Summer of Love
A very cool three CD project about the San Francisco Summer of Love and all it begat caught my ear, courtesy of my friend Tom Ordon, with an interesting discourse about Bill Graham that followed.Here's the package, according to Tom:
COOL 4 CD BOX SET...Coming in June of 2007 on Rhino Records
SUMMER OF LOVE-THE SAN FRANCISCO MUSIC SCENE, 1966-1970
DISC ONE SEISMIC RUMBLES
01 Dino Valenti Lets Get Together
02 Country Joe & The Fish I Feel Like Im Fixin To Die (EP version)
03 We Five You Were On My Mind
04 Charlatans Number One
05 Warlocks Cant Come Down
06 Beau Brummels Dont Talk To Strangers
07 Vejtables Anything
08 Jefferson Airplane Its No Secret
09 Mystery Trend Johnny Was A Good Boy
10 Great! Society Free Advice
11 Grass Roots Mr Jones
12 Blackburn & Snow Stranger In A Strange Land
13 Quicksilver Messenger Service Who Do You Love (demo)
14 Big Brother & The Holding Company Light Is Faster Than Sound
15 Mojo Men Shes My Baby
16 Wildflower Coffee Cup
17 Family Tree Live Your Own Life
18 Sons Of Champlin - Fat City
19 Frantics Human Monkey
20 Tikis Bye Bye Bye (WB 45 version)
21 Country Joe & The Fish Section 43 (EP version)
22 Sopwith Camel Hello Hello
DISC TWO - SUBURBIA
01 Count Five Psychotic Reaction
02 Front Line Got Love
03 Mourning Reign Satisfaction Guaranteed
04 Golliwogs Walking On The Water
05 Oxford Circle Foolish Woman
06 Stained Glass My Buddy Sin
07 Otherside Streetcar
08 Teddy His Patches Suzy Creamcheese
09 Immediate Family Rubiyat
10 Syndicate Of Sound Rumors
11 Harbinger Complex Sometimes I Wonder
12 New Breed Want Ad Reader
13 Generation Im A Good Woman
14 Chocolate Watchband No Way Out
15 Butch Engle & The Styx Hey Im Lost
16 People I Love You
17 Public Nuisance America
18 Country Weather Fly To New York
19 Savage Resurrection Thing In E
20 Frumious Bandersnatch Hearts To Cry
DISC THREE SUMMER OF LOVE
01 Charlatans Alabama Bound (Golden State Recorders version)
02 Mystery Trend Carl Street
03 Great! Society Somebody To Love (LP version)
04 Country Joe & The Fish Super Bird
05 Beau Brummels Two Days Til Tomorrow
06 Moby Grape Omaha
07 Serpent Power Up & Down
08 Grateful Dead The Golden Road
09 Quicksilver Messenger Service Codine
10 Electric Flag Groovin Is Easy
11 Big Brother & The Holding Company Down On Me (live)
12 Salvation Think Twice (45 version)
13 Jefferson Airplane White Rabbit
14 Steve Miller Band Roll With It
15 Notes From The Underground Why Did You Put Me On
16 Sly & The Family Stone Underdog (45 version)
17 Blue Cheer Summertime Blues
18 Creedence Clearwater Revival Suzie Q (Part One)
10 Santana Soul Sacrifice
20 Ace Of Cups - Glue
21 Loading Zone The Bells
DISC FOUR - THE MAN CANT BUST OUR MUSIC
01 Big Brother & The Holding Company Piece Of My Heart
02 Santana Evil Ways
03 Fifty Foot Hose Red The Sign Post
04 Kak Lemonaide Kid
05 Sons Of Champlin 1982-A
06 Dan Hicks & His Hot Licks How Can I Miss You When You Wont Go Away
07 Mad River Amphetamine Gazelle
08 Sly & The Family Stone I Want To Take You Higher
09 Steve Miller Band Quicksilver Girl
10 Mother Earth Revolution
11 Moby Grape Murder In My Heart For The Judge
12 Quicksilver Messenger Service Light Your Windows
13 Flamin Groovies Im Drowning
14 Seatrain Portrait Of the Artist As A Young Lady
15 Its A Beautiful Day White Bird
16 Creedence Clearwater Revival Born On The Bayou
17 Grateful Dead Dark Star (45 version)
18 Blue Cheer Fool (45 version)
19 Jefferson Airplane Mexico
20 Janis Joplin Mercedes Benz
21 Youngbloods Get Together I thought the selections were pretty spot on and sent this message back:
"I actually remember a lot of these and pleased to see Country Weather included, as they were on the bill with Joe Cocker and CJ and the Fish at the only show I ever saw at the Fillmore in 69 being there was cool but I was surprised that Bill Graham was such an asshole on the stage. But I was kinda hoping Syndicate of Sound would be represented by Hey Little Girl because it was the goofiest. Other than that, I want it."
That prompted this response from Richard Ray Harris:
"Have to add that being around Graham every weekend, your perception was somewhat held in common with a few in the audience at times in the sixties..Folks who would gripe about paying $3.50 to see the Dead, Airplane, Hendrix, Doors et al. But the truth comes from many musicians who knew a rather modest and warm man who gave tremendous credit to the people around him, was a task maker, but never asked for thanks or to draw attention to himself for the innovations he made possible. Also, his foundation work was
honorable and he went out on a limb to break new acts such as my little group in 1966.
A case of the bad acid caused much niggling from some in the artistic community of the bay area chiefly because there was a mistaken belief floating around that those who are making a living are by their nature "ripping off" those who feel that art should be given away.
Good thing the digital age solved THAT problem so that now, no one steals music or expects artists not to get paid for...wait a second!!!!"
Richard Ray made an excellent point, but I couldn't quit there, so I replied to him
" I know the story behind the story and actually saw Graham at work when he was flown in to fix the debacle known as the Night of the Hurricane at the Houston Astrodome and I was a stringer for Rolling Stone. It's just that by the time I'd made it to SF, two or three years later, I already had been hyped to death and found the reality, well, a little too real.
Knowing what I know now, I realize why he was the way he was, and why things turned out like they did. It always took a risk-taker to move the ball forward and he was one of them. I think my perception was also formed by the rivalry he had initially with Chet Helms and the Family Dog. In the end, business skills trumped organic cosmic righteousness, whatever that meant (others would have called it hippie facism)."
Not that the dialog settled anything. Today I heard about Santana, Led Zepplin, and other bands suing the guy who owns the Graham archives. Who owns art? Them? Us?