(1974 Album) Fat Mattress – Fat Mattress

Fat what now?
I do believe this is another album purchased “on sale” at one of Eastleigh’s record emporiums. If I was a betting man I’d guess Woolworth’s clearance bins.
In terms of pedigree, Fat Mattress’ is quite the intriguing mish-mash.
The band was formed by Jimi Hendrix’s bassist Noel Redding on the precept that it would allow him [...]

December 23rd / 24th 1973

• “Worked in morning”
• “Worked all day – Good laugh!”
Good laugh?
Must have been the only time I worked in retail in the two days prior to Christmas that I could have described as a “good laugh”
Maybe supermarket customers aren’t quite as … er … ‘frustrating’ … as hi-fi or music buyers proved to be later [...]

December 21st 1973

“Got £7.20 pay – BLOODY HELL!!”
Using online tools and research I appear to have worked out that £7.20 would be worth approximately £33.30 in today’s money.
[pauses to look at current income from investments and savings...]
BLOODY HELL!
£7.20 was a lot of money!!!

December 10th/14th/15th 1973

• “Day Off – Went to Southampton – bort Xmas pressis”
• “Work”
• “Out on Bike – No Tips!”
Can you see just how far I fell off my own diary’s radar towards the end of 1973?
3 entries, 6 days, load of rubbish written.
About the only thing worth noting is that the people I delivered to on [...]

December 1st 1973

“Work – quite a cushy day xcept for bike”
 

I’ve said it before, but it is worth repeating…
I HATED THAT BLOODY DELIVERY BIKE!

August 4th 1973

“Work all day – Ward in BAD mood. Nig came up in evng. Done painting”
Hey, a boss in a bad mood?
In the best traditions of ‘karma’ and/or the philosophy of “pass it forward” I bet I got my own back later in my life when I ran my own businesses!
As for the painting, I can REMEMBER [...]

August 3rd 1973

“Roger came for me at 10 – said Ward wanted me to work all day – did so. Swapped my Scalextric for Bernard’s organ”
I will now pause whilst the more juvenile amongst you make up your own jokes…………
Done?
Good…..
Right, so having been denied an earlier opportunity to become a Scalextrix racing Car driver of some [...]

July 30th 1973

“Worked all day”
As this was a Monday “all day” in 1973 would have meant from 9:00 am until 5:00 pm.
Yes, a supermarket that was far from convenient.
That’s how it was in the seventies. God forbid that a shop would be open when you might need it to be open?!!

July 27th/28th 1973

•27• “Nothing all day except work from 5-8. Out on Bike”
•28• “Work. Out on Bike again”
A quick flick ahead in the diary suggests there are several entries like these throughout the summer, so I’ve made the decision to lump them together on occasion so as not to incite complete boredom amongst my faithful band of [...]

June 21st 1973

“Longest Day – No exams – borin all day – went into eastleigh + bt sunglasses + swimming trunks – Night of the hard kid up Fairoak”
Like most every village, FairOak had its share of ‘toughnuts’.
Toughnuts that would seem to often single me out for attention – something not helped by the fact that I [...]

June 9th 1973

“Work all day – Ward not at Alcatraz and Crook – Quite good time”
OK, I made myself laugh 36 years later by referring to my first place of employment as “Alcatraz & Crook”.
“Alcatraz & Crook” sounds like the kind of TV series HBO would commission.
One of those buddy shows where a pair of cops have ‘ironic [...]

May 22nd 1973

“When got home had haircut. Went out in Van for Ward. Went up woods”
Another haircut? What happened to the hippy teenager?
I assume the “van” refers to some kind of supermarket delivery vehicle? (“Ward” was my boss at Lancaster & Crook). Why would I go out in it when I couldn’t even drive? Presumably then, I was [...]

May 18th 1973

“Went to work. Sue & Stella have invited me and Nig to Barbecue next Sat. Mite take Angela”
Sue & Stella were fellow workers at Lancaster & Crook.
Sue, as I remember, was a “bit of a looker”. (Stella, by contrast, I can’t recall, at all)
Looks like my social life is about to take a turn for [...]

April 1st 1973

“Worked over L&C for 3 hours changing to VAT prices”
Worst April Fool’s joke EVER!

March 31st 1973

“At work, changed all sweets to VAT prices. BackWard sed I could work tomorrow as well”
VAT (Value Added Tax) was introduced in 1973 – as a condition of Great Britain’s impending membership of the EEC (European Economic Community) – as a replacement for both Purchase Tax, a tax which had been in force since 1940.
Purchase [...]

March 23rd 1973

“Got sent out in Physics thanks to Dave B” / “Rode my bike from school so’sat I get home earlier for work” / “Nig started work wiv me over Lancaster & Crook”
I wonder what misdemeanour I got sent out of Physics for? Seems as if this Dave B character was real perpetrator and I was [...]

March 2nd 1973

“Only worked till seven – felt a bit worn out after the past hectic week” / “Bort 3 light ales for the drinking of”
This cracks me up so very much.
One, the past week has apparently has been so hectic (reads back on entries, sees mention of scalextric, table tennis and one night’s homework) that I am [...]

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, [...]

February 17th 1973

“Got first pay 3.70 – 1.50 sub” / ”Bort new stylus 70p” / “Took bak Who Do We Think We Are – got £2.50 back” / “Lent Roger Moving Waves” / “Statement from Halifax” / “City 1 Liverp 1″
Aaaaah……… my first proper pay packet, suggesting that I underestimated my anticipated income as £1.70. It actually appears [...]

February 9th 1973

“Start work” / “Work is quite easy really – stacking shelves, clearing rubbish, marking up + humping sugar around”
So… my life as a ‘worker’ commenced today.
Yours truly became a ‘weekend boy’ at Lancaster & Crook supermarket, just across the road from where we lived.
In retrospect you have to agree that it was a terrible name [...]