My Music ABC: T-Z

Writing about the letter 'S' I forgot to mention someone. I am going to write about all the missed musicians in the following post/posts of My Music ABC series.

Today - T

'Children of the Revolution' by T. Rex was probably their most often played song on the Polish radio. I like some other songs by the band as well but I learned about them later, after the 'Children of the Revolution' hit.



Thin Lizzy and their 'Whiskey in the Jar'. I guess quite a lot of younger music fans most likely do not know that it was the original version of the song, covered later by Metallica and others.

Tangerine Dream - a German electronic music band. Their Kiew Mission is one of # 1s on my Tangerine Dream list.


Classical T

I have always liked the music by Tchaikovsky. However, I first time watched a live ballet performance of his 'Nutcracker' when I came to Texas.

U

Uriah Heep - my all times number one music U.  Do you know that the name of the band has its origin in/was taken from the novel 'David Copperfield' by Charles Dickens? In that story, Uriah Heep was actually rather a lousy character, the band, however, wrote and sang so many songs which I really like. Great, epic ballads and more rock pieces too.

V

Vangelis, especially his works created with Jon Anderson. A superb duo and romantic compositions.



Andreas Vollenweider and his magical world of gardens, water falls and his Swiss harp music.

W

Wishbone Ash - wonderful tunes and my music W #1. I fell in love with their songs from the very first time when I heard them. It was 'Errors of My Ways' and others on a cassette with their first album Wishbone Ash. My friend gave that cassette to me when I told her I liked it a lot. She had bought the cassette for a kiss (a real story) from one of her (male) pals.



Jeff Wayne and his "War of the Worlds" - magnificent compositions (absolutely stunning in my opinion) based on the novel by H.G. Wells. I have always enjoyed listening to the musical version of that classic story. The music intro is totally amazing - the words of the novel read by Richard Burton, the string section and all the orchestra sounds, the lyrics of the songs give me goose bumps. It is so great! Jeff Wayne's "War of the Worlds" reminds me old radio theater shows. While listening to the music pieces, I can almost 'see' it all too. It makes my imagination work and makes me emotional as well. And I need to mention, no sooner had I seen the original concert version than I listened to the music on the radio and on a CD.


I wish I had been able to see it live when it was still performed. Well, Jeff Wayne has been retired now but there are still videos and my CD to enjoy.

Y

When I visited Birmingham, quite unexpectedly, I had a chance to see Yes at their concert rehearsal. I was with a small group of other people and our guide - a Birmingham lady - sneaked us into the concert hall where Yes were working. We watched them from a balcony for a few minutes, then we had to leave of course. It was quite amazing. To be honest, I was surprised that Yes had been still performing. I like their music but (as it is with other bands as well) I have never tracked their career.
The album by Yes which I like most is Drama.

Z

The only non-European band in this post is ZZ Top. I wrote about them in one of My Texas Alphabet pieces.

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T.Rex - Jeepster, Hot Love, One Inch Rock, Children of the Revolution

Tangerine Dream - Stratosfear, Kiew Mission + the album Exit

Tchaikovsky - The Nutcracker, Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty

Uriah Heep - Lady in Black, July Morning, Gypsy, Look at Yourself, Easy Livin', Salisbury - album, Sympathy, Come Away Melinda, Tears in My Eyes

UFO - Doctor, Doctor

Jon & Vangelis - albums Short Stories, Friends of Mr. Cairo

Andreas Vollenweider - albums Caverna Magica, Behind the Gardens

Wishbone Ash - Errors of My Ways, Sorrel, Lullaby, Ballad of the Beacom, Warrior, Leaf and Stream, Throw Down the Sword, Persephone, Everybody Needs a Friend

Rick Wakeman - Six Wives of Henry VIII

Yes - Into the Lens/I am a Camera, Love Will Find a Way, album Drama, Owner of the Lonely Heart

ZZ Top - Legs,  Sharp Dressed Man, La Grange, Gimme All Your Lovin'

My Music ABC: S

I skipped the letter 'R' on purpose as I have already mentioned some 'R' bands in my previous posts.

