For me, more than anything else, music stirs them up. From warm and fuzzies to mild embarrassments, all the way down to jaw clenching regrets – most songs I hear deliver memories and the emotions that are stapled to them. Song baggage. When I was about ten years old I bought my first record. A … Continue reading Associations and Memories →

Most mornings I check the ‘For You’ recommendations from Apple Music on my phone. Today, on a playlist called ‘Rock Hits 1979’ I noticed the song ‘Heartache Tonight’ from an album called ‘The Long Run’ by The Eagles. This was the last of a string of 70’s albums by the band. I don’t remember this … Continue reading Heartache Tonight →

Back to schooldays. Another song, another memory.‘Master Blaster’ was a song by Stevie Wonder from the album ‘Hotter than July’. According to Wikipedia it was released in September 1980 and by my recall, it was a massive hit in S.A.Wikipedia lists it in the reggae genre, but for me it was just a great pop … Continue reading Master Blaster →

This 1978 Gloria Gaynor song was another MONSTER hit during my early years. A Grammy award winner and number 1 on both sides of the Atlantic – say no more, it was huge on a global scale. I’m sure there were Amish communities and Amazonian tribes humming this tune by 1979. Relatable lyrics and highly … Continue reading I Will Survive →

This album was a mammoth success for Dire Straits back in 1985. In all honesty, I was never too fond of it. Maybe it was just over-played on the radio at the time, but I always thought that the mega hit, ‘Money for Nothing’ was too MTV glossy, ‘So Far Away’ was average at best, … Continue reading Brothers In Arms →

My Mom was back in the U.K. when she died, and from what I saw then, the funeral and burial process takes longer there than it does here in S.A. It was around 10 days between her death and the funeral. During that time, family members had the opportunity to visit the morgue to see … Continue reading Disintegration →

Anyone who knows me more than just casually, will know that I’m music mad – always have been, probably (hopefully) always will be. I heard my Mom tell this story a thousand times; when I was a toddler, I had a toy plastic guitar that I called my Monday Monday, - named after the 1966 … Continue reading Vienna →

Music censorship in S.A. during the good old/bad old days was interesting to say the least. Like most government departments (previous and current), their decisions seemed irrational and inconsistent. They also seemed to ban songs and albums after most of the public had heard them on the radio and purchased them. One exception was ‘Biko’ … Continue reading War Baby →

1978 – I would’ve been 13 when Van Halen released their debut album, but I doubt I heard the album that year. In conservative South Africa, Van Halen would’ve been considered long-haired and dangerous, and their guitar heavy sound would’ve been branded ‘underground music’. In this rigid religious environment, that label carried a bunch of … Continue reading Runnin’ with the Devil →

Relax.The last thing the world needs is another boring analysis of this classic Dylan tune, and I don’t have any tales of drunken debauchery linked to the song.The title only sets the right tone for what follows.Read on… Oh Mother, I can feel...the soil falling over my head.The Smiths States of bewilderment, momentary confusion or … Continue reading Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door →

I don’t enjoy driving anymore.Maybe I’ve just been doing it too long, but I can no longer tolerate the chaos and lawlessness. Rules are ignored without consequence. Law enforcement has gone missing.The highways around me have become a huge demolition derby circuit. The roads are a Dodgem car track. Driving has become a high-risk chore.Heavy … Continue reading Behind the Wheel →

Here’s an ugly truth - At some point, when this cruel world is done chewing us up, it’ll spit us out.The waltzer ride doesn’t last forever. All too soon, a disgruntled young punk with a fanny pack and an earring lifts the safety bar and kicks us off the car.Before the ride ends though, the … Continue reading Cancel Culture →

We were listening to, ‘Rockin’ Back Inside My Heart’ by Julee Cruise in 1989.It was from the appropriately named album ‘Floating into the Night’, and it sits very comfortably in the genre of Dream Pop.Wistful and beautiful, the song was created by David Lynch of Twin Peaks fame. Like most Lynch projects, the song and … Continue reading Rockin’ Back Inside My Heart →