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Julie once asked me if I always have music in my head? I replied, “don’t we all?” It seems the answer is no, we don’t; not everyone always has music running through their minds – and that surprised me! For as long as I can remember I’ve loved music. Not always what would be called ‘quality’ music, but music all the same. In this page I wish to share various pieces of music that have meant something to me over the years. I have, for some time now, updated the ‘Month’ page on this website with a photo and piece of music. But this page is just about music! My mother was a singer on stage in the late 1940s and early 50s; her stage name was Mary O’Neil. My brother, Brian, has written a web page about our mam’s career, and is available via <this link>. One of my earliest memories (I was maybe 5-years old) is of someone visiting mam and asking if I was showing any signs of being a ‘performer’. I would love to know who that person was – it’s quite possibly one of mam’s stage colleagues; I’ll never know... But one thing I do know is that I’m no performer!
Okay, let me start the music. This listing is in no particular order – they are just as they come to my mind. And to start with is a band that formed in the early 1970s, and are, in my opinion, one of the most underrated bands of that era. This track, from their third and most successful studio album, is amongst the most played in my head. Stackridge produced simply delightful songs: beautifully quirky melodies and lyrics – singalong stuff! And they hold the accolade of being the very first act at the very first Glastonbury!		‘The Galloping Gaucho’, from the album ‘The Man in the Bowler Hat’, released in 1974
Mr Piper: a Canadian produced children’s TV program, from around 1963		Next, one of my earliest memories is being captivated by a children’s TV program called “Mr Piper”. Broadcast in the early 1960s, my memory is probably from around 1962/63, I would have been 5 or 6-years old. And again, this tune will occasionally come to mind, and it delights me all over again – even now…
My taste in music is rather broad: I listen and enjoy most music, although I have to say I do struggle with Rap. I’m afraid this is a Rap-Free list – sorry! Great guitar playing has always been high on my list of favourite music and musicians: David Gilmour, Eric Clapton, Mark Knopfler, Gordon Giltrap, and others - it’s a long list. And in that list is Jan Akkerman: he and his bandmates Thijs van Leer, Hans Cleuver and Martijn Dresden formed the band ‘Focus’ in late 1960s Amsterdam. They had a couple of hit singles in the UK, both in 1973: ‘Sylvia’ peaked at no-4 and ‘Hocus Pocus’ peaked at no-20. It’s the latter of the two I’m listing here, and you get it twice – you can’t have too much of a good thing, in my mind.
The band was in a studio messing around with ideas: Akkerman trying out new riffs, and van Leer improvising a vocal. What emerged became ‘Hocus Pocus’, and is still amongst the most unique music in my experience.
		Whilst I was exploring YouTube for the best examples of each record, I found a channel of a vocal coach called Beth Roars. Her reaction to hearing Hocus Pocus for the first time is an utter delight. The 1970s is a long time ago now, and (I suspect) very few ‘youngsters’ will know the name Focus – but Beth is a good example that there is still hope…
Where next? The very first record I bought (with my pocket money of half-a-crown, about £3 in 2025 prices) was ‘Up, Up and Away’ covered by The Jonny Mann Singers. The version here is the original, by The 5th Dimension, which I think has the edge on the version I bought in 1967 when I was 9-years old.
In May 1968 my dad took my brother and I to see 2001 a Space Odyssey. It was being premiered in Newcastle at the Queens Cinema – now long gone – it was Newcastle’s only Cinerama venue. Apart from being blown away by Kubrick’s masterpiece, it was the first time I experience classical orchestral music – and that too had me spellbound. I’ve seen the movie countless times, but only once in Cinerama – the movie’s perfect medium.
		‘Also sprach Zarathustra’, by Richard Stauss. ‘Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra’, conducted by ‘Gustavo Dudamel’ This piece of music also became the title music for the BBC coverage of the Apollo moon landings.
