The Vinyl Community's Mazzy's new "Cease & Desist" YouTube video.

@simao, sending a Cease & Desist may to some degree just be a gesture, to insure everyone knows the artist does not share the politician's views. On the other hand, if the letter is ignored the artist and/or song copyright owner is entitled to sue for damages. I have never heard of that ever having been done, or any damages being awarded. It may be enough just to humiliate the pol. ;-)

But back to Mazzy: He has made a lot of videos (well over 100, perhaps even 200), all worth watching. He has introduced me to some older artists I missed, as well as new ones I have looked into because of his description of them. He's four years younger than I, but being born and raised in San Francisco and living there until 2014 (when he moved to Seattle. Uh Mazzy, watch out for any local nutjobs ;-), he and I (living in the San Jose area from '58 until '79) attended some of the same Fillmore, Winterland, Avalon Ballroom, etc. live shows he mentions in some of his videos. His No.1 Group is The Beatles, but was a little too young to have seen them in '64/5/6 as did I. Na-na-na-na-na, na. ;-)

Mazzy cares about sound quality, but doesn't consider himself an audiophile. Another Vinyl Community YouTube video poster who IS, however, is Michael in Germany, who uses the handle 45 RPM Audiophile. Michael's focus is on the sound quality of LP pressings, but also their musical content. He has a very nice system: Einstein from front to back. He buys vast numbers of LP's from all the reissue labels, including not just MoFi, Analogue Productions, Speakers Corner, Blue Note, Intervention, etc., but also The Electric Recording Company (!). The Acony (Gillian Welch and David Rawlings)-type labels as well, along with major label reissues such as the Neil Young catalog. He panned the Third Man Records LP's he bought (Jack White), which having heard White's production of Loretta Lynn I can understand. Michael is a very charming, likeable guy. Give his videos a shot!

@cd318, in one version of "Revolution" Lennon sings "out", pauses briefly, then sings "in". That was the expression of his mixed feelings on the subject.

I love Jackson Browne’s songwriting and singing, but when he became overtly political his music became less interesting to me. Not only are the songs just not as good musically, but the lyrics are too "earnest", too literal, less artistic. His political/social causes became more important than the music/songs.

Dylan’s lyrics are of course in a class of their own. His path was the opposite of Jackson’s: from literal (his early, overtly political songs) to abstract, surrealistic, multi-level. He then took another turn and went down the road back to Hank Williams and Lefty Frizzell. After spending all of 1967 recording with Bob in the basement of Big Pink, The Band recorded Music From Big Pink in early ’68, including Lefty’s "Long Black Veil" (a great, great song) on the album.

Dylan was simultaneously recording his John Wesley Harding album in Nashville, again challenging his audience to follow him. A Country album in the midst of Psychedelia?! (remember, JWH came out only six months after Sgt. Pepper). And from the man very instrumental in creating the basis for the emerging Counter Culture?! He lost a lot of people with that album, but led others back in time, where we discovered the Hillbilly element in the original Rock ’n’ Roll. Thank you Bob! He’s still leading the pack, and almost 80 years old. THE musical artist of the early-60’s forward. The world will REALLY be a less interesting place when he’s gone.