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LOUIE LOUIE: Me Gotta Go Now

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Dick Peterson has given us a glimpse of the end of the age of innocence is this light and personal reflection. In a heart-felt and laugh-out-loud funny way, Peterson has opened a window into the days of carefree frat parties and screaming teens. The Kingsmen became the quintessential college party band in the mid 1960's due to a series of mistakes and miscalculations. The unintelligible lyrics of "Louie Louie" made the band one of the hottest musical sensations. They took the stage with the great touring and recording bands of their time including the Stones, Beach Boys, and Dick and Dee Dee. They also had the F.B.I. and J. Edgar Hoover looking over their shoulder at every turn. This simple time was about to become more complicated.

Peterson wonderfully weaves his personal sojourn of music and friendship into a romping road trip with the boys of the band. The reader is treated to a look at a five naïve boys from Portland, on their first road trip-a trip that would end with the band playing over 500 dates in one year. The band often followed the old music performance circuits and the author links the Kingsmen to a long line of touring acts that regularly played dance halls, skating rinks, and college campuses. Peterson and company is thrilled by the crowds, the freedom, practical jokes, the fans, and of course, the girls. However, the book is not all sweetness and light. The author tells of the trials and tribulations of the group and the conflicts between band members. The pressures of the road, the F.B.I., and competing visions of the band, challenged their dedication to one other.

"Louie Louie" provides a look at America at a time before the death of John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King would steal our innocence and harden Americans for the cultural wars of the late 1960's. The Band's reign came to an end with the British invasion and the cultural shift brought on by the Vietnam War. However, like so many other bands, the Kingsmen didn't fall into obscurity. Their version of "Louie Louie" stands alone as one of the most recognized songs of all time and the Kingsmen can still be seen performing around the nation from time-to-time. Peterson shows the value of enduring friendships and returns us to a carefree time when anything was possible.

Dick Peterson's book chronicls the early history of the Kingsmen (in particular 1963 and 1964), and the central role that they played in the history of the song, Louie Louie. Although Dick wasn't part of the band when Louie Louie was recorded, he joined very shortly thereafter, and does a good job of providing the back-story from before he joined. The insights regarding the FBI's investigation of Louie Louie are particularly interesting. And he tells a lot of fun stories along the way

For those interested in the fascinating history of Louie Louie, this book serves as a nice companion to Dave Marsh's book Louie Louie: The History and Mythology of the World's Most Famous Rock 'n Roll Song; Including the Full Details of Its Torture and Persecution at the Hands ... Introducing for the First Time Anywhere, the.

Perhaps the editing of the book could have been a bit tighter. But overall, it was well worth it and very enjoyable. I highly recommend it.

this book was written by the "Master of the obvious" After the 1st five pages you could skip each page and still get it.