A little something from us at Newstalgia to take you into the New Year. It's the legendary Aretha Franklin, kicking off her 1968 European Tour in Stockholm Sweden. The sound is a little dicey the first minute or so (it IS a 1968 tape after all) but it settles in and it's a great concert with Aretha in top form. Here's a list of what she does and who's in the band:

Aretha Franklin - Konserthuset, Stockholm, Sweden, May 2nd 1968, FM.

1st show on '68 Europe Tour
1. Don't Let Me Lose This Dream >
2. Soul Serenade
3. Night Life >
4. Baby, I Love You >
5. Groovin'
6. (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman
7. Come Back Baby
8. Dr. Feelgood (Love Is A Serious Business)
9. Since You've Been Gone (Sweet Sweet Baby)
10. I Never Loved A Man (The Way I Love You)
11. Chain Of Fools >
12. Respect

Performers:
Russell Conway: Trumpet
George Davidson: Drums
Aretha Franklin: Piano, Vocals
Carolyn Franklin: Vocals, Vocals (Background)
Gary Illingworth: Piano

I don't have to tell you not only what a legend she is, but how much all of our prayers are with her for a speedy recovery. And just a reminder of why she will forever be known as The Queen Of Soul.

Happy New Year from the gang at Newstalgia.

In an interesting twist, the world of Trade and our Foreign Trade policy had more to do with our lack of imports than our ability to export overseas. We were exporting roughly twice what we were importing.

Obviously, that's not the case today. The picture former Governor and twice-Presidential candidate paints is one where our Foreign Trade is out of balance and that we are danger of becoming isolated as the result. Stevenson calls for a relaxation of tariff's in order to stimulate competition among imports. And since our workforce is healthy, based on the amount of exports we send, the potential lower prices of imported goods would provide a stimulant for economy.

The world in 1958 wasn't about High-tech, we were still mostly about raw materials. Our Agricultural output was still the largest in the world. The technical revolution hadn't happened yet. And the rest of the world was still rebuilding from the effects of World War 2.

In contrast today our imports no doubt far outstrip what we're exporting. The whole concept of Multi-national companies and outsourcing weren't even heard of when Stevenson made this address.

So it's interesting to draw comparisons to the world now versus the world then. Would it have become any different if the circumstances and the technology were any different. Hard to tell.

Did our de-regulation mania, begun with the Nixon Administration help or ultimately hurt our economy, or work force? Hard to tell.

But at any rate, here is what Adlai Stevenson had to say on the subject, from an address given on March 27, 1958.

Back over to the French Radio transcriptions this weekend for a performance by Gaby Casadesus and the Pascal String Quartet of music of the legendary French Pianist Robert Casadesus.

This weekend it's his Quintet for Piano and String Quartet from this circa 1958 Studio Broadcast performance.

The legendary Pianist and interpreter of other composer's works was a composer of note himself as this piece will attest.

Since the name Nelson Rockefeller has been brought up lately with regards to the current state of the GOP and the 2012 election, I ran across this Meet The Press interview with Nelson Rockefeller on the subject of his tax proposals to President Eisenhower, but really about whether or not he was planning on running for Governor of New York.

In doing a tap dance routine that would make Gregory Hines proud, Rockefeller skirts and double-skirts around the issue of running for the State House.

As a Moderate-bordering-on-Liberal Republican, his views were more in line with the Democratic Party than his own and he served in various capacities in the Roosevelt, Truman as well as Eisenhower administrations. His particular brand of politics as a Rockefeller Republican came to become the description of anyone in the Republican Party who espoused moderate values, often accompanied with ridicule.

He left a considerable involvement in Public Service in 1956 to concentrate on New York politics and, contrary to his dodging of the question during this Meet The Press installment he ultimately ran, and successfully won four terms as Governor before his brief appearance as vice-President during the Ford years.

Here is that Meet The Press from April 20, 1958 featuring Lawrence Spivak and Company.

With talk today about creating a"No-Fly Zone" over Libya in response to the continuing crisis over Gadaffi, I keep wondering how wise a move of that sort is. Historically, there has always been some sort of physical involvement with European or American forces in the region whenever a crisis looms. One of the gratifying aspects to the current situations in Tunisia and Egypt is that we purposely kept a hands-off approach to the crisis, allowing that thing called "the right of self-determination" to take hold. And even though our intentions may be pure and humanitarian, we still have a long enough history in the region to remind those on the streets that our efforts in the past have not always been the most pure and forthright. We have often arrived, but with strings attached. Many years ago it was the result of the Cold War that U.S. aid to those regions came flooding in because it was feared the Soviet Union would jump in as well. But now we have the opportunity to do things differently for the first time perhaps ever.

