MLT Club Member David Herrick
MLT Club MemberForum Replies Created
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I saw Peter Yarrow perform solo at a small local theater a couple of years ago. Just before launching into “Puff”, he asked about twenty audience members to join him on stage to sing it with him. People slowly filled in behind him, and then he turned around to give them some instructions. Suddenly his gaze fell on one particular guy, and he exclaimed “Holy s***! A person of color!”, and he walked over and gave him an embracing hug. That was the biggest laugh of the evening from a concert that was filled with smiles and love.
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I just looked up my childhood version of Puff on YouTube and listened to it for the first time in about 45 years. It’s actually pretty faithful to the original, so I didn’t miss out on much.
My grade school music teacher, to his credit, had us sing a lot of nice pop songs from the 60’s and early 70’s, including “One Tin Soldier”. Unfortunately, rather than the original recordings, we got his own unmodulated singing voice and clunky piano playing, so I never got to experience the beauty.
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Great discussion topic, Jung! I’ve mentioned my early history with Puff the Magic Dragon, but at the time I didn’t know it was an adult song because the version I had was done by other singers on a kids’ label. Of course someone has posted a picture of the actual record:
My first real experience with pop music was in the form of TV commercials for “greatest hits” albums that featured numerous consecutive three-second samples from various songs. I watched so much TV as a kid that I memorized those sequences and sang them to myself as actual songs in their own right.
I still remember one that consisted of brief snippets from (in order) Soldier Boy, He’ll Have to Go, The Birds and the Bees, Personality, 96 Tears, Susie Darlin’, Mission Bell, Tell Laura I Love Her, Stay, Remember (Walking in the Sand), Runaway, Rhythm of the Rain, and Come Go with Me.
When I started listening to “oldies” radio a decade later, it was a thrill finally to hear the other 98% of each of those songs!
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I totally agree, Jung. “Birds” and “June” were the first two songs that sold me on their original music, after being drawn in by their covers. It’s hard to make a bad first impression with happy.
I think MLT are on the verge of being able to put out themed albums of old recordings. “Fun in the Sun” would be a great start, especially these days. Just remember to stay at least six feet away from the Sun at all times.
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I hear lovely groovy voices in my head singing “It’s all right. It’s all right. It’s okay. You will be just fine.” I’m guided by their wise counsel. But I’m still wondering what happened to all the toilet paper!
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I’m a fan of Herman’s Hermits too, Howard. They’re a great feel-good group. I’ve seen Peter Noone in concert twice (most recently just over a year ago), and the Hermits without Herman once.
I just found out that Graham Gouldman also wrote their song “Listen People”.
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I’ve always thought that “No Milk Today” had a musical sophistication to it that most Herman’s Hermits songs lacked. Interesting to learn that it was written by the “Bus Stop” composer.
Coincidentally, the “Wings of Pegasus” guy just posted an analysis of this very performance today:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43qj5ePXYhY
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Thanks for the insight, Jim. That all sounds very plausible, and it’s not the type of analysis that one can just “look up”.
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I had actually heard that one song, Howard, although I didn’t know the name associated with it until recently.
I came across this interview with Melanie from 1991 in which she explains the unlikely inspiration for “Brand New Key”:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtVYFC4cfrw&t=378s
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Wow, I hadn’t heard either of those bits of trivia connecting the Cyrkle to the Beatles. I don’t know their story, but how cool is it to have John Lennon name your group and Paul Simon write a hit song for you?
Maybe you were aware of this, but the Seekers (with Bruce Woodley) recorded their own version of “Red Rubber Ball”. As much as I love the Seekers, I enjoy the Cyrkle’s performance a little more.
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Agreed, Thomas!
When I first started getting into the music of the 60’s, this was my go-to “happy song”. It has a quintessential two-part harmony, and it fits the spirit of MLT perfectly.
Technically, that should be the TWO and only, right?
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That’s even more twisted, Jung.
I first encountered that Britishism in the little-known BBC TV mini-series of “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”, and it was pronounced “zee-bra” there.
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Harumph! I’ll call it a zebra crossing the day I witness this:
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The second thing is that you tend to repeat yourself. And if I recall correctly, the third thing is that you tend to repeat yourself.
