u3a - u3a Rewind: the seventies

Phil, Charnwood, u3a

My brother, two school friends and I formed a rock band around 1971. The photo shows my brother Lawrence before we played at his girlfriend's school around 1972. Once I was recruited to play bass guitar at a jazz and poetry evening. On the day of the gig none of the musicians had met each other. We had no music. And I had never played jazz. But we cobbled a set together in the afternoon, played in the evening, and it wasn't a disaster. Happy days!

Vivian, Elgin & District u3a

When I was about 11 or 12 I was learning to play the violin. I lived in a semi and the next door neighbours daughter played her music realy, really load. One day it was particularly noisy and my mum made me do my violin practice standing under the stairs where the houses were joined. I made a right awful noise trying to drown out Freda Payne’s ‘ Band of Gold’. A bit later I left the house to go out and the girl next door rushed out and threw a bucket of water over me because I’d spoilt her listening! Never forgotten it.

Frank, Durham & District u3a

The first time I was allowed out independently of an evening was aged 11 in summer 1969 to a dance at a nearby Methodist church hall. We were four boys and four girls from the same junior school class. Well behaved and feeling quite mature! I presume lots of late 60s hits were played, but the one tune I remember (I hadn't known it or the steps before) was March of The Mods (Joe Loss Orchestra from 1964.) I also recall a Christmas disco at my Catholic parish hall in 1973. Top dance number was Donnie Elbert's I Can't Help Myself (a cover of the Four Tops hit) but significantly this was the year both Slade's Merry Xmas Everybody and Wizzard's I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day came out. We all sang along, of course. But who among us could have guessed that over half a century later everyone would still know the words? These simultaneous hits are still unavoidable in public places and supermarkets every Christmas shopping season! Between 1974 and '76 I went to a number of ticketed 6th form dances (alcohol involved!) at Tiffany's - also I think at The Placemate - in Newcastle-under-Lyme, and The Place in Hanley. One of the 'live' bands was The Kursaal Flyers, who went on to have a big hit with Little Does She Know That I Know That She Knows... In May 1973 my home town began its annual carnival tradition - none have ever been as big as the first one, celebrating Newcastle-under-Lyme's octocentenary with an ox roast, jousting and a huge market. It was blazing hot weather and reportedly all the pubs ran out of beer. At 15, I was too young to worry about that and sought out the bands playing music on the backs of lorries around the market place. My enthusiasm for Caribbean steel bands (Save the Last Dance For Me went down well), folk-rock and bluegrass was kindled. I still have a 7-inch single I bought on the day from The Arizona Smoke Revue.

Nick, Milton Keynes u3a

British West Hartlepool, where I spent my formative years in the 1970s, did not have a great deal going for young people but we did have incredible music. The era of fabulous variety in rock music with major releases appearing on a regular basis, the weekly music press (I was a Sounds reader) and of course our expeditions to Newcastle and further afield to see our heroes (Knebworth was the highlight of the year). John Peel, Tommy Vance and Alan Freeman's radio shows were compulsory listening (plus Radio Caroline and Radio Luxembourg when the signal was good enough!). 50+ years later with 3,000+ albums & 45s, a tidy collection of concert memorabilia and 554 gigs attended, the magic of those days has never really left me.

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u3a Rewind: the seventies