Tommy James & The Shondells — Crystal Blue Persuasion
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Look over yonder
What do you see?
The sun is a-risin'
Most definitely
A new day is comin', whoo-hoo
People are changin'
Ain't it beautiful, whoo-hoo
Crystal blue persuasion
Better get ready
Gonna see the light
Love, love is the answer, whoo-hoo
And that's all right
So don't you give up now, whoo-hoo
It's so easy to find
Just look to your soul (Look to your soul)
And open your mind
Crystal blue persuasion
Mm-hmm
It's a new vibration
Crystal blue persuasion
Crystal
Blue persuasion
Maybe tomorrow
When he looks down
On every green field, whoo-hoo
And every town
All of his children
In every nation
There'll be peace and good
Brotherhood
Crystal blue persuasion
Yeah
Crystal blue persuasion, aha
Crystal blue persuasion, aha
Crystal blue persuasion, aha (Oh)
Crystal blue persuasion, aha
Crystal blue persuasion, aha
Crystal blue persuasion, aha
Crystal blue persuasion, aha
What do you see?
The sun is a-risin'
Most definitely
A new day is comin', whoo-hoo
People are changin'
Ain't it beautiful, whoo-hoo
Crystal blue persuasion
Better get ready
Gonna see the light
Love, love is the answer, whoo-hoo
And that's all right
So don't you give up now, whoo-hoo
It's so easy to find
Just look to your soul (Look to your soul)
And open your mind
Crystal blue persuasion
Mm-hmm
It's a new vibration
Crystal blue persuasion
Crystal
Blue persuasion
Maybe tomorrow
When he looks down
On every green field, whoo-hoo
And every town
All of his children
In every nation
There'll be peace and good
Brotherhood
Crystal blue persuasion
Yeah
Crystal blue persuasion, aha
Crystal blue persuasion, aha
Crystal blue persuasion, aha (Oh)
Crystal blue persuasion, aha
Crystal blue persuasion, aha
Crystal blue persuasion, aha
Crystal blue persuasion, aha
Comments (135)add comment
Summer of '69, WABC-AM on my radio at Manasquan Beach, this song and so many others making memorable moments while baking there in the sand. Heck, all my summers from the time I was born 'til I turned 17 were at Manasquan Beach and all that great music of the time pouring forth from my portable radio. Man.
ImaOldman wrote:
Summer of '87? Subtract about 18 years or so and you're in the ballpark....
Summer of '87, free concert at base of Centennial lift in Beaver Creek dancing with girlfriend du jour, life is good...
Summer of '87? Subtract about 18 years or so and you're in the ballpark....
10'd it, I'm in that kinda mood this mornin : P
Summer of '87, free concert at base of Centennial lift in Beaver Creek dancing with girlfriend du jour, life is good...
This recording survives very well. Doesn't hurt at all that the individual parts are played very well, particularly acoustic guitar. Bongos and Hammond organ are classic from the era and fit very well. Nice stereo separation.
pigtail wrote:
Reminds me of something different: Cooking with Walt
Reminds me of something different: Cooking with Walt
Funny how musical styles come full circle..
I'd never heard this before, and was convinced it had to be some 90s outfit from Manchester attempting a retro sound.
In a way, maybe that speaks well of Tommy James!
I'd never heard this before, and was convinced it had to be some 90s outfit from Manchester attempting a retro sound.
In a way, maybe that speaks well of Tommy James!
When this song came up toward the end of Breaking Bad, I wondered whether they'd planned from the very beginning to use it.
We need some of that now. Crystal Blue Persuasion
Love this old stuff...
Lots of ol' timers on this thread. Hilarious.
CFRA-AM, Ottawa here. This song was enjoyable even on an awful sound system.
CFRA-AM, Ottawa here. This song was enjoyable even on an awful sound system.
grahamdillabough wrote:
Reminds me of something different: Cooking with Walt
Hearing this brought me up short!....
Wow... great song. I had to stop what i was doing to listen.
Graham
Somewhere in Kuwait....
Wow... great song. I had to stop what i was doing to listen.
Graham
Somewhere in Kuwait....
Reminds me of something different: Cooking with Walt
Hearing this brought me up short!....
Wow... great song. I had to stop what i was doing to listen.
Graham
Somewhere in Kuwait....
