Month: November 2024

Barbra and Whitney: Two Ladies With Big, Big Voices

When I wrote about the death of Kris Kristofferson recently, I mentioned that I would seek out the film A Star Is Born to watch over the weekend. This of course was the 1976 version he starred in with Barbra Streisand, and sure enough, there it was on one of the many streaming platforms. I ended up having to pay for the privilege, which always galls me when we already pay for so many subscriptions, but when you’re looking for something specific it always seems to be the way. But I digress, did I enjoy it as much nearly 50 years after first watching it? I kind of did, but I think the more mature me has become a bit jaded, as the love story didn’t come across as epic as I remembered. I did appreciate Mr Kristofferson, however, and despite the passage of time, his character could easily be transplanted into a film made in 2024. Those rugged good looks never go out of style and as he seemed to be allergic to shirts, we did see a lot of his toned, tanned chest (if I’m allowed to say that nowadays). Sadly Ms Streisand’s bubble perm didn’t stand the test of time in the same way, nor her wardrobe, but her voice was exceptional, as ever.


I have long been a fan of the multi-talented Barbra Streisand who was the first performer to be awarded an EGOT (an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony). She broke my heart playing Katie Morosky in The Way We Were (written about here) and I am in awe of her powerful singing voice. With Barbra you know she will always hit every note, and inject each song with raw emotion. Here is one of the songs she “reluctantly” performed in A Star Is Born. A slow burner that really picks up the pace as her character becomes more confident.

The Woman In The Moon by Barbra Streisand

Another lady who had a powerful voice, and always hit every note, was Whitney Houston. Funnily enough, I was reminded of her whilst searching for A Star Is Born on Netflix. I didn’t find it there but they throw up suggestions of a similar nature, and one of those suggestions was the Whitney biopic I Wanna Dance With Somebody which I had gone to see at the cinema at the start of this year. I see it got mixed reviews, which figures, as there have already been a couple of documentary films on her life so we already knew her story. Having an actress play her in a film that sugar-coated much of the negative aspects seemed pointless to me and who wants to watch an actress sing her songs when there is still so much Whitney footage out there. The whole film was saved for me by the coda, where we see a flashback to the 1994 American Music Awards when Whitney sang a medley, suggested by her musical director. The medley was 10 minutes long and melded together: I Loves You, Porgy; And I Am Telling You I’m Not Going; and, I Have Nothing. It was a rousing performance and she was met with a standing ovation. I was similarly blown away by it.

I Have Nothing by Whitney Houston:


The final song in that medley, I Have Nothing, was written for Whitney’s film The Bodyguard by husband and wife team David Foster and Linda Thompson. Some of us will remember that Linda was in a relationship with Elvis Presley in the years before his death and, a bit of trivia here, she revealed in her memoir that the lyrics “Stay in my arms if you dare / Or must I imagine you there / Don’t walk away from me” were inspired by her time with The King.


So, “What’s It All About?” – Two ladies there with big, big voices and I have enjoyed, over the last week, revisiting some of their finest-ever performances. Barbra is still with us at age 82 but poor Whitney died young at the age of 48 after drowning in her bath ahead of the 2012 pre-Grammy Awards party. It didn’t come as a shock as she had become increasingly erratic in her behaviour due to drug use in the weeks and months ahead of her death, but, what a waste. Had she managed to conquer her demons she would probably still be with us today and like Barbra, continue to work until the grand old age of 82.

Until next time…  

I Have Nothing Lyrics
(Song by David Foster/Linda Thompson)

Share my life, take me for what I am
‘Cause I’ll never change all my colors for you
Take my love, I’ll never ask for too much
Just all that you are and everything that you do

I don’t really need to look very much further
I don’t wanna have to go where you don’t follow
I won’t hold it back again, this passion inside
Can’t run from myself, there’s nowhere to hide

But don’t make me close one more door
I don’t wanna hurt anymore
Stay in my arms if you dare
Or must I imagine you there
Don’t walk away from me
I have nothing, nothing, nothing
If I don’t have you, you, you, you, you

You see through, right to the heart of me
You break down my walls with the strength of your love, mm
I never knew love like I’ve known it with you
Will a memory survive, one I can hold on to

