ANTHEM is coming, chapter 39

ANTHEM, Book 3 of the Sixties Trilogy, publishes on October 1. Each of the book's 47 chapters begins with a song from the Sixties to set the tone, mood, and scene. Every day between now and October 1, come have a listen and read a snippet from each chapter. On October 1, these posts will be archived with a link at ANTHEM's webpage for #teachingAnthem1969
 
This is Chapter 39 (day 9):

SPACE COWBOY
Written by Steve Miller and Ben Sidran
Performed by the Steve Miller Band
Recorded at Sound Recorders, Hollywood, California 1969
Drummer: Tim Davis

NORMAN

"Drew!" says Molly. "Norman, it's Drew!"
"You are correct," says Drew. "I am surprised to see you here."
"You're surprised!" says Molly. "Norman! It's Drew!"
I start to laugh. It's so good to see someone we know. "What are you doing here?" I ask Drew. "I thought you were going to some air force base."
"I am going to Vandenberg Air Force Base tomorrow," says Drew. But tonight we are at the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles."
"So I see!"
"I thought you were going to San Francisco," says Drew.
"We are," I say. "We are on the way."
"The Apollo astronauts trained here," said Drew. "They learned how to identify the thirty-seven navigational stars that their guidance computer uses. This is in case of equipment failure. Inside the observatory, there is a Zeiss refracting telescope in the east dome, so you can see the stars."
Molly looks like she wants to hug Drew, she is so delighted to see him, but she settles for, "Good for you, Drew."




Drew is the ultimate space cowboy in ANTHEM, representing the nation's fervor about the moon landing that's at-hand. You'll recognize Drew from COUNTDOWN, where he was 9 years old and wanted to be an astronaut.

It was 1962 and Drew's hero was John Glenn. Drew carried the book Our Friend the Atom everywhere he went, and spouted off facts about atoms and the atomic bomb, in the midst of his fear about the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Discovering Drew in ANTHEM is an Easter egg for COUNTDOWN readers, but it's not necessary to know Drew from previous Sixties books, as each book in the trilogy is a stand-alone novel.

The Steve Miller Band came into its own in the early seventies, known better for "Take the Money and Run" or "Fly Like an Eagle," or "Rock'n'Me" but I love "Space Cowboy" for its insistent beat and straight-ahead guitar hook. And it's perfect for Drew, and for this chapter at the Griffith Observatory late on a June night in 1969.

 Chapter 39.

ANTHEM is coming, chapter 38

ANTHEM, Book 3 of the Sixties Trilogy, publishes on October 1. Each of the book's 47 chapters begins with a song from the Sixties to set the tone, mood, and scene. Every day between now and October 1, come have a listen and read a snippet from each chapter. On October 1, these posts will be archived with a link at ANTHEM's webpage for #teachingAnthem1969
 
This is Chapter 38 (day 10):

ENTER THE YOUNG
Written by Terry Kirkman
Performed by the Association
Recorded at Columbia Studios (voices) and 
G.S.P. Studios (instruments), Los Angeles, California 1966
Drummer: Ted Bluechel (concert); Hal Blaine (studio) 

MOLLY

Finally we find it, and sure enough, there's the line, snaking out the door and around the corner. "This is gonna take a while," says Norman. "I'm bringing Flam."...
The afternoon sun blazes all over us and everybody sweats. We listen to the talk in line, all about gigs and bands and best places to play around town, who's playing at the Whisky, the Paladium, or the Ash Grove....
"Why don't all these rock and rollers have to go to Vietnam?" says a woman with long red hair. "My brother's got to go."
I turn my body so I can hear the conversation.'"Barry McGuire was a Green Beret" replies a bearded man with the red-haired woman.
"He's not a rock and roller," says the red-haired woman. "Not really."
A man wearing a hat and carrying a guitar case says, "I happpen to know one of 'em's a fortunate son."
"What's that?" says the red-haired woman.
"His dad's got money. Or influence. Or both. Listen to the song."


 

The original title of this chapter was "Fortunate Son," a song by Creedence Clearwater Revival. Molly and Norman meet one such fortunate son in the Laurel Canyon chapter of the book and he (and others) goes with them to the hoot at the Troubadour in Los Angeles.

This happens in a cut chapter, Chapter 37A called "Both Sides Now," Judy Collins' version, which will appear at Anthem's webpage after October 1. If you want to meet the Laurel Canyon musicians, they'll all be in Chapter 37A, sitting on the porch of the Canyon Store, where Molly and Norman stop for directions after leaving Capitol Records and getting lost trying to find the Troubadour.

