By Dave Swanson - Summit FM Contributor

Since its release in November of 1963, 'A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector' has long been championed as the ultimate rock and roll Christmas album, and a celebrated annual spin on turntables, CD players, and now streaming, every year thereafter. 

It's easy to figure out why once the first track, 'White Christmas,' as performed by Darlene Love, sets the tone. As good as that is to kick off the Christmas party, it truly jumps into high gear as the Ronettes deliver the definitive 'Frosty The Snowman.' It was nearly impossible for radios, or record players, to contain the joy emanating from the speakers. 

That is ultimately the key to this album, Joy! It resonates throughout, from one song to the next, as Spector's signature sound rattles the ornaments off the tree. It's a well-known tale, and then some, that Phil Spector was a troubled, angry, and often evil hearted creature. Separate the art from the artist here, and bask in the sonic overload of Joy, which was in short supply at that moment. The album was released on November 22, 1963, the same day President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. 

The Crystals take of 'Santa Claus is Coming To Town' and 'I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus,' from the Ronettes, rocks the house, and truly delivers the feel of the holiday, in the best of ways possible. Other Christmas classics like 'Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer,' 'Winter Wonderland' and 'Sleigh Ride,' all get the full Spector treatment, as the Wrecking Crew usuals such as Hal Blaine – drums, Don Randi – piano, Tommy Tedesco – guitar, Leon Russell - piano, Jack Nitzsche, Sonny Bono, and a dozen others, create the signature 'wall of sound' in all its glory. 

Though the majority of the album is made up of standards, its the1963 composition of 'Christmas (Baby Please Come Home),' written by Jeff Barry, Ellie Greenwhich, and Phil Spector, that steals the show. The song has gone on to become a genuine Christmas standard, standing right up alongside the traditional tunes before it. The album scored high, reaching No. 8 on Billboard, but it was seasonal and temporary. It has taken 60 years, for it to be elevated to classic level. 

Though many acts have joined in the reindeer games over the years of issuing Christmas records, very successfully in some cases, 'A Christmas Gift for You From Phil Spector' stands alone. The nearest competition, from where I stand, would be 'The Ventures Christmas Album,' which was issued 2 years later. And while it’s a very cool record, the emotional depth, and ‘Joy’ this one brings, makes certain it stands alone as a true Essential!  

By Chad Miller - Summit FM Music Director

Anyone who knows me well knows that I absolutely love going to concerts. It's my favorite thing to do. If we're being honest, it's really about the entire overall experience too. Everything from getting excited about seeing an artist or band you're a really big fan of or even casually curious about. Being inside the venue as the anticipation builds with all the sights and sounds and senses and history that place brings. Hanging out with a friend or several friends all evening while being surrounded by hundreds of other people all there for the same reason. Purely soaking in the atmosphere as lifetime memories of a singular moment in time are formed. Really, even just simply being entertained for the evening! So, with that, I'm sharing with you my list of the 25 best concerts I've seen this year to close out 2023. Trust me when I tell you that it was HARD narrowing this down, but these live music highlights were certainly the best I was lucky enough to see throughout the year:

What were the best and most memorable concerts YOU attended in 2023 this year? Please email me at chad@thesummit.fm, and let me know what you were able to go see.

Wellness can be achieved by virtue of completing a journey and maintain a lifestyle. But it can also be magnified by our ability to appreciate and be thankful for the things that we already have! Summit Wellness continues to hum the melody of connection between feeling good and feeling grateful!  

Gratitude is a monthly feature contributed by Matt Anthony, Digital Media Producer and on-air host for the Summit FM. Matt reflects on instances where we might uncover more ways to appreciate what’s in front of us, and how those instances might contribute to our overall health and well-being. 

Do you like music?

Does it give you a lift? 

Then look in the closet 

for your Christmas gift. 

When I was 9 years old, a small box was given to me on Christmas morning. Sitting around me were all my siblings, as well as my parents. The size of this box was alarming to my adolescent sensibilities. How could my parents fit a bicycle or a football in a box this small, I thought. 

But the above poem was on a multi-colored strip of paper, richly adorned with my mother’s creative calligraphy. It intrigued me, so over to the closet I walked. There, I discovered an acoustic guitar. It would be the gift that would change my life. 

