Music memories of 1950s, 1960s, 1970s. FREE music on site.

MUSIC

1950s, 1960s,1970s

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This Music Page is, unlike the earlier "story" pages on this "Memories Never Die" website meant mainly to just let you listen to some music of the time. I hope you find something to enjoy on this page and on the second Music Page (which contains some of my own "favourites" from all three decades; and some of my opinions ---OMG !).

I should also mention, before we start , that over 50,000 music audios and videos are available for anyone who is looking for a long-lost track that has special meaning for them (memories never die:)))). Such requests, plus any info requests, are feely available (if possible) to anyone who is an active member of the "Memories Never Die" Club Chat Forum ( see separate page).

Someone once said that "music is the mirror of our soul". The words may sound pretentious : but I understand each word completely. I love music so much that I cannot imagine living in a world without it.

And I have never met anyone in my journey through life who I ever wanted to spend any time with if they did not love music , nor also had a keen sense of humour.

There is something about music, of any type, that seems to be almost "spiritual", something which really does separate those who have a soul and those who don't. It comforts me, as I look at all my faults, that -----using that hypothesis-----I must have a soul, and I can't be ALL bad:))

But enough of this preamble. Let's move on to even more............. preamble :))

First, I have to decide how to "tackle" this Music Page.

Do I make it similar to the music parts of the Decades Pages on "Memories Never Die", but more detailed ? Do I make it different to those pages ?

Do I broaden it here from "popular" music ? Do I play a lot of music on this Page ? Do I show even more photos ? Do I move into the field of "specialist" music ? Do I concentrate on my own favourite types and particular works ? Do I just start and see where it takes us ?

It would probably just take ME to the golden age of the mid -1960s, and I'd forget the rest of you silversurfers' faves:))

NB (IMPORTANT) : I must also say right at the outset that I intend to play music (and change it regularly, to keep this website "fresh"). That immediately brings "into play" the whole aspect of copyright provisions. This website's policy is set out at the foot of this page; but I would like to state here that the footnote is not merely going through the motions of some "throw-away" semi-legal wording------the matter is a serious one involving the rights of copyright owners. For any music on this page that has a copyright , I can only seek permission here and now for the owner/s to be generous to a small non-profit -making website that just wants to give musical examples ( from my own "bought and paid for" music collection) to bring back memories for folk who want to remember the music of 40, 50 and 60 years ago. As a songwriter myself (of no merit), I agree fully that the holder of a copyright has complete authority. If any of the music on this Page does not receive the owners' kind permission, which I ask for, it will be removed immediately-------and , as the music will be changed from time to time, that goes for any music here at any time.

I feel that , to make this Page "meaningful", I need to make it one which covers aspects which I have most knowledge of, which most viewers might relate to.......and which is most likely to attract comments, suggestions, ideas, opinions. That all points towards "popular" music of the 1950s, 60s and 70s. And, although I think-----unlike the Decade Pages of this website------we must take a look at non-chart music, I also think that we cannot stray too far from the "mainstream" : or it just would not be possible to keep up with all those "specialisms" and the obscure artists, etc that I mentioned on earlier Pages. I also think I should talk to some degree about what I personally enjoy.......but not in enough detail to "turn off" folk who have no interest in my musical tastes at all. How are we doing ??? ..............Nor me :)))))

I think we start with a BRIEF overview of types of music, concentrating on my own "tastes"and knowledge : before moving on to popular music of the 1950s , 60s, 70s..........because the word "popular" sums up what this website aims to concentrate on. I just have not got the time or space to wander off into all the hidden nooks and crannies that we music weirdos frequent: and surely you would not want me to ? My apologies to classical music lovers ( because it is not really in the main what this site or the 50s-70s era is all about); similar sentiments to opera-lovers ( both types of music I enjoy); but even more apologies to those who like jazz ( because it is about the only kind of music I just cannot find a way of "getting into"). And apologies to the many viewers who will have favourite artists who are either too obscure for mention here, or there is not enough space, or I overlook them ( if the latter, I will try and add to the site if you e-mail me please).

There are few types of music that I dislike or that I know nothing about. I like, and know a fair amount about, a wide range of classical music, but I would not enjoy sitting in the Mastermind Chair ( as I relish sitting in it if Magnus was asking about mid 20th century popular music). In any case, so much classical music is not particularly associated with the 1950s-70s : it is timeless.

