*Thank you, Mark (at the gym), for giving me this idea: Side B as a metaphor for our lives.
It was the summer of 1954 when I earned enough babysitting money to buy my own record player and records. The 45 rpms came in a paper sleeve, 89 cents at Newberry's 5 & 10 on Landis Ave in Vineland, NJ.
I still remember the thrill of lifting the lid of my red RCA Phonograph and slipping a stack of those 45s on the center tube. Then a twist of the on-button would begin a sequence of sounds: first an initial crackle of electricity to signal the bottom disc to drop down in its ready-to-play position. The arm holding the diamond-needle would lift from its cradle, cross over and down to catch the right groove producing the music that defined our generation: Rock n' Roll.
Side A was the hit song we all knew by heart.
Mostly ignored and overlooked was the raw, unpolished and not meant for the spotlight Side B. Yet an occasional Side B-gem, like "Rock Around the Clock", would find an audience to ignite a following. It was like stumbling across a secret treasure, a sound that pulsed with lyrical substance that seemed to be waiting for you all along, because we were in search of ourselves.
Looking for an Echo
'Cause we were looking for an echo, an answer to our sound.
A place to be in harmony---
A place we almost found . ."
-----Kenny Vance
Side B: The Echo Within
We aren't just listeners; we are voyagers in search of our groove.
Don't count yourself out. Your Side B is still a diamond in the rough grooves of our lives.
When we feel the jagged pieces of life strewn round and round in continual motion it is our own heartbeat we have been chasing, the quiet proof that we are still here. And we are still here, unmasked, unguarded, listening back. searching for an echo of continuity, the soft hum of a sound we can curl into, a harmonic sequence of chord progressions that when braided together finds tempo and purpose, the hidden Side B to be yet discovered, waiting for you all along.
Is there an arm that leads us forward or is it a sound?
God’s hand is not seen but heard, shaping the air into chords that thread through our doubts, drawing us toward the hidden chambers of our own souls. In the swell of sound, we hear both the ache of our longing and the promise of our arrival, until we realize the music is not only around us but within us—God’s voice, patient and unending, guiding us home to ourselves.
Music was there 'In the beginning" ('Bere-sheet' בְּרֵאשִׁית contains the Hebrew word for verse).
It is still beats. Side B: The Echo Within
What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.
— Ralph Waldo Emerson
I will counsel you with my eye upon you.
—Psalm 32:8
Question: Oh ye of a certain age, what was your first or favorite 45?
The one I played over and over until my mother pleaded mercy was "Twist and Shout" by the Beatles.
Then, when we switched to 33 1/3 albums, without a doubt, Johnny Mathis! Heavenly!
Enjoy: Looking For An Echo by Kenny Vance.
Thank YOU! to the folks sending in their photos of their collections of 45s. Keep em' coming!!!
See link below for a list of 25 most famous Side B hits:
https://www.yardbarker.com/entertainment/articles/25_of_the_most_famous_b_sides/s1__28853210#slide_1
Love it! I listened to Disney records as a child. It had a book that you read along while the record told the story. Also, I remember very clearly my mom surprising me by buying the single “Oh Micky” by Toni Basil and she had me close my eyes while she put it on the record player! Henry had a record player in his office still!
Denise, Thank you!
I remember that book you shared. I love that we are made of music, connected to it in so many ways and it echoes us back as well as forward.
gloria
Such a fun post, Gloria! The first 45 I remember was Bing Crosby’s Teddy Bear Picnic. I had the storybook to go with it!
Thank you, Lori!
I remember Bing Crosby’s, “Don’t Fence Me In”, first song by my first TV crush, Roy Rogers. Funny but I do sing that song in my Music Makers group. Still one of my favs.
My mom collected the big 78s. We had several Patti Page and Rosemary Clooney, “Come-Ona-my House”. Echoes of the past that still sing us forward. Gloria
Gloria, this was awesome– so many memories!!! Thank you!!
Thank you, Nance. The gift of song plays so sweetly whether in memory or now. Gloria
Can’t remember the first 45 I bought or if this was a 45, but I remember really liking Venus by Frankie Avalon.
Carol, ooooh, I have a Frankie Avalon story to tell. I met him when my husband was the golf pro at a resort. Frankie was a member there. He and my husband became friends, but months went by before I could meet him.
The day came when I would finally meet him. I will have to leave the rest to a phone call to do this meeting justice. I actually sang one of his songs to him. I thought he would smile. . . . Crickets. There’s more to tell! gloria
Gloria,
What a stroll down memory lane…awesome.
Thank you, Karen! We have good memories, right? Music defined us and we were ready for its lift. What a wonderful time of our lives! Gloria
Hi Gloria, Sitting here in Sommers Point, NJ. enjoying the salt air, beach and Atlantic Ocean. Does it get any better???
Came via The Black Horse Pike close to the ole farm you often write about.
I cannot imagine life without music. Have many favorites but love the song “Moonglow, Theme from Picnic” by Morris Stouluff and his orchestra.
First albums include music from Eddie Duchen Story by Carmon Cavalarro and Sinatra’s “Come Fly With Me.” There are so many favorites from all those great male and female singers.
Thanks Gloria for the musical theme.
Ahhhh! Living the good life on Side A!!
Every song and artist you mentioned sends me to treasured pieces of my life. My grands are in Ocean City this week. Have a wonderful time. Somers Point somehow retains its lure. gloria
Great music! I grew up with records; but Jazz! My father was a fan of Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington and Glen Miller. When I was already in my 20is I looked for old rare records for my father. I still have them and lately I bought a new recordplayer thar I can listen to them again. Love from Swiztzerland
Hello Yvonne,
Jazz was in our house too. My brother collected Count Bassie, Maynard Ferguson and Dave Brubeck albums. Isn’t it wonderful how music becomes the thread to connect us. And I do feel the love from beautiful Switzerland! Gloria