Rant #2,092: Taking a Magical Mystery Tour With John Wesley Harding's Blooming Hits

Yesterday, we looked at the top 10 best-selling singles for the week of February 24, 1968--or roughly 50 years ago this week--and today, we will continue that trend, and look at the top 10 best-selling albums for that week.

How much influence did the album chart have on the singles charts, and vice versa?

How much influence did the burgeoning FM radio band, which played extended album tracks rather than singles like AM radio did, have on the best-sellers list?

Let's see.

The No. 1 album in the country for that week was the Beatles' "Magical Mystery Tour," the soundtrack to their do-it-yourself film that was virtually their first piece of work that was universally panned by the critics.

The album, a conglomeration of the movie's soundtrack plus a few scattered singles, was way better than the film, and the American public picked up on that, placing it atop the charts.

At No. 2 was Bob Dylan's "John Wesley Harding," another watermark release in the singer's career.

Coming in at No. 3 was "Blooming Hits" by Paul Mauriat and His Orchestra, a high placement generated by the then-top single "Love Is Blue." People loved the single, so the next step was to sample more by the act, and get the LP, which millions did.

At No. 4 was "Axis: Bold As Love" by the Jimi Hendrix Experience, another monumental recording by the legendary guitarist and his band, a grouping which was on the verge of breaking up. It was the first of two albums from the act that landed on this week's top 10.

Rounding out the top five was "Greatest Hits" by Diana Ross and the Supremes, a compendium of big-selling singles by the trio, with "Diana Ross" being put before their name something new to posit on.

The Rolling Stones' "Their Satanic Majesties Request" came in a No. 6. Although this was Mick Jagger and Co.'s inferior answer to the Beatles' earlier "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band," it does have its moments, and early issues came with the famous "flicker" cover.

"Herb Alpert's Ninth" by Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass continued that act's run of hit albums at No. 7, followed by another hit-laden collection, "Golden Hits" by the Turtles at No. 8.

"Are You Experienced?" by the Jimi Hendrix Experience continued its strong sales and airplay, coming in at No. 9, and made Hendrix and his mates the only act to have two albums simultaneously in the top 10 this particular week.

Rounding out the top 10 was Cream's "Disraeli Gears," another album which has gone on to become a classic of the rock genre.

Just falling out of the top 10 were some other classic LPs, including the "Camelot" soundtrack at No. 11; Otis Redding's posthumous "History" at No. 12; the "Doctor Zhivago"soundtrack at No. 13; the Temptations' "In a Mellow Mood" at No. 14; and at No. 15 "The Lettermen!!! ... And Live!" by the popular vocal act.

And the Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper" held strong at No. 17, with numerous AM radio Top 40 acts, like Dionne Warwick, the Monkees, Donovan and the Mamas and Papas, rounding out the Top 20.

So looking at the chart, yes, AM radio continued to be the dominant radio band of choice, but FM radio was certainly making its voice heard. Eventually, FM radio would overtake AM radio for music listening into the 1970s and truly through the early 2000s, when the Internet pretty much took over, with satellite also hitting its musical stride.

So, what were you listening to 50 years ago?

In my house, the Beatles ruled with "Magical Mystery Tour," even though the movie really was pretty bad--the music, thankfully, won out.

What is the No. 1 album on this week's Billboard charts?

I have no idea.

Classic Rant #744 (May 25, 2012): It's Time

Etan Patz.

Yes, just saying that name brings up memories of that day, 33 years ago today, when the young six year old boy, on his way to his school's bus stop for the first time by himself, somehow left the face of the earth.

He was never found, but his mysterious disappearance sent shock waves not only through his Manhattan neighborhood, but through the consciousness of all parents everywhere.

We became more careful with our children after that. It wasn't like when I was a kid in the 1960s, and you could freely walk around your neighborhood with no sense of danger.

And even police methods were forced to change because of this case. Where once, missing kids were given some time to resurface, now, when a case such as this one is brought to the police, they act on it immediately.

The world changed with Patz's disappearance, and now, that has seemingly come full circle.

All these years later, there has been an arrest made of an individual who claims to have murdered the youngster.

A New Jersey man, 51 year old Pedro Hernandez, has confessed to the killing. He was a teenager at the time, working in a bodega that was right across from the school bus stop.

According to Hernandez, he offered Patz some soda, lured the child into the basement of the bodega--which is now a sunglass shop--and strangled him.

He put the child's body in a bag and dumped it a few blocks away. He later came back for the bag, but it was gone.

Hernandez, who has an arrest record related to several drunk-driving incidents, lived with his family in a suburban area of New Jersey. He has a common-law wife, and a teenage child. He worked at various jobs over the years, most recently at an electronics store and a grocery store.

Prior to this, he mainly worked in construction, but an injury allowed him to receive disability payments.

He was an unassuming person, but one with lots of guilt. Evidently, beginning in 1981, he told relatives that he had committed a horrible act against a child, but he was never investigated for anything.

And those he told also did nothing.

Police methods were different 33 years ago, but you would think that Hernandez would have been a suspect years ago. After he allegedly committed this act, he left his job at the bodega.

This should have given police some cause of concern, but for whatever reason--probably because there was no record of him working there, and he probably worked off the books--no investigation was ever done on him for this crime.

Other have claimed to have committed the act, but they have had some type of false bravado in doing so.

And let's face it, 33 years after the fact, can Hernandez be fully believed?

Evidently, reopening the cold case recently by scouring a building that police got tips on as a possible burial place for Patz opened up the eyes of others, and Hernandez was outed for the stories he allegedly told about the incident to family members.

Now, it is up to the courts.

Without the least bit of evidence, and only Hernandez's eventual testimony to use as a gauge for guilt or innocence, it is going to be difficult to convict this person of the crime.

He said he did it, but several others have said they did it too.

There has to be one grain of evidence that the public does not know about that corroborates his story with what the police know. The public doesn't know about what this is, of course, so if his story matches what the police know, then yes, they will have the right guy.

But Patz's body is most probably, most definitely, gone forever. It was probably burned up in some incinerator 33 years ago.

Why Hernandez allegedly perpetrated this horrendous crime is another shine to this case that hasn't been spoken about yet. If he does testify, this might or might not come out in the wash.

Why does one person kill another? Why does an adult or teenager kill a child? Who knows what goes on in the mind of someone like this?

But if he is the guy, he has lived with this for more than three decades.

And what of Patz's parents, who not only have had to live with the loss of their child for the past 30-plus years, but see their child's name dredged up every few years when a new wrinkle to the case supposedly comes forth?

For instance, for years there was a rumor that Patz actually was kidnapped, whisked off to Israel, was brainwashed, had his name changed, and was living there, never assuming he was the Etan Patz that was involved in this incident.

