John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963) was an American politician who served as the 35th President of the United States from January 1961 until his assassination in November 1963. Notable events that occurred during his presidency included the Bay of Pigs Invasion, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, Police Week, the establishment of the Peace Corps, the Space Race, the building of the Berlin Wall, the African-American Civil Rights Movement, and the increased U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas on November 22, 1963. Kennedy ranks highly in historians’ polls of U.S. presidents, although a slight gap exists between his public reputation and his standing among academics, with the public generally more commendatory. (More from Wikipedia)
By now, the parade of early deaths of beloved musicians is long indeed; I remember being affected by the senseless assassination of John Lennon on December 8, 1980 nearly as much as that of President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963.
(June 2013/1)
The Pebbles, Volume 4 CD has only about half of the songs that are on the Pebbles, Volume 4 LP; even the title song “Summer Means Fun” by Bruce & Terry was omitted, so there is a different subtitle, “Surf ’n’ Tunes”. In addition to the head-scratcher “School is a Gas” by the Wheel Men, the CD also includes the original “School is a Drag” by the Super Stocks. Other highlights include “Move out Little Mustang” by the Rally Packs, a screaming cover of “Shortnin’ Bread” by the Readymen, “Wine, Wine, Wine” by the Bleach Boys (another hot inland surf band, this time from Sioux Falls, SD), and “The Big Surfer” by Brian Lord. Lord is a San Bernardino DJ who is backed here by Frank Zappa, Ray Collins, Paul Buff and Dave Aemi; the big surfer is evidently President John Kennedy, and the song sounds like it could have been an outtake from the hit comedy album The First Family.
(December 2014)
