad it just wasn't what one expected. In all honesty what I expected was all instrumental and was mildly shocked to hear voices crooning in monotone to me. 

This song was not all torture and for elevator music I suppose it's not so bad. Overall glad it's not one I paid for. 

The Best of 71 with Terry Baxter and His Orchestra and Chorus

• Rose Garden
• Watching Scotty Grow
• Its Impossible
• Black Magic Woman
• If You Could Read My Mind
• Yellow River
• Cecilia
• One Bad Apple
• My Sweet Lord
• Theme from Love Story
• Close to You
• Everything is Beautiful

The Beatles Again

So I have not done a record in a few days, three to be exact. My head has been killing me which is a constant struggle as many of you already know. I have not had a headache like this in sometime.  I could not get any of the meds to kick it. I will be quite excited when they finally get this stuff figured out and I can start to feel better. 

The Beatles are almost always a good way to get back on track. Today's record was a combo deal with some of my favorite Beatles songs on it. For some reason I have always LOVED Paperback Writer.  It just makes me want to get up and sway my hips and laugh all at the same time. Revolution has been a personal anthem at various points in my life. 

As so many of you know the last Beatles record I reviewed I was not to kind to. This one of course is a horse of a different color. This record is filled with good songs, popular and not.  Old Brown Shoe was a new song to me and a lil odd but fun. It was almost as if the melody didn't fit the instrumental but in some odd way it worked.  I had almost forgotten how much I liked " Don't Let Me Down" until I heard it. It's not one that is often played on the radio. It's got a bit of a Rolling Stones feel to it. The vocals are just amazing in this song it's like you can see them on their knees begging please girl don't let me down cause I just couldn't take it one more time.  How many of us can relate to that very feeling and sentiment. 

The Beatles Again

• Hey Jude
• Revolution
• Paperback Writer
• I Should Have Known Better
• Lady Madonna
• Cant Buy Me Love
• Dont Let Me Down
• Ballad of John and Yoko
• Rain
• Old Brown Shoe

Jonathan Edwards Sunshine 45

Good time Charlie's got the blues. I think its a good reminder that even the most fun loving person can get the blues sometimes and like I have said in past posts sometimes its just ok to feel bad and dwell. Sunshine go away today don't feel much like dancing.....how much does it cost ill buy it.......One of my favorite damn songs ever. What a great grouping of two songs. 

Jonathan Edwards Sunshine 45

• Sunshine
• Good Time Charlie's Got the Blues

Jennine C Riley Harper Valley PTA

Is been yesterday all day long today, mostly because of all the daggum snow. -laughs- Side A of this 45 was Harper Valley PTA, one of my all time favorite songs. My mom and I used to dance around the house singing this song. It reminds me of a story of how I came to be in Saint Helens. 

My mother and I had lived there when I was in head start but had moved away for a lil bit. We came back in the middle of my second grade year of school. We moved there from Salem where the style was for girls to wear these "boat deck" shoes that had a thick sole but looked an awful lot like a pair of keds. Well that's all I had and my mom and I were pretty poor and could not afford another pair. Made no never mind to me since I liked my shoes but the gym teacher at Condon did not approve of them. She said they were not fit tennis shoes and not allowing me to participate in gym class. I sat out of gym class reluctantly for nearly two weeks before the teacher finally called my mother and told her I had been basically kicked out of gym because I did not have proper shoes. When I got home that afternoon my mother asked me about it and I told her yes it was true and why and also that I had not told her because I didn't think it was fair and well I didn't need new shoes.  True to form, just like the Ms. Harper in the song, my mother went to talk to the gym teacher in person.  The woman told my mother she didn't care that the shoes were all the rage or were in fact tennis shoes that if I did not get a new pair I would fail gym. My mother told her if she wanted me to get a new pair she could damn well buy them herself. Next thing I know my mother is talking to the principal and yanno to this day I'm not entirely sure why I was allowed back in gym that day or where the new shoes came from a week later. 

Moral of that story, most of you know I have a fighting spirit. I will stand up and say what i believe in and naysayers be dammed. I learned this because my mother was never afraid to stand up and be heard. Thanks for teaching me that mom . 

Jeanine C Riley

• Harper Valley PTA
• Yesterday All Day Long Today

The Beatles Let it Be

So i didnt think there were Beatles songs I didnt know anymore but turns out this record has several. One of my favorite songs was on it though, Across the Universe. Not sure why I have always loved this song so much it has just always soothed me. Like i hear it and all i can do is lay my head back, take a deep breath and smile.  

The Long and Winding Road is on this record as well and I love this song too.  We all have long and winding roads. Where does yours lead to? Many times I've been alone and many times I've cried anyway you'll never know the many ways I've tried and still they lead me back to that long winding road.  Words of genius. One of those songs that just let you wallow in what might have been. How we can try to change our habits and direction and yet, some things are just meant to be. 

Overall there is a reason why I had never heard some of these songs. Most of them really suck. The all sort of sounded alike with only the ones that were famous breaking the mold. I know it's almost sacrilege to say anything the Beatles did was crap but I am sorry just hard to find the beauty and genius in most of this LP. 

The Beatles Let it Be

• Two Of Us
• I Dig a Pony
• Across The Universe
• I Me Mine
• Let It Be
• Maggie Mae
• I've Got a Feeling
• One After 909
• The Long and Winding Road
• For You BLue
• Get Back