Music: Memory jogger from this date in 1962

Just to get into things from another time, here's a list from today's L.A. Radio.com edition that caught my attention and I show it here for you to think about. If you remember these when they were new, you go way back. I think about Nightingale Jr. High when looking at these tunes and now it seems so incredibly long ago, but the songs still are vividy remembered. I think we even bought some of those 45's, too.

Top Five Flashback from April 17, 1962: Good Luck Charm by Elvis Presley, Johnny Angel by Shelley Fabares, Mashed Potato Time by Dee Dee Sharp, Slow Twistin’ by Chubby Checker & Dee Dee Sharp, Young World by Rick Nelson.


Just 9 years later on this day in 1971, the song "Joy to the World" by Three Dog Night topped the charts and stayed there for 6 weeks. At least I wasn't still at Nightingale at that time.

Today's Top Five - 45 Years Ago and Some Lincoln Heights Memories

Well, getting away from the political and news topics for a moment and I have to show you what bit of nostalgia that the musical feature in today's laradio.com brings to me. It was this date in 1965, and the Beatles had already a year of exposure through Beatlemania under their belt, making their famous U.S. debut a year earlier in February 1964 on The Ed Sullivan Show from New York, appearing on three Sundays in a row that month, quite an achievement as they began their first American tour. See some more nostalgia about that time- 45 years ago to see in Consumer Reports online, http://blogs.consumerreports.org/home/2009/02/the-beatles-first-appearance-on-ed-sullivan-february-9-1964.html

The L.A. radio stations were still A.M with music ranging all across the spectrum- the eclectic mix, pop, British Invasion, Surf music, some country tunes, and the novelty songs, with folk rock and protest songs beginning to be more popular. It was a thorough musical mix and all the songs below could usually be heard playing on the same pop stations without having to tune the dial to a particular type of music like you have to today.

Who would have known that a few more months, as summer school was coming to an end in August, the famous Watts Riots would break out and last for days? The Lincoln Heights Jail was re-opened to handle all the arrested people and it was quite an unwelcome scene as we bicycled by on Avenue 19- it was the first time that I can really say my friends and I were ever called "white boys" as the inmates yelled out the windows. I recall the rest of the phrase was, "If I had a brick I would throw it at your ass." Well, he didn't have a brick and he was all locked up, but we still didn't like being called names, even if they missed on the color chart. But we couldn't say anything back- as terrible as that might sound that we thought it- since the street had lots of people coming to try to bail these folks out, so we just rode on as we did have some common sense, even as teens.

In those days, "Mexican" was considered by many, including African-Americans, to be a derogatory term. Instead we would be referred to as "Spanish." Sometimes that's still the preferred term by people, both on the speaking side and the listening side.

The National Guard moved in to block off access to the area in the following days. I could see the soldiers stationed at one emplacement on Pasadena Avenue and Avenue 18 (where City Ford was located at that time) whenever I went out in front of my house. That close-up view through my 50x telescope of them with a jeep with a mounted machine gun made it pretty hard to ignore that this was a serious time.

This list below is from a time very different from now, but what isn't. I think that every one of the songs below was played on the Eastside by the countless bands that sprung up in that era, and I remember how the Lincoln Park Gym would be the scene of some pretty good dances, six hours of live bands was what we had for the big dances. And there were the local music stars and radio DJ's hosting these events. And then you may remember the dances in El Sereno, too, and occasionally scheduled to be competing events.

From L.A. RADIO.COM today:

Top Five Flashback, February 26, 1965: This Diamond Ring by Gary Lewis & the Playboys, You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling by the Righteous Brothers, My Girl by the Temptations, Downtown by Petula Clark, The Jolly Green Giant by the Kingsmen.

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Checking this list again, maybe "Downtown" was not quite on the playlist for bands- you need a female vocalist to do it really well, and it was nearly an all-guy environment then, but it's still one of the iconic hits of the day.

And let's not forget that the Kingsmen was the band that took another song, "Louie, Louie." to pop prominence. Did you know that there's a Kingsmen website? http://www.louielouie.org/ And did you know that they STILL perform WITH some "original" members? http://www.louielouie.org/modules.php?name=Kingsmen_Lineup

Well, today's vinyl and cd DJ's just don't quite match up to live music that we all took for granted in high school when bands were plentiful. Somehow, some things were not improved by changes brought by technology, and replacing live music by small boxes of electronics loses a bit in the translation when it comes to live bands at dances and the energy they radiated. "Cheaper" and "more convenient" does not always mean "better" in these things.

Granted that the upside is all of the new things we can do through technology- but those live bands, often called "garage bands," have simply dwindled over the years and become another of the icons of the time.

Some songs hits to help you think of younger days.

Just to take a break with some memory-jogging thoughts now, brought out by a couple of L.A. Radio.com bits of information from yesterday and today- meaning February 24 and February 25. These last two postings, presented below, really brought back some memories for me of some different times- and, has it been that long since these tunes came out?

For this date in 1997- do you remember where you were? (or how young you were?)

"Top Five Flashback, February 25, 1997: Wannabe by the Spice Girls, Unbreak My Heart by Toni Braxton, Can’t Nobody Hold Me Down by Puff Daddy & Mase, I Believe I Can Fly by R. Kelly, You Were Meant For Me by Jewel. "

(Credit fully to LARadio.com, and to Steve Thompson - he "spends hours checking and double checking the accuracy of LARP Rewind")

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Then for yesterday's column in LARadio.com that went back to 1983- And how long ago was that? Well, None of the students I had taught at Lincoln High were even born yet, so you know it's going way, way back.

"Top Five Flashback, February 24, 1983: Baby Come To Me by Patti Austin & James Ingram, Shame On The Moon by Bob Seger, Stray Cat Strut by the Stray Cats, Billie Jean by Michael Jackson, Do You Really Want To Hurt Me by Culture Club.