19. “Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In),” Kenny Rogers & the First Edition, 1967. Before he was the Gambler, and then the Roaster, then a freakish Botox casualty, Davis High School grad Kenny Rogers rediscovered Esther Phillips and played bass on one of Mickey Gilley’s early singles (1960’s “Is It Wrong”), and his brother Lelan owned seminal psych label International Artists. After singing with L.A. folk stars the New Christy Minstrels for a year, Rogers headed back to Houston and formed the First Edition, who hit No. 5 in spring 1968 with this slice of psychedelic weirdness brought on by author/Townes Van Zandt pal/fellow Houstonian Mickey Newbury’s first (and only) acid trip. Try these on for size: “I tore my mind on a jagged sky… I got up so tight I couldn’t unwind… I saw so much I broke my mind.” If that’s not enough, several of the guitar parts were recorded backwards. Duuuude. Nobody really takes acid anymore – do they? - but “Just Dropped In” is still hanging around. It was rumored to be Jimi Hendrix’s favorite song, underscores The Big Lebowski’s pivotal dream sequence and has been recorded or covered live by Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings, Supergrass and Willie Nelson. The original version is still pretty groovy, too. – C.G.
Posted on: Wed, 02 Apr 2014 00:29:52 +0000
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