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ROCKOLLECTIONS: IT’S BLOOMING TIME PT.8 CONCLUSION

We will close out this series of April Showers Bring May Flowers with a mixed bag of music.
First, I was handed a bulletin, actually 2nd Hand News, that people are laying in the Tall Grass!
Then, for the black-wearing Goth listeners that make up such a large portion of our audience, lol, some Flowers regarding the DEAD- as in deceased, not the group.
One of those will be by the Human Beinz, an old very 60’s group that manages to mix psychedelia with a Latin beat!
Do you remember Derek & The Dominoes, with Eric Clapton under the guise of Derek, and the late great Duane Allman as one of the Dominoes?
Did you know they did a song that manages to cover both Trees and Gardens? You do now!
At long last, I will have a cute little number for Farmers- couldn’t neglect them, talking about things that grow in the ground.
Mary Hopkin, with an obscure track I have always liked, will stop by to sing about Kew Gardens.
The one in England, not the one we have in Queens, New York.
I have not been to the one in England, and possibly not consciously the one in Queens either- as I say, Queens confuses me, lol!
Finally, the song I picked to close out this whole long Theme, by the Moody Blues and maybe my favorite by them.
All things are energy- you, me, this computer, the ground we walk on, the food we eat, and on and on.
Though seemingly solid, a microscopic look shows whirring atoms, and the even smaller molecules spinning around. So, nothing is really solid.
Since that is true, why then can’t we use our senses to SEE the light of a sigh, or HEAR colors, to mention a few possibilities?
All of this in a spoken word/song that has a very spiritual aspect to it, regarding “This Garden Universe…”!
A heady song from a heady group.
As always, I hope you enjoyed this Horticultural exploration of Rock & Roll.
And that you will return for the next Theme Series- whatever it may be.
Have a Happy Memorial Day everybody…and please remember our brave troops!

Mike

Tags: 2nd Hand News, April Showers Bring May Flowers, Derek & The Dominoes, Duane Allman, Eric Clapton, Farmers, Gardens, Horticultural Exploration of Rock & Roll, Human Beinz, Kew Gardens, Mary Hopkin, Memorial Day, Moody Blues, New York, Queens, Tall Grass, This Garden Universe, trees, Troops

ROCKOLLECTIONS: IT’S BLOOMING TIME PT.6

I apologize for this, and let me clear up any confusion.
This series was done a few years ago, and it was in this week that Memorial Day fell- this year it is the last day of the month, Monday May 31st.
I didn’t want to go out of sequence.
So whatever I say about Memorial Day, please keep in your mind and hearts next week.
I am continuing our proposition that April Showers Bring May Flowers with something different this time, Trees!
Then a wonderful 2-song set, analogous to Jimi Hendrix opening for the Monkees at that famous 60’s concert.
But reverse them- a pop song and a protest song- and I love them both.
One for the Flower Girl and one for the Flower Lady.
We will close this chapter out with a song that is within our Theme, and that many people may not realize is actually an anti-war song.
If the people in the world would only stop to really listen to the words, take them to heart, then maybe all nations could get along.
Probably a pipedream, since at any given time there is always some large or small war going on somewhere on this earth.
I guess we need the people who believe peace is possible as much as we need our warriors.
However, for Memorial Day, the weekend and the song is dedicated to our Soldier Heroes who have given their lives for these beloved United States.
The ultimate sacrifice, and we salute them for it.
Happy Memorial Day…next week…and please don’t forget to remember our brave Heroes!

Mike

Tags: Anti-War Song, April Showers Bring May Flowers, Beloved United States, Flower Girl, Flower Lady, Gardens, Jimi Hendrix, Memorial Day, Monday May 31st, Our Soldier Heroes, The Monkees, The Ultimate Sacrifice, trees

ROCKOLLECTIONS: IT’S BLOOMING TIME PT.4

The premise of this series is “April showers bring May flowers”.
And it’s about 50-50 that I run off with those Flowers, frolicking happily naked through the fields, lol!
I need some time off to reconsider this whole radio thing- I am getting burnt out.
For this installment though, we turn things over to The Poets.
Our Poets- and their thoughts on Gardens.
Serious songs, serious words- and I will try to touch you somehow with them.
I will open and close with some secret places, and that closer has always been a personal favorite of mine.
Please listen to the words!

