1974-1977 COLLEGE YEARS

   The following albums I either bought or borrowed while at college in Oxford. Ones that were borrowed are only on the list if I later went on to buy them.    In my first and second years I was in digs, which was basically like bed and breakfast accommodation, and in that first year I wasn't even able to set up my record player, which was a bit of a downer, and I wasn't buying many records as a result.    I shared a house in my third year with my friend Finbar (Barry) Lillis, and we passed albums around between us. He was three or four years older than me, but no fan of the prog rock I'd liked in my early to mid teens. He contributed Bowie's Hunky Dory and a couple of crucial Velvet Underground records to this list, albums that are still today among my favourites. 

 

  The record shop in Oxford at that time was Sunshine Records at 31 Little Clarendon Street. Unfortunately there don't seem to be any photos of this shop on the internet, but I did find this shopping bag. The clearest memory of buying a record there was when I bought The Sex Pistols God Save The Queen in June '77, as even at that time when punk had been around for some time it felt quite a rebellious act. You literally didn't see punks in Oxford, and the staff at Sunshine Records had long hair, and weren't impressed with my choice.

   Only seven of the 1st 30 list survived various sell-offs over the years, whereas almost all of the college years albums remain in my collection to this day. The albums are listed by artist rather than by date of purchase.

        

                       1974-1977

Another Time, Another Place - Bryan Ferry 

Released: July 1974

   Mum used to gaze at the photo of Ferry on the inside of the gatefold sleeve. An album of covers, barring the title track, Ferry's first solo composition. Considered a bit of a sell out by some Roxy fans.

Country Life - Roxy Music 

Released: November 1974

*

   Not as good as For Your Pleasure or Stranded, but pretty decent nonetheless. In 2003, Country Life was ranked number 387 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. It was one of four Roxy Music albums that made the list (For Your Pleasure, Siren and Avalon being the others). Scandalously Stranded didn't make it. 7/10

Siren - Roxy Music

Released: October 1975

*

   Roxy Music were probably one of the most consistently successful UK bands of all time, after the Beatles and the Stones, and like David Bowie weren't really threatened by the excoriating fire of punk. Most albums contain at least a few filler tracks, but once again Ferry and Roxy deliver the goods, and the high quality standard of Roxy output is maintained. 7/10

The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan - Bob Dylan

Released: May 1963

   Bob in peak protest mode. Blowin' in the Wind, Girl From The North Country, A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall and Don't Think Twice, It's All Right, were the standouts. Reached Number 1 in the UK Charts and 22 in the USA. Some of the songs were written in London, and Dylan cited trad folk singer Martin Carthy as a musical influence. Quality. 9/10

Bringing It All Back Home- Bob Dylan

Released: March 1965

   Clearly a GOAT of an album, packed with some massive tunes, like Mr Tambourine Man, Subterranean Homesick Blues, Maggie's Farm & It's All Over Now, Baby Blue. The album where Bob went electric and alienated half of his fan base, but reached a whole new audience. Reached Number 1 in the UK Charts and 6 in the USA. Quality. 10/10

[It's possible I bought one of these last two Dylan albums while at school.] 

Blood On The Tracks- Bob Dylan

Released: January 1975

*

   A return to form for Bob after a lean period. No point in listing the standout tracks from this album because they're all standouts. Oddly only reached Number 4 in the UK, but Number 1 in the US. 9/10

Desire - Bob Dylan

Released: March 1965

   Another classic album, albeit a slightly harder listen than Blood On The Tracks due to the slightly suspect audio quality/production. Number 3 in the UK and Number 1 in the US. 8/10

Birds of Fire - The Mahavishnu Orchestra

Released: January 1973

*

   May have been bought in the period between leaving school and starting at college. I think I gave or sold it to our housemate Steve who was a big fan of the band. Hard listen now. 5/10

The Velvet Underground & Nico

Released: March 12, 1967

   Another Greatest Album Of All Time contender. Certainly would feature in my top 10 list. Why? I'm Waiting for the Man, Femme Fatale, Venus in Furs, Run Run Run, All Tomorrow's Parties, Heroin, There She Goes Again, I'll Be Your Mirror, The Black Angel's Death Song and European Son. Say no more. 10/10

Andy Warhol's Velvet Underground Featuring Nico 
Released: Nov 1971 (Compilation)

   Great double album compilation featuring tracks from their first three albums. Buy it if you haven't already! 9/10 (Can't really give 10/10 mark for a comp).

