I’ve been wanting to show you this video since May. At this point, it’s probably old hat, and I have seen others, but somehow this one, the original, is still the best. The colours alone are thrilling, and I’m serious about that. The soundtrack, the morphing images, the texture, it is the perfect illustration of that particular point of your voyage when you just give up and find the nearest chair. My Disney dogs are barking Pluto. You know what I’m saying.

Then there’s Gladys. Sit down children, and let me tell you of a time before streaming when there were only three radio stations you could listen to in the car on your way to and from school. No, Trixie, you couldn’t choose the songs, the people in power did that. In New Orleans we were fortunate to have three : WTIX, WYLD and WRNO. TIX Radio was pop, but in New Orleans that meant a real mix of music, including lots of Black music, which, in talking to my friends from other places, was rare. WYLD was the all-Black music station, another gift from the heavens, when it was good. I say when it was good because they also mixed in too much Progressive and Smooth Jazz, Urban, and Slow Jams, but their funk segments were incredible. And WRNO, “The Rock of New Orleans”, was where I first heard punk, but overall it was regular Rock ‘n’ Roll hits that we all know and love, with a bit of an edge. So, thank you, Jesus, I had probably the best musical education a boy could have outside of New York City.

ANYWAY, Gladys was a blockbuster then, on the pop and black stations and this was always one of my favourites. I love the way that funky bass interacts with that incredible drum to give that beat a subtle hard bounce at the beginning and the way the song builds to a frenzy, with AWs! and HUTs and AHs tossed around. And of course, Gladys’ voice, paired with the surprisingly intricate background of the Pips, gave it that throaty, rough texture of a soul belter. It was a good act all the way around, yes indeed. . .s

Whew. I just crashed, hard. Grandpaw’s barked enough now. Later. . .