As I have mentioned on my profile one thing I am interested in is music. Nowadays I find I can listen to allsorts of different styles of music from different eras - Blues, jazz, rock, R & B, etc. As a music fan I have grown up.
However as a teenager it was so different, like most teenagers no way would we listen to adult music.
My introduction to music was in the Glam rock years of the early seventies. This was the time when everyone dressed in bright coloured clothes and sprinkled themselves with glitter. This was our identity, music was meant to be fun.
At the time only two groups mattered, you were either a "T Rex" or a "Slade" fan. One other group was liked by all "Sweet" but they looked gay so nobody admitted liking them. "Sweet" produced some classics including, Blockbuster, Ballroom Blitz, Fox on the run, Wig Wam Bam, Little Willy, etc.
For me however the group I supported was Slade, I hero worshipped the boys from Wolverhampton. Noddy Holder, Dave Hill, Jim Lea and Don Powell were just awesome.
Slade today are heard every year at christmas with their classic No1 "Merry Christmas everbody" getting plenty of air time. Is this the best christmas record ever.
Slade were not just one song wonders they dominated the British charts for 4 years with no fewer than 6 number ones and numerous top ten hits. I remember the days when we used to gather outside Peter Halls music shop awaiting opening time when Slade released a new single.
Most slade records saw the titles spelt wrong much to the disgust of the English education authority.
Their classic songs included such gems as "Mama weer all crazee now", "cum on feel the noize"(covered a few years ago by Oasis), "Coz I luv you", "Gudbuy T'Jane", Skweeze me Pleeze me", Take me Bak ome", "My frend Stan", "Bangin Man", etc.
My personal favourites are "Everyday" and "Far Far away".
Slade records are designed to be played loud and live what entertainment they were. Who can forget Noddy's rasping voice rattling out the Steppenwolf classic "Born to be wild" to end the concerts.
Slade for their legacy made a Movie "Slade in Flame" which tells the story of the rise and fall of a Rock group. It is one of the best music movies ever made, check it out.
The mid seventies say the fading of Glam with the introduction of Punk, did the fun end here ?
Anyway Noddy and the boys - as the song says - Thanks for the Memory.
Anyone reading this please tell me about your first musical interests.
4 comments:
All pop, all Top 40, all the time. When I became musically sapien I focused on Billy Joel, Roberta Flack, Dr. Hook, Barry Manilow, Stephen Bishop, oh anyone who made the safely mainstream radio playlists. There was NO adventure to my early years of music-listening. I've never heard anyone else admit this.
And I loved disco. Correction: love disco.
Dr Hooks "Sylvias mother" and Roberta Flacks "Killing me Softly" are classic hits in the UK. But these were in the early 70's, you must have been so young ?
Billy Joel and Barry Manilow have both had numerous UK hits but I don't know much about Stephen Bishop.
I'm not a great disco fan but plenty of people are, nothing wrong with loving any type of music.
That picture of slade is striking. I know them only from some early 80's videos. But they filmed them in a castle. And that is just too cool for words.
Casey Kasem, (of American Top 40 fame), was my constant companion until someone gave me Close To The Edge by Yes. The was like tumbling down the rabbit hole.
I hated disco until someone showed me how much fun dancing was & now I'll disco anywhere. Live and learn.
Music is great I'm planing some more articles covering various types of music. Everyone should love music of some description.
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