June 20th 1974

“Went into Eastleigh. PM Music session”

So, I went into Eastleigh during the day and must have decided it was time to get the band back together again.

A collective sharp intake of breath followed by a sigh of expectant hope was doubtless expressed by the music industry.

In Jamaica, Island Records boss Chris Blackwell receives a call…

“Hello Chris, this is your A&R director here. We want to advise you against this U2 band from Dublin – instead we’re recommending a power poop trio from Hampshire consisting of a piano player who can’t play a note, a talentless acoustic guitarist and a 14-year-old bongo player. We’re thinking a 12-album deal and guaranteed 47½% residuals. They could be the next Rush”

Advertisement

1972 – What did I ignore?

Whilst my diary entries in 1972 touched on some “world news” – like the minors strike, Prime Minister Edward Heath’s ineptitude and TV ‘events’ – there was a LOT more that I failed to mention about 1972.

I make no excuses for not writing at least a line or two about some of these – I guess for this particular 14-year-old boy they simply failed to register on my personal radar…

• “Bloody Sunday” – a terrible day in Northern Irish history where British troops opened fire on demonstrators, killing 14 of them. Later to be eulogised by U2.

• The State-owned travel company, Thomas Cooks, was privatised.

• A British Airways flight crashed near Staines in Essex killing 118 people. It remains the worst air crash in English aviation history.

• The dockers went on strike, creating yet another state of emergency!

• The infamous Munich Olympics, and the whole Black September/terrorist massacre thingie.

• The government imposed price and pay freezes to try and counter inflation.

• Richard Adams’ soon-to-be-classic novel “Watership Down” is published