The letter 'S' is going to be all about European music which I like most due to my European roots. Non European artists (well at least one) will be mentioned some other time, not today.

Our S #1 is Sabaton - Swedish formation - one of the very few contemporary bands whom we enjoy listening to. Each and every song by Sabaton is a little story based on real facts and history. Each of them tells about a real event, battle, soldier/soldiers, king or a war. And we can learn something about them just listening to Sabaton records.

The very first songs by Sabaton which I listened to were the ones connected with WWII and history of Poland: Uprising (about the Warsaw Uprising 1944) and 40:1, inspired by the battle of Bzura and the heroic fight of the Polish soldiers. It was quite a few years ago. Anyway, I heard those pieces and loved them at once. They also made me interested in other compositions by the Swedish band. The music is from the 'hard and heavy side' but it is very pleasant to the ear. What is more, it is quite original with many interesting and nice melody lines. While listening to their songs you not only enjoy the tunes but at the same time learn about some (often rather forgotten or little known) history facts.

The music pieces by Sabaton sound very well also when they are enriched and supported by a classical orchestra. It may seem a bit wild - heavy metal and classical music mixed together but, according to us, it is a great compilation. Actually, our dream concert by Sabaton would be the one performed by the musicians in a small concert hall with some assistance - from time to time - of a classical orchestra. We could sit in the comfortable chairs of a music hall and enjoy two in one - what we really like - the 'Sabaton history music channel' tales and classical music as well.

On the other hand, the Swedish musicians create a great performance when they are on their own - they do not need any extra support. The band does very well on stage and their live music + songs are as good as the ones recorded in the studio. It is just our dream concert vision. Another reason for that is that regular heavy metal concert venue facilities are usually of a different sort of comfort comparing to a cozy concert hall. I guess, not too many fans of Sabaton would be happy about such a concert and the opposite - not too many classical music lovers would decide to buy tickets to listen to a heavy metal band. Well, that would be perfect to us.

🎸

I have always liked Scorpions (German band) and many of their songs - both ballads and the more heavy stuff. I saw them at a concert at the beginning of the 90s, in Poland. To be honest, I do not recall much of the event besides the fact that I did enjoy it.

Talking about Scorpions I need to mention Michael Schenker and his Group. At some point he was part of Scorpions, later he played with his own band. I do not know much of their career or music but I do remember the piece 'Into the Arena' - I loved the way Micheal played the guitar.

🎸

Status Quo are my number one English 'S' band. Lively, cheering music and very enjoyable guitar parts that is what I like about them most.

The band members, very skillful musicians, are also great stage performers. Their music is simply good stuff and fun. I could watch some of their concert pieces (such as Gerdundula) again and again.

🎸

Slade - another English band who played the music which I would call 'merry & fun'. The costumes they wore added to the fun part. My Slade hit #1 is 'Coz I Love You'.

Smokey and Sweet - I mention them here although, when they were most popular, I disliked them with all my heart. The guys looked too girly to me and, in my opinion, their music was too sweetened and boring. The time has passed and I am still not a particular fan of the bands but these days I am OK with listening to some of their songs once in a while. At some point, they were big in Europe anyway.

Sting - a class of his own. Shortly speaking - Art of music - no need to comment it at all.

Classical S

Schumann Robert - quite a coincidence - his birthday is today. He was born on 8 June 1810. Schumann liked playing with his seven children. Several of his compositions relate to children/childhood.

Strauss - both father and son - I do knot know if it is still a kind of tradition on Polish TV, at least it used to be. Every year on New Year's Day a live concert was transmitted from Vienna. The music by Strauss Senior and his Son was mostly played then. I did like those cocerts. It was a good way to celebrate the beginning of a new year.

