Random thoughts # 10 - catching up on my music backlog

 I recently discovered the joy of Spotify the music streaming service.  I normally either listen to CD's, vinyl, or iTunes all of which are my own purchases.  Spotify is a free service which allows me to listen to stuff I might not necessarily wanted to buy but did want to listen to again or in some cases listen to for the first time.

Now I'm of a 'certain age' my teenage years spanned the late 60's and early 70's so there is a fair amount of music from that period which I recall but haven't listened too in the intervening years, and as I said some I have never listened to at all.  A prime example of that is Lindisfarne.  I have the first three albums but hadn't heard any of the later stuff other than singles on the radio.  The break up in 75 spawned Jack the lad who I saw live once but never sat down and listened to on record.  Coming to it with fresh ears after 45 years was 'interesting'.  I made me realise how much of the pull of the music from that time is based on the memories it triggers and not necessarily the music itself.  A lot of it is good music but it simply doesn't speak to me in the way stuff I knew well back then does.  it's almost an intellectual exercise listening to it as I can hear not just the band I am listening to but the echoes of bands they have influenced (possibly at two or three removes) that I do know well.  Bands I expected to really enjoy have done very little for me while bands that I didn't expect to enjoy suddenly ring a chord and I realise that I know a track because I have heard it before.  in other cases bands I once liked but haven't heard in years have caused me to wonder what I ever liked about them!  

But the most saddening thing is finding a service that opens so many doors into the past and finding some doors are resolutely shut as the records are not available.  I guess I may never hear those again unless I find a CD in a charity shop.  Curse you Spotify you have made me melancholic!