Wow... great song. I had to stop what i was doing to listen.
Graham
Somewhere in Kuwait....
on the first album I ever owned.
hay I was 10 ok.
Still have it somewhere in the stacks.
hay I was 10 ok.
Still have it somewhere in the stacks.
jsd52756 wrote:
That's a great way to put it. Junior high school, nervous as a whore in church. Trying to get the nerve up to ask a girl to dance.
-John
"nervous as a whore in church" -
That's a great way to put it. Junior high school, nervous as a whore in church. Trying to get the nerve up to ask a girl to dance.
-John
"nervous as a whore in church" -
ddstanford wrote:
That's a great way to put it. Junior high school, nervous as a whore in church. Trying to get the nerve up to ask a girl to dance.
-John
One has to rate the song which was your first slow dance at least an 8!
That's a great way to put it. Junior high school, nervous as a whore in church. Trying to get the nerve up to ask a girl to dance.
-John
Good morning Mr White!
Ah, a little dose of blue-eyed soul.
In a 1985 interview in Hitch magazine, James said the title of the song came to him while he was reading the Biblical Book of Revelation:
I took the title from the Book of Revelations in the Bible, reading about the New Jerusalem. The words jumped out at me, and they're not together; they're spread out over three or four verses. But it seemed to go together, it's my favorite of all my songs and one of our most requested.
According to James's manager, James was actually inspired by his readings of the Book of Ezekiel, which (he remembered as) speaking of a blue Shekhinah light that represented the presence of the Almighty God, and of the Book of Isaiah and Book of Revelation, which tell of a future age of brotherhood of mankind, living in peace and harmony.
papersitter wrote:
9 years old...the radio is playing...life is good...and so is this.
Suddenly it's summer and I'm 8 years old and this is all over the radio.
9 years old...the radio is playing...life is good...and so is this.
papersitter wrote:
not a bad place to be
Suddenly it's summer and I'm 8 years old and this is all over the radio.
not a bad place to be
Suddenly it's summer and I'm 8 years old and this is all over the radio.
There's nothing wrong with a little cheese on Christmas Eve. ; )
sirdroseph wrote:
I didn't either when this was a HUGE radio smash back then. It didn't match up to Led Zeppelin, Hendrix, Cream, Doors, Traffic, et al., which is where I was at.
But now I really appreciate it, probably due to its nostalgia. It's also very listenable. And I like how these oldies are mixed in with all of the other genres we hear here. That's generally how I listen to my own collection, thanks to MP3s and digital audio players running in random mode, ala RP.
Never liked these guys.
I didn't either when this was a HUGE radio smash back then. It didn't match up to Led Zeppelin, Hendrix, Cream, Doors, Traffic, et al., which is where I was at.
But now I really appreciate it, probably due to its nostalgia. It's also very listenable. And I like how these oldies are mixed in with all of the other genres we hear here. That's generally how I listen to my own collection, thanks to MP3s and digital audio players running in random mode, ala RP.
Heisenberg´s song!
grahamdillabough wrote:
Tommy James has been doing reunion tours recently in the past few years.
Wow... this band was so good! Whatever happened to them?
Brings a smile to my face.
Brings a smile to my face.
Tommy James has been doing reunion tours recently in the past few years.
Ah,
Days of youth long gone
summertime hot, cicadas singing
cool water in the creek
nowhere to go
man we had it all
Days of youth long gone
summertime hot, cicadas singing
cool water in the creek
nowhere to go
man we had it all
One has to rate the song which was your first slow dance at least an 8!
Troutnskibum wrote:
Meth.
Crystal Blue persuasion
.... LSD?
.... LSD?Meth.
Crystal Blue persuasion.... LSD?
.... LSD?such a fabulous tune....lots of memories
Hammond organ.....wooooooooooooo
Hammond organ.....wooooooooooooo
Wow... this band was so good! Whatever happened to them?
Brings a smile to my face.
Brings a smile to my face.
Wonderful song, reminds me Of going fishing with my friend Keith.
...walking into the student union at EIU, faux suede pants, cool black shirt. Hot summer day, getting a coke and this song is playing.
