My mum and dad divorced and she later remarried and moved in with our new step-dad in Ipswich. My step-dad rented out rooms in the house we now lived to people, including American airbase service personnel which was common as we lived near several American Airbases. One month one of the American men couldn’t pay his rent and was heading back to the States and left an 8-track behind as payment. 8-track was considered to the the best quality sound recording at the time in the 1970s. There was limited availability of the 8-track format in the UK, so I was confined to listening to only what he left behind. I listened to the comedian and folk singer RICHARD DIGANCE and several albums by THE EAGLES other other country rock bands the names of which I’ve forgotten. Despite the limitations of the media (availability of new music and the inability to rewind the tapes), I did adopt the 8-track in my bedroom and played all the tapes it until it just stopped working. Being limited to just a few albums was interesting, but I started to crave for more diversity.
I dabbled with lots of different music types during the 1980s, helped in part by the fact that in the UK at least, the diversity of music that occupied the charts was incredible. It wasn't uncommon for every song on the top ten to be from a different genre. I listened to some punk, ska/two-tone, and mod music (again I was unaware of these genres at the time), none of which I liked or enjoyed. Everyone at school seemed to like pop music or MADNESS in the first and second year of secondary school. I still hadn't yet found the music I liked to listen to. A classmate was heavily into Star Wars and ADAM AND THE ANTS because of their punk and new wave romantic sound, although I was unaware of what they were classed as that until many years later. Music is music, I wasn't aware of genres, only music I liked and didn't like. I think the only reason I got into them was because a kid in my class who was a loner as well as me got me into them. I think from that point onwards I seemed to enjoy liking music that very other people knew about. I listened to the charts like every other kid, and was glued to the radio on a Sunday afternoon to listen to the Top 40 charts, something that in the 21st Century has almost become meaningless.
My parent’s taste in music was based in the 1960s and 1970s bands such as THE MOODY BLUES, MAMMAS AND THE PAPAS, THE CARPENTERS, THE HOLLIES, THE BEACH BOYS, and my step dad’s personal obsession, THE BEATLES. He also had folk rock from the 1970s too such as THE EAGLES and CROSBY STILLS NASH & YOUNG’s Four Way Street live album was a regular to be played in our house. Despite my best efforts these albums would influence my musical tastes, and become my guilty pleasures later in life reminding me of my youth.
I went on holiday one year with my parents and the only device I brought along was my tape-player. I brought along several cassettes to listen to but found myself playing ABBA’s Arrival album on continuous loop.
Along with QUEEN’s Greatest Hits was also played. This was the first of three greatest hits albums they would release. At this period in my life, while I listened to a lot of my parents music, but, I rejected it on of the principle that anything my parents liked must be rubbish. The only exceptions to this attitude was THE MOODY BLUES and THE HOLLIES.
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