Mike

Tags: April Showers Bring May Flowers, Gardens, Our Poets, The Poets

ROCKOLLECTIONS: IT’S BLOOMING TIME PT.3

I didn’t realize it or plan it, but this is the all 60’s chapter of our little musical look at Flowers & Gardens and things that grow out of the ground.
And back in the 60’s, as the times they were a-changin, flowers were a large part of it.
At least as a symbol of where your head was at- even as a political statement!
We will take a look and listen at those days in our opening set. Including a father/daughter generation gap that gets a little smaller.
Then it is on to some different TYPES of flowers- even those that are not real!
There will be many surprises in this one, I would think…unless of course you are getting to know me!

Mike

Tags: Father Daughter Generation Gap, Flowers, Gardens, Political Statement, The 60's

ROCKOLLECTIONS: IT’S BLOOMING TIME PT.2

As we will throughout this series, I will flip Gardens and Flowers, so a couple of rockers about Flowers open this installment.
First one, Picking Wild Flowers- and anything wild is good!
The next one by the Talking Heads contained the Crossed F incident.
Although I am one of the most disorganized people I know, I can also be very picayune about certain things.
This I have always regarded as just a minor facet of my insanity, not a problem.
So upon realizing on my handwritten list of songs that I had not crossed the F in Flowers, thereby making it Tlowers, I rushed out to tell Engineer Ken.
Ken, the poor soul, thought something had gone terribly wrong, lol!
But that was enough to throw me into an embarrassed lather.
Taking a quick sedative, I was able to continue, lol!
Got a song for Mothers Day that fits our flora requirement- from a couple of tough dudes, Johnny Cash & Waylon Jennings.
Returning to the subject of Gardens, there are lots of different kinds of Gardens.
I will open a set with a song that is NOT one of them (HUH?)!
But I later erroneously identified the singer as Loretta Lynn, and I should have said Lynn Anderson.
I always confuse the two…wonder why, lol?
Finally, we end this chapter with something we have known we have to do for decades- get back there to that Garden.
A very Happy Mothers Day to all those still with us, and loving remembrances to those who are not.
If you still have Mom, realize you are lucky, treasure the moments and tell her you love her!

Mike

Tags: Engineer Ken, Flowers, Gardens, Johnny Cash, Lynn Anderson, Mothers Day, Picking Wild Flowers, Talking Heads, The Crossed F Incident, Waylon Jennings

ROCKOLLECTIONS: IT’S BLOOMING TIME PT.1

April Showers Bring May Flowers…as we all know!
We are in the middle of Spring, the weather has gotten very hot here in the Northeast, and I will begin a new Theme series with Gardens, Flowers, Grass and some other things that grow out of the ground.
And this from a CITY GUY!
I may not know much about gardens, flowers, etc. But I do know music.
And I can promise you a truly enjoyable time, as I pick from Rock & Roll, Folk, Soul, Country and anything else to produce a free-form musical bouquet.
I will begin with the 45 RPM SINGLE version of a very long song from the 60’s- it’s so long I didn’t want to scare anyone away. But I’ll play it in full here someday.
Then something live from the old Fillmore East from early 1971, followed by a song from a 1993 CD dedicated to our planet.
When I do these Theme shows, I often take time to look at the topic from a different angle.
In this case, I had a choice of two songs, wanted to play both, but time restraints made me settle for one…well, what was the FIRST Garden?
Closing out this opening seed, we’ll hear Arlo Guthrie doing what he does best- getting into a song and having fun with the audience, and the audience with him.
Using the OLD way of teaching that still works!
And check out the false start- the shows were always either live, or live in the sense that once Engineer Ken and I started, we never stopped for anything short of a very large problem.
In this case, just as I was starting the show, somebody opened the door to my studio totally unexpectedly!
While it surprised me, it also struck me funny because over the years just about everything strange that can happen in radio, eventually will, lol!

Mike

Tags: 45 RPM SINGLE, April Showers Bring May Flowers, CITY GUY, country, Engineer Ken, Fillmore East, Flowers, Folk Music, Gardens, Grass, Rock & Roll, Soul, The 60's, The Audience, The First Garden, The Old Way Of Teaching