Having said that, one of my favourite classical composers was living through most of the era covered by "Memories Never Die" ( he died in the 1970s, though had been ill and "inactive " for some time ) : Shostakovich. The same is true, to a lesser extent, of his fellow-Russian, Prokofiev, who just makes our website era here. So I see no harm in including some works by at least one of that very talented Russian duo. I admire another "modern" classical composer, Delius, but he died in the 1930s. In my humble and unknowledgeable opinion, the last great classical composer/ performer also died just before our 1950 website starts: Rachmaninoff.

Of the many other modern classical composers covered in our 1950s-70s period, I either have no great admiration nor any more than a fleeting knowledge (and that applies to Benjamin Britten though I often enjoy the Aldeburgh programme of events, so long as it does not cover his own works :)))).

I have far more interest in classical "performers", rather than composers, of the 1950s-70s era, my favourite being the great Rostropovich ( also a composer ) as well as cellist :

coincidentally he was a close friend of Britten, as well as of Prokofiev and Shostakovich . Anyone who loves guitar music could not fail to be moved by the maestro: Segovia, or indeed by his pupil, John Williams ( personally, because of my fondness for the lute and mandolin, I also like the work of Julian Bream). We cannot list my favourite virtuosos of every instrument: but I cannot bring an end to this short section by mentioning the "King" of musical instruments: the piano. I listen with most feeling to the performances, during the era of this website, of Kempff, Gilels and the best of all : Michelangeli ( but it is still a pity that Rachmaninoff falls just before our 1950s period).

And it is good to see nowdays the likes of the very successful Andre Rieu keeping the classical performance tradition "popular", albeit in his case with a different instrument. And the great modern-day tenors carrying on what Enrico Caruso and John McCormack did in the early 20th century, and which Mario Lanza did during our own era of "Memories Never Die".

And we haven't even got to Opera yet, whether Grand Opera or Gilbert & Sullivan.................

I am beginning to enjoy this. If anyone wants to see a "classical" musical Page on this site , please let me know. But, once again, there seems to be a huge hurdle in terms of the era ( what has Chopin got to do specifically with the 1950s-70s ? And how could a "classical" Page cover only the likes of Britten and Prokofiev.........and ignore Beethoven, Brahms, Mozart.

NO----I think we'd better leave classical music, opera, ballet music, etc as types that are more "timeless" than our brief 1950s-70s.

But we WILL pay a small tribute, though, by leaving some music linked to the classical artists mentioned above :

Shostakovich-The Gadfly Mario Lanza-Nessun Dorma

So where do we go ? How about trying to wander in date order through my memories of music, from the earliest recollections in the mid 1950s ( with something for the early 1950s for those who DO remember that period), and make our way through the years up till 1979------probably going off in different directions at certain times. I'm sorry that most of the music will reflect my own memories.......but it's me sitting here writing and remembering :))) I will, as I keep stressing on "MND", try to add any favourites that viewers may have special memories of and would love to see or hear : if there is time and if they are not too "specialist".

My first real musical memories come from listening to Uncle Mac introducing "Children's Favourites" on BBC Radio every Saturday morning . My Mum would listen to it with me in the earliest days, and we sang along to songs that were requested so often that they seemd to be played every week : "I Am A Mole And I Live In A Hole", "Runaway Train", "Nellie The Elephant", "The Bee Song","Teddy Bears Picnic","Four Legged Friend" "Davy Crockett".....so many memories.

A medley of ones I have compiled which I remember fondly:

It was in the later 1950s that my real love of pop music began: and, once again, it was a BBC radio programme that introduced me to it : "Two-Way Family Favourites" ( I can still smell the Sunday roast cooking as I listened to all the top hits of the time by performers such as Frankie Laine, Guy Mitchell, Kay Starr, Pat Boone, Doris Day, Frank Sinatra. I have to mention that I developed a special liking for Doo Wop songs ( Five Satins, Capris, Del-Vikings, Silhouettes, Crests ---and I still regularly watch my vast Doo Wop video collection of the famous reunion concerts of the 1980s/90s, as well as original footage from the 1950s: has anyone failed to admire Gene Chandler, in black cape, top hat and cane, belting out "Duke Of Earl" ?. Perhaps I can cover a few examples on another page of this website.