In my mind, this song is now immediately associated with Breaking Bad...
fredriley wrote:
Hah! That's nothin' - I remember valve radios. Not that they were especially portable, mind you
The father of a friend graduated engineering in the 50s. His grad paper was about the vacuum tube and he assured us that the paper was cutting edge :) He also claimed that vacuum tubes were still in use in submarines at least into the 80s. Apparently they had some advantage in those circumstances but I don't remember what that advantage was supposed to be if I ever knew.
Hah! That's nothin' - I remember valve radios. Not that they were especially portable, mind you
The father of a friend graduated engineering in the 50s. His grad paper was about the vacuum tube and he assured us that the paper was cutting edge :) He also claimed that vacuum tubes were still in use in submarines at least into the 80s. Apparently they had some advantage in those circumstances but I don't remember what that advantage was supposed to be if I ever knew.
Ah yeah. Maybe a little bubble gum but it sure takes me back to some good feelings. When it first came on I thought, "ahhh Rascals" but it's not. Still a sweet song. Thanks Bill.
Amen to that:
n4ku wrote:
n4ku wrote:
Transports me to junior high school. That was a dark time for me, but music was kind of my savior. This song was one of the musical highlights of that time. Thanks for the memories Bill.
BlueHeronDruid wrote:
Yes! On the transistor radio, at the beach. Early 70's?
Yes! This song totally brings back that warm sun, sand, beach memory...
Yes! On the transistor radio, at the beach. Early 70's?
Yes! This song totally brings back that warm sun, sand, beach memory...
gypsyman wrote:
Sure you want to know? :)
Unfortunately, we still don't know what a Shondell is.
nalle wrote:Sure you want to know? :)
Shondell (n): a backup musician, singer, or dancer, who is not otherwise important enough to have a name. Typically found in the company of a primary musician, singer, or dancer, who is important enough to have the name "Tommy James."
one of the great songs about drug addiction....right up there with Velvet Underground "waiting for my man" and Third eye Blind "semi-charmed"
Along with the Rascals, Tommy James & The Shondells were mid-60s avatars of blue-eyed soul. Yeah, the lyric content was, um, different, but both the instrumental and vocal arrangements could have come right out of an Impressions session. In the middle of psychedelic heyday, stuff like this took moxie, so you admire him at least for that. But I like his work, "Mony, Mony" and "I Think We're Alone Now."
nah bill, it ain't hip yet. still bubble gum pop. nostalgia distorts the ratings. 3 tops. grin. 
treatment_bound wrote:
That could lead to some hanky panky.
1st time I've heard TJ on RP...and it's cool with me! This guy could crank out some singles. Sweet Cherry Wine, anyone?
That could lead to some hanky panky.
Chillax
"peace and good......brotherhood"......yeah!
Transports me to junior high school. That was a dark time for me, but music was kind of my savior. This song was one of the musical highlights of that time. Thanks for the memories Bill.
For songs like this I listen RP.
Thanks for this Bill, but why call the song "lame" (I think you said)? Or sappy? I found it fun and still do. It gives me a warm feeling and not just for nostalgia but also cause it's a caring song that simply sounds nice...not great writing musically or lyrically but not the worst either. Thanks again!
Translation from British English to American English: ''valve'' = ''tube''—-replaced eventually by the transistor.
fredriley wrote:
Hah! That's nothin' - I remember valve radios. Not that they were especially portable, mind you
. I also remember building very basic radio sets with transistors (usually burning them out because I didn't know how to solder properly), diodes, capacitors and tuning coils. Again, those weren't right portable, or even working...
I think folk these days, when you've millions of transistors etched on a microchip, forget just how revolutionary the transistor was in the 60s, and why the phrase 'solid state' (meaning transistor circuits) was such a strong selling point for electronic items, including high-end stereo amps. The transistor has to be up there in the top 10 of world-shaking inventions. Portable transistor radios were the 'must have' cool item in those days, particularly for music and football (soccer, to youse across the Pond) fans. Transistor radios had the same kudos then as iPods do these days. Really.
Ok, that's enough of All Our Yesterdays...
fredriley wrote:
Hah! That's nothin' - I remember valve radios. Not that they were especially portable, mind you
. I also remember building very basic radio sets with transistors (usually burning them out because I didn't know how to solder properly), diodes, capacitors and tuning coils. Again, those weren't right portable, or even working...I think folk these days, when you've millions of transistors etched on a microchip, forget just how revolutionary the transistor was in the 60s, and why the phrase 'solid state' (meaning transistor circuits) was such a strong selling point for electronic items, including high-end stereo amps. The transistor has to be up there in the top 10 of world-shaking inventions. Portable transistor radios were the 'must have' cool item in those days, particularly for music and football (soccer, to youse across the Pond) fans. Transistor radios had the same kudos then as iPods do these days. Really.
