SIDE SALAD - Everything crunchy is good.

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It's been a couple weeks since I loaded up the Radio.Blog. And since I had it brimming with country music (not always a crowd favorite) I thought I'd cleanse the palate with some of my favorite music - late '60s and early '70s soul.

To me, this was music at its finest. By the early '70s, soul had grown beyond its doo-wop roots and Motown was starting to lose its grip on the radio. Artists like Marvin Gaye were still viable, but they were maturing beyond their Hitsville, U. S. A. days. Disco, thank God, had yet to sink its fangs into the genre.

This was what I heard when I was first starting to be aware of music. My family owned a bar and I'd get the singles from the jukebox whenever the 45s were changed out. I still have my discs of Blue Magic's "Side Show," The Chi-Lites' "Oh Girl" and The Staples Singers' "I'll Take You There." To me, there isn't a better groove than what you'll find on The Isley Brothers' "It's Your Thing." If you aren't moving while listening to that song, you just aren't alive.

I remember playing The Spinners' "Rubberband Man" over and over on my turntable. I can still crack up over the thought of seeing them on the Mike Douglas Show singing that song while dancing and stretching these massive rubber bands that were color-coordinated with their three-piece suits. I thought they were so smooth. Now I know better.