257. NME, Melody Maker, & air guitar predecessor.

Morning purchases in hand

Melody Maker – 1972

Train ride home,

NME – 1974

Usually subdued …

Album sleeves examined,

Scan imported music papers

New Musical Express (NME),

Melody Maker.

Back home

Volume cranked,

New vinyls on turntable,

Listen

Or …

Play along!

Strumming, picking, beating, blowing imaginary instruments,

Air guitar’s antecedent

“Posing!”

Musicians displace footy heroes

As imitative models.

Read Full Post »

256. The search for Fidelity.

New hi-fi’s are wond’rous

Encouraging new appreciation

Of loved sounds.

Re-arranging the listening room

Old songs get new life.

Searching for fidelity,

I covet John Cameron’s* superb system

Finely balanced, crisp, clean

Delicate & resonant.

And then …

A 3-in-1 – TV, Stereo, Radio

The Pye 3-in-1**

In the Elson-Green home.

Pumps out Mac’s Coming Your Way***.

Stunning!

Notes:

* John is Peter Cameron‘s eldest brother.  Their home was in the terrace above Cameron’s Bakery in High St, across from Penrith Primary.

** I am not 100% sure the brand was Pye but this TV/Radio/Stereo combo had an awesome sound. It may well have been assisted by the acoustics in the large room but I remember being blown away by how good it sounded. This was the home of Jacqui Elson-Green – Penrith High School girl – who along with a couple of others had joined my Penrith High School network of friends.

*** This is the song – the opening track on Fleetwood Mac’s Then Play On – it remains one of my favourite pieces of music of all time. It has everything … play it loud, through reasonable speakers and it’s great. But it will never be as great as on 12″Vinyl through the Elson-Green 3-in-1.

Read Full Post »

255. An expanding, eclectic network of music.

Thanks to Martin’s et al;

An early file sharing instrument.

Our collections grow, rapidly

Taking on individual characteristics.

Collections forming

A musical network

Extensive variety.

Eclectic.

Borrowing & lending records,

Recording them,

Expanding personal collections.

(Musical file-sharing in analog)

For me, loans taped onto reel-to-reel.

Long playtime – 120 minutes

Without needing to emerge from

My room out the back.

 

 

 

 

Read Full Post »