March 22, 1969 It's not called "March Madness" yet, but the NCAA men's basketball championship is decided. UCLA beats Purdue 92-72 to take the title for the third year in a row, led by Lew Alcindor's 37 points. (You likely know him as Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.) The word "three-peat" also will not surface until many … Continue reading New this week in ’69: March 22
Author: Len
Fifty years ago in the Quad Cities: The KSTT-AM Super 40 Official Music Survey, March 20, 1969
(Congrats on that High School Hall of Fame induction, BCHS!) Back in the early 1990s I worked at 97X, legally known as WXLP-FM in Davenport, Iowa. The station was safely tucked away in the former funeral home we called the Rock and Roll Mansion. WXLP had a sister station, KSTT, that was a legendary Top … Continue reading Fifty years ago in the Quad Cities: The KSTT-AM Super 40 Official Music Survey, March 20, 1969
New this week in ’69: March 15
(Above: Do not stare directly at this album cover.) March 15, 1969 In the news today: there's a lot of war. President Nixon extends the Vietnam bombing zone into Cambodia, and the bombs begin falling Tuesday. It's a secret mission that the press doesn't find out about until three months later. Meanwhile the Soviet Union … Continue reading New this week in ’69: March 15
Rest in peace, Hal Blaine: The Ronettes, “Be My Baby” (1963)
Word circulated Monday that the greatest rock and roll drummer who ever lived passed away. Hal Blaine was 90. That sentence, in some circles, may start an argument. Except that it's hard to argue just how important Hal Blaine was to rock and roll. There are estimates suggesting that he played on up to thirty … Continue reading Rest in peace, Hal Blaine: The Ronettes, “Be My Baby” (1963)
New this week in ’69: March 8
(Above: Book 'em, Dano. That's a 1969 Ford Custom used as a squad car in Hawaii Five-O.) March 8, 1969 Fifty years ago this week you might have been reading the Playboy interview with Marshall McLuhan, he of "the medium is the message." If you are interested in communication studies and have never read the … Continue reading New this week in ’69: March 8
New this week in ’69: March 1
(Above: Jim Morrison has a little trouble in Miami. Photo credit: Miami Herald.) Once again, new sounds abound - and turn fifty. March 1, 1969 A Doors concert in Miami goes a little worse than planned. Lead singer Jim Morrison is arrested and charged with lewd conduct (Did he take it out or didn't he?), … Continue reading New this week in ’69: March 1
Rest in peace, Mark Hollis: Talk Talk, “Life Is What You Make It” (1986)
Word circulated today that Mark Hollis, the leader of UK group Talk Talk, passed away at the age of 64. The band hit the music scene in 1981 but first saw chart success the following year with their eponymous first release. "Talk Talk" failed to chart in the US the first time around, but a … Continue reading Rest in peace, Mark Hollis: Talk Talk, “Life Is What You Make It” (1986)
New this week in ’69: February 22
It's the last new chart for February. What's going on 50 years ago today? February 22, 1969 Today marks the 50th anniversary of the launch of the final stage of the Tet Offensive. It will last until June 8 and figure prominently in President Nixon's decision to take the war into Cambodia. On Monday the … Continue reading New this week in ’69: February 22
Rest in peace, Peter Tork: The Monkees, “Words” (1968)
Peter Tork, best known for his work in the Monkees, has passed away at the age of 77. Tork had been diagnosed with cancer about ten years ago, and had beaten it for a long time, but succumbed to the disease yesterday. I'm reluctant to say "ex-Monkee Peter Tork" in a piece like this. For … Continue reading Rest in peace, Peter Tork: The Monkees, “Words” (1968)
Pop perfection: Andrew Gold, “Lonely Boy” (1977)
(Above: It's an album AND it's a game.) At one point this afternoon I suffered from the earworm that wouldn't quit. I got the first verse of Andrew Gold's "Lonely Boy" - which I have not heard in years - stuck in my head. As you know, the only way to deal with these ailments … Continue reading Pop perfection: Andrew Gold, “Lonely Boy” (1977)
45 Ruminations Per Megabyte 