Sounds of the 70's

Sounds of the 70's with Johnnie Walker is my weekly musical fix. The show plays every Sunday on BBC Radio 2 between 3pm and 5pm. As I find it difficult to listen to the programme when on air I rely on the catch up service and listen to it during the week. What I like most about the show is the information that's given out about certain tracks. I love discovering how a song was put together, or the reason a band were named or who the song was about. To me it colours in the picture that the song has already given me. The show also reminds me of the diversity of music the 70's had. There was music for everyone back then.

The 1970's were my boy to man era and listening to Sounds of the 70's often reminds me of moments and events of that decade. Music has a way of taking you right back to a moment and enabling you to revisit a time in your personal journey.

Week in week out the show has reminds me of artists or songs I'd forgotten about. The video above is one of them. Peter Skellern and the song Your a Lady (1972) was played on last weeks show (21st September 2013).

The video's below are a small selection of other 'forgotten' songs or artists that I think are worth a listen.

Duncan Browne - Journey - 1972

Greg Kihn - Remember - 1978

Area Code 615 - Judy - 1970

Gary Shearston - I Get a Kick out of You - 1974

Roy Buchanan - Sweet Dreams - 1972

Thank you for visiting and I hope I have introduced you to some new music or reminded you of a time in the past.

Marillion - Afraid of Sunlight

This is one of the best albums made, not just by Marillion but by anyone. I urge you to forget who made it and just be open minded and listen. Don’t take it the wrong way, as I am a Marillion fan, but I know many of you will see the group’s name and not bother reading any further. You’re missing out!

Afraid of Sunlight was released in 1995, their last album for EMI. It’s not a concept album but the songs do sound better together. There’s a good flow to the album, each track complementing the previous or next one.

If there is a theme it is of the destructive side of being a celebrity. References to James Dean, Mike Tyson, Kurt Cobain and O.J. Simpson can be found in various songs and there is a melancholy feel to most of the album.

‘Out of this World’ is the stand out track for me. It is based on the land and water speed record holder Donald Campbell, who died in 1967 whilst attempting another record bid on Coniston Water in the Lake District, England. The track has a wonderful atmosphere and is beautifully sung by Steve Hogarth. I never get tired of hearing this piece of music. It is truly inspiring to listen to. So inspiring that diver Bill Smith heard it and decided to go looking for the missing body of Campbell and of the wreckage of his boat, Bluebird K7, in the lake that claimed his life. On 28^th May 2001 Campbell’s body and the wreckage of the Bluebird were raised from its resting place. Steve Hogarth and guitarist Steve Rothery were there to witness the event. The BBC did a documentary about the Bluebird being raised; unfortunately the song never got a mention. As Steve Hogarth says “If Sting or Peter Gabriel had written it, I’m pretty sure the producers would have made a big thing of it. Maybe Marillion weren’t good enough for them. I’m just a kid from a council estate. I just wrote a poem and I ended up sprinkling dust on his coffin as they lowered him into the ground”. The link above is for this track. Put your headphones on, close your eyes and take it all in.

Other tracks worth a mention include: ‘Beyond You’, a beautiful song, recorded in mono and sung with such emotion. ‘Afraid of Sunrise’ tackles the fear we have of opening up to each other, the opening track ‘Gazpacho’ is a good opener and a lovely version of this track can be found on their acoustic cd ‘Unplugged at the Walls’ (definitely worth a purchase too) and finally ‘Beautiful’ is, well just beautiful.

Q magazine stated about the album “If this were by anything other than Marillion it would be hailed as near genius”. In my opinion it is genius because it IS Marillion.

They don’t get any help from the media, shunned by most of the ‘high profile’ music magazines (including Q) yet they push out stuff like this because they want to. Not to please a record company or agent but because they are first class musicians who do what they do with a passion that cannot be matched by today’s karaoke type groups that fill the charts.

I believe that if you like music you will like this, regardless of whether you like Marillion or not. Give it a try.

