Born in 66'. My folks would go to house parties and take me and my sister and some 45's. They would come home with UK Lou Johnson demo's that they didn't set out with. My dad din't buy loads of vinyl but he bought a bit and every weekend he'd have the radiogram on and I'd get to hear Ray Stevens on CBS 'Turn your radio on' and 'Everything is beautiful'. O.C Smith's - Son of Hickory Hollers tramp was massive in our house and I still love that record to this day. Lots of CBS, Fontana, London, Decca, the records had a wiff of old leather, or a certain sort of scent that I can still remember. We had the Beatles Help LP and that got hammered. I listened to both sides this sunday - post bath. We also had The Beach Boys 20 Golden Greats on 8 track in my Dad's Ford Zodiac Executive - XYX 83G and I'm sure 2 girls said that 'Barbara Anne' sounded really cool whilst on holiday in Tenby in that baking summer of 76'.
By 1979 I was 13. Me and my best mate Steve Cashman, a Jewish kid who lived round the corner from me and supported Spurs. We won't hold that against him, but like me he had a keen interest in music. Mid seventies we were listening to the Searchers, needle & pins amongst others, Simon & Garfunkel - keep the customer satisfied/bridge over. We were listening to Blondie, Elvis Costello, Olivia Newton-John - one that I want (oh the shame). Beatles - taste of honey. Flux of Pink Indians, Crass and the Sex Pistols.
I remember No More Heroes being played at the 1st year school disco in 1977 - think it was number 1? Before you knew it we were in the second year and listening to 'It rained again today' by Secret Affair in Necky's classroom, then Madness, then the Specials, the Beat. Wasn't allowed a skinhead, but had a crew cut, dad chased me round the kitchen. Being a sort of rude boy, Sta Press type geezer apart from the 2 Tone bands the options were limited. Bands like the 4Skins and 'Oi' and shit like that. Contemporary mod bands could be a bit flaky, Merton Parkas, Lambrettas, however for me unlike the rude boy/skinhead scene, musically the mod movement also had attached to it, things like Smokey Robinson and the Four Tops etc. I went to a record shop in Cambridge (The Beat Goes On) and swapped all of my ska for soul.
In 1983 one of the faces from The Prize Guys Scooter Club played Out on The Floor on Charger records and that was it. I'd buffeted about with some half decent genres and settled on rare soul. Nearly 30 years on, essentially music taste remains the same and I have my ska collection back.