But the records that made me take more notice than any others were by were Elvis,The Everly Brothers, Buddy Holly, Cliff. Those latter artists, as I waited for Sunday lunch around age 7,8,9, were to lead me to a lifelong passion. As the 1950s ended I was "hooked" on what we know as "pop music" or "rock n roll" or "chart hits" or "beat" or "rock ballads" or "rhythm and blues" or "that load of rubbish"as my Dad called it.

At age 11, I was treated to a special present by my Mum and Dad: and I chose a

( except it was a Dansette, so looked slightly different :))))))).

A record (45 single) cost 6/4d, so my pocket money was going to be stretched................but Xmases and Birthdays always boosted my small collection. The first records I ever bought/owned were "Living Doll", "What Do You Want",

"Apache", "Shakin' All Over", Colette"..........and one which started me on another love-affair : this time with an artist who has been my musical NUMBER ONE ever since : the record was called "Only The Lonely". More of that topic later : it will no doubt get a special tribute section on this Page :)) So much for making this a "British" site :)))))

During the early 1960s, as I settled into my new school and into a new way of spending my "paper-round" money on 45s, I think the British artist that I admired most was

It is impossible to pick a favourite song , but this one comes close enough

Ron ( as I like to call him !) always knew that he was destined to die early; he actually lived much longer than expected , into his 40s. There were spells when his career could not be pursued, he never had any Number 1 hits ( though he must hold some kind of record for the most Top 10s without reaching the top spot ), his chart career covered only about 5 years, as a British singer he was overshadowed early in his career by Adam Faith, and later in his career by Cliff ; but he left us many fine records as he continued to record into the early 1980s (he died in 1983). In my opinion, he was the finest of the Larry Parnes' group of stars.

But, before we come to an era when British singers ruled the charts throughout the world, we must remember that in the period of the late 1950s and early 1960s, music was still very much associated with America : either directly or indirectly. There are too many artists to list here; so let's just go straight to The King ! Elvis was at his peak in the period 1960-63 (just my opinion, in case I get into trouble with those who think his career ended when he left Sun Records).

Four of my own favourites from his 1961/2 period (see also "About Us"page on this MND Site) :

The following are all Number1 singles (2 are "A" sides ; and 2 are lesser-known "B" sides). Versatility or what ??

But the days of Elvis , and the music of the late 1950s and the first 2 years of the 1960s , were about to disappear.

Along with that music went the careers of many of its performers (in some cases chart careers, in many cases whole careers ; a few managed to continue, notably Cliff in Britain.....but neither he nor even Elvis ever reached their late 50s/early 60s heights again.

The changes of 1963 have been covered in some detail on the 1960s Page of this website. But , briefly, a new "scene" emerged-----and it turned out to be revolutionary : first in terms of music; then in terms of fashion, then in terms of popular culture, then in terms of the whole structure of society; young people were "empowered"; Britain became the centre of the universe again for the first time since the 19th century days of Empire; a whole legacy was left ......on a scale rarely left by a single generation. It may be considered a unique period in history.

This Page deals with MUSIC, which was so much at the core of the "changes".

Starting in the clubs like The Cavern, with an emphasis on Liverpool, a sound emerged which spread and "took over" popular music here, in America, and across the world.

As stated on the 1960s' Page :

"The Beatles achieved a humble placing in the charts at the end of 1962........and, from then on, to slightly misquote a later hit of the 60s, the big wheel just kept on turning:). In 1963 The Fab Four had three Number 1 Hits. One of them:

"She Loves You" sold nearly 2 million copies during its stay in the charts , just at that time !!! Gerry & The Pacemakers, the second "Mersey Sound" group to be signed by Beatles' manager Brian Epstein reached number 1 with their first three record releases-----a feat that stood a long test of time in the annals of chart music. The other biggest group were another Epstein Liverpool quartet : The Searchers. Others, too numerous to mention here, followed in 1963: when 9 out of 10 of the highest charting acts were British during the year-----a far cry from a decade before when the score in 1953 was : USA 8 and UK 2." Please also see photos on that 1960s' Page of the Number 1 groups of 1963.