Ok, that's enough of All Our Yesterdays...
The woo hoo backing vocals are spot on for the Eagles 'In the city'.
Thanks Billl...........
Yeah, I remember leering at Cathie Filteau's sexy teenage thighs prominently displayed by her miniskirt in Grade 10 Biology class as I replayed TJ + TS song Mony Mony in my head...sigh + whimper
stevano wrote:
stevano wrote:
OK Bill, Now you've gone and made me want to hear "Crimson & Clover" again.
Very nice! 
Brought a HUGE smile to my face, thanks Bill :-)
Never liked these guys.
gypsyman wrote:
Sure you want to know? :)
Unfortunately, we still don't know what a Shondell is.
Sure you want to know? :)
RobRyan wrote:
Funny. I remember, and can still picture, my first transistor radio. It was a Hitachi and I probably got it in about 1963 or thereabouts. Remember when such radios used to proudly display how many transistors they had on the case? My Hitachi was an "eight transistor" model and was vastly superior, I'm sure, to my friend's "six transistor."
Hah! That's nothin' - I remember valve radios. Not that they were especially portable, mind you. I also remember building very basic radio sets with transistors (usually burning them out because I didn't know how to solder properly), diodes, capacitors and tuning coils. Again, those weren't right portable, or even working...
I think folk these days, when you've millions of transistors etched on a microchip, forget just how revolutionary the transistor was in the 60s, and why the phrase 'solid state' (meaning transistor circuits) was such a strong selling point for electronic items, including high-end stereo amps. The transistor has to be up there in the top 10 of world-shaking inventions. Portable transistor radios were the 'must have' cool item in those days, particularly for music and football (soccer, to youse across the Pond) fans. Transistor radios had the same kudos then as iPods do these days. Really.
Ok, that's enough of All Our Yesterdays...
Funny. I remember, and can still picture, my first transistor radio. It was a Hitachi and I probably got it in about 1963 or thereabouts. Remember when such radios used to proudly display how many transistors they had on the case? My Hitachi was an "eight transistor" model and was vastly superior, I'm sure, to my friend's "six transistor."
Hah! That's nothin' - I remember valve radios. Not that they were especially portable, mind you
. I also remember building very basic radio sets with transistors (usually burning them out because I didn't know how to solder properly), diodes, capacitors and tuning coils. Again, those weren't right portable, or even working...I think folk these days, when you've millions of transistors etched on a microchip, forget just how revolutionary the transistor was in the 60s, and why the phrase 'solid state' (meaning transistor circuits) was such a strong selling point for electronic items, including high-end stereo amps. The transistor has to be up there in the top 10 of world-shaking inventions. Portable transistor radios were the 'must have' cool item in those days, particularly for music and football (soccer, to youse across the Pond) fans. Transistor radios had the same kudos then as iPods do these days. Really.
Ok, that's enough of All Our Yesterdays...
blkstd wrote:
Great summer. I was still in high school!
I remember hearing it at college in the summer of 1969.
martinc wrote:
martinc wrote:
Only LP I ever won. It wasn't 1989 maybe more like 1970?
Great summer. I was still in high school!
Believe it...
Unfortunately, we still don't know what a Shondell is.
I first held hands with a boy to this song *sigh*
I remember hearing it at college in the summer of 1969.
martinc wrote:
martinc wrote:
Only LP I ever won. It wasn't 1989 maybe more like 1970?
Summer cicadas singin' with this song playin on my transistor radio; I'm 9 years old again. Magical. :)
Only LP I ever won. It wasn't 1989 maybe more like 1970? Had to look it up. 1969. In the sea of other great tunes that year I was embarrased to pick it up. But free music. Crimson and Clover over and over.
BlueHeronDruid wrote:
Yes! On the transistor radio, at the beach. Early 70's?
Funny. I remember, and can still picture, my first transistor radio. It was a Hitachi and I probably got it in about 1963 or thereabouts. Remember when such radios used to proudly display how many transistors they had on the case? My Hitachi was an "eight transistor" model and was vastly superior, I'm sure, to my friend's "six transistor."