Loaded - The Velvet Underground

Released: November, 1970

*

   Released just after the departure of Lou Reed this was Velvets fourth album, (the one after Lou Reed doesn't even merit a mention). Apparently the album was supposed to be 'loaded' with hits, as requested by their label. Sweet Jane was the closed they came to achieving that goal. There was a bit of a change in the sound, with Mo Tucker not featuring on drums (as she was pregnant), and with Doug Yule singing four of the songs. 8/10

Live at Max's Kansas City - The Velvet Underground

Released: March 1969

*

   Live recording, poor audio quality, but atmospheric nonetheless. Hard not to listen to the conversations going on around the mic. 5/10

Hunky Dory - David Bowie

Released: December 1971

   Finbar introduced me to this album which I hadn't heard apart from Life On Mars, Changes and Oh! You Pretty Things. Now considered a timeless classic, which highlights Bowie's sublime song writing skills. 10/10

Young Americans - David Bowie

Released: March 1975

*

   Loved the change of direction, and loved Golden Years which was released in November. A big seller in the US for Bowie, who became, I believe, the third white person to perform on Soul Train after Elton John and the Average White Band. By some accounts, the shows producers assumed he was black when they heard the Young American single. 8/10

Station to Station - David Bowie

Released: January 1976

*

  The Thin White Duke was born. A slightly stark, unemotional album, which perhaps reflected Bowie's drug intake at that time. For me the tracks are all a bit too long. Stylistically drew on the look of The Man Who Fell To Earth movie that Bowie had just starred in. 

I was four rows from the front at the promotional Earl's Court show, which was spectacular. He pointed to me and my girlfriend during one song. Changes? 7/10

Changes One Bowie - David Bowie 

Released: May 1976

*

Very nice compilation. Similar cover typography as to Station To Station. 8/10

Low - David Bowie

Released: January 1977

*

   Up there with Hunky Dory in the 'Best Bowie album' stakes for me. In my all time best album Top 10. 10/10

Hissing of Summer Lawns - Joni Mitchell

Released: November 1975

   A bit of a mixed bag, but some great tracks, and some prominent fretless bass from Jaco Pastorius. 7/10

Kokomo - Kokomo

Released: 1975

*

   Exceptional blue-eyed soul from this British collective that included saxophonist Mel Collins from King Crimson. Still plying their trade today with seven or eight of the original members. Still a great live band. 8/10

AWB - Average White Band

Released: August 1974

*

Massive band for a time in the seventies after their worldwide hit Pick Up The Pieces. Soul/funk classic. 8/10

Gorilla - Bonzo Dog Doodah Band

Released: October 1967

*

Was a big fan of the Bonzos and this for me was them at their finest. 7/10

Rock n Roll Animal - Lou Reed

Released: February 1974

*

  Lou Reed goes full rock. As live albums this is ok. Always loved Sweet Jane, and this is a decent version. There's a lot of lead guitar twiddling by the slightly overlooked Dick Wagner. White Heat boogie style I didn't enjoy. It's all a bit 'Lou Reed meets The Allman Brothers Band' at times. 7/10

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

   The years 1974-1977 were pivotal for music, with the falling out of favour of many of the old rock behemoths, the growth in the UK of a more down to earth 'pub rock', and eventually the explosion (both in the US and the UK) of punk.

Being taken to see Siouxsie and the Banshees at the Roxy on 26th March '77 (we just missed the Slits) was something of a life changer. I'd never experienced such an atmosphere before. It was like walking into a black and white movie being played at the wrong speed. None of that hippie nonsense of sitting around on the floor. Every one seemed to be on a mission, whizzing around, little groups and huddles everywhere, all dressed to the nines, Don Letts thundering reggae somehow seeming perfectly suited, despite the change of pace. No sense of menace or threat, it was just like being at the best party you'd ever been to, with people who were all members of a very cool secret society. 

   Although I was only twenty I somehow felt almost old, like I'd been missing out. By July I was living and working in London and going to punk gigs most nights of the week.

   I last visited the Roxy in '78 and it was clear that everything had changed. It somehow seemed tired and no longer innovative, and I suspect the energy that had made it so exhilarating had already moved on. As it should.

GIGS ATTENDED 1961-1980

My old school biology folder circa 1974. 

You'd be forgiven for thinking I wasn't very interested in biology.

The numbers in square brackets were my marks out of 10 for the gig.

* Means I actually remember the gig.

