In sixth form our teachers constantly told us that A levels would be the hardest bit of our lives. University would be a doddle compared to this (total lies of course). In the first year it hardly seemed like that as we only had a timetable of 11 hours a week and there was littleContinue reading “‘Cause Man Must Be His Own Saviour”
Tag Archives: 80s
I’m Adaptable and I Like My New Role
Groups bind over time. Our sixth form was split between arts and science (I had wanted to do double maths, physics and history, one extra A level, but I was told the timetabling was impossible – at Monoux we run over 25 A levels and almost any combination is possible). On the science side thereContinue reading “I’m Adaptable and I Like My New Role”
We Almost Made It…..
Some bands never make it. They get so close, after all the slog on the live circuit they finally get a record contract, they may even get a single in the lower reaches of the top 75, but it never quite happens. They maybe championed by a DJ or two, but they don’t connect withContinue reading “We Almost Made It…..”
I Couldn’t Get Away
I really like A Flock of Seagulls. They did 1.5 good albums (the first one and four tracks on the second). In the early 80s some groups were New Romantic and some were Futurist – history remembers the former movement and not the latter, it is now all remembered as New Romantic. You could tellContinue reading “I Couldn’t Get Away”
Just a Foreign Town With a Foreign Mind
I am not qualified to write about Japan. At least not compared with Michael. I like some of their stuff, but Mike is a devoted fan of the group and their solo work. Japan were way ahead of their time. The way they looked and sounded in the late 70s were mainstream in 1981. WhenContinue reading “Just a Foreign Town With a Foreign Mind”
Ma You’re Just Jealous – We’re the Dumper Boys
There was quite a pub band scene in Essex in the early 90s – mainly covers bands at the rock/ metal end of the spectrum. The most famous were Tattered and Torn, who could deliver two hours of rock to a very high standard. Some of our friends in the Rotoract group formed the KingContinue reading “Ma You’re Just Jealous – We’re the Dumper Boys”
Through all the Raging Glory of the Years
Michael is a bigger fan of the Alarm than I am. I could settle for just having one track from them. The Alarm were a group from Wales. When I got the job at Monoux I went for a couple of days to visit and get to know my managers (I had a three monthContinue reading “Through all the Raging Glory of the Years”
Now There’ll Be No Turning Back
Our family played a lot of board games. This was the 70s and early 80s when computer games might just about mean tennis being played by two sliding blocks on a TV screen or going to an arcade. A time of three TV channels. Long school holidays and wet weekends lead to boredom. We playedContinue reading “Now There’ll Be No Turning Back”
Once Upon a Time Not So Long Ago
Music storage and playing is in a constant state of revolution. At St Catherines the record library started buying CDs, much to the annoyance of most of the students who used it, in our second year. In 1986 it was a new format that promised a better future for recorded music. We were just annoyedContinue reading “Once Upon a Time Not So Long Ago”
All the Work Shutdown
Another one Michael likes. I mean really likes. We took exams at university seriously. Despite tutors saying that our failure would reflect worse on the admissions tutor than us, as Cambridge did not accept people who could fail. First year exams were particularly scary as we did not know what it would be like. So,Continue reading “All the Work Shutdown”
Five Miles Out 