A Song For Each Year Of My Life - Part Two

This is for the "Melodic Milestone Playlist" Vocal Challenge which you can read about below.

The Prompt

Create a personalized soundtrack to your life.

In 2015 I created a project to pick a song for every one of the 58 or 59 years of my life. I am now in my 66th year so will create six eleven-year playlists and link them together. You can read and listen to Part One here:

This is Part Two.

1968 - Jacky - "White Horses"

1968 was full of amazing music, but in a complete coincidence, I posted "White Horses" to my daughter Juliet's Facebook wall as it was her birthday, then Ifound it was in the charts in 1968 !!

1969 - Crazy Elephant - "Gimme Gimme Good Lovin' "

I agree with the premise that your musical tastes are formed when you are 14-18 and certainly some music from then has stuck with me, but I think that 95% is always rubbish and it's just finding that 5% and it is usually easy to find. There are lots of great bands at this moment in time , just look.

So from 1969, my 13th year comes "Gimme Gimme Good Lovin'" by Crazy Elephant, I'm sure an English band covered this, but that year was amazing for music and I could have chosen lots of classics, but this is the one I chose.

1970 - The Rattles - "The Witch"

1970 was my 14th year, I'd never thought of it in that way before. I've been surprised by how much good music inhabited the charts and this was probably when my core music opinions took shape. Any appreciation of classical music was destroyed by my school (I regained it in later years), but despite the plethora of incredible music, I've chosen "The Witch" by The Rattles, a German Group, which I loved at the time and still sounds as fresh today. This is also an excellent one for Halloween.

1971 - Curved Air - "Back Street Luv"

1971 was another stunning year and I remember Curved Air on Top of the Pops performing "Back Street Luv" with Darryl Way's perspex violin and fronted by the lovely Sonja Kristina, Their first album was one of the first picture discs and the second with it's cut out cover was straight into my collection. You can check out my copy here.

1972 - The Move - California Man / Do Ya?

It's 1972 and The Move's California Man is one of the finest slabs of Rock and Roll you will ever hear. It was written by Roy Wood, who has said he wrote it as a pastiche of Little Richard (Wood's favorite musician of the time) and Jerry Lee Lewis (Move pianist/guitarist/vocalist Jeff Lynne's favorite musician at the time). The single was backed with Jeff Lynne's "Do Ya?" one of his best ever songs with that monstrous block chord riff, which will include here as a bonus.

1973 - Ringo Starr - Photograph

The song I've chosen from 1973, in my 17th year is "Photograph" by Ringo Starr, I have always loved this, and yes he is an ex Beatle but for me is a fine fine song that always has stayed with me. Hope you enjoy it, I always do.

1974 - Sparks - "This Town Ain't Big Enough For Both Of Us"

Anyway, 1974 was my eighteenth year and I celebrated my 17th birthday. I think my mum bought me a car, a mini for £50. I had my first real girlfriend Anne, and the music was still very good although there was quite a lot of dross in the charts for that year but when you had Sparks release "This Town Ain't Big Enough For Both Of Us", with its operatic melodrama and surely an influence on Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody, but Sparks is my choice:

"Zoo time is she and you time

The mammals are your favourite type, and you want her tonight

Heartbeat, increasing heartbeat

You hear the thunder of stampeding rhinos, elephants and tacky tigers

This town ain't big enough for both of us"

And it ain't me who's gonna leave"

My review of this song is here:

1975 - Susan Cadogan - "Hurt So Good"

Well up to 1975 in the songs of my life, and again I'm going for the less obvious, in this case, "Hurt So Good" by Susan Cadogan. I liked it then, and I still like it now. A lovely slice of reggae.

1976 - Four Season - "Silver Star"

Well into my 20th year and I've chosen what I consider to be the finest record the Four Seasons ever produced, "Silver Star" clocking at six minutes on the album, it's one of those records that doesn't fit any mold at all and is totally brilliant, just play the record and enjoy the music.

If you think my choice is sacrilegious, listen before you judge.

1977 - Jonathan Richman - "Egyptian Reggae"

1977 was a seminal year for music. You all know why so I won't elucidate. I'm choosing Jonathan Richman's Egyptian Reggae because I can actually make a decent stab at this on any guitar.

1978 - Darts - "It's Raining"

Anyway in my 22nd Year, I remember seeing the Darts, and this song "It's Raining" still gives me goosebumps, an absolute beauty.

Conclusion.

That is 11 more songs from the years of my life, hope you enjoy them. Enjoy these, because I have done.

The music continues here with some excellent music from the eighties