[LSD II (MY JOB GETS RID OF THE BLUES)] Written by: Skip Haynes Produced by: Mitch Aliotta, Skip Haynes, John Jeremiah, Bill Bradley, Marty Feldman & Barry Mraz Engineered by: Bill Bradley, Marty Feldman & Barry Mraz Performed by: Aliotta, Haynes & Jeremiah{5} First released:{6} Single: None Album: 1977

{1}The name of the club was actually Ratso's Restaurant & Lounge, located at 3415 North Broadway, Chicago, Illinois. In the song, they call the restaurant, "Rat's" as a shortened version of the name and to make a play on words: As you drove south on Lake Shore Drive the neighborhoods change and go from a low- to middle-income bracket to a very wealthy demographic. Thus "rat's to riches." Ratso's started out as a restaurant/tavern on Chicago's near-north side in the early '70s. There was an open mic almost every night, and after performing, artists passed the hat through the audience. That's when I first saw Aliotta, Haynes & Jeremiah. Eventually, Ratzo's got all ritzy, and began serving dinner with linen tablecloths, higher prices and paid entertainment. It was never the same.

{2}"Pretty blue lights" refers to the mercury vapor, street lamps that were used in Chicago in the 1970s. Heated mercury vapor inside the lamp was used to produce light in a relatively efficient way. When they are first turned on, the mercry vapor lamps produce a dark blue glow because only a small amount of the mercury is ionized and the gas pressure in the arc tube is very low, so much of the light is produced in the ultraviolet band. As the gas heats up and increases in pressure, the light shifts into the visible range and the high gas pressure causes the mercury emission bands to broaden somewhat, producing a light that appears more-white to the human eye, although it is still not a continuous spectrum. Even at full intensity, the light from a mercury vapor lamp is distinctly bluish in color, hence the lyrics about pretty blue lights.

{3}Up until the mid 1980's there was a spot on Lake Shore drive that was a big S-shaped curve. During rush hours, traffic would slow and it was always a problem area for commuters. In the late '90s the S-Curve got straightened out to alleviate the traffic jams, but back in 1970, when this song was written, the curve was still there, and this reference to "snakin' on by," is a nod at the love/hate relationship Chicagoans had/have with the S-Curve.

{4}The double entendre refers to both the physicality of driving on Lake Shore Drive, often called LSD by Chicagoans, which winds along the Lake Michigan waterfront on the North Side of Chicago and the drug culture-influenced slippin' (or trippin') on the drug LSD.

• {5}Personnel performing on this recording:
• Mitch Aliotta (lead vocals, guitar)
• Skip Haynes (vocals, guitar)
• John Jeremiah (vocals, keyboard)
• Bob Parisio, "The Acme Thunder" (vocals, drums, percussion)
• Joe Golan (lead violin)
• Tom Radtke (drums)

{6}Appears on:{*} ALBUM(s): (A) Aliotta, Haynes & Jeremiah: [Slippin' Away] (1) Little Foot, 9-Track, Stereo LP, #LF-711, US-1977{7}.

(B) Aliotta, Haynes & Jeremiah: [Lake Shore Drive at Twenty-Five] (1) Quicksilver, Anniversary Edition, 33-Track, 2-CD Set, #QSCD-1033, US-1996.

{*}The album(s) and record(s) listed here may have different versions of the song than the one that was transcribed. Also, this list is not intended to be the complete discography on which this song appears.

{7}Transcribed from the track on this album.

You can hear the original version of [Lake Shore Drive] by Aliotta, Haynes & Jeremiah, on mp3lyrics.org at: Aliotta, Haynes & Jeremiah - Lake Shore Drive