Sabaton: too many songs which we really like to mention them all here - just some of them are
To Hell And Back, Attero Dominatus, Carolus Rex, The Lion from The North, Swedish Pagans, Poltava, Got Mitt Uns, Aces in Exile, 40:1, Uprising, Night Witches

Scorpions:
The Zoo, Holiday, In Trance, Life's Like a River, Fly People Fly, Can't Live Without You, Blackout, You Give me All I Need, No One Like You, When the Smoke Is Going Down, Yellow Raven

Slade: 
Far Far Away, Run Runaway, Coz I Love You

Smokey:
I'll Meet You at Midnight, Don't Play Your Rock'n'Roll to Me

Status Quo:
In The Army, Gerdundula, What You're Proposing

Sting:
Shape of My Heart, Fields of Gold, Moon over Bourbon Street, Russians, I'm Lost Without You, Desert Rose

Sweet:
Hell Raiser, Blockbuster

Classical S

Schumann: Scenes of the Childhood - opus #16 Dream

Johann Strauss Sr.: 
Radetzky March

Johann Strauss Jr.:
Tritch-Trach Polka
The Blue Danube
Pizzicato Polka
Vienna Blood

🎵

Credits

Photos

• Sabaton: By dr_zoidberg [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
• Scorpions: By Pablo BM from Plymouth, England (Flickr) [CC BY 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
• Status Quo photo: KevM at the English language Wikipedia [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)], via Wikimedia Commons

My Music ABC: P

First of all: PINK FLOYD. Especially their early albums.
Our very first record by Pink Floyd was Meddle. My sister, enchanted by Echoes,  bought it from someone (again - it was when contemporary western rock albums/bands were not available in music stores in Poland - ancient history almost 😀).

In 1991, while visiting Denmark I purchased a VHS cassette with their concert - Live at Pompeii. I had seen the concert on Polish TV and found the compilation of the visuals and the music magical. Beautiful.
Much later, when I was relocating to Texas, I brought the Pink Floyd VHS to Texas. Unfortunately,  so far I have not found a VHS player with a switch/an option which would allow viewing tapes recorded in the European format/system. I treasure the tape, though, hoping  I will be able to rewatch it one day.

My P no. 2 is The Police. I used to have a cassette with their first album Outlandos d'Amour.  Although the pieces by The Police which were written/composed later could be called more interesting and more sophisticated/mature, I still like those songs from their first record. Maybe it is just a sentiment connected with my teenage days. Maybe.

And then - PUNK. Yes, I listened to that kind of music as well. I still do - sometimes. I never looked like a punk rocker but I was keen on some of the punk rock tracks - the ones with more interesting/regular melody line (comparing to some which were mostly noise only).
My sister happened to know a punk rocker - well, he did not look like one on weekdays. He worked as a jeweler apprentice then. Well, I assume he changed his style on weekends when he attended a local punk rockers club called 'Little Sun'.

Anyway, when at the that guy's place, he played the songs by an underground Polish punk band called Kryzys and I did learn about them for the very first time then. At that time, you could hear punk music only on one Polish radio station (Program 3) which was more open to modern rock trends (Program 3). And I did like listening to it. However, they hardly ever played the music by Kryzys - maybe their songs were banned due to their lyrics. No, there was no bad language in them but they were full of allusions to the political situation in the country and the government at that time. What was more, the name of the band Kryzys (Crisis) had the other, unofficial part - 'of the communism'.

All in all, it was very politically incorrect and although it was not played in the media (there was no YouTube at that time either), the band (which was formed at the end of the 70s) became quite popular during their very short career.  Anyway, I found their songs a refreshing novelty and somehow I had them recorded on a tape too.

After so many years, while preparing this post, I searched for Kryzys on YouTube. Of course, they are there. My favorite songs - Telewizja (TV), Wojny Gwiezdne (Star Wars) and Mam Dość (I am fed up with it) brought back the memories and the sentiment connected with those old days. Well, do not be mistaken - I have always been a good girl....

