The Soul of Success

"It's midnight, lights off, clothes off, candles glowing, incense is fading away, don't need no electricity, baby, I'll be your amplifier, 'cause we can boogie in the dark'" - and so pioneer San Francisco disc jockey Voco introduced himself every Saturday night at midnight, while proceeding to expand the musical palette of his stoned audience. KSAN was the first radio station to bring "hippie music" to SF area listeners, a large and devoted following whom the laid-back Armenian DJ introduced to an eclectic mix of blues, funk, and world music, until 6 A.M. rolled around and the tired heads rolled into bed. In 1972 Voco convinced Blue Thumb to release a double concept album based on his radio show, and gathered together some incredible musicians from the Bay area as contributors. Lights Out: San Francisco, subtitled "Voco Presents the Soul of the Bay Area" is an excellent overview of the diverse and exciting San Francisco music scene in the early '70s…