Dark Angel Hovering...

It is gonna be hard to ignore the virus.

It's like a black cloud hanging over everything. Or a Dark Angel hovering. Or a gorilla sitting on our collective consciousness. 2020 = The New Dark Ages.

I tune into the radio as usual, this a.m. and all the news is dark, and will probably get darker. More illness. More death. Hard to put your thoughts anywhere else. It is topic #1.

Laying low. Hanging tight. Carrying on. Social-Distancing. Frequently hand-washing. Our mission is to stay healthy. Try our best to avoid that invisible menace.

The a.m. soundtrack - The Rolling Stones' England's Newest Hit Makers - the U.S. Edition. (1964). A blast of exuberant r&b and blues from a much more innocent time. 5 musicians in a room recorded directly to tape. 33:24 of fun & excitement. I love the rawness of the tracks, the tight, but loose ensemble playing. Andrew Loog Oldman's amateur production is a feature. Nothing fancy. Brian Jones & Keith Richards do that great interlocking guitar weave. Charlie and Bill are a fabulous drum/bass combo. Mick Jagger is a charismatic frontman. Believe it. A confident band. They know they are onto something super-cool. Promising. Their original, "Tell Me," (later featured in Martin Scorsese's "Mean Streets), is a good one. So many favorites. Covers of songs from Willie Dixon, Jimmy Reed, Chuck Berry, Rufus Thomas, Buddy Holly, James Moore, Holland & Dozier. These young cats had great taste. And they back it up. All the elements of a great band are there from the start.