*(Aged 5) 13 Dec 1961 Russ Conway - Cyprus army base 

"I was five when in December '61 dad took me to see a Russ Conway concert at the army base. In between songs I told dad he was smoking too much, and Conway looked round at us and agreed, much to the amusement of the audience. I doubt I'd have remembered the concert otherwise."

*1964? Barron Knights (Bertram Mill's Circus) Near Bromley?

In 1964 my parents took me to the circus  (Bertram Mills maybe?) where the Barron Knights were on the bill. Not only were they the first band I ever saw, but they played parodies of Beatles tunes, along with take-offs of other hits of the day. Much more fun than the jugglers and flying trapeze artists, in the opinion of this eight year old.

*(Aged 12) 25th April 1969  Pentangle  Fairfield Halls, Croydon

It wasn't until 1969 that I got to see my next live music, my mum agreeing to me and my next door neighbour Stephen seeing Pentangle (featuring John Renbourne, Bert Jansch and Jacqui McShee) at the nearby Fairfield Halls, Croydon. I was 12, and mum was good enough to drop us off, and pick us up afterwards, in her dad's Ford Anglia.

*31st May 1970 Traffic [8] & If [4] Fairfield Halls, Croydon

Again, with Stephen Coombes. If were a bit jazz rocky (did they release any albums? I guess they must have? ED: They did. Loads!) and Traffic were good, but not all that memorable as a live act.

*Jan 10th 1971  Uriah Heep [3] & Groundhogs [2] New Theatre, Bromley.

Stephen and I sat in the circle. There were lots of Orange amps and speakers on the stage, which looked pretty cool. Don't remember the Groundhogs at all, but remember Uriah Heep being so loud that I had ringing in my ears for weeks after. Possibly not ideal when you're fourteen, but I wasn't too bothered at the time. There was lots of greatcoats on display in the audience. It was embarrassing having short hair at that time, in those circles.

*28 March '72 Rory Gallagher [9] & Byzantium Oxford Town Hall - The PA caught fire during Gallagher's set. He was very good, I guess.

? Jo Berg Hawk University of Kent, Canterbury Darwin College (Free) No memory of this at all.

*4 April 1972 Arthur Brown's Kingdom Come & Ange Oxford Town Hall £1

Decent live act, with the syringe props etc. Ange's roadie kept saying "un, un" into the stage mics, and the audience starting grunting back, not knowing he was French. Or perhaps pretending not to know. Arthur Brown was ok, but the set only really caught fire when he played...Fire.

*21 or 22 July 1972 Joe Cocker [7] & Patto [6] Rainbow, Finsbury Park £1

Mainly remember having to walk most of the way to my mate's dad's flat in Chelsea after the show because we missed the last tube. Joe Cocker's set was pretty good though, I think.

*14 Oct 1972 Argent [4] & Flash [6] UKC Rutherford College 80p - I remember this one because I literally fell asleep during the fairly awful Argent set. I *think* Flash were better? Peter Bank's band. Argent were really one-hit-wonders. Hold Your Head Up.

*4 March 1972 MC5 [2], Steve P Took [1] & H. Undredweight [3] Odeon, Canterbury 50p - Wow. 

It started at 11pm which was pretty scary when you were supposed to be in bed at school, expulsion being the punishment for not being where you were supposed to be. It was even more scary because two of the people I was with were tripping. Marked as only 2/10 (I was a bit to young to appreciate the MC5 maybe), but I still remember their opening number as if was yesterday, visually at least. The stage went black, then a strobe light came on and they careered around the stage while they played their thrashy opening number. 

It certainly woke the hippies up. MC5 were ahead of their time. I wish I could see that one again.

1972/3 Trees [6], Martin Carthy [3], Sheila MacDonald [5] UKC Keynes College 20p

Trees had a track on Fill Your Head With Rock. I think Martin Carthy was the strongest performer, as he was the only one I vaguely remember. He sometimes stuck a finger in an ear while he was singing.

1972/3 Rare Bird [5] & Snake Eye [5] St Thomas's Hall, Canterbury 20p

Zero memory of this.

*22 April 1972? Juicy Lucy & Al Stewart  UKC Darwin College  (Free) -Couldn't get in so watched from outside through a gap in the curtains. Not vg view lol. Can remember Al Stewart's voice, and he sang A Small Fruit Song which was on Fill Your Head With Rock. Juicy Lucy were know for their hit Who Do You Love? They sounded quite good from outside.

