Your Mother Should           Know Recordings            Trading Non-Commercially                Released Music Since                           1963

Greetings:

    Yes it has been many months since my last blog.  Much has happened in that time.  Someone once told me to be careful for what you wish for, you may get it.  That in a nutshell is my story.   

     About two years ago I took a job directing a new Energy Education program.   I've been interested in alternative energy for many years.  I sold solar energy systems when Jimmy Carter was president, and have been teaching about energy and the environment ever since.  After 30 years of disinterest in energy policy, by the American public and our representatives in government, recently the cost of energy, the war for oil in Iraq  and concern for climate change have caught peoples attention.  Programs like mine which train people for careers in energy efficiency and renewable energy are suddenly of interest. 

     I have a cartoon on my wall in my office which reads: " An old oak tree is just a nut that held it's ground. " For once in my life I might be in the right place at the right time and I'm loving it.  I'm doing what I have wanted to do all my life, teaching and helping to develop policy here in the Live Freeze and Die State, to promote Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy and minimize carbon emissions.  

   That's all well and good, but the problem is that my other passion in life, music, has suffered.   I have little time to play my guitar or sharing music.   For years I've looked at my internal happiness meter and it always seems to correlate with the amount of time I am spending listening to and playing music.   So with that in mind I'm hoping to devote more time to music as we move into the 'arctic' months.  

    Before I get to the real point of this blog, which is sharing music, I must digress with a venture into politics.  

                    Your Mother Should Know Recordings 
                                endorses Barak Obama for 
                          President of the United States

      Coming from NH, I had the opportunity to listen to, and meet candidtates for almost a year before the NH Primary.   I listened to the Repulbicans as they came en mass  through my state.  The only one running who I had the remotest respect for was John McCain.  I knew I disagreed with him on a lot of issues, but i thought he was a decent guy. 

     The further we get into this campaign, the less respect I have for him, and I don't see him as a decent guy anymore.  He is rude, he makes quick ill considered decisions and i abhor his negative campaign tactics and the lack of respect he shows people who disagree with him. He was rude in each of the debates, he never addressed his opponent as Senator Obama, calling him 'that one' in one of his debates.  I'm tired of leaders  who treat others with disrespect.   I beleive in the 'golden rule' and this is not how I wish to be treated, I don't think treating out 'enemys' that way does anything to solve problems.  This election should be about ideas, about philosophy of governing, not about this trite crap.     

       Speaking of substance though we have heard McCain go on about how he is not the clone of W,  he has been a consistant supporter of deregulation of social security, deregulation of the financial industry, failed economic and environmental policies, right wing judicial appointments and a war we are still fighting based on the lies of the incumbant etc etc.    No matter what he says, these are the policies of the current administration and they have failed miserably.  These are  the policies that John McCain is promoting.  

      McCain's choice of Sarah Palin as VP was a stunt.  It may help him with right wing femminists, if there is such a group.  But the women I've spoken with who liked Hillary Clinton see this as a cynical ploy, not a step forward for women or the country.  Furhtermore, I think the decision to chose Palin who he'd only met once, gives us an insight into McCains way of doing things which is to make quick, not well thought out decisions, shoot from the hip. and then come hell or high defend his stupid acts.   This as much as his philosophical views on the world is to much like how Bush does things for my tastes.

        So, I encourage you to vote for Senator Obama.  I beleive he is a respectful intelligent and caring man.  I beleive he shows the leadership qualities which we desperately need now.  If we are lucky, he will bring some respect and sanity back to the government and our society. 

         I don't say these things looking through rose colored glasses.  I am angered by the general move to the right that Obama has made throughout this campaign and he has done some things that really piss me off.  These include his support for the sell out I mean the bail out. Which to my mind is the final plundering of our country by Bush and his cronies.  Similarly Obama supported Bush in the FISA question ( he voted to let the telecommunications companies get off free for violating our rights to privacy), he seems to support 'clean coal' which is at this time purley a fiction. He has also supported drilling offshore which,  will do nothing for us for at least 10 years, and even then contribute little to our overall energy picture. 

         Despite these shortcomings, In my mental calculations, I have recently moved Obama out of the 'Lesser of Two Evil's" Column in my brain to the "I genuinely like this guy column". I'm going to vote for him on Tuesday, and I hope you will too!

        Thank you for your patience and now on to some Music.   

        You may or may not have heard that Merle Saunders died last week.  He was a fine keyboard player who played with (among others)  Miles Davis and Jerry Garcia.  This is a recording of Garcia and Saunders from a project of theirs in the 70's called the Legion of Mary.  
 
I received these CDRs in a trade several years ago. The sound quality is great even though the vocal mix gets buried once in a while . These recordings represent 3 of 5 tapes from the soundboard recording.  The early show ends with Talkin' 'Bout You, and the late show is missing last train from poor valler,  i'll take a melody & mysetry train.  The remaining tracks are in circulation, so if I'm able to obtain them I'll re-release these shows. 

Also in the news is the death of Studs Terkel.  Always an interesting chronicaler of our society, here is a recording of Studs Terkel interviewing John Prine on his radio show in 1970.

Merle Saunders Legion Of Mary 04-09-75 (early & late show) Bottom Line, NYC early show: 1. Think (9:44) 2. Freedom Jazz Dance (14:07) 3. I Feel Like Dynamite (12:03) 4. That's What Love Will Make You Do (13:49) 5. Mississippi Moon (10:01) Legion of Mary April 9, 1975 Set 1          Early show: 1. Harder They Come (22:14) Late show: 2. I Second That Emotion (18:36) 3. You Can Leave Your Hat On (14:50) Legion of Mary April 9, 1975 Set 2

Studs Terkel JOHN PRINE January 7, 1970 Studs Terkel Radio Show - Chicago, IL SOURCE: Pre-FM 1. Hello In There 2. [interview] 3. The Frying Pan 4. [interview] 5. Sam Stone 6. [interview] 7. Donald & Lydia 8. [interview] 9. Spanish Pipedream 10. [interview] 11. Flashback Blues  John Prine on Studs Terkel Radio Show

I hope you enjoy these recordings.

DON'T FORGET TO VOTE FOR OBAMA!