I don’t really need to look very much further
I don’t wanna have to go where you don’t follow
I won’t hold it back again, this passion inside
I can’t run from myself, there’s nowhere to hide
Your love, I’ll remember forever

But don’t make me close one more door
I don’t wanna hurt anymore
Stay in my arms if you dare
Or must I imagine you there
Don’t walk away from me
I have nothing, nothing, nothing
Don’t make me close one more door
I don’t wanna hurt anymore
Stay in my arms if you dare
Or must I imagine you there
Don’t walk away from me
Don’t walk away from me

Don’t you dare walk away from me
I have nothing, nothing, nothing
If I don’t have you, you
If I don’t have you, oh you

New Turntables and Looking Out The Vinyl: Donald Fagen and Everything But The Girl

It was DD’s birthday at the weekend and when asked what she wanted for a present, she said a turntable. Things have turned full circle and young people are now discovering that having thousands of songs (heck, millions of songs?) at their disposal, might not be the best way to really appreciate music. So, we all chipped in, and between us, the in-laws and Mr DD, she is now the proud owner of a turntable, speakers and a starter selection of vinyl albums. Most were recorded by current artists but in amongst those given to her by her other half was Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours. I still find it amazing that she is a fan of a band who first formed nearly 30 years before she was born. Then again I was a big fan of Fred Astaire when I was young and his heyday was nearly 30 years before I was born, so perhaps she’s just following my lead.

Anyway, on the big day we were invited across to their new house for brunch, and for the opening of presents. Although I now have nothing decent to play them on, I still have most of my vinyl albums from back in the day and I’ve decided to loan her a couple every now and again to hear what she thinks of them. On this occasion, the first “loaning out”, I brought Donald Fagan’s The Nightfly and Everything But The Girl’s Baby The Stars Shine Bright, both albums I bought when I was roughly her age. I eagerly await her judgement as she has a good ear.

I only found out about Donald Fagen’s solo career from my friend who made the “awesome mixtapes” (see link on sidebar), as back in 1986 he made me one with a couple of tracks from The Nightfly. I had always liked Steely Dan’s music but I honestly wouldn’t have known the band members’ names back then. It was a pleasant discovery though, and I immediately treated myself to my own copy of The Nightfly.

The album is full of songs that related to Donald’s New Jersey suburban childhood, in the late ’50s and early ’60s, and refer to late-night jazz disc jockeys, fallout shelters, and tropical vacations. One of my favourites is New Frontier and as you will see from the clip it involves a young chap bringing a girl home to “party” in his father’s shelter built in the back garden. Such times.

The New Frontier by Donald Fagen:


Baby, the Stars Shine Bright was an album I bought at the start of 1987, as it was recommended in the magazine The Face which I subscribed to at the time. (I went through a stage of trying to be cooler than I actually was!) It was EBTG’s third album and despite the fact it didn’t spawn any hit singles I have always really liked it.

Apparently, Tracey and Ben were following a distinctively “anti-rock” approach at this time and were unwilling to adopt a synthetic-sounding production that was fashionable at the time. Instead, the album took its influence from ’60s orchestrated music and the singer Dusty Springfield. This explains why I must have liked the album so much as since starting this blog I find myself returning to orchestral pop time and time again. This song, Come On Home, was the first on side one – I wonder what DD will make of it?

Come On Home by Everything But The Girl:


So, “What’s It All About?” – Sharing your music with the generation below I think. DD already has a good appreciation of the music we bought on CD throughout the 1990s and beyond, but my vinyl is all new to her. I’m looking forward to having music-listening sessions in her lovely new house complete with turntable and speakers. I will report back.