It is difficult to explain, even among folk who were there at the time, exactly HOW the music changed. We still had rock, we still had ballads, we still had solo male and female singers, we still had bits and pieces of country and folk music, more R&B , more British regional musical influences. BUT the whole "package" added up to something very "different" from what had gone before . How can I explain it when, in 1964, The Beatles had 3 Number1s and, in the same year, Cilla Black had 2 consecutive "big ballad" Number 1s ? Yes, there IS the Liverpool link ( which shows how important it was, alongside Billy J Kramer and also The Searchers' two Number 1s in the same year of 1964 ).......but that does not explain the full story. There were Number1s from Manfred Mann, Dave Clark 5, Kinks, Hermans Hermits, Animals..........and the first two Number 1 hits by The Rolling Stones !

American domination of the charts was completely decimated in 1964 : only Roy Orbison and The Supremes reached the top spot. That "Britishness"is an important factor in trying to explain the "change". I think it must also be said that the "group" sound (even with the exceptions of Cilla , Sandie and other solo artists) was an over-riding factor : the "group" sound was now , for the first time, the predominant force in British , and later world , popular music ( regardless of the Number 1s or chart records of 1964). And the increased spending power of teenagers, different clothes, styles, access by musicians to TV and a wider public, good management and innovations in music recording......they all played their part.

I may not be able to articulate what happened in music during 1963, consolidated completely by 1964 ; but I DO know that it happened ...........and so do the readers of this Site who were there. Please feel free to provide a better explanation of what happened , musically, in 1963/64 if you can please. Feel free to email.

Some of the chart successes of 1963/64 went on to become household names for the rest of the 1960s and beyond :

Beatles, Stones, Kinks, Cilla, Sandie, Manfreds, Animals. Actually, in 1964, most successful acts continued to be so, for at least 3 or 4 years at the very top, and many for the rest of the decade and beyond. Perhaps that shows how important those early influences were. OK.....the Four Pennies and The Honeycombs reached Number 1 : but every year provides a few exceptions. 1964 threw up very few exceptions.

I was very pleased that the great Roy Orbison achieved two of the three American Number 1's in that exceptionally British year (when there were 23 Number 1's)-----and one of his Number 1's is generally considered to be one of the most popular records of the past 50 years. No Elvis Number 1 for the first time in many years. No Cliff Number1 . The times were indeed a-changin'.

Other Pages on "Memories Never Die" contain lots of pictures. I won't show too many pictures on this Site. If you want to see photos of all the great performers of the time, just google or go to wikipedia :))).Oh, and most of the artists of the day have websites. I don't recommend the big "retro" websites who will tell you that "Billy J Kramer and The Dakotas were popular artists of the period" or that The Beatles were taking the charts by storm" .....LOL.

But I'll try and play some music. I can't try and give a cross-section to try and illustrate different types of music in the charts of that time. So I will try and give you a cross-section of music that I personally liked a lot (and I'll try and make them, generally but not always, lesser-known than some of the big hits) . I'll also try to change the music on this Page every month or so. That way, you'll look forward to coming back to visit :)))))))

OK------let's have go at 1964 : the year when The Beatles appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show in February, and then the Brits invaded the States. If you don't what the songs are, what are you doing here ?:)))))

1964:

But, as we leave 1964, I think that 1965 and 1966 were the "peak" years of everything that the new 60s sound had brought. The music reached its maturity, it left us with some of the greatest "classic" pop records of all time ( in my humble opinion), and by and large it remained predominantly British or British-based (whereas 1967 started the re-emergence of American artists and influences). It should still be remembered though that , even in the latter years of the 60s : Number 1s (which give some broad guide to general chart music) were mainly British (or by artists based in UK): for example,11 out of a total of 14 in 1967; 17 out of a total of 21 in 1968.

But I still believe that everything that best sums up the British musical revolution of the 1960s lies around 1965 and 1966. So here are a few offerings .

First from 1965 :

That last song above is a smashing little satire on the pop idols of the time, the way they could poke fun at themselves and, indeed, the wider culture of the day .The singer of that satire : "The One In The Middle"-----the one who usually grabs the limelight, has to be good-looking, has to shake , rattle and roll-------was in that case Paul Jones, someone who should have developed into a big star, but he gave up music for acting ( though he is now back touring with several bands, including The Manfreds; he is also a presenter of a weekly BBC2 Radio Show about Blues Music).

