An Aside – My “History of Music” Project: Part X

A 70-odd page “History of Music” would not be complete without a closing reference to Welsh rock giants, Man, would it?
However, I do think the comment about Pink Floyd’s new concept album “Dark Side of the Moon” – considering the subsequent success and ubiquity of their 1975 opus – makes me appear to be something [...]

June 25th 1973

“French <- Hard -> Eng Lit. Nig came up, we went out on bikes tracking over woods”
Comedian Jimmy Carr once said “the problem with Canada is that half of them speak French and the other half let them”.
I’m in agreement with that. French is a horrible guttural language – not the ’sexy’ number many women [...]

January 28th 1973

“Dave came up in the morning and borrowed Pictures and lent me Roxy Music”
I was almost dreading the debut mention of Roxy Music in this blog.
Why? Because it is extremely difficult to explain the impact that the band – and their style – had on this particular teenager. It’s also difficult to explain to [...]

January 26th 1973

“Got Melody Maker” / “Rob gave me back Fragile + another cassette to record Waves” / “Record player went up the wank – Dad fixed it for me”
“Up the wank”
Now, THERE’s a phrase I haven’t heard/used in a loooooooooooong time.
I can’t understand why.
Oh, wait… yes I can.

January 25th 1973

“In the evening I taped Moving Waves and emerson lake and palmer for Johnny – good recording” / “Melody Maker not in yet” / “Got records off of Nobby in xchange for him losing my pen”
No truth in the rumour that I wore an eye-patch, had a wooden leg and carried around a parrot on one [...]

An Aside (XIII)

Part 6….

Yes, a Genesis fronted by Peter Gabriel

An Aside (XI)

Part 4…

Comments:-
1) Once again I say…. “Best Miscellaneous Instrument“????
2) As John Lennon once said of Ringo Starr “He isn’t even the best drummer in the Beatles”…
3) Whatever WAS the attraction of Joe Cocker? I have always thought he was awful.
4) Brightest Hope #10 …… Fanny … the world’s first ever female heavy rock band? Never [...]

An Aside (X)

Part 3…

Comments:
1] There’s something both funny and courageous about Shirley Bassey’s name appearing amongst those other female singers!
2] OK, so I had to google the name “Jacqui McShee”. Singer in Pentangle apparently. That’ll be why I didn’t know the name – some old 70’s folk rubbish.
3] Hold on, Hold ON…. wooooaaaaah!…… Number 6 Best TV Show [...]

An Aside (IX)

Part 2….

Can Keith Emerson sit with his legs ANY further apart in the pic on Page 5?

An Aside (VIII)

Part 1 of scans of the official concert programme in advance of my memories (hah!) about my big day at the Oval….

 
 
Yes, you CAN ask “Who the hell were Fudd?”
All will be revealed come my concert day post…..

An Aside (VII)

Behold the concert poster – scanned from my personal (framed and on my office wall) collection….

Tickets £1.00!
The mention of Harlequin Record Shops as ticket sellers reminded me that they used to advertise very heavily in the back pages of all the music papers. I believe – but can’t be 100% certain – they were eventually bought out by [...]

September 28th 1972

“Bought Melody Maker. ELP win 7 sections in poll. Another addition to concert – Argent”
I probably would’ve purchased Melody Maker anyway – along with Sounds and NME it represented “required reading” each Thursday – but I suspect this particular issue was sought and read cover to cover with a little more glee and excitement?!!
The Melody [...]

September 26th 1972

“got letter saying I had won free ticket to the oval and LP. no-one believed me. argument between M+D becos M dont want me to go, D does”
….. and this little butterfly began to flap his wings.
A teenage life is full of turning points. I can categorically state that receiving this letter was definitely one of [...]

June 3rd 1972

“Went up Trev’s + took back records. Got some more Makers”
If it was 36 years later, the second part of that entry would mean that I had stopped off on the way home for a bottle – or two – of one of Kentucky’s finest bourbons, Maker’s Mark!
In 1972 however I was most definitely referring to [...]