Sunday 11 January 2015

A Musical Journey - Part 2 The 1980s - Part 1


The 1980's the decade fashion forgot.  My formative years so to speak.  The '80s was a decade for me of inventive music and terrible fashion.

The big change for me was going from junior school to secondary school.   I had hated junior school with a passion. By comparison.  I loved Secondary school.   My form were (still are) a great bunch. (Can you spot me?)


So at the time of joining, I was still into my punk.

Peter and the Test tube babies.



Though I couldn't get around some of my brother's love of Crass.

1980 saw the release of the film "Breaking Glass".  Starring Hazel O' Connor.



The soundtrack being one of my favourite albums of all time.  One I've bought far too many times.

                                                         Hazel O' Connor - Will You. 
                                       (with one of the most famous saxophone solos ever).


Hazel O' Connor was the first gig I ever went to see.  At the Cornwall Colliseum in St Austell.  Allegedly, Duran Duran supported, but I'm not convinced from the research I've done in the gig.

I also managed to photograph her at Farmer Phil's Festival a couple of times and got to speak to her too!

Our secondary school was split over two sites.   In some ways my musical influences are split over those two sites.

The lower site (years one and two) were defined by Ska, and particularly Madness and The Specials.


Madness - Baggy Trousers

The Specials - Ghost Town



As well as the other Ska usual suspects.

The Beat - Mirror in the Bathroom

I was lucky to photograph The Beat a couple of years ago. I'll try and find a photo!

Selector - Three minute hero

Another band I've been lucky enough to photograph (a couple of times)

As well a the normal Thursday's top of the pops, I had stared home taping the charts every Sunday night, making mix compilations of the best bits.

This was additionally suplimented by the Friday night discos at Swanvale Youth Club.  Where a lot of the local kids in my area would go to dance and see whom you could slow dance with at the end of the night.

At some point at least some of the Grease soundtrack would be played.

ABC - Poison Arrow


Altered Images - Happy Birthday


My love of synthesiser music was also growing.   Duran Duran were my favourites, though to be honest, I prefer a lot of the album tracks more than the actual singles.   Ultravox were also influential.  As well as Tears for Fears.

Duran Duran - Careless Memories.


This one time in music, I was asked to bring in a tape with a song on. Careless memories, being my favourite song at the time.  Naturally, I spliced the song, so it went straight into the Sex Pistols' "Friggin in the Riggin".  Oh how we laughed!
 

Ultravox - Hymm

Tears for Fears - Pale Shelter


Spandau Ballet - To cut a long story short


Visage - Fade to Grey
 
For me though with the new romantic movement,  I was never into the fashion aspect of it.  It was all about the synths and funky bass for me.  

1982 was a big year for me, firstly, we got our first VHS video.  This meant we could hire films and music videos, which meant we could see all the rude banned videos.  Plus Channel 4 launched so had The Tube as well as we could stay up late and watch music video exclusives and some previously banned films.  (plus Countdown! Comic Strip presents etc_).

Belious Some - Imagination (uncensored 12")

Duran Duran - The Chauffeur.

Public Image Limited - This is not a love song - The tube 1983

So that is the end of part 1 of part 2.  Which basically covers 1980 - 1982.
Part 2 will cover 1983 - 1986
Part 3 will cover 1986 - 1989.





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