Yes! On the transistor radio, at the beach. Early 70's?
Funny. I remember, and can still picture, my first transistor radio. It was a Hitachi and I probably got it in about 1963 or thereabouts. Remember when such radios used to proudly display how many transistors they had on the case? My Hitachi was an "eight transistor" model and was vastly superior, I'm sure, to my friend's "six transistor."
exceptional !!!! So much better than a lot of stuff we hear today.
FrankMc wrote:
We seem to be overlooking the larger issue of just what the heck is a Shondell?
Answered in this interview, along with tales of organized crime's ties to the music publishing biz.You know how some songs are timeless, seeming like they could have been written yesterday? This is NOT one of those songs. Horribly dated.
flyboy50 wrote:
Me too
Can we every be this happy again? I wish.
Me too
This is a great song. Is this a remix? I never noticed the horns coming in near the end there.
Groovin'...
warm...sunny...laying in the sand at the lake....freshman in high shool....whew, what a flashback....!
1st time I've heard TJ on RP...and it's cool with me! This guy could crank out some singles. Sweet Cherry Wine, anyone?
I just got sucked back to 1969 like it was yesterday... what a rush.
As a teenager on the carolina beaches we called this "Shag" music. Best of times hanging out all summer dancing with girls at the open air boardwalk club stealing a kiss definitely a more innocent time where's my 'go back' button?
Simply awesome!
Remember this as a kid when my father was stationed in San Antonio. Brings back many a memory.
Thanks Bill
Thanks Bill
Can we every be this happy again? I wish.
Oh yeah Baby!
Oh. My. God. I was soooooo in love with ... whatever her name was .... in the ninth grade. "Crystal Blue Persuasion" was the color of her eyes, I swear it.
OK Bill, Now you've gone and made me want to hear "Crimson & Clover" again.
I love this song. Each and every time I hear it. I never get tired of it, and it never fails to calm me down and give me hope. 
The anthology may be 1989, but the song is 1969.
We seem to be overlooking the larger issue of just what the heck is a Shondell?
On_The_Beach wrote:
From Wikipedia:
"The title of the song came to James while he was reading The Bible's Book of Revelation, according to James in a 1985 interview in Hitch magazine:
"I took the title from the Book of Revelations in the Bible, reading about the New Jerusalem. The words jumped out at me, and they're not together; they're spread out over three or four verses. But it seemed to go together, it's my favorite of all my songs and one of our most requested."
However some sources cite the Song of Solomon instead. It has also been suggested that this song was also inspired by a book James had read called The Truth That Leads to Eternal Life by the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society (Jehovah's Witnesses).
The book gives information about the future of mankind based on Scripture, and has a blue cover. However, according to James's manager, James was actually inspired by his reading of the Book of Ezekiel where it speaks of the Blue Shekinah Light which represented the presence of the Almighty God and the Books of Isaiah and Revelation where it speaks of a bright future of a brotherhood of mankind living in peace and harmony."
On_The_Beach wrote:
From Wikipedia:
"The title of the song came to James while he was reading The Bible's Book of Revelation, according to James in a 1985 interview in Hitch magazine:
"I took the title from the Book of Revelations in the Bible, reading about the New Jerusalem. The words jumped out at me, and they're not together; they're spread out over three or four verses. But it seemed to go together, it's my favorite of all my songs and one of our most requested."
However some sources cite the Song of Solomon instead. It has also been suggested that this song was also inspired by a book James had read called The Truth That Leads to Eternal Life by the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society (Jehovah's Witnesses).
The book gives information about the future of mankind based on Scripture, and has a blue cover. However, according to James's manager, James was actually inspired by his reading of the Book of Ezekiel where it speaks of the Blue Shekinah Light which represented the presence of the Almighty God and the Books of Isaiah and Revelation where it speaks of a bright future of a brotherhood of mankind living in peace and harmony."
dmax wrote:
From Wikipedia:
"The title of the song came to James while he was reading The Bible's Book of Revelation, according to James in a 1985 interview in Hitch magazine:
"I took the title from the Book of Revelations in the Bible, reading about the New Jerusalem. The words jumped out at me, and they're not together; they're spread out over three or four verses. But it seemed to go together, it's my favorite of all my songs and one of our most requested."
