Various Artists

We All Shine On: Celebrating The Music Of 1970

Spyderpop Records/ Big Stir Records

This great, well considered tribute to the watershed year of 1970 has a little of everything: AM gold top 40 hits, nods to FM rock, R&B, and even proto punk. It blends them into one seamless whole where every song demands your attention.

The songs have been updated in smart ways, like Bill Loyd’s jangle pop take on Three Dog Night’s “Mama Told Me Not To Come,” which sounds a lot better than the original, especially with the strained voices in the chorus, and is closer to the sardonicism of the original idea for the song written by Randy Newman. Then there’s the snotty, angry take on the Guess Who’s “Share The Land,” where Robbie Rist and Michael Simmons tell either a member of the establishment or a hippie that doesn’t believe them, “You want love, peace, and togetherness, we’ll give you love, peace, and togetherness”

The politics of the time haven’t been skimped on, either. Even as 1970 was overshadowed by the Kent State shootings, the music on this comp refuses to despair, by pointing to some  issues that are just as important today as they were in 1970. Anti-racism, pro-civil rights, and left wing politics in general arise in songs like Ray Stevens' “Everything Is Beautiful,” done here by Danny Wilkerson, and ““Riki Tiki Tavi,” written by Donovan and sung here by Richard Barone, and played very well, too.

The overriding message of this comp is is that it’s so hippie it’s punk, so punk it’s hippie, and peace, love, and togetherness finally become punk rock values. About fucking time, too, to be a bit punk here, as what they’re also trying to say is that if you're clear-eyed and realistic, not soft-headed, why the fuck not be hippie about it? The irony here is that they aren’t being ironic, which is so cool, good, and needed today. The US needs hippie politics more than ever, and it's a relief to hear it coming from punks. To be 1970 about it, I dig this comp, and you will too.

Andrea Weiss