Angie's Life - The Soundtrack Part 1

The Ojays - Ship Ahoy
Santana - Abraxas
War- The World Is A Ghetto, Cisco Kid

I was listening to a song while riding in the car the other day and it brought me back. I mean way back. I was maybe five or six years old. I remember it like it was yesterday.

I'm sitting in an orange bean bag chair. The room is furnished with bean bags carpet and string art all over the wall. There was a "psychedelic" light that made the string glow in the dark. In the corner of the room on the carpeted floor sat the 8 track stereo and record player. (I'm dating myself here.) The window panes were painted dark blue. Yes I did say painted. There were several burn marks on the carpet as this was my daddy's uhm let's see how to say this, his "Reflection Room". There was also a Rolling Stones album cover that was made like a pair of jeans on the front. There was a zipper and everything! I can not tell you how many times I unzipped it to see the bulging white briefs inside. The amount of weed smoked in this room was surpassed only by the amount of good music played in it.

My daddy appreciated good weed and good music. He always managed to have an abundance of both. He planted the seed for my appreciation for good music.

I can remember sitting in that bean bag with my head back, just listening. Ship Ahoy is some deep shit when you are six years old, and probably experiencing a contact high. The sounds from within the slave ships, the pounding of the ocean, whips and chains.......and the deep bass voices and the melancholy of the chorus....."ship ahoy, ship ahoy, ship ahoy............." It was overwhelming. It was sad and it was beautiful all at the same time.

I think that was the moment I learned that music could do anything. It could evoke a plethora of emotions. Make you see images, smell scents, dance, sing, cry, hate, laugh and love. Santana, War, Teddy Pendergrass and so many more stick in my head today because of that time and because of that room.