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I think I've got a pretty good memory for events from my childhood, but I'm continually amazed at how the mind can play tricks with the facts. For example, back in the '60s, in our house there used to reside a collection of 45 rpm singles. (I was never quite sure whose they were, my brother's, my dad's, or a weird mish-mash of both.) One single I recall was DON'T LET THE RAIN COME DOWN by well-known crooner of the day, RONNIE HILTON. On the B side of the record was A WINDMILL IN OLD AMSTERDAM (which I defy you to listen to and not hum for the rest of the week).
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| Apparently, Embassy records were only available in Woolworth's |
At least, that's how I remember it, but the reality is different - as I found out recently when I started to re-acquire some of those self-same singles from yesteryear. (Actually, I have many of the tunes on CD, but I wanted to own again the actual singles from the period.) The above pair of ditties, which I thought were both sides of the same record, are actually two separate discs. The same thing happened with BOBBY'S GIRL by SUSAN MAUGHAN. We used to have the single, which had (JAMES) HOLD THE LADDER STEADY as the B side. Well, as I discovered, no we didn't. That particular disc was by KAY BARRY, who did her own versions of those two songs associated with Susan.
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Another peculiarity is how a song can summon up memories of a particular time and place - and in fact, even stray beyond its own precise perimeters. One single which I know was my brother's is TAP TURNS ON THE WATER by CCS, with rather naughty lyrics. Recalling it today, I find that I tend to associate it with the entire period of nearly 7 years that we resided in that particular house. However, history records that it wasn't released until 1971, and as we moved from the house halfway through 1972, it represents only about a year of our time there, not the complete span. In fact, when I think back, it seems that we owned every single at the same time and for the same duration, whereas they'd actually have been acquired at intervals over a period of years.
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Of course, I'm aware that, near the end of our tenancy there, we actually did have all those singles at the same time, but looking back, it seems that it was always so - for the complete duration, not just towards the close of our stay. Funny how the mind sometimes compresses separate moments into almost one big single seamless memory, don't you think?
14 comments:
Really good to see you branching out into music as well ( my OTHER great passion! ) CCS always reminds me of working as a petrol-pump attendant in '71.Most hits from the 60' s & 70's take me someplace in time.How about some galleries of LP covers? JP
Still fascinates me to see 45's without the giant hole in the middle.
A record in my brother's collection back in the '60's, Chains by The Marmalade, was a favourite of mine, and when I heard it for the first time in 40 years recently I was sure it must have been a big hit back then. But when I did a bit of research I discovered it was actually the B-side of their No1 cover of Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da. In those days some B-sides were as good or better than the A-sides, and when you're young it can be a bit confusing which track was on which side.
The one that really confused me was Fleetwood Mac's single Man Of The World, which had a B-side by a band called Earl Vince and The Valiants. It was only years later that I found out that they were using a joke name for the B-side.
Good to see those old labels and sleeves, too. Some of them are as memorable to me as old comic covers from the period. The first single I ever bought for myself was Telegram Sam, and both its sleeve and label had a photo of Marc Bolan on them, whereas before that his singles had a fly on the label - so when I see either of those labels now one makes me think of 1971 and the other 1972-and-later.
JP, I doubt that many poeple would be interested in seeing album covers of the kind of music I'm interested in, but I'll get around to it one day.
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Chris, I was always amazed that American singles had such a big hole when a small one did the job just as well. Also, in Britain, the long spindle allowed the listener to place a stack of reconds on it at a time, without having to remove one disc to play the next.
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GB, I've actually got that Ob-La-Di single in my collection. Apparently it was written by Lennon & McCartney.
"Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da" (I agree, a great B side in "Chains" and a great band) along with The Scaffold's "Lily the Pink" were the first singles I bought along with my brother (we pooled some birthday money). I can still recall going out to purchase them in Glasgow - a big event then as singles were pretty expensive in the '60s (well they were for me as an 8 year old), but my mum and dad made a day of it with my brother and myself and we all went on the short trip to Lewis's store (a massive store that sold everything from penny sweets to top end appliances including US comics). Once there you chose your records and were shown to a kiosk where you could listen to your purchase...then it was off for a cupa and a cake with the family, before rushing home to play our singles on our blue and white Marconiphone or Dansette (can't recall what it was called) Record Player- great times. I would love to say my choice was the Marmalade but it wasn't - I still have both singles but the covers are long gone, which is a shame as they were picture paper sleeves and most 45s at that time seemed to have a plain white or coloured sleeve with the logo of the record company on it, although I do recall some of my mum and dad's records (Frank Ifield, Tom Jones, Cliff, etc) had strong glossy picture sleeve covers. Great blog, brought back some long forgotten nice memories. Cheers Kid, - McScotty
My father tried his best not to criticise the music that my brothers and I listened too back then. Once, when he was off on a business trip, he offered to bring me a single of my choice as a gift, so I asked for Drive In Saturday by David Bowie, since he was the coolest of the cool at the time and I could use it to impress my friends at school. On his return, when he handed me the brown paper bag containing the single I was really excited, so imagine my horror when he told me that Bowie was sold out and he had bought the No1 record instead - Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round The Old Oak Tree. Needless to say, I didn't tell anyone at school that it was now in my collection.
Brilliant reminiscence, McScotty, I remember Lewis's well. Still miss it.
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Another great story. Right, 'fess up, GB - do you still have it? (And if not, would you buy it again to remember old times?)
That Bowie single (and Bowie in general) was brilliant, and I have to say we also had "Tie a yellow Ribbon" in our FAMILY collection and still have - I liked it (and a lot of Dawns singles) and theres a connection (nkinda) between that and Bowie as there is a US TV clip of Tony Orlando (from Dawn) doing a show around that time , when he then during a Dawn song walks into the audience and who is there.....yep the rock God David (Ziggy Stardust) Bowie and his then wife Angie so he must have liked it as well lol McScotty
Record that always takes me right back to childhood is 'Mary's Boy Child' by Boney M.
I prefer the Jim Reeves version, but I remember that single. Apparently, the guy was miming to the vocals of a previous singer, if I recall correctly.
My mum and dad were big Jim Reeves fans and I still have a batch of his 45s most had 4 tracks on them and all great stuff as well that would bring a tear to a glass eye, "take my hand precious Lord" "a strangers just a friend you do not know " and "Be nobody's darlin' but mine" etc I can't listen to these this weather as it brings back too many memories (with my mum recently passing and my dad gone several years now) but that's the great thing about memories and music as one day I will listen to them and again have a wee tear and smile (dear gawd got all poetic there lol) McScotty
"Chris, I was always amazed that American singles had such a big hole when a small one did the job just as well."
You can blame RCA for that one. They spear-headed the whole big hole thing for singles around here. It led to a thing of using little plastic yellow spindle adapters for your 45's if you didn't have one suitable for your turntable.
http://antiqueradios.com/albums/Phonographs/RCA_45_J_with_record.sized.jpg
http://thumbs1.ebaystatic.com/d/l225/m/mYW2Ze9N818cUfMJEw6NJ2g.jpg
"Also, in Britain, the long spindle allowed the listener to place a stack of reconds on it at a time, without having to remove one disc to play the next."
Technically RCA solved that too.
http://s3.amazonaws.com/bureau-of-trade/p/2012/09/23/rca-45-record-player-640.jpg
But it's all in the past I suppose.
I didn't realise that the big hole in the middle of the record was an American thing. We had plenty of singles at home that were like that, and I always assumed that myself or my brothers had somehow managed to knock the middle out. We were always looking for the little plastic adapters to play them, but because they were so small we kept on losing them. The adapters we had were always black, not yellow. I wonder if that, too, was only in America
The Jim Reeves Christmas album was a big favourite in our house. Every year we'd dig it out on about Dec 23rd, and then we'd put it away again after the New Year. Even today, more than 40 years later, my brother will play it at his house without fail. Even back then it was sad listening to his voice, and nowadays with my parents long gone, it's a record that still stirs the emotions.
Jim Reeves - undoubtedly the finest balladeer of the 20th century. And that Christmas album is the best one available. Silver Bells (first appeared on Bob Hope's movie, The Lemon Drop Kid) is astounding, as are An Old Christmas Card and Blue Christmas. Someone once likened his velvet voice to someone walking through snow and leaving no footprint, on account of it being so soft and smooth. Think I'll do a post of his album covers.
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