Then there was the convicted child molester, in jail for years and for the remainder of his life, who has claimed for years that he killed the boy.

Then recently, there was the tip the police received that a handyman might have been involved.

What Patz's parents have gone through these past 33 years is jarring, to say the least.

But they have always been hopeful. Through it all, they never moved and never changed their phone number, always hoping that their son would call home.

Let's hope that the police have got their man now, if for nothing more than to give closure to Patz's parents.

They deserve at least that.

Have a good holiday. Speak to you on Tuesday.

Rant #2,091: Love Is Blue in the Valley of the Dolls When You're Sittin' On the Dock of the Bay

I get burned out pretty easily when writing entries for this blog.

Lately, I have been writing about depressing subjects, like the Florida school shooting and the 25th anniversary of the World Trade Center bombing, and also, of course, about my personal job malady, and I have to tell you, I need a break.

So rather than write about such depressing subjects again, I decided that today, I would put that all aside and write a positive column, a happy column, a friendly column that looks back on the music that we listened to 50 years ago.

It was 1968, one of the most tumultuous years on record, what with the assassinations of Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy, the continued war in Vietnam, and the overall tumult felt in this country.

But even early in 1968, one could go to the popular music of the day to seek solace, to settle down, to relax.

There was truly something for everyone on Billboard's Hot 100 chart: instrumental, pop, rock, bubblegum, psychedelic, soul and rhythm and blues. And a few song titles in parentheses.

For the week of February 24, 1968, topping the chart was Frenchman Paul Mauriat and His Orchestra with one of the best-selling instrumental hits of all time, "Love Is Blue," which was right in the middle of its chart dominance this week, the third week of its five weeks at the top of the Hot 100.

Interestingly, there was a vocal version of this tune, but nobody remembers it--I certainly don't remember who the singer was--and the instrumental version is the go-to version of this song that everyone remembers.

At No, 2 on the chart is one of the many hits sung by Dionne Warwick, "(Theme From) Valley of the Dolls," featuring a song from the movie, one which has become a camp freakout years later, but at the time was the shocking film version of Jacqueline Susann's novel about self-destructing, pill popping women.

At No. 3 was "Spooky" by the Classics IV, a southern pop group led by singer Dennis Yost. Following this tune at No. 4 was a rhythm and blues/soul classic, the Temptations' "I Wish It Would Rain," another hit from Motown's top male act.

Rounding out the week's top five was the song that would eventually knock "Love Is Blue" out of the top spot, Otis Redding's posthumous recording of "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay." Rush released upon his untimely death in a plane crash, the tune was spruced up with strings, and became Redding's biggest hit, and certainly one of the all-time classic recordings.

At No. 6 was one of the biggest bubblegum hits of all time, the 1910 Fruitgum Co.'s "Simon Says," followed by another Buddah Records bubblegum classic," "Green Tambourine" by the Lemon Pipers, the former No. 1 record that slid to No. 7 this week.

Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart, better known as songwriters and producers of some of the Monkees' biggest hits, came in with their own "I Wonder What She's Doing Tonite" at No. 8, followed by a medley at No. 8, "Goin' Out of My Head/Can't Take My Eyes Off You" by the Lettermen at No. 9.

Rounding out the Top 10 was the psychedelic pop classic "Nobody But Me" by the Human Beinz, their take on the old Isley Brothers tune.

Another psychedelic pop classic, "A Question of Temperature" by the Balloon Farm, was the top debut single on the chart, coming in at No. 65. The song ran out of steam just a few weeks later, topping out at No. 37.

The biggest mover on this week's chart--the song that moved up the most places from the past week to the current week--was another of the many hits by Petula Clark, "Kiss Me Goodbye," which jumped from No. 82 to No. 52 in one week, or a 30-place move. The song would eventually get up to No. 15 on the chart.

So there you have it, the top songs on the Hot 100 chart, one terrific tune after another to suit just about any taste.

It is always fun to look back, but to show you how things have changed so much in popular music, what is the No. 1 song on the chart today in 2018?

I have absolutely no idea; I would have to look it up just like you.

Say what you want, but back then, even if you despised "Love Is Blue," you knew that it was the No. 1 hit in the U.S.

Today, few know and seemingly even fewer care.

But that is my opinion, and I am going to stick with it, with a stick of 1910 Fruitgum Co. bubblegum to make it really stick like glue.

Speak to you tomorrow with more uplifting entries ...

I hope.

Classic Rant #743 (May 24, 2012): A Radio Legend Passes

Veteran New York-area disk jockey Hal Jackson, who co-owned the first black owned and operated radio station in New York, died yesterday at age 96.

Anybody who listened to New York radio in the 1960s and early 1970s knew Jackson and his velvety voice, but his story is so much more than that.

He began his career in the 1930s, and eventually became the first black sports play by play announcer, announcing black college baseball games and games played in the Negro League. He set the pace for others, such as Bill White, to break the color barrier in announcing professional sports events.

Jackson moved to New York in 1954 and became the first disk jockey--black or otherwise--to broadcast three different shows daily on three different radio stations.

During his career, he was the first black DJ at several stations.

In 1971, Jackson and former Manhattan Borough President Percy Sutton co-founded the Inner City Broadcasting Corporation, which acquired WLIB and later WBLS. The group operates stations all over the country to this day.

And up until his death, Jackson continued to host the Sunday Classics on WBLS.

Jackson may not have been as well known or as popular as Ron Lundy or Dan Ingram, but in the black community, he was the man, probably the most popular disk jockey of his time, paving the way for other minority DJs to make it in New York and across the country, including Chuck Leonard.

My personal recollection of Jackson is that he hosted a concert at the old Palisades Amusement Park that I just happened to be at.

The story goes that my family and I went to the amusement park, and I got sick on one of the rides, I think it was the Swiss Bobs.

I needed to sit down and get a hold of myself, and we sat in the bandstand that they had there. There weren't too many people there at the time, so I just planted myself where I could air things out.

A few minutes later, Jackson got on the stage and introduced the British singer Lulu to the sparse audience. Lulu had had a number of hits in Europe, but was just breaking here.

I remember that she sang "The Boat That I Row"--the Neil Diamond song which was being pushed by her record company at that point in time--and I don't remember much else.

Of course, a few weeks later, disk jockeys around the country flipped the single over, and "To Sir With Love" became a No. 1 hit in America.

So, for all intents and purposes, back during that day in 1966, that show was this nine-year-old's first concert experience.

Although Jackson isn't considered in the same class as those WABC DJs I mentioned earlier, he was an incredibly successful DJ and business executive who saw an opportunity, and went with it. 

