I pull it out every once in a while to remind myself of what was "goin' on" back then. I still remember the first time I heard it (really heard it) at a now deceased cousins' Memorial Day annual picnic get together at her family's funeral home residence in West Philly. Always a great event with lots of home cooked covered dishes, family, music and pinochle. My Dad would always say "it's not Bridge but I'll play a few hands".
Someone put on "There's A Riot Goin' On" and I was transfixed by the music and the words. For the duration of that LP I was taken away from the party. This was not music I listened to or was normally exposed to.
Maybe it was my age or the state of the world at that time but something in that LP connected with me. That day I left that party feeling a little closer to my extended family and just a bit more estranged from the world I lived in. It's probably all part of coming of age in the early 70's. For me "There's A Riot" will always bring warm memories of family but at the same time memories of how awkward my footing in the world seemed. One of the best back covers ever.