In a perfect world, I would share a poignant story with you, about how I spent hours learning this instrument. That I stayed in the attic working on chord-progressions until blisters formed on my fingers. That I formed a band in my teens, worked my way into other music projects that eventually got me noticed as a budding guitarist, and blossomed into a sought-after session-musician.  

But it’s not the case. 

The truth is I barely touched it. While I liked music, I didn’t enjoy the hard work necessary. And ‘practicing’ got in the way of what was really important to me then: learning to hit the curveball. I was enamored with baseball, and being a catcher, like my father, was my first love. 

This gift, though, given to me by my mother and shunned early on has, in a way, become a sort of benchmark for me. It is a source of regret, of wonder, and, every Holiday season, an invitation to re-examine my life.  How did that small slip of paper wrapped inside a small box become something that I would actually be grateful for? 

I ponder this missed opportunity almost every time I pick up a guitar. Sure, I tinker around with a few chords now and then, but invariably as I work my way from ‘Em’ to ‘C’ to ‘D’ and back to ‘G,’ I experience both loss and wonder. What could have been? Where could I have gone? My mother picked the perfect gift, and I, essentially, discarded it. Am I taking advantage of the opportunities given to me now? Today?  

Or am I merely mired in ‘regret’? 

Being on this Alzheimer’s journey with Donna has been enlightening, to say the least. And this year, adding in her cancer-diagnosis, has certainly compounded things. But it’s also taught me the need to be grateful for the microscopic moments. The ‘now’ is all we have. I can do nothing about that succinct 4-line poem from all those years ago. And the events that unfold down the road hold no weight as of yet. 

I wanna laugh while the laughin' is easy 
I wanna cry if makes it worthwhile 
I may never pass this way again 

“We May Never Pass This Way (Again)” - Seals and Crofts 

This season I’m going to do my best, at least for a day, to leave the closet door closed. I’m going to send the ‘regret’ on hiatus. I’m going to turn down the commercialism and the Holiday noise and find a moment of thankfulness and gratitude for the things I do have. Here’s hoping your Holidays also create a small space for relaxation and peace. 

By Dave Swanson - Summit FM Contributor

As the 1970's were giving way to the 1980's, there was a lot going on in the world of music. The punk rock hangover had crashed and burned, in the best way possible, splintering off into a hundred different directions, encompassing a wide variety of sounds and styles along the way. Record stores and radio were awash in everything from power pop heroes like the Knack, Plimsouls, and Cheap Trick, to the post punk stylings of Siouxsie & the Banshees, Joy Division, and Wire. Elsewhere, the sounds of the new Two-Tone/Ska movement were raging alongside the NWOBHM, aka the new wave of British heavy Metal. Anything was fair game.

Into this open air market of music wandered this Irish combo called U2. They were unassuming to the core, simple traditional lineup - guitar, bass, drums, vocals. They hadn't adopted a 'look,' and they seemingly sprang from nowhere with their debut album, 'Boy,' in the fall of 1980. Once the needle hit the first groove on that LP, however, all bets were off. This was something unique and special.

The opening chiming guitar riff of 'I Will Follow' was like an alarm ringing people out of complacency, casting a sense of urgency that sounded like no one else. That urgency ran throughout the entire album and seemingly won over all who heard it at the time. The album is stocked full of gems, 'Twilight,' 'Out Of Control,' 'Stories For Boys,' and 'The Electric Co.,' are fire full on, but not in an expected way. It was powerful without being heavy, forceful without being delivered at full speed, and familiar without being cast from any one mold.

'An Cat Dubh' had a psychedelic glow about it, while 'Shadows And Tall Trees' stood on more familiar 'post punk' ground. The production from Steve Lilywhite was fresh, and the performance was rock solid.  It was, and remains, an incredible first step from a band who would in short order, go on to conquer the rock world with a series of impressive albums and dynamic live shows. For many, they were thee band of the 1980s. Without taking anything away from the triumphs of 'The Unforgettable Fire,' 'The Joshua Tree,' or 'Achtung Baby,' after 43 years as a recoding unit, I will happily go out on a limb here and say that they never again reached the highs set in stone on 'Boy.' It was a truly unique listening adventure that still has that freshness to this day, thus, it truly is Essential from start to end.

The Summit's annual 330 Day concert will return to The Kent Stage, on Saturday, March 30, with two shows - 3:30 PM and 7 p.m.

BOTH SHOWS ARE SOLD OUT!