In my opinion, he is the best R&B singer Britain has ever produced (even ahead of Eric Burdon).

The next batch of records also includes a "satirical" song , this time by The Kinks, written by one of Britain's best songwriters of the second half of the 20th century : Ray Davies. I'm sorry that these samples merely represent the first songs which I grabbed from my PC Music Library-----and which I happen to like.

So let's hope you find at least one that is to YOUR taste too .........

in 1966 :

So we reach 1967, Summer Of Love, Flowers in The Hair (but not where I lived), the beginnings of an American influence returning. Actually the "Summer Of Love" theme was not much reflected in the charts : once again it was more a press item than a musical "happening" -----only Scott McKenzie and The Flowerpot Men :))) actually put San Francisco in the charts. But, with The Beatles "All You Need Is Love" and The Stones "We Love You".......we cannot dismiss it all as complete hype

Of more impact in musical terms was.....the psychadelic sound. Difficult to explain it here : please Google. Some very nice music, some very nice lyrics : many of them completely without meaning or context.......but it didn't seem to matter. Psychadelia was a short-lived phenomenon----just 1967 really : but it produced many interesting songs, great drug-induced lyrics and a general feeling of well-being.

My 1967 selection includes 3 psychadelic tracks and then one very good ballad from one of the 60s leading bands, who were associated with rock rather than ballads ( it is placed here as a dedication to Mike Smith who died recently, (though, ironically, it's about the only hit on which I don't recall hom as the vocalist). 1967 :

And so the Summer Of Love faded away and the 1960s began to draw to a close. With the exception of Woodstock in the "Summer of 69" (listen to song of same title by Chris Norman), no big changes to report. American bands emerged in larger chart numbers , but UK acts still dominated : there was definitely no return to the US supremacy of the 50s and very early 60s. The Beatles still reigned supreme. The Stones, who (unlike The Beatles) continued live performances, kept close on the Fab Four's heels. Some say that The Beach Boys moved up alongside the "greats": I am NOT one who subscribes to that view. Nor do I view "Pet Sounds" as anything but a moderate album : and the great British public seemed to agree at the time (Pet Sounds reached #2 in the Album Charts and hung around the chart for 29 weeks. In the same year , The Stones had 2 albums in the Album Charts, reaching numbers 1 and 3, and staying a total of 75 weeks in the chart; and Sgt Pepper alone stayed in the Album Chart for a massive 150 weeks.).

And no other American contenders came forth as candidates for the loftiest positions , or even generally, with the UK record-buying public. Yes, there were more of them.......Turtles, Mamas &Papas, Lovin Spoonful and the most successful of all : The Monkees. But somehow none of them ever brought the "American Invasion" that had perhaps been expected when The Byrds first tried to emulate the Brit "group" sound, fashion and culture in the earlier days of the "revolution".

The charts of 1968 and 1969 reinforce this view. And the Number 1 slots were still very much in British hands. In fact, I believe that 1963-67 Golden Age broke the American "hold" on popular music forever : certainly it was Britain and Europe which were dominant again in the 1970s; and I don't think we can say the rest of the century really made America the centre of music in the way that it was the centre of movies.

It would be a "sportsman-like" thing to say something like : " it really doesn't matter where the music originated : let's just be grateful for a wonderful sound that still attracts large audiences at 60s' "revival tours" (usually with some or all of the original performers)"; and remains huge sellers in Germany, Holland and many European countries ( where 1960s' performers and/or their music still sells in massive amounts)".

But, in this particular case of 1960s' music, I cannot actually take that non-nationalistic tone. Simply because it would not have happened if it had not been for The Cavern, The Mersey Sound, those who followed immediately in Britain-----and the way it led to changes in fashion, culture, society and the future in a way that is too important to merely brush off as though " well, it would have happened anyway " or " somebody somewhere else would have done it". I don't think that. Without what happened in musical terms (leading on to wider aspects in society), I do not think we would ever have witnessed such a profound change in the 20th century......not in music, let alone all the rest.

