Rock-tober 24, 2018

In the late '70's, there was a near perfect trio of TV shows on Tuesday evenings. The refrain, "Sunday, Monday, Happy Days" kicked off the set with the adventures of the too cool, leather jacket clad Fonz and his geeky high school bud, Richie. Immediately after we were greeted by two ladies singing about schlemiels, schlimazels, and hasenpfeffer. I had to wait several decades for Google's arrival to decipher their theme song. The 8 o'clock hour left 50's Milwaukee and dropped us in 80's Southern California where Jack, Janet, and Chrissy invited you to "Come and knock on our door."

Watching TV with Dad was a whole different lineup. "Boy the way Glenn Miller played," sung in accompaniment with a tinny piano signaled the start of the humorously bigoted rantings of Archie Bunker. Many of the jokes were over my head back then, but I truly appreciate them now. MASH was another favorite. Originally a full length movie of the same name (and some of the same actors), it's TV incarnation's theme song was swapped for an instrumental version. I can't imagine 70's era censors allowing "Suicide is painless," to be sung on broadcast television. Another show Dad and I tuned in to was Hawaii 5-0. It's bold, immediately recognizable theme was a true instrumental overlaid onto a photo montage of iconic Hawaiian scenes.

The Ventures recorded "Hawaii Five-O" specifically for the series originally starring Jack Lord and James MacArthur. I was expecting the group to be backed up by a full horn section, but the robust sound came from a four man band - two guitars, a drummer, and keyboard. Not many theme songs find success on the charts, but "Five-O" made it to the #4 spot on the Hot 100. It's tempo is great for dancing, leading to its popularity on 70's dance floors. Back in college when Andrea and I were learning to dance, we practiced the swing to this.

Hailing from Tacoma, Washington, the Ventures pioneered the use of 12-string guitars and several guitar effects. An earlier single, "Walk Don't Run", was deemed "one of the top songs ever recorded for guitar" and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. The group itself was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with the class of 2008.

I've previously stated that I'm still miffed I wasn't contacted to play the role of either Chin Ho or Kono in the 2010 relaunch of the franchise. I could totally have rocked an ill tempered, heavy set islander with a perennial scowl.