Pink Floyd

Albums - A Saucerful of Secrets, Ummagumma, Animals, Wish You Were Here, The Wall.

The Police - Outlandos d'Amour album + most of their songs.

PUNK
Kryzys - Telewizja, Wojny Gwiezdne, Mam Dość,
Sex Pistols - God Save the Queen, Anarchy in the UK, Holidays in the Sun
Buzzcocks - Ever Fallen in Love
The Ramones - Blitzkrieg Bop, I Wanna be Sedated, Sheena is a Punk Rocker,
Sham 69 -  If the Kids Are United,
999 - Inside Out,
The Stranglers - No More Heroes, Peaches,
Generation X - King Rocker.

My Music ABC: O

The letter O means it is time to for Oldies. As most everything in this world, the meaning of the word 'oldies' is rather subjective.

When I worked with teenage students, we had a project on music. Each student was to make a presentation on their most favorite singer or band. The kids liked the project topic but one girl was sitting in the class and doing nothing. She told me she did not have a favorite musician. When we discussed it, I suggested she could make a project on any kind of music or band of her choice, considering singers who used to be popular in the past as well. Somebody mentioned ABBA as an example.

The girl asked then: 'Are they still alive?'.

That was what 'oldies' meant to her.

In my understanding Oldies = music from the 50s and 60s. When I was a teenager myself, every other Sunday, on the Polish radio, there was a two hour non-stop program with the 50s and 60s music. It was songs only - no commercials, no talking, just pure music. My sister and I always waited for those Sunday evenings - from 8 to 10 pm we listened to those oldies, and sometimes recorded them as well. It was our radio show, the only one which we were both interested in.

Other Os

Mike Oldfield and his 'Tubular Bells'.
OMD - 'Enola Gay'

Omega - there was such a Hungarian rock band. In Poland, they were famous for their song “Girl with Pearl hair”, and I guess, most people did not know anything else by Omega nor anything about the band. At least I did not.

Polish O

Oddział Zamknięty - it used to be one of my favorite bands of the 80s.

 Some 50s' and 60s' oldies (e.g. The Animals or The Kinks) were mentioned in previous posts so I am not going to repeat them here. Anyway, here is the hit parade for today (enough hits for at least one 2-hour radio show).🎵

