It's the bluest day I have ever seen. Pale wintery blue. Ice cold blue. All surrounded by dark rain clouds and woostove smoke blue. Blue that's almost white blue. Bright blue. I'm thinking of a Bruce Cockburn song I used to listen to. It's called "Bright Sky" and I can't remember what album it's on. I'm haunted by these things so I've just returned from the office downstairs where I've been pawing through old albums looking for it. And it doesn't seem to be there. I did find his album "Sunwheel Dance" which doesn't list the song names on the outside cover. I'm trying to find the date for it. it's 1971. There's handwritten lyrics and notation for the title track on the album sleeve. But no "Bright Sky". I found "Rock of Ages" the live album by the Band - it blurs the line of 1971 as it was recorded on new years eve '71 - '72. It's a double album so you might wonder that maybe the first album was recorded late in 1971 and the second early in 1972.
Odd how I can't put my hands on any other albums from 1971. But have found some unexpected treasures. There's a cool original copy of Nancy Sinatra's "Boots." On the liner notes it reads:
"How should I sing this?"
"Like a 16 year old girl who's been dating a 40 year old man but it's all over now."
A copy of "Blows Against the Empire" which was the first Starship album (1970). A long, two sided interstellar rock opera on drugs. In the record's liner notes the reader finds the gem "We intend to hijack the first sound interstellar or interplanetary starship built by people of this planet. A time of 3 - 7 months will be needed for tantronic conversion of the machinery to make it usable for practical travel - involving light years." Brilliant. I can see Paul Katner and David Crosby stoned, grouchy, and packing handguns as they try to figure where to stash their stolen starship for the 3 - 7 months it will take while they make those tantronic conversions. The notes also add the fact that the spaceship to be stolen will have room for "7000 or more people." Which seems oddly exact when one thinks that the ship has yet to be built and brings to mind a sort of psychedelic Noa's Ark with only room for 7000 animals. Which brings me to read on in the liner notes finding that to get a room onboard this new space Ark a hopeful passenger will have to "practice telepathy and telekinesis" and will "not be contacted immediately."
Another hidden gem is on Donovan's box of two albums "A Gift From A Flower To A Garden." At the very end of his musings he thanks his record company (just after calling on the youth to quit taking drugs) for following his dreams to "these shores of song" which is sweet.
Also found is an old favorite of mine when I was learning how to play guitar and it's Arlo Guthrie's album "Hobo's Lullaby." There's not much for liner notes. The gatefold (a lost term now I'm sure) opens to a line drawing illustrating Dylan's song "When The Ship Comes In" which is the second song on side two just after "Ukulele Lady" and just before a bluegrass number called "Mapleview (20%) Rag." I learned "1913 Massacre" from this album and a song Arlo wrote called "Somebody Turned On The Light" and I'm remembering now that I tried to play that song not too long ago but have forgotten the second verse. And now tragedy is striking in real time as I have just looked up the song lyrics to find it actually written by Hoyt Axton and now as I look the album it's self over I realize that I had no reason to ever believe that Arlo wrote this song as it plainly credits Hoyt (making it two songs on Hobo's Lullaby by him as "Lightning Bar Blues" is also on side one). Things are getting stranger as I find the song just after Mapleview (20%) Rag is called "Days Are Short" and I have always had it in my memory as a lost Woody Guthrie song but it's Arlo that wrote it. I have come to an unexpected re-arranging of my adolescent memories. The back photo of Hobo's Lullaby hasn't changed and it still fascinates me. Arlo is sitting on an outdoor porch smoking and reading a Thor comic book. He's at a big round wooden spool used for a table the kind that our local telephone company uses for spooling cables. Which makes me think that I grew up with those spools for tables. And they also made sound bits for building castles especially if us kids could find three and hoist one up on the other two like a pyramid. On the spool is an empty glass and the packet of ciggies. I've just asked Joy and we agree that the cigarette packet looks like Winston's but the name is partially obscured by the empty glass. Next to Arlo is a woman with brown hair in a red patchwork skirt holding a baby up across her face. You can see the whole child toe to head but only one eye of the woman as she peeps out from behind the baby's shoulder. It looks like she's smiling. The kid has baby pajamas on with muddy knees and a muddy finger in it's mouth. I've always wondered who the woman and child are, where it was taken, and why I've always found it such a romantic photo. There looks to be a lake in the background. But for now I'm still hung up thinking about the song "Somebody Turned on the Light" and wondering that Arlo didn't write it as I always listened to it for his hidden autobiography in the lyrics:
I've been to wild Montana
I went there in a storm
My boots were Texas leather
My Levis wet and torn
I loved it in Montana
Loved it in the storm
I think I'm gonna cross that river
I just might be reborn
New York, New York - winter, '61
Takin' me a city ride
Somebody tall musta put out the lights
'Cause it got real dark outside
And I never saw the sun till '71
But I never gave up the fight
I sure was glad when I saw the dawn
Somebody, somebody turned on the light
Somebody turned on the light
Women, wine and fast red cars
And I couldn't see to read the signs
Somebody said "Whose life is this?"
And I said that it can't be mine
When the world is wrong better right yourself
It'll make the dark clouds fly
Nobody tall can put out the lights
Just don't let the spirit die
If you never see the sun till '91
Don't you ever give up the fight
Sure be glad when you see the dawn
Somebody, somebody turns on the light
Somebody turns on the light.
It's well past '91 now and I hope both Arlo and Hoyt Axton (March 25, 1938 - October 26, 1999) are having glad dawns. As glad as this morning's blue sky, winter clear, and brilliant.
