What....: ....and the beat goes on.

It was just before the mid-sixties that the British Invasion came on.

Nope, not a military invasion, occupation or colonisation, but a world-wide musical phenomena in which the pop charts were DOMINATED by Bristish pop groups or singers!

Boy, was I glad to be around during that era, right from my pre-teen to teenage years.

The Beatles led the way, with many many other British pop artistes and bands leaving behind a torrent of memorable hits like "You'll Never Walk Alone" (Gerry & The Pacemakers), "Do Wah Diddy Diddy" (Manfred Mann), "I Can't Get No... Satisfaction" (Rolling Stones), "Blowin' In The Wind" (Bob Dylan), "There's A Kind Of Hush" (Herman's Hermits),

"Glad It's All Over" (Dave Clark 5).... The list would go on and on until the late 60's. That was the British Invasion of the Pop Charts.

In the US, Elvis was lying low having done not too well in his movies, Nat King Cole died, but Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davies Jr (the Rat Pack) still hanged around with absolutely soothing vocals. Unfortunately to me, it looked like they were tailoring themselves just for dinner concerts in the Casinos of Las Vegas.

Sonny & Cher, Janis Joplin, Joni Mitchell, Little Stevie Wonder and great bands like Chicago, Creedence Clearwater Revival, Led Zeppelin, The Band, Grateful Dead, Blood Sweat & Tears, Crosby Stills Nash & Young, The Canned Heat then emerged on the scene ....and the music scene became more balanced.

I had a great time, I had learned how to play the guitar and even write a few songs of my own. My chums from my neighbourhood also took a liking for musical instruments and singing.

Soon we were doing jam and "very small" gig sessions in the "Mah-Hua Kung Hui" in Malay Street every Friday night - a service center of a chinese political party overseeing the interests of malaysian chinese. Of course, we told them that one of our interests is in music, and a good set of instruments will keep us off bad company or gangsterism. Our wish was granted, and at that time our favourite songs to play were those by the Bee Gees.

By August 1969, three non-stop days of peace and music came alive at Woodstock in Yasgur's 600-acre farm... Hippies were, already "everywhere", lobbyists and practioneers of peace, love and freedom of speech. The hippie culture spread like bushfire even in the quaint old neighbourhood I lived in. Half a million of them were at Woodstock '69. I may not be a hippie, but how I wish then, and even till this day, if only I have been there to experience it. Yes Jimi Hendrix, Joe Cocker, Santana

..........Richie Havens, Melanie, Janis Joplin, Joan Baez were among scores of other great musicians who opened up with great acts. Woodstock changed the musical landscape completely!

Flowers in the hair, peace chants, psychedelic clothings, glue sniffing and marijuana (grass or pot) smoking was the banal culture. Drug addiction soon caught many acquaintances of mine swallowing designer pills like MX, or "chasing the dragon" - sniffing coke, heroin etc. It became worse with LSD and morphine addictions. Needless to say some of my neighbourhood friends and schoolmates sadly died from this escapist hippie activity.

This "flower power" influence came from the movies in a small way, and a big way from the hippies who "migrated" to Penang with hordes of them staying in budget hotels or loafing around Chulia Street, Penang Road and the beaches of Batu Ferringhi. They just wanted to be near the place of action, Vietnam that is, and spread a little love or protest the war...

(Penang was a former British Colony and it's the next best "cool" & "groovy" place after Thailand - and the nearest safe & accessible place for them to let their hair "all hang down"!)

Man, it was bad. The Vietnam war was bad.

This self-inflicted damage by drug addiction accrued from the anger and frustrations of this war that America had no business to be in.

The dead, the half-dead, and the trauma of the civilians and soldiers led to many a Vietnam war protests, and many of this feelings were conveyed through the music of Bob Dylan, The Beatles, Arthur Brown ("War!...What Is It Good For?....Absolutely Nothing!), Joan Baez and many many others.

The hippies also taught us the art of "tie & dye" to be psychedelic and groovy. It was an absolute experience for me.

The music and the culture of the flower children is indescribable and it shaped the way of things to come.

Many hippies in later life became great people in business and industry, but some laggards are still there living in the past... like this couple...or maybe they only became "hip" in later part of their lives.

Yep, hope you enjoyed this little story - especially if you didn't had that chance to experience it the way, and at the time I did.