Feest Isolation Days – 8 October
There was an article on the local news last night about a chap who owns a barge and has loaded it up with old vinyl and is docking up at places around the West Country selling records. Remember those? The reporter said remember when we had to change the needle? How many young people would even have a clue what he was talking about? It got me thinking about how we listen to music and the many, many changes since I was a child.
The car radio usually had some boring string music playing which would in time come to be known as elevator music. Or the big radio in the kitchen would have the local news and smooth talking DJs who played boring music as well. Then my darling Uncle Joe bought me a transistor radio one Christmas. I must have been about 12. It fit in the palm of my hand and had earplugs so I could take it to bed and no one noticed I was listening to WABC and cousin Brucie in New York City! Cousin Brucie introduced me to the Beatles, Dave Clark Five, Motown, Surf Sound. I was in love with those sounds that transported me out of Shamokin Dam! Hardly surprising I eventfully moved to New York City. Have a listen to Cousin Brucie from the 1960s.
Cousin Brucie told me which 45s I should buy. I had two grey and white boxes that stored my record collection with dividers so I could keep them in alphabetical order.
I played them on my own little record player in my bedroom, or sometimes used the stereo in the living room. That was a huge cabinet affair that had a radio and was mostly used to play bigger 12 inch vinyls. It was hard to get the plunger type adapter to fit properly on the turntable to change it into a 45 player. We had little yellow plastic thingies that fit in the hole in the middle of the 45s making it possible to fit them onto the turntable. My parents had one similar to this..
The big stereo was largely reserved for my Mother’s Andy Williams albums, her favourite crooner (We NEVER had a wall that colour, or a lamp like that!).
The 45s were replaced as I got older with more 12 inch records. Having a few odd jobs meant a few more pennies for these more expensive records. I scooted them over on top of Andy Williams when no one was looking or home. The Monkeys was the first album I bought followed by the Beatles and the Dave Clark Five. I was always destined for England!
The vinyl stayed with us for quite a time. It wasn’t until tapes came along that music listening devices changed again. The next big step after tape was CDs. Our house still has vinyls, tapes and CDs around the place. We moved onto ipods and have a Bose dock and a Jam that is blue toothed to our phone and Ipads. They are nearly extinct already. I hope you’re keeping up?
Now we also have Mr Google in the kitchen on a speaker who I ask to play what I would like to hear. And my study has my favourite internet radio station playing most of the time on my computer. But I can change it in a second to a zillion others. Or get up any music I’d like to hear. And sometimes I find myself getting slightly irritated that I can’t just speak to my computer and tell it what to do like I can with Mr. Google in the kitchen. Mind you he doesn’t understand me much of the time, which is more funny than irritating.
Lately, we have had a bit of a problem listening to our favourite New Zealand Station RNZ Concert with Mr. Google. Sony and Warner’s Music took Tune In Radio (who tell Mr. Google what’s what) to court, and now, sadly, we cannot get him to play RNZ. Sony and Warner won.
However, with a clever husband who knows how to do these things, we can once more listen to RNZ over breakfast. Apparently Mr. Google thinks we are in the Netherlands and with a VPN we are!
All those years ago I was transported by my little transistor to New York City, now I can stay home while the sound bounces through the ether and comes back to me – happily where I want to be. Isn’t life grand?
I would be remiss if I didn’t share something funny, topical and yet Beatleish with you. I didn’t know James Corden had it in him……have a look.
Stay safe and enjoy.
With love
Kathy x