Featured artists include:
Red Wanting Blue (Acoustic)
Munnycat
Angela Perley
Jack Harris
Hunter Skeens & The Forerunners
Megan Bee

Presented by:

Ken Robinson

By Dave Swanson - Summit FM Contributor

The term 'super group' probably traces back to Cream, the power trio comprised of bassist Jack Bruce, guitarist Eric Clapton, and drummer Ginger Baker. As they made their entrance onto the music scene of 1966, all heads and ears turned their way, at first, simply because their reputations preceded them. Clapton had been a shining star in the Yardbirds, and then John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, while both Bruce and Baker had established themselves as powerhouse players while in the Graham Bond Organization, one of the more respected blues groups on the UK scene at the time.  Once Cream established themselves apart from their pedigree, they had become one of the biggest and most respected bands in the world. They lasted slightly over two years before imploding, but would set a standard for any amalgamation of top shelf players who thought it a good plan to band together.

There were others along the way, from Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, to Blind Faith and Emerson, Lake and Palmer, up through Asia and Damn Yankees. The word ‘super’ being somewhat flexible in many cases, but the concept remained to have an all-star team of sorts. Many were hugely successful, others more of a curiosity. The formation of the Traveling Wilburys, in 1988, moved the goal post to higher ground, as any band that could withhold a Beatle, an early rock and roll pioneer, two superstars of the 1970s, and one Bob Dylan, had a lot to answer for.

Once their debut album, 'Vol. 1' was released in October of 1988, there was zero doubt that they would live up to the challenge and then some. The album catches all these key figures in rock and roll having fun, making a record with friends, and nary an ego in sight. George Harrison had been working his comeback album, 'Cloud 9,' in 1987, with ELO's Jeff Lynne acting as producer, and it was during those sessions that the idea for the Wilburys was born. As the concept grew it basically became a case of "well let me ask Bob" and "I bet Tom would be up for this" and so on. Much chatter at the time was about how Harrison, Petty, Lynne and Dylan were thrilled to be playing with Roy Orbison, while at the same time, Orbison was thrilled to be a part of this as well. All cards on the table and all egos checked at the door ended up making for a true classic that so easily could have failed.

Aside from their attitudes being a saving grace, how about the songs?! All involved brought songs into the band. "It was a lot of fun writing the songs cause you didn't always know who was going to sing it," said Petty in a 1988 interview. "We're all fans of each other,' added Orbison. 'Handle With Care,' the album's first single, pretty much tells the tale musically, all stars align and shine bright as each voice is heard in this ultra-catchy pop song. It ended up being a hit. 'End Of The Line,' and 'Tweeter and The Monkey Man' proved FM radio staples as well.

The album became a surprise hit, hitting number three in the Billboard charts and selling over two million copies in the first six months. Eventually, their debut would go on to be certified triple platinum. Not bad for a loose concept based on a passing idea. Each member took on a new persona based around the Wilbury legend: Petty became Charlie T. Wilbury, Lynne was Otis, Harrison was Nelson, Dylan became Lucky, and Orbison was Lefty. This all played into the spirit intended by these Rock and Roll Hall of famers. Produced by Otis and Nelson, aka Lynne and Harrison, the recordings have that classic to some, annoying to others, sound that Lynne so often angled in at. It suits the material and fans and radio loved it.

Sadly, the band was short on time as Roy Orbison passed away in December of '88. A second album, cheekily titled 'Vol. 3,' was recorded in the summer of 1990 as a four piece, and released that fall. There had been talk of inviting Del Shannon in to replace Roy, but it never came to be. It's sad to note that there are only two Wilburys left alive, as time has marked the passing of Harrison and Petty along with Orbison. That first album, in particular, had something very special about it. Something that you really can’t define as it all came about in such an organic way. The spirit lives, as do the songs, which is why we have cast it here as one of the Essentials.

By Dave Swanson - Summit FM Contributor

In the rock and roll handbook, chapter 2023, page 1202, the corporate entity, and rock and roll band, Kiss, has closed up shop. The illogical platform boots, leather and chains ballerina outfits, greasepaint, fake blood, and pyro all packed away. The desire to “rock and roll all night” now long gone, and along with it, the need to “party every day”. The script reading, "it's all about the fans," now filed away while the tales of past glories are stocked up and ready to roll out.