Manfred Mann: 5-4-3-2-1 / Do-Wah-Diddy-Diddy / Sha La-La
The Byrds: Mr. Tambourine Man
Herman's Hermits: I Am Henry VIII I Am / No Milk Today / Can't You Hear My Heartbeat / World Without Love / East West
Peter and Gordon: Let It Be Me
Gerry and The Pacemakers: Ferry Cross The Mersey / You'll Never Walk Alone / How Do You Do It? / I like It
The Dave Clark Five: The Red Balloon / Glad All Over / Do You Love Me?
The Searchers: Love Potion No. 9 / Needles and Pins / Sweets for My Sweet / Sugar and Spice
The Tremeloes: Silence Is Golden / Here Comes My Baby
Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich: Okay
The Archies: Sugar, Sugar
The Box Tops: The Letter
Simon Dupree & The Big Sound: Kites
The Fortunes: Seasons in The Sun / Ballad of The Alamo
The Zombies: Time of The Season / She's Not There
Small Faces: Sha La La La Lee
The Yardbirds: For Your Love / Still I'm Sad / Heart Full of Soul
The Easybeats: Friday on My Mind
Lulu: Shout
The Troggs: Wild Thing / Love is All Around
The Drifters: Saturday Night at The Movies / Stand By Me
Gene Pitney: Something Gotten Hold on My Heart
The Turtles: Happy Together
The Hollies: The Air That I Breathe
The Righteous Brothers: Unchained Melody / You are My Soul And Inspiration
Mamas and Papas: California Dreamin'
Ritchie Valens: Donna
The Everly Brothers: Bye Bye Love / Wake Up Little Susie / All I Have to Do Is Dream / Till I Kissed You
Cliff Richard: The Young Ones / Lucky Lips
The Shadows: Kon Tiki / Apache
The Shireless: Will You Love Me Tomorrow
Brian Hyland: Sealed With A Kiss
Paul & Paula: Hey Paula
The Cascades: Rhythm of The Rain
Rolling Stones: Angie / Paint It Black / Get Out of My Cloud
Carl Perkins: Blue Suede Shoes
Del Shannon: Runaway
Buddy Holly: Peggy Sue
Gene Vincent: Be-Bop A Lula
Jerry Lee Lewis: Great Balls of Fire
Brenda Lee: I'm Sorry
Little Eva: Locomotion
Ricky Nelson: Hello Mary Lou
Pat Boone: Love Letters in The Sand
Freddie & The Dreamers: I'm Telling You Now
The Crystals: Da Doo Ron Ron
The Kingsmen: Louie Louie
Trini Lopez: If I Had A Hammer
Bobby Vinton: Blue Velvet / Roses Are Red
The Four Seasons: Rag Doll
The Dixie Cups: Chapel of Love
The Shangrilas: Remember Walking in The Sand
Chubby Checker: Let's Twist Again / The Twist
Brook Benton: Boll Weevil Song
The Marvelettes: Please, Mr. Postman
Helen Shapiro: Walking Back to Happiness
Linda Scott: I've Told Every Little Star
Dion: Runaround Sue / A Teenager in Love
Ray Charles: Hit The Road Jack
Jimmy Clanton: Venus in Blue Jeans
Skeeter Davis: End of The World
Chris Montez: Let's Dance
Brothers Four: Greenfields
Johnny Tillotson: Poetry in Motion
B. Vee & The Shadows: Devil or Angel / Take Good Care of My Baby
Larry Verne: Mr. Custer
Johnny Preston: Running Bear
Dwain Eddie: Because They're Young / Rebel Rouser
The Everly Brothers: All I Have To Do Is Dream
The Chordettes: Lollipop
Johnny Horton: Battle of New Orleans
Mitch Miller Band: Bridge Over River Kwai / The Yellow Rose of Texas
The Fleetwoods: Come Softly To Me
Harry Belafonte: Banana Boat Song
Freddie & The Dreamers: I'm Telling You Now
Billy J. Kramer: Bad To Me
The Lovin' Spoonful: Summer in The City
The Mindbenders: Groovy Kind of Love
The Tokens: The Lion Sleeps Tonight

🎸🎶🎼🎸

My Music ABC: K (update), L, M & N

I do not know why I forgot to mention KING CRIMSON in my previous K related 'My Music ABC' post.

They are my most favorite K of all! Sophisticated compositions and lots of emotional, calm pieces. Some are quite dramatic as well (e.g. Starless).

In the 80s I taped their albums (thanks to the Polish Radio Program/Station 3). I did not follow their later career/ albums. Anyway, Lizard is the album by King Crimson which I like best. A multidimensional compilation of divine note lines and the singer's voice/interpretation.

There was also a Polish progressive rock band KLAN - they were often called 'fathers of the Polish rock'. I can still remember two of their songs listed in My Hit Parade below this post.

I like the video made by some Polish students of Automatics much later than the song (1970) was written.


LED ZEPPELIN - yes, of course, but only their studio albums. Their life performances (e.g. the ones showed in the movie The Song remains the Same) do not appeal to me at all.

LEONARD COHEN - I happened to miss mentioning him and his music when I wrote the C letter post.
I learned about his songs in the early 80s, thanks to the Polish artist Maciej Zembaty who translated Cohen's songs and sang the Polish versions (Polish Radio Program 3 again). Then I started my interest in the original music creations by Cohen. It is a very special kind of musical expression and artistic presentation. However, as it is with all the music which I listen to, I like the songs by Cohen by I could not listen to them only all the time.