Laurel Canyon songs mentioned in 37A are "Our House," "Monday, Monday," and the Joni Mitchell rendition of "Both Sides Now." I wanted to showcase the beginning of the singer-songwriter era, both solo artists and groups such as the Byrds and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, who were all, at one time or another, in the Canyon.

In the meantime, here they are, in Chapter 38, at the Troubadour, to listen to a band that Molly has long loved... not hard to figure out who, if you've been following along or listening to the Chapter 38 song, "Enter the Young."

I had wanted "Enter the Young" to start ANTHEM, with its lyrics, "Here they come, some are laughing, some are crying, some are doing, some are trying, some are selling, some are buying, some are living, some are dying, but demanding recognition one by one."

When we put the permissions budget together, the lyrics to "Enter the Young" were prohibitively expensive, and so we cut them and I've used it instead as a chapter title, with some acknowledgement of the lyrics inside the chapter.

In researching the Los Angeles/Hollywood section of ANTHEM, Jim and I spent some time there with our son Zach, who lives in Hollywood and works at Universal Music Group, as a guide.

Zach took us to Capitol Records (chapter 37), to the Griffith Observatory (coming up), and to a raucous night at the Troubadour, where I sat in the balcony, and then stood at the stage, where Molly stands in this chapter, listening to the Association sing her songs, while at the same time, some truth about their trip, and her brother, begins to dawn on her in a real way.

Joy and heartbreak in the same moment, and isn't that sometimes how life is?

Chapter 38.

ANTHEM is coming, chapter 37

ANTHEM, Book 3 of the Sixties Trilogy, publishes on October 1. Each of the book's 47 chapters begins with a song from the Sixties to set the tone, mood, and scene. Every day between now and October 1, come have a listen and read a snippet from each chapter. On October 1, these posts will be archived with a link at ANTHEM's webpage for #teachingAnthem1969
 
This is Chapter 37 (day 11):

GOOD VIBRATIONS
Written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love
Performed by The Beach Boys
Recorded at Western Recorders, CBS Columbia Square, Gold Star, and Sunset Sound Recorders, Hollywood, California 1966
Drummer: Dennis Wilson (concert); Hal Blaine (studio)

The receptionist at Capitol Records did not know they had an appointment.
"Can I help you?" A cigarette dangled from her very red lips, and every red hair on her head was sprayed in place like it was part of a cranberry helmet. She turned her head, blew smoke toward the gold records handing on the wall, and put her cigarette into a holder in a bright red ashtray. She raised her eyebrows and gave Molly and Norman an impatient, expectant look...//
"Is Hal Blaine here, please?"
"Who wants to know?"...//
"He's expecting us," Norman said.
"Really," said the receptionist sardonically. She looked Norman up and down like she was his bad mother. "Who sent you?"
"Mary Beal," Molly snapped. 
"Who?"
Norman shot Molly a look. "Al Jackson, Jr. at Stax Records in Memphis, Tennessee," he said.
"Really."
"Also Roger Hawkins at FAME Studios in Muscle Shoals, Alabama."
"Uh-huh."...//
"Actually," Norman said, his voice gatherig all the authority his seventee years could summon, "Jai Johany Johansen of the Allman Brothers Band."
He stared as menacingly as he could, directly into the receptionist's eyes, and hoped she could hear his mental command. Hal Blaine now! And step on it! 




A good song for Molly and Norman's entrance to California, its laid-back vibe and beach culture, "Good Vibrations" and the Beach Boys were an electric shot in the arm to hear alongside records by Del Shannon, Ricky Nelson, the Righteous Brothers, even Elvis.

Suddenly we were in the middle of a musical sea change, just as Molly will be soon.
Capitol Records was a huge part of that sea change.

 

I spent weeks researching Capitol Records -- not just the history of the label, but the story of the building, and how they got that special studio sound, so I could write Chapter 37, and realistically put Molly and Norman in Studio B and introduce them to Hal Blaine.

I came to love Hal Blaine as I read and listened to interview after interview of this iconic drummer who played on more than 40 number 1 hit records and scores of other hits during his long and illustrious career. 

I'll write more about Hal here and edit this entry and provide more links when I'm home from my travels, which I'm going to write up as well -- a bit of mail coming into your box in the next few days, but thanks to MailChimp's delivery system, you'll have each day's posts in only one email, coming soon to a mailbox near you.

Chapter 37