Case in point about our past involvements in the Middle East; here is a broadcast from the CBS Radio series Radio Beat which centers around the crisis in 1958 concerning Lebanon. At the center of the controversy was pro-Western Lebanese President Camille Chamoun who, at the time of this broadcast (June 26th, 1958) was trying to maintain an air of normalcy about the growing rebellion in his country.

Howard K. Smith (CBS News): “Mister President, some aspects of the conflict are mystifying to the American public, I would like to ask you what exactly was the original cause of the trouble in Lebanon?”

President Camille Chamoun (Pres. Of Lebanon): “Well, it is simply the desire of the United Arab Republic to dominate the policy of this country.”

Smith: “Well, it is said that the original cause was a decision by you to try to be elected for a second term as President, is there any truth in that?

Chamoun: “The election or re-election of the President in any country is simply a domestic affair. It happened in the past, that Lebanon has elected many Presidents, it has re-elected one President, and nothing happened of that kind between government and opposition. The fact that there is an armed rebellion today and that these armed rebellions has been assisted with financial support, military equipment, volunteers and terrorists coming from Egypt and Syria, is the proof that the domestic issue was only a pretext for the United Arab Republic to start this problem with the ultimate aim of dominating the policy of Lebanon.”

Less than a week later, Chamoun made an urgent plea to the U.S. for military aid and we sent in the Marines. The rebellion was quashed and Chamoun remained in power for at least another month when it was politely yet firmly suggested by our State Department that Chamoun step down in order that another hand-picked candidate assume the Presidency.

Granted, this was right in the middle of the Cold War and it was a popularity contest between Washington and Moscow, but these superpower interventions (no matter which ideological side of the fence) in the domestic affairs of a country are not without their paybacks. And as we've seen in the case of Iran, can blow up in our faces. And we react with surprise and dismay when we really have no reason to - we brought it all on ourselves.

When we take on the role of World's Policeman or dabble in Nation Building we set ourselves up to accept the blame for everything that goes wrong with the domestic inner-workings of a nation - the fault and all the blame rests on us because we insisted on buying into it. The current situation that's brewing in Iraq is a case in point. We've been painted over and over in the region of the Middle East because we insist in meddling in affairs that don't belong to us.

And Lebanon in 1958 was certainly no different. Hopefully Libya in 2011 will be. Just sayin'.

(Sherman Adams - aka: The Abominable No-Man)

With charges of Ethics violations flying around Capitol Hill today, it's good to remember these things have a history. And it ain't always Democrats.

Take for example, Sherman Adams, former Governor of New Hampshire and Assistant to President Eisenhower. Adams wielded an incredible amount of power in the Eisenhower White House, influencing decisions by influencing which people had access to Ike and which ones didn't. Rumors began circulating that Adams had been involved in intervening on certain investigations involving the FCC and the Civil Aeronautics Board.

But the straw came in the form of a Vicuna coat, which Adams was said to have received in exchange for favors from Bernard Goldfine, a textile manufacturer and campaign contributor to Adams as well as numerous personal gifts/loans (and a house in D.C. shortly after his appointment).

As the scandal gained speed, and revelations of loans, gifts and favors continued to surface, Eisenhower could no longer keep Adams in his role as Assistant to The President, especially since it was an election year and the scandal could create damage to some key elections.

Sherman Adams: “Several months ago a committee of the House of Representatives started hearings designed to illicit information as to whether or not any person or persons had exerted improper influence upon the regulatory agencies of the Government. In the course of these hearings I testified before that committee. The sworn testimony that I then gave, together with that of every responsible official of whom the committee made inquiry, clearly established that I had never influenced nor attempted to influence any agency or officer or employee of any agency, in any case, decision or matter whatsoever. Despite the fact that this testimony is wholly undisputed, a calculated and contrived effort has nevertheless been made to attack and to discredit me.”

So Adams resigned on September 22, 1958 and quickly faded into the woodwork until his death in 1986.

And the Ethics scandals just keep on comin'.