Today, there are so many ethnic stations on the dial in New York--many that whites listen to too--that what he and Sutton did may have been revolutionary, in a way, but it foresaw what was happening in the inner city, and proudly used that phrase in its company title.

Jackson was the man, and I will never forget that concert. Rest in peace.

Rant #2,090: Another Day

After a relatively quiet weekend, I, personally, enter into another turbulent workweek, and it starts with today, a pretty nondescript day on the calendar.

Today is February 26, the 57th day of the year, and really, when you look at what has happened today throughout history, well, it really is just another day.

But is it?

Today is the 25th anniversary of the World Trade Center bombing, a tragedy that signaled the true beginning of terror having reached our shores, some years before 9-11.

If you remember, a truck bomb parked below the North Tower of the then-iconic dual business buildings exploded, killing six and injuring thousands.

I can still remember the video of people being carted out of the area, some under their own power and others being wheeled out, many with very visible injuries.

It was truly horrible, but unfortunately, it served only as a precursor to what was to come.

This World Trade Center bombing was sort of the "practice session" for 9-11, when the entire center was wiped out by terrorist activity the likes of which this country had never seen before, and hopefully, will never see again.

With this bombing, the terrorists wanted the North Tower of the complex to not only explode, but to take the South Tower with it.

That did not happen, but what happened was bad enough.

A few years later, terrorists got what they wanted, but during this "dry run," all they got was chaos and carnage.

I am sure there will be ceremonies to remember the memory of this horrid incident, and memorials to those who died as a result of it.

But in almost a bizarre way, the memory of this incident has been pushed back in the news, if even mentioned at all, and that, in itself, shows how almost commonplace such attacks have become--a 25-year anniversary of such an important incident in our history gets pushed back in the news versus other items ranging from the Florida school shooting to the end of the Olympics.

Have we become so hardened during the past 25 years to acts of terror that such past events don't really mean that much anymore?

I don't think it is that, I simply think that it is the resolve of all of us to get back to our normalcy as quickly as possible, the vow that no terrorist activity will take us out of our norm for very long.

We can't let those who want to destroy our country get the best of us, so we vow to move on from such horrific events.

And on February 26, we can find antidotes for such horror.

Even on such an infamous day, we see that so many people that brought us pleasure during their lives--the likes of Jackie Gleason, Johnny Cash, Mitch Ryder, Tony Randall, and Fats Domino, among others--just happened to be born on this day.

So the day isn't a total waste, and there is always hope.

Sure, each of those personalities was born way before the World Trade Center bombing, but there are silver linings even in the cloudiest days.

Let's all just get out of this month--the shortest on the calendar but seemingly the longest and hardest to move past--and we will all be fine.

Classic Rant #742 (May 23, 2012): Remote Control

Eugene Polley died on Sunday. He was 96 years old.

Other than living a long life, why am I bringing up his death?

This was the guy who helped create what we now affectionately refer to as the "couch potato," as Polley was the inventor of the first wireless TV remote control.

Sure, others will berate him for making us lazy--and still others will knock him for creating a device that allowed viewers to bypass commercials by turning from channel to channel without leaving the comfort of our easy chair--but this guy had a great idea and carried it out.

This new gizmo debuted in 1955 and was only available on Zenith televisions with what was called "Flash-Matic Tuning." The contraption looked like a ray gun--a perfect shape for the flying saucer crazy 1950s--and it was even advertised as a commercial squelcher: "You can even shut off annoying commercials while the picture remains on the screen" read the advertising copy.

How did it work? According to reports, Polley's Flash-Matic pointed a beam of light at photo cells in the corners of the TV screen. Each corner activated a different function, turning the picture and sound off and on, and changing the channels.

He also had a hand in creating the video disk, and several other inventions that enlivened our viewing habits.

Happily, Polley was not shunned by the industry he helped move forward. In 1997, he was honored with an Emmy for his work in pioneering TV remote controls.

The first TV remote I ever used was in about 1965 or 1966. I believe my friend Howie's family had a TV with a remote, and the TV even had a timer that you turned for the amount of time that you wanted to watch the TV.

My family's TV didn't have any of these gadgets, and I probably didn't have my first remote until the early 1980s or so.

But think of how revolutionary this was.

You didn't have to get up to turn the channel, you could go from channel to channel at a whim, and when commercials came on, you could bypass them.

I remember that when I got my first remote, this is the thing that I found to be so inviting and revolutionary about the whole thing--not having to watch commercials if I didn't want to!

Extraordinary!

Now, remotes are pretty commonplace, whether you get your TV from satellite, cable, phone, or even simply via over the air. They are as standard for TVs as air conditioners have become for cars.

Nobody blinks an eye about them now--except when they are misplaced or lost. Then everyone goes haywire looking for them.

But let's salute Polley. This guy had a great idea, had the knowledge to carry it out, and produced something that we simply cannot live without.

R.I.P. Mr. Polley. Your creation is American ingenuity at its very, very best.

And related to some previous posts, yes, I was on the air, and yes, you can listen to the show at the following link:

http://dc584.4shared.com/download/xHesmJ4D/triviall.mp3

Rant #2,089: I Believe

Let's just get this all out of the way: I don't believe arming teachers is a way to protect students in their schools. Teachers are there to teach, not to get into armed warfare with nuts that think that it is their destiny to shoot up schools.

But yes, I do believe that increased scrutiny in background checks--including looking for mental health red flags--is mandatory.

And again, I do believe that most people who possess guns are responsible with them, but accidents do happen to even the most responsible people.

And I do not understand why people have a need to possess high-power assault weapons.

I do believe that we need a comprehensive, national gun check program, that stretches from Maine to Washington State and includes Alaska and Hawaii and all of our possessions.

A person should not be able to be under intense scrutiny in one state for getting a gun permit and purchasing a gun, and in another state, can basically get a license and a gun as easily as you buy groceries from your supermarket.

And gun shows must be under closer scrutiny. Look, people collect everything from sewing thimbles to gum wrappers, so, yes, people collect guns. The difference is that sewing thimbles and gum wrappers and 99.9 percent of what people collect are fun things that can never harm anyone. Guns can kill, or at least people can use guns to kill, so there must be more scrutiny given to these shows, what they are making available for purchase, and who is purchasing them.

I do believe that the Second Amendment argument is antiquated, long, tired and out of touch with the times. That amendment was created to guarantee that our militia would always be armed and at the ready. I do not believe it means that everyone has the right the own a gun, and certainly, in these times, owning a gun bears with it an incredible responsibility. People have twisted this amendment to fit their own needs, and perhaps it has to be re-examined for what it really means.

I don't believe that the average citizen should own a gun. Yes, we need to protect our families from terror, but I simply don't think that having a gun, or guns, in a home is going to stop anyone from coming in and causing trouble. It might even provoke more trouble.