If that all sounds a bit cynical, well, so? We're talking about Kiss! Don't get me wrong, note for note, power chord for power chord, Kiss were alright in my book. They wrote very catchy songs, and yes, the kids loved 'em. I was too old to get swept up in Kisstory, Kissology, or any other Kiss related racket. I had already been through an Alice Cooper obsession from 1971 through 1973, but Alice Cooper were a different animal all around. They were sharper, more like vaudeville meets Dada meets the Little Rascals, whereas Kiss were pure comic book style, super hero fantasy. It should come as no surprise that one of Kiss’ first connections in the music business was record boss Neil Bogart, who was the head of Buddha Records, a subsidiary of Kama Sutra, and home to the Bubblegum Empire of the late 1960’s, before starting up Casablanca Records in 1973, with Kiss being one of his first signings.

I was never a fan of horror films, science fiction, fantasy or super heroes, so the whole of Kiss never held any appeal. The songs, however, did. I loved the bubblegum sounds of the Ohio Express, the 1910 Fruitgum Company, the Archies, and so on. If you listen to a lot of what Kiss was doing, it was very rooted in that to the point where Kiss could easily have stood for keep it simple stupid! Kiss was smart enough not only to do just that, but to bring in some nice loud electric guitars and a rock and roll attitude. That merger of simple pop music, married with hard rock attack, was perfect to build their show around, thus making it a sure-fire connection to the youngsters! Bassist Gene Simmons once stated that Kiss didn't want to be as big as the Beatles or the Rolling Stones, they wanted to be as big as Coca-Cola.

So now, five decades after their first album, the band, what's left of them legally anyway, are calling it quits. Now remember, they called it quits before, giving an all-out 'Farewell Tour' back in 2000. Well, that didn't quite last, in fact, most farewell tours are doomed to stay true, just ask the Who, Motley Crue, and many others. It's too tempting for the ego and the bank account to strike up the band one more time. The truth is, Kiss' biggest fault was the way they took themselves way too seriously, trying to project this shadow of significance, when the light shone clearly that, despite any loftier notions, it's only show biz baby!

This time, however, was going to be different. Simmons claimed it was getting too hard physically to go out on tour at their advanced age, and put on the same show, wearing some 50 pounds of gear, breathing fire, and so on. He had stated they wanted to go out on a high note (even if that high note was prerecorded) while they still could. So Saturday December 2^nd, at Madison Square Garden, was the exclamation point on the end of the Kiss sentence.

Of course, moments after the show ended, it was announced online that Kiss would continue after all. No more touring, no more stomping around in big boots and blood, they would, instead, carry on into the future as avatars, thus completing the circle started way back with Neil Bogart. Kiss could now become the Archies! They will live on in what is essentially the modern equivalent of being cartoon characters by being avatars. Oh joy!

ABBA has already done it, holding 'live' performances of Avatar based Agnetha, Bjorn, Benny, and Anafrid for the rabid ABBA fans who are, arguably, even more driven than the Kiss Army! Billing the 'future' as 'KISS - A NEW ERA BEGINS,' Simmons along with Paul Stanley, both founding members, will carry on the Kiss brand, name, and image, marketing, until the virtual cows come home. With the continued and extremely frightening advancements in A-I technology, all signs point to nothing ever ending, thus helping to squash new creative blood and ideas, and adding to the stagnation of art, music, and culture at a rapid pace. Scary because it was doing just fine losing any meaning or significance without the help of A-I!

"Kiss Army, your love, your power has made us immortal," shouts Paul Stanley in a press release video for 'Kiss – A New Era Begins,' "We can live on eternally!" This should come as no surprise to fans, or haters, as it was already assumed that they would either begin a franchise of Kiss tribute bands, or perhaps a stage production centered around Kiss music, anything but a graceful exit. And, in all things Kiss, it makes sense as, despite a handful of really catchy songs, they were never about the music, but rather the spectacle, the visual overload and the celebration of bombast, and hey, it's harmless fun for the masses who love to slather on the sauce with little regard to the cut of meat underneath. “The band deserves to live on,” says Stanley, "because the band is bigger than we are."

And who am I to laugh, cry, or more to the point, care what Simmons and Stanley do. They earned it, let them have their digitally enhanced fun, and never ending income. Much like crappy TV shows, lousy radio, and insane politicians, you don't have to watch, listen or follow...as long as something else is on as well.

