Disco music memories. The soundtrack to my youth club years
My youth club years were the late 1960s and early 1970s.
Each of these tunes has some significance for me. Little bit of growing up a little bit of history too.
For me this period was a search for identity, it was the twilight of the Mods and Rockers and the emergence of Skin Heads and Glam Rock. I had friends who were Mods and rode Lambretta Scooters and friends who were Rockers or Greasers as they were sometimes known who rode motorbikes.
My dress code varied with my search for me. I started out as a smart young mod. Roll neck jumper and fine corduroy trousers, I tried rock, with starry T shirts and wide bell bottomed tousers called Loons
In my early teens I tried the dress code of the skin head although I didn't have the full shaved head, just short so we were called 'seude heads'. I never bought into the ideology thank goodness! This sort of happened by accident when I allowed a friend of mine to cut my hair using a Comet 4 in 1 hair cutter:
It all went wrong when he started too high and so the rest of my hair had to be cut short to match!
To keep in with the image I invested in Ben Sherman and Brutus shirts, mandatory red socks, ankle high Levi 'Sta-Prest' trousers (either single colour or better still two tone!)
Once this fad had passed I then took on the proto grunge look as I got into motorbikes and rock music.
Over this period I enjoyed pop, soul, motown, reggae, and rock, and I still love the all the different music genres and so here are some of my favourites.
image credit Aleeratjemna
Contents at a Glance
Build Me Up Buttercup
The Foundations
The first tracks to catch my ear were Build Me Up Buttercup by The Foundations and The Firebrigade by The Move.
The Same Old Song
With a different meaning since you've been gone
Call Me Number One
The Tremeloes
The first 45 single I bought was Call Me Number One by the The Tremeloes. The band was created by Brian Poole and fellow band member Len 'Chip' Hawkes was the father of the 'one and only' Chesney Hawkes
Tremeloes - Call Me Number One 1969
Tremeloes - Call Me Number One 1969 Lyrics: I picture the rain on windows and I think of home. I wonder if you remember did you ever know ? Places I dream about I will be getting out then I can follow the sun. You will be with me I know you will give me a hand to get everything done. Call me number one ! Call me number one ! Will I be afraid to tell you that I'm coming home. I'm ready to take the highroad I've been away too long.
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Firebrigade
The Move
Mony Mony
The last night we were in the country the Soviet army invaded and we were one of the last trains out over the border with Germany that night. As you might guess our parents were a bit anxious.
On the train we sang Mony Mony alot of the time. Very catchy!
Down The Dustpipe
Status Quo
The following tracks are evocative of that time.
Up Around The Bend
Creedence Clearwater Revival
Creedence Clearwater Revival: Up Around The Bend
Creedence Clearwater Revival Up Around The Bend Cosmo's Factory Lyrics: There's a place up ahead and I'm goin' just as fast as my feet can fly Come away, come away if you're goin', leave the sinkin' ship behind. CHORUS: Come on the risin' wind, we're goin' up around the bend. Ooh! Bring a song and a smile for the banjo, better get while the gettin's good, Hitch a ride to the end of the highway where the neons turn to wood. CHORUS Oooh! You can ponder perpetual motion, fix your mind on a crystal day, Always time for a good conversation, there's an ear for what you say. CHORUS Yeah! Oooh! Catch a ride to the end of the highway and we'll meet by the big red tree, There's a place up ahead and I'm goin', come along, come along with me. CHORUS Yeah! Do do doo do...
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Lets Work Together
Canned Heat
Instant Karma
John Lennon
Instant Karma - John lennon
this up there with imagine is most likely johns best songs personaly i don't think her ever wrote anything that wasn't genius and a message to us all. happy 67th birthday john ! october 9th 2007 we need you now more than ever !
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Reggae Reggae
The next 5 tracks are Reggae tunes. I really liked reggae because of the beat and the catchy melodies.
Reggae was taken up the British 'skin head and suedehead' sub cultures, which were written about by Richard Allen at the time. His book spookily titled 'Skinhead' did the rounds at school where it was seen as rebellious and esoteric because of its violent themes and revelations about the notorious Chelsea football hooligans of the 'Shed'.
The full set of Richard Allens books is till available, so get your 'Cherry Reds' (Doctor Marten boots) or your 'Monkey Boots' (Female standard issue) on!
Jamaican in origin much of this music was published on the Trojan record label.
Whole Lotta Love
Getting into Rock
Led Zep' 2 was the first album I bought. This was the begining of my foray into Rock music and I still love this track. It wasn't often that full on rock tracks were played at the disco because they weren't middle of the road enough to dance to.
Now here's a real claim to fame. Black Sabbath played at our youth club in Arnold Nottingham. I lived about about a mile and half away and listened to the set sitting on my door step!