And yes, I do believe that we have another problem that the latest mass shootings has kind of pushed to the side, and that is the availability of illegal guns on the street. Yesterday, in near to me Suffolk County, they picked up somebody in a place called Patchogue who had an arsenal of guns of all types and who was basically selling them on the street to whoever wanted them. He will get years in prison for his deed, but it begs the question--where did he get such an arsenal?

I am not denying that there is a need for guns. Police should bear arms to keep the peace, and others need guns to do their jobs, like certain security guards. Many years ago, when I was in college, I worked as a part time security guard, with various locations as my beat, including shopping centers, supermarkets, and various job sites. I never carried a gun, never wanted to carry a gun, and had no need for a gun. My type of security didn't call for it, but other security jobs did. Let the trained personnel carry guns; not someone like me.

We have a tremendous problem in this country with the fascination with guns. Yes, it probably comes from our history, from the Wild West, from television and the movies. But I believe that in 2018, this fascination must end. There is nothing romantic about shooting people up for no reason. It is said that some people live through their cars; well, some people live through their guns too.

It just all has to stop.

Speak to you again on Monday. Have a nice weekend.

Classic Rant #741 (May 22, 2012): Oy Vey! (Part 2)

Yesterday, I spoke about a group of Ultra-Orthodox Jews who set up an enclave at New York's CitiField to tell the masses about the evils of the Internet.

Today, well, it's another day, and another story.

According to the Daily News, a woman claims that she was fired from her fashion industry job “for being too busty.”

Lauren Odes (not the woman pictured above) said two days after getting hired in April as a data entry worker at a Garment District lingerie manufacturer, a supervisor told her the Orthodox Jewish owners were not happy with her attire. Odes said she was wearing a dress that day at the Native Intimates lingerie company, but due to her naturally large bustline, the owners reportedly became outraged.

She agreed to accommodate the owners by wearing a gray T-shirt and black jeggings with rain boots the next day, but again, the female supervisor came with complaints from the bosses.

“Lauren, try taping down your breasts to make them appear smaller,” she said, according to Odes.

The next day, Odes said, she wore a high-waisted black dress that fell to her knees. Once again that didn’t pass muster with her masters, who complained they could see the back of her bra straps.

Odes said she was given a choice — go across the street and buy a “a sweater that comes to your ankles as an outfit,” or cover up completely in a bright red bathrobe with a black guitar motif the supervisor had pulled off the rack.

When she donned the robe, Odes said her co-workers laughed at her. She said after 15 minutes of abuse, she broke down crying and went out to buy another outfit.

While she was shopping, she was fired.

According to celebrity lawyer Gloria Allred, who is now representing the woman, “She was simply fired for being attractive and for not conforming to the religious strictures imposed by top management.” 

Allred has filed a workplace gender and religious discrimination complaint against the woman's former employer.

“We should not be judged by the size of our breasts or the shape of our bodies,” said Odes. “I understand there are Orthodox Jewish men who may have their views on how a woman should dress and how much she should be covered, but I am Jewish as well and don’t feel any employer has the right to impose their religious beliefs on me."

No, but don't you think Odes should have realized, after the first altercation, that this was how this place was going to act, and if she wanted to work there, she was going to have to conform to their dress code?

Women's attire has become more risque in recent years, and just about "anything goes" in many workplaces now. 

However, there are still rules at many places of work about attire. My place of work has men wear business attire for four days a week--meaning men wear ties, dress pants and dress shirts, and women wear professional attire that doesn't show anything--and on Friday, we can wear more "casual" fare--meaning no ties on the men and women wear attire that doesn't show anything.

Over the years that I have been here, we have had a couple of instances where both men and women have received slight reprimands for what they've worn on casual Friday. 

But women's wear, in particular, has become more provocative in recent years. Women often walk around in the office as if they were at the beach, and it simply isn't professional.

And yes, there is a difference between how men and women are built, and yes, women have to be more careful about what they wear, not only at the workplace, but anywhere, even at the supermarket.

In this case, the woman was dressed nicely, but her "assets" simply popped out at people in a business run by owners who are kind of strict about attire, especially on women.

Say what you will, but management decides workplace attire, and yes, busty women can wear clothing that doesn't accentuate their attributes as much as what this woman wore evidently did.

And remember, this place is run by Orthodox Jews. If you want to work there, conform to their workplace attire rules, or get out of there in a hurry.

I don't know if this case bears any merit--Allred has, on more than one occasion, taken on similar cases which have sat on the fence between cases with merit and cases stinging of "yellow" legalities--so we will just have to see what happens here.

Look, I don't mind a women dressing fashionably for work, but you have to know the workplace.

This women learned about the workplace, but I just don't think she got it, if you know what I mean.

Of course, her former employer could have been more careful as to who they hired. When they interviewed her, what was she wearing--a head to toe body suit?

Whether this case has any merit in a court of law is anyone's guess. 

I will try to keep you abreast of what happens (heck, I couldn't avoid it).

Rant #2,088: Good Clean Fun

They're back.

Or at least two of them are.

It was announced this week, literally almost out of the blue, that the Monkees are back on the concert stage, and will tour as a two-some--Micky Dolenz and Mike Nesmith--this time around, with a relatively short tour that has already sparked speculation that it will soon be expanded.

Nesmith--who reportedly said that he would never tour as a Monkee again after performing as one during a couple of shows in 2016 to support the critically acclaimed "Good Times!" album--will tour with Dolenz, who has carved out a name as a popular concert attraction both with the Monkees and on his own.

Peter Tork has declined the invitation this time. Tork helms another working band--Shoe Suede Blues--and they coincidentally have a new album out, which he is currently promoting, so while he wishes Nesmith and Dolenz well--and hasn't shut the door totally to some type of three-some in the future--he won't be with them this time.

And with that, Nesmith and Dolenz will go out as the Monkees for the first time ever as a duo, billed as "The Monkees Present the Mike Nesmith and Micky Dolenz Show."

Yes, the Monkees are the true Eveready bunny; just when you think they are down, they always appear to dust themselves off, and resurrect themselves in some conglomeration.

Dolenz has been performing as a Monkee for a generation after the original incarnation, and seems to be very comfortable as a Monkee.

It has taken Nesmith a bit longer to get into this, to understand the phenomenon that he was so much a part of, but has pretty much rejected since breaking away from them to forge his own interesting musical career since 1970 or so.

Yes, on occasion he has performed as one of them--in 1986, when they literally came out of nowhere with the help of MTV to regain their popularity and he rejoined them briefly, later, to record the album "Justus," and even later, after the death of Davy Jones, to complete a threesome with Dolenz and Tork in a concert setting.

