Looking back at my teenage years, I remember first beginning to like heavy rock in about 1970. I also can recall that the first-ever album I bought was “Deep Purple in Rock”.
Having heard the singles “Black Knight” and “Strange Kinda Woman,” I was keen to find out more about this pulsating form of music.
I don’t think that I was much of a music fan, but I was 14 years old, and the draw to this new sound was irresistible. With the release of the single “Paranoid” by Black Sabbath, I was hooked by this relatively unknown form of music.
With the purchase of two further albums, “Black Sabbath” and “Paranoid,” my interest was forever cemented. I was only a teenager, but the love has lasted with me for about 50 years and is still there today.
To be honest, if I grew up with the same resources that are available now, I would have learned how to make a lyric video and made video compilations for my idols, but the times were different then.
I would listen avidly to any rock programs on the radio. My favorite soon became the “Saturday Rock Show” broadcast each Saturday afternoon on Radio 1 in the United Kingdom.
Another firm favorite of mine was the “Old Grey Whistle Test,” which featured on BBC Channel 2 again in the UK.
Here I was introduced to bands that I would follow for the rest of my life. I first heard of Ted Nugent with “Cat Scratch Fever,” Lynyrd Skynyrd’s “Freebird,” and ZZ Top’s “LA Grange”.
These were featured and other bands like Budgie, Wishbone Ash, Status Quo, and the Dutch band Focus.
I soon got to enjoy all forms of rock music. My appetite was insatiable, making frequent trips to a local market stall and record shops to purchase all manner of weird and wonderful rock albums.
Another big inspiration for me at the time was Judas Priest with their singles “Breaking the Law” and “Living After Midnight”.
As a consequence, I bought the live album “Unleashed in the East,” which I still have to this day.
Little did I know that while I was still at school, I had been to see a band called “Flying Hatband” whose guitarist was none other than Priest’s Glen Tipton.
My overriding memory of “Flying Hatband” was seeing them support Status Quo in Nottingham around 1972. I was later privileged to see Judas Priest at a local rock club before they hit the big time.
I also visited the cinema whenever they showed a film that was vaguely rock-related such as “Woodstock” and various movies of live Jimi Hendrix live concerts.
However, the one film I saw over and over again was “The Song Remains the Same,” featuring Led Zepplin.
I probably saw that film about six times in total during my teenage years.
At about 16, I started going to local and national concerts, and my school would arrange trips to Sheffield City Hall to see some of the biggest acts at the time.
A particular live favorite of mine was the Irish guitarist Rory Gallagher, and I soon was the proud owner of all his albums.
Another group that I liked immensely was The Groundhogs, and to this day, I consider their LP “Split” to be one of the best exponents of 1970s rock.
They had unique heavy blues styles that nobody else at the time had. By now, I liked all forms of rock music and especially enjoyed Yes, Genesis, and Pink Floyd.
They all had their own melodic and dramatic style of progressive music.
Over the years, I have been a massive fan of rock music and have been lucky enough to play in many bands and even managed to release several LPs, CDs, and even singles.
All of this was born from those early singles and albums, and there is no doubt each rock band I saw inspired me to play the guitar and write songs.
I still follow rock music, but sadly, my heart will always be in the 1970s, and many of the bands I used to see have either retired or no longer perform.
Looking back at the heady days of local rock clubs, national tours, and open-air rock festivals such as “Monsters of Rock,” the memories bring a wry smile to my face as well as a tear of sadness. Long live the 1970s and classic rock music.