"it all started two thanksgivings ago... "

My earliest Thanksgiving memory was attending the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York. It's not surprising that huge balloon sculptures of cartoon charters would make a big impression on a young child's mind, though I'm not too sure what balloons had to do with the holiday. Through the drizzle, my brother fought me for a choice viewing spot afforded atop our father's shoulders. Nowadays, instead of enduring a misty rain, my Thanksgiving Day is more about enduring the opening of another hectic holiday season, plus the celebrating of numerous family members birthdays. This year will be even more fun, since I'll soon be relocating, something I'm extremely thankful for.

Besides the parade, another Thanksgiving tradition is Arlo Guthrie's Alice's Restaurant. That's the day many US radio stations play the song of his 1965 Thanksgiving Day run-in with Officer Obie that helped him escape the military draft. It doesn't seem like Thanksgiving until the sound of Arlo's talking blues fills the cooked turkey flavored air. You can follow it better with the lyrics: Now, it all started two Thanksgivings ago...

Arlo Guthrie: Alice's Restaurant - 25MB

A few more tunes for the holiday.

Ray Davies: Thanksgiving Day - 4.87MB

James Gang: Thanks - 5.47MB

Lightnin' Hopkins: Long Gone Like A Turkey Through The Corn - 3.43MB

Ohio Players: Jive Turkey - 11.95MB

Bad Brains: Give Thanks And Praises - 4.27MB

Here's hoping for a great Thanksgiving for all, even those outside the US that wonder what the hell it is.