And yes, he did perform a few dates to promote another out of left field project--2016's "Good Times!"--which was one of the great comeback albums of all time, universally acclaimed as one of the top LPs of that year by even Rolling Stone Magazine.

On that particular album was a cut called "Birth of An Accidental Hipster," which highlighted the vocals of both Nesmith and Dolenz, and demonstrated once again how almost seamlessly their vocals caress one another. It was also universally acclaimed as one of the top rock tracks of that year, and you can bet that it will be performed on this tour, as will another outstanding cut from that album, "Me and Magdalena."

Sure, you will get the usual cadre of Monkees songs, like "Last Train to Clarksville," "I'm a Believer" and "Daydream Believer," but with Nesmith on board, you will certainly get a good chunk of his own Monkees music, such as "You Told Me," "Papa Gene's Blues," and maybe even "Good Clean Fun."

All of these songs have been performed through the years on previous Monkees tours, but here, you will have Nesmith doing his own tunes, which is always a treat, with his hickory-tinged vocals still in tip-top shape.

So, the question begs to be answered:"Why?"

Well, the answer is pretty simple: "Why not?"

"The Monkees" is a cash cow for Nesmith, Dolenz and Tork to always go back to when the need arises. The very name sells plenty of tickets, to both the Baby Boomer crowd and succeeding generations.

Nesmith, who as I previously said was late to the fold on the understanding of this cash cow, was always thought of as the creative force of the foursome. He was the one who was thought to be a legitimate musician and songwriter and singer, the only real deal among the foursome ...

Which of course was not true, but he was the only one of the four who got any kudos for his Monkees work way back when.

It really took the punk revolution of the mid to late 1970s to force a re-look at the Monkees--all four of them--and what they brought to the table.

The punks loved the Monkees, because as their legacy, they stood up to "the man" and forged their own course toward the creative good.

And when the Monkees hit again through MTV exposure in 1986, the acceptance was complete.

Constant reissues of their albums have shown that they were a bit more than Beatles clones, and constant touring under the Monkees name by Jones and Dolenz, and later with Tork, certainly demonstrated that these guys had the chops to do what they do, and were even better equipped than many of their contemporaries.

And the ship may be docking for good now.

Jones is gone, the three remaining members are getting up there in age, but they proved with "Good Times!" that even though the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame continues to shun them, they continue to be perhaps the most popular and successful rock and roll act that is still not in those supposedly hallowed halls.

We, as fans, have literally grown up with them, and we, too are not getting any younger, so this might be the last hint of Monkeemania anytime soon.

Of course, I said the same thing in 2016, and here we are two years later, and we have another incarnation of the Monkees.

So one never says never.

Yes, my family will be going to the show at the Beacon Theater in New York City, and while we will be sitting in virtually the last seat in the last row, we will still be there, witnessing Monkees history one more time.

And having seen them perform in one incarnation or another who knows how many times over the past decades, I know that I will be getting just what I want, and I guess that makes this all perfect for me and for other fans who just love the concept and love the music.

I can't wait!

Classic Rant #740 (May 21, 2012): Oy Vey!

No, I haven't heard myself on the radio yet. It was supposed to be on last night, but either my recorder gave out or it was never on. I can't figure out which scenario happened yet, but I was recording. I think the thing may have given out. 

Oh well. I think it is on tomorrow. I will try, try again.

But onto other matters.

Did you hear about the latest gathering at New York's CitiField?

No, not the Mets playing another game there.

There was a rally held there yesterday, but only men were permitted to attend this gathering.

Ultra-Orthodox Jews--those from the various Hassidic sects--from around the New York Metropolitan Area and from elsewhere descended on the home of the Mets, 40,000 of them strong, to attend a meeting on the ills of the Internet, how to protect yourself against them, and how to use religion positively on the Web.

That's right, 40,000 men gathered in one place. 

And since there was an overflow, others who couldn't get in were taken care of with a video transmission at another site.

Tickets costs $10 apiece, the venue cost more than $1 million to rent out for this gathering, and tickets were so scarce that they were selling on ... eBay!

You have to give it to this group. They identified a problem in their community, and they are trying to educate the masses about it.

But not everyone agrees.

There was a counter protest yesterday, with others saying that the Ultra-Orthodox Jewish community covers up a lot that goes on in their community, including episodes of child abuse.

They point to the horrible death of a young boy last year, who lost his way in the community, and was helped by a man who eventually kidnapped him and did other things to him that I won't go into right now. 

A more recent case in the community is of a girl who claims she was raped by a therapist, but the community is said to be holding the girl up for ridicule of her own actions, holding fundraising events for the therapist.

There have been other recent incidents, and many claim that the NYPD is allowing the Ultra-Orthodox Jewish community to police themselves rather than keeping the law themselves.

The Ultra-Orthodox Jewish community--and I am talking about the Hassidim, not the other Orthodox sects--is an interesting one. It is strong, politically powerful, and open to interpretation by the masses, including other Jews.

They look upon anybody who isn't part of their community as being not Jewish, even if one, like me, was born and raised a Jew.

Many of them look at modern technology as the spewer of evil, and they shield themselves from it as best as they can.

Other segments of their population embrace modern technology.

They are a hard group to figure out, and this latest event demonstrates that when the call comes out, they come out.

My grandparents on my father's side were Orthodox, not Ultra-Orthodox and not Hassidic. The Orthodox like my grandparents generally embrace modern technology, but they usually have an eye out for those who abuse this technology. 

They are generally skeptical people, but they are positive about one thing: God, and their love of the divine being. They will do anything for God, and follow strict rules to show their love and respect for the divine being.

So although news reports have called what happened yesterday an Orthodox meeting, it really wasn't. It was the Hassidim, and you can tell the Hassidim from the Orthodox by the traditional clothes they wear. Very dark, very drab--and not a woman in sight. Women are thought to be around to have and rear the kids, and that is it.

Again, not all Hassidim are like I described, and not all Orthodox are like I described. 

Yes, I went for the stereotype, but on the other hand, I wanted to set the record straight about who is who, in a way.

The evils of the Internet are perpetrated by people who take advantage of its accessibility. I hope that those who attended yesterday's meeting understand that, and that was what was preached there.

I hope so, because anything else would have been a mis-shaping of the truth.

And those Jews are as susceptible to using the Internet for their own gains as any other group.

And I hope that was spoken about too.

Rant #2,087: Automatically Sunshine

What is going on with the weather in my neck of the woods?

Today is Wednesday, February 21, and as the day goes on, it is going to feel more like May 21 than February 21.

Where I am, the weather people tell us that it is going to be in the 70s today, after a day that it was in the mid-60s.