M*A*S*H - The TV Series

I started watching M*A*S*H in the mid 1970’s, somewhere around the end of series 2. Frank Blake was still in charge, or so he thought, and Trapper John McIntyre was Hawkeye’s best buddy.

I was immediately hooked. I loved the dry humour and all the characters. Every one of them was strong. I also liked that it was realistic in that, amongst the jokes serious issues were addressed.

When Henry Blake left I really didn't think they would be able to replace him. I loved the relationship he and Radar had. Yet Colonel Potter more than took on the challenge. It was also the same feeling when Trapper left. I thought the relationship and chemistry Hawkeye and Trapper had come across as very genuine. I didn’t think anyone could take his place. Again I was proven wrong. B.J. Hunnicutt became a more than adequate replacement and his relationship with Hawkeye was just as strong.

Major Burns was a fantastic character (brilliantly acted by Larry Linville). I enjoyed watching him try to out-wit Hawkeye and B.J. and failing every time. When he left and Charles Winchester III arrived I knew from the previous changes that this would be fine, and it was. I missed Frank but Charles took us in another direction.

My favourite character of them all has to be Colonel Flagg, played by Edward Winter. He should have had a series of his own. It was brilliant watching and listening to him. He had some of the best gags.

"You think you're real smart. But you're not smart; you're dumb, very dumb. But you've met your match in me."

"Nobody can get the truth out of me because even I don't know what it is. I keep myself in a constant state of utter confusion."

I loved it that Major Burns looked up to him too. The character only appeared six times (or 7 if you count his role as Captain Halloran) and stole the show each time. Perhaps that’s why they limited his appearances. Sadly Edward Winter passed away in 2001 aged 63.

The TV series lasted longer than the war it was set in and the finale was a brilliant way to bow out. Tying up all the loose ends and still adding twists, like Klinger actually staying after spending his whole time in service trying to get home. Fantastic.

I like that the UK shows did not have the laughter track. I find laughter tracks demeaning. Surely it’s better left to the viewer to decide if something is funny or not?

M*A*S*H was a wonderful series and one that still stands up today.  

Calvin and Hobbes

I started reading Calvin and Hobbes back in 1985, when it started appearing in the newspaper I purchased daily. I very quickly became a fan and looked forward to the daily fix. Over the following years I collected the books, eager to read the stories again and be able to keep them on my bookshelves.

What I enjoy about Calvin and Hobbes is the way the message (sometimes a serious message) is passed on to the reader. We see a mischievous child entertaining himself with his stuffed tiger, annoying his parents and his neighbour Suzie. He gets into scrapes with his the school bully, told off by his teacher, reprimanded by the headmaster, scolded by his parents and yet, despite all the put downs, he still looks to go out and have fun. The lesson being; ‘no matter what gets in the way, don’t stop doing what you enjoy’. Clearly that’s not easy for all of us to do but I think it’s important not to forget how to have fun.

Bill Watterson, the creator, is a man I admire. Not just for creating Calvin and Hobbes but for his stand on commercialism. Over the years I have seen many things change for the worse purely because of commercialism. The English football league is a very good example (I could go on and on at this point about what I think about what has happened to English football, but this blog is about what I like, so I will abstain). I like the fact he refused to licence and merchandise his creation. It keeps it pure. He could have made a fortune by doing so but decided he wanted to keep control and not let them become monsters. I also admire him for stopping 10 years later, when they were at their peak of popularity. Sure I would have loved him to continue creating the stories but I do feel that some things can go on too long and we begin to tire and, therefore, not think as highly of them after a while. It’s good for that not to happen to Calvin and Hobbes. They deserve to remain at the top.

For the record I pronounce Hobbes to rhyme with Hopes, I hear others pronouncing the name to rhyme with Hops. To me the fact there is an ‘E’ suggests the former is correct. Anyone out there agree with me?

There are numerous websites out there for Calvin and Hobbes enthusiasts and I’d like to end this article by offering you my personal favourites: Zen Pencils, Calvin & Hobbes search engine,  Digital Calvin and Hobbes and Calvin and Hobbes in real life (sort of).
 

