My Life In Music - 1972 - 1978

Old Rol Hirst started me on this over at his Blog, but rather than doing the ages of man (boy, teen, 20s etc) I'm doing this in weekly 7 year installments. Although 36 doesn't divide by 7, I just thought it pointless doing two weekly blogs on music.

The rules are simple - the albums that have either had the most effect or the most time on the stereo for each year since you bungee jumped out of the old dears womb.

Now the early years are based on my mum's record collection. I didn't have disposable income in the 70s, and if I did it was spent on Panini football stickers and comics. And without further ado, here we go

1972 : HOT AUGUST NIGHTS - NEIL DIAMOND

My mum had about ten albums we used to play on the stereogram, along with a few single. My hatred of Queen comes from listening to We Are The Champions every time we put records on. Neil Diamond is her favourite, closely followed apparently by David Soul and Bread. I went through a phase of hating Neil, mainly after hearing Bumble Bee Boogie. HAN gets the tip of the hat for the three heavy hitters Solitary Man, Chery Cherry and the fabulous Girl You'll Be A Woman Soon. I still listen to all three.

Dave himself popped out 4 weeks early and barely weighed 4lbs. How things have changed.

1973: BAND ON THE RUN - WINGS

I never really liked Paul in the Beatles, and most of his solo stuff is wank to say the least. Ignore anything that Linda had any involvement in and you are left with very little. However the title track is a classic and this has one of his best songs post Lennon/McCartney in the form of Jet.

As for me, I was very quiet as a child and I probably yelped a wail of delight as along came my kid sister Deborah.

1974: AUTOBAHN - KRAFTWERK

Years later I would develop a fascination with electro and androgeny. I got big into Gary Numan and Tubeway Army, Human League and synths. Around the same time I got Kraftwerk. I like bonkers folks, that's probably where my love of Sparks comes from.

1975: PHYSICAL GRAFFITI - LED ZEPPLIN

Big hair rock never really bothered me growing up, neither did prog and ten minute guitar solos. When I was 18 I worked at a printers as an accounts assistant. The Estimator and I used to hang out at the Burnley and he'd play this driving to matches. Every home game for a couple of years involved me freaking out to Kashmir. Still do.

Nursery school beckoned, and it was here I made my two best friends, Pinky the one eyed teddy bear, and Darren who I would spend the next 19 years being stupid with and losing badly at snooker and darts to.

1976: FRAMPTON COMES ALIVE - PETER FRAMPTON

I learnt who Frampton was through the film of Sgt Pepper. I decided he was a twat. However I also listened to this for the best part of a year rather than Menswear. I liked the voice box, even though it was only on two tracks. The only other record Ive ever owned from 76 was Agents Of Fortune by Blue Oyster Cult. It wasn't that good. Neither was me missing the hot hot heat of summer 76 by being in traction for the best part of 4 months after falling badly. I'm left with the legacy of having feet that stick out at a strange angle and dodgy ankles. I'd have to wait about 20 years for another scorcher.

1977: THE IDIOT - IGGY POP

Iggy's first solo album after The Stooges and it's a belter. Him and Bowie made two albums that year together released as solo artists, and this features the original China Girl and the song that got me into the album Nightclubbing(on the Trainspotting soundtrack.) Iggy had always been a facinating figure to me - a walking advert for good drugs although his face and scrotum look identical. I was into Bowie years before Pop, but when I found this was part of the Low collaboration I went out and picked it up and fell in love with it. I was attending a progressive primary school up in the Dales that had pretend weddings and taught yoga instead of assembly. I suddenly saw what it was like to walk down the aisle.

1978: PARALLEL LINES - BLONDIE

And who didn't have a crush on Debbie Harry? The hits are here, including Sunday Girl and Hanging On The Telephone. At the time I was discovering feelings towards girls by playing Kisschase and Knicker Tig. I'd known what boys and girls did because I grew up on farms but that was always a bit sterile because I'd seen so much of it. This was also the year my parents split up for the final time. My contact with my dad would be minimal for the next 15 years, and we went to live with my "Auntie" Mary. I slept on a sofa as the only male in the house with 6 females. I also started at Greatwood School, I think this was my fourth primary, and where I met up with my nursery school chum Darren. We moved into the only house I have lasted more than five years in, in Skipton.