Playing Favorites 2

I have loved a lot of music in my 77 years.   The truth is, the number of new pieces I fall in love with has dwindled over the years and my new music loves are often jazz or country.  Current modern popular music seems simplistic and boring, except for hip-hop and rap, which offends my ears.  I remember what my Mom and Dad thought about the Rolling Stones and Neil Young, and how I promised myself that I would always stay up with new music.  Here I am, not so much, mostly stuck in the 60 and 70s.  My tastes are fairly eclectic … classical, jazz, country and rock … but the rock n roll of the 60s and 70s gives me the most joy and provides most of my pop favorites.

But there is only one song that was so amazing the first time I heard it, I had to pull off the road to listen.  I was driving home from work about a year after I married the love of my life, headed along Metacom Avenue toward our apartment in Warren, RI.   I was likely driving our bright red Fiat and I’m fairly certain the top was down.   I was alone in the car so the radio was up loud, probably tuned to WBRU in Providence.   The DJ said this was a new song by a group called Crosby, Stills and Nash, names I knew from other groups, apparently now working together.  It began with the unique sound of a driving acoustic guitar, the sound it turned out, owing to the strings being tuned to EEEEBE instead of the standard EADGBE.  Then came the first line in amazing three part harmony … It’s getting to the point where I’m no fun anymore.   And Steven Stills solo … I am sorry.   It was, of course, Suite: Judy Blue Eyes, Steven Stills’ lament over his break-up with singer Judy Collins.   Does it make me sound ancient to say my mind was blown?   I pulled off the road (it may have been into the Pep Boys parking lot) to listen and bought the LP as soon as possible.  It remains one of my favorites and a defining moment in rock and roll.   Enjoy and have a great weekend.

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Tags: CSN, feeling older, guitars, music

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