August 20, 2012-

Scott sang a gentle song that became a hit and something of a theme song for 1967's "Summer of Love."

Scott McKenzie, best known for San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers in Your Hair, died Saturday in Los Angeles. He was 73. According to the singer's website, he "had been very ill recently and passed away in his home after two weeks in hospital." The Associated Press says he "had battled Guillain-Barre Syndrome, a disease that affects the nervous system, and had been in and out of the hospital since 2010."

San Francisco, the AP reminds us, was written by John Phillips of The Mamas and the Paps. McKenzie could write songs as well. He co-wrote The Beach Boys' 1988 hit Kokomo.

Hang on to your hats, folks, it’s Frank Zappa time! Love ‘im or Hate ‘im, you have to admit that Zappa was an all-American original. Virtuoso guitarist, ground-breaking jazz-fusion orchestral arranger, and scathing social satirist, Zappa stood alone against legions of corporate sycophants, carving out a successful empire built from sheer hubris and talent. Plus, he was funny as hell.

In this cut from his 1973 Over-nite Sensation album, all of the classic Zappa elements are on display: the ironic lead vocal, the blistering guitar solo, the off-beat background harmonies (courtesy of Tina Turner and the Ikettes) and a suite of tempo and time changes. And, all in the service of the silliest, yet most relatable of premises: that fantasy of breaking away from the pack to live life on one’s own terms… as a dental floss rancher.

I was 11 when the Beatles first appeared in America, and I literallyowe my life, my career, and my marriage to the guitar I bought and learned to play because of their influence. I have the entire Beatles catalogue on 8 Track, including the post break up solo albums, so picking one for the return of Captain Billy’s Magic 8 Ball presented a real quandary.

Rich suggested, and rightfully so, that we celebrate Let It Be, that benighted lesser effort, released at the tail end of their partnership, because of the recent revelations made manifest by Peter Jackson’s Get Back, with its lovingly restored footage, that documents Let It Be’s creation.

That film put to rest the mistaken belief that the boys were at each other’s throats the whole time that they were grinding this record out. On the contrary, we witnessed them stripping everything back to the basics, and enjoying their collaboration as one of the world’s greatest live bands - even if it was only for one time, on a roof top.