Musical Milestone #4: Chemistry

One day, me and the Zenmaster paid a visit to an acquaintance of dubious character. He lured us into his lair by offering to let me tape a bunch of speed metal albums. When we arrived, however, he had changed his tune. He chastised us for our small-minded metal infatuation, and claimed that we should broaden our musical minds. I relaxed on his couch and tried to keep my eyes from rolling too far back into my head as he lectured. After the scolding, he started describing the musical climate of the 1970’s. He asserted that while the world was dancing on lighted dance floors with polyester suits, the real musicians of the world huddled in dark studios, forming into small secret societies whose only goals were to record the best music ever. He mentioned unfamiliar names, and spoke with intense passion in the otherwise silent room. Being a product of the 70’s, I have to admit that I was quite skeptical of his assertions, just as I was of everything he said. Through the haze of excitement, I saw him rummaging madly through his exorbitant record collection. Finally he pulled a record from its sleeve and carefully placed it on his fine turntable. He gently placed the diamond stylus on the vinyl disk and stepped back, as if he just lit a firecracker. From the massive liquid-cooled speakers came a chorus of voices from another galaxy:

“Dawn of life lying between a silence and sold sources……
chased amid fusions of wonder…..”

It was beautiful. As the trans-galactic chorus reached a point of resolution, the instruments took over and wove a sonic tapestry that brought tears to my eyes.
He handed me the double album cover. It was “Tales from Topographic Oceans” by YES. The song was called “The Revealing Science of God” which was appropriate to me on many levels. He picked up the needle again and put on something else. He put it right smack in the middle of a song. It was a tornado of virtuosity, with bass, guitar and keyboards playing a thousand 64th notes in perfect unison, as the run came to a head, it climaxed into a masterpiece of resolution. It was “The Dual of the Jester and the Tyrant” by Return to Forever. He then played Egocentric molecules by Jean-Luc Ponty, then Colloseum, Brand X, and King Crimson. The crazy man put on little shows as the music filled our ears. He played air guitar, air keyboards and air drums. He was a real dumbass, but he changed my life forever that day.