Carolyne Mas

Still sane... You may think you're crossing the line... Still sane... You may think you're losing your mind

Well Worth a Listen

“Still Sane”, by Carolyn Mas (1979)

In the same vein as “Hold Your Head Up” by Argent or “Don’t Let is Show” by the Alan Parsons Project, “Still Sane” is one of those ‘self-help’ songs. It, like the other songs on her debut album of the same name, has an undertone of defiance, yet vulnerability. It always puzzled me why Carolyn Mas did not have better commercial success.

Born in NY, Carolyn’s father invented the battery charger. I didn’t know that when her debut self-penned album “Carolyn Mas” came out in 1979, but that is a good enough reason for me to listen if I had not already. Classically trained in voice, piano and guitar, in her early years she listened to Cole Porter, the Beatles, Dylan, and all kinds of classical and folk music.

Tom Petty - Breakdown (Live 1985)

There is no sense in pretending. Your eyes give you away. Something inside you is feeling like I do. We've said all there is to say...

Pick of the Week

“Breakdown” by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (1976) 

When I was a teenager my friends and I decided to go skating at the Lagoon. To go to the rink we had to go down this steep hill (85^th Street) that was on the edge of town. It was of course winter, and the road was icy. The cars in those days were huge. The B-52s refer to a ‘Chrysler as big as a whale’ which was not that much of an exaggeration. We were travelling in a Plymouth I think. So if a Chrysler can be compared to a blue whale, it was only as big as say a hump-back whale. The radio was playing “Don’t Do Me Like That” by Tom Petty. For whatever reason the driver of the car (yes, we were inexperienced) lost control of the car and it spun around a few times, plunging down this road. Everyone cringed and grabbed a hold of something. Miraculously we ended up going back down the hill in the same direction, didn’t hit anything and no one hurt. We looked at each other and thought “What the hell just happened?” and down the hill we went. This was all to the tune of “Don’t Do me Like That” mind you, so it is kind of engrained in my memory now. Loved Tom Petty that day and still do.

What I am listening to today...

Chilliwack - Chilliwack

No Doubt - Rock Steady

Supremes - Baby Love

Queen - A Day at the Races

Redbone - Come And Get Your Love

Nothin' the matter with your head Baby find it, come on and find it

70's Pick of the Week

“Come and Get Your Love” by Redbone (1973)

Redbone was influential on the East L.A. music in the '60's and that would follow. Brothers Patrick and Lolly Vasquez, originally from Fresno, California moved to Los Angeles in 1969 to form a band. They were of ‘mixed’ blood (they were N.A. aboriginal and Mexican) and used the Cajun term ‘redbone’ to jokingly refer to their ancestry. Tribal, Cajun, R&B and rock music is intermingled in their music.

Jefferson Airplane -White Rabbit-

One pill makes you larger and one pill makes you small And the ones that mother gives you don’t do anything at all

Songs Everybody Should Know

“White Rabbit” by the Jefferson Airplane (1967)  

From the ‘Summer of Love”, with its classic psychedelic-era chords, a tinge of Spanish ‘bolero’ and the anti-establishment marching beat, “White Rabbit” is tie-dyed on my brain.  Banned as a ‘drug’ song, my older sister (quite young at the time) told me it was about drugs. She told me there were ‘pushers’ that made you ‘hooked’ on drugs.  I said “I thought Alice was in Wonderland”. She said, “Listen to the song! She takes drugs if you call that Wonderland!” (Much to my sister’s delight this song was used as the theme song in the 1973 movie “Go Ask Alice”).