The Labra brothers are a group of five brothers who originated in Youngstown, Ohio. Their names are Adrian Labra, who is the lead guitarist and singer, followed by Cristian Labra, who is the bands spectacular bass guitarist and vocalist, David Labra, the saxist who contributes with vocals, Antonia Labra, who is the percussionist, on the drums we have Matt Hayes, and the keyboardist is Danny Svenson. With music surrounding them as children, due to their musically inclined parents, it was only natural that they banded together to play music as a career. We had first discovered them in 2015, after meeting them at a show we attended and we found their song "The Middle” to be so uniquely creative, that we just had to share it with our listeners! 

Classified as a mix of Blues and Folk/Country vibes, they are described as being “Uniquely made to play music” and “Soulfully ambitious that you just can’t stop enjoying them”. They were reviewed as the “Best Latin Rock Band” by the Cleveland Magazine in 2023. Their newest contribution to music, ‘Be Cool’ has shown just how much the Labra Brothers have improved over the years since we have known them.  

In an interview with our program director to learn the facts about the Labra Brothers, he quoted them to, “have great Harmonies and truly loveable songs,” and that it has been “great to see them building up their success to the level it is today.”  

Overall, the Labra Brothers are a revered group of talented artists whose fame has built and built over the years, and has no stopping point in sight. It has been amazing to see them grow and I would highly recommend seeing them live. 

By Dave Swanson - Summit FM Contributor

In the fall of 1966, something happened. A television program appeared on NBC, that would defy all odds and ultimately deny all naysayers, 'The Monkees' premiered on Monday, September 12, to a waiting world. Inspired by the ongoing sensation known as The Beatles, this was a TV show about an aspiring rock and roll band, four young men trying to make it in show business, but never succeeding, in the series at least. Reality proved a very different animal, as the fictional band became a real band with real hits, big hits, and sold out concerts.

"It was like Leonard Nimoy actually becoming a Vulcan," Micky Dolenz often said of the Monkees, the band he handled most of the lead vocals for as well as playing the role of their drummer. All members of the band did have some musical background, but they were hired to play roles, not to be musicians. That is until guitarist Michael Nesmith threatened producer Don Kirshner, famed behind the scenes creative force and music supervisor of the show. After punching a hole in the wall and claiming, "that could have been your face," to Kirshner, Nesmith walked out with the show's producers and other band members fully behind him.

What this meant was that not only did The Monkees begin to have creative control over their music, writing their own songs, playing on and producing the records, but by the second season of the show, the wheels had truly come off the wagon. Gone was the laugh track, something no ‘sitcom’ lived without at the time, also gone for the most part, were the cliché story lines. Instead, that second season started including references to current events including drugs, hippies, war, violence not to mention being one of the first television shows to 'break the fourth wall' and periodically reference the fact that this was a television show, going as far as stating "you see one episode, you've seen them all" in "Monkees Go To Paris' which had no other dialog as it simply showed the guys roaming around Paris.

The final episodes of the series, in the spring of 1968, included guests like Frank Zappa and folk singer Tim Buckley, at the request of the band members. At the end of the second season of the show, in the spring of 1968, the plug was pulled, the Pre-Fab Four had outstayed their welcome. Once the show was off the air, the records stopped selling, 'Valeri' being their last stop in the Top 10 in February of 1968. The band had been in talks to make a full length feature film, and now that the show had ceased, they had time to do so.

The forces behind 'Head' were two of the guys behind the television show, Bert Schneider and Bob Rafelson, who had begun working with a new friend, a struggling actor named Jack Nicholson. This team, along with input from all four Monkees, Dolenz, Jones, Nesmith, and Tork, would create a cinematic adventure unlike any other. It was, in so many ways, a suicide note left by the band, but instead of taking their own lives, they were sacrificing their career. Poking holes in the facade many critics, hippies and the like, had long criticized The Monkees as being. Honestly, it has only been in the last couple decades where people began to 'forgive' the 'pre-fab four' for merely being, and trying to make a living.

