(1974 Album) Various Artists – Bradley’s Roadshow Live

I’ll openly admit I had to look this up, not knowing what the hell my entry referred to.
“Bradley”? “Live”?
A google search eventually managed to jog my memory as what album I bought. I remembered the sleeve when I saw it…. but absolutely nothing else whatsoever.
Further research informed me that Bradley’s Roadshow was a concert album showcasing [...]

January 22nd 1974

“last nite went to see Canterbury Tales – dirty but boring”
I vaguely remember taking “Angela” to this movie at the Regal in Eastleigh.
Remember that scene in “Taxi Driver” where DeNiro’s “Travis Bickle” character takes Betsy (Cybil Sheppard) out on a date to a porno movie in New York and she is throughly appalled by it all?
Somehow, [...]

November 27th / 28th / 29th / 30th 1973

• “Argument” / “Went into Eastleigh + bort Mormor Xmas presi”
• “Argument”
• “Argument” / “lent Trev Procol Harum”
• “Argument” / Work Out on Bike”
Looks like it was a particularly bad time at home these four days at the end of November?
I still don’t know why my folks felt it necessary to argue all the time [...]

November 14th 1973

“Day Off – Went into Eastleigh – Went to see Everything you ever…”
When David Reuben sold off the film rights to his 1969 sex manual “Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Sex* (*But Were Afraid to Ask)” to comedian film maker Woody Allen he surely MUST have known Allen was going to parody it [...]

September 18th 1973

“Went to Hi-Fi exhibition in E’Leigh”
In a run of synaptual successes, I can also remember this exhibition… although – naturally – nothing whatsoever specific about it.
It was held on the badminton courts at Fleming Park Sports Centre, dealers laying their wares out on a series of tables and/or having sizeable marquee-style displays.
I’ve often wondered if this [...]

August 15th 1973

“Went + bought coat – Dad didn’t like it. Went to fair wiv gary & Trev – smart fun on dodgems”
I wonder if Dad didn’t like the coat because HE paid for it?
I LOVED the dodgems – or to give them a far more colloquial English terms… bumper cars

It was always a weird set up [...]

August 14th 1973

“Bludy hot. Went to London for the day with Trev. Good larf. Saw Monotone amp – SMART!”
Blimey, England was in the midst of a heatwave! Two “bludy hot” days in a row.
We probably caught the train to London, each buying a simple ‘cheap day return’ ticket for travel from Eastleigh to Waterloo, the only restriction being [...]

August 11th 1973

“Work + afterwards went with mum to fair. spent a lot”
Joe Stevens’ traveling funfair came to town once a year, always to tie in with the Eastleigh carnival. I have spoken about it before.
For me, what was interesting about this diary entry is my comment that I went with my Mum. As awful as it may sound [...]

July 31st 1973

“Went to Southampton – changed shoes – got smarter pair. Went into E.leigh in afty”
You mean £3.99 didn’t buy a smart enough pair of shoes?
Crap

July 29th 1973

“Dad’s Birthday – gave Dad card and chocol. Had a game of snooker wiv ‘im and lost”
This magnificent-looking building seen on the right was the Railway Institute and once sat on the northern corner of Market Street and Leigh Road in Eastleigh.
It was built in 1892 as a bar/entertainment venue for the workers employed by the [...]

June 18th 1973

“EXAMS START – Morn – English Lang. <- Quite Easy. Done some physics. Went into Eastleigh after school”
We now proceed with a number of boring diary entries, mostly concerned – it would appear – with my exams.
I can’t remember a THING about sitting down and taking these tests. Not the process, the procedure, the content, [...]

May 13th 1973

“Before going to Tibs went round Southampton to look at Jackets. In afternoon went to BR Open Day”
This confuses me (“what doesn’t?” scream readers in unison)
May 13th 1973 was a Sunday and yet I say I went round Southampton to look at Jackets.
In the UK Sunday trading did not kick in until 1994, so I am left [...]

April 19th 1973

“Bit boring all morning with Mormor – in afternoon went into eastleigh;- lent Mark P Tarkus and bought For Your Pleasure – Roxy Music – smart!”
Poor old Mormor. For the second time in these diaries I have referred to her staying with us as “boring”. What an complete git ungracious grandson I was in 1973.

In apparently [...]

March 26th 1973

“Pete B gave me money to buy Roxy ticket”
Unlikely I became a tout at such an early age – in fact did touts even exist in 1973? – so this would appear to be no more than a friendly schoolboy favour.

In a “what’s weird” moment, this Pete B and myself would become rival music retailers [...]

March 7th 1973

“Arguverge > Argument” / “Dental Appointment 2.30″ / “Went to see Pictures at an Exhibition, Emerson Lake + Palmer – damned brilliant. Plod – Scaffold – Funny. Grave New World – Strawbs – Crap”
Not just a double movie bill at the Regal, but a TRIPLE movie bill!
Actually, “movie” is a bit of a misnomer in this [...]

February 23rd 1973

“H-Term” / ” Went into Eastleigh and got new glasses frame – will cost £10.80 (Phew!)” / “Bort new record cloth in Rumbelows” / “had to go out on bike at work – Roger’s got flu”
Wow, specs were expensive even then! £10.80 is the cost of 4 or 5 albums in 1973. I secretly suspect, [...]

January 13th 1973

“City 3 Stoke 2″ / “Actually got my berfday money from Dad – went into Eastleigh – bort shirt, pyjamas, socks” / “Gave ticket to Steve B to sell” / “Gonna put quid in Halifax”
I feel somewhat embarrassed about the comment “actually got my berfday money from Dad” as it suggests that I was somehow [...]

December 23rd 1972

“I got 10 bob for cleaning car” / “Newcastle 2 City 1″ / “Simmonds came up, gave present (cuff links) + 5 bob”
Aaaah, Christmas tips from my regular filthy car owners!
Simmonds was a friend/colleague of my Dad’s. A jolly nice bloke whose wide face sported a red ‘boozers’ nose and one of those ludicrous handlebar [...]

August 19th 1972

“new set batts > 25 days” / “went into EL with Dad took back library book. in evening went EL again and watched carnival roll by”
Ah, Eastleigh Carnival.
Bit of a misnomer the word “carnival” really. What I refer to here is the yearly parade, a somewhat motley unkempt collection of decorated floats, some sad old [...]

March 11th 1972

“pictures - and now for something completely different”
Ah, the Regal Cinema in Eastleigh. (Later to become Martine’s nightclub, and currently an abandoned building)
Colloquially known as “the fleapit”, it was a “proper” cinema (none of this multiplex nonsense) which we would now all cry out to save and protect from demolition were it still around.
I can remember [...]