I pay tribute to all the elements that "paved the way", all the genres of music which influenced those young British lads in the early 1960s, and I pay special tribute to Rock n' Roll (born in the USA with all its American blues, gospel, jazz and other components).

BUT..........with as many provisos as we like to mention: the massive change in music that brought with it all the massive changes in most aspects of society : was born and bred in Britain at a very special time in history ("special" because such revolutions come along so infrequently).

In my view , it is solely due to a few years in the mid 1960s that the present-day statistics show that half of the 20 best-selling music artists of all time are British ( not necessarily from sales in the 1960s, though most of them at least started their careers in the 60s). That is an astounding achievement. And, although fans of a vey elite club of artists who have sold over 500 million discs ( Crosby, Elvis, Sinatra and Michael Jackson) dispute the fact, we all know that it is the 5th member of that elite group who are the biggest-selling act of all time :

I have studied the social history of the first half of the 20th Century in much detail , and I also personally remember the 1950s very well ; and all the objectivity I can find tells me that something momentous (led by music for some reason) happened in the 1960s ; and its legacy is the basis of much of society over 40 years later ( with no other "revolution" in my lifetime since then, covering any age group: merely the usual "evolution" that categorises most eras)-----but NOT the 1960s.

I have no wish to bore any further by looking at the evolution of the 1960s' musical revolution into today's world; nor whether the wider changes brought about by the 60s were a good or bad thing ( probably a mixture).

I merely say what I believe : I had MY "special years" (as every generation has such years) in the most exciting period of the 20th Century ; and music was SO important to that period.

I hear a song today from the mid-1960s and I am back in a place, with people I can picture clearly, hear every word of a conversation I had never thought of from that day to this, know exactly whether it was warm or cold, snowing, raining or windy, often I know the day of the week (and always the month and year), I sense the atmosphere, the smells, the taste of a meal sometimes, the way I felt at that exact moment. The most astonishing thing is that a new example of this weird "stuff" happens at least a dozen times every year and continues to do so.

There was a time when I thought I had some problem that a "shrink" might help me with :))) But , the older I get, the more folk I meet or hear about who have exactly the same mental disorder as me -----phew :))))

A few years ago, during a brief flirtation with satellite TV, I surfed onto a radio channel that was playing 1960s'music , so I lingered awhile. The presenter was a bloke named Mike Sweeney and I became "hooked" for many months to his show : not specifically because he played 60s music (many channels are dedicated to that) but because he would , every now and again, play a song and then remember, the first time he heard it, what was going on in the playground ( he heard records from loud speakers in the factory opposite the school), or remember a girl in a milk bar who'd just said she wouldn't go the pictures with him, or remember being in a particular place when he first heard a particular record. He felt like a soul-mate:))) ; but I realise there are many of us. I hope this little website finds just a few of you. BTW, I lost touch with Mike Sweeney's career and have just googled to find that you can hear him on a radio station caled "Gold" : see
http://www.mygoldmusic.co.uk/

He, and all others like him, sort of sum up the whole meaning of MEMORIES NEVER DIE !

OK, we should move on to a few examples the music of 1968/69 (though keep in mind that all music on this website will be changed regularly).

1968/ 1969 :

As we move on to the 1970s, you may wonder where The Beatles' and Stones' music is............

fear not : they'll be on another page of this website-----on a page of my personal special music :)))

Please look at the music section of the main 1970s Page on this website and you'll find that, for ease of reference, I divided the popular music of the 70s decade into 4 main sections : Glam; Disco; Heavy Metal; Miscellaneous from teenage idols to punk).

I talked in some detail there about my views on these different types of music.

I DID mention reggae, Motown----and of course there is always soul, R&B, revivalist bands (yes, even in the 1970s they'd started "looking back" : that real fun band called Mud, Showaddywaddy and others). I apologise to followers of Northern Soul, Reggae (especially fans of the very popular and talented Bob Marley-----and also a group that I like very much : UB40) and other types of music.

But on this small site, I just haven't got the room to go into any detail on any but the main chart elements.

