Gary Owen's Blog

The Peppermint Rainbow were a Baltimore, Maryland based band who were- essentially- discovered by Cass Elliot of The Mamas & Papas fame. This sunshine pop unit had a hit with their second single "Will You Be Staying After Sunday " which reached #32 in 1969. The LP of the same name bubbled under at #106. The song seems to be the only one listeners may recall today. For me, it's their first single " Walking In Different Circles" which caught my ear. Strangely, this potential hit never made the charts at all. Produced by Paul Leka- the same guy who produced The Lemon Pipers of "Green Tambourine" fame- they were also given the same original backing track of "GT" and added their vocals. It was released as another single but missed the charts as well. Like so many bands of that era, The Peppermint Rainbow disbanded in 1970. Click here for " Walking In Different Circles " Click here for " Green Tambourine "

Even if it does carry some melancholic memories for me, here is my favorite Arlo tune. "Gabriel's Mother's Hiway Ballad #16 Blues" hails from Guthrie's cozy 1970 LP "Washington County" . It was also released as the "B" side of the single "Valley To Pray" . I love the entire feel of this recording and it has helped me through some rough times. Some songs have that ability. My favorite part is at 4:47 when he sings "To make a Heaven out of this Earth" . Perfect. Then, of course, there are the eerie strings helping this ethereal song gently glide along. Wonderful. This is one of those tunes I listen to after everyone has gone home at the end of Summer. Come on children, come on........ "Washington County" (1970) :

Always enjoy a good busy weekend of gigging. Friday was a cozy set at Jimmy Maxx, Saturday at W's (great crowd), Sunday was a private party in New Jersey (fellow Monkees fan so we know where that one went), and- today at the nursing home- to celebrate the "February Birthdays" . I was given a blue balloon for being born on Groundhog day.

Here is a piece of video I took during my drive cross country in 1996. The highway is I-40 West, towards Albuquerque, New Mexico. Had some fun with the audio / visual so it would resemble an old super 8 film and a vintage monophonic AM radio.   The song is "Point Me In The Direction Of Albuquerque" by The Partridge Family (1970). Click here for "Point Me In The Direction Of Albuquerque"

A blast from the mullet-era-stage-frightened past.

A while back, I created a 43 track compilation of Bob Dylan covers by various artists. I tried to keep it as chronological as possible but a few tunes just needed to be side by side. This collection makes for a wonderful soundtrack to a drive to nowhere. One of my favorite pastimes is to get in the car, press play and go. "Songs By Bob Dylan" - Various Artists Disc 1: 1. Don't Think Twice, It's Alright - Peter, Paul & Mary (1963) 2. Farewell - Judy Collins (1963) 3. The Times They Are-A-Changin' - The Seekers (1965) 4. It Ain't Me Babe - The Turtles (1965)  5. Close The Door Gently - The Silkie (1966) 6. She Belongs To Me - Barry McGuire (1965) 7. It's All Over Now, Baby Blue - Them (1966) 8. Like A Rolling Stone - The Young Rascals (1966) 9. One Too Many Mornings - The Beau Brummels (1966) 10. Mr. Jones (Ballad Of A Thin Man) - The Grass Roots (1966) 11. Boots Of Spanish Leather - Joan Baez (1968) 12. You Ain't Going Nowhere (...

Ah yes. That eternal battle of which format is superior......... IMHO, it depends on the song itself. Something which requires a ton of overdubs usually breathes better in stereo but so many tunes come to life in monophonic. A prime example being the 1966 single "Paperback Writer" by The Beatles (oh no... not those guys, again). We'll get to that in a moment...... In the 1960's, walking into a record shop and having the choice of either format was routine. Most kids bought the mono recordings because: 1. Most 45's were in monophonic so they had no choice. 2. Their playback equipment wasn't exactly of the highest quality and only had one speaker. 3. Mono LP's were usually a dollar cheaper than the "posh" stereo pressings. Since monophonic was the norm, The Beatles were more concerned with these mixes. They rarely attended stereo mixing sessions which would usually be completed within an hour or so. These said stereo ve...