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All the old dudes

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Rock! 

Loud, vibrant, visceral, finger-on-the-pulse stuff, performed by angry young people with several chip shops on their shoulder. Yeah! Apparently not...

You know you’re no longer riding the wave of popular culture when you realise that some of your favourite new-fangled CDs are significantly older than family members attending university. That, and time spent styling what’s left of your hair before a night out takes less time than shaving your ears. Just me then? Oh.

Moving swiftly on, I seem to remember that pop music was pretty slick, syncopated, brilliant stuff, performed by beautiful young people who were so achingly cool they probably slept in fridges (but don’t try that at home, kids.)

For me, rock royalty and perfect pop bestrode the late 70s and early 80s in a heady blur of big hair, glossy MTV videos, enormous gigs and record sales that today’s acts can only dream about - when they aren’t autotuning themselves or trying to out-shock each other for another internet headline to support their five minutes in the unforgiving spotlight.

Amongst the many great acts and artists that had a more logically-haired younger version of me hanging around outside my record shop of choice at 9am, were the likes of the amazing Electric Light Orchestra, Canadian rocker Bryan Adams, slice of prime Americana The Eagles, pop-nugget purveyors a-ha, keyboard wizard Jean-Michel Jarre, bouncy Blancmange, gloomy New Order... the list is genuinely endless.

Many fine tunes have burst forth from my wood-enclosed high-end loudspeakers since, crafted by the multitudinous talented bands and solo artists that followed, and my ever expanding collection of CDs contains a bewildering array of musical styles from the 50s to the present day.

But, when I need a warming escape from the madness of working, studying, writing newspaper columns, making a mess of DIY jobs, wondering what I came in the room for and shouting at reality TV, it’s often those older acts and albums I find myself turning to. Quality music from quality artists.

You just don’t get anything quite like that any more.

Actually, a quick look online reveals that you very much do. Of the list above, all of them either have new albums out now or soon, are on tour, or both.

A new ELO album and a chance to see Jeff Lynne live? I hadn’t realised it was Christmas already. Jean-Michel Jarre has plugged the synth back in? Yes, purlease! a-ha are delivering some more perfect pop and touring? I’ve been hunting high and low for that.

Add in a plethora of re-releases and collectors editions with unheard bonus tracks from loads of other top vintage acts, and it’s clear that nostalgia is big business, and there’s a healthy market for a pricey trip down memory lane. New Wave? Grey Wave more like.

So that’s my pocket money blown in (virtual) music stores and (online) box offices for the foreseeable future, then. On the plus side, I won’t need any styling mousse this time around.

This post first appeared as my "Thank grumpy it's Friday" column, in the North West Evening Mail, on the 9th of October 2015. The paper retitled it as "Old rock never really goes away" (possibly not getting my Mott The Hoople-mangling headline) but otherwise left it alone. You can see the column on their website here

 Genuinely chuffed that so many great acts are back! Already had tickets booked to go and see a-ha, and Mrs G has now added Bryan Adams to the gig list for next year as well. Here's hoping the Jeff Lynne/ELO tickets are a) not sold out so fast I blink and they've all gone b) Not Mr Blue Sky high-priced.

 Talking of rock... did you catch the guitar-intro start to Doctor Who yesterday? They should use this version permanently...


(CD A-Z: The excellent "The Best Of Blur" from 2000.)

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