I can only say that I have liked reggae ever since I first heard "The Israelites"; I have liked Tamla since the great Supremes and Four Tops.....and one of my favourite records is "It Takes Two"; I like Northern Soul ( I was playing tracks on the day of writing this by Barbara McNair who died recently and who, ironically liked the jazz that I don't----as well as Northern Soul). I like most kinds of music. I dislike Punk and Rap. I cannot "associate" with the winners of "talent" (LOL) shows who then have a Number 1 with their first record; but then I don't have to-----they are not covered by the period of this website ( thankfully).

So, with apologies to others, I'll stick with the 4 main 1970's categories which I outlined above ( and in more detail on the main 1970 Decade Page).

There's nothing wrong in my view with any of the categories. I have already said how talented I believe Abba , Bee Gees and many "Disco" giants to be. Glam was just fun......and carried on the need for " mainstream" chart music: and a few Glam acts had talent, most notably Marc Bolan and Roy Wood. The "Heavy Metal/Hard Rock/Progressive" movement : I gave my views on 1970s Page-------I think they ultimately led music in a direction that the 1960s' roots would not have liked : but Heavy Metal is the "child" of the 60s and as such I cannot do anything but listen to it, just like the massive numbers of other people who have made it the best-selling type of 70s music. The "miscellaneous" category covers much ground, but I single out the teeny-bopper idols that were so loved by a generation after my own time : there will always be a need for Donny Osmonds, David Cassidys and Bay City Rollers--------just like the screaming girls of my own 1960s demanded.

To pick a selection of examples, I've reached into the library and come out, in 2 minutes, with the following :

The Floyd and Led Zep, Wizzard, Baccara, The Rollers.........and the pretty Dana with her pretty song (and anyone who tells me they don't like it------don't believe ya :)))))))

So that was our trip through a few examples which tried to typify the music of our 3 decades.

I know I've not done a great job, but ----as I alter this page ( and the songs) every now and again----I'll improve.

For the moment, the main shortcoming is probably the over-concentration on the 1960s : but please remember that I wasn't old enough to appreciate the 1950s music at the time it was first being played (though I learned all about it subsequently); and my 1970s were trying to get used to Mum and Dad not paying for everything:)))----though I DID keep in close touch with current music then, and also "caught up " later with what I'd missed.

I promise to do better as I change the music and narrative on this Site every now and then. I'll make more 1950s music from Sinatra and Starr available; more 1970s music; even Punk Music ( hey......steady on : don't let's overdo it !!).

Another shortcoming on this page is that much of the "narrative", opinion (and photographs) about this music are on the individual decade pages of this website; so this page should be read in conjunction with those "Decade" pages: sorry about that, but it's partly because the music was so important to the decades in a wider sense and had to be included in the 1950s Page, the 1960s Page and the 1970s Page; and partly due to webspace constraints and page lengths.

I'm also aware , as I now go off to start work on the second Music page of this website ( a page of my own favourites and some experiments with video contributions as well as audio) that MND has a "musical bias". There is plenty of all aspects on the individual "Decades Pages" ( from cinema to fashion to TV to the "way life was"); there is also the News/ Events Page. But there is still a musical "imbalance". So I promise to use the last spare page on this website to cover any topic ( or mixture of topics) that viewers wish : whether literature, the arts, cinema, schooldays, sport.......

That means you must remember to me and provide your suggestions : memoriesadmin1@gmail.com

But let's make the final remark on this page about...........music. Those wonderful notes and melodies and lyrics and instruments have enthralled us since time began. Whether you picture King Henry VIII composing "Greensleeves" or saw SAW ( yes, you may google :)))) writing all those songs for Kylie : they were all British !!!

Oh yes, I should also apologise for being a bit "over-British" on this music site : sorry ........naaaah, I'm not really:)))

Thanks for visiting. Try and view the other webpages. Join the MND Club Forum and meet new friends who grew up at the same time as you did, have a chat about those days, share those MEMORIES THAT NEVER DIE .......

Take Care and Best Wishes..........

{ Finally : COPYRIGHT : As I said near the top of this page, I accept the whole spirit of copyright. But, on this tiny website, dealing with records of 40-60 years ago, I ask copyright owners for generosity and understanding please. And I hope that the few examples of their copyrighted items might move listeners to go out and buy some of the old compilations or CDs which have since been made of the original recordings. If any copyright owner still wishes to have any item removed, it will be done so at once , with public apology }

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