However some sources cite the Song of Solomon instead. It has also been suggested that this song was also inspired by a book James had read called The Truth That Leads to Eternal Life by the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society (Jehovah's Witnesses).
The book gives information about the future of mankind based on Scripture, and has a blue cover. However, according to James's manager, James was actually inspired by his reading of the Book of Ezekiel where it speaks of the Blue Shekinah Light which represented the presence of the Almighty God and the Books of Isaiah and Revelation where it speaks of a bright future of a brotherhood of mankind living in peace and harmony."
"I've always wanted to know...exactly what is "Crystal Blue Persuasion"
No kidding. It's a reference to a Jehovah's Witness book, traditionally blue covered. If not exactly true, it's how the Witnesses think of the song, and I tend to believe that they're correct. Blue...persuasion.
No kidding. It's a reference to a Jehovah's Witness book, traditionally blue covered. If not exactly true, it's how the Witnesses think of the song, and I tend to believe that they're correct. Blue...persuasion.
From Wikipedia:
"The title of the song came to James while he was reading The Bible's Book of Revelation, according to James in a 1985 interview in Hitch magazine:
"I took the title from the Book of Revelations in the Bible, reading about the New Jerusalem. The words jumped out at me, and they're not together; they're spread out over three or four verses. But it seemed to go together, it's my favorite of all my songs and one of our most requested."
However some sources cite the Song of Solomon instead. It has also been suggested that this song was also inspired by a book James had read called The Truth That Leads to Eternal Life by the Watchtower Bible and Tract Society (Jehovah's Witnesses).
The book gives information about the future of mankind based on Scripture, and has a blue cover. However, according to James's manager, James was actually inspired by his reading of the Book of Ezekiel where it speaks of the Blue Shekinah Light which represented the presence of the Almighty God and the Books of Isaiah and Revelation where it speaks of a bright future of a brotherhood of mankind living in peace and harmony."
So I'm singing this song to myself just a few hours ago,
thinking how I'd love to hear it, haven't heard it in ages; the music gods heard me! Sasuga Bill.
thinking how I'd love to hear it, haven't heard it in ages; the music gods heard me! Sasuga Bill. Ropes wrote:
Yes! On the transistor radio, at the beach. Early 70's?
God love it. I'm a kid again and listening to WABC.
Yes! On the transistor radio, at the beach. Early 70's?
I was there when "happy" was cool!
i don't see it. . . but everyone's got their own perception, persuasion,
where exactly does the "crystal" come in?
dmax wrote:
"I've always wanted to know...exactly what is "Crystal Blue Persuasion"
No kidding. It's a reference to a Jehovah's Witness book, traditionally blue covered. If not exactly true, it's how the Witnesses think of the song, and I tend to believe that they're correct. Blue...persuasion.
No kidding. It's a reference to a Jehovah's Witness book, traditionally blue covered. If not exactly true, it's how the Witnesses think of the song, and I tend to believe that they're correct. Blue...persuasion.
We could all use a little "peace and good, brotherhood:.
Oh yeah!
Tommy looked WAY too mod on Ed Sullivan...in particular, he looked really out-of-place with ruffled shirt cuffs. Hec tried oh-so-hard to appear hip when he was really out of the Pat Boone mold. Nevertheless, I like this tune simply for its nostalgia value.
Love this song. Takes me way back.
Oh Yeah !!!!! 10
scott4261 wrote:
My impression—and I love these guys—was of an American "matching outfits" band (think early Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs, Joey Dee and the Starliters, Jimmy Gilmer and the Fireballs, or a dozen others from the mid to late '60s) that had gravitated to psychedelia. Both Paul Revere and the Raiders and the Young Rascals started out that way—hell, so did The Beatles. What's cool about this track is the deep undercurrent of blue-eyed soul, James's stock-in-trade that he clung to despite the paisley pretentions and Biblical overtones.
Tommy James and the Shondells produced some of the best pop music in history.
My impression—and I love these guys—was of an American "matching outfits" band (think early Sam the Sham and the Pharaohs, Joey Dee and the Starliters, Jimmy Gilmer and the Fireballs, or a dozen others from the mid to late '60s) that had gravitated to psychedelia. Both Paul Revere and the Raiders and the Young Rascals started out that way—hell, so did The Beatles. What's cool about this track is the deep undercurrent of blue-eyed soul, James's stock-in-trade that he clung to despite the paisley pretentions and Biblical overtones.
