Newsgroups: bit.listserv.allmusic
Date:         Fri, 11 Dec 1992 16:06:00 EST
From:         gmgettie@THAMA1.APGEA.ARMY.MIL
Subject:      re: childhood music

From:         RTURNBUL@TOROVM1.VNET.IBM.COM
Subject:      childhood music

>The first records I remember playing myself (like many others, on a suitcase
>that folded out into a record player) were some early 70s K-tel albums. The
>favourite ones were _Fantastic_, _Dynamite_ and _Daffy Dances_. Had songs by
>groups like The 5 Man Electrical Band, B.T.O. and Edgar Winter Group. Also
>"The Twist", "Land of a Thousand Dances" and "The Locomotion". Oh yeah,
>"Brother Louie" by The Stories...

The scary part about those K-tel type albums is that some of them were NOT
by the original artists, i.e. some cheesy little group got together and
recorded covers for all these songs and tried to sell them. So you had to
make sure they said "ORIGINAL HITS, BY THE ORIGINAL ARTISTS"

>I started taping songs from the radio (with an external mic, so no one was
>allowed to enter my room during taping) and began the process of filing away
>useless information...

Oh no, you too! For my birthday one year, my grandfather gave me one of his
old reel to reel tape recorders. I was fascinated by this thing even though
it was a dinosaur. I made many tapes of my albums by just putting the mic
from the reel to reel up to the speakers of my stereo (excellent sound
quality!). And yeah!, nobody dare even open the door to my room and mess
up my awesome recording. Come to think of it, I don't think I ever listened to
them. I just liked recording them. After I out grew my reel to reels and
8-track,  I bought a cassette boombox. I made tape after tape after tape of
recording songs off the radio, and if I didn't get the entire song (even the
very beginning), I was pissed. Geesh, I musta made 30 of those tapes. They
are just sitting around collecting dust now; I don't have the heart to throw
them out or record over them.

>I remember once listening
>to CKGM's top 300 songs of all time. As they counted down I heard songs that I
>really liked (America's "A Horse With No Name", Golden Earring's "Radar Love",
>"Hotel California", etc.), but was really hoping that Deco's disco version of
>the Star Wars theme would be number 1 (how embarassing). When they hit number 1
>the announcer got me all excited as the first syllable was "ST"...I was crushed
>to then learn that it was "Stairway To Heaven".

And here I thought you were gonna say you wished it was "Stayin' Alive" :^)

The countdown things were another favorite of mine. I would almost always
listen to America's Top 40 with Casey Kasem. I kept track of all the songs,
wrote 'em all down (and typed 'em up too!). It got old fast though.
Several years ago, a rock radio station in our area counted down the top
980 songs of all time. Much to many people's dismay, "Stairway To Heaven"
came in at number 2. "Satisfaction" by the Boring, I mean, Rolling Stones
was #1. Phhbbt! Can you believe it? #1 song of all time!

>Led Zeppelin came in for me around Grade 10 or 11. But before then was my
>discovery of FM radio...I had just bought one of my first albums (_Grand
>Illusion_ by Styx) and _Pieces of Eight_ had just been released. I was spinning
>the radio dial one day and happened across "Blue Collar Man"...That did it. I
>taped everything in earshot...

Definetly 2 of my faves as a youngin'. _Cornerstone_ didn't impress me much
back then. And hey, what's with this funky way the album opens in the back!

>At this stage, anything musical has appeal to me.

'tiz the same for me, which is exactly why I'm on this list.

Seeya,
Gary
"I think they should put the wrapper of a straw on the inside because that is
 the part you don't want to get dirty."
- Steven Wright
Newsgroups: bit.listserv.allmusic