A way to pause for a while

The last few weeks, mankind has seen a series of horrific events. Political upheavals of epic proportions raged (are still raging) thru otherwise stable Middle East countries. Then natural disasters struck in New Zealand and Japan. Amidst these numbing scenes, I take my off tangent nature to the hilt. It is my hope that this totally different article today somehow diverts our attention from present day tragedies, no matter how fleeting and however trivial the topic may be.

Music, I recall a saying whose author’s name escapes me at the moment, is the language of the soul. A man anguished by a penetrating pain or overwhelmed by a sensational pleasure can be a composer of a powerful song. He writes a nostalgic music designed to find expression to his wounded heart in such an unbelievable fashion as he composes an exhilaratingly happy tune to show great joy.

Many of the beautiful songs of the 40’s, 50’s, 60’s and 70’s were printed on vinyl, long playing records, if you may. Ed Ames, Paul Anka, Shirley Bassey, Pat Boone, Tony Bennett, Perry Como, Nat King Cole, Vic Damone, Sammy Davis Jr., Doris Day, Eddie Fisher, Connie Francis, John Gary, Roy Hamilton, Vince Hill, Jack Jones, Sir Tom Jones, Franki Laine, Mario Lanza, Steve Lawrence, Brenda Lee, Matt Monro, Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Jerry Vale and Andy Williams are among the hit singers of yester years. Their songs are printed on the 33 1/3 discs of long ago.

 Many may not have anymore heard Ed Ames’ Bon Soir Dame, Perry Como’s Rose Tattoo, Eddie Fisher’s May I Sing To You, John Gary’s I’ll Rock You In My Mind, Vic Damone’s Just Say I Love Her, Frank Sinatra’s Pretty Colors, Jerry Vale’s Go, or even Andy Williams’ Sweet Memories, to name a few, because, I have learned that these songs, however printed, be they in vinyl LP’s or even CD’s, are not easily available. But, really, these, to me, are among the most beautiful compositions sung in the most haunting of human voices.

Fortunately for me and my lady, Carmen, we continue to play our LP’s today and so we continue to relish this genre of music. I was in my teens when I started buying plaka that I played on our rustic turntable. Whenever I had little extra cash, (and they were very rare occasions) I spent it on seemingly less useful records instead of buying cigarettes or booze. At a much later time, when I knotted ties with my lady, I learned that she, too, took time to buy the LP’s of her favorite crooners. Aha, she played them on a more exquisite quadraphonic system.

During the early years of our union, we allowed ourselves, at some moments, to splurge on LP’s. The cost took a toll on our meager incomes then, but we chose to overlook other necessities in favor of say John Gary’s Gentle On My Mind LP. Yes, we found time, in the blur of making a living, to listen to music. Together.

 When business related stress starts, at times, to assail the comfy of my lady, she asks me to select some records of her favorite vocal artists. The magic of such Joni James’ song as If I Give My Heart To You, or Such Is My Love of Matt Monro (Terry Parsons, his real name) always relieves her of such tension. How do the lyrics and melody of these great music appease her physical discomfiture cannot be explained by the most learned among the medical specialists. But they do!

 Today, turntables are the biggest problems of possessors of LP’s. These are very difficult to find. More so, for such indispensable parts as their stylus or cartridges. Coupled with the fact that the last production of LP’s was in the early 90’s, when the digital records first came and later the CD’s, the vinyls have become utterly burdensome to maintain and seemingly useless to keep. Because of this problem, these owners have decided to throw the plaka away even if they break their hearts doing so. Luoy ug sayang.

To end this article, I urge you to pause, for a while, from trying to understand the tragedies of the times, and find time to listen to songs many people call as the “oldies and the goldies” and I bet, the respite may just give us all the needed energies to face the horror we have today.