I remember as an 11-year old going to one of the record shops on Shields Road and asking about the music. I bought this album, and it featured several classical scores from movies of the time. It cost me a whole week’s money! The record was released in 1969, and depicts the classic image taken by Bill Anders, astronaut of Apollo-8, showing ‘Earth Rise’ taken Xmas day 1968 (I know I said no pictures, but this is one of the most influential images ever taken). I was now hooked on classical music…
		Back to quirky: when ‘Earth Rise’ was taken, the UK no-1 hit single is another song that often runs through my mind. ‘Lily the Pink’, by ‘The Scaffold’, was UK no-1 Xmas 1968. Changing times: do you think this video depicts abuse?
And in the following year, 1969, a record with an interesting backstory. Don Kirshner, a music producer, and former ‘creator’ of The Monkees, swore he would never manage a live act again – he demanded absolute control, and got it via a cartoon band! ‘Sugar, Sugar’, by ‘The Archies’ (or rather, Kirshner’s session musicians).
Although my formative years are very much the 1970s, at least music-wise, there are several songs from the 1960s that stick in my mind:
‘Blackberry Way’, by ‘The Move’, February 1969. Roy Wood is another underrated genius!		‘In the Year 2525’, by ‘Zager and Evans’, August 1969. Being almost coincident with the first moon landing, this record takes me right back to the moment: shivers…
Enough of 1968/69. The 1970s is when popular music diversified and matured like no other decade, in my humble estimation… The decade gave the world Progressive Rock, a genre often vilified as being self-important and over the top. I don’t agree. The 1970s is the decade of Pink Floyd, Yes, Emerson, Lake and Palmer, Jethro Tull and many others. These bands, and their music, attempted to bring the ‘importance’ of classical music to the ‘frippery’ of popular music. And two bands, often seen as rivals at the time, really did bring classical themes to their audience.
The first progrock band in my list is ‘Yes’. The band’s story is one of the most complicated of any band: personnel changes and internal tensions; Yes had the lot. If there is one ‘sound’ that epitomises progrock, it is the Yes sound: Jon Anderson’s voice is quite unique in the genre. Yes’ breakthrough album was 1971 ‘The Yes Album’ (their third album), and one track on it embodies everything about progrock: ‘Starship Trooper’. My favourite rendition, however, is from the later compilation live album 1973 ‘Yessongs’. There was no live video (as far as I’m aware) of these concerts, but there is a YouTube channel that has compiled a video and, almost, seamlessly runs with the audio. In 2025 this is as close as you’ll get to live Yes!
		The band Yes would open their concerts with Stravinsky’s ‘Firebird’ – a more grand entrance is hard to imagine. Here performed by the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Gustavo Dudamel.
Emerson, Lake and Palmer did rock covers of classical music. Here, ‘Fanfare For The Common Man’, by ‘Aaron Copland’.
The 1970s brought several bands that produce music of true significance – not ‘classical music’, but music that will live alongside the classical genre and be listened to for as long as people can both hear and listen. The next piece of music, I believe, qualifies for the greatest guitar solo of all time:
‘Comfortably Numb’, from the 1979 album ‘The Wall’ by ‘Pink Floyd’. This video is of David Gilmour performing ‘Comfortably Numb’ in 2016 concert at Pompeii
The 1970s was very much the decade of Pink Floyd. Each odd numbered year brought an album of great significance: 71, ‘Meddle’, 73, ‘The Dark Side of the Moon’, 75, ‘Wish You Were Here’, 77, ‘Animals’ and 79, ‘The Wall’. A lively debate is to be had over which band, Yes or Pink Floyd has had the greatest influence on popular music. I, for one, refuse to argue this: they are both great bands and consummate artists – art is not a competition. Okay, but which album by Yes is my favourite? ‘Close To The Edge’ of course – and the debate continues: was The Dark Side of the Moon’ more influential than ‘Close To The Edge’. Debate.
