Memory Lane

When I first began researching different types of genres for this blog, I noticed not only the change in Music Through The Ages, but the change in my personal preferences regarding music.

As a child my first memories of music were listening to my parents’ choice, the same as all children. Then I discovered my own taste, or to be honest, the style of my era. I had a crush on David Cassidy as did most girls of my age at that time ( 9 years old).Pic by KitAy

I was actually torn between him and Donny Osmond .

I then moved on to;

• The Sweet I loved their hit Blockbuster
• Status Quo Who only had one UK No.1 hit single with Down Down
• Suzi Quatro Another artist with only one Uk No.1 with Can The Can
• Slade Their best-selling hit “Merry Xmas Everybody” sold more than a million copies worldwide.
• T. Rex ‘ s  Get It On I loved Mark Bolan (shame he died so young).

I can remember dancing to them all at the local youth club disco, I loved the way these bands looked and played. I also liked the clothes they wore and thought it was great that some of the men were bold enough to wear make-up.

Another great memory I have from my childhood is watching Top Of The Pops I loved watching this show. It was the only way to see your favourite bands or singers at that time, no MTV around then. The only other music show around at the time (as far as I can remember) was The Old Grey Whistle Test. But as a child I prefered Top Of The Pops. I liked that they highlighted all the records in the charts and always played the No.1.  I also liked the dancers called Pans People.

As an adult I tend to prefer listening to more relaxing music.  I like songs that tell a story. “S A D” songs my kids call them. For example,

• The Carpenters ….. I Need To Be In Love Karen Carpenter died young, she suffered from anorexia and seemed to always be looking for LOVE.
• David Gates of Bread I love the majority of Bread’s songs, but I have chosen Take Me Now to share my sentiments on my “S A D” songs.
• Micheal Buble‘ s Home I like this song as it represents how much we all miss home when we are away.

The styles of  Music Through The Ages will always keep changing, probably, so will my personal taste. I have been around long enough to see so many changes in music, from LPs to downloads I look forward to whatever comes next.

Fashion

	picture by: Clay In the 1950s fashion was pretty smart, just like in the photo of Bill Haley and The Comets. Men tended to wear long knee length, single breasted wool jackets, with cuffs made either from velvet or satin and plenty of pockets. Matching narrow drainpipe trousers, brocade waistcoats, shoestring ties and stiff shirts Also they wore crepe soled shoes which helped them move when doing a dancing jive. Hair was slicked back with a wavy quiff. Women wore calf length full skirts, fitted low cut tops and hair in ponytails, to display their bodies when jiving.
	Picture by: basspunk The styles of the late 50s, the Chanel suit and the full skirt were still popular. The middle of the 60s, the mini skirts/dresses came in along with short hair, in the geometric style of Vidal Sassoon. By the end of the sixties, the look was long, flowing hair, hippy beads and kaftans also known as “Flower Power”.
	Picture by: Lonya In the 1970s disco rock n roll music influenced the fashion of polyester knitted fabrics and blue denim. Skirts came in three lengths the mini, midi and maxi. Men tended to wear blue denim jeans and polyester leisure suit.
	Picture by: Cilff1066 During the 80s Madonna introduced lacey tops, fish net stockings worn with a mini skirt and leg warmers. Also Footloose and Flashdance influenced teenagers into wearing ripped sweatshirts. Bling was a popular fashion statement of the 80s along with acid washed denim worn with red and black studded tops and fingerless gloves. Hoop earrings, shoulder pads and heavy mascara where also popular trends in this era.
	Picture by: Charles Johnson Garbage seen in the picture were an influence to the grunge look. During the 90s was the grunge look which consisted of: Layers of tops were essential, flannel tops, anything plain, ripped denim, baggy clothes, flowery dresses, cardigans, baggy jumpers and hoodies. The boys would have worn their hair lank or stiff, also bleached hair was popular and to have your roots showing for three inches or any hair style that looked unkept.
	Picture by: Mike_Fleming Now there is a mixture of different fashion styles as people tend to dress to show their own personality. You got some people who dress grunge/gothic others who dress emo, there is also the barbie look like in the photo of Girls Aloud, where they wear colourful clothing, fake tan, hair extensions, false nails, 10 inch heels and fake eyelashes. You even got people who just dress casual with a pair of jeans and t-shirt. Some fashions from the past are also back in fashion such as leggings, leg warmers, hoop earrings and big hair.

Music Styles 1981-1990

Video provided by Ziogiangi

The 80s began as it carried on. The Police burst on to the scene with its number one hit ‘Don’t Stand So Close To Me’ in 1980, and was closely followed by Soft Cells ‘Tainted love’. Both where induvidual, experimental sounds. The Police with its laid back  almost reggae like style and Soft Cell with its synthesized, apathetic look at love. If you were to compare the two you would believe that they had no connection, but if you were to take into account the spirit of the early eighties you would see that they are both experimental and unique  sounds (at the time).

This was a time when people would dress in the manner of their music, or in other words if you liked a particular band then you would dress to reflect this. Not by going out and buying the bands latest t-shirt, but by dressing in a manner that reflected that particular subcultures concepts and ideals.

