Well, dear readers, I am sitting here listening to the always interesting and sometimes brilliant Mason Williams, who had a big hit single called Classical Gas back in 1968. It appeared on his debut album, The Mason Williams Phonograph Record on Warner Bros. an album I bought the day it came out because it looked interesting to me – I can’t even tell you why it looked interesting to me, it just did. And it blew me away – the orchestrations, the humor, and for a couple of songs, the gorgeous melodies. And then Classical Gas – an amazing, virtuoso piece for guitar and orchestra. Between this album and the Richard Harris/Jimmy Webb album, A Tramp Shining, 1968, for me, was an amazing year for records. The Mason Williams album came out in February of 1968 and then the Richard Harris came out in May – I also got that one the day it came out for the same reason – it looked interesting. I played both albums to death – over and over and over again. It would have been, for me, one of the greatest years for albums just based on those two, but hold on to your hats, we also got The Beatles’ The White Album, which came out in November of that year, and more importantly, at least to me, one of the greatest albums ever made, Simon and Garfunkel’s Bookends, another album I could not stop playing. That one came out just a few weeks before the Richard Harris album. Of course, there were a lot of what are considered classic rock albums, but most of those were of no interest to me. But others I loved from that year – Jose Feliciano’s debut album entitled Feliciano!, The 5th Dimension’s The Magic Garden (another great all Jimmy Webb album), as well as their Stoned Soul Picnic album, an amazing debut album from a singer/songwriter who’d become one of the greats, Randy Newman and his self-titled album, Spanky and Our Gang’s Like to Get to Know You, The Moody Blues’ In Search of the Lost Chord, Dionne Warwick’s Promises, Promises, the cast album of Promises, Promises, Wes Montgomery’s Down Here on the Ground, and lest we forget it was also the year of This Guy’s in Love with You and Wichita Lineman – and many more. See what I mean? Anyway, back to Mason Williams – the final song on his debut album was entitled Sunflower and I was completely obsessed with it – a stunningly beautiful orchestral piece. Williams was also the head writer on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour and I remember seeing a gorgeous pas de deux to the tune of Sunflower. I remembered it for years and always wanted to see it again, but even when they put out their DVDs, they never included it. But finally, a year ago, it showed up on the Tube of You and I have it now. The final fun thing about Sunflower – at the end of the film version of Sweet Charity – the original bittersweet ending, not the horrible happy ending that was filmed but not in any release, Charity has been dumped and she’s sitting on a park bench in Central Park as morning comes. Some flower children (one of whom is Bud Cort) come by and cheer her up. Cy Coleman’s music for that sequence through to the end titles is a complete rip-off of Sunflower, right down to its whistling opening – find the long version of Sunflower on YouTube (there’s a short version without the whistling – you want the 3:43 version) – listen to it, and then watch the final scene of Sweet Charity and report back.
Well, that was long. But what a musical year that was. I did manage to watch a very bad monster movie I don’t think I’d ever seen – something called Reptilicus, a Godzilla wannabe from 1961 (for the original Danish-language version) and 1962 (for the American version). They’re not the same film although they share sets, actors, and the monster – different dialogue, the American version was shot IN English – anyway, it’s a no-star thing and I found it pretty dire. Apparently, when it was delivered to AIP they didn’t want to release it, so it was extensively reworked by Ib Melchior, but it didn’t matter. All the original Danish actors who were speaking English but with Danish accents were dubbed in the released version. Anyway, it looked pretty good but it’s just poorly written and directed.
Prior to all that, the thing that should have arrived, didn’t arrive – again – I got eight hours of sleep, had mac and cheese for food – that was very tasty – the did a bit of work on the computer but wrote no pages, did not finish casting and therefore chose no songs. I dozed off for a bit, had a nice telephonic conversation, watched the movie, and here we are.
Today, I’ll be up by ten or thereabouts, hopefully SOMETHING will arrive, I’ll eat something, and if it’s a nicer day, I’ll try to write, I’ll finish casting, I’ll choose songs, I’ll try to get out of the house, and then at some point I can watch, listen, and relax.
The rest of the week is more of the same, and perhaps a meal or two out.
Well, dear readers, I must take the day, I must do the things I do, I must, for example, be up by ten or thereabouts, hope that SOMETHING will arrive, eat, pray for a modern major miracle, try to write, try to finish casting, try to choose some songs, try to get out of the house for a bit, and then watch, listen, and relax. Today’s topic of discussion: It’s Ask BK Day, the day in which you get to ask me or any dear readers any old question you like and we get to give any old answer we like. So, let’s have loads of lovely postings, shall we, whilst I hit the road to dreamland, happy to have taken a trip down the musical memory lane of 1968.