MUSIC LOVE: Listened Enjoyed And Written by Reginald A. Craig

MUSIC LOVE: Listened Enjoyed And Written by Reginald A. Craig

Music is just like the smell of food, the sound will take you back to a memorable time and place. What’s even better is music has no expiration date and will never spoil.

The year was 1978 and my dad had the stereo set up in the living room with the speakers resting on the faux fireplace mantel. We could play just about every music format from vinyl records, Eight Track and Cassettes. The radio was an analog tuner with a weighted metal knob that would coast through the dial well after you spun it like a dreidel. It was right there on the small space of tiles under the speaker that I’d attempt my first and last dance. The song was Rod Stewart’s newly released - Da Ya Think I’m Sexy? Wow! I was 3 years old at the time and really felt like I Bust a Move. But actually it was more like rocking left to right with jerky lifted legs; resembling a dog peeing on a fire hydrant. Truly I remember this because my youngest sister laughed at me like a hyena. I was never mad about it, I just felt silly and a little embarrassed.

In my childhood home music was everywhere. Many of my older siblings studied and played instruments. Because I was curious about their interest, I too began falling in love with the same things. However I took the short cut going straight to beating on drums for fun and never learned to read notes. Making music became a riot with my neighborhood friends. Technology was just becoming affordable enough that sampling keyboards were actually being marketed to kids. In the mid-80’s I was gifted a Casio SK-1 for Christmas. I had more excitement with that thing than just about any Atari or NES game.

Being the youngest of a big family I was the passenger in one siblings car after another.  Back in those days Walkmans were made for walking and was considered rude to isolate yourself in the presence of family. Therefore I often was the audience in a plethora of mobile concerts. Nevertheless I would carry a musical soft spot for their favorite songs through the years; especially for these selections below:

(Note: not including obvious artists e.g. Michael Jackson etc.)

1.) Sammy Davis Jr - Hello Detroit (1984) = Dad

 

2.) Dean Martin - That’s Amore (1953) = Mom

 

3.) Keith Pringle - call him up: can’t stop praising his name (1983) = Bernard

 

4.) Sister Sledge - He’s The Greatest Dancer (1979) = Roger

 

5.) The Crusaders - Maputo (1991) = Coincidental or Subliminally by Marvin

6.) The Doobie Brothers - What a Fool Believes (1978) = Dennis

7.) Chuck Mangione - Feels So Good (1977) = Doug

8.) The Manhattan Transfer - Meet Benny Bailey (1985) = Michele

9.) RUN-D.M.C. - You Be Illin’ (1986) = Dianna

 

 

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

• Dave Brubeck Quartet - Take Five (1959)
• Till There Was You ~ Anita Bryant (1959) - Written By: Meredith Willson
• Take Me Back - Andraé Crouch (1975)
• Classical Symphonic music:
• (Mozart, Mahler, Brahms, Gorecki, Shostakovich, Beethoven, Dvořák, Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninov)

 

 

MY COMFORT ZONE:

Through the years I’ve yet to really express singing aloud or publicly dancing on display.  I’ve been more comfortable keeping rhythm on drums and sequencing music with machines. In 1999 I took the opportunity to share my own creations with those in the Electronic Music World. I had a few original concepts and ideas that I composed on a Roland MC-505. Making music was a hobby and just something I had to get out of my system:Reggie's Music It’s certainly not something I do routinely, actually I take more enjoyment just appreciating the structure of music produced by others. Really all music needs to be respected; from TV jingles to minimal elevator tunes.

Below is a limited list of cinema and small screen theme music I find myself reacting to. Only a short list but believe me there’s much more. Ha Ha!

Movie Theme Songs (Scores) I pretend to air conduct to:

Shaft

Rocky

Blues Brothers

Beverly Hills Cop

Back To The Future

TV Theme Songs (With Vocals) I like humming along to:
Greatest American Hero - Believe It Or Not

Different Strokes

Cheers

Perfect Strangers

Bandit: Another Dream Away (TV Show)

TV Theme Songs (Instrumentals) I’ll whistle along to:

Andy Griffith Show

The Pink Panther (Original)

MacGyver (Original)

A-TEAM (Original)

Little House On the Prairie

 

 

 

THE SOUND OF MUSIC:

Before the days I could afford marketplace speakers, I used to mount woofers and tweeters in a cardboard box. Actually they were more like used 6x9 car speakers. Anyway, the low frequencies the makeshift cabinet created was pretty impressive. The box mimic more like an oversized baffle. I stepped up my audio game in my teens by actually building wooden cabinets, stuffing insulation and using internal crossovers to regulate output.

Finally I would earn a little money and buy my first set of inexpensive Zebra Acoustics bookshelf speakers from the mail order company Damark. After playing with that for awhile, I decided to make a substantial investment in the mid 90’s and purchase the Bose Acoustimass AM-5 subwoofer system. To this day my system is still going strong and from what I understand Bose has a lifetime warranty.

MOMENTS IN MUSIC:

In the 80’s I had a portable Fisher duel cassette deck with detachable speakers. At night I had my blank tapes cued up to record Jeff Mills “The Wizard” mix show on WDRQ / WJLB. At the time buying music really wasn't necessary for me because all the good stuff was on his show. Even up to the late 80’s if you were going to buy music vinyl was still the preferred format. With my sister we would chip in together and purchase my first store bought 12” Record; 1987 Pebbles - Mercedes Boy. I didn't really understand the lyrics at the time but the hook had me at Mercedes.

