Now And Then, Carpenters
1. Sing
2. This Masquerade
3. Heather
4. Jambalaya (On The Bayou)
5. I Can't Make Music
6. Yesterday Once More
7. Fun, Fun, Fun
8. The End Of The World
9. Da Doo Ron Ron
10. Deadmen's Curve
11. Johnny Angel
12. The Night Has A Thousand Eyes
13. Our Day Will Come
14. One Fine Day
15. Yesterday Once More (Reprise)
A&M Records Inc. 9 May 1973
The Carpenters 1973 album entitled “Now and Then” was the first music I ever bought for myself. It was with the birthday money I received in 1974 on my 10th birthday when I was in 5th grade at Stone School Elementary in Ann Arbor, MI. This is the same birthday on which my dad woke me up early and told me I really needed to take a bath. This was back when taking a bath was not a good thing and I couldn’t understand why he was making me get up early on my birthday to take one. But boy was I glad when I pulled back the shower curtain to find a brand new red Schwinn 5-speed bike with curly handlebars! As usual, I digress. But it was in 5th grade when music really became an enjoyable part of my life. I do recall having music in our home before then. Like my mom playing Christmas songs on the piano or playing my parents’ Johnny Mathis or Peter, Paul and Mary albums (my dad went to college with Paul). Or playing "Praise the Lord and Pass the Amunition" on the Victrola at my grandparent's cottage in the Adirondack Mountains of New York. But the Carpenters album was mine, all mine.
By 6th grade, Mary Johnston (or was it Kathy Barry?) brought Queen’s "Bohemian Rhapsody" to school on free day. And later that year, Kenny Bishop wowed us all with his rendition of Elton John’s "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" during the school talent show. I think this may have also been the year mom and dad bought our family a juke box and we started buying 45’s like crazy! We also stocked the basement fridge with Town Club soda pop of various flavors.
Later I would go on to Tappan Junior High where Bob Segar also went to school. I recall going to Toronto on an MYF church trip and listening to Electric Light Orchestra virtually the whole trip thanks to Richard Klevgard and Suzie Dunn. I also recall listening to and trading music with my relatives. My oldest cousin introduced me to Foghat and the Doobie Brothers. My uncle introduced me to The Allman Brothers and Kansas (not to mention Cheech and Chong). My step-cousin traded me a Boz Scaggs album for an Eddie Money album.
Then we moved to Marshall and my brother went through his Van Halen stage. And when he was learning to play guitar, he taught me Led Zeppelin's Stairway to Heaven of course. During basketball season, the Albion girls' team introduced me to my first rap song, "Rapper’s Delight" by the Sugar Hill Gang. They knew all of the words. And it was also in Marshall that I was first introduced to musicals. The locals put on wonderful versions of all the classics including one of my all time favorites, Fiddler on the Roof.
I didn’t start going to concerts until I was in college. My first concert was REO Speedwagon at Michigan State University and my second was Diana Ross at Cobo Hall in Detroit. I think she changed outfits at least 10 times during the show.
So you can see how much music played a part of the first 20 years of my life. Stay tuned while I finish collecting my thoughts about the most recent 20 years…
4 comments:
Wow this is fun reading! And you kindly did NOT mention how your brother could drive everyone nuts with some of his piano playing :-) Gotta go - we're headed to St. Martin and will hear some really great Caribbean music. I also will buy another steel band Christmas CD. We bought one last year and then I left it in a condo CD player! Love, Mom
Have fun on your trip! Can't wait to hear all about it when you get back. And you are right, I did not mention that fact about my brother as I knew someone else would :)
It may sound very strange, but the juke box played a huge role in my life. I realized a few years ago that the juke box taught me to read and write. It also helped me develop a keen memory for names, song titles and other "useful" trivial information. I was young enough when we got the juke box that I had to figure out on my own which numbers and letters corresponded to each sound it made.
I was confused by the other kids in my class who had no idea who England Dan and John Ford Coley, the Starland Vocal Band or Leo Sayer were. I can't tell you how many times I've had to explain to my husband why I know the name of a song and who sang it. "We had this on our jukebox. It was B23."
Our Mom & Dad had their column of songs on the far right end from people like Elvis, Johnny Mathis and the Platters. The kids got the other three columns to fill up.
Occasionally the 45 record would come with a red and white printed label to slide in the backlit display. Other times we had to make our own label. We stored all the blank labels in the wooden trap door on the side. Sometimes it would take several attempts, but that is how I learned to write!
Great writing Mar!!! I'm still waiting for you to start your own blog so that we have a full accounting of our "growing up" years from all different perspectives!
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