Dispatch No.1: A Hot Dry Season – the Designer’s 1966 Audiophilic Playlist

While trying to keep pop culture at a minimum inside A Hot Dry Season: Operation Attleboro in War Zone C (AHDS), I do pretty much love period pop culture. And I really dig music.   I own some vinyl and love weird, interesting and extended tracks of every kind of music you can think of.  So, I thought I’d share out a 41-song playlist of the tunes I groove to.  When I was designing, developing, participating in playtests and now playing AHDS.  The full playlist on YouTube is at the end of this Dispatch, and the songs are below with some videos embedded and some commentary on those.  All songs are from 1966, and some have some themes about Seasons, Winter and other stuff that may parlay to or reference the War, the Operation or the game.  And some are just damn good timeless, revolutionary music you might enjoy.

 

The Who – “A Quick One While He’s Away”

The first mini-opera, when The Who really started to come into their own.  As well, possibly the best live band, ever.  I cheated and used a clip from 1968.  Because The Who must be listened to live. Always.

Donovan – “Season of the Witch”

Enough said.

 

Donovan – “Sunshine Superman”

13^th Floor Elevators – “You’re Gonna Miss Me”

The Rolling Stones – “Out of Time (Aftermath Album Version)”

This may not show up – it may be premium YouTube content.  But the version on “Aftermath” is the must listen version of this one.

The Rolling Stones – “Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby, Standing in the Shadow”

The Byrds – “Eight Miles High”

This extended version is the way to go with Gene Clark’s masterpiece.

The Monkees – “Last Train to Clarksville”

The Monkees get little respect, and this is unfortunate for many reasons.  This song, about a soldier shipping out from Fort Campbell with his unit on the way to Vietnam is reason number 156.

The Yardbirds – “Shapes of Things”

The Yardbirds – “Over, Under, Sideways, Down”

Jefferson Airplane – “Chauffeur Blues”

Cream – “Toad”

Ginger Baker leads the way….

Cream – “I’m So Glad”

Jimi Hendrix Experience – “Hey Joe”

Them – “Its All Over Now, Baby Blue”

The Supremes – “You Just Keep Me Hanging On”

The Supremes – “Love is Like an Itching in My Heart”

This YouTuber mosogotam takes Motown and other original studio tracks and remixes them.  So you get the full on Funk Brothers treatment.  It’s a funky paradise.

The Spencer Davis Group – “Gimme Some Lovin’”

The Spencer Davis Group – “I’m a Man”

My god, its full of stars…

Black Monks – “Monk Time”

Stevie Wonder – “Uptight (Everything’s Alright)”

Small Faces – “Whatcha Gonna Do About It”

Marvin Gaye – “Ain’t That Peculiar”

Mothers of Invention – “Trouble Every Day”

Zappa.

The Beatles – “Paperback Writer”

Maybe my favorite Beatles song.  Maybe “Tomorrow Never Knows”.  Fantastic.  The are SO high in this video.

The Beatles – “Rain”

The Beatles – “Tomorrow Never Knows”

See above.

Ike & Tina Turner – “River Deep – Mountain High”

Simon & Garfunkel – “A Hazy Shade of Winter”

Simon & Garfunkel – “A Simple Desultory Philippic (or How I Was Robert McNamara’d into Submission)”

Bob Dylan and Bob McNamara get in an argument.  Paul Simon writes it down and records it.  Ever been Maxwell Taylor’d and Robert McNamara’d?

The Hollies – “Bus Stop”

Waylon Jennings – “(That’s What You Get) For Lovin’ Me”

The original outlaw.

The Seeds – “Mr. Farmer”

Junior Walker & The Allstars – “(I’m A) Roadrunner”

Sgt. Barry Sadler – “Ballad of the Green Berets”

Mitch Ryder & the Detroit Wheels – “Devil With A Blue Dress On / Good Golly Miss Molly”

Detroit rock and roll is rock and rollier than any other rock and roll.  Fight me.

Mitch Ryder & the Detroit Wheels – “C.C. Rider/Jenny Take a Ride”

The Count Five – “Psychotic Reaction”

The Velvet Underground and Nico – “All Tomorrow’s Parties”

VU and Barry Sadler on the same list! 

A blackened shroud, a hand-me-down gown

Of rags and silks, a costume

Fit for one who sits and cries

For all tomorrow’s parties.

Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, Keith Moon, Nicky Hopkins, John Paul Jones – “Beck’s Bolero”

OK, now…you did see that artist list above, right?

Bob Dylan – “Visions of Johanna”

Blonde on Blonde may be Bob Dylan’s best album.  Visions of Johanna may be the best song on that album.  This alternate take with The Band may be the best version of that song.

And there you go!  Let me be the first game designer to have provided a music playlist to have on when you play his wargame!