Notice, I did not say that it was going to be seven degrees today ... I said 70 degrees.

If that happens--and we have been assured that it would--it would break a record that has lasted for decades, since 1930.

Then why complain?

Nobody is complaining, although I, personally, will be shut in the entire day at work, and I usually do not go out for lunch, so I will miss the bulk of the heat.

But that is not going to keep it from reaching into the 70s today, so those who can will be able to enjoy it.

Is it global warming, the current buzz term that people like to use when the weather gets as unseasonable as it will today?

I don't know, I just don't know.

All I can say is that this is the warmest February weather I can ever remember.

Top that off by the fact that we got snow on just this past Saturday, and you realize that the weather is as topsy turvy as it has ever been in these parts.

And all of this is happening while other parts of the country are suffering from extreme cold and lots of snow.

The weather makes absolutely no sense, but you just have to go with it while it lasts ...

And it isn't going to last very long, based on what the weather forecasters are telling us.

Tomorrow, the temperature will dip into the 40s, so we will lost 25 to 30 degrees of heat in the span of 24 hours.

It will get back into the 50s as the week goes on, so it is still going to be very warm for this time of year, although today, the temperature will reach its apex.

And while I am sure that driving back and forth to work, I will see people outside in shorts and T-shirts today, the fact of the matter is that we are still in the middle of winter, and we have the remainder of February coming up, the entirety of March, and the beginning of April to experience yet, and during that about 50-day span, I will bet we will get colder and that snow will return.

So we just have to go with the flow today, and do it knowing that this simply cannot last.

I would not be surprised if several days from now, I write a Rant lamenting that "just a few days ago, we were in the 70s, and today, we are in the single digits and expect snow."

So keep the winter wear out, you are still going to need it.

Classic Rant #739 (May 17, 2012): When To Hear Me On the Air

I am a little pressed for time today, so I am going to make this Rant a little short.

You will be able to hear my interview on the radio at the following times and sites. All the times are Eastern Time, so if you are in another area, adjust the schedule to meet your time requirements.

Here is when you can hear me on Music Trivia next week. 

Tuesday 1AM www.borosoundradio.co.uk.

Tuesday 4PM www.infinityradio.net.

Thursday 4PM www.musicradio95.com.

Saturday 3PM www.omnimedianetworks.org Classic Car Gold Network.

Sunday 8PM www.oldiesradio1620.com.

Sunday midnight www.widemusic.com.

Please listen, and let me know what you think. I am very interested in feedback about my appearance on the show, so please give me your positives and negatives.

Thanks, and I will speak to you next week. Hopefully, I won't be as rushed as I am today.

Rant #2,086: Lazy Day

And that is just how I would characterize my Presidents' Day.

It was a lazy day for me, a day where I did practically nothing.

And that made it a good day, to a certain extent.

My son worked, my wife worked--her bank was the only bank in town that was open, and why they were open yesterday but closed on Martin Luther King Day is anyone's (PC) guess--so I was left at home on one of the few days that I have off from work during the year to do what I wanted to do--

Which was practically nothing.

What did I actually do yesterday>

1) I took my son back and forth to work.

2) I went to the bank that I mentioned to do some banking.

3) I went directly to the closed post office to mail a few important bills out.

4) I made lunch for myself and my son--my wife likes to make her own.

5) I digitized some LPs.

6) I went out to lunch with my parents.

7) I watched some bad movies that were so bad they don't even bear worth discussing.

And the one thing I did not do much of was spend time on the Internet, on Facebook. I leave that task for during the workweek, and since I did not work yesterday, I did not visit that social network for more than a moment at a time.

I also did not wonder whether it is President's Day, Presidents' Day, or just plain Presidents Day. I don't care where the apostrophe actually goes if it is used at all on this day, but yes, it is when we celebrate Washington's birthday--actually, he was born on February 22--so happy birthday, George.

That being said, the other thing I did was, at least for a day, take a step back from my and my family's recent situations, which again, I have not gone into here--the latter situations, at least--which did get worse as we moved into the holiday weekend.

So the only place to go is up, and I didn't really think about these situations yesterday at all.

We have done all that we can do to make things better, and I almost think they have to get worse before they get better, and yes, I think we have hit rock bottom, so things can only get better.

Yes, the shortest month of the year has become the longest month of the year for myself and my family, and we will work ourselves out of it, simply because we have to.

But I did not think about those things yesterday.

I simply had a fairly relaxing day, doing things that I consider to be fairly relaxing.

Today, it is back to the grind, and that is exactly what it is, a grind.

The day seems to take eight days to be over with, but you have to get through it to get to the next day, so I will do just that.

There really isn't much more to say, other than yesterday was just what I personally needed, and I wish that my family could have shared the day with me.

Onward and upward!

Classic Rant #738 (May 17, 2012): (Internet) Radio Killed the Radio Star

So, yes, I was interviewed on Internet radio yesterday, on the Frank Todd show.

It went pretty well, I thought.

He gave me a solid hour to push my various sites--primarily my Alternative Top 40 Yahoo Group site at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AlternativeTop40/--and I got in just about everything I wanted to say about the music that was being played.

I did blank out at his question about the last legitimate, new vinyl 45 I bought in a record store. I believe it was Faith No More's "Epic" or an Alannah Miles song--the followup to her No. 1 hit "Black Velvet" that I still can't remember the name to--but I blanked out on the name Faith No More and I couldn't remember the name of the Miles' song.

Other than that, I think I did pretty well.

He asked me about the site, my taste in music--yes, I told him about my upbringing in Rochdale Village, and the influence it had on my musical tastes--and about my record collection, primarily my singles collection.

I saw how Internet radio runs, that in between his questions and my answers, he could basically drop in the music that he wanted to play from the site. The show, basically, is constructed from the patter between the DJ and myself, and the music is plopped in later.

And there was an eclectic mix of stuff, everything from Tim Curry's "I Do the Rock" to XTC's "The Mayor of Simpleton," and lots of 1960s material or related-to-the-1960s tunes.

It was fun being interviewed. I hadn't done anything like this in years, and I told Todd that if he needs me again, he knows where to find me. He mentioned that perhaps in the future we could do a Monkees-only show, which I would certainly agree to. That might be fun.

And the whole thing was over by 8:30 p.m.

We don't know exactly when the show will run, probably next week, and I will keep you updated on that, because I want to hear it too--and record it for posterity.

So, I guess I became famous overnight, sort of. I don't know how many people listen to these podcasts, but I guess enough people listen to make it worthwhile.

And I hope you listen to. Please let me know what you think.

Rant #2,085: No, No, No

Enough.

