Sunday Drive: I Can Hear Music

The Beach Boys' 1969 hit brings back memories of someone I can't quite recall.  Was it a girl I was dating in high school?  That didn't work out, but I thought I was in love, and I do recall the warm, cozy feeling of this song.  Or was it later on, and I re-listened to this song, thinking of a boy I thought I loved?  Funny, I usually do remember personal things like that.  I guess the mind is aging like the body.  Oh well, it's still a good summer song, so enjoy.

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Sunday Drive: I Get Around

Ah, the sounds of summer - 60 years ago (!) and still just as fine as ever.  The Beach Boys performed this hit on the Ed Sullivan Show on September 27, 1964:

The crazed modern world has nothing to compare to this.

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Sunday Drive: The Beach Boys

It's been too damn hot this summer to even think about outdoor recreation of any kind, least of all lying out on hot sand, sizzling like a sausage.  But now that the daily high temps have climbed back down to a balmy 100 degrees, a cool dip in the ocean - followed immediately by a quick dash into a shady bar well stocked with ice-cold refreshments - begins to seem a pleasant thought again.

We live hundreds of miles from the ocean, so that's a no-go, but as a public service the Blue Truck presents a playlist of beach music from the guys who invented it.  Pick your favorite tune, spin the record, and remember how nice it was to be young and breezy - perhaps with a long-ago summer romance thrown in for good measure.  Enjoy.

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Beach Mix, 9/2/18

Somewhere . . . a place for us

Labor Day weekend has arrived to mark the end of the summer season in the US of A, and so we come to the end of our beach party here at the Blue Truck. I hope you all have enjoyed listening to my faves from the mid-sixties; there are of course many more great songs from that period that I haven't posted, but I've tried for the most part to feature those that have a good beat that you can dance to, as a good DJ should.

It took a bit of work, but it was a real treat for me to track down all these videos - live performances whenever I could find them in good, or at least bearable, quality. And truth to tell, in many cases it's the first time your Head Trucker has ever seen these singers and bands perform - or even just seen what they looked like. Today's children would be shocked and amazed, no doubt, to learn that once upon a time, still within living memory, one might go for years on end enjoying certain songs, but having no idea what the singers looked like.  And somehow it just wasn't all that important to see the singers - the music, the sound, was the important thing, and that was enough.

I miss transistor radios.  Hell, I miss radio - simple and free, radiating from out the aether to everyone, everywhere, endlessly emanating delightful sounds - a constant comfort and joy.


But I digress. We begin our final Beach Mix by dimming the lights for the sweetheart dance - which goes out to my truckbuddy Frank, because he is one (and that's all you need to know, ragazzi).

Don't Worry Baby, Beach Boys, 1964




The next tune goes out to my faithful truckbuddy Davis, to remind him of those sunny days of innocent youth.

I Can't Help Myself, Four Tops, 1965




And this perfect updating of the Cole Porter classic is an oldie but such an elegant goodie - like my dear old chum Tim, living the beach life year-round on the Costa del Sol, the lucky blighter.

I've Got You Under My Skin, Four Seasons, 1966




And to all my truckbuddies around the world in these troubled times - if you ever need a lift, this song is guaranteed to provide it:

Dancing in the Street, Martha and the Vandellas, 1964




To end the summer with a bonus: Your choice of any stud in the Blue Truck catalog - free! - goes to the reader who can name all the TV shows featured in this brilliantly edited little video. Have fun, y'all.

Keep on Dancing, Gentrys, 1965

Beach Mix, 8/26/18

Let's have a beach party!

Sunday Drive is on summer hiatus while I offer some favorites from the mid-sixties for fun in the sun and tans on the sands.

What memories do these songs bring back for you?


Barbara Ann, Beach Boys, Jack Benny Hour, 1965




Ain't That Peculiar Marvin Gaye, 1965




When You Walk in the Room, Jackie DeShannon, 1964




The Teaberry Shuffle, Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass, 1966




Cara Mia, Jay and the Americans, 1965

Beach Mix, 8/19/18

Let's have a beach party!

Sunday Drive is on summer hiatus while I offer some favorites from the mid-sixties for fun in the sun and tans on the sands.

What memories do these songs bring back for you?


Help Me, Rhonda, Beach Boys, Andy Williams Show, 1965




It's the Same Old Song, Four Tops, 1965




Have I the Right? Honeycombs, 1964




Green Grass, Gary Lewis and the Playboys, 1966




She Loves You, Beatles, A Hard Day's Night 1964

Beach Mix, 081218

Let's have a beach party!

Sunday Drive is on summer hiatus while I offer some favorites from the mid-sixties for fun in the sun and tans on the sands.

What memories do these songs bring back for you?


Dance, Dance, Dance, Beach Boys, 1964




Get Ready, Temptations, 1966




No Matter What Shape (Your Stomach's In), T-Bones, 1966 (based on an amusing Alka-Seltzer commercial)




It's Not Unusual, Tom Jones, 1965




Be My Baby, Ronettes, Shindig! 1965 (recorded 1963)



"No less an authority than Brian Wilson has declared 'Be My Baby' the greatest pop record ever made."--Wikipedia

Beach Mix, 8/5/18

Let's have a beach party!

