04 February 2008

Dance Dance Dance

I’ve not embraced the saying “Dance as if no one is watching.”
I think it’s supposed to be a part of a recipe to happiness. I want to be happy but not a happy fool.
During my formative years when I was ten years old, my girlfriend and I would dance in the living room of my home. We would move the furniture out of the way and practice dance routines, usually to rock and roll songs.
I can remember quite specifically on one occasion when my father came in and started to “dance” too. He looked like he was surfing as he rocked back and forth.
My girlfriend thought it was the funniest thing she had ever seen.
I was mortified.
I decided right then and there, there will be no dancing when I get old, especially not to rock and roll.
So now I’m old and so is everybody else, but as the population ages, we carry our likes right along with us. That’s why commercials use rock to sell us just about everything.
I still like rock and roll and most every other kind of music, and I still like to dance.
But as far as dancing goes, I don’t want any witnesses.
I do it only in the privacy of my own living room.
Let’s face it; you get to be a certain age and rocking out looks pretty silly.
So when I saw that PBS was going to show a revival concert of the rock music group Cream, I just had to watch.
I didn’t think they would look silly. At least, I hoped not. I was always fascinated that the group was comprised of only three people: Jack Bruce, Ginger Baker, and Eric Clapton.
They didn’t make a lot of LPs, but all their songs were pretty good.
Remember long-playing albums? They had cover art and the liner notes, and a nice big format. I’m sorry, CDs just don’t compare.
The concert was held in England at a packed Albert Hall. They walked out on stage and started with the song "I’m So Glad." Basically that’s the song. “I’m so glad. I’m so glad. I’m glad. I’m glad. I’m glad.”
I wonder what it means?
As I watched them perform this song, I thought that the drummer, Ginger Baker, was going to have a heart attack.
Clapton didn’t look too bad, but Baker and Bruce had me worried.
I kept watching. The music kept getting better too.
Not all rock and roll music has held up to the test of time. Some of it sounds terribly dated, and often re-makes will add something more contemporary. That usually wreaks it.
Cream stayed with their original sound.
At one point they played “Rollin’ and Tumblin,’” and the audience started to gyrate.
It was a dance explosion, and I had to join in.
All of a sudden I found myself rocking back and forth on a make-believe surfboard.

2 comments:

  1. Made me smile:).
    Is an LP the same as a record? I was born into the very end of that time (I'm a bicentinial (sp?) baby). If they are, you should know we have a big collection and still listen to them. Thrift stores have them for 25 cents and I love the old Disney's and 40's ones.
    They don't play very long though, so I 'm thinking there are not the same thing. ??????

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks for your comment. Records are a great investment. Buy them cheap. And buy them a plenty.
    You will be rewarded!

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Thanks for sharing!