Old Enough to Forget

For a dollar I'll buy pretty much anything if it strikes my fancy. Olivia Newton-John had a remarkable career, first with her country era, then her silver screen turns. She played Sandy Black Tights in Grease which was a hit, although I hated it on principal at the time. But dagnabbit, those pants. Then there was the movie no one saw, Xanadu but everyone heard songs from the soundtrack on the radio. Then came the sweaty headband and the song radio would ... not ... stop ... playing. "Physical" I mean it was everywhere, and it was everywhere for what seemed like FOREVER. I'm sure this was the evil origin story of The Leg Warmer Invasion. Jane Fonda entered the fray, and then suddenly we were glued to the TV watching The 20 Minute Workout,  where the women were all able to place their palms on the floor and look directly at you while they had their backsides facing the camera. Yeah, the '80s. Raise your glass, they were the best of times ... they were the best of ti...

Don't judge me. It showed up in the dollar bin, and it was in pretty good shape and over the years my appreciation for their stuff has actually surprised me. Unless you were a hardcore fan who thought they'd jumped the shark on an ironing board after their initial run in the '60s this collection was all you'd ever need. When I was living through disco hell first hand in real time a lot of what was passing for music just seemed so basic and lifeless. Oh sure it had a beat, it had to have a beat so you could zombie dance as you jerked from one foot to another and occasionally moved your arms. Of course there were always a few who knew a few moves and expected you and everyone else to form a circle and clap for them. Then there was the stuff by the Bee Gees. There was nothing basic or simple about their arrangements. Even then I secretly liked a lot of what I heard. You had to give a nod to good when you heard it. They were next level, and they knew it ... and for a few sh...