The myth of America’s past is a strong and compelling one. A person doesn’t need to be a MAGA believer to feel seduced by the history of the United States as a golden age. Who doesn’t weep a metaphorical nostalgic tear when thinking of diesel-powered trains, cowboy heroes, baseball as the national pastime, black and white movies, and listening to old records? Sure, the past had many flaws, but there was a belief that the future would be better, and the problems would be resolved. That faith in progress seems to be missing these days.
Marty Cooper looks at history in sepia tones. His collection of sonic portraits of our collective heritage points out the good and the evils that mainly existed from the point of view of a child, or a child that has grown up looking backwards. The best examples of this range from “The Biplane, Evermore” (which he wrote for his son and was featured on the Captain Kangaroo television program) to “One More Time, Billy Brown”, which concerns a father mourning the death of his soldier son in war. The sentiments are simple, even corny at times, which is the result of leading with one’s heart and being sincere, but that’s also the music’s charm.
Marty Cooper divides his album into three parts: “Classic Portraits”, “A World in Motion”, and “’60s Farewell”. The reasons for the demarcations and categorizations don’t always make sense, although I am sure they fit together somehow in his memories. This record isn’t so much a musical anthology as it is a wistful reminiscence of what used to be. Cooper is a quirky, sentimental songwriter whose works don’t fit any particular genre.
He’s included personal renditions of some of his best-known songs, such as “You Can’t Be a Beacon (If Your Light Don’t Shine)”—a country #1 hit for Donna Fargo, “A Little Bit Country, A Little Bit Rock ‘N Roll”—famously covered by Donny and Marie Osmond, and “(I’m a) Yo Yo Man—co-written by Rick Cunha who had a hit with it in 1974. Marty Cooper’s versions of these songs are playful more than serious, which is how they were intended to be. For example, no one ever really thought Donny was a little bit rock and roll back in 1976 when he was 18 years old. That conceit was part of the song’s appeal.
There are topical songs, such as “Their Roof Is the Sky” about people experiencing homelessness, “The Mississippi Blind Boy” that addresses racism, and “Little Play Soldiers”, which was recorded by both the Kingston Trio and the Brothers Four during he start of the Vietnam War. However, the best tracks are the more timeless ones, such as “The Indiana Girl”, “A Stranger in This Town”, and “The Leaves”. Their concerns are more philosophical, focusing on the passage of time in a lighthearted manner.
Marty Cooper understands how fast the years go by and whimsically suggests that we take the time to appreciate this fact. He looks at America and sees how much it has changed. He doesn’t judge the present as much as he realizes the value of what used to be. His music stands as testimony.