I could go on how, in more ways than one, the Monkees (the band and the show) were among the most subversive entities of the 1960s, as they brought the counterculture its music, clothes, attitude, politics, and lifestyle, or at least references to, right into living rooms across the world. 'Head' would take that spirit and let it run wild. The film essentially begins with all four Monkees jumping off a high level bridge into the ocean below, thus committing suicide of the 'manufactured' pop group. "You say we're manufactured, on that we all agree, so make your choice and we'll rejoice in never being free," they sing in the montage scene known as 'Ditty Diego/War Chant' which leads into the next scene where they are in combat scene where you hear the soldier, who is wearing a football uniform, kick the dirt and say "let's get this game over with," a not so subtle reference to the Vietnam War. And if that didn't drive the point home, using the infamous footage of General Nguyen Ngoc Loan's summary execution of a Viet Cong prisoner on a Saigon street, mixed in with live concert footage of the band performing, couldn’t be any more obvious. The foursome tear apart seemingly every aspect of the pop culture bubble they lived in, and at times, works as an almost stream of consciousness style of film presentation, as one scene stumbles into the next with no real connection, at least not at first.

"I'd been writing and Rafelson and I were talking, and I said, 'Bob I can write a movie about anything," recalled Jack Nicholson in a 2010 interview. "And he said 'can you write a movie for the Monkees?' And I said 'The Monkees? You gotta be kidding me,' cause I didn't really know them, all I knew was it was a successful television show about a rock and roll group. So I went home that night and thought up two movies and I go into Bert (Schneider), and I didn't know Bert or how cool he was, and I go well, I got two movies for you. One of 'em I can guarantee you will be as big a hit as ‘A Hard Day's Night,’ and with equal certainty, the other one I can guarantee you won't make a nickel and he says, 'I want the second one!'"

The cast is long and odd, including Victor Mature, Dennis Hopper, Annette Funicello, Frank Zappa, Sonny Liston, Terri Garr, and Toni Basil, to name a few. Aside from picking themselves apart, they take digs at the counter culture itself throughout. True satire set in a hallucinogenic haze. "It made no more sense to me than it ever had," recalled Funnicello about seeing the final product in a 1994 interview.  "But it was a challenging, offbeat role, and I was happy to play it." The title of the film only appears on screen as the film credits roll at the end. It was an inside joke among the film makers thinking their next film could be promoted as, "from the people who gave you ‘Head.’" The fact that all this was happening in a film starring a band whose fans were primarily between the ages of 7 and 13 makes it even more bizarre.  "Jack and I wrote ‘Head’ in strange places, closets and basements," said Bob Rafelson, "Sometimes under the influence of Timothy Leary's little pills."

The film opened in New York then spread with little fanfare. A box office giant it was not. In more recent years many a critic has had a reappraisal of the movie, what it meant and how it fit in with the coming Hollywood renaissance. It is no small coincidence that the trio behind this movie would go on the following year to make 'Easy Rider,' one of the most significant films of the counterculture, as the1960s gave way to the 1970s. Both Rafelson and Schneider stated over the years that without 'Head,' there would have been no 'Easy Rider.' The Monkees, no surprise, were left in the dust, though of course, over time many have made their peace with the whole of 'The Monkees,’ including the band members themselves, most notably Michael Nesmith who was the last holdout, never fully appreciating the impact they had on people, until shortly before he died in 2022. Do not view the film and try to make sense of it. It truly is a Pop Art meets Pop culture exercise in surrealism which was, of course, very heady stuff for a band considered the Bubblegum Pariah of the music industry. "There's something about ‘Head,’" added Dolenz, "something about the sensibility, and the way Bob and Jack captured the spirit of the moment on film."

Though Monkees records continued to be released as they were still under contract to Colgems/RCA Records, with the series off the air, sales evaporated. Many stores that were selling box loads just a year prior weren't even stocking their new releases. Their contract had allowed for one final television special. ’33 & 1/3^rd Revolutions Per Monkee’ finally aired in April of 1969, following the flop of ‘Head.’ Hipsters, music critics, and the like, really had no idea what the Monkees were truly about.

Fellow musicians, however, were much more forgiving, and the Monkees were tight with such legends as Stephen Stills, David Crosby, Mama Cass, Jimi Hendrix, Harry Nilsson, the Beatles, and many others. The soundtrack itself includes some of the most wonderful music ever released under the Monkees name. Along with the band, it features contributions from Neil Young, Carole King, Ry Cooder, Stephen Stills, and Jack Nitzche, among others. If the main theme of the film, 'The Porpoise Song', is not among the most beautiful records ever made, then I know nothing about music. Obviously The Beatles are at the center of most all pop music made in the last 60 years, but in my world, it’s always been about the Monkees, and always will be.

