Spotify

Don't forget the songs are on my Spotify page My World Of Music. Here is the link

https://play.spotify.com/user/1158943663/playlist/5Jn1HAojaqM3cPMko6MN4b

M - Pop Muzik

Released 35 years ago, this single is still very much remembered and liked and is often found on compilation albums. Robin Scott who was the brains behind M released this single in March 1979 as a song that told how pop music brought everyone together, a simple statement put on a simple pop track. When it was released it came on a double groove 12'' single which meant that the a side and the b side tracks were all on side a of the 12'' single, so it was pot luck when the needle landed to what track you actually listened to! A gimmick indeed but it annoyed a lot of people who only wanted the 12'' mix of the single!

The single reached number 2 in the UK in May 1979 but was stopped by Art Garfunkle's Bright Eyes. The single managed to get to Number 1 in the states almost 6 months after it peaking in the UK. It came off the album New York, London, Paris, Munich which failed to chart in the UK but managed a low entry in the US charts. Pop Muzik had a remix and re entered the charts in 1989 and managed to reach number 15. Here's the single

The Playlist

I've just finished making a playlist on Spotify featuring all the songs that are on this blog. There are some tracks missing, because they are not available on Spotify. So far there's around 4 hours worth of music! Enjoy it. Here's the link http://t.co/mbfAdq9r2U

Eurovision Song Contest

Tomorrow is the Eurovision Song Contest which is held every year and the various national broadcasters of European countries select a song to represent their country in the show and it has been running since 1956. The idea of the contest basically was to rebuild Europe and to rebuild friendships and trust after the second world war had left most countries war torn and shattered. A country would give Europe a vision of that countries music, people and community via a pop song and national dress (if they had one). Up until recently the rule was that they had to sing in their nationality not in English so that the song would come across using emotion and a good melody.

Britain have won it 5 times in total and tomorrow night Bonnie Tyler is our representation in the contest. Last year it was Englebert Humperdinck and came second to last I think. Over the years the true vision and idea of a united Europe via a song contest has been hit more by politics. The last few years it is becoming more noticeable how a neighbouring country is voting for each other rather than giving the votes out fair, which has had a few countries complaining how unfair it is becoming. Also it shows how unpopular a country is becoming also as Britain have been coming in quite low the last few years, I think it shows we are not that popular in Europe! Each year there are calls for the UK to pull out of the show as it is becoming a joke because a country didn't vote for us as they don't like any of our policies or the fact we became allies with another country.

I really hope Bonnie does well but I don't think it is a Eurovision song, they are hoping her loyal fan base through Europe will help her with the votes, we shall see. I think it is such as shame that the original idea of a united Europe through music has yet again been ruined by politics. So I'm celebrating Eurovision with a couple of singles which will feature in the next couple of posts!

Classic Pop

My new fave magazine, Smash Hits for grown ups as I've described it before now. I used to collect Smash Hits and the first issue I have goes back to 1979 but stopped buying it when it went towards a younger generation. So I've been looking for a really good magazine for years and last year this mag made it's debut on the shelves and is a great read. The latest issue number 4 came out yesterday (4th April) but bought it today and I'm slowly making my way through it. It's always good to read about the old bands and to know that they are still around (in some form anyhow) and are still interested in their output and also that they are still around even to this day! A great read, go check it out!

Death Of The Record Shop

It was sad but not unexpected that HMV had gone into administration this week. For the last few years the company had been having a really tough time with changing technology and the power of the internet. Also I really think they were too expensive, some things on the web site were so much cheaper than the shop, not just by a pound but sometimes up to £6 cheaper. I went into the shop once and the staff were talking to each other about the fact they had bought something from Amazon the night before!

I can still remember the first time I went into the shop here in Hull. It will have been 1978, my first time going into town by myself and going into the shop. Previously when I'd been into town with my parents they would never go into there and I'd only ever seen it from the front. They always put the latest released singles in the window and I remember the lines of coloured vinyl singles forming the shop window display.

The first time I went into the shop was like a kid going into a sweet shop, wall to wall racks of records, posters on the wall and at that time a full wall of the latest picture disc albums coming over from the states, with the likes of Elton John, Blondie, Rod Stewart amongst others hung on the wall. It was the first time I'd seen these and they were amazing and knew I wanted to collect them. There was no way I could afford those albums. That started my love affair of collecting records.

