#uplift program

Blondie, featuring the great Deborah Harry, really bring it here in these live performances from the Land o’ The Scots, specifically Glasgow, on New Year’s Eve, 1979. We begin with the exquisitely melodic (but pretty damn groovin’) Dreaming. Released in 1979, drummer Clem Burke has a veritable field day here, although the band ultimately is driven by the talented and charismatic Ms. Harry.

A real show-stopper, Pretty Baby is given a sterling rendition here; I’m sure it would be very pleased, if songs could be pleased, and, really, who knows. Deb even gets involved with an audience member, whirls scarves about, and carries on in fine fettle. The song was never released as a single, somewhat incredibly, but it remains one of the high points of 1978′s Parallel Lines. Uh Huh.

Lastly, an impassioned Hanging on the Telephone. 

This life-improving performance by Herman’s Hermits, in addition to its intrinsic Uplift Program-inducing sheer pop wonderment, packs more hand-clapping---and by quite a great margin, at that---into 2 minutes, 27 seconds, or any other length of time, than any other such endeavor undertaken in human history. There is a **lot** of clapping of the hands, by vocalist Peter Noone, by the audience, by the backup singers, by anyone or anything that moves. I am very much in favor. 1966 begat this extremely winning live rendition of their hit, I’m Into Something Good. Noone turned 19 on 5 Nov. And. There’s the clapping.

A Shindig production, circa 1/13/1965, of another fine performance of Something Good by Noone, at this time a shambling, Methusalean figure at 17, and the lads. To be sure, any live performance that one comes across featuring this band, is gold. And, lo & behold, this more than qualifies. A Mood Elevator of the most efficacious variety, and a card-carrying Uplift Program member (yes, videos can, and do, carry cards)(and can qualify for certain memberships) like its preceding brethren (yes, “brethren”; maybe said predecessor contains vast multitudes, in which case {it *is* the case}, a collective noun is called for, y’see), I, for one, flipped upon initial and subsequent viewing. True, there’s not as much hand-clapping, but still it abounds---just not at quite the preposterous degree of the 1966 version. And that’s OK.

John Belushi does his Joe Cocker thing, at great personal risk.

French maestro Claude François with Cette Année- Là. Note the effortless dance maneuverings.

Afroman, with “Because I Got High”. Card-Carrying Uplift Program potentate.

In the August 20, 2001 issue of Time magazine, the song was described as a "tribute to pot". Afroman is quoted as commenting, "You know what, dude? I made this tape for all my homeboys. I didn’t think I’d be talking to Time magazine. I’m a little worried about Rush Limbaugh and Newt Gingrich. I don’t want to get anybody riled up. I just figured, since I’m a pothead, why can’t me and the other potheads have a little joke between ourselves."  --Wikipedia.