		‘Wonderous Stories’, from the 1977 album ‘Going For The One’ by Yes
At various times Rick Wakeman was a member of Yes. Wakeman, a classically trained keyboard player and composer, has many solo works to his name. His second album brings the melding of classical music and rock to a new level. Recorded live at the Royal Festival Hall in 1974, ‘Journey To The Centre Of The Earth’
There is much (much) more progressive rock in my playlist. But I think now I’ll move to a different genre: the fusion of jazz and rock. There are many bands around that have contributed to this genre, but the band that plays in my head most often is Steely Dan. Steely Dan started as a conventional band line-up, and the creative force behind ‘The Dan’ being Donald Fagen and Walter Becker. Very soon after forming, Becker and Fagen gave up live performance in favour of studio work. The Dan produced nine albums of sublimely lyrical, sometimes cynical, but always insightful music of such great quality it’s difficult to pick just one song. Therefore I won’t, here’s a couple of songs – no, three!
‘Hey Nineteen’, from the 1980 album ‘Gaucho’ by ‘Steely Dan’	‘Deacon Blues’, from the 1977 album ‘Aja’ by ‘Steely Dan’. And yes, that’s where Dougie Vipond and his mates got their name.		‘Rikki Don’t Lose That Number’, from the 1974 album ‘Pretzel Logic’ by ‘Steely Dan’. This, and the other two tracks, should be played on a decent sound system…
It may be hyperbolae, but all nine Dan albums and their tracks are gorgeous works of art. Which is their best album? It’s hard to say, but certainly, depending upon when you ask me, it’s either ‘Gaucho’ or ‘Aja’. Around my 11th birthday a song was released and it’s appearance on Top of the Pops is burnt (pun) into my memory:
		‘Fire’, from the album ‘The Crazy World of Arthur Brown’, by ‘Arthur Brown’
Keeping the quirky theme. In 1972 I got my first cassette tape recorder, and like most 15-year olds I started to record music from the radio and TV. The very first song I recorded was from a band that would go on to create twelve top-40 hits. Here’s two of their songs, the first, appropriately, is the track I first recorded. And the second is my favourite track of theirs.
‘Donna’, from 1972 album ‘10cc’ by ‘10cc’. Allegorically, Donna was the name of the band’s dresser, and she fashioned their jeans so tight they sang falsesetto		‘I’m Mandy Fly Me’, from the 1976 album ‘How Dare You!’ by ‘10cc’
I must briefly go back to the 1960s again: here are another couple of songs that will spontaneously come to my mind:
‘I’ll Never Fall in Love Again’, 1969, ‘Bobbie Gentry’ Burt Bacharach and Hal David, at their very best.		‘Wichita Lineman’, 1968, ‘Glen Campbell’. Jimmy Webb’s lyrics, arguably the greatest of all time
Enough of the old stuff. Coming up to the present, 2020s, there has emerged a couple of bands that come to my mind:
‘Remember My Name’, from 2025 album ‘People Watching’ by ‘Sam Fender’ I’m proud to say this lad is a Geordie. All three of his albums (to date) are excellent, and this track is sublimely beautiful…		‘Chaise Longue’, from 2021 album ‘WetLeg’ by ‘Wet Leg’ Both of their albums (to date) are excellent; their lyrics are delightfully quirky!
Ennio Morricone is, for me, the greatest composer of the 20th century. He was largely shunned by his classical composer contemporaries for having the audacity of ‘composing for the movies’. And even the movie world was late in awarding him the accolades he so richly deserved: it took the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences until 2006 to recognise the unique contribution Morricone has made to cinematic art. And that was an Honorary Academy Award! Clearly given to mask the Academy’s embracement by overlooking decades of gorgeous film musical scores. I can’t remember when I first saw ‘Once Upon a Time in the West’ made in 1968. But I do remember the effect the music had upon me – I was spellbound. Morricone is now gone, but his music remains to remind us of his genius. The video below is of the great man himself conducting with soprano Susanna Rigacci. The main theme to Once Upon a Time in the West introduces this selection of Morricone greats: for me this is 12-minutes of heaven – and the main theme is so gorgeous it hurts… Enjoy!

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