Old Enough to Forget

I have no idea why I remembered Ian Gomm. The title to the album Gomm with the Wind always stuck with me, and I knew there was a song I knew, but couldn't remember. It was "Hold On" and while it wasn't a big hit, it did get some radio play and Ian was very much part of that early bunch of power pop acts who were crossing the pond. It's a fun song, and Herbie Flowers bass is a sonic punch to the gut. The album contained a dozen pop nuggets with only one song going over three minutes and at that was by seven seconds. There were a couple of covers, one by Chuck Berry, "Come On" that was really cool, and the Lennon-McCartney "You Can't Do That." It was get in, get out. Keep it tight. None of the songs felt incomplete they were just right. The album was released on Stiff /Epic and label-mates included Nick Lowe, who's "Cruel to be Kind" had been co-written by Ian Gomm, along with Ian Dury and the Blockheads and the legendary Pointe...

Rock 'n' Roll Juvenile came out in '79, and I remember the song "Carrie" being played on the radio, and then being somewhat confused when a very similar version by Cano singing with an audible French Canadian accent actually outperformed the original here in Canada. When he released "Devil Woman" in 1976 I was hooked. It was a song I really liked but I never picked up any of his albums. It wasn't until I saw a buddy of mine at the mall holding a copy of Rock 'n' Roll Juvenile in the early '80s and I must have given him a little goofy look (which is honestly just my resting face) and he got all defensive and went on about how good the record was and that I shouldn't be a snob about his choice in records. Well, I liked the aforementioned "Devil Woman" and I did like "Carrie" and I really liked "We Don't Talk Anymore" and had recently gotten into The Tarney/Spencer Band and at the time songs from I'...

Ten year old me didn't know what to think of the song "Rock On" as it was a unusual thing but strangely hypnotic and cool too. It was etched into my developing musical preferences. I never forgot the song. I blame Jack Wagner for Michael Damian being able to release his version of "Rock On" - yeah, I know that's not fair or accurate, but dang it the only singing soap opera star I need (I was going to try and work an "All I Need" reference in there somewhere, but it seemed like a lot of work for zero pay off) is Rick Springfield. Let's just pretend that never happened shall we (although I will reluctantly admit his cover version was "okay"). Before finding this album, the only other song by David Essex I was aware of was " A Winter's Tale" a song I found a few years ago, that has become one of my favourite holiday tunes. It is a stunning piece - although my daughter thinks it's rather "meh" but likes that I ...