Updating the nows - Now Yearbook 1972

While the polly tictions continue argue stuff out this Monday we're going back to the time I was in single digits and you found the radio listening to songs.

That to an extent is what's driven buying the Now Yearbook series, hearing your favourites from the past that bring back memories from the times.

Back then I had a home made stereo record player and am radio that I'd play my 45's and Top Of The Pop's cover versions albums on in an era that if you bought a Ronco 24 hits one instead even to my junior ears it didn't sound good.

Record One opens with an all-time favourite, ‘Happy Xmas (War Is Over)’ by John Lennon, The Plastic Ono Band, Yoko Ono & The Harlem Community Choir – and it leads an opening run of classics including Rod Stewart’s #1 ‘You Wear It Well’, Don McLean with ‘American Pie’, ‘A Horse With No Name’ from America and a song by the same name ‘America’ from Simon & Garfunkel, released as a single in 1972 to promote the duo’s ‘Greatest Hits’ collection. More legendary U.S. artists follow including Harry Nilsson with his #1 ‘Without You’, Bob Dylan and Paul McCartney & Wings with their first Top 10 hit ‘Mary Had A Little Lamb’.

Flipping over to Side Two for ‘Baby I’m-A Want You’ from Bread, ‘Anticipation’ from Carly Simon and Neil Diamond with one of his signature tracks, U.S. #1, and the title of recent biopic ‘Song Sung Blue’. Gilbert O’Sullivan enjoyed his first chart-topper with ‘Clair’ while Colin Blunstone hit with ‘Say You Don’t Mind’ and Cat Stevens scored a Top 10 hit on both sides of the Atlantic with ‘Morning Has Broken. A good ten before ‘Thriller’, Michael Jackson had his first solo hit with ‘Got To Be There’, and is followed by timeless songs from Labi Siffre with ‘It Must Be Love’ and Johnny Nash who enjoyed a massive hit with ‘I Can See Clearly Now’.

1972 saw Glam Rock become hugely popular, and Record Two kicks off at the rock end of glam with Alice Cooper and the anthemic #1 ‘School’s Out’, and followed by the superb art-rock of Roxy Music on their debut ‘Virginia Plain’ – and Mott The Hoople with the David Bowie written and produced ‘All The Young Dudes’ hitting the Top 3. 

Ahead of their biggest commercial year in ’73, Sweet scored their third Top 5 hit with ‘Wig Wam Bam’ and Slade follow with the second of two #1’s in 1972, ‘Mama Weer All Crazee Now’. 

Elton John had a huge year and Top 5 smash ‘Crocodile Rock’ is featured next alongside the Moog classic  chart-topper ‘Son Of My Father’ by Chicory Tip and co-written by Giorgio Moroder before rounding off the side, Jeff Beck had a hit with the re-released ‘Hi Ho Silver Lining’ 

Flipping to Side Two, we are celebrating a great year for soul music on the charts with The Stylistics leading an incredible run of classics with ‘Betcha By Golly Wow’ ahead of ‘Lean On Me’ from Bill Withers, Love Unlimited’s sublime ‘Walkin’ In The Rain With The One I Love’ and ‘Family Affair’ a huge hit and a massively-influential track from Sly & The Family Stone

The O’Jays announced their ‘70s Philadelphia International era with ‘Back Stabbers’ and The Supremes and Michael Jackson  as Motown remained popular also feature along with pop gems from Melanie with ‘Brand New Key’ and the massive selling ‘I’d Like To Teach The World To Sing’ a #1 from The New Seekers.

Record Three is packed with huge hits and launches with one of Elton John’s signature songs, the #2, ‘Rocket Man (I Think It’s Going To Be A Long Long Time)’. Rod Stewart provided the stunning vocal on Python Lee Jackson’s ‘In A Broken Dream’ and Slade’s other #1 in ’72 ‘Take Me Bak ‘Ome’ is next, alongside the debut hit from Electric Light Orchestra, ‘10538 Overture’, which reached #9 and became the first of 13 Top 10 smashes they would enjoy in the ‘70s – and the huge ‘Silver Machine’ from Hawkwind featuring a pre-Motörhead Lemmy Kilminster on lead vocals. 

The side finishes with ‘Lady Eleanor’ from Lindisfarne and ‘Burning Love’ a UK and US Top 10 hit for Elvis Presley… 

Side Two, concludes this 3 lp set with 72’s easy listening and pure pop classics - opening in style with Shirley Bassey and her second ‘Bond’ theme ‘Diamonds Are Forever’ ahead of Andy Williams’ ‘Speak Softly Love’ – the theme from the year’s biggest film ‘The Godfather’. 

‘The Way Of Love’ from Cher comes ahead of joyful pop nuggets from Sammy Davis Jr and Tony Christie with ‘(Is This The Way To) Amarillo’ reaching #18 in 1972 but hitting #1 33 years later! Up next, Paul Simon with his Top 5 hit ‘Mother And Child Reunion’, a #2 debut hit for Dr. Hook & The Medicine Show with ‘Sylvia’s Mother’ and Don McLean makes a second appearance with his #1 ‘Vincent’. 

The set ends on an instrumental that closes this collection and 1972’s biggest selling single: Based on the arrangement of the previous year’s hit for Judy Collins, The Pipes and Drums Of The Military Band Of The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards celebrated a huge selling version – featuring a bagpipe solo – of ‘Amazing Grace’.

As someone who lives Pipe Bands, I loved it at the time.

This is a great set, the equal of four of those Dolly Bird covered Top Of The Pops albums with the original hits this time, that as you lower the arm brings everything all back.

