Rocky Road

Posted by Luminator (A) on July 14, 2016 at 19:49:08

"Lummy," wrote one of the Inmates, "What other under-the-radar goodies you got from 86?"

In early September 1986, during my last night in Honolulu, before returning to San Francisco, I heard Regina's "Baby Love" and Run DMC/Aerosmith's "Walk This Way." When the school year started, the latter would dominate.

Ah yes, the start of the Fall '86 semester. That was when the B-52s came out with "Summer Of Love." But it was too late. That type of song is better in the spring, or summer itself. Everyone passed, and instead latched on to Bananarama's version of "Venus."

So while radio stations play lots of B-52s material, they tend to skip "Summer Of Love." But that's too bad, as this is a fun, feel-good tune.

I didn't get the CD until 1992, when I was in college. One of my downstairs neighbors liked the band's other material. But she didn't like Bouncing Off The Satellites. So while up in our college apartment, she took my CD (yes, the one in the photo above), slipped it between her top and breasts (like many other Santa Cruzers, she did not wear a bra), so we couldn't play it. She also hated R.E.M.'s "Shiny Happy people," which featured the B-52s' Kate Pierson.

But you should play "Summer Of Love." Singing the "orange popsicles and lemonade" part will make you happy and young.

Just feeling the nitty gritty of the whole thing,
-Lummy The Loch Monster

• Summer Of Love   (Open in New Window)

Edits: 07/14/16   07/14/16