Blog post three and it dawned on me, that unless you personally know me, than you are unlikely to know anything about me.
So although, I don't want to go into too many specifics, here is a long journey into my musical heritage. Why I have such diverse musical tastes and why I have trouble writing a coherent set of like styled songs.
This will be split over several posts with one or more per decade.
Born in the early 1970's into a rather large family. There was normally someone in the house playing music on vinyl, cassette, or 8-track.
Yep, we had one of these in the house. Possibly my first record player, even if the musical variety was a bit limited.
My mother, wasn't a massive music fan, as far as I could tell. She did have a few David Essex albums, indeed my earliest recollection of playing a record is David Essex's Rock on album on my little battery operated record player. I still have the album on vinyl.
My father is a fan of big band (Glen Miller and the like) as well as a bit of country. Plus I used to get to watch whomever was on Sunday night at the London Palladium, Morcombe and Wise, The Black and White Minstrals show.
Ok, slightly dubious concept for a TV show and now considered racist. You had to watch what was on, given we only had three channels at the time.
Not sure if that was the same model, but it was similar. I think I was five or six when I got my first real record player. I liked that I could spin it backwards and it would play the songs backwards.
Being the second youngest of nine, quite a few of my brothers and sisters had left home and had left behind bits of their record collection in a cupboard in my bedroom, so the only vinyl I had to play were hand me down 7" and albums. So I was listening to things like Nazareth, Wings, Alvin Stardust, Gary Glitter, Sweet, Suzi Quattro (the first love of my life and possibly why I like girl bass players. ha ha).
Think I still have "This flight tonight" on vinyl more than once. Great song!
For a brief stint, I shared a bedroom with one of my sisters. Whom I got my love of Motown from, before I was shifted in to the boys room, where I shared with a couple of brothers, one of whom was in his late teens, just as punk hit.
My other older sister and her husband got me into the likes of Rod Stewart.
Punk had such a big influence on the seven year old me. The anarchy, the risque lyrics, it was all slightly naughty. Stiff little fingers were my band of choice, more so than the Sex Pistols.
I was lucky in so much that my brother was buying lots of the singles and albums, Buzzcocks, The Skids, The Clash, Dr Feelgood, X-ray Spex, Angelic Upstarts etc etc. I had access to play all of these (once he was out of the house).
(I probably won't forgive him, for selling all his vinyl in the early '80s).
Top of the Pops was very important to me from when I could remember until the day it ended. As was late night listening to John Peel and watching The Old Grey Whistle Test.
During the summer holidays, I would go and stay at my eldest brothers house for a few days. As a bit of a hippy, we got to listen to more folk music. Fun times.
My other big love at the time was cinema.
You would never allow it in this day and age, which is a shame, but I'd happily wander the mile into town on a Saturday and go to the cinema on my own to see the latest films. Star Wars was a huge influence the seven year old me. I saw it multiple times at the cinema. Plus things like Battlestar Galactica (in sensurround).
I warn you now. That I am blaming Star Wars for making me purchase my first bit of vinyl.
Yes, the first 7" vinyl I bought with my own money was "I lost my heart to a Starship Trooper" by Sarah Brightman and Hot Gossip.
I still have it and the receipt. It cost me 78p.
So with bands like Abba and the Bee Gees. I was into a lot of different bits and pieces of music.
As the 70's started to wind down, punk got more commercial and influenced by John Peel and The Old grey whislte test, I was starting to develop my own musical tastes rather than stealing them from my family.
By this time, I was starting to go out and spend any money I had left over (from buying Star Wars toys and lego) on 7" singles from the likes of Blondie (my 2nd great love) and The Police.
and possibly my final love, before I discovered girls for real. Kate Bush!
Nothing about a bit of classic rock (which wasn't classic at the time). Slightly less punk than I was into, but up to and not including Brother's in Arms, they were a class act!
and The Cars before they went middle of the road.
I was also getting intregued by this time by the influx of synths into music in the latter part of 1970's. Bands like Devo, Gary Numan and especially Ultravox. This was partially influenced by what a couple of my brother's were listening to.
As well as a bit of ska
But I will leave that for the 1980's blog.
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