In the latter part of the eighties the power ballard was king , with artists such as Jennifer Rush ‘The Power of Love’ and Rick Astley ‘Never Gonna Give You Up’ topping the charts. There is a slight blip in the pattern when Black Box released their club classic ‘Ride On Time’ but then in 1990 the trend continued with The Everley Brothers releasing or Re-releasing ‘Unchained Melody’.

As in my previous blog I have chosen my favourites number one of the eighties for others to view. On this occasion I have chosen The Communards with ‘Don’t Leave Me This Way’, it was a cover of a song originally released by Thelma Houston in 1977  and spent four weeks at number one in the U.K. charts.

Again I have probably chosen this song more for sentimental reasons, than for significance to eighties music. Every year mum would make us sit through the Top of the Pops christmas special which I found thoroughly boring at the time (on this occasion I was 5), and having grown up I now realise that some songs stuck in my mind and others just faded away. this was one of them which surprises me as the others I can remember where a bit more… shall we say colourful. (e.g. Doctor and the Medics with’ Spirit In The Sky’, Spitting Image with ‘The Chicken Song’ and i’m afraid to say The Firm with ‘Star Trekking’)

1970

Number One Uk Hit Singles Of 1970

Artist     ( Click to view )	Song Title (Click to view)	Date No.1
Edison Lighthouse	Love Grows	27-01-1970
Lee Marvin	Wand’rin Star	24-03-1970
Simon and Garfunkel	Bridge Over Troubled Water	24-03-1970
Dana	All Kinds Of Everything	14-04-1970
Norman Greenbaum	Spirit In The Sky	28-04-1970
England World Cup Squad	Back Home	12-05-1970
Christie	Yellow River	02-06-1970
Mungo Jerry	In The Summertime	09-06-1970
Elvis Presley	The Wonder Of You	28-07-1970
Smokey Robinson and The Miracles	Tears Of A Clown	08-09-1970
Freda Payne	Band Of Gold	15-09-1970
Matthews Southern Comfort	Woodstock	27-10-1970
Jimi Hendrix Experience	Voodoo Child	17-11-1970
Dave Edmunds	I Hear You Knockin	24-11-1970

Elvis’ No.1 hit The Wonder Of You, was the best selling single of 1970.

But Wings had the best selling single of the decade with, Mull Of Kintyre

Music Styles 1971-1980

Video provided by pjotry2

When someone talks about ‘The sound of the seventies it evokes images of Glam Rock and Disco, what people would consider the 70s stereotype. However music like many things in life is not that clear cut, the sound that usually defines a period tends to appear in the charts around the mid to late part of the decade, although prior to this it may be around as an experimental or underground genre. So when we talk about the sound of the 70′s ,we are also talking about music generally considered to be 60′s in style and towards the end of the decade possibly 80′s in style.

The first big hit of the 70′s was ‘The Wonder of you’ by Elvis Presley followed by ‘My Sweet Lord’ by George Harrison, both of which when you listen to them have the general tone which you would consider to be 60′s in style. It isn’t until ‘Tiger Feet’ by Mud makes an appearance in 1974 that the sound of the seventies really begins, closely followed by ‘Bye Bye Baby’ by The Bay City Rollers and ‘Save Your Kisses’ by Brotherhood of Man. Although this transition is short lived, as by 1980 music considered to be 80s in style starts to make an appearance, with The Police claiming the number one spot with ‘Don’t Stand So Close To Me’. This doesn’t mean that the seventies ended dead on midnight Decmber 31st 1979, it just means that the new sound was picked up by the general population quicker. Bands such as Abba were still sucessfully releasing singles in 1981.

At the start of this blog I have added a video ‘Bright Eyes’ by Art Garfunkel which reached number one in 1979, and even though it isn’t the bigest selling record of the seventies it is certainly my favourite. Not that I was around at the time of release, but when let loose on my mothers records it was one of the first ones I played (which would probably go a fair way to explain the state it is currently in, accident with candle wax luckily on the B side). This song was written for the film Watership Down and is used to illustrate one of the characters transition in to death, it held the number one spot in the UK for six weeks but failed to enter the US charts (some people have no taste).

80′s Music Influencing 80′s Fashion

Adam and the Ants Picture by ocad123

80′s Fashion ‘Adam’ Picture by Zellaby

Madonna Picture by djwudi

80′s Fashion ‘Madonna’ Picture by Sekhemet1776

The most prominent change to music style during the early 80′s was the birth of  ‘The New Romantics’. The look itself had no defined parameters other than the wearer’s imagination.  This look was primarily fantasy based although there were a few clues that gave it away (unless the end result was a direct copy of an already established group) bold make up, sculpted hair and fancy dress that made every day seem like Halloween was the order of the day.

Later in the 80′s the music itself became a bit tamer in my opinion, however controversy was still ever present,  usually  caused by music videos rather than the music content itself. People still paid tribute to their favourite artist using the clothes they wear, however it tended to be a more direct copy as opposed to the freedom of expression embraced by the afore-mentioned New Romantics.  The most obvious case for fashion being influenced by music icons followed the release of Madonna’s Like a Virgin  when hoards of girls would dress in leggings, fingerless gloves and a tutu like skirt.

