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Well, where do I start? I can't possibly cover all the music of the seventies so lets pick just a few things to focus on. I also can't begin to explain how difficult it was to hear good music in the early seventies. It wasn't everywhere like it is now, and we used to religiously sit in front of the TV for Top of the Pops and the Old Grey Whistle Test, or Sight and Sounds in Concert on BBC2. |  |
| It has got to be worth a mention that our sons and daughters are now of
the age where they will be making their mums and dads lives' comfortable
by making their fortunes in the big old world of rock and roll! If any of
you want to give them a plug on here just let me know! Check out www.myspace.com/jumpshipuk.
The handsome Owen Shiers is none other than Gwynneth's son!
We're off to the Wickham festival in Hampshire in August this year for a change instead of Cropredy - there's only so much Richard Thompson you can take! We'll be camping all 4 days and sampling Jethro Tull, Eddi Reader, Maggie Bell, The Hamsters, Liza Carthy, The Saw Doctors and my favourites, The Men they couldn't Hang, amongst others. Let me know if you fancy meeting up! |
| Those Festivals from the seventies - rainy Buxton, the first Knebworth and the Great British Music Festival. And now we have a page dedicated to Rod Stewart and the Faces - classic rock with a dollop of partying, womanising, and more alcohol than the contents of a Yates's white port! |
| At last - a page dedicated to Babs, Ruth, Dee Dee, Flick, Louise and Cherry. You know who they are...yes even you heavy metal fans, so click here for the Pans People page! |
| Here's the link to the Cropredy
Festival photos where Mart and I spent a couple of days lying in a
field which wasn't Priory school playing fields! It also brings back memories of the first time I heard of
Fairport which was either sitting on bunk beds at Marts house listening
to his record collection, or possibly the Walk Awhile track which I
think was on the Bumpers sampler album.
I've just found my nominations for the NME singles poll in 1976. Have a look and see what I thought were the best 25 singles of all time! If you remember Cisco at the imperial have a look here - it wasn't just famous for Fiona's bum! For those of you who were at Carlton Le Willows lets delve through some musical memories - have a look at the list of singles below, and what they remind me of! Feel free to email me and add any that you like! If you don't agree, maybe the list of what was number one at key points in our lives (mainly parties!) might stir up a few memories. And just to add a festive note check out the Christmas Number 1's of the seventies and tell me whether they're any worse than Bob the Builder or Robson and Jerome! On a wider note, have a look at where we used to go to see our music in Nottingham in the seventies. Hmm..not too many places but The Boat was favourite and deserves it's own history here! I spent every Saturday night there for years, and I know there was Moor Farm Inn, The Golden Diamond, and for a while the Albert Hall, but maybe I'll do them later! And our favourite bands at The Boat....Nutz and Sassafras. Finally for now, what about those most excellent of seventies events - the music festivals? Have a look at Buxton 1974 (still to come!) and Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young at Wembley in 1975. |
| Musical Memories | |
| "Sylvias Mother" by Dr Hook and "You've got a friend" by James Taylor | Definitely the Geography Field Course in July 1972 when we stayed at High Close youth hostel near Elterwater in the Lakes. Especially reminds me of a group of girls we met from Casterton school and the rabbit hutch, eh Mop? |
| "Spirit in the sky" and "Mony Mony" | Has to be our first excursions into the world of "discos" which were held at some sort of community hall off Mapperley Plains. This is where we learned to stand at the side of the room while simultaneously staring at the girls and avoiding staring at their boyfriends...a skill which has come in useful ever since. |
| Thin Lizzy "Whiskey in the Jar" | Really reminds me of going to see bands at Moor Farm Inn and sitting with our RAF greatcoats on and half a mild in front of us all night. I don't think we ever liked mild but it was the cheapest drink you could get. And then we would pile into Johnno's car and hurtle back through town as he had to be home by 11.00....or else! And his dad was an ex Military Policeman, who ran a butcher's so we made sure we were back! |
