The first record (yes, one of those round things that spun at 45rpm) was the Jerusalem single by ELP with “When the Apple Blossoms Bloom in the Windmills of Your Mind I'll Be Your Valentine" as the B side.
Then got into things like Tangerine Dream but it was also when punk was just starting and we used to see bands like Squeeze and the Vibrators in local pubs. It was a good time as we had the Hammersmith Odeon just down the road so was able to see a lot of decent bands. Every couple of weeks we would go to the booking office and they would have who was playing on a chalk board. We saw Genesis, Status Quo, Rick Wakeman, Blondie, Dr Feelgood, Black Sabbath, The Tubes, Dire Straits, Uriah Heap, Lenard Skynryd and so on for about £6. Even seeing Pink Floyd do The Wall at Earls Court was only £8.50!! Remember seeing Hawkwind in a pub in Camberley with about 20 other people. I also remember going to the proms for Wagner’s The Ring and being bored stupid. That was a good time for live music.
Concerts at that time were relatively small and with no phones or cameras to distract. Nowadays venues are so big you can never see anything except a dot on the stage, the sound is awful, and you need a mortgage for the tickets. Prices seem to be about £120+ for some of the bands we wanted to see and you can never get decent seats even with the pre-pre-booking options and book a year in advance.
With everything digital it is easy just to say “play 70’s rock” and get a lot of memories. That is about the only thing that Siri is any good at.