Daley Thompson

Daley Thompson is the kind of athlete I would liked to have been. I loved his confidence and he always looked like he was enjoying himself (and still does today). For some it was bordering on arrogance but I think he only crossed that line when required. If anything when he did cross that line I felt it was always in a humorous way rather than being too cocky. What he achieved in his time was amazing, going nine years unbeaten and setting 4 world records whilst winning two Olympic gold’s, 3 Commonwealth Games gold’s and wins in both the European and World Championships. He has also been awarded the MBE, OBE and the CBE. I wonder how long it will be before he becomes Sir Daley.

The picture above is my favourite of him and one that inspired Sir Steve Redgrave no less. It says it all about the man. His competitors lying at his feet exhausted (by the way you can purchase the picture by going here if you are interested).

Last year’s fantastic London Olympics also provided us Brits with another winner in Jessica Ennis. Watching her win gold reminded me of how Daley was in his day. Dominating the event and enjoying it along the way. I really enjoyed seeing the competitors do a lap of honour together at the end. I always think it’s nice to see competitive rivals get along once they are off duty.

My experience of athletics at school was rubbish. About 4 weeks before ‘Sports Day’ out would come all the athletics kit they had. For the next few weeks we’d all be instructed to practise the javelin, discus, long jump, high jump and running events. Then as soon as Sports Day was over it would all be packed away until the same time the following year. There was no chance for any naturally gifted athlete to be discovered in those days, at least not in the area where I lived.

As an ex Fitness Instructor I have a healthy respect for all athletes and I think it’s great that today there is so much more available to anyone who wants to have a go at athletics. I just wish it would have been like that when I was younger.

I downloaded the Jessica Ennis photos without making a note of the source. If they are your photos, and you can prove it, please get in touch and I'll put your name to them. I hope you don't mind me using them.

Supertramp - Their First Album

Growing up in the 1970's Supertramp were a big part of my youth. My elder brother did a light show for them when they appeared in Wells, Somerset, England, before they were well known. This would have been sometime in late 1970.

The album they were touring with then was their self titled debut album, released 14th July the same year (The album was not released in the States until 1977). An album that is still a strong favourite of mine and one that I feel is still one of the best Supertramp albums.

The songs have a strong melancholy feel to them but in places they rock. The band were very much a prog-rock type of band then with guitar solos and riffs far away from the keyboard based band they would become. 

This album should not be overlooked. The lyrics were mainly written by Richard Palmer and deserve to be listened to. It's a pity these songs are not sung live by Supertramp or Roger Hodgson. I'm sure many die-hard Supertramp fans would love to hear them.

The album, despite critical acclaim, was not a success. Their second album, Indelibly Stamped also failed, selling fewer copies than their first album. Apart from Davies and Hodgson the other members quit the band. Their mentor, Stanley 'Sam' August Miesegaes, (a Dutch millionaire who the band dedicated their next album to) paid off their debts and after recruiting new members the band took refuge on a farm in Somerset to work on their future. It would be here that most of Crime of the Century (their breakthrough album) and other tracks were written.

The track above, Maybe I'm a Beggar is the only track I can find on You Tube from the first album. I did try uploading my own video of the song Words Unspoken for the purposes of this blog, but the internet police took it down pretty quickly.   

If you haven’t already heard this album of theirs I strongly recommend you purchase a copy. I don’t think you will be disappointed.

Somerset Churches

I enjoy exploring Somerset and specifically exploring Somerset's churches. I don't class myself as religious but I do love the history that each church has, as well as the architecture.

I can spend a long time taking in the various inscriptions and if there's an effigy or two then I'm set for the day.

There are few churches in Somerset, as in England generally, where the Victorians have not left their mark.  Their use of Bath stone, made cheap by the use of the railways, in place of the local stone from which the original structures were made, have aggravated many, but, in a great number of cases, without the Victorian restoration work a large number of our churches may no longer have remained.

The picture above is of Meare church on the Somerset levels. There are plenty more photos of Somerset churches at my Flickr account and if you're into anaglyphs there are lots of 3d photos of Somerset at my website Somerset in 3d.