Published on May 16, 1999
If you lived during the Sixties, you had a front row seat to the
events that helped to shape the world, from mankind’s entry into
space to the assassination of many of America’s leaders. For people
like myself who came along later in the game, all we have to rely
on, besides stories of personal experience, are news accounts.
Back in 1970 – the year I was born, incidentally, newsman Walter
Cronkite narrated an audio history of the Sixties,
I Can Hear It Now – The Sixties. Covering dozens of events,
this collection served as the definitive summary of the decade.
Now, as we quickly approach the millenium, this set has been
released on CD for the first time. As a slice of history, it is an
essential listen for anyone who wants to feel like they were there
when these events unfolded.
For those of you who wonder who Cronkite is, he was revered as
one of the best newspeople and anchormen the American news media
has ever seen. (After my promo copy of this disc was stolen, I had
to find a place that sold this album, and you wouldn’t believe the
blank stares I got when I said Cronkite’s name.) For those of you
who lived through some of these events, hearing them might jar
loose some memories – and they might not all be good ones.
For example, the coverage of the assassinations of John and
Robert Kennedy contain some very powerful moments in radio and
television. You literally are there when Lee Harvey Oswald (the
accused assassin of John Kennedy) and Robert Kennedy are shot; even
now, these snippets are very difficult to listen to, just because
of the emotion they carry. I offered my father, a Vietnam veteran,
the opportunity to listen to this set, but he passed on it. “The
Sixties weren’t very good to me,” he said.
There are a few discrepancies in the track descriptions. For
example, although the liner notes say that “Mrs. Malcolm X
describes [her husband’s] assassination”, only Cronkite summarizes
the event, along with snippets of speeches from Malcolm X. While
these are a little disappointing, they don’t distract from the
overall collection.
The set – over two hours in length – is one that anyone who
wants to experience some of the events of this period of history
close-up will want to check out. But be warned: this is a set that
doesn’t really hold up well to repeat listens. While it’s very
enjoyable to listen to, it is a lot to digest in one sitting.
It might not seem like there’s a lot to say about
I Can Hear It Now – The Sixties, but it’s not like I can
offer a criticism of the particular tracks. This is a two-disc
spoken word set documenting 10 years of history. If this is your
idea of enjoyment – and, frankly, it is for me – then you should
check this one out. If you’re a student who is about to study the
Sixties, then this set might help you understand some of the events
that shaped the world. Even if you’re just a bit curious, it’s
worth the time.