Ohio - Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
- Album: Released as a single (was not released on an album until the 1974 compilation record "So Far")
- Information: On May 4th, 1970, the battle over the Vietnam War and the costs of war and peace took a nightmarish turn when a protest of the war at Kent State University became a battleground and a bloodbath as members of the Ohio National Guard shot at the protesters, leaving four dead, nine wounded and one permanently paralyzed. Although shocking and sad when it occurred, it was the pictures of the massacre in Life magazine that inspired Neil Young to do something about it: write a powerful protest song calling out the Nixon administration's action on that horrible event. The song was rushed through the studio with the super-group he was a member of at the time and released quickly onto the radio, where it was banned from AM due to it's political nature but has since become a monumental song of classic rock. (Wikipedia)
- Personal Thoughts: What more can be said about this song that hasn't been said by so many. While I do sometimes complain about Neil Young, I can't complain about this song at all, in it's delivery, it's lyrics or it's message. The harmony just mesh together with a powerful rhythm and beat, almost as if you can hear the National Guard encroaching in, preparing to strike on the innocents. It gets to the point, it delivers a message and it's message is just powerful. Though...listening to the end, I finally heard the "how many more?" at the end sung out, an obvious statement of the era where no one had any idea if...or when...the war in Vietnam was ever going to end...whether the peace movement that had come so far by this point was starting to break apart in the midst of consistant violence both home and abroad.
Everything is Beautiful - Ray Stevens
- Album: Everything is Beautiful
- Information: Known more for his novelty and comedy songs in the 1960s such as "Ahab the Arab" and "Gitarzan" or his studio work in Nashville, Stevens took a strange but popular turn with the release of this inspirational song that ultimately topped the charts in the United States. A chorus of elementary school students, including his two daughters, are heard at the start of the song singing the spiritual "Jesus Loves the Little Children". (Wikipedia)
- Personal Thoughts: You know, this song probably wouldn't be too bad as a peace and love song of this age...except for all the God country stuff that sort of drives it. Stevens does a sincere delivery with the song and I like the background stuff, but it just feels like this is "the peace and love song for the Jesus freaks"...but then I guess they needed it with all the freaky religionless hippies running rampant in the US by this point. Nothing against those who believe in that sort of thing, but it just sort of bugs me a bit...it's just me I guess.
- Album: Check Out Your Mind!
- Information: Originally friends from their days at a gospel church in Chicago, Jerry Butler and Curtis Mayfield formed this band which evolved from "The Roosters", a doo-wop band they were part of in the 1950s. Although a notable and popular R&B band in the 1960s best known for "People Get Ready", Mayfield pushed them into funkier territories, up to this song, which was part of the last album he was a part of prior to starting a successful solo career. (Wikipedia)
- Personal Thoughts: Having never heard too much of his early works, it's hard to think of Curtis Mayfield as an R&B singer (outside maybe one or two songs). On the other hand, this song makes me think of him in the way I know of him: pure funk. Can still hear a bit of soul in the song from the way it's sung and it's great delivery, but the background instrumentals is more Stax than Motown, and that's what makes it awesome, almost like some of Mayfield's later works. The balance/counter-balance of the violins and the horns are a definite reason to listen to this as is the random guys yelling out "Check Out Your Mind!" at the end to a strange reverberation.
Question - Moody Blues
- Album: A Question of Balance
- Information: Having progressed from group known for just one hit in the British Invasion to one of the formost art-rock bands of the late 60s and early 1970s, the Moody Blues decided to strip away from their overdubbing and their obsession with overwhelming sounds for this album. The most notable song from the album written by guitarist Justin Hayward, it is their own take on the anti-Vietnam movement. Strangely their B-side for this song, "Candle of Life", was from their vastly dubbed and produced album "To Our Children's Children's Children". (Wikipedia)
- Personal Thoughts: While not the formost expert on the Moody Blues, I knew of how luscious their songs typically sounded...so reading that essentially they were trying to avoid that with this album sort of wakes some aspects about it a bit more. There are some aspects that seem to still be there such as the string section and the occasional usage of the "choral-like singers" (especially in the dramatic return during the last third of the song), but it's much easier to hear the vocals. Though I do find the weird contrast regarding the protest song in the beginning and end and what's almost a love song in the middle...but that's what makes the song.
Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I'm Yours) - Stevie Wonder
- Album: Signed, Sealed & Delivered
- Information: Having been a Motown staple since he was 12, Stevie Wonder began to take greater control of his career with his 12th album, when he started to produce or co-produce his own songs. In particular, this song was the first Stevie produced on his own and had his female backup of Lynda Tucker Laurence, Syreeta Wright and Vanetta Fields. This song was also the first time Stevie was nominated for the Grammy Awards, a place he would come to know much better as the decade draws on and Stevie's producing and musical powers grow further than ever before. (Wikipedia)
- Personal Thoughts: This song is just strange for me, I admit. It really isn't one of my favorites by Stevie, but there is just so much to like about it: the funky background, the guitar work at the beginning, the usage of the horns and the choral background. But I guess what sort of draws me away from this song is...it's still Motown-Stevie. Now OK, there are a lot of great songs by Stevie from the 1960s, particularly neear the end of the decade with stuff like "Mi Cheri Amour" and "For Once in My Life". But somehow those songs had something more special in them while this just felt like classic Motown Stevie just beginning to emerge into funky 70s Stevie...but sort of taking his time with it. But sometimes, baby steps are needed to make those massive strides to the best years...and yeah, as said, he's been in music for 8 years and yet his best is still yet to come.
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