Something special today via Swiss Radio from December 4, 1958, a complete concert from Zurich featuring Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers and one of the truly memorable lineups featuring Benny Golson, Art Farmer, Bobby Timmons and Jymie Merrit.

Here is the track lineup:

Now's The Time 13.17
The Theme 6.49
Moanin 14.31
Whisper Not 11.05
Evidence (aka: Justice) 6.14
I Remember Clifford 7.59
Just By Myself 6.45
Along Came Betty 11.59
My Funny Valentine 5.23
Come Rain Or Come Shine 8.48
Night In Tunisia 9.07

The concert is complete and runs just a little over 90 minutes. So, I split it just about down the middle with part one up top and part two down here starting with the intro to Evidence.

Enjoy.

(A Christmas Sing With Bing - 1958. Guilty pleasure)

For those of you (and I guess there are a lot) who despise Christmas, this particular post ain't for you.

But since this is a blog dealing with aspects of our popular culture, present and past, you can't really let the season go without a nod to what was, for a very long time, an American Institution - Bing Crosby.

Every Christmas eve, like clockwork, CBS radio would blare out their annual "Christmas Sing With Bing" all throughout the 1950s and into the early 1960s, when TV took over with their Christmas extravaganzas and radio was promptly abandoned.

This Christmas Sing With Bing from 1958 was typical of the tradition with a heavy emphasis on the religious aspect of Christmas, not so much the consumer part. There is also a nod to the events of the past year, with a piece on the Nautilus and our newest state Alaska. The first "Sing With Bing" in 1955 was issued on lp by Decca (now Universal), and became a staple of their Christmas catalogue well into the CD era.

Crosby died in 1977 and with him went this tradition. He's pretty much relegated now to annual marathons of "White Christmas" and "Holiday Inn", but I thought you might enjoy a one hour dose of what the season used to be like fifty years ago. If you've never heard this before, I'd be curious to know your impressions. To you it may seem odd and quaint, a relic of a distant past. It was part of my culture of growing up and sometimes those impressions can be muddled. I took it for granted and never thought it would be any different.

We live in such interesting times. But nonetheless, it's Christmas Eve and we're almost at the close of another decade. And as with everything in life, it constantly changes and never remains the same.

Enjoy the holidays and thanks for all your support this first year of Newstalgia.

Oh yeah . . .and that too . .(click on the donate button if you can)

With the stunning and sad news of the passing of author, philosopher and icon Ray Bradbury today, I ran through a mental catalog of his many milestone works and found it overwhelming. Probably one of the most gifted and keen minds the 20th Century had to offer, Bradbury painted a world perhaps more prophetic than fantastic, more visionary than imagined, more real than fancied.

As way of tribute, I ran across this brief excerpt from an interview done in 1958 where he explains the premise of his landmark novel Fahrenheit 451.

In 1958 he explained his reason for writing a piece on the willful and systematic destruction of books, with a sense of optimism that the climate that spawned the piece (the McCarthy era and book censorship) had passed and our culture was becoming more enlightened.

In retrospect, he may have spoken too fast. But then, history has that awful tendency to repeat.

Thank you Ray, for being one-of-a-kind. We do however, need you back right about now.

A typical March 28th day in the Cold War world.

Beginning with word from Capitol Hill that the House Appropriations Committee voted to give President Eisenhower authority to spend the 1959 Budget in 1958. The unprecedented move was brought about to stimulate business and an attempt to bring the economy out of the doldrums.

Also on Capitol Hill - the Senate Appropriated funds for the Civil Rights Commission and UAW President Walter Reuther was testifying before the Senate Rackets Committee.

In other parts of the world - The Liberal Party in Britain won it's first election in over 29 years. Saudi Arabia ended it's $14Million subsidy to Jordan. U.S. Military aid to Yugoslavia officially ended on this day and Volkswagen workers in Germany went on a one hour strike to protest calls to arm German troops with Nuclear weapons.

The rest of this broadcast was given over to commentary regarding the new rise of power from Nikita Khruschev in Moscow, how it was viewed by the Press throughout the world. How the British Press regarded the newly emerging Khruschev from "We must try and get on reasonable terms with the Soviet Union, no matter who is running the country" to "More dangerous than Stalin".

Only time would tell where Nikita Khruschev would fall in those assessments.

And that's how it went this March 28th in 1958, via Cedric Foster News and Commentary over the Mutual Broacasting System.