*8 May 1973 Captain Beefheart [10] (+ Nick Pickett) Kent University, (Gymnasium) £1

This was one of my favourite ever gigs, and I remember it extremely well. Zoot Horn Rollo on guitar, straw hat 'n' all. And my chemistry teacher who was sitting in front of me was with a girl who wasn't his wife. Which meant I didn't get grounded or expelled. Beefheart can be a bit impenetrable (see Trout Mask Replica), but this was almost like a greatest hits set, and arguably all the better for it. Brilliant!

Setlist: Bass Solo, Suction Prints, Mirror Man, Low Yo Yo Stuff, Crazy Little Thing, I'm Gonna Booglarize You Baby, Electricity, Peon, King Bee/Sugar Mama, Click Clack, Abba Zaba, Nowadays A Woman's Gotta, Big Eyed Beans From Venus, Golden Birdies).

*1973 Nazareth + Robin Trower Band Leas Cliff Hall, Folkestone

Not much of a crowd, don't remember Robin Trower, but Nazareth went down ok. How we got there I have no idea. On the bus?

*14 Oct '73 John Martyn + Low Go Dancer (?) (+ John Peel who played all of the Tubular Bells album) Shaw Theatre, Euston

Stood next to John Martyn in the bar before the gig. He was with his mum and was being sweet. Great gig where he played a lot of the songs on Solid Air. Excellent!

*9 June 1973? Leo Sayer + Tempest UKC Elliot - Sayer played on a mini stage to the side of the audience, and when hardly anyone turned to face him he got really pissed off. Tempest were more my thing back then probably, although I only remember the drum solo. Which was very long. They may have been a bit disappointing, if I'm honest.

Suntreader UKC Elliot SCR Free

No memory of this.

*3 Feb 1973 Stealers Wheel Student Bar at Keynes or (Rutherford?) College, Kent University - Only went out that night because my school friend Mark Titcombe wanted to try Snakebite (Guinness and cider). We were enjoying a quiet evening when Stealer's Wheel set up in the bar and played for free. They were about to have the big hit (Stuck in the Middle with You) and were extremely good. Sadly they were also about to split up. There was hardly anyone there when they started by the set, but there was a bit of a crowd by the end. Really enjoyed this one.

4 Feb 1973 Ayup St Thomas's Hall (Backdoor) - free

No, don't remember this.

*10 Feb 1973? Claire Hamill + Albion Country Band UKC Elliot College 50p (got in free apparently) - I remember the Albion Country Band doing a Four Tops dance routine during one of the songs, which livened things up a bit. They were very good if you were a folk fan.

18 Feb 1973 Ian A Anderson (Kensfolk) - free

*24 Feb 1973 Stomu Yamashta Roundhouse 50p

Colourful and theatrical. Music was ok, but not really my thing.

*12 May 1974 Hatfield & The North & Robert Wyatt Gulbenkian Theatre, Canterbury [augmented for second set by Alan Gowen, Steve Miller, Lol Coxhill, Lyn Dobson, Jimmy Hastings, Jeremy Baines, The Northettes & Chris Cutler] - Excellent if you like that sort of thing, which I did. I *think* they played most of the songs from their first album. Quite a historic gig I suspect. Really enjoyed this one, and still have a soft spot for Hatfield & The North.

Squirrel [7] UKC Keynes College

No memory of this at all.

Lee Riders [5] Goring & Streatley Golf Club? Don't remember this! Southern US rockers, they had formed at Woodstock in 1970, but only a deal with If's management helped them land a record deal. They recorded an album in London and played a few gigs here and there, including a support slot on some of the Ziggy Stardust tour. But Goring & Streatley Golf Club? Maybe it was a local warm up gig or something.

30th Oct 1973 Caravan [8] + Gordon Giltrap [8]  - Marlowe Theatre 50p - Can't believe I don't really remember this at all. I loved Caravan at the time. Perhaps I wrote the name in the book before the gig, but was unable to attend or something.

*3 Nov 1973 Santana [7] Empire Pool Wembley £1

Pretty good gig, but we were too far from the stage to really enjoy it. Would have been better in a smaller venue, or if I'd been down the front.

3 Dec 1973 Sunrise [3] UKC Elliot Dining room 85p

No memory of this.

5 Dec 1973 Isaac Allorry? Gillory?

Ditto

20 Dec 73 Jericho + Dr Marigold' Prescription UKC Rutherford 9p

Nope.