Flash back to being 12 years old and as in tune as a kid this age could be at the end of the hippie era in the midwest!
My late brother & I loved TJ and the Shondells—their songs were always distinctive and made you take notice in a time when there was a lot of excellent music on the radio. Miss that time.
My late brother & I loved TJ and the Shondells—their songs were always distinctive and made you take notice in a time when there was a lot of excellent music on the radio. Miss that time.can somebody please tell me exactly what a "shondell" is?
Wasn't it great to be a teeny-bopper in the 60's, before our lives got all mixed up?
lophrequa wrote:
this takes me back to my earliest memories of music, please tell me when this was first released, it's not been easy to find online with so many reissues
According to AMG, it was released in 1969. I will dig out my LPs later and see if I can confirm that.
this takes me back to my earliest memories of music, please tell me when this was first released, it's not been easy to find online with so many reissues
According to AMG, it was released in 1969. I will dig out my LPs later and see if I can confirm that.
scott4261 wrote:
Tommy James and the Shondells produced some of the best pop music in history.
this takes me back to my earliest memories of music, please tell me when this was first released, it's not been easy to find online with so many reissues
God love it. I'm a kid again and listening to WABC.
One of so many songs that defined the era. 
Reminds me of the music that came out of my tinny sounding little blue transistor radio I carried around back in the early '70s. Definitely a flashback song. RIP AM radio.
Inamorato wrote:
Miss ya.
Tommy James sure knew how to write a pop hook. This song transports me back to the summers of my youth.
Gosh Dude. You're old.
Miss ya.
Tommy James sure knew how to write a pop hook. This song transports me back to the summers of my youth.
O - the memories!
All for one, and one for all.
rtkmusic wrote:
God Bless Tommy James...
My first rock and roll hero. Inspired me to sing, to play guitar, to want to be a musician and a DJ.
Played the Crimson and Clover LP until the grooves wore down, announcing every track as if I was on KXOK (the top 40 station in St. Louis.)
I've never been interested in meeting rock stars or my "heroes" or get autographs, but I got the opportunity to briefly say "hi" to him after his Hermosa Beach concert this past summer. He still has the same energy after all these years.
And yes, this song has Biblical connotations, as does several of his others like Ball of Fire and Sweet Cherry Wine.
It took 30 years to get a chance to meet him. When I finely got the chance I leaned in and told him, "You turned me onto God man."
"What?"
I repeated that. He grabbed my hand and shook it so hard I almost fell over. He asked what song did it and I told him "Draggin the Line". It's in code. He said that everyone told him he was crazy for doing that song and the album, but he made it sound like telling him that made it all worth it to him. Cool guy.
God Bless Tommy James...
My first rock and roll hero. Inspired me to sing, to play guitar, to want to be a musician and a DJ.
Played the Crimson and Clover LP until the grooves wore down, announcing every track as if I was on KXOK (the top 40 station in St. Louis.)
I've never been interested in meeting rock stars or my "heroes" or get autographs, but I got the opportunity to briefly say "hi" to him after his Hermosa Beach concert this past summer. He still has the same energy after all these years.
And yes, this song has Biblical connotations, as does several of his others like Ball of Fire and Sweet Cherry Wine.
you should hear me singing along. well... maybe not but i can't help it.
One of the first (of a very few) .45's I ever bought.
I still have it.
LOVE IT!!! A++++++
wmstadler wrote:
A pale imitation of the Richard/Teddy Thompson version.
Thanks for the tip. This is so commercial pop I am embarrassed to say how much I like it.
This song was inspired by the Bible. Tommy James had a near drug overdose and this song came out of it. It is very strange that you mention an "Aura" as Tommy James' record company is named "Aura Records".
He should have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame years ago.
peyotecoyote wrote:
I've always wanted to know...exactly what is "Crystal Blue Persuasion". And don't tell me it's a "new vibration".
Is it some kind of aura thing?
It's about having not a doubt in your mind.
Shesdifferent wrote:
Fabulous Freaky Fantastic....Who doesn't love the times when this came out? Definitely a California groovin song
I miss you girl. This is what the kids call "The Bom"