Friday, 19 February 2016

Music is the Ever Present Sound In My Head

A personal addition.

The demon whilst cycling is my head that brings up memories and images from the past. It is always there, that little voice that moves so quickly from memory to memory without any apparent conscious control or direction. There are memories that are wonderful; the funny, the momentous and the loving. Then there are those that I don't want to remember, times of pain, shame and anger. 

Eternal Sunshine might bring solace by the removal of the latter but that isn't a reality away from the film scenario. The good and the bad memories circle around in a cyclical fashion and the fight to suppress the bad is a constant fight. I don't want to remember those incidents yet they are what define my life. Whilst cycling there are hours of time to ponder things and one way in which I divert my thoughts away from cascading images is to sing. Now I will never use an ipod/MP3 player whilst cycling. I think thatis extremely dangerous; I like to hear what is coming behind me. I do sing though, which is possibly a shame for those I pass. Songs form the seventies make up the bulk of the repertoire with the occasional later song or delve. 

There's a lot of Frank Zappa and Jethro Tull with progressive rock bands like Yes, Hendrix, The Who, ELP, Rory Gallagher, Pink Floyd, Peter Gabriel, Simon & Garfunkel, Led Zeppelin and other older heavy metal bands, The Rolling Stones, The Beatles, U2, Joe Jackson, favourite singles from so many bands and artists; so many songs that luckily I remember the lyrics to. Comedy songs that I can have a giggle to whilst pedalling; Peter Sellers, Spike Milligan, Benny Hill (can anyone find Sad-eyed Sal?) and Eric and Ernie.

And of course there are many Monty Python songs that I can sing along to :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=buqtdpuZxvk 

Then there are the whistling tunes, the instrumentals, the classical, the jazz, the Blues.
And I can't forget the bizarre moments when it doesn't matter what I do to make a sound, lip dum dums, mouth sounds, tapping and clicking, screams and whoops!

Obviously music isn't just a diversion. It is an integral to my life. A life without music is unimaginable. It is there within me constantly and for that I am eternally grateful. On my facebook page, Gary Biking Birder Prescott, which I use as a diary, I frequently post the songs I love, the songs and pieces I am listening to at that moment. So which ones the most important to me? Here's a few :

Frank Zappa – the whole of the Apostrophe album 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zb3aAM0aHY   (especially for the students of the 1980s at Coppice High School, Wolverhampton, UK)

Jethro Tull – Living in the Past album  

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZ9YGA40M0A

Yes – On the Silent Wings of Freedom 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dp9aHtN4K74


or - The Yessongs live album
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=La_fgpEnE6g
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SK9dKB-GuFE

Pink Floyd - One Slip   

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOPNa753e1E


or - Time

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_VjVqe3KJ0

Joe Jackson's – Evil Empire

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wLEk89V0rwc


ELP – Pirates from the Works album

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_MG0ja2iD4

or the Trilogy album

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzEAiuodApI

Rory Gallagher – bullfrog blues 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33Jaodra7AY


or souped up ford
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WvtD2c6Xxd4


Rolling Stones – Sympathy for the devil (live) 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aJtqcn5FXns


U2 - Elevation (live)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QgKq3uB8jQw

So many more . . Now one reason for posting this is to ask you to message me with your personal likes musically. I am interested in all and often find new music or versions, arrangements through friends sharing.
Gone of the days of a college room with a box record player, a guitar and vinyl. Now we have Youtube. PLEASE message me either on here via a comment or the facebook page

or email: bikingbirder2010@hotmail.com

It would be a thrill to hear from you, wherever you are, be that the UK, Europe, the US of A, South Africa, Honduras or Peru.

Love to you all


Gary


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