Over the years, the record collection grew, I'd always go into the shops every Saturday to see what new releases were out, I never thought that vinyl would die out and one day I saw these strange silver discs back in 1984 and never thought they would catch on. Compact discs slowly took over from vinyl and slowly record companies stopped releasing vinyl, it was still being pressed up but more smaller quantities to a point in the mid 1990's that shops stopped selling vinyl although mid 2000's it did make a bit of a comeback! Here is a photo of me looking at what was left of the vinyl back in 2007 in our HMV shop

The invention of MP3's, Apple and streaming has killed the record business, along with internet prices meant the humble record shop has vanished from our high streets. If HMV closes here in Hull there will be no shop where I can go to look around at new releases, old albums I might want to buy or take in the atmosphere of listening to new sounds played over a stereo system. Supermarkets like Tesco's only have a small selection of chart and current releases, WH Smiths don't really do CD's anymore and the small independent shops here are more selective in what they can sell. So the internet has won, I will order my stuff off the net, but I so much wanted to browse and look at what I want to buy, it is a real hassle to send something back you are not really happy with, the write up might sound like it's just what you want but when you get it home it just doesn't match up to your expectations.

Record Shops, may you rest in peace, your stores may be gone from our high streets but you live on in my memories!

A Little More About Me!

As long as I can remember music and records have always been around me, my Parents are into rock n roll, my Aunt always played the Beatles and the Rolling Stones records. Mother tells the story that I actually learnt to read by reading record labels! But it was my big sister that really got me into music, in the early 70's she was really into Glam rock and had a crush on the Sweet & Marc Bolan. The music then was amazing, exciting and shocking (well to the adults) especially when Bowie hit the scene wearing make up and Elton John dressed, welll like he always did so OTT!

My sister always wrote the top 20 charts out every week and I used to visit her and we'd spend a Sunday listening to the radio or she'd play the previous weeks top 40 she'd recorded onto cassette off the radio. So I did the same, I'd listen to the charts, record the songs I liked and bought singles when I had pocket money. So it was Glam rock I first really got into, Sweet being my faves of that period followed by T Rex, Slade and Queen. After the Punk explosion which I didn't really get into till after event really but I loved a lot of the new wave bands that were coming into the charts, Blondie, The Police & Ian Dury. The end of the seventies came New Wave Of British Heavy Metal (Or NWOBHM as it was refered to in the music papers) which brought bands such as Judas Priest, Iron Maiden & Motorhead, I found heavy metal to be just so full of energy and it was exciting like I found Glam rock to be!

The beginning of the eighties was Electronic music, the sound of the synths and the alien sounds that came with the tracks at that time. Gary Numan, Human League and Kraftwerk were big names connected with the music. Which led to the New Romantics who were around from 80-83 with electronic sounds and stylish clothes to match the music who brought us Spandau Ballet, Duran Duran, Soft Cell and ABC.

To me after around 1985 I think music started to go downhill, there wasn't anything exciting for me, it seemed to turn into safe pop music or Club hits or even R&B and Rap (which I hate, I've tried to listen Rap & R&B but apart from the odd track it's just not my scene man)! Then towards the late 90's came dance music and Trance which I really love listening to which brings back all the electronic music I'd always liked and pulsating beats of trance music brings me up to date!

Here is a photo of a very small part of my 7'' vinyl collection, I'm still sorting it all out, it takes time but I'll get it done then it will be the start of the albums!

My World Of Music

Hello, I'm Gary and I'm just moving in

I've always wanted to create a web site for and about the music I like, what I collect and what I'm into! Music has been with me all my life, no matter what has happened in my life, good or bad it has been there and I'm really glad it has been too. Have you ever heard a song that hits something deep inside of you, hits a nerve or is just the song you need to hear? There's always a track that you can relate to, reminds you of a time in your life or even when the going gets tough, a song can lift you up and change your mood!

As the song goes, Music is my first love and it will be my last, music of the future and music of the past!

As I get into this blog, I'll be posting singles, CD's photo's and info about the artists I'm into, I'll try and find as much correct information about the artsits as I can, I will check the web plus also I'll use what info I can remember and aslo my trusty bible's of music, The British Hit Singles and Top 40 Charts which I often refer to! All the records featured here are my own singles scanned in to feature on here.