Sunday Drive is on summer hiatus while I offer some favorites from the mid-sixties for fun in the sun and tans on the sands.

What memories do these songs bring back for you?


Little Deuce Coupe, Beach Boys, 1963




Shotgun, Jr. Walker and the All Stars, 1966




1-2-3, Len Barry, 1966




Look Out (Here Comes Tomorrow), Monkees ft. Davy Jones, 1967




Oh, Pretty Woman, Roy Orbison, American Bandstand, 1966 (recorded 1964)

Beach Mix, 7/29/18

Let's have a beach party!

Sunday Drive is on summer hiatus while I offer some favorites from the mid-sixties for fun in the sun and tans on the sands.

What memories do these songs bring back for you?


Fun, Fun, Fun, Beach Boys, 1964




Going to a Go-Go, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, 1965




The "In" Crowd, Dobie Gray, Shindig! 1964




See You in September, Happenings, 1966




Come See About Me, Supremes, Shindig! 1964





P.S. -- Is there a gay man alive who hasn't mimed the Supremes in front of a mirror, somewhere, sometime?  Oh come on, girlfriend, tell the truth.

Beach Mix, 7/22/18

Let's have a beach party!  

Sunday Drive is on summer hiatus while I offer some favorites from the mid-sixties for fun in the sun and tans on the sands.

What memories do these songs bring back for you?


Surfin' USA, Beach Boys, 1964:




Uptight (Everything's Alright), Stevie Wonder, 1965:




Let's Hang On, Four Seasons, 1965:




I Only Want to Be with You, Dusty Springfield, 1964:




Nowhere to Run, Martha and the Vandellas, Ready Steady Go! 1965:

Beach Mix, 7/15/18

Let's have a beach party!  

Sunday Drive is on summer hiatus while I offer some favorites from the mid-sixties for fun in the sun and tans on the sands.

What memories do these songs bring back for you?


Do You Wanna Dance, Beach Boys, Shingdig!, 1965:




Land of 1000 Dances, Wilson Pickett, 1966:




Because, Dave Clark Five, 1964:




The Nitty Gritty, Shirley Ellis, ft. dancer Bobby Banas, The Hollywood Palace, 1964:




Secret Agent Man, Johnny Rivers, 1966:

Beach Mix, 7/8/18

Well, fellas, the world's in a helluva shape, and seems there's not much we can do about it just now - but instead of sitting home feeling blue, let's have an old-fashioned beach party!  

Sunday Drive is on summer hiatus while I offer some favorites from the mid-sixties for fun in the sun and tans on the sands.

What memories do these songs bring back for you?

I Get Around, The Beach Boys, The Ed Sullivan Show, 1964:

Cool Jerk, The Capitols, 1966:




Call Me, Chris Montez, 1965:




You're the One, The Vogues, 1965:




Reach Out I'll Be There, The Four Tops, featuring the late, great Levi Stubbs, 1966:

Sunday Drive: I Get Around

Sunday Drive: I Can Hear Music

I may just do a string of Sunday Drives featuring some of my favorite beach music while the summer lasts, which as it happens is relatively mild this year here in Texas.  Enjoy.

Sunday Drive: Wouldn't It Be Nice

Back in your Head Trucker's young-and-closeted days, he used to put a different twist on the line Wouldn't it be nice to live together in the kind of world where we belong - can you relate?

A fascinating glimpse into the studio recording of this song:




Just the song, if you want to hear the standard version:

Guest Post: He's So Fine, Part 1

Contributed by my English truckbuddy Tim, now resident in Spain:

First of all, the spoilers. This tale contains pictures of Steve McQueen, Dennis Wilson, and Cam Gigandet, so stick with it!

 

 

Remember when I wrote that first Universal Truths guest post? And how your Head Trucker had hopes that they were going to reveal the fundamental truths that come with age and wisdom, that would explain the mysteries of life. Well, so far, so bad, but about 10 months ago I had an idea for a post that might actually meet those aspirations. It’s been a long time coming, and when I added a second story-line to the original one, much to my surprise I found that I now had a tale covering my life from my first gay inklings to the present day. However, it didn’t lead me to the discovery of any new Universal Truths. Instead my conclusions lead me to the biggest surprise of all, a personal revelation and some disturbing possibilities that have come as quite a shock. Something, that, to be honest, I’m still trying to assimilate. You will have to wait for the end of Part 2 to discover what they are, but in the meantime, as ever, your comment are always welcome. Who knows, we may even prevail upon the old Trucker to switch off the comment moderator! What’s with those blurry numbers anyway?

It’s 1961, and a scrawny little blond kid is playing alone in the long narrow garden behind the terraced house, down by the railway line. There is a powerful roaring sound overhead. The boy looks up from his game and stands transfixed . . .

- Continued after the jump -