Who knew Syd Barret could see this far into the future?

I was reading an article by Chuck Klosterman yesterday that referenced Syd Barret (actually the piece ain't a bad read) and I was reminded of this photo of Barret. I realized it might just have been the first MySpace profile photograph ever.


What do you think?

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You've gotta have a dream.

I have literally been searching for a recording of "You've Gotta Have A Dream" by the California Children's Chorus for over twenty years. The search didn't really ramp up until about six years ago, though, when I discovered that there had actually been a soundtrack for The Cannonball Run. You see, that song is the one that runs over the closing credits, and every time I hear it I'm transported back to being nine or ten years old and laughing over the outtakes with my dad and my brothers.¹ I've always loved the song for the effect it has on me, but I had never come across it outside of the actual film. So the existence of a soundtrack gave me the hope that one day I would be able to listen to the song without hearing actors talking all over the sweet tune underneath.

So six years ago I decided to expand the search on-line, but even there the song remained as elusive as The Chinese Democracy. I had given up hope entirely until, two days ago, there it was on my computer. Someone had heard of my search and not only sent me that particular tune, but the entire Cannonball Run soundtrack and song highlights from both Smokey and The Bandit flicks as well as a few tunes from Hooper! (Yes, it's true, I went through a particularly bad Hal Needham phase in my younger years. Blame it on my dad and the particularly macho tone of the Texan social strata. It's actually a miracle, and one I think you need to thank my mom for, that I turned out the way I did.)

Anyway, now I have the song and it has unearthed a solid wave of nostalgia that's fighting against an undercurrent of unease. Unease? Why would I feel unease?

Well, when you've been after something for so long, and this is the longest I've ever searched out one particular song, what is there to do next? How do you fill that nagging void that's left upon delivery? Success is sweet, but the search fulfills a certain need as well.

Wait, I've got it. Now I've just got to track down the soundtrack to Rock & Rule.² That should be a cinch, right?

MP3: The California Children's Chorus "You've Gotta Have A Dream"

You know what? I'm feeling especially sappy and nostalgic today, so I'm throwing in a bonus track from one of my other favorite movie from that period, Seems Like Old Times. That whistling bit is possibly one of my favorite musical moments ever.


MP3: Marvin Hamlisch (featuring Chevy Chase) "Seems Like Old Times Main Theme / End Credits"

¹I'm sure my mother must have been there too, but it's such a dude movie that I think my young mind only retained the other boys around me that were laughing at the sheer idiocy. I mean is it really fun to see Dom DeLuise slapped by Burt Reynolds over and over and over again. Well, actually, it is.)

²This is funny because unlike Cannonball Run, there is no soundtrack for Rock & Rule. Well, there might be one somewhere, but it would only exist within the master tapes of the songs used for the movie and nowhere else. This should keep me occupied for a while.