70′s Music Influencing 70′s Fashion

Bay City Rollers Picture by Shuttergirl

70′s Fashion Picture by H.C. Shannon

70′s Catsuit Picture by Sacheverelle

Abba Picture By Japan Maik

During the 70′s the most dramatic change in music style was the introduction of Glam Rock. However with sky-high platforms, skin-tight sequined unitards and make up that would make a drag queen blush ( and that’s just the men) being the uniform of the glam rocker, people turned to more tame music stars for fashion inspiration.

The Bay City Rollers where the inspiration as far as clothing goes for many young women during the seventies. If you ask anyone who was there about The Bay City Rollers,  the initial exclamation of  ‘oh no’  is usually followed by some mention of tartan. Often claimed to be the first manufactured boy band, tartan scarves or tartan flared trousers was their signature look. This was often copied by their fans, and in the days before the manufactured band went merchandising crazy this was how fans showed where their loyalties lied.

Later in the decade people got a bit braver or at least the women did and the lycra cat suit became the must have item of clothing. Worn mostly as evening wear to attend an event such as a disco rather than as day wear, this trend was popularised by bands such as Abba and the release of the film Saturday Night Fever.  Even though this didn’t occur until the latter half of the seventies it is certainly the style that the decade is most memorable for.

1960-1970 Hit Records

Below is a table of the best-selling singles on the UK Singles Chart for each year from 1960-1970.

1960	It’s Now or Never	Elvis Presley
1961	Are You Lonesome Tonight	Elvis Presley
1962	I Remember You	Frank Ifield
1963	She Loves You	The Beatles
1964	Can’t Buy Me Love	The Beatles
1965	Tears	Ken Dodd
1966	Green, Green Grass of Home	Tom Jones
1967	Release Me	Engelbert Humperdinck
1968	Hey Jude	The Beatles
1969	Sugar, Sugar	The Archies
1970	The Wonder of You	Elvis Presley

( Please click on Artist or Song Title to view )

Most No.1 Hits

The following artists achieved three or more No.1  hits during the 1960s

Artist	Number-one hits
The Beatles	17
Elvis Presley	11
The Rolling Stones	8
Cliff Richard	7
The Shadows	5
Frank Ifield	4
The Everly Brothers	3
Georgie Fame	3
Gerry and the Pacemakers	3
The Kinks	3
Roy Orbison	3
Sandie Shaw	3
The Searchers	3

As you can see, The Beatles had seventeen number one hits during the sixties. As a lover of Beatles music I have included two of my favourite songs, please watch and I  you hope enjoy !!!

“In My Life“ is a song by The Beatles written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney.  Released on the 1965 album Rubber Soul, it is ranked 23rd on the Rolling Stone article “The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time“, and placed second on CBC‘s 50 Tracks. Mojo magazine named it the best song of all time in 2000.

“The Long and Winding Road“ is a ballad written by Paul McCartney (credited to Lennon/McCartney) that originally appeared on The Beatles‘ album Let It Be.  It became the Beatles’ last number-one song in the United States on 23 May 1970.  It was not released as a single in the UK.

The Rolling Stones hit “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” and the allegations of drug abuse and wild partying,  established The Rolling Stones’ image as defiant troublemakers in contrast to The Beatles’ “lovable moptop” image.

• Music had changed a lot in style.

• Rock ‘n’ Roll was starting to replace the smooth sounding ballads of the 50′s era.

• The artists were now being treated as IDOLS .

Most Memorable Single Of 21st Century

Amy Winehouse – Rehab  is one of the most memorable singles of the 21st century it may not be one of everyone’s favourite songs but nearly everyone who hears it on the radio, tv etc, tend to hum to it or sing along and probably without even noticing they are doing it.

There was a tragic rebelliousness to Amy’s career-making hit, bringing together some of the defining elements of the decade in one monster single. The style of the record is retro, with a modern edge of hip hop rhythms and bold sentiments to it.

Amy has an authentic soul voice and dramatic character but her fame owes as much to her public breakdown as her music. In the space left by Top Of The Pops, the tabloidization of pop became the real mass market. It was sadly predictable that Amy career would all end in tears but self destruction has never sounded so uplifting until the Rehab record.

21st Century Music

The 21st century is a decade in which the music business has  nearly suffered  disastrous collapse, while music itself has invaded every aspect of our lives.
The biggest fact of this problem has not been down to individual artists or thrilling new genres, but down to  illegal downloading.
Top Of The Pops has died during this decade due to the lack of interest while on the other hand the charts have become energetic. There is not one single music trend that defines this decade possibly due to the fact that the rise of modern hip hop – inflected R&B, even mainstream pop idols have urbanised their music such as: Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake.

Little of the music in this decade sounds fresh, which could be down to it being more about how the artists look than how the record sounds. Some artists have soulful voices and striking characters others are blow dried, faked tanned and sexed up to every inch of their lives.

Somehow Pop is still doing what it does best in this decade as there is still songs out there which we still share with each other. There are a hundred songs that define this decade which we often start to sing even if it not one of our favourite songs.

Please click on the chart below to enlarge.