Heroes Not Zombies

Let me set this in context. I was born in 1954 in a small town in the middle of Scotland. I say the middle because Stirling is pretty much equidistant from Glasgow on the west coast and Edinburgh on East. But it’s known as “The Gateway to the Highlands” because, historically, THE crossing point between the south and the north was over Stirling Bridge which spans the River Forth.

When I was 10 years old my family moved from the house where I was born (yes, I was born at home), to a development of brand new houses. I can’t remember how many houses were built there but I think it was a couple of hundred or so. I spent my teenage years with a group of a couple of dozen friends, most of whom lived in those houses.

I’m thinking about the music which is still so important to me. I can’t remember a time when there wasn’t music in my life. I listen to it every day and have done for most of my life.

I’ve read a number of articles about the influence which music has on our well being, our moods, and even our cognitive abilities. Those articles don’t really tell me anything I don’t already know from personal experience and intuition but they reinforce the significance of music in my life.

So I saw this photo in my collection this morning and I heard a line from a song in my head. I’ll tell you which song at the end of this piece. The experience of that song popping into my head got me thinking of some of the musical landmarks in my life…the songs, records and concerts which created my personal landscape through which my story unfolds.

The first singles I bought were by The Beatles….I Want to Hold Your Hand, She Loves You, Twist and Shout and Can’t Buy Me Love.

The first time I heard stereo (yes, folks, that happened in my lifetime!) was when my friend Tom played Simon and Garfunkel’s Bookends on his dad’s “stereogram”. Wow! I still remember the thrill!

A bit later we all bought stereo record players and the first album I bought and played on it was “Stand Up” by Jethro Tull.

We formed a record buying club. We each put a pound into the kitty every week and we grouped ourselves into threes or fours. Each week one of the groups would go to one of the record shops and buy as many albums as they could afford. Each member of the group could have one of those albums for up to a week then would pass it to another group member. Once the whole group had had their turn they’d pass it to the next group and once all the groups had had their weeks we auctioned the albums amongst us all and put the proceeds into the kitty.

As you might imagine this gave us all a fairly wide exposure to different styles and artists but there were definitely favourites we almost all shared.

So from those years I developed my own favourites….Genesis, Jethro Tull, Van de Graaf Generator, Pink Floyd, Soft Machine, Frank Zappa, Jimi Hendrix, Elton John, Wishbone Ash, Colosseum, Caravan…..oh, I could go on! Do any of those names resonate with you? Probably you’ll have a completely different list.

We went to fabulous concerts…..Pink Floyd at the Refectory in Stirling University where they used a joystick to send the music round the whole audience, Genesis with Peter Gabriel at the Usher Hall performing The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, the Eurythmics at their peak in the SEC in Glasgow…..again I could go on. Which concerts made the most lasting impressions on you?

Radio was also important to me. I listened to a lot of John Peel and recorded some of my favourite sessions from his programme on a portable cassette recorder. I listened to Radio Luxembourg whose signal would regularly fade away to almost silence before surging back again, and the pirate station, Radio Caroline. Later I’d become a regular listener to whispering Bob Harris and I’d record his late night show on a minidisc which I’d listen to as I walked to the railway station each morning.

Nowadays I listen to Spotify – I have a playlist I’ve called “A lot more than good” which is a collection of tracks I totally love. Many of them go right back to those early Stirling years. I read that playing music from your youth keeps your brain young. Does it? Do I care? I also read that playing new music keeps your brain young because your brain loves novelty. Does it? I’m not sure. However, you know me and my “and not or”! I listen to favourites and I explore new music too.

I’ve recently found Radio Paradise online and I love it. Usually I select the “mellow mix” which plays me a brilliant selection of favourites and new songs. It’s as if they know me! By the way the best way to experience Radio Paradise is on a large screen TV – the hand crafted slideshows are breathtaking.

So, let me tell you which song popped into my head when I looked at today’s photo (have you guessed?)

In the Land of Grey and Pink by Caravan.