The latest school shooting, this one in southern Florida, took 17 innocent lives in a hail of bullets coming from firearms being shot off by someone who had clear, defined, mental health problems.

How someone with such a background obtained not just one firearm, but a whole arsenal of them, is beyond comprehension.

Were background checks done on this individual, and if they were done, were they adequate?

And why was this individual out on the street anyway?

I don't understand the need some people have to own guns. I have never understood this type of need, and I never will.

Yes, we have the right to bear arms, but having the right to do so, and to actually do it, are two different things.

I grew up in an era where we were clearly re-examing the "beauty" of bearing arms, legally or otherwise, for fun or for real. During the 1960s, yes, I had a toy gun. I remember in particular a toy tommy gun that I had, one, where if I pulled back the mechanism on the side of the gun and then pulled the trigger, I would have about 30 seconds of "rat-a-tat-tats" that could scare even the most learned person about guns.

It was that real.

And yes, I owned some other toy guns that used caps--remember them--which you fed through the gun and when the trigger of the toy gun was pulled, you not only got the sound, but you also got the visual of a real gun going off, including the smoke.

By the time I was eight or nine years old, the "beauty" of playing war or policeman or cowboy had worn off of me, and the toy guns were put away for good, but funny, this coincided with the increased rage that the Vietnam War was creating in our cities, being brought to us each night on the evening news.

People were enraged that we were fighting a war that many of us felt we didn't belong in, and yes, there was rage on the streets across America.

The toy guns were put away, replaced by flowers, and while the entire hippie era, with hindsight, might have been a bit over the top, it got people to thinking about the toll of war, and the use of guns.

Later, when I was an adult, two gun-related incidents left a major mark on me.

The first involved a person I knew of when I was growing up, and who my sister knew much better than me. He was the proverbial "kid who had it all," as he was smart, good looking, and was pegged as the most likely to succeed.

Unfortunately, as an adult, he spiraled into mental illness. One day, he did not take his medication, went to a gun store, purchased a gun like you or I would purchase a toothbrush, and then he went to a local motel, paid for a room, and did an Ernest Hemingway.

My mother and I paid a shiva call to his parents, and we could not stay long, as while the parents tried to put on a good face, they were clearly torn apart. It was very uncomfortable to say the least.

Several years later, a kid my son knew from Little League baseball, a kid that I had coached when he was very young, was playing with his father's firearms one day, the gun when off, and basically blew his head off.

His father was a cop, the guns in their home were not properly secured, and this tragedy happened.

I will never forget the funeral, where the entire league, dressed in their uniforms, attended to honor their fallen friend. It was the saddest thing I have ever witnessed, and honestly, to this day, I don't know how my son got through it.

And the proliferation of illegally purchased guns on our streets is another story for another time.

But today, we have had carnage in numerous schools across America, perpetuated by people who are mentally ill and who are enamored with firearms and getting back at people and institutions that rile them.

Schools, like places of worship and homes, are supposed to be sanctuaries, places where we should feel safe.

We don't anymore, witnessed by violent acts that have occurred in each of these places.

The bottom line is, mix mental health with guns, and a powder keg of potential problems can happen.

Let's remember Columbine, let's remember Sandy Hook, let's remember all the other places where this senseless violence has happened in recent times.

We need a set of national gun laws to govern gun ownership throughout this land. We cannot have one set of laws in one state, another set of laws in another state.

We cannot have one state where the laws are ultra-stringent, as they should be, and another, neighboring state where buying a gun is akin to buying a stick of gum.

When you have a license for anything, it shows that you have proficiency in that area, and that you also understand the upside and downside of the area that you have the license for.

I do believe that most people who purchase firearms and have a valid license to carry them legally know exactly what they are doing, are responsible, and understand the plusses and minuses of bearing arms.

But for that small fraction of people who don't get this, we need national, much more stringent laws as to who can bear firearms and who cannot.

Any blemish on one's record due to past mental health issues should be an immediate red flag. This can prove to be discriminatory, but you know what? If it prevents lives from being wasted--on both sides of the firearm--then I am all for such discrimination.

Look, I might not even be explaining this correctly, but we should have no more events like the one we just had in southern Florida.

Yes, it has to do with the failure of our mental health system to act, although in this case, they did act, until the future gunman refused to participate anymore.

In my mind, it has to do with lax gun laws that allow just about anyone to purchase a gun legally.

Laws must change, and our mindset must also change.

True, most gun owners are responsible citizens, but we must be able to weed out those who should never possess firearms. Just the same day as this horrific incident happened, I heard of two other young people with severe mental illnesses who planned on creating chaos in their local schools--they were both turned in by close relatives, and carnage was avoided.

How many other potential powder kegs are ready to explode?

Who knows, but national gun laws, including increased and more stringent licensing requirements, and increased scrutiny on our mental health system, might just prevent another Columbine or Sandy Hook from happening.

Whatever side of the fence you are sitting on--Republican, Democrat, Independent, pro-Trump, anti-Trump, or even non-political--we must all get together, as Americans, to demand that more accountability is necessary.

We simply cannot afford another incident like the one we had the other day in southern Florida.

Have a good Presidents Day and weekend. I will speak to you again on Tuesday.

Classic Rant #737 (May 16, 2012): Internet Radio

I am going to be interviewed on an Internet radio show this evening for broadcast next week. 

I will be speaking with DJ Frank Tood about my Yahoo/Blog sites, my interest in music, and my record collection. 

This came completely out of the blue, and I readily accepted the invitation. I have been on the radio--or regular radio--a couple of times. A number of years ago, I was on another show, broadcast from Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey, about my record collection, and I was on the radio when I was out of work many years ago, pleading for a job (nothing came of it).

Getting back to the show I am going to be on tonight, parts of the phone conversation will be recorded and be edited in with the songs that are going to be played. It will be heard on all his stations that carry Music Trivia for two hours next week. The schedule is at www.franktoddradio.com. 

And yes, if I remember, somewhere in the conversation I will mention the place that I grew up in, Rochdale Village in Souith Jamaica, Queens, New York. 

I talk about music all the time here, but one thing that I don't think I've mentioned is that since Rochdale was such a diverse community, we listened to all different types of music--rock, pop, standards, jazz, soul, etc. We listened to everyone from Otis Redding to Frank Sinatra to the 1910 Fruitgum Co., and it was all good. 

I hope to bring that up, but I don't know the line of questioning so I can't guarantee that I can. But listen in next week. 

The music that is being played is not your average Top-40 stuff, but a mix of music that is on my Yahoo sites. Tune in, and let me know what you think.

Rant #2,084: Let the Sunshine In

Yesterday was a better day than I thought it was going to be.

Valentine's Day went fine, pretty much, from top to bottom, from the beginning to the end.