Until next time…

The New Frontier Lyrics
(Song by Donald Fagen)

Yes we’re gonna have a wingding
A summer smoker underground
It’s just a dugout that my dad built
In case the reds decide to push the button down
We’ve got provisions and lots of beer
The key word is survival on the new frontier

Introduce me to that big blonde
She’s got a touch of Tuesday Weld
She’s wearing Ambush and a French twist
She’s got us wild and she can tell
She loves to limbo, that much is clear
She’s got the right dynamic for the new frontier

Well I can’t wait till I move to the city
Till I finally make up my mind
To learn design and study overseas

Do you have a steady boyfriend
Cause honey I’ve been watching you
I hear you’re mad about Brubeck
I like your eyes I like him too
He’s an artist, a pioneer
We’ve got to have some music on the new frontier

Well I can’t wait till I move to the city
Till I finally make up my mind
To learn design and study overseas

Let’s pretend that it’s the real thing
And stay together all night long
And when I really get to know you
We’ll open up the doors and climb into the dawn
Confess your passion, your secret fear
Prepare to meet the challenge of the new frontier

A Man Of Many Talents: RIP Kris Kristofferson

Last time, I paid tribute to Quincy Jones who we lost at the start of November. Someone I haven’t yet paid tribute to, however, is Kris Kristofferson who died back in September. If I’d been blogging around that time, I most definitely would have written something, as he has appeared in this blog several times.

Mr Kristofferson is someone I have long admired but until I started blogging it was mainly through his film work. Back in the ’70s he appeared in many films (Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, Convoy, Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, A Star Is Born), and for some reason, he was one of the actors I took a real shine to. I have always had a penchant for a man with a beard (although not necessarily today’s hipster style), and he did sport a very rugged look back then. What I discovered once I started blogging, was that not only did he write some of the best-loved songs from that era, but he was probably one of those guys who would have succeeded in whichever path in life he chose. A top scholar, an accomplished athlete, a US Army captain, a helicopter pilot, a novelist, an actor, and a singer/songwriter.

Kris Kristofferson (sans beard) with James Coburn in Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid

Having double-checked, I find it incredible that he never once appeared on the UK Singles Chart in his own right, despite the fact so many of his songs did make an appearance when sung by other people – For the Good Times by Perry Como and Help Me Make It Through the Night by Gladys Knight and the Pips amongst others. He definitely did make an appearance for several weeks in a row however on 1977’s TOTP as he was Barbra Streisand‘s love interest in the film A Star Is Born. Much smooching was done during the filmed recording of the song Evergreen which was a massive hit for her that year. (Yes, my 16-year-old self was definitely smitten with Mr K in that one.)

Evergreen by Barbra Streisand (with Kris Kristofferson singing very badly!)
The back page of Words magazine from 1976, which unbelievably I still own

The last time I wrote about Kris around here was when I was challenged to write about the song Sunday Morning Coming Down. I soon discovered that although Kris wrote the song, and Ray Stevens was the first person to record it, it was only when Johnny Cash did a version in 1970 that it reached No. 1 on the Country Chart and won the Country Music Association Award for Song of the Year. The story is that Kris, who was working as a janitor at the time for Columbia Records in Nashville, mainly to get a foothold in the industry, flew his National Guard helicopter right onto Johnny’s front lawn to deliver the demo tape in person. That was the turning point for him as once Johnny took the song on, and made it his own, Kris was quoted as saying that he never again “had to work for a living”.

Here is a clip of Johnny and Kris singing the song as a duet. The preamble is something they used to do quite a lot of on these sorts of shows, and it can be a bit cringifying, but it does lead in to an excellent performance.

Sunday Morning Coming Down by Johnny Cash and Kris Kristofferson

I will finish with Kris performing Me and Bobby McGee which is probably the song most closely associated with him. He was a pioneering figure in the outlaw country movement of the 1970s, moving away from the polished Nashville Sound toward a rawer style. Maybe for this reason, I often prefer his songs to be sung by other people and Me and Bobby McGee has been recorded by many. It was originally performed by Roger Miller, then a posthumously released version by Janis Joplin topped the Billboard Chart in 1971. Over in Canada, Gordon Lightfoot released a version and then Kenny Rogers and the First Edition included it on their Ruby… album. But here is Kris in 1979 actually performing a version I quite like. Just the right amount of raw delivery in this one I think. The song is the story of two drifters – the narrator and Bobby McGee. The pair hitch a ride from a truck driver and sing as they drive through the American South before making their way west. They visit California and then part ways, with the song’s narrator expressing sadness afterward.

