The Monterey International Pop Festival 1967

Greetings Worlds !!

After one week & one day + a few "false starts" - I'm back to writing these few old words of mine !! Ok - I know some of you have been logging in & finding nothing new to read, but... I admire your staying power.... !!

In a nut shell, I've not been firing on all thrusters, this past week & sitting down to write stuff, well - it's not been very high up on my "things to do" list !! Oh well...... I will try to improve.... I've let things slip a bit, this past year..... as far as writing this old blog of mine - I really must get back on top of it all.......

right - the family.....

Well, I'm home alone, apart from a few of the cats, at the moment !! ME spent the night at boyfriend's M's house.... J is still over in Wales, at Uni.... and My Wife & Dearest Friend - B, well... she has just left home, to go meet up with a friend from Weight-Watchers (I think) in town, to have a drink & a bit of a natter !!

She no longer attends the WW's meetings.... but, from time to time, they get to meet up & catch up on what each of them have been doing. It gives B someone else to speak to, plus...... as I have the nurses coming, in an hour or so, there wasn't much happening around here !!

The nurses are still coming around, three times a week... well, at the moment at least !! Next Wednesday, I'm back into the hospital, to see the TV nurses there & the Consultant, who operated on my back.... way back in May !! Depending on what happens then - the visiting nurses might get taken off of my case - or at least, changed from coming so often !!

At the moment, I have this Vac dressing, on the wound (on my back) and that only needs changing three times a week.... if all goes well, next Wednesday, that type of dressing might stop & I'll be able to go onto a more regular thingy !! Now - having said that...... I'm not 100% sure how often a regular dressing will need changing..... but, I'll find that out, as time goes along !!

As for the Consultant.... I have a few questions to ask of him.....

(1) As I have been fitted out, with a body full of metalwork - how safe/unsafe is it, to have the MRI - the appointment for which, I had come a day or two back !! My understanding was/is that, you do not put metal & MRI's in the same room together !! Oh well....... it could be fun, bits of metal flying around the room.... just one problem, I'll still be attached to it !!

(2) My local Dr is moaning about the amount of Morphine I'm on !! So - as I'm taking less than my Consultant had me written up for, I'm going to need him, to write to my local GP & get him to back off !! Heck - the local guy has never seen the problem I'm up against - so, to complain about the morphine I'm taking, for the ongoing pain, is a bit of a sad joke !! Well - to me it is....... besides, I have nothing but contempt for the local guy !!

On Monday, he wants me to go down to the local surgery & talk to him, about changing things.... he can go screw !! If he wants to see me, he can come here & knock on my door - he has lost any & all rights to treating me.... so, as I say.... screw him !!

(3) I have to check out, with the Consultant, if I'm going to need any further surgeries, connected with the ongoing problem..... and, if not, whether he can sort out the replacing the SNS implant, that he wanted removed last December... I hope he will be able to have a word with my other Consultant & get things put back together !! Time will tell......

Ok - enough of my health problems....... onto music !! It's been a really good week for Cd's !! As mentioned before - I had a Gov't Mule Cd reach me, last week (I guess) and - yesterday, in the post, I had a fantastic 4 Cd package, all recorded at the 'Monterey International Pop Festival' in June 1967..... it's a fantastic set of recordings, it really is !! More so - to me, as I've waited far too long, to get myself a
copy !!

I had heard of the festival.... but, it was somewhere around 1987, that I first got to see the film...... and it was fantastic, mainly - for me - to see the original Canned Heat, blasting thru' (I think) 'Rollin' & Tumblin' .... I might be wrong on the exact track - but, it's been a while......... !!

Anyhoo - I'm not going to try & write all of the tracks down, but... I'll list the "performers" - so, that will give you a flavour for what a mixture of stuff there is on the Cd's....

CD 1

1) The Association
2) Lou Rawls
3) Eric Burden & The Animals
4) Canned Heat
5) Country Joe & The Fish
6) Big Brother & The Holding Company

CD 2

1) The Butterfield Blues Band
2) The Steve Miller Band
3) The Electric Flag
4) Hugh Masekela
5) The Byrds
6) Ravi Shankar
7) The Blues Project

CD 3

1) Jefferson Airplane
2) Booker T & The MG's
3) Booker T & The MG's with the Mar-Keys
4) Otis Redding
5) The Who

CD 4

1) The Jimi Hendrix Experience
2) The Mama's & The Papa's
3) Scott McKenzie

I might have missed the odd act - but, that'll give you a fair clue as to what it's all about.... all great acts from the 1960's..... some of who are still going - plus, I think there are some 70 tracks all in all..... so, it's a great set !!

Now, that came yesterday morning.... in the post... and, in the afternoon, B & I headed over to Taunton, to use the bank & just have a little look around. It was sunny & warm, so... Anyhoo - I went into HMV & Black Cat Records, looking for anything about the new 'live' set, from Dream Theater. I didn't have any luck - which didn't surprise me too much.... but, B did buy me a 2 Cd set by
Colosseum !! It's basically a "best of" set and covers everything from 'Valentyne Suite'... all the ways thru' to 'Lost Angeles' - so, all of the good stuff !! Plus - it was only £8..... not too shabby at all !!

Oh well..... in early November, there is another record fair, in Exeter..... and, as I've missed everyone of them, over the last 6 months or so, I hope to head South for that one !!

Meantime, this weekend, there is a "Craft Fair" being held, just outside of town & - as it was her birthday, last week.... I promised B we would go & give it a good look over !! It'll be our first time at one - so, we have no real idea what to expect.... so, it should be a bit of fun !! I will keep you posted on what it was like.... who knows, they might have some Cd's for me to look at !! Oh well....

I must away.... I don't want to be typing, when the nurses get here !! So - as always, I thank you all for logging in & reading my words..... until next time...

Bye Bye