67- Lilywhite – Cat Stevens - 1970

            Lilywhite - Cat Stevens

           This is the last song on Cat’s “Mona Bone Jakon”, his first album after his recuperation from tuberculosis. 

            It’s short and sweet, summing up all that’s gone before (I think)…

Back upon the mended road I pause.
Taking time to check the dial
And the Lilywhite, I never knew her name
But she'll be passing my way sometime again

I raise my hand and touch the wheel of change
Taking time to check the dial
And the Lilywhite, I never knew her name
But she'll be passing my way sometime again
She'll be passing my way sometime again.

            Those of you who remember vinyl know that songs were placed in a particular order, on Sides 1 and 2, for maximum impact, and it’s something we’ve lost with CDs and digital downloads. Back then, maybe every song on the album wasn’t a great song, but taken together the album held together as a whole because of the way the songs were placed.

            This reminds me of my second favorite podcast on the Steve Dahl Network, Bob andRon’s Record Club.  It’s basically a rollicking, stream of consciousness dialogue between two likeable potheads (and I use that term with all affection) who talk about the different albums they’ve acquired and their attempts to navigate the digital age, where turntables are rare. And their taste in music is way more eclectic than mine, from Frank Zappa and Hawkwind to the Beach Boys and Cat Stevens (now you know why I love them so).

            Where else do you hear about “The 12 Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus”? Their say so alone will get me to buy this album someday when I have disposable income again.

Bob and Ron consistently make me laugh out loud and they’ve re-kindled my interest in vinyl, especially the work of the Turtles, the underappreciated pop group of the 60s (and led me to read Howard Kaylan’s biography, “Shell Shocked: My Life with The Turtles, Flo and Eddie, and Frank Zappa, etc.”)

            Sadly, my turntable is only hooked up to my computer right now, to digitize my several hundred albums (someday, not right now with a 4 year old and a nine year old), but when I hook it back up to my stereo…