Recently, I thought about 1969 and 1970 and the music that coloured those twenty four months. Here on this very blog I shared with you three of my favourite singles from each of those special years.
Back then I was always delighted to visit Kingston-upon-Hull's two best record shops - Sydney Scarborough under The City Hall and Stardisc Records on Silver Street. Of course then there were no CD's or cassette versions of albums so you leafed through the record stacks checking out album covers. Album covers were becoming more imaginative by 1969 - they were more than just sleeves to hold the discs. In fact one might argue that they complemented the music within.
Before making this blogpost, I checked out lists of albums published in those two iconic years and picked out three of my favourite albums from each year. I owned them all and played them to death till I knew just about every lyric from beginning to end. Perhaps I should have devoted an equal amount of dedication to my school work but much of that bored me to tears when I was fifteen and sixteen. Music was different for it really meant something to me - much more than politics or world affairs or tedious Science lessons.
These are the six albums I have chosen:-
1969...
"Liege & Lief" - Fairport Convention:-
"Nashville Skyline" - Bob Dylan:-
"Songs from a Room" - Leonard Cohen:-
1970...
"Tumbleweed Connection" - Elton John:-
"After The Goldrush" - Neil Young:-
"Sweet Baby James" - James Taylor:-
If a record producer stopped me in the street and asked me to pick just one song from each album to make a compilation disc, these are the songs I would pick:-
"Farewell, Farewell" - Fairport Convention
"Girl from The North Country" - Bob Dylan
"Seems So Long Ago, Nancy" - Leonard Cohen
"Burn Down The Mission" - Elton John
"Don't Let It Bring You Down" - Neil Young
"Fire and Rain" - James Taylor
And here's just one of those songs to listen to before you go, from one of Canada's greatest sons:-
I’m fighting my flesh today. Trying now to cower to my own expectation. Worshipping through the anxiety. Having to trust. I don’t understand much, but this I know: God wants all of me. And He will get it. He stripping away the filter. I’m raw. Square one is better with God than polished refinement.
You want it all
I hide
But you
Find me
Every time
Without
Batting an eyelash
Love yourself
It’s the one thing
That makes me shudder
To this day
Let me view
The mirror’s reflection
As proof of Your majesty
