Playlist: Tracks of My Years (1978-1983)
I thought I would start another occasional series of playlists, that slowly trawl through a bunch of songs that have come into my life at different stages.
As has been mentioned before, I think I probably was already quite obsessive about music from a fairly young age, hence why this first bunch of tunes start in 1978, when I hit the golden age of 5.
Not all of the tunes in each playlist period, as you will see, actually come from that timeframe, they more relate to how they tied into my timeline. I will try and provide a little bit of variety as we go along, but all will have some sort of meaning / memory for me.
1. The Beach Boys: Surfin USA
My mum provided my early life with a healthy dose of The Beatles (see number 2) and an array of other 1960s beat groups, while my dad was more of a country man (by which I mean Johnny Cash, rather than a man from the Shires); there were a few overlaps, one of which was The Beach Boys. One of my earliest treasured musical possessions was a vinyl copy of their 20 Golden Greats, which I almost played to death as a 7 or 8 year old (and I still have it, scratches and all). The more musically savvy, later version of me, would likely pick something from the mid to late 60s (Good Vibrations, Do It Again etc), to appear to be a bit cooler - but let's be honest, at that age it was those cracking, upbeat tunes about surfers and cars that got to me. While Surfin USA might have the hallmarks of Chuck Berry all over it, you can already start hearing Brian Wilson's gifted ear for a tune, plus you get those family vocal harmonies to die for.
(1963 TV appearance)
2. The Beatles: I'm A Loser
The Beatles loomed large over my early musical life, with my mum having pretty much every single and album from the start to around 1967, all lined up under the record player. I really love that early stuff, and to paraphrase the great music journalist Stuart Maconie, for all the 'cool' cachet that you get for saying how much you love their later works get, never forget that they really knew how to write a great pop tune from the start. The one that sticks in my mind is 1964s Beatles For Sale LP, which I played numerous times; a fine mix of rock n roll covers and nifty little originals. While mum may have always been a number one Macca fan, I often gravitated towards John - and I will go with I'm A Loser, which encapsulates his ability to fuse an upbeat melody, with some melancholic and vulnerable lyrics, and this one also sees Lennon pushing his vocals down to the lower end of his range.
(live on Shindig, 1964 - if you can get past the bloomin' screaming 😁 you can see how good a live band they really were)
3. Madness: Baggy Trousers
Now we move into the contemporary bands that defined my generation in the early 80s, by which I mean, anyone who was between about 8 and 18 at that time. Madness kind of owned the UK charts for a few years and who couldn't love their cheeky personas and hit after hit, full of up-tempo, swinging bangers. I didn't really understand reggae and ska yet, but the rhythms that bands like Madness were cranking out, were just irresistible. I could have picked any of four or five songs, but I think this is probably my favourite.
(official music video)
4. The Jam: Going Underground
A different vibe to Madness, but the same banging end result. Sharp dressed mod fanatics, who despite only being a trio, could deliver a heck of a tight, driving sound. They were another one from a list of bands that seemed to be an almost weekly guest on Top Of The Pops (the music show for British youth back then) - everything they released was a hit. That is a literal fact - every song released during their five year existence (1977 - 1982) was a UK Top 40 hit (18 tracks in all). 1980s Going Underground is probably the first I really remember hearing and really liking.
(live in 1980 - Rick Buckler and Bruce Foxton were a totally under-rated rhythm unit)
5. The Specials: Ghost Town
Now I mentioned this earlier, that I didn't probably understand ska as a genre back then, but out of the ashes of punk, it was becoming one of the dominant forces in UK music of the time. I also don't know what was in the water in Coventry at the time, and why it was the epicenter of that growing culture, at the head of which, were The Specials. If I am totally honest, a lot of their catalogue came to me later on, but this song, and particularly this music video, is an iconic one for the time. It was a number one record for three weeks of spring 1981; I was barely eight, yet this song and video grabbed me! The echoes of inner city deprivation and urban decay were perhaps lost on an eight year old, or maybe not, as I know I would have seen the videos of rioting going across UK cities around that time. The song itself is eerie and unsettling, with a matching video of the band touring around derelict suburbs of London.
(official music video - an absolute classic song and video)
6. Adam & The Ants: Stand And Deliver
I'm not quite sure why, but it felt like this was the band that all young school boys had to love. I guess it might have been that whole maverick, slightly camp, highwayman persona that Adam and his merry Ants adopted that had a certain appeal. Plus the post-punk / new wave scene they represented, really knew how to compose a good hook or two - plus they used two drummers! This song, apart from being a catchy bit of fun, comes from Prince Charming, which also holds an important place in my musical timeline, as it was the first contemporary LP that I bought.
(official music video - enjoy these very dandy highwaymen)
7. The Stranglers: Golden Brown
This is another song that has lived long with a specific memory - being captivated by the delicate, waltzing sound and video with shots of exotic Egypt, when it came on Top Of The Pops. Little did I know then, aged nine, of The Stranglers more punky earlier output, or that this was actually a song about heroin! It would be another four or five years before I picked up with them again - and I ended up seeing them in nearby Guildford in 1990, for what would be their final hometown show with original singer Hugh Cornwell. So, looking back now, this song actually mixes together memories from across an entire decade.
(official music video)
8. J. Geils Band: Freeze Frame
This is another song that encapsulates a very specific time and place for me. I was very fortunate as a young lad, in that I had been on two trips to the States before I was ten. The second of those saw us staying with family friends in California. The J. Geils Band was all but new to me, although Freeze Frame was actually their tenth album, but their big single, Centerfold, had been all over the charts the previous year. But the younger son in the household (a few years older than me) had this LP on pretty much constant rotation while we were there. I remember thinking how cool they seemed, and lead singer Pete Wolf almost felt like an updated Fonz. I got this album on my return and really loved it, and I think I prefer the title track to Centerfold, as it is a bit more punchy.
(official music video)
9. Altered Images: I Could Be Happy
I think we all loved Clare Grogan back then - and it didn't hurt that Altered Images had a knack for writing a host of catchy as heck pop songs. For a few years in the early 80s, they ruled the airwaves with their vibrant, jangly pop music, soaked in Grogan's bubbly, bouncy vocals. There were several memorable singles to come out of that, but I think this would be my favourite!
(live on the delightfully titled but short-lived French TV show, 'L'echo des Bananes' - with Grogan, still only 20, displaying her one finger keyboard skills, and Johnny McElhone on bass, who would go on to be in both Hipsway and Texas)
10. Blondie: Dreaming
Blondie were the band of my younger years. They were everything; perfect sunshine pop, with elements of funk, punk, disco, hip hop all thrown in, creating a glorious, euphoric soundtrack for my younger life (well, actually, my entire life). Of course it was centred on Debbie Harry - you would be crazy not to set your band up to revolve around a front person that oozed glamour and charisma - and who was pretty much worshipped by everyone, regardless of age and gender. As I got older, I appreciated Chris Stein more, the ultimate in uber cool New York artiness. But I will not talk about Blondie without eulogising on Clem Burke, my favourite drummer of them all. A man who had the technical chops, but more than that, his pure love of music always shone through in his playing, and of course, he was always dressed impeccably. He was the ultimate showman and the heartbeat of my young soundtrack, who I sadly never got to see in the flesh, and losing him last year out of the blue (to most of us) was a hard one to take.
(live in Glasgow, 1979 - the perfect pop band play the perfect pop song, and if you can tear your eyes away from Harry for a few moments, please make sure you watch Clem whenever he crops up - the perfect pop drummer, tearing the kit up and having a blast while doing so!)
He is still very much missed - so this playlist is dedicated to Clem!
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