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"Life as I see It" - A Sixties Ocurrence
Randy Burns

I arrived at Jan's apartment with a few of my band members. Word of mouth, along with so much talk, made this particular invitation mandatory. Anticipation is a reward all its own. I didn't know what to expect. No one did. Other friends were already there, hell, we were all friends in New Haven then.

All were present for the premiere, the grand debut. With the lights low, we smoked a few joints and made ourselves comfortable. This came easily for such willing volunteers of sixties etiquette.

A short time passed, then Jan stood and walked over to the stereo. He turned to face us holding the album in the air. "Gentlemen," that's all he said. Then he turned his back to us and put the needle to the record.

Boom..boom..boom..boom, boom..boom..boom...
"We're Sergeant Peppers lonely hearts club band, I hope you will enjoy the show, we're Sergeant Peppers one and only lonely hearts club band, sit back and let the evening go." Oh, man, it was incredible! It flew right off the record into our hearts and minds forever. No one talked while the songs played. You didn't talk then, you listened. Electric Rock had never been heard or played that way. An orchestra of strings, horn interludes, and one great song after another. Motionless, we stared at the stereo and floor. I looked around to see the smiles on everyone, shaking their heads in disbelief. It was magic and it was pure That album collided with the sixties at precisely the right moment. It kept everything going, healthy and alive, adding even more substance to the ideals we all shared.

This was probably the first time Sergeant Pepper was heard in New Haven. It wasn't on the radio, everyone knew it was coming, but Jan had scored the first copy available for listening. Whatever was new and hip, my man Jan always had it first. He loved the role of the unveiler.

"With a little help from my friends," and "When I'm Sixty-four." The embedded compassion in "She's Leaving Home." No one doubted this was it. You couldn't because it was.

Finally, they hit us with "A Day In The Life." Regular living meets death and sadness. That astounding crash of all instruments at the end, taking over forty seconds to fade. Then it was over. Then we could breathe again.

The presentation, that album, and The Beatles. We were all in a good place, with the energy needed to go another few rounds with the crazy world outside. As dangerous and complicated as it was in those days.

Some people grow up in times of nothing. I didn't, I was lucky. May God bless time for being where it was, when it was. For filling us with memories we can still feel, between the errands of our wealthy hearts. ~

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