So I say ‘Thank you for the music’

I don’t think I’m alone with this one but isn’t it amazing how much music is such a huge part of our lives.
I went out last week for the first time since my op to see a film about Depeche Mode and their Spirits in the Forest tour. It follows a group of fans from all over the world who share a common love of the band. There was a bit in the film and I’m not quoting exactly that referred to being at a live concert of a band you love like a form of spirituality. Everyone there is a believer and they are there to worship together. **Apologies if this offends any deeply religious people** but it really got me thinking about music and how it is interwoven in our lives.
I’ve been watching a lot of tv during my enforced house arrest, I mean during my recovery but the next day I didn’t put the box on but played the extensive Depeche Mode catalogue. It really cheered me up and singing along loudly and badly was great therapy. Which is weird because I know they aren’t to everyone’s taste and my daughters partner calls them Depressive Mode. Nonetheless uplifted was exactly  how I felt.
I have been around music as long as I can remember. My family didn’t play instruments or anything although my sister does sing. My folks loved pop music of the time. Some of my earliest memories are of us all listening to songs and singing along gathered around the radiogram. Here I must give a special mention to the radiogram. It was actually I think one of the first music centres of its kind and my dad made it. It was probably the size of an ottoman or small sideboard and on legs. It looked wooden but I think it might have been wood covered in a teak looking formica and it had legs. The lid lifted up and there were built in speakers, a record turntable, a radio and a reel to reel tape recorder. I seem to remember you had to switch it on for it to warm up and it would hum. We even recorded ourselves singing along to the songs using a plug in microphone and some of those recording survive today even though poor quality. I think my dad kind of invented karaoke right there but didn’t know it. There were tunes from Perry Como, Cilla Black, Elvis, Johnny Cash, Jim Reeves, Georgie Fame, Middle of the Road and the Archie’s to name a few. There was a group called Second City Sounds from Brum surprisingly who they used to follow too. Hard to find much on them these days but apparently they won Opportunity Knocks 6 times in a row. (For my younger readers think Pop Idol or X Factor) It’s a tradition that’s stood the test of time and when all the family gather at Christmas we always have a karaoke song and dance session.
My sister was also a big influence musically as she is nine years older than me. We shared a bedroom before she went off to Uni and some of her tastes became mine such as Roxy Music and David Bowie. Others I wasn’t so keen on and I think Pink Floyd- Darker Side of the Moon and a group called the Groundhogs may have mentally scarred me for life.
Then there was my grandad. He came to live with us when I was 5 until his death when I was 17. He loved classical music and would play it really loud. I wasnt keen on the operatic ones but could relate to things like Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake or Holst’s planets. This is probably the best memory of have of my grandad.
I also had a headmaster at junior school who played us classical music in morning assembly. I can’t remember his name but I remember the music. One piece was Mendelssohn’s Hebrides (Fingals cave) he told us how the music portrayed the sea. He made up words to the music saying that the opening sounds like ‘how lovely the sea is’ I still sing it now when I hear it. There began foundations of a love of all types of music and also words I think.
My music taste is eclectic I will give you that but also heavily influenced aside from those mentioned already, by my formative years of late seventies and early eighties. My first true love was ABBA. Although not my first single purchase but my second. The first being ‘Don’t go breaking my heart’ by Elton John and Kiki Dee. Prior to that there had been dabbles with the Glitterband (less said there the better) and David Essex but ABBA I loved. Mamma Mia being my second single purchase and first album purchase of Arrival. I loved back then how albums has an insert with the words to the tracks. I used to learn them all by heart. Again I can remember most to this day but can’t remember where I put my phone. I also need to mention here magazines. I used to wait for the newsagents to open to get my copy of Smash Hits and before that Disco 45 which was a bit weird in that it was like a newspaper but in colour whereas Smash Hits was all beautiful  glossy paper with centre spread posters which I blutacked to my bedroom wall. Again these were scrutinised and shared at school more than any academic text book.
I started listening to John Peel’s radio show late at night recording tracks onto my Decca tape recorder. This began to broaden my music taste and an interest in indie music began to germinate.
I had a little punk phase and was really into Sham 69. Then came Gary Numan and the start of going to live gigs. Duran Duran followed Depeche Mode, Japan, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, Human League to name a few. I had really found my people. Dressing up and voguing- we didn’t call it that back then we just called it dancing ‘new romantic style’. A special mention here also to Kate Bush and big hair.
There are so many songs out there in the world and I can associate many of them to times, events, people and feelings. I’m sure you can too. Like a snap shot in time evoking memories both happy and sad. So that’s why I close as I started quoting the inimitable ABBA, by saying ‘Thank you for the music, the songs I’m singing, thanks for all the joy they’re bringing. Who can live without it I ask you how can it be, without a song or a dance what are we..thank you for the music for giving it to me.’