Me and Bobby McGee by Kris Kristofferson:


As with Quincy last time, Kris had a long life and achieved so much, but his passing will bring sadness to his close family and friends, and of course his fans. It is not always the case that stars have a long life however and I am mindful of the recent tragic death of ex-boyband member Liam Payne. Unlike Quincy and Kris, he became a worldwide sensation at a very young age but once the heyday of his band was over, it must be very hard to adapt to real life. I am hopeful that the management companies and record labels behind these boybands start to exercise more of a duty of care in the light of his death, but I’m not holding my breath.

But for now, I say farewell to that rugged, good-looking guy I was definitely smitten by as a teenager. I think I will have to seek out one of his films to watch this weekend as a bit of a reminder of those days. RIP Kris Kristofferson.

Kris Kristofferson 1936 to 2024

Until next time…

Me and Bobby McGee Lyrics
(Song by Kris Kristofferson)

Busted flat in Baton Rouge, waitin’ for a train
When I’s feelin’ near as faded as my jeans
Bobby thumbed a diesel down, just before it rained
And rode us all the way into New Orleans

I pulled my harpoon out of my dirty red bandana
I’s playin’ soft while Bobby sang the blues
Windshield wipers slappin’ time, I’s holdin’ Bobby’s hand in mine
We sang every song that driver knew

Freedom is just another word for nothin’ left to lose
Nothin’, don’t mean nothin’ hon’ if it ain’t free, no-no
And feelin’ good was easy, Lord, when he sang the blues
You know feelin’ good was good enough for me
Good enough for me and my Bobby McGee

From the Kentucky coal mine to the California sun
There Bobby shared the secrets of my soul
Through all kinds of weather, through everything we done
Yeah, Bobby baby, kept me from the cold

One day up near Salinas, Lord, I let him slip away
He’s lookin’ for that home, and I hope he finds it
But, I’d trade all of my tomorrows, for one single yesterday
To be holdin’ Bobby’s body next to mine

Freedom is just another word for nothin’ left to lose
Nothin’, and that’s all that Bobby left me, yeah
But feelin’ good was easy, Lord, when he sang the blues
That feelin’ good was good enough for me, mmm-hmm
Good enough for me and my Bobby McGee

La-da-da, la-da-da-da, la-da-da-da-da-da-da
La-da-da-da-da-da-da-da, Bobby McGee, yeah
La-da-da-da-da, la-da-da-da-da
La, la-la-la-da-da- Bobby McGee, oh yeah

La-da-da, la-da-da, la, da-da, la, da-da
La-da-da, la-da-da, la-di-da
Hey now, Bobby now, now Bobby McGee, yeah
Lord, oh Lord, oh Lord, lo-da-da, na-na-na, na-na-na, na-na-na
Hey now, Bobby now, now Bobby McGee, yeah

Well, I wanna call him my lover, call him my man
I said, I call him my lover, did the best I can, come on
Hey now, Bobby now, hey now Bobby McGee, yeah
Lord, a Lord, a Lord, a Lord, a Lord, a Lord, a Lord, a Lord, oh
Hey-hey-hey, Bobby McGee, Lord

A New Found Appreciation: RIP Quincy Jones

We lost a titan of the music industry last Sunday when Quincy Delight Jones Jr., 91, died peacefully at his home in Bel-Air. He had come a long way from his humble beginnings on the South Side of Chicago. I thought I knew a fair bit about Quincy when I heard the news, but as ever, it’s not until you start to read the tributes that you discover how much you didn’t know.

I hadn’t, for example, realised he’d had quite the career as a jazz musician, arranger, and composer throughout the 1950s, and worked extensively with Frank Sinatra. Quincy first worked with Frank in 1958 and then six years later he was invited to arrange and conduct his live album with the Count Basie Orchestra, Sinatra at the Sands. Frank even gave him a gold pinkie ring with his personal crest and from that day on he never took it off.

Come Fly With Me by Frank Sinatra with the Count Basie Orchestra

I also didn’t know that Soul Bossa Nova, which became the theme tune for Mike Myers’ film series Austin Powers, was composed and first performed by Quincy in 1962. It got a whole new lease of life, and audience, when the first film was released in 1997.

