His last really great album. In 1971 I was living in Fulton Road, Blackburn South. I was hanging out with an Irish kid called Tommy who I met playing for the local soccer team Box Hill United. We played at Wembley Park. His Dad would often drive the team to games. I had to be picked up because we didn't have a car and he lived close. I would ride round to his house which was on the new housing estate. Brand new. The street was full of kids and we'd often muck around in all the other new houses which had not yet been occupied. Hide and seek in half-built houses. Later at his place, we'd listen to his big brother Liam's records on his new stereo. despite having my chemist round sometimes it took me ages to buy a record. Liam played two records continuously. Nilsson's Nilsson Schmilsson and this one "Imagine" The place was all-new with great big windows overlooking freshly dug soil. The sound was magical. Tom and I did the chemist round together. The week after he couldn't work so I did the whole week. $6 for six days. After school. Along with the money I got from taking back empty Coke and Fanta bottles (20cents each) or running to the shop for my brothers (20 cents an errand) I had more than enough to buy the album. On the bus to Box Hill. Hand over the money and an hour later I've got my own copy. It even came with a postcard of John holding a pig to take a poke at McCartney's Ram album. And such great songs. Jealous Guy, Oh Yoko and How Do You Sleep? The song Imagine was all over the radio. How could anyone top Lennon in my book? The Beatles. The first solo singles. This album. And then along came David Bowie and Ziggy Stardust and everything changed. It gave me a totally different outlook on music. One that I've kept to this day.
No comments:
Post a Comment