Vegas & The Aftermath - Diary

[tikay]

Would these be your Desert Islands Discs? Which one would you take to the Island?

Not sure about that. I'd really struggle to narrow them down to 1, or even 10. I've not even started on my Aerosmith, Chilli Peppers or Eminem stuff yet, either.

The availability of any or all music these days, on so many platforms, is just wonderful, & all for free.

As a kid, a "single" was about 5/1 (five shillings = 25p) which was ridiculously expensive, & so we all went to a posh mates house, as he had a gramaphone.

Now we just open our tablet, click a few buittons, & can not just listen, but watch, almost any artist or track. What a freeroll!

[TightEnd]

as a teenager etc in the 50s-60s tikay what music were you into?

your tastes are quite modern, which is interesting

were you an elvis man? beatles? stones?

[Karabiner]

Would these be your Desert Islands Discs? Which one would you take to the Island?

Not sure about that. I'd really struggle to narrow them down to 1, or even 10. I've not even started on my Aerosmith, Chilli Peppers or Eminem stuff yet, either.

The availability of any or all music these days, on so many platforms, is just wonderful, & all for free.

As a kid, a "single" was about 5/1 (five shillings = 25p) which was ridiculously expensive, & so we all went to a posh mates house, as he had a gramaphone.

Now we just open our tablet, click a few buittons, & can not just listen, but watch, almost any artist or track. What a freeroll!

I distinctly remember singles being 6 s/8 d in WH Smiths in High St Kensington.

You could get three for £1 not that I ever had that much to spend.

[tikay]

as a teenager etc in the 50s-60s tikay what music were you into?

your tastes are quite modern, which is interesting

were you an elvis man? beatles? stones?

Elvis? Good Lord, no.

Not Stones mad, though I saw them in clubs in Ealing & Richmond on several occasions. I'm more an admirer these days solely because I'm in awe of how Keith Richards has survived, all things considered. His book was very revealing, & a great read. (The best "pop" Bio I can recall is "Scar Tissue" by Mr Keidis).

Really, back then, everything - music, life, the lot, was shaped by the emergence of The Beatles in 1963 (?). They, really, changed the game completely. I've just read a book by their sound Engineer, which was a dreadful bore (or, more correctly, he was) but it was interesting to read that Harrison was, back in the day, completely crap at playing guitar.

But I mostly enjoy music I can see, & of course music videos never really arrived until the mid-eighties, along with MTV. Proper MTV, I mean, MTV America, not the crap MTV Europe we have to suffer these days.

I would not say my music tastes are "modern", more 70/80/90's in the main.

For me, I lived through a golden age of British pop music - The Beatles, Elton, Rod, Robbie of course. Then it all changed, & we had Natalie, Gwen, Eminem, Dr Dre, Snoop, Dire Straits, Pink Floyd & DSOTM, Radiohead & all that stuff.

So much pleasure from music, for so many years.

What were your musical tastes as a youngster, & now? And your children, do they do music?

[tikay]

Would these be your Desert Islands Discs? Which one would you take to the Island?

Not sure about that. I'd really struggle to narrow them down to 1, or even 10. I've not even started on my Aerosmith, Chilli Peppers or Eminem stuff yet, either.

The availability of any or all music these days, on so many platforms, is just wonderful, & all for free.

As a kid, a "single" was about 5/1 (five shillings = 25p) which was ridiculously expensive, & so we all went to a posh mates house, as he had a gramaphone.

Now we just open our tablet, click a few buittons, & can not just listen, but watch, almost any artist or track. What a freeroll!

I distinctly remember singles being 6 s/8 d in WH Smiths in High St Kensington.

You could get three for £1 not that I ever had that much to spend.

Well you are (slightly) yoiunger than me, so yes, 6  shillings & eightpence would be about right. For context, I had a paper round (well several, actually) & my wages per round, per week, were 5 shillings (25p).

My wages when I started work were £5 per week. I felt like a millionaire. I paid £1 for "board & lodge" (we all paid "board & lodge" those days), filled my car with petrol, got 10 Woodbines or Senior Service, had a pint or two down the pub, & the rest was spending money. I saved 5/- per week, too, with National Savings Stamps.

Click to see full-size image.

Click to see full-size image.

[TightEnd]

I was a new romantic

Remember going to a Japan concert as a 14 year old at the Hammersmith Apollo in eye-liner and foundation. Big blonde quiff coloured by "sun in". No pictures survive. Still follow david Sylvian now

by the time was a student it was The Smiths (still a big johnny marr fan), The Cure, Waterboys, early REM, The Cult etc etc. Loved The Jam

nowadays still indie, guitars but far broader taste in general. Last two concerts were Fleetwood Mac and Kate Bush

Kids? yes. pop and R and B mainly.