Soul Bossa Nova by Quincy Jones

In the 1960s Quincy started to write the music for film soundtracks and along with Don Black created this bit of movie magic, On Days Like These, the theme tune for 1969’s The Italian Job starring Michael Caine. Sublime – one of my favourite ever film themes.

On Days Like These by Matt Monro

We’re now getting onto more familiar territory and I did know that Quincy produced the soundtrack for 1978’s The Wiz, the musical adaptation of The Wizard of Oz, starring Michael Jackson and Diana Ross. It was whilst working on The Wiz that Michael asked Quincy to recommend some producers for his upcoming solo album. He offered some names but when none were right for the project he eventually offered to produce the album himself. Michael accepted and the rest, as they say, is history. The first album they made together, Off the Wall, sold about 20 million copies. Michael and Quincy’s next collaboration, Thriller, sold 65 million copies and became the highest-selling album of all time. The third album in the trilogy was Bad, which sold 45 million copies, and this was the last time they worked together. 

Off The Wall by Michael Jackson

Quincy didn’t often produce albums under his own name but back in 1981 he released the The Dude. I wouldn’t have remembered this album but I very definitely remember the single Razzamatazz (with vocals by Patti Austin) as it climbed to No. 11 in the UK Singles Chart, Quincy’s biggest solo hit over here. Having just listened to it straight after Off The Wall, there is more than a passing similarity, which of course makes perfect sense.

Razzamatazz by Quincy Jones with Patti Austin:

This tribute is growing arms and legs and I am conscious that I seem to be relying on a string of YouTube clips. We’re nearly there though. I’m also conscious I’ve shared a clip of someone I had banished from this blog a few years ago. It just didn’t seem right to make no mention of the three albums Quincy made with Michael Jackson, however, as in terms of his musical legacy they were probably his finest hour. I actually enjoyed watching the 21-year-old Michael sing and dance his way through Off The Wall, as being objective, he really was a rare talent.

In 1985 Quincy used his influence to get most of the major American artists together to record We Are The World. It was the US version of our Band Aid single and it raised even more money for the victims of famine in Ethiopia. 

By the 1990s, Quincy Jones had his own production company and worked with film studios and television networks to make copious amounts of entertainment. He was the person who gave us Will Smith in the form of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and yes, you guessed it, he composed the theme tune for the show.

For the next 30 years Quincy continued to be active in the entertainment industry and as recently as 2020, he appeared on the album Dawn FM by the Weeknd, performing a monolog in the sixth track, A Tale by Quincy. I would urge you to listen to it. It explains a lot.

I am reminded of the post I wrote about Burt Bacharach when he died. Both he and Quincy were in their 90s when they died so it’s not a tragedy, but it does draw a line under their amazing body of work. Unlike with Burt, whose life’s work I was more familiar with, I have learnt a lot about Quincy writing this post. They don’t come along very often, these magicians of music, but aren’t we glad that a few times in a generation, they do. RIP Quincy Jones.

Until next time…

Razzamatazz Lyrics
(Song by Quincy Jones/Rod Temperton)

Don’t believe those clouds in the sky
‘Cause they’ll be movin’ on and the sun will shine
If the world’s been passin’ you by
Just reach for a star and you’ll realize

Got to put back all the good times that we had
We can make it better with a little bit of Razzamatazz

If you feel your life’s in a rut
Just come on out tonight, and we’ll pull you up
Ain’t no use in dragging your feet
‘Cause something’s in the air that just can’t be beat

Got to put back all the good times that we had
We can make it better with a little bit of Razzamatazz (Razzamatazz)

Bring out the rides with all those white wall tires
Let’s go out cruisin’ like we used to do
Get suited down, let’s set the town on fire
Jump out your seat and let the music pull you through

We can make it better with a little bit of Razzamatazz (Razzamatazz)
We can make it better with a little bit of Razzamatazz (Razzamatazz)
We can make it better with a little bit of Razzamatazz (Razzamatazz)
We can make it better with a little bit of Razzamatazz (Razzamatazz)
We can make it better with a little bit of Razzamatazz (Razzamatazz)

