One of the things that makes me awfully glad that I've switched away from doing a lot of social commentary to doing more reviews is the abatement of my cynicism. You can only immerse yourself in the world of politics and social policy for so long without feeling like you've been taking regular baths in the sewage.

It really becomes difficult to hold on to any sort of optimism about the world, life or anything when you're constantly writing about the stupidity of politicians, no matter what your personal politics are. Rail against anyone for too long and you end up sounding like a recording repeating the same stuff over and over again.

But when you're reviewing a lot of books and music, as I've been doing recently, you are always getting something different to either read or hear on an almost daily basis. Faced with that amount of creative output it's hard not be buoyed even slightly and tp regain some of your optimism about the human race. If we can still be creating this much interesting and novel material, then there has to be some hope for us yet.

There are occasions when you review material where it's more than just the creative energy involved that washes away the cynicism of this age, and replaces it with feelings of cheerful goodwill that you wouldn't think possible. It usually happens for me when I'm reviewing a re-issue of something from at least 30 years ago, if not more.

While too much has been made of the supposed free lifestyle of the sixties and the early seventies, there is no denying that the winds of change and optimism blew a whole lot stronger then than they do now. People saw possibilities and instead of grousing about this and that or complaining about the government (although I'm sure there was plenty of that too) some of them actually did something about trying to make a difference or working for change.

I'm not even talking about big political statements or anything like that. But a project that reflected a belief that individuals can make a difference in how we treat each other or how the world works. An example of one such work has just been re-released by Sony through its Legacy series, the 1972 children's album Free To Be...You And Me.

This collection of 19 short songs, stories, and poems was put together as a means of telling children that they didn't need to play the roles that their parents did. The world is a huge and exciting place and you shouldn't limit yourself to believing that just because of how you look and what gender you are that you have to be a certain way.