50 years ago today an album was released that took pop music, something previously regarded as disposable, into the realm of art, whilst helping enable a vital generation of young people to throw off the shackles and express themselves in ever-ambitious ways – ‘Sgt.Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’ soundtracked the fabled ‘summer of love’, which had spilled out into an unsuspecting world via the US West Coast, its psychedelic epicentre being San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury neighbourhood, where the original hippies had gathered and pondered the meaning of it all, adopting a lateral LSD-laced stance on life that would be a defining feature of the decade.
Tag Archives | Living to Music
Stevie’s Songs – 40 Years On
Rewinding 40 years, a new double-album had just been issued that would provide the black music event of the year. 1976 marked the emergence of Punk, but my attention, as a 16 year old DJ working at local venues, the Chelsea Reach and the Penny Farthing in my hometown of New Brighton, was very much geared towards the Soul, Funk and Disco flavours of the time, and the release of a new Stevie Wonder album, let alone a double album (which also included a bonus 4 track EP), was greatly anticipated. It was the first UK release on the newly designed blue Motown label, which had replaced the classic Tamla Motown label that had issued all Motown output here since the mid-’60s, bringing the company’s various imprints (including Motown, Tamla, Gordy, Soul and V.I.P) under one inimitable umbrella.
David Bowie
Woke up to the news this morning that David Bowie had died from cancer, aged 69, just a few days on from his birthday last Friday when his latest album, ‘Blackstar’, was released.
The Gateway Drug
I’m all about connections. What really turns me on is when two previously separate areas of interest suddenly collide head on thanks to the discovery of a new piece of information. The connections are already there, it’s just that we’re blind to them much of the time, so when John Higgs, the author of ‘The KLF: Chaos, Magic And The Band Who Burned A Million Pounds’, does the detective work and pieces of the jigsaw fall together in a way that reveals a different picture to what we may previously have envisaged, that’s a deeply nourishing feast for me.
Living To Music 33⅓
Following a run of 2 years 9 months I’ve decided to wind things down with Living To Music, making it an irregular feature of the blog from herein. Up until now it had been a monthly series, but something has to give and, as I’m currently stuggling to fit in all the things I need to be doing, I can’t maintain this commitment, although I don’t want to stop the series completely.
Living To Music – John Lennon ‘John Lennon / Plastic Ono Band’
ARTIST: JOHN LENNON
ALBUM: JOHN LENNON / PLASTIC ONO BAND
LABEL: APPLE
YEAR: 1970
This Sunday (March 7th) at 9pm, you’re invited to share a listening session with some likeminded souls, wherever you might be. This can be experienced either alone or communally, and you don’t need to leave the comfort of your own home to participate. If it’s not possible to make the allotted time, hopefully you can join in at your convenience at some point during the following weeks. See update here:
http://blog.gregwilson.co.uk/2012/07/living-to-music-update-july-2012/
Living To Music – Björk ‘Debut’
ARTIST: BJÖRK
ALBUM: DEBUT
LABEL: ONE LITTLE INDIAN
YEAR: 1993
This Sunday (March 3rd) at 9pm, you’re invited to share a listening session with some likeminded souls, wherever you might be. This can be experienced either alone or communally, and you don’t need to leave the comfort of your own home to participate. If it’s not possible to make the allotted time, hopefully you can join in at your convenience at some point during the following weeks. See update here:
http://blog.gregwilson.co.uk/2012/07/living-to-music-update-july-2012/
Living To Music – Shuggie Otis ‘Inspiration Information’
ARTIST: SHUGGIE OTIS
ALBUM: INSPIRATION INFORMATION
LABEL: LUAKA BOP
YEAR: 2001 (ORIGINAL RELEASE 1974)
This Sunday (February 3rd) at 9pm, you’re invited to share a listening session with some likeminded souls, wherever you might be. This can be experienced either alone or communally, and you don’t need to leave the comfort of your own home to participate. If it’s not possible to make the allotted time, hopefully you can join in at your convenience at some point during the following weeks. See update here:
http://blog.gregwilson.co.uk/2012/07/living-to-music-update-july-2012/
The Movin’ On Up / Move On Up Mantra
I’m movin’ on up now
Gettin’ out of the darkness
My light shines on
My light shines on
My light shines on
Move on up
Towards your destination
Though you may find
From time to time
Complications
Living To Music – The Beatles ‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’
ARTIST: THE BEATLES
ALBUM: SGT. PEPPER’S LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND
LABEL: PARLOPHONE
YEAR: 1967
This Sunday (January 6th) at 9pm, you’re invited to share a listening session with some likeminded souls, wherever you might be. This can be experienced either alone or communally, and you don’t need to leave the comfort of your own home to participate. If it’s not possible to make the allotted time, hopefully you can join in at your convenience at some point during the following weeks. See update here:
http://blog.gregwilson.co.uk/2012/07/living-to-music-update-july-2012/
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