Seeing things in 3D with a Bear

In a week where things happened that I genuinely wasn't expecting - almost a hell freezes over moment - invoking past memories thoughts did go back to the things you'd you'd play with when it wasn't too sunny and you'd had your fill of television in its poster paint NTSC form.

This was really the sort of thing I'd get out, a bit less faff than a slide projector - back then I bought colour slides of places I'd visited - and actually I do own this one.

It's a 3D viewer with images stored, seven stereo pairs per disc and just in time for some classic 70's tv so this was Paddington themed and came with three reels with that marmalade loving bears adventures.

There were similar things available such as this three disc set of The Wombles - sadly with no Womble music - with the discs in the book telling the stories like trying to repair a discarded television which is what I tried to do aged ten. I'm still alive!

Then I think all of us of a certain bone age remember 101 Dalmations and there was three reel highlights set and recently I picked up a reprint from 1978 of the 1966 classic BatMan series which I recall watching intently.

End of month thoughts

It's been a warm week with quite a bit of sun out which has meant the layers have been well off and windows opened for longer than the hour or so it takes to clear stale air from the room as it hides in corners.

In lots of ways it is great to feel fresh air around you, you do feel more alive, able to do more as much as hay fever does trouble me at this time of year and I love to see the cherry blossoms out plus the daisies in the garden.

Unlike some we've not replaced with concrete or dead to wildlife artificial grass so actually we had Cabbage Butterflies out yesterday which is a bit earlier than usual and some bees thankfully away from the washing line.

So much so really the perils of social media - the one who managed to make the first "Ignore" list did it big style - with unrelated and irrelevant aggressive rants with cuss words might as well navigated by just keeping away from those types.

Me-ow.

Outdoors away from screens is better.

Putting You and Us together.

Against the odds we did actually make a post last week although it took a while to rest the fingers as I was having involuntary shaking which cut into sleep a bit but the main thing I wished to talk about was about just standing away from anyone else and being you.

Everybody last week was different, they have different lives, they present differently with a refreshing lack of an attempt to push any one form associated with any sub genre just getting on with getting on focused on what we all loved and had come for.

Party.

The Banner was Easter and the Easter Bunny, how you see yourself and any terms took a definite back seat  - even managing to avoid too much of a certain World Leader butting in however much he gets under many peoples skins - and that fractionism, is what has over the years bugged me.

We should be capable of just getting along whatever you call yourself.

I may not be uber frilly but you discount my girl/gurlish sides at your peril as they're there just show different and these days we all take from the big stock of interests what we find is us and you may still be working around that.

Things like this did interest me but back when I first had one colour schemes were a bit limited and Hello Kitty wasn't offered on Viewmaster Reels and the ones with character shaped fronts weren't about.

I mean you couldn't even stare at cute denim Hello Kitty dresses as they weren't around and well even if I might of won that battle, I still needed pockets to keep stuff in while you're playing and they didn't exist as somebody somewhere thinks pockets are a boys thing.

That's crazy!

Sometimes girls who love being themselves opt for things that are practical and let's keep on being the girls we feel we are rather than any one take.

Horizontal hold

 

That's very much how I'm feeling right now having returned, had a bit to eat and dropped off overnight, a bit achy and rather late in getting up as I was a bit shattered really.

I did find six mini eggs in the egg hunt that was pretty good going dodging shower and gained an additional egg  apart from enjoying the quizzes Saturday evening  and the games went well with our team with two of us with walking aids won!

There were some comics and a cd awaiting me.

An Easter Post

Easter Monday? It is today but wasn't when I got around to typing this post out between things like listening to boom radio who mark Easter with a vote in Chart of listeners all time favourites so the Roberts Rambler radio is on and loaded with batteries in case we lose power with this storm they're all talking about.

That's another reason to get this this done as while the Chromebook has batteries, the router doesn't!

We've had a few Easter cards this year and the plushies have been up to their usual tricks hiding stuff but I spotted this!!!!

Ooo Err, a duo of likes - chocolate and unicorns all wrapped in one tasty package while I watch a view a few youtube videos from the likes of TechMoan and Stu's nostalgic tv centric channel before playing the odd record as we've like several hundred lps here.

You just grab a few and play!!!!

Anyway Happy Easter folks!

Handling illness

 

As I type this apart from having to wait until the battery in the Chromebook charged back up as I kind of drained it earlier in the day, it's the season of the great wind up as the grump attempts to move the clocks all a hour ahead as British Summer Time (B.S.T.) starts Sunday.

I just alter my watches as the chromebook looks after itself and given I can't tell the time, I've always used other ways when out of knowing what the time is.

I was reading on one site a piece regarding how an individual who volunteers for free their time was approached on the way to work with the message that "words were said against them" as they'd missed some training sessions due to severe illness and being told everyone else just plows on regardless as they have to be responsible.

Well few can deny that obviously if you take a role you need to understand that others are counting on you performing it but a situation where people are doing tasks that include being responsible for others when being so ill as to be physically sick is the working definition of an unsafe working environment that puts everyone at risk.

That way of handling such issues is also distinctly unprofessional as an individual should be invited to discuss  any aspect of their role including any health issues and support should be explored rather the subject of whispering campaigns by others.

Understandably the individual has now resigned so they have to find someone else and finding volunteers isn't that easy.

Given I had issues with some for having periods of ill health and taken calls from ironically people in Mental Health charities about lack of support, denial of breaks and the like it doesn't surprise me and the generally negative and condescending approaches people take towards people with disabilities either.

Ableism is rife in my experience.