Musical Medicine...a track that's like a double whopper with cheese for the soul!
The Selecter - 'On My Radio' (1979)
In 1980, my Dad who was in the army got posted to Holland. I was 8 and my brother was 11, even then music was a big thing for both of us. One of the last things we did before leaving the UK was to go to our favourite record store, Memory Disc (maybe I bumped into Phil Collins there ??) which was in Hounslow where we lived at the time. My memories of the store are pretty vague, but I recall it was quite large inside with the usual record store runs of album upon album and I vaguely remember that it also had listening booths. Sadly it closed sometime in the late 80's I think and became a carpet shop.
At the time, 2 Tone Records were the label that we listened to the most, with bands like Madness, The Specials & The Beat amongst the many. My brother bought 'Tears Of A Clown' by The Beat and I bought this song, my first ever single which even to this day I still enjoy, even though I can't figure out half of what is being sung !!! The Selecter like The Specials, hailed from Coventry and are both are still together today in some form albeit with different lineups. Later that year my dad came back to England for training armed with a list of records to buy. 2 Tone of course...
The Selecter - 'On My Radio'
4/
5
Oleh
sfw
6 comments
Tulis commentsGreat stuff....
Reply1979 was such a great year for music (I was 16 - perfect!) Did you see that TV programme recently about Top Of The Pops in '79 - included interesting snippets and features on the 2 Tone bands and label? What a brilliant time it was.
And very cool that this was your first single - at 8 years old too!
Classic, I love all that Two Tone stuff though, as C says it must have been a brilliant time with all that Ska ting going on. Good sample of this track on Basement Jaxx's, 'Same Old Show'. My first single was Queen's Flash.....I think. 'Gordon's Alive!!'
ReplySooooo good
ReplyC - Looking back now, 1979 was such a good year for so many diverse musical styles. You had ska, disco, new wave, reggae, rock, folk and electro !!! Oh and cheesy pop too.
ReplyI didn't see the show, but I can imagine it was really good.
FC - I'll have to check out the Basement Jaxx track as I was not aware of it. I remember when Flash came out, and I used to change the lyrics to, 'Flash-ahhhhhh, you could have ahd bigger ones' !!! Even then I was a laugh-a-minute kinda guy
Geat stuff, I loved 2 Tone, top video too.
ReplyListening booths! You try telling the kids of today about listening booths and how special they were - and they couldn't possibly begin to understand. Everywhere is a listening booth now! Top tune.
Reply