Saturday 2 June 2012

Songlines

 An Entry to Sepia Saturday. "Using old images as prompts for new reflections"

A song sheet featuring '"the last of the red hot mamas' for this week's prompt  took me to the red hot group of my teenage years 
and a whole song book; Little Red Rooster, I Just Want to Make Love to You, Bye Bye Johnny they are all in here, and a whole lot more, interspersed with moody black and white photographs.  I can even date it
because of the adverts at the back, yes we have arrived right at the middle of the swinging sixties when I was probably happily pasting Rolling Stones pictures in a scrap book and
daydreaming.  Except of course this is The Lovin' Spoonful, I just listened to their music, and bought sheet music. The place to buy that was Kelly's Music Shop in Barrow in Furness who had been in business from the time of gramophones and 78s.  In the 60s the ground floor was where the musical instruments, record players and reel to reel tapes lived but my school friends and I weren't hanging around down there, the action was upstairs where records could be spun. Turn right and there was the counter opposite which were two listening booths where you could bop around to the records. A Saturday port of call could be a trip in here, browse the records, come out hang around the main shopping street and then off to Buccianis Coffee Shop.   Both places have now gone but the hanging around on Saturdays 'in town' has never gone out of fashion for generations of school kids. I can't remember when they took out the listening booths, it may have been the early 60s but they continued to sell instruments, records and sheet music.  When looking at the sheet music it struck me that this may have been the decade of psychedelia but the front covers had not changed since Sophie Tucker's time.  Sonny and Cher
try to jazz it up a little with lettering but it would take the Beatles to
      do something different. It helped that they owned the publisher Northern Songs Limited.  

12 comments:

North County Film Club said...

Oh those photos really brought me back. I loved the lovin spoonful. That photo of sonny and cheer - too funny.
Nancy

Wendy said...

Beatles and Dave Clark 5 for me -- never could get attached to the Rolling Stones. Your music store sounds wonderful. I don't remember anything like it where I lived. But I remember when Woolworths raised the price on albums to $3.75 -- thought the world had gone mad.

21 Wits said...

I have to say their lovely music still lives on...but thankfully their look is gone! Ha! Ha!

Little Nell said...

Thank you for these memories. For some reason mention of a ‘red hot mama’ and the Rolling Stones brought to mind their song ‘She Was Hot’ and the brilliantly funny video that accompanied it. A real nostaglia trip.

Oregon Gifts of Comfort and Joy said...

These are great! Loved the blast from the past, though Cher still looks about the same.

I enjoyed your tram pictures too.

Kathy M.

Postcardy said...

I think the older music covers are a lot more attractive than those from the 1960s.

Bob Scotney said...

I guess I heard the groups you have described through my children rather than first hand. I don't every remember going into a music shop. It seems I have missed out.

Queen Bee said...

The music shop sounds wonderful. Those were long gone by the time I was a teenager. What a fun way to spend a Saturday afternoon! While the Stones are still around today they certainly look like they have lived hard and earned every wrinkle.

North County Film Club said...

That was fun- going through your teen-age years with you. I remember listening booths in Los Angeles... Music City at Sunset and Vine. I can hear their radio jingle now. It was great being able to listen to the records for free.
Barbara

Jenny Woolf said...

I don't believe I have seen a music shop, although I am sure there were some when I was young. I don't think the Eleanor Rigby music cover matches the song at all but it's quite a nice design!

Jenny Woolf said...

I don't believe I have seen a music shop, although I am sure there were some when I was young. I don't think the Eleanor Rigby music cover matches the song at all but it's quite a nice design!

Teresa Wilson Rogers said...

This really brought back some memories - I began to really become a fan of music in the 60's when I was still rather young. I was never a Stones fan but loved the Beatles. The Sonny & Cher music cover is wonderful - I'm still mad they broke up and got divorced! :-)