| "Rainbow" by Marmalade, "Westbound Number Nine", "Lonely Days", and "He's Gonna Step on you Again" by John Kongos | Now all of these remind me of Friday night parties at Fiona's House. Fiona's house was large and rambling and her mum was really nice and daft enough to enjoy her house being overrun by a bunch of teenagers! We played music, sneaked over to the off license to buy cider and played sardines which generally involved cramming into as small a place as possible with as many members of the opposite sex as possible! |
| "Just my imagination" by the Temptations | Has to be Trev Pinders party which still ranks as one of the best parties of all time. Not for it's wildness, loud music or amount of alcohol consumed but because there were almost exactly the same number of boys and girls and everyone paired off! I think this is unheard of, before or since! |
| "Fog on the Tyne" and "American Pie" | Well these were both excellent sing along songs and just right for the Biology Field Course in Rhossilli in Wales, which is what they remind me of! I'm proud to say that I still know all the words to both sides of American Pie which has come in very useful recently with the Madonna version! |
| "Virginia Plain" and "Ride a White Swan" | Of course it has to be Johnno! Who can forget him doing that strange dance where you hold your hands together and sort of swing them in front of you (well I know what I mean!) in the common room with everyone clapping along. Johnno had, and probably still has the largest record collection I've ever seen, the source for most of the hundreds of tapes that I have in my loft. And I bet he could still tell you what a DC10432786 transistor is for! |
| Gone but not forgotten!
And what about the following records which don't remind me of anything in particular but are in the "disappeared without trace" category! "Seaside Shuffle" by Tery Dactyl and the Dinosaurs, "Laguna Sunrise", "Journey" by Duncan Browne and "When you are a King" by White Plains. No doubt someone will dig them out for a Jeans advert one day but I don't think I've heard them for about 30 years! |
| Number 1's |
| This is what was number 1 in the charts at those, crucial, never to be forgotten moments in your life! |
| 20th March 1971 | Farewell party for Sue Town at Fionas | Hot Love by T Rex |
| 30th June 1971 | Trev Pinders unrepeatable party | Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep by Middle of the Road |
| 17th July 1971 | The boys holiday at Caister | Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep by Middle of the Road |
| 26th August 1971 | O level results day! | I'm still Waiting by Diana Ross |
| 28th October 1971 | The day I bought my 1st Rod Stewart Album from Virgin on Oxford Street! | Maggie May by Rod Stewart |
| 01st January 1972 | Gwynneths Party | Ernie by Benny Hill |
| 22 January 1972 | Webbys Party (where Tats and Coral packed up, but we all used to do that all the time!) | I'd like to teach the world to sing by The New Seekers |
| 8th April 1972 | Biology Field Course at Worms Head, Rhossilli | Without You by Nilsson |
| 20th July 1972 | Geography Field Course in the Lake District | Puppy Love by Donny Osmond |
| 4th November 1972 | Ollies Party | Mouldy Old Dough by Lieutenant Pigeon |
| 02nd December 1972 | Pilks party at Burton Joyce | My Ding a Ling by Chuck Berry |
| 15th May 1973 | Sports day when Bert won the 400 and was carried round the track for a lap of honour by the boys! | Tie a yellow ribbon by Dawn |
| 05 June 1973 | A Levels! | See my Baby Jive by Wizzard |
| 23 June 1973 | Nikki Jolivets barbecue which I think was technically our last day ever at school! | Rubber Bullets by 10cc |
| 15th August | A level results | Leader of the Gang by Gary Glitter |
| .....................I may sneak some more of these on later as there are hundreds more dates where these came from! |
| 1970 | I hear you knocking | Dave Edmunds |
| 1971 | Ernie | Benny Hill |
| 1972 | Long haired lover from Liverpool | Little Jimmy Osmond |
| 1973 | Merry Xmas Everbody | Slade |
| 1974 | Lonely this Christmas | Mud |
| 1975 | Bohemian Rhapsody | Queen |
| 1976 | When a Child is Born | Johnny Mathis |
| 1977 | Mull of Kintyre | Wings |
| 1978 | Mary's Boy Child | Boney M |
| 1979 | Another Brick in the Wall | Pink Floyd |