Got to put back all the good times that we had
We can make it better with a little bit of Razzamatazz (Razzamatazz)

Bring out the rides with all those white wall tires
Let’s go out cruisin’ like we used to do
Get suited down, let’s set the town on fire
Jump out your seat and let the music pull you through

You can lay your soul on the line
‘Cause we can make it work if we do it right
Got to spread this message around
The people of the world should be getting down

Got to put back all the good times that we had
We can make it better with a little bit of Razzamatazz (Razzamatazz)
We can make it better with a little bit of Razzamatazz (Razzamatazz)
We can make it better with a little bit of Razzamatazz (Razzamatazz)
(Give a bit of Razzamatazz)

An Autumn Reboot, T. Rex and “Metal Guru”

Well, I must be enjoying my time in Delaware a bit too much, as it’s been a while since I came up with anything new around here. When I say “my time in Delaware”, I of course mean the latest edition of my resurrected series, An American Odyssey In Song. But no, I will continue my journey around the states in due course – in the meantime I’ll explain why I’ve been so…

Lazy by David Byrne

In September we went down to Harrogate for another stay with my good friend from student days. I have however written a travelogue kind of post about Harrogate and Yorkshire before (link here) so I didn’t feel inclined to go there again. The difference this time was that our trip coincided with the local Flower Show and it turns out the amateur gardeners of North Yorkshire are dab hands at growing comically large vegetables. A small selection shown below.

Ooh err missus, what a lot of whoppers!

I’ll bet that’s the first time David Byrne has come next to a group of giant vegetables in a music blog. Not so for the Beach Boys, however, as they recorded a song about legumes back in 1967. If you don’t believe me here is the proof. The song was apparently a tongue-in-cheek promotion of organic food. Either that or about how marijuana was turning Brian Wilson and his friends into a “vegetative” state. I’ve heard it all now.

Vegetables by the Beach Boys

Our trip to Yorkshire ended up being extended by a couple of days as back in September LNER staff decided to strike on the weekend we were due to travel back north. Their online booking system confounded me when it came to changing our tickets, so I bought new ones for the Monday on the promise I would get a refund for the ones that were now useless. A hotel was booked in York and all was well – I thought. At the last minute the strike was cancelled so no refund after all. An expensive error of judgement on my part but I’m glad the rail workers came to a settlement.

The upside was that we really enjoyed our time in York. There had been a mini-meetup with some of my blogging buddies in that very city the year before, but that was just ahead of me becoming quite ill, so I couldn’t really enjoy that get-together as much as I should have. Second time around it went fine and we even won the pub quiz at the Cock and Bottle round the corner from our hotel! Here are some pictures from both the 2024 visit and from BlogCon23.

Regulars around here will probably remember that I was largely absent from this blog last year because my mental health took a turn for the worse. I even ended up becoming a hospital inpatient for quite some time. At the end of September, I had an appointment with the consultant I have to check in with every so often, and it was decided I should stop taking some of the medication I have been on for over a year now. Suffice it to say it didn’t go well and on top of the physical side-effects of stopping quite suddenly, I also felt very low which seriously affected my motivation for doing anything, including blogging. The good news is I’ve been back to see the consultant and I’m now back on the meds – not a long-term solution but in the meantime, I’m back to feeling like a better version of myself which is fine by me.


What I think will really get this blog started again is replacing “reading hour” with “writing hour.” To explain – last year when I was in hospital, Mr WIAA used to switch off the phones at 5pm and settle down with a book for an hour. It helped him unwind after a stressful day of worrying about me and fielding phone calls from concerned friends. He got through many novels during that time which was a first for him, as prior to that the same book used to sit by his bedside for about a year before it was finished. When I got home from hospital we kept up the same routine, but after 11 months, and 25 books completed, I think it’s time to change my routine. Having a dedicated hour set aside for a hobby is a good thing and I’m looking forward to becoming good friends with my blog again. (If anyone is interested in what I’ve been reading, I’ve listed my 25 in the postscript.)

I’ve mentioned the book below by Will Hodgkinson before, but I can’t recommend it enough to anyone who was born at the start of the 1960s and came of age in the 1970s. He covers the soundtrack to our teenage years, each chapter covering the various bands and singers who stole our hearts – and our pocket money – back then.

