Mikeydred's Sounds 2024

Introduction

I am not sure how to do this. A Lot happens to me, but the events are seldom soundtracked by a particular song. However, music is always playing, and you know that almost every poem, story and article that I publish on Vocal has an appropriate song added to it for you to listen to as you read.

I work from home and almost always have music playing from my collection, although I should listen to the radio more to hear new music, but my taste is eclectic as you can see and hear from my three hundred or so stories in the Vocal Beat Community where, for some reason, I am still a Top Creator.

I share what I am listening to on Instagram with the hashtag #OnThe PlayerNow which I shared in this piece:

So here goes, these are some of the songs that have accompanied my walking, working, travelling and other events during 2024.

I think part of this will detail some of the vinyl records that I have added to my collection, this will mean that for most of my audience.it will be music that was made before they were born.

However I always believe that at any given time 95% of music is either rubbish or not something that appeals to me, but that means there is 5% that does appeal to me.

I am just back from Thirsk, and I picked up two excellent vinyl albums from Better Daze in Northallerton. I have just put the Robbie Robertson album on my record player so we will open with "Fallen Angel" which opens with a stunningly gorgeous drum. I listened to this on Vinyl but I hope the sound comes through on your device.

Robbie Robertson - "Fallen Angel" from his debut album.

This is one of the greatest albums in my collection, I have had it on CD since it was released, and still play it often. We sadly lost Robbie last year but this is my remembrance piece that I penned and shared on Vocal:

Oysterband - "Love Vigilantes" from "Trawler"

I love this song, the original is by New Order and I will follow this with a song by them. I love the story that this tells a story of love and despair but finally brings two people who love each other together.

I don't know where I first heard this, whether it was this, New Order or Edward II but I am just going to let this story wander like this. Every song I share means something to me and raises my spirits when I put it on the player.

New Order - "Your Silent Face" from "Power, Corruption And Lies"

I have a lot of CDs in card sleeves a lot of which were given free with newspapers and they are in the rack right next to my CD player that you can see here.

One of those is the New Order record and it does get played a lot. As soon as I hear the first note of this song the goose bumps start. I know it is six minutes long but I hope that you give it a listen.

I sell a lot of CDs on Discogs and Have a pile next to my player, but sometimes I relisten and then take them off sale. One of those is the soundtrack to "Valentine's Day", which someone messaged me about and then I heard nothing. It was a Canadian girl, but she decided that postage would be too much, which is understandable, postage to Canada is very expensive for some reason.

When I listened again I found some songs I liked, including two Taylor Swift songs which I have used to soundtrack a few of my poems, so

Taylor Swift - "Jump Then Fall" from "Fearless"

I hope that this shows that I am not stuck in the past, I do love this song so much. Taylor Swift is definitely in the five per cent.

Easterhouse - "Come Out Fighting" from "Waiting For The Red Bird"

Earlier this year due to a work holiday issue and the fact I could get train tickets very cheaply, I started going back to my home town to see my sister, my dad and some friends and enjoy some good conversation and food.

On my first visit back, I went to Action Records and got a twelve-inch single of this record. Since then I have bought more vinyl for them, and when I play them it does remind me of where they came from.

This was the first piece I wrote when I started these monthly visits:

Sam Fender - "Seventeen Going Under"

Another relatively modern song. Sam Fender's reputation grows by the day, and the video from this song is filmed on the North East Coast about ten miles East of where I am putting this article together.

Sam is a friend of a friend of a friend of mine and these are my thoughts on the lad.

ABBA - "I Still Have Faith In You" from "Voyage"

I have all ABBA's albums but I do find some of their songs twee and the albums patchy, but some of their songs are close to perfection. I was dubious when "Voyage" was released, but decided to give it a chance by buying the CD, and after three plays decided it was as good, if not better, than "The Visitors" a perfect slice of paranoia.

This is the opener, and each time I hear this it makes me think of someone very special, so it does get a lot of plays.

Edward II - "A Humorous and Interesting Dialogue" taken from a 19th century Manchester broadside ballad from the album "Manchester's Improving Daily"

I have love Edward II ever since their initial incarnation as Edward II and the Red Hot Polkas and this is a song that always makes me happy and was used as a protest against how the Tory Government treated the NHS.

I used it in a piece about how CDs could be presented in a positive way, and that story is here:

Thank you for reading, and, I hope, listening.

These are all songs that mean something to me and remind me of things that have happened this year.