Hello All
In the middle pages of "The Daily Mail" Saturday 22nd Feb, is an
Article which begins - Nick Hornbys best seller "High fidelity" revealed
the secret of what boys do in their private moments. They make lists of
their favourite records. Now Hornby has gone a step further, his new book is
31 Songs, a series of essays on his favourite records. Sadly the essays are
good, but most of the records are not...........The writer of this article
Ray Connolly then goes on to list his own 31 songs with brief reasons for
their inclusion, and Joni is included with two photos.
He says "I really let myself down when I interviewed Joni Mitchell by
not being familiar with her work. She quickly realized of course and played
me tracks from her latest Album "Blue", and converted me on the spot. I
could choose half a dozen of her songs but "For Free" is the current
favourite.
A simple idea for a book, but he knows we all share this !!!!!!!(Lucy
what word am I looking for ??) Affinity, is that right ? The songs we hear,
the records we bought are marks in time, each one a step along our personal
"life path" and when we play them or hear them on the radio, there is that
footprint, we can with such clarity remember a dance, a day, a summer, a
love. Each of our lists would be different, but as we are mostly people of
the same era we will share many similar memories
I remember a school trip to France, 1966, and sitting on a beach in
Brittany on a Sunday afternoon listening to the TOP 10 on a small tranny
radio, N0 1 "Wont Somebody Help Me" The Spencer Davis group, brilliant! My
first real girl friend bought me Jose Falicianos "Light My Fire"68. Dylans
"Nashville Skyline " seemed to be being played non stop through out 1969(Lay
Lady Lay) James Taylors "Youve got a friend" and Joni singing on "Blue" won
me the love of my life.
When it comes to sad memories the same is true, a few months after my
Dad died, "Mike and the Mechanics" came on TV, he explained he had written
the song they were going to sing soon after his father died, and he proceeded
to sing "The Living Years" He explained the troubled relationship he had
with his own father, and the regret that he never got to make things right,
and that his father never got to see his grandson. I got on well with my
Dad, but I felt I was only just getting to know him properly, he knew he was
ill, we didnt. It was strange how he began to open up in those months before
he died.
If any of you have a troubled relationship with family or friends,
not spoken for years, end it now today, or at least try, or you could be like
Mike "Wishing you could have told him (them) in the living years" If you
know the song, and you have lost someone, you will know how easy the tears
flow as you listen to this song. 15 years on I still miss my Dad.
My dad knew he was ill but did nothing about it and died age 73, a
shock, but he made his choice, Old age is unfair enough, but suffering from
something like Alzheimers disease which in the end robs the sufferer of any
self respect, but of course they do not know this, you feel it for them. As
I did as I watched my Mother being slowly destroyed by this terrible illness,
and it takes away your ability to grieve, by the time they die you are just
pleased to see the end. If you have family or know someone who is beginning
to suffer the affects of "The Big A" it is every bit as destructive as "C",
Cancer. Enjoy them now, make their lives happy, give them your time, because
unless you are very lucky, there will be little to enjoy in their future.
Sorry to end on such a negative note, but if this disease affects
your life then my thoughts are with you, I suppose I could say prayer, even
though I am a non believer, maybe my prayer is more valid, you will know it
is genuine, no middle man, and I have had my say in this list about War, but
wouldnt it be wonderful if as much time, money, and effort were put into
preserving the quality of life for all, or is that too much to ask ?
Two old men sitting in deck chairs, one old man says "Nice out today isnt it
?"
The other old man replies "Yeah, I think I,ll take mine out "
Well it makes me laugh, Cheers Freddyb
