electrodynamics

as a kid i remember the music of the organ well. it was at the ball game leading us note by note as we sweated out the charge. it serenaded those of us adept enough to shoot the duck or hold hands couple style as we skated the ovals of the roller rinks. saturday nights my parents would pull out the tv trays and cook up swanson salisbury steaks and we'd all sit in the living room and watch lawrence welk, where organ and accordian reigned supreme. and of course on sunday mornings we would all sing hymns together at church as the pipe organ humbled our off pitch souls. and it seemed like a lot of folks had electric organs in their homes then too. i know my grandparents did. my grandmother loved the sound and there were more than a few sing-a-longs as she slowly pedaled out the music in her slippers whistling vibrato.
so it's in that spirit that i'd like to share this latest musical pick. it's dick hyman and the lowrey organ - "electrodynamics" from command records - 1963. beside having an unfortunate name, dick hyman has had a storied career as a performer, composer and all around groovy guy. in fact, as far as i know, he still belts it out live from time to time and the man is in his 80's. as far as music goes this would be categorized as popular music of the day, although now we might call it retro, lounge or eclectic. whatever label you want to make, be sure you crank the volume high enough that grandma would approve. to start your own organ party click here to download.