Musical Memories of Ray Pither

No jazz, no classical, no Michael Jackson, REM or even Leonard Cohen. Is this my selection at all? Rather than try to pick out my fave 15 (which is an impossible task anyway), what I have tried to do here is select tracks that represent moments in my life or mean something to me personally.

I guess I didn’t get into music until the late 1960s. The first album that aroused my interest in music was Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. There were two categories of kids in our road. Those that had Sgt. Pepper's and those that didn’t. I didn’t but nagged my parents relentlessly until they rectified that situation.

The music I really started buying music when I left school in 1970. Hence most of this list is centred around the 1970’s and 80’s.

How Sweet it is to be Loved by You by Junior Walker and the Allstars (1965).

When I first got interested in music, for me, it was all about dancing. Initially I danced with my sister, just in our house. The only time I got to dance in public was at Church socials (we were not religious at all, but we heard that each social ended with a young guy and a record player, enough said). The prospect of making a public spectacle of myself-well I just could not keep away. Still can’t. So, back in those days, the music we danced to sounded rather like this.

On My Radio by The Selector (1979)

Shortly after I discovered my affinity with dancing, I had the opportunity at school to (a) Keep in the warm and dry (b) Get closer to the girls in my year - by starting a dance club. The school was very keen on clubs run by kids generally, but I started a reggae dance club, probably not what they had in mind. Anyhow we danced twice a week during lunch break to scar reggae music (Prince Busters Allstars, Desmond Dekker, Toots and the Maytals etc).
Representing this period, I have selected this track, which is technically two-tone reggae and came out some time later-but it gives you an idea of what we used to dance to.

Let’s Work Together by Canned Heat (1970).

Having been obsessed with Tamla/reggae music for some time I was introduced to something totally different at a local youth club. I was told to sit down, shut up and listen, which I did. Suffice it to say that it blew my mind and opened my eyes to other possibilities. Not saying I bought a lot of this kind of music, but I was pleased I had been introduced to it.

Sounds of Silence by Simon & Garfunkel (1964)

I worked at a large local employer (Legal & General) and I guess was going to nightclubs with the lads in the firm on a regular basis (3 or 4 times a week). People knew that I lived for the Brighton clubbing scene (back in the early 70’s). I used to help organise company social events, especially those that involved music. But a girl I knew pushed an album onto me. I was vaguely aware of the duo, took it home and I put it on and this is what it sounded like. Poetry and music in tandem.

Ziggy Stardust by David Bowie (1972)

There were very few records that I can remember that had the impact of the Ziggy Stardust album. It changed the direction of music, it changed fashion, it changed the way people looked and dressed in the street. Shops opened in Brighton catering for the new craze/new fashion. For me, this track epitomised it all. Soon we were all Bowie obsessed and the nightclubs were pulsating to his music.

My Perfect Cousin by The Undertones (1980)

One of the types of music I like is comedy records. But don’t worry, there is no Benny Hill on this list! Even better when the genre is not particularly suited to that comedy treatment. This next band came from Londonderry and came up with the concept of comedy punk, because their reality was too stark. You cannot sing in the hope of bringing on the hell you are already living. It also suggested that punk artists should get over themselves, which I really agreed with. People who worked in insurance offices can’t be anarchists, can they?

Road to Nowhere by Talking Heads (1985)

The next track came out when I was 31 years old (1985) and beginning to realise that I was not going to be the next CEO of ICI. Most of us come to that realisation at some point. There are probably three career stages. Getting on, getting through and getting out. It’s just a question of knowing where you are on the journey. This track I am told is about death, but I am sure most people that listen to it can equate it to their working lives-at some point anyway.

Gumboots by Paul Simon (1986)

I have always seen a lot of live music. In London, but the mostly in Brighton. The most memorable concert I have ever seen involved cramming the stage and balconies with dozens of people of different races and from different cultures. It was a magnificent spectacle. There were those that shouted exploitation, but for me it brought together cultures and presented the result to me back in my home town. This track is from the wonderful Graceland concert.

Breakfast in America by Supertramp (1979)

Music can and should have its serious side. It can be a way of conveying very important messages. But it also needs to have space to be silly and frivolous too. This next track for me fulfils that criteria and a need within me just to be silly. I may not look very joyous, but I am laughing inside.

More than a Feeling by Boston (1976)

There is nothing like the power of a stadium rock track. There are many around. For me this is one the originals and arguably one of the best. Big music.

Across the Lines by Tracy Chapman (1988)

Here was a young singer/songwriter with tremendous talent and a very strong message to put over. This shows the power that music can evoke. The message is unfortunately as relevant today as it was back in 1988. Tracy had a raw power and a straightforward delivery. Her next album boasted more refined musical arrangements which in my view killed the spontaneity. She quickly moved onto producing rather than singing.

Vincent by Don McLean (1971)

I have often wondered at the genius of writers, poets and artists. Remember the English Literature lessons at school? Now what did Keats mean when he wrote the lines XXXXX’. Who knew, I certainly didn’t. And he wasn’t around to ask. So, this track although corny, I think is beautiful and one back for a misunderstood soul who produced great art.

The White Cockade by Kate Rusby (2003)

I love traditional songs. I particularly like them sung in regional accents about historic times past. This song is about conscription, war and pride in a loved one. It is sung by one of the purist natural voices I have ever heard. Go see her.
This is Kate Rusby and The White Cockade.

Dive by Ed Sheeran (2017)

So, how many albums have you listened to where you loved every track at the first time of hearing? In my case it’s only ever happened once. Take a ginger haired kid, a boombox and a guitar. Sprinkle it with a heavy pinch of creative genius and what have you got? Ed Sheeran’s album Divide. Here is the track called Dive. If Sheeran starts writing about world issues instead of love songs, what a platform that would be. Come on Ed, you know you can do it.

Port Isaac's Fisherman's Friends by Fisherman’s Friends (2010).

I am keen on ordinary people singing traditional music. People just coming together and singing in a secular fashion. This is of course the essence of folk singing. Coming from the seaside town I am interested in sea shanties to remember and honour the past and to put breath in your lungs and a spring in your step for the present. The most famous sea shanty group in the UK is the Port Isaac Fishermen’s Friends. Here is the best of the best in my opinion-South Australia.