Memoirs of a Roadie

So the next fortnightly poll was for 1973.

In 1973 I was listening mostly to the Pop and Glam Rock songs that featured on Radio One and Top Of The Pops at the time. However, a few years later, I discovered John Peel (Mon-Thu) and Tommy Vance's Friday Night Rock Show (Fri). I'd then head into record shops around Cheshire on the weekend to see what I could find. Some of those delights help shape my musical tastes.

Emerson, Lake & Palmer were a band I'd never heard the like of before, or since. Tommy Vance played Karn Evil 9 in full one night, and I was blown away. They set the scene for many advetures into what was sometimes termed Progressive Rock, at others Symphonic Rock. I bought the vinyl with the fold-out cut-away sleeve, that is probably worth a bit these days. The H.R.Giger artwork was fascinating, and I end up buying a poster of it to hang on my wall. Although Karn Evil 9 grabbed my attention, after listening to the full album, Still ... You Turn Me On became my favourite ELP song.

Argueably Genesis' finest hour, Selling England By The Pound was enthralling from start to finish. I always loved Cinema Show musically, but the imagary conjured up in the lyrics of The Battling Of Epping Forest told a whole movie in my head. And the word play in Aisle Of Plenty to round off the album, always made me smile, turn the record over, and play it all again. 

Early Black Sabbath were force to be reckoned with. Great lyrics, awesome riffs, and a powerhouse that laid a blueprint for so many rock and metal bands still to this day. Sabbath Bloody Sabbath was for me, the last release of the band at their peak in the 70s. The title track, Killing Yourself To Live and Spiral Architect still send shivers down my spine each time I hear them.

Thanks to Tommy Vance I had been listening to Yes for a while, but while in a second-hand record shop in Crewe, I picked out the live triple album Yessongs!, with a glorious fold-out cover. It was agonising waiting to get home to play it, but was absolutely worth the wait. I closed my eyes and imagined I was there. Sides five and six would frequently get repeat plays with Close To The Edge, Yours Is No Disgrace and Starship Trooper, but the whole album was an absolute delight.

For several years, House Of The Holy might get the odd play, but compared to Led Zeppelin's first four albums, it really took a long time before I really got into it. I have no idea why either, as The Song Remains The Same, The Crunge and No Quarter have become standout tracks from their repetoire for me, and I've since played it more than their first three albums.