I "Put My Records On"

My childhood memories of growing up in West End are intimately tied to music. I still have quite a collection of Soul/R&B music on vinyl from my early awakening.

Me moms still teases about my singing in front of the mirror in my bedroom. Then there was a stint when I took guitar lessons and sang all sorts of pop songs to the girl next door. Sorry Patty, I'm not so sure that "Sweet Caroline" was so sweet after all!

Life has moved on but I can always judge my state of mind by the music I listen to, well when I listen to music at all. A couple of years back I made it to Boston to see Tears for Fears play together after more than a decade of being mad at each other. Ain't it great to be grown up and so past being mad at being mad?

In India I hardly listened to any music except for the songs that were played over and over again at the Passion Tea place. I can still hear Shaggy denying that it was him and Micheal Jackson, who is big in India still, talk about black and white and what matters. Passion Tea and those angst-filled moments feel like a lifetime away here in 100degree plus Kimberley.

It was on my flight to Dubai that I started listening to old favourites again. I listened to Bill Withers sing "Oh Yeah" from the early 80's and even remembered that it was a 'hit' song around the time I was finishing my bachelors degree in Baltimore. I also listened to Prince do a real soul rendition of his "Nothin Compares to You."

I miss music. Real music. The kind that makes you dig up memories of "joy and pain ... sunshine and rain" (remember Frankie Beverly and Maze).

I miss The O'Jays, The Whispers, The Stylistics, The Temptations, The Spinners, Kool & The Gang, Teddy Pendergrass, Barry White, George Benson, Al Jareau, Luther, and a ton of others.

What is great about being at home is that I have many LPs by the artists above. All are neatly packed in a cupboard not too far from the same HiFi I played them on when I was just a 'romance-drunk' teenager. And there is nothing like listening to your life over and over again ... on records.


In between though, I am also listening to Corinne Bailey Ray tell me to "go put my records on" .... this is a talented sista ... hope she cleans up at the Grammys.

OK, me records call ... or is it me moms? Oh yeah, me moms ... dinner, again ;0)