[RED-DOG]

Remember going to a Japan concert as a 14 year old at the Hammersmith Apollo in eye-liner and foundation. Big blonde quiff coloured by "sun in". No pictures survive.

There were pictures?

[BigAdz]

Pretty sure Tikay started listening to music when his dog Nipper was still alive.....

[tikay]

The greatest music mystery of my entire life was a chap named Mike Oldfield.

He made an album on which he played all the instruments. It was a concept album as they liked to say back in the day.

It was (or seemed) 9 hours long, & consisted of one bar, played over & over again. For 9 bloody hours. (OK, it ended with "Sailors Hornpipe" for some reason).

I guess you needed to be smoking a joint to enjoy crap like that.

It sold about 15 milly copies, allegedly. We must have all been mad.

Other than one other LP - Herbest Ridge - he never made any other stuff - except 6 - SIX! - remakes of Tubular Bells, which went by amazingly original titles such as "Tubular Bells II", "Tubalar Bells III" & so on.

Even the Tubular Bells Wiki page will bore anyone to tears, really.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tubular_Bells

[TightEnd]

Remember going to a Japan concert as a 14 year old at the Hammersmith Apollo in eye-liner and foundation. Big blonde quiff coloured by "sun in". No pictures survive.

There were pictures?

I remember the pictures, but do not know what happened to them

remember the concert too.

My father, who i did not get on with, had to pick up three of us from the Hammersmith bus station afterwards

Three teenage boys, in frilly blouses, make up and attitude

the ultimate dad's taxi nightmare

[tikay]

Remember going to a Japan concert as a 14 year old at the Hammersmith Apollo in eye-liner and foundation. Big blonde quiff coloured by "sun in". No pictures survive.

There were pictures?

Yeah, post those photos Tighty, this we need to see.

[TightEnd]

The greatest music mystery of my entire life was a chap named Mike Oldfield.

He made an album on which he played all the instruments. It was a concept album as they liked to say back in the day.

It was (or seemed) 9 hours long, & consisted of one bar, played over & over again. For 9 bloody hours. (OK, it ended with "Sailors Hornpipe" for some reason).

I guess you needed to be smoking a joint to enjoy crap like that.

It sold about 15 milly copies, allegedly. We must have all been mad.

Other than one other LP - Herbest Ridge - he never made any other stuff - except 6 - SIX! - remakes of Tubular Bells, which went by amazingly original titles such as "Tubular Bells II", "Tubalar Bells III" & so on.

Even the Tubular Bells Wiki page will bore anyone to tears, really.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tubular_Bells

Jean Michel Jarre was another one

Oxygen, Equinox

Oxygen sold 12m copies, he did instrumental concerts to over 1m people a time

strange to recall it now actually

     

[tikay]

Remember going to a Japan concert as a 14 year old at the Hammersmith Apollo in eye-liner and foundation. Big blonde quiff coloured by "sun in". No pictures survive.

There were pictures?

I remember the pictures, but do not know what happened to them

remember the concert too.

My father, who i did not get on with, had to pick up three of us from the Hammersmith bus station afterwards

Three teenage boys, in frilly blouses, make up and attitude

the ultimate dad's taxi nightmare

Oner of my Top Ten London Bus Garages at the time. It was, effectively, in the middle of Hammersmith Roundabout. 

So both you & Adzy were "New Romantics"?

The mind boggles.

[TightEnd]

I had the commute to school to die for

either

a) 33 or 72 bus to Hammersmith and then district line to school or

b) overland rail from Putney to Waterloo and then the drain to school


Hammersmith bus station was, literally, a huge layby on one side of the hammersmith roundabout.

From 4pm to 7pm daily the whole island was a massive snarl up as people tried to get out of London either along the A4, or over Hammersmith bridge which couldn't cope with the capacity, or down the Fulham Palace road to get out to the A3

[BigAdz]

Remember going to a Japan concert as a 14 year old at the Hammersmith Apollo in eye-liner and foundation. Big blonde quiff coloured by "sun in". No pictures survive.

There were pictures?

I remember the pictures, but do not know what happened to them

remember the concert too.

My father, who i did not get on with, had to pick up three of us from the Hammersmith bus station afterwards

Three teenage boys, in frilly blouses, make up and attitude

the ultimate dad's taxi nightmare

Oner of my Top Ten London Bus Garages at the time. It was, effectively, in the middle of Hammersmith Roundabout. 

So both you & Adzy were "New Romantics"?

The mind boggles.

LOL. I deliberately passed over the small application of eye-liner back in those days. But, bloody hell, the girls loved it. Always an in!

The current Mrs C, not so keen!