In (alarmingly) heavy rotation at our house

(Listen to The) Flower People

I remain musically stuck in the Summer of Love, to the extent that I yesterday caught myself listening to a Jefferson Airplane song.  Recognizing the severity of the situation, I reached for the only rescue medication powerful enough to turn me against the aural charms of that intoxicating, rebellious time.

A couple of disorganized remarks on the song:

• It tells you exactly how much the 80s hated the 60s.
• The inability to execute on the harmonies in live performance is perfectly accurate.  This was endemic as bands struggled to replicate the sound of their overdubbed albums.  No surprise the Beatles stopped performing right at that moment.
• This also points out what a torpedo amidships Pet Sounds was to the mid-range British rock bands.  For the Beatles and Pink Floyd, Brian Wilson threw down a challenge and pushed them to greater heights.  But for bands that were down in the pecking order, couldn't get studio time, didn't have the musical sophistication to do complex productions, it really was the end.  And it was a moment of revelation and opportunity for also-rans who could get things done in the studio (*cough* Moody Blues *cough*).  

Matthew Greenwald at Allmusic offers these thoughts on (Listen to The) Flower People:

One of the true highlights of the Spinal Tap film and soundtrack album, "(Listen to The) Flower People" is a straight parody of Scott Mackenzie's "(San Francisco) Wear Flowers in Your Hair." A Summer of Love classic, the song extols the virtues of the commercialized hippie movement, suggesting that people do exactly what the title explains. Using several musical references from the period, including an amateurish sitar, and even a quote from the harmony arrangement on Pink Floyd's "Arnold Layne," it's one of the greatest parody songs of all time.

Now, you're probably wondering...where does The Kinks Are the Village Green Preservation Society fit into all this?

Please continue to stand by...