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Wednesday, September 24, 2008

Wednesday Coffeehouse: Summer of Love (1967) Open Mike




The summer of 1967: 100,000 plus young folks converged on Haight-Ashbury in San Francisco, a happening that became a defining moment of the 1960s. That summer, the Hippie Movement and Haight-Ashbury erupted in love, peace, psychedelic drugs, creative expression, communes, sharing between complete strangers, free love, and, of course, lots of music!


Today’s coffeehouse provides an open microphone for some of those who created that music.


Let’s go back—or, if you weren’t yet born, visit perhaps for the first time—that unique never-to-be-repeated moment in 1967.




San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair) ~ Scott McKenzie



Get Together ~ The Youngbloods



Let’s Live for Today ~ The Grass Roots



It’s a Happening Thing ~ The Peanut Butter Conspiracy



Down on Me ~ Big Brother & the Holding Company featuring Janis Joplin



Incense & Peppermints ~ Strawberry Alarm Clock



Somebody to Love ~ Jefferson Airplane



San Franciscan Nights ~ Eric Burdon & the Animals




In case anyone is interested, all of the audios I post are from my own CDs.




in this coffeehouse

just




&

lots of

PEACE, JOY, HOPE, & LOVE






Previous Coffeehouses featuring

Leonard Cohen

Bob Gibson & Bob Camp

The Kingston Trio

Carmen McRae, Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, Steve Allen, Dave Brubeck, Del Close & John Brent

Judy Collins & Arlo Guthrie

Paul Simon & Art Garfunkel

Theolonious Monk & Lenny Bruce

Carly Simon


27 comments:

  1. Nick, thanks for the trip down memory lane.I was 15 at the time of the Summer of Love.

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  2. Peace, man. Are you going to San Francisco...(sung in a very tuneless voice by me, you don't want to hear). That particular song is very evocative of the Summer of Love for me...at 22 years old.

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  3. Mike: I was 21 in ’67. I remember it well.

    Puss-in-Boots: One of my regrets—and I haven’t many—is that I wasn’t in San Francisco in 1967.

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  4. Thank you so much for the music.
    I may have only been nine in 1967 but I remember the music and feelings of the time very well.
    I floated back listening.
    What a wonderful time that was compared to todays constant anger and rage at all and everything.
    I feel all calm now.
    Thankyou.
    Azzy
    X

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  5. I was born in December 1969 so just missed the swinging sixties! But there aint nothing wrong with peace in the world. I wish we could all find it somehow.

    Great post, Nick.

    CJ xx

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  6. Are you sure that's a picture of the Youngbloods? It looks suspiciously like an early incarnation of the Grateful Dead.

    I don't get to hear the music- I can only get a 28k connection out here in the boonies- but I enjoyed looking at all the pictures. (Old hippies always make me smile. I guess 'cause I'm halfway there and seeing my future.)

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  7. Cool!

    I was pleased at how many of these that I already knew. I think that I grew up in the wrong era!

    Jen

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  8. Aaaaaaahhhhhh... this is the best.

    Thanks!

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  9. Andi: Thank you! I really enjoyed putting this one together, even though I stayed up much too late doing so!

    AZZITIZZ: You are most welcome! I, too, floated back as I went through the music and sought out the photos for this coffeehouse. It was sort of like the Summer of Love was the last moment of love that out nation had: 1968 brought the assassinations of Martin Luther King, Jr., and Robert Kennedy and protests on Chicago’s Democratic National Convention and the election of Tricky Dickey Nixon.

    Crystal Jigsaw : Thank you! The ‘60s were very unique; in some ways I am rather sorry that you missed it. However, there is still hope for love and peace in this tired old world! Maybe…just maybe…that peace and hope and joy that were the drivers of the Summer of Love may yet return to us.

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  10. ThomasLB: Thank you, Thomas! You were quite right, that was the Grateful Dead in that photo. After I read your comment, I made the change so that it is now The Youngbloods.

    Carol: You’re so right! It wasn’t until I began researching this coffeehouse that realized how much great music was around during the Summer of Love.

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  11. I think this is your best coffee house so far. I love it!

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  12. Nick,
    I'm singing and looking all over for my tie-dye. The beads I found!

    Great Coffee House!

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  13. Okay, this is NOT fair ! My kids went and hijacked the speakers for my computer, and I'm dying to check out the last couple of posts!

    I was born in '62 and I LOVE the clips that you posted, they are some of my favorites. As I scrolled through your selection of artists, I had a giggle at some of the names of the groups. It's funny how they are oddly similar to some of the band names that my kids are listening to now. In fact, I think in a lot of ways, my kids will look back on these times and see it as their version of the 60's - so much is the same. The 60's were so culturally traumatic, You would think that we would have learned more from it all - and yet, here we are in the same boat, 40 years later.

    *SIGH* I am going to buy a killer set of speakers on Friday, return to your blog, and crank them up !

    Peace and love,
    Susan

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  14. nick, this is a great coffeehouse! i was born inh dec 64, but i had 2 brothers that were 11 & 13 when i was born, so i ended up living with the music a LOT!! good memories!! [peace, man, peace!]

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  15. I remember the time well but our charts were different to yours so the only one of those I know is San Francisco.

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  16. way way way before my time, but I can find those artists on my iPod, however...I wish I knew those days

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  17. *SIGH* I was 6 in '67, but really should have been 16 or 26...I love this music!

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  18. Having lived near SF at that time, the Scott M song was, er, well, a funny representation.

    I saw the Airplane at the Fillmore right after Surrealistic Pillow came out. Being young, and naive, the LSD (light, sound, dimension light show) was a wowser.

    And all the real hippies were very nice and didn't really push drugs, but did act neighborly, at all the concerts I attended.

    Nice choice, too bad those daze are gone, in a away......

    Hope all is well! ; )

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  19. I was 30 and raising three kids in 67 in suburbia, so was far removed from that scenery, but I do remember the music. Great post!

    I hope you and Alex are doing well, Mr. Nick.

    Renie

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  20. I was too yound to participate, but not too young to remember!

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  21. This is wonderful music! Thank you.

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  22. 1967 was before our time. THe music is timeless!

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  23. Thank you so very much for the music, sir.

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  24. Hi Nick ~~ Great music going back to early days. You must have a great collection. I was busy raising kids back then. Thanks for your comment and I did enjoy having visits from my cousins and son. The mouse John bought me is great.
    I don't use the magnifying bit very oftrn
    but it's good to know that I can.
    Take great care, my friend, Regards, Merle.

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  25. i was still a sparkle in my daddy's eye then :)

    i was born in '71...

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  26. Thanks for taking me on a trip down Memory Lane.

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