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The two young boys that live across the street from me frequently play wiffle ball. They have a net backstop in the driveway that faces their front yard. There are anywhere from four to eight kids playing. They run everything out (not automatics which is explained below). It’s a bit chaotic but it reminded me of my old neighborhood in Oradell, NJ and our wiffle ball games. In my neighborhood we played a lot of games out in the street. There were many kids of varying ages. M

I received a book a while back called “Satisfaction: Ten Albums That Changed My Life”. The book was a series of chapters where famous recording artists would list the albums that influenced them and inspired them to become professional musicians. Artists as varied as Art Garfunkel and Henry Rollins (from the hardcore band Black Flag) weigh in with their picks. I thought it would be fun to list the ten albums that changed my life and led to my lifelong love affair with music

1974 was a great year for music, especially live music. This was the era of the big tour. The shows you had to see. It probably started with the Stones 1969 U.S. tour and ended sometime in the mid-80’s with Springsteen’s “Born In The USA” tours and U2’s “Joshua Tree” tour. I’m sure the timing can be debated but that era has certainly passed. This year, 1974, marked the return of Eric Clapton after a three-year hiatus, much of it spent in seclusion and struggling with heroin