I loved the Stones and still do. Saw them at Bingley Hall in the 70s and 2007 in Don Valley Sheffield. Awesome. I remember in the early 70s being on holiday during my 'suede head' dress code identity crisis in Norfolk. I was in a cafe and about to put some music on the juke box. There I was dressed in a check Brutus shirt, half mast levis red socks and black brogues (I know I know!) when then this rocker came up behind me. In an act of supreme diplomacy I pressed 'b 24' - 'Brown Sugar' which naturally met with approval!
The Start of Glam Rock
Slade - Get Down and Get With It
The End Of The Beatles
Let it be
By the time I was in youth club the Beatles were coming to an end.
This was the second 45 I bought to play on Dad's record player.
Tamla Motown
My first long term girlfriend (CAJ) loved Motown especially Diana Ross and Michael Jackson.
We split up and made up more times than I can remember. That's why the Supremes 'You Can't Hurry Love' sticks in my mind amongst so many greats. ABC by the Jacksons brings back lots of memories.
All of the tracks were featured in the Motown Charbuster series of six albums.
Classic Pop
Middle of the road
One of the rites of passage was trying alcohol. Too young to go the pub we went to local liquor store or 'off license'.
Cider was a favourite, and lamposts became useful for opening bottles on the metal panel casings at the bottom! Blame Donny and David for us 'hitting the bottle' how could us young men compete?!
Glam Rock
Ride That White Swan
Ride a White Swan was a real favourite of mine. Tyrannosaurus Rex became T.Rex and a whole new genre was started.
![Slade - Coz I Luv You [totp2]](http://i2.ytimg.com/vi/a8QpO3yVI2Q/default.jpg)
Je t'aime
Serge Gainsboro and Jane Birkin
Mum and Dad stayed in the house, but as soon as they left the room this track went on!. I'm sure the amber light bulb concession to create a 'party -disco atmosphere played its part!
Jane Birkin & Serge Gainsbourg - Je T'aime... Moi Non Plus
In 1968 Gainsbourg had written "Je t'aime, moi non plus", an explicitly erotic song which he had recorded with Brigitte Bardot. After the pair's relationship had ended, Bardot begged Gainsbourg not to release the recording as a single and Gainsbourg, the perfect gentleman, respected her wishes. However, in 1969 Jane recorded the notorious song as a duet with Gainsbourg and it appeared on the pair's joint album "Jane Birkin Serge Gainsbourg". When "Je t'aime moi non plus" was released as a single later that year it caused an absolute scandal. Indeed, Gainsbourg's erotic lyrics and Jane's passionate whispering totally outraged public opinion. The international press attacked the song's "lewd" message, radios banned it from their playlists and the Vatican went so far as to issue a statement condemning the immoral nature of the song. In short, "Je t'aime moi non plus" benefited from a huge amount of free publicity and rocketed straight to the top of the charts, selling around a million copies in the space of just a few months. Needless to say, Gainsbourg and Birkin became the most scandalous couple of the year and their relationship became the subject of intense media scrutiny.
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Fond Memories
Gone but not forgotten
We lost some friends during these youth club disco days.
Tony, Graham, Jane, Rachel, Bernard.
These are for you.
Last Dance
The times I 'bottled out'!
Are you old enough to come to this youth club?
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- puzzlemaker puzzlemaker Aug 30, 2009 @ 6:26 pm
- My favorite lenses are those with a personal story like this one. I know a lot of the songs, but not all of them.
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- reasonablerobinson reasonablerobinson Aug 28, 2009 @ 4:44 pm | in reply to kimmanleyort
- I'm really glad you liked it Kim and I'm delighted that you think its good enough for 50 'q' lenses. Wow! Thank you!!
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- kimmanleyort kimmanleyort Aug 28, 2009 @ 3:03 pm
- It helps that I love this music but this was such an enjoyable lens to listen to and read, mostly due to your personal stories. One of your best ever. I am going to add it to 50qualitylenses.
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- a_willow a_willow Aug 27, 2009 @ 11:28 pm
- Excellent choice of music! Although I was a bit too young to dance to it in 60s and 70s, still enjoyed most of these songs in 80s! :)
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- Laniann Laniann Aug 27, 2009 @ 9:10 am
- Many of the songs I haven't heard, but I did enjoy my visit and listening to them. Thank you for sharing your youth club days. 5*
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- reasonablerobinson reasonablerobinson Aug 27, 2009 @ 1:29 am | in reply to 0ctavias0fferings
- Thanks for visiting. I'm glad you had a fun time.
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- reasonablerobinson reasonablerobinson Aug 26, 2009 @ 10:05 am | in reply to Stazjia
- Thanks Carol hope you liked the tracks!
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- rms rms Aug 26, 2009 @ 7:56 am
- Very very cool!
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- 0ctavias0fferings 0ctavias0fferings Aug 26, 2009 @ 7:34 am
- What a blast from the past, enjoyed this immensely. 5*
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- Stazjia Stazjia Aug 26, 2009 @ 5:14 am
- This brings back so many memories for me. Although I never went to a youth club, I remember this music.
by reasonablerobinson
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