Just before that moment in time my brother actually made a techno hit as Channel One - Technicolor. Word got around my elementary school about it and as a result I gained a few brownie points with the bullies. The source of the news came from an aspiring neighborhood Rapper / Hip-Hop Artist named Leonard. He used to walk to the playground often dressed up like LL Cool J and entertain us kids with a mic and boombox. Before leaving he’d call me out and ask that my brother check out his demo, I guess you can say the kids thought I had pull. Ha Ha!

In 1991 I’d buy my first CD album; Vanessa Williams - The Comfort Zone. The packaging was a tall thin box enclosing a traditional plastic CD jewel case. I’d continued on through the nineties building a small recorded collection on this format spanning genres from R&B to Country. Well, Dolly Parton has a mesmerizing voice, what can I say!

Thinking about it, I did have a brief blitz in purchasing cassette tape singles. It was just after I bought my first car; used (Merkur - XR4Ti). Back then my collection was mostly Jazz CD’s but I only had a tape deck in the dash. The albums I would just dub, but it had to be recorded to a Chrome or Metal type for the best transfer quality. 

However, retail packaged singles were inexpensive and gave me a chance to try out trendy music.

During Christmas break of ’93 the young prolific artist Carl Craig invited me to help operate his Techno label Planet E. Once again I’d be knee deep in vinyl records. Just when I thought vinyl had died, It resurrected a refresh for appreciation that would help put food on the table for years to come. As the old saying goes what once was old is new again.

My first important task for the company was to fade out the audio (paperclip people - remake) D.A.T. transfer for mastering.

That evening I would meet Sound Engineer Ron Murphy of NSC/Sound Enterprises, and as they say the rest is history.

Before the turn of the century I experienced one last notable moment in music. During my Wife and I wedding, the prelude song our bridesmaids and groomsmen walked down the aisle to was Margaret Bell - Here With You. For me this piece is the perfect example of how the power of music can make a grown man well up. The memories and significance of that day is relived just by the press of a play button.

Once I settled in with life and all the anticipation over Y2K was done, I began seeking music that I couldn’t get out of my head. In this new millennium the future of record stores are questionable and new sources such as Amazon and Ebay are extremely convenient to fulfilling my quest. For whatever reason I kicked off my mission with the hunt for the greatest hits of Heart - These Dreams. So with a simple Google search, presto and at my door in a couple days. That process was empowering and I’d repeat with Saturday Night Fever, The Stylistics, DeBarge and all the Celine Dion you could wish for… she was the new Whitney Houston!

2006 Shakira - Hips Don’t Lie was the first digital track I ever downloaded using MusicMatch.  Actually I purchased the song for my wife. The downloading service was Microsoft based and had terrible navigation, plus it was not intuitive.  I’ll be honest though, I was so much a rookie that I purchased the track three consecutive times because I couldn't get it to play. Nevertheless, iTunes soon became my mainstay and where my family would make a habit of using my account to legally download all the latest hits.

These days access to music is virtually infinite and can be streamed for minimal cost and often for free on ad based platforms. The music library is not only as big as the web of clouds, but it’s accessible on the go. This possibility must have been unfathomable in the day’s Lincoln offered my Classic Mark VI with an 8-Track as a luxury option. Heck, I don’t think we saw this coming even 10 years ago.

Because music now is obtainable with such ease it has virtually become primarily a business card for artists to promote their tours, merchandise, and access to paid digital exclusives. Sure there are other opportunities for artists to make money, but music sales alone won’t cut it nowadays. Today’s fans want to post status updates engaging with their favorite band and wear a memento from the event. Unless you're a purist or an audiophile, many people today don’t embrace the magic of physical recordings with the respect they deserve.

YOUNG BRAIN ON MUSIC:

Yes, children have advanced plenty these days, but the neurological development still requires readiness with age to fully mature. The wealth of digital resources today has significant advantages that is best introduced and unpacked with children by the guidance of responsible adults. A decade ago households had maybe one digital purchasing account that the adults controlled, today every smartphone user is basically required to have the equivalent of an apple ID. One major drawback to unlimited music access is leaving the children to their own devices. It’s no secret some minors falsify their age to gain full features in apps. Children are able to earn currency online to buy mature content and parents are none the wiser. Earbuds stream messages to the psyche while simultaneously compromising long term quality of your kids hearing. Children in this situation will reinforce persistence for increased privacy. Over exposure of harsh noise and aggressive lyrics, especially in young ears is likely a contributor to an improper perspective for human life and hostile interactions. Some may not agree with my analysis, but just use caution not get too comfortable with your child being super quiet in their bedroom.

CLOSING THOUGHTS:

Music is the soundtrack to a destined state of mind. Every genre has a unique effect on your mood and stress level. We receive a boost in our ambitions with our favorite tunes playing near, but switch it up sometimes to help avoid a false sense of reality. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

…So remember the next time you’re stuck in gridlock traffic turn on your local classical radio station.

 

 

 

SPECIAL NOTE: Please be sure to check out music from a new generation singer songwriter

 

PS… Look below to find my previous Blog post:

Lincoln Love: A True Story Experienced 

Food Love: Learned Experimented