One problem my family and I have, which I have not gone into great detail here about, should be taken care of by early next month.

No, it is not my job situation, which still is absolutely horrid, at best, but another problem that we were presented with should be over and done with in about two weeks.

My family gave out our Valentine's Day cards to each other, and my wife got a surprise. She opened her card and it was one of those electronic ones, and it blurted out, "I Love You!" so loudly that she nearly jumped out of her shoes.

We all had a good laugh--which is what we need right now--and that was that.

Which somehow leads me to the 5th Dimension ... you know, the vocal group that was super popular in the late 1960s to about the mid 1970s, and who are still around in one form or another, led by one of their original lead singers, Florence LaRue.

In times of distress, I kind of gravitate toward things that make me comfortable, so during this current time of distress, I went for the comfort music, and if there was ever comfort music, it is the canon of the 5th Dimension, a five-member act that literally burst on the scene, seemingly out of nowhere, in 1967 with "Go Where You Wanna Go," the Mamas and Papas soundalike that hit No. 16 on the charts literally 51 years ago.

It was the first of 30 Hot 100 hits they would have through 1976, and LaRue, along with eventual marrieds Billy Davis Jr. and Marilyn McCoo, and Ron Townson and Lamont McLemore, were among the most popular vocal groups of their time, seemingly an overnight sensation.

But like most overnight sensations, they really weren't, and had toiled as a Los Angeles-based act known as the Versatiles for a few years before that group split into two--the 5th Dimension and what became the Friends of Distinction, an act that had their own cadre of big hits during this period.

Using a formula that had been cemented by the Monkees and later used by Three Dog Night, the 5th Dimension mined the talents of the top songwriters of the day--including Jimmy Webb, Laura Nyro and Nicholas Ashford and Valerie Simpson--for one great song after another, eventually leading to two No. 1 hits, "Aquarius/Let the Sunshine In/The Flesh Failures" and "Wedding Bell Blues," both in 1969, and a virtual stockload of other hits, including "One Less Bell to Answer" (No. 2 in 1970), "Stoned Soul Picnic" (No. 3 in 1968), and "Up-Up and Away" (No. 7 in 1967).

Not only were their vocals cool and crisp, but their visuals were arresting in the most positive way.

The five-some was certainly led by the two ladies, two of the most beautiful women on the music scene at that time. Both LaRue and McCoo had been Miss Bronze winners--sort of a precursor for the Miss Black America contest before the Miss America contest was integrated--and both had talent to back up their looks.

Not only that, but with some of the most colorful and creative costuming ever seen at the time--kind of tapping into the psychedelic craze, mixed with Afro-centric touches--the group was visually stunning, and were perfect for the new emphasis on color on TV.

They found sort of a permanent home on the TV variety shows of that time, and became ubiquitous staples on the boob tube, appearing on everything from "The Ed Sullivan Show" and "Hollywood Palace," and nary a week seemed to go by where they weren't on a TV variety show, pushing their latest record.

They even had their own TV specials, and during their seven-year period of hits, they might have been the most televised act in pop music.

McCoo and Davis married in 1969, and later went on to a career separate from their 5th Dimension mates, having a few hits on their own, including "You Don't Have To Be a Star (To Be In My Show)" (No. 1 in 1976) and "Your Love" (No. 15 in 1977), but the two have always been inextricably linked with the 5th Dimension.

The hits ran dry around the time that McCoo and Davis pursued their career away from the 5th Dimension, and the act pretty much left the hits behind them in 1976, putting the original "Love Hangover" on the charts in 1976 (No. 80), failing to compete with the Diana Ross version.

For the past 40 years, the 5th Dimension have performed all over the world with different players, except for LaRue, the one constant. Davis and McCoo have also forged their own careers away from the group, and McCoo was the host of TV's "Solid Gold" hit showcase for a few seasons. McLemore and Townson have passed on to the great beyond, but on oldies radio, the 5th Dimension continue to be part of any playlist.

Yes, they were knocked during their hit period for sounding too "white," and they didn't write most of their material, leaving that part to the professional songwriters, and no, they didn't play any musical instruments as part of their act, but the 5th Dimension circumvented all of that by being visually and vocally incredible in their own special way.

Can anyone who was around during their hit-making period claim that they didn't like them?

I have never heard anyone claim that, and more than 50 years after the fact, I don't think that I will ever hear anyone utter that opinion.

Their music was radio ready, their visuals stunning, and what else could you ask for?

Comfort music for the ears, for sure.

Speak to you again tomorrow.

Classic Rant #736 (May 15, 2012): Passing Fad?

As incredible as it may seem, nearly half the people polled in a recent survey believe that their beloved Facebook is a passing fad.

Forty-six percent of those polled in an AP/CNBC poll say the social networking giant is likely to "fade away as new things come along," while 43 percent predict it will be "successful over the long term."

All of this has come about as Facebook's long-awaited IPO draws nearer. According to the poll, half of Americans say Facebook's asking price is too high.

Just one-third think the company's expected stock market value, which could reach $100 billion,  is OK, while 50 percent say it's too high.

I don't have any money to invest in it, so from my viewpoint, its worth in dollars is irrelevant to me. 

However, its worth in what it is--a social networking tool--is much, much greater.

Those who use Facebook the right way--to connect with others--from their current lives or their past--have no problem with it. It is a major part of their lives, and they visit it often.

However, there are people who use Facebook the wrong way, to further their own personal gains, whether it be for amusement or to hurt others.

Kids of a certain age, let's say those under 15 or 16 years of age, should not be on Facebook.

It is pretty much the Wild West on the site. Anything goes, and it can hurt these young kids to see and be a victim of the nonsense--including bullying and predatory practices--that goes on there.

It can be harmful to their still-developing psyches.

Thus, I feel that Facebook should be a pay service. Users should pay a nominal fee to gain access to what Facebook offers. 

Sure, this won't prevent every kid from getting onto the site, but it will thwart plenty of them from entering a world that they can't yet fully understand.

So, the bottom line is this: I personally like Facebook, I am on it at least several days a week, and I use it the right way, to speak to current friends and people from my past--and to trump up this blog.

But I wish it was regulated a bit more. People shouldn't be able to post things that are harmful to others in a bullying type of way, and I wish that Facebook would take complaints a little more seriously than they do now.

But otherwise, is it a passing fad or something that is more of a trend than a fad?

I don't know just yet, but used wisely, it is a great place to visit, but honestly, I wouldn't want to live there on a full-time basis.

There's more to life than Facebook, and if people are allowing their lives to revolve around this thing, well, I feel sorry for them.

(And what isn't a passing fad is that today is my daughter's 24th birthday. I am very proud of her, and I wish her a great birthday!)