The first chapter is dedicated to Marc Bolan of T. Rex who along with a few others, came up with the musical sub-genre Glam Rock. T. Rex filled our rock and pop magazines in the early ’70s when they had a run of eleven top ten singles, four of which reached the top of the UK Singles Chart – Hot Love, Get It On, Telegram Sam and Metal Guru. I was at school camp in Ayrshire when Metal Guru reached the top spot. In those technologically primitive times, a small black and white television had been wheeled onto the stage of the hall where we all met up every evening, so that we could watch Top Of The Pops. I can still remember the big cheer that went out when we heard that Marc and Co. had knocked the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards version of Amazing Grace off the No. 1 position. We were Scottish, and they had bagpipes, but at the age of 12, all we wanted to hear was the sound of T. Rex.

Metal Guru by T. Rex:


I would love to say my friends and I had brought our glam gear to school camp, but no, satin and sequins hadn’t quite made it to the wardrobes of your average 12-year-old Scot back then. I did have some glittery eye shadow however that I wore to the disco at the end of the two weeks. I can’t remember now whether that was to match my crimplene flares, my hotpants with bib, or my gypsy style dress (all very fashionable in 1972) but I do remember that change was afoot. Colour televisions were appearing in living rooms all over the country and suddenly our favourite bands could be seen in all their glory. The costumes became more and more elaborate and were embraced by Slade, the Sweet, Mud, David Bowie et al. The teenage years were just about to start and we had been born at just the right time!

Until next time…

Metal Guru Lyrics
(Song by Marc Bolan)

Whoa-oh, yeah
Metal guru, is it you?
Metal guru, is it you?
Sitting there in your armour plated chair oh yeah
Metal guru, is it true?
Metal guru, is it true?
All alone without a telephone oh yeah

Metal guru could it be you’re gonna bring my baby to me?
She’ll be wild you know, a rock ‘n’ roll child, oh yeah

Metal guru has it been
Just like a silver-studded saber-toothed dream
I’ll be clean you know, pollution machine

Metal guru, is it you?
Metal guru, is it you? Oh, yeah
Whoa-oh, yeah whoa, whoa
Metal guru could it be you’re gonna bring my baby to me?
She’ll be wild you know, a rock ‘n’ roll child oh yeah

Metal guru, is it you?
Metal guru, is it you?
All alone without a telephone

Metal guru could it be you’re gonna bring my baby to me?
She’ll be wild you know, a rock’n’roll child oh yeah

Metal guru, is it you? Yeah, yeah, yeah
Metal guru, is it you? Yeah, yeah, yeah
Metal guru, is it you? Yeah, yeah, yeah
Metal guru, is it you? Yeah, yeah, yeah
Metal guru, is it you? Yeah, yeah, yeah


Postscript:

Mainly for my own record, here is the list of books I’ve read so far this year. I’ve highlighted the ones I enjoyed most in case anyone trusts my judgement.

We Solve Murders – Richard Osman
The First Casualty – Ben Elton
The Housemaid – Freida McFadden
The Other Queen – Philippa Gregory
The Last Tudor – Philippa Gregory
The Lost Bookshop – Evie Woods
The Zone of Interest – Martin Amis
Demon Copperhead – Barbara Kingsolver
Tell Me A Secret – Jane Fallon
Never Greener – Ruth Jones
The Dead of Winter – Stuart MacBride
Larch Tree Lane – Anna Jacobs
Meantime – Frankie Boyle
In Perfect Harmony: Singalong Pop in 70s Britain – Will Hodgkinson
Companion Piece – Ali Smith
French Braid – Anne Tyler
A Mother’s Heart – Carmel Harrington

All of the following by Louise Candlish – I really got into her this summer after reading her newest novel Our Holiday. Probably best suited to female readers but a particular house always features as a main character which is a bit different. Psychological thrillers in the main.

Our Holiday
The Second Husband
The Day You Saved My Life
The Island Hideaway
The Sudden Disappearance of the Frasers
The Only Suspect
The Disappearance of Emily Marr
The Heights