Music

There's an e-mail joke going around about how parents can get rid of their adult kids still living at home.  All the parents have to do, the joke goes, is to play the music they listened to when they were kids--Dylan, Henricks, Joplin, etc.  Although I liked some of this stuff, a steady diet of it could certainly start me packing my bags.

But I was reminded of some of the music of the '60s the other day, listening to a CD.  Normally when I drive, I don't have on the radio or play CDs.  This day, for some reason, I put on a dual-album Smokey Robinson CD, the two "A-Go-Go" ones.  OK, it's no secret Smokey is still one of my very favorites; he's certainly in the top handful.  (I remember the Las Vegas show, Human Nature, which was a Motown revue of sorts by the Australian group.  Karen and I, finally, last July went to see it after years of trying to fit it in on our trips there.  When the group did the three or four Smokey songs, either the ones he performed or the ones he wrote or both, the whole place was singing--at the request of Human Nature!  Young and old; black and white; male and female.  It didn't matter.  How cool!  After years of not getting to the show, I'm betting we take it in at least once every year, at least.)  I, of course, am taken with his voice.  Sometimes listening to others singing and I wonder, is this really singing?  Isn't singing supposed to be melodic/mellifluous?  (There aren't many opportunities to use that word; I might as well take advantage of it when I can.)  Some voices are smokey (not as in Robinson), husky, or hoarse, but still sound, well, mellifluous. But a lot of the voices are just terrible--or worse.  I won't mention any names, but I'm not picking on current "singers."  There were a lot from decades past, too.  I wonder what the attraction of these performers was/is.  Maybe it's the accompanying music.

Which is something I also noted.  The Human Nature show had a great live band, patterned after the old Motown Funk Brothers.  They were studio musicians, of the highest quality.  Also in the studio, but going out on the road for concerts, were the bands of Earl Van Dyke and Choker Campbell.  They were great!  In fact, along with the Funk Brothers, their music could/can stand alone, without any lyrics.  What terrific musicians!

And, maybe I don't quite have this one right, but it seems in a large sense I do.  Smokey and the other, esp Motown, writers must have had good educations--that is, their grammar teachers must have done a great job of teaching language.  OK, there are "ain'ts" ("Ain't That Peculiar," Marvin Gaye) and other grammatical flaws such as double negatives ("and there ain't nothin' I can do about it," the Supremes), no doubt.  Likely there are more than I remember, too.  But listen to the words.  They all match.  They are creative, with their rhyming patterns and more.  (Go ahead, try to rhyme "camouflage" in a song; Smokey did.)  At the Human Nature show, the group stopped singing at one point in Smokey's "Tracks of My Tears," letting the crowd sing the lyrics, "My smile is my make-up I wear since my break-up with you...."  And, boy, it was loud!

Of course, succeeding generations target those before and after--it seems to be the nature of life, doesn't it?  But I'm glad I had and still have the Motown memories.  I had a recent e-mail from a special high school friend, who recalled we went to the Motortown (that's what it was originally called, later changed to Motown) Revue at old (before renovations) Fox Theater downtown.  (She even remembered where we ate afterward.)  Each was a great show and is a great memory!

A final note:  I know I've been obsessing with the hitting of Miguel Cabrera.  But I find it fascinating, just fun to watch.  He hits more ropes and lasers than anyone.  In some games, he smacks three or four or even five clothes lines.  And he's hurt now and was last year for a month with not one, but two sprained ankles.  One player said umpires often take balls out of the game after Miggy hits them--they are lopsided because he hit them so hard.  He's had balls come off of his bat in excess of 105 mph!  I've said for more than a year now that he's the best hitter I've seen live, ever, outside of Ted Williams.  People have likely rolled their eyes at that (or at least wanted to), but in the past few weeks there have been more and more superlatives.  I've even read some national articles suggesting that, not only is he the best hitter right now, but before all is said and done will be considered the best ever.  I don't know about that, but I am even now thinking more about the Williams' comparison--granted, that I didn't see Williams as much as Miggy.  I really didn't plan to say all this, but merely that I find myself reading the sports pages, specifically, the stories and articles about the Tigers now.  I can't remember the last time I did that, maybe in '84.  I certainly didn't follow them all that closely in '06.  But I skim the articles/columns looking for references to Cabrera's hitting.  Like my Motown music, I think I'll appreciate having this guy around.