Tag Archives | Living to Music

The Beatles 1967

By Greg Wilson on June 1, 2017 in Psychedelia, The Beatles, The Sixties

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.

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Stevie’s Songs – 40 Years On

By Greg Wilson on October 27, 2016 in Black Culture, Records, The Seventies

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.

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David Bowie

By Greg Wilson on January 11, 2016 in RIP

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.

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The Gateway Drug

By Greg Wilson on November 18, 2014 in Books, Psychedelia, Super Weird Substance, The Nineties, The Seventies

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.

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Living To Music 33⅓

By Greg Wilson on May 24, 2013 in CD’s / Digital, Hear, Living To Music, Records

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.

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Living To Music – John Lennon ‘John Lennon / Plastic Ono Band’

By Greg Wilson on April 3, 2013 in Living To Music, The Beatles, The Seventies

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/

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Living To Music – Björk ‘Debut’

By Greg Wilson on February 26, 2013 in Living To Music, The Nineties

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/

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Living To Music – Shuggie Otis ‘Inspiration Information’

By Greg Wilson on January 28, 2013 in Black Culture, Living To Music, Psychedelia, The Seventies

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/

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The Movin’ On Up / Move On Up Mantra

By Greg Wilson on January 24, 2013 in DJ / Club Culture

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

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Living To Music – The Beatles ‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’

By Greg Wilson on January 3, 2013 in Living To Music, Merseyside, Psychedelia, The Beatles, The Sixties

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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Older posts

Being a DJ

I’m a DJ from Merseyside. I started out in 1975, but stopped for almost 20 years, between 1984 and the end of 2003, at which point I started again.

One night during the period I wasn’t deejaying, turning off my mind, relaxing, and floating downstream I had what might be termed a moment of clarity. Paradoxically, although I was no longer a DJ in the literal sense I suddenly became aware that I’d never actually stopped being a DJ, for even if I was in a room with just one person I couldn’t help but ask them ‘have you heard this?’, and not only ‘heard’, but ‘have you seen this / read this?’, for it goes beyond music. Already taken somewhat aback by this nugget of self-discovery, I realised, in true eureka style, that this all pre-dates my being a DJ and goes back as far as I can remember – I’ve always had an inherent need to share, it’s absolutely central to my nature. This was quite a revelation.

So it’s no wonder that I became a Disc Jockey, for once I fell in love with those circular pieces of magical plastic during my formative years, it wasn’t a matter of choosing this as a path, the path pretty much chose me.

I don’t intend this to be a DJ blog as such, but more a blog by someone who happens to be a DJ – a place where personal emphasis takes precedence over professional, although, as I’ve already explained, the two aspects are, of course, inescapably entwined.

If you want info about my DJ appearances, email greg@gregwilson.co.uk for regular updates.

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Tag Archives | Living to Music

The Beatles 1967

Stevie’s Songs – 40 Years On

David Bowie

The Gateway Drug

Living To Music 33⅓

Living To Music – John Lennon ‘John Lennon / Plastic Ono Band’

Living To Music – Björk ‘Debut’

Living To Music – Shuggie Otis ‘Inspiration Information’

The Movin’ On Up / Move On Up Mantra

Living To Music – The Beatles ‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’

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