The Reading List, Teenage Progheads and ‘Whole Lotta Love’

Well, it’s been over four years since I added a new page to this blog’s main menu, but today’s the day. It’s called Reading List and provides links to all the novels and comic books written by the ‘blogging buddies’ I’ve made since setting up this place. If you hop over there you’ll find: details of the novels and short stories written by Rol Hirst and Martin Pond; the compendium of Rock Docs written by Rick Ouellette, and; the most recent additions to my collection, the comic books. Other than purchasing the odd Buffyverse comic book for DD, this medium was new to me, but I really enjoyed Rol and Rob’s Department of the Peculiar series, the most recent editions made possible via Kickstarter.

A few weeks ago, the proprietor of another blog which can be found on my sidebar published his first comic book, and of course I bought a copy. As Rick is based in Massachusetts, the fee I paid for the comic didn’t even cover the postage, but he kindly sent it anyway. In return I said I would give it a plug on my blog.

As anyone who visits here regularly will know, I am no Proghead, but it really didn’t matter with this comic as the subject matter was universal. High school kids hanging out together and listening to music. It was set in the mid 1970s, so a period I was really familiar with, and although the issues they discuss were not relevant to us in the UK at the time (Nixon and Vietnam), we had our own issues, so not so different after all. Here is what I wrote on Rick’s blog (Reel and Rock) about it.

Hi Rick – The comic book arrived this week and I’ve just finished reading it. I loved it. The years you cover are so pivotal aren’t they, that sweet spot before you venture out into the world, when the most important things in your life are hanging out with your friends, listening to music, and fledgling relationships (with schoolwork and good grades thrown in of course). Life was not so different in my neck of the woods and I totally get how the whole Proghead thing came about. My husband’s older brother was very much into the same music, whereas we came of age just as punk had exploded, so got into that instead. Some very funny dialogue in there and of course the premonitions about the future were a masterstroke. Thanks so much for sending it out.

One of the many bands mentioned in the comic book was this one, Led Zeppelin. I don’t have much in my library by them, but I do have this, Whole Lotta Love from 1969. What Rick probably won’t realise, is that for much of it’s history, it was also the theme music for our weekly chart show Top of the Pops. Yep, whenever I hear that intro I’m back in my parents house and it’s 7.30pm on a Thursday evening.

So, ‘What’s It All About’ – I hope you visit my new page and perhaps make a purchase ahead of Christmas. We’re going to have to be inventive this year with our choice of gifts, as many of the usual purchasing options might be closed to us. I’m glad I managed to plug Rick’s comic as I suffer the most awful guilt when I’m behind with such things. I have a couple of ‘guest posts’ pending too, but I’ll get onto them when this momentous 30 in 30 challenge is over, I promise.

Until next time….

Whole Lotta Love Lyrics
(Song by John Bonham/Willie Dixon/John Paul Jones/Jimmy Page/Robert Plant)

You need coolin’, baby, I’m not foolin’
I’m gonna send you back to schoolin’
Way down inside, honey, you need it
I’m gonna give you my love
I’m gonna give you my love

Want a whole lotta love
Want a whole lotta love
Want a whole lotta love
Want a whole lotta love

You’ve been learnin’, baby, I’ve been yearnin’
All them good times, baby, baby, I’ve been learnin’
Way, way down inside, honey, you need it
I’m gonna give you my love
I’m gonna give you my love

Want a whole lotta love
Want a whole lotta love
Want a whole lotta love
Want a whole lotta love

You’ve been coolin’, baby, I’ve been droolin’
All the good times baby I’ve been misusin’
Way, way down inside, I’m gonna give you my love
I’m gonna give you every inch of my love
Gonna give you my love

Yeah! All right! Let’s go

Want a whole lotta love
Want a whole lotta love
Want a whole lotta love
Want a whole lotta love

Way down inside… woman… you need… love

Shake for me, girl
I wanna be your backdoor man
Keep it coolin’, baby
Keep it coolin’, baby
Keep it coolin’, baby
Keep it coolin’, baby