*73/74? Gary Moore Band Went with Simon Opie. I shouted 'Play something difficult!' after one particularly tortuously long and self indulgent guitar solo. Punk was on its way! [5]

None of the below were in the folder, they're just a few gigs I remember out of many:

*13 Nov 1976 John Cale (+The Boys) Oxford Poly

7 May 1976 David Bowie Wembley Empire Pool

01. Station To Station 02. Suffragette City 03. Fame 04. Word On A Wing 05. Stay

06. Waiting For The Man 07. Queen Bitch 08. Life On Mars? 09. Five Years 10. Panic In Detroit 11. Band Introduction – Changes 12. TVC15 13. Diamond Dogs

ENCORE 14. Rebel Rebel 15. The Jean Genie

Got a coach from Oxford to the gig. Sat four rows from the front. He pointed at me and the girl I was with during Changes. Didn't play Young Americans or Golden Years, my two favourites at that time.

Great gig though!

*26th March 1977 Siouxsie & The Banshees (+ The Slits) - The Roxy, Covent Garden. Was taken to the gig by my friend Mary and her boyfriend Gary, who was working as a chauffeur for a very successful model who lived on the Bishop's Avenue. He drove up to London in the model's pink Jag and then took us back to his flat where we had dinner. We then headed to the Roxy, and just missed the Slits set, unfortunately. I've written more about that night elsewhere in the blog. Almost life changing. Certainly life confirming.

*May/June 1977 Boomtown Rats Oxford Poly

Bob Geldof invite me and my friend Grant backstage after the gig and gave us some Boomtown Rats freebies. They weren't really a punk band. Quite a theatrical show somehow. It was decent, I guess.

I moved to London on 11th July 1977 and this was the first gig I went to after renting my first flat (England's Lane, Belsize Park):

*5 or 12 August '77 Squeeze The Brecknock, Camden Town

They were brilliant. Jools Holland was still on keyboards at this time.

*17 Jan '78 Electric Chairs/Adam and the Ants Dingwalls, Camden

'Audition Night', despite the fact that both were fairly well known. Preferred the Ants I suspect. Loved audition night, a quid to get in, booze half price before 7pm (I think).

*25 March '78 Johnny Thunders All Stars/Snivelling Shits - The Speakeasy, West End. The All Stars included Steve Jones and Paul Cook of the Sex Pistols.

Sid Vicious was there. Maybe with Nancy, I can't remember. Snivelling shites were quite good. I had their Can't Come single.

*30th April 1978 The Clash Anti Nazi League Rally, Victoria Park, Hackney. Went with the Clash's former soundman Mickey Foote, shortly after they sacked him for speeding up Clash City Rockers during the mastering of the single. I gave him and Mandy, a friend of my girlfriend at the time, a lift in my recently acquired Morris 1000 ex GPO van. Mickey asked me for a lift back to 'Rehearsal Rehearsals', after breaking up with Mandy in the van. He liked the van so much he offered to allow my band to rehearse at Rehearsals for free in exchange for me doing some work for him with the van. I once had to drive Dexy's midnight Runners to the studio in Chalk Farm, when they recorded their first single. I'd also do some occasional roadying or lighting/sound mixing for the Black Arabs and The Subway Sect.

To follow:

*4th or 5th May '78 Aswad 100 Club (Strummer rolled a spliff in my hand)

*Aug 1978 Dillinger  The Music Machine, Camden

Went to the gig with Dread Lepke, who knew Dillinger. We ended up playing pinball with him.

*15 June 79 Madness Dublin Castle, Camden Their first proper gig. Knew Suggsy a bit at the time. This is one of those gigs that everybody claims to have attended, but I definitely did, honest!

*01/12/79 Dolly Mixtures/U2  Moonlight Club, Railway Hotel, West Hampstead

This was U2's first concert in England, and in fact their first concert outside of Ireland. We thought they were pretty old fashioned.

*31/12/79 Adam & The Ants / Black Arabs Electric Ballroom, Camden - Mayhem, because of NF skinheads. I was roadying for the Arabs

*06/01/80 Dexy's / Black Arabs Marquee

*27/28 March 80 Siouxsie & The Banshees / Subway Sect  Music Machine, Camden - Did the lighting for the Sect.

*11/7/80 Members  Moonlight Club, Railway Hotel, West Hampstead

*20/11/78 or 17/01/79? Local Operator/The Cure  Moonlight Club, Railway Hotel, West Hampstead