Just for the record here, I was (still am) obsessed with the Monkees. I had read about this movie in the works, in the pages of 16 Magazine, but by the time of release in fall of '68, their records weren't on the charts, and my local record store wasn't stocking it. So, at age 6, I placed my first special order for an LP! When it arrived, complete with silver mirror like sleeve, I was thrilled. Upon seeing the film, though unable to fully understand most of what was going on, it only added to my love of the band. The Monkees have never left me, and I wouldn't be who I am if not for them. They made me want to become a musician, to write songs, to explore music at every turn, and, to have fun! They are still a huge part of my existence.

By Dave Swanson - Summit FM Contributor

For this week's Summit Essential, we bring you the latest release from AARP upstarts and arguably, the greatest rock and roll band that ever walked the earth. Yes kids, it's The Rolling Stones, and unless you've been in hiding, you are probably aware they have released their first album of new material in nearly 20 years. Taylor Swift was only 16 when 'A Bigger Bang' was released and now she owns the world. Time flies as it changes shapes.

With the death of original drummer Charlie Watts, in 2021, the membership of vintage Stones is down to three; guitarist Ronnie Wood (who joined in 1975) and founding members guitarist Keith Richards and vocalist Mick Jagger. Surely, you've all heard of these fine folks. Well, they have released a new album and truth be told, it's not half bad! The approach the band has used for the past many years is still in place, in other words, you can't always get what you want, but sometimes you get what you need, or so I've heard.

'Hackney Diamonds' was produced by Andrew Watt, a 33 year old hipster producer, best known for his work with non-rockers like Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus, Dua Lipa, and Post Malone, among others. Watt was brought in, apparently, to give the new tunes a bit of modern polish for this Tik-Tok streaming world I’ve heard about. Remember, Jagger is 80, with Keith right behind, and Wood is a sprightly 76, and honestly, they don’t need to play that game, but that’s where we are. So then, things kick off in fine form with the first single, 'Angry,' a riff driven rocker firmly out of the Stones playbook. It's instantly recognizable as our dear ol' Rolling Stones with its driving riff and Jagger snarl sounding half his age.

Throughout the album, the vintage presence rears its head. 'Get Close' and 'Whole Wide World' both rev up classic sounding riffs, while 'Depending On You' has some nice slide guitar to sweeten the deal. Elsewhere, 'Live By The Sword' (featuring Elton John) falls flat, and 'Bite My Head Off', with the much talked about appearance of Paul McCartney on bass, suffers from the 'it's just a riff, it's not a song’ dilemma the band has often been guilty of.

That being said, the real highlights of the album shine with the country tinged 'Dreamy Skies,' the Keith sung 'Tell Me Straight' and the Muddy Waters cover of 'Rollin' Stone Blues.' The high-water mark of the album, however, comes on the penultimate track, 'Sweet Sounds Of Heaven,' which features a Lady Gaga duet with Jagger. It's on this song in particular that The Rolling Stones sound like The Rolling Stones. It's a gospel blues not far removed, in spirit at least, from the ‘Sticky Fingers’ era Stones. Jagger sounds totally at home, and Gaga adds a dynamic soulful performance that rides tandem with Mick perfectly. Mix in Stevie Wonder on keyboards and it's the crown jewel of the album.

Original bassist, Bill Wyman, along with Watts, both make an appearance on this new album by the way, but like the Elton and McCartney collabs, it's more about the credits than the performances. The truth on The Rolling Stones is, if they had called it a day after their first decade of recordings, exiting after 'Goats Head Soup' in 1973, their legend would have remained the same in terms of quality. Everything they did in those years not only cemented their reputation, but all their recordings from that first decade still rank among the greatest rock and roll records ever made by anyone, so anything else added to the catalog is just icing on the cake.

The final tally is that it really is an alright record, much better than many expected. The sheer fact that they can deliver at this level, 60 years into their career is pretty damn amazing, Mick still defies gravity with not only his physique, but with his vocal chops. If 80 is the new 60, bring it on! The band will defy gravity as well when they hit the road in support of ‘Hackney Diamonds,’ as they continue to break any rules or taboos surrounding aging in rock and roll. So while it's not going to replace 'Beggars Banquet,' 'Exile On Main Street,' 'Aftermath,' or any of their many other classic albums, it's a strong late journey entry that stands up tall enough to catch a view other bands have never even attempted, and we God bless them for it!