Before there was rock'n'roll-- just before-- there were The Platters. And before the Doors, Love, X or Black Flag came along, The Platetrs were the L.A. Sound. The band had a string of worldwide smashes-- "Only You," "The Great Pretender," "Smoke Gets in Your Eyes," "My Prayer," "Twilight Time," "Harbor Lights," and... "The Magic Touch" from the mid-50's into the mid-60's. The song popped into my head yesterday when I heard the GOP was sending Vice President Dick Cheney to northern Mississippi to use his magic touch in today's congressional race down there.