Saturday Concert: Jonathan Edwards: Shanty

Shanty recorded in studio live 
      Shanty: The original 1971 old familiar version
              Another live version. Poorly recorded and filmed but loads of fun

       The Amphitheater gates are open and welcome to another Saturday Concert.  Tonight on stage is Jonathan Edwards playing one of the most famous songs of all time: Shanty.  According to Edwards he and some friends were hanging around one Saturday night doing what all hippies did on Saturday nights.  When he woke up Sunday morning, to his surprise, he found Shanty on the table with his name on it.  He liked it, and recorded it.  Appearing on his first album self titled Jonathan Edwards which included the hit song Sunshine it went on to become known as "The Friday Song".  I don't know if that story is true or if he made it up because it was funny but it is a good story nonetheless.
      The song itself is a breezy blues/folk shuffle with one of the catchiest harmonica openings in recorded history,  In fact I'm pretty certain that, since 1971, this is the first harmonica piece every aspiring harp player learns.  The studio version mosey's along at a soothing, warm hearted pace that encourages the couch call out to you.  Throughout the song Edwards shows off the easy vocal nimbleness of a master story teller.  Kind of like a stoner version of Garrison Keillor.
       Edwards invites you to eat a satisfying early dinner just before sunset then take a few tokes of a joint or hits off of the pipe then just relax.  During his live performances he actually points out that with a good buzz on it just feels good to be alive.  The fact is he is absolutely 100% correct.  A good marijuana buzz eases anxiety better than Xanax, has been proven to increase appetite in medical patients with wasting diseases, & helps patients cope with the forlorn perpetual grind of chronic pain.      
        I'm not sure why it is illegal in most places when so many things much worse are fully legal.  For example alcohol leads to poor judgement, loss of motor control, accidents, and sometimes violence, no such side effects occur with marijuana (although I do recommend against driving or operating heavy machinery when stoned).  Medical professionals have warned against inhaling smoke and are correct when they say it can cause lung damage yet nobody is moving to make cigarettes illegal despite their addictivness which is a quality not present in marijuana.  The war on drugs, which illogically includes marijuana, has cost our country billions of dollars and cost untold lives to the violent criminals that always thrive whenever we institute Prohibition.  I will now climb down off of my soap box and allow you to click the links above and enjoy Jonathan Edwards brilliant song Shanty because it really is nice to lay around the shanty mama and put a good buzz on...