Summer of Love
The Hits of 1967
Time Life
It was a different world 30 years ago. We had a war, and people actually got off the couch and marched against it. Fought it. Hid from it. And ultimately, ended it. People protested EVERYTHING. Most of it ineffectual, some of it silly, but they did it. It was the summer of love, and festivals were the rage. And those were actual celebrations of music, art and spirit, not the sponsored ad fests that masquerade as “events” today. Woodstock. Altamont. The Fillmore. Trust me; nobody in 30 years is gonna give a damn if you were at Bonnaroo.
And the music was better. 30 years from now, nobody – and I mean NOBODY – is going to give a shit, hell, even remember, who the eff The Killers were. Or Lindsay Lohan. But look back 30 years ago at the top songs of the year… Aretha. The Beatles. The Doors. Cream. Hendrix. It was a remarkable time.
I was five then, so the contents of this box set are familiar to me only from learning about them later; after the fact. I dimly remember defending the Beatles against rabid Monkees fans, but then I could be confusing epic comic book battles, I dunno. In those 30 years, I’m convinced the artists on this set – from The Box Tops to the Beach Boys or The Music Machine to The Seeds – have been more of a soundtrack to my life than anything that was created in 2007 will be in 2037, to anyone growing up on today’s music. In addition to 40 songs, this set includes My Generation, a Time Life DVD documenting this epic time of musical creation, wild in the streets youth, and the magic that was the late ’60s America.
Our nation has gained plenty in those 30 years, amassed wealth unrivaled, and has spawned world-changing technologies that weren’t even a glimmer in the most rabid sci-fi fan’s eyes then. But we have lost so much, so much of our heart, our soul. We pile on the trappings of consumption to keep us warm from an emptiness inside.
But in 1967 you walked in Haight-Asbury, or on Peachtree Street, smoking a joint, and singing “Gimme A F” from Country Joe or “Strawberry Fields Forever.” You marched to change the world. You marched to meet a girl, or skip school, or just to be a part of something bigger than yourself. Today we watch what corporations decree as now and hip on You Tube, and text our friends about it.
Sad.
Time Life: http://www.timelife.com