LIVIN' BLUES (a Dutch blues band). They performed in Poland too and I had an album with their songs. Some of them I quite liked as well.

METALLICA - a big Yes! I like their older albums best.

I used to have a cassette with my favorite album by Metallica - Ride the Lightning.

The songs which I like most? For example: For Whom the Bell Tolls, The Thing That Should Not Be, Welcome Home (Sanitarium), Orion, One, The Unforgiven, Nothing Else Matters.

I can hear European rock roots in Metallica's songs - rough but great notes. Probably thanks to Lars Ulrich and his European background. What I mean is that most American rock music and rock riffs seem much softer. I grew up listening to European/ British music/bands and their rougher sound is what I personally prefer and find more interesting. That is why I hardly ever mention American music groups in my posts. Do not get me wrong, it does not mean that I do not listen to American singers at all. On the contrary. However, most of my music favorites are connected with Europe anyway.

And that is why, the next on my list is THE MOODY BLUES (a Dutch band again), particularly some of their songs including Nights in White Satin. No special memories connected with it - just the music itself.

Classical M

I need to mention Polish composer STANISŁAW MONIUSZKO - known as 'the father' of the Polish opera.

Finally, a note about the N - NAZARETH - from Scotland. In the past, I used to dislike all the sweet pop bands, including the sugary hits by Nazareth. I always liked their This Flight to Night, though.

K

King Crimson
Lizard (album) 
In the Court of the Crimson King (album)
Starless (from the album Red)


Kansas - Dust in the Wind

Klan
Automaty / Machines
Z brzytwą na poziomki / With a Razor for Wild Strawberries


L

Leonard Cohen
Everybody Knows
Take This Waltz
Suzanne
I'm Your Man


Led Zeppelin
Kashmir
I Can't Quit You Baby
Whole Lotta Love
Dazed And Confused
Immigrant Song
I'm Gonna Crawl
... and many other ones


Livin' Blues
Shylina
Blue Breeze

M
Metallica
Ride the Lightning - album 1984/85
Master of Puppets - album 1986/87
...And Justice for All - album 1988/90
Metallica - album 1991/'95


The Moody Blues - Nights in White Satin

Gary Moore
Still Got the Blue
Midnight Blues
All Your Love

Classical M

Moniuszko - Straszny dwór / The Haunted Manor (opera), written in 1861
Mozart
Eine Kleine Nacht Music
German Dance #1 in D major KV 605


N
Nazareth
This Flight Tonight
Where Are You Now?
Dream On

Movies Monthly: October

By the end of October, we reached #740. Meaning we had watched so many movies and various shows.

New series:

• A Place You Call Home (Australian production) - we did not see the very first episodes of the series so we needed to figure out - who, what and what have happened. We caught up with the plot, more or less. :-)
• The Durrells in Corfu (BBC) - since in my family we always have helped and supported each other, the older Durrell boys and the daughter seem to be rather selfish and useless. One could say the Durrells are not the brightest family on the block/on the island but we follow their story anyway.

 

Some more interesting movies:

681. Rock, Rock, Rock - 1956 (music) - the movie reminds old TV music shows - which were both the presentation of the contemporary, popular artists and a kind of concert. It was interesting to see the old time bands and singers, especially that we never heard about any of them. Besides Chuck Berry of course.

682. The Ladykillers - 2004 (comedy, crime-story), with Tom Hanks - at first we thought it would be something similar to 'Arsenic and Old Lace' in which two old ladies killed their tenants. It was quite a different story, though.

703. The Pink Panther - 2006 (comedy) - a new version of Inspector Clouseau's adventures. A bit different comparing to the old ones. This time the inspector solves a case not only because of his accidental and involuntary actions.

The Web

Our movies of the month:

691. In the Heart of the Sea - 2015 (adventure), directed by Ron Howard - a very well made film version of the famous novel 'Moby Dick' by Herman Melville.

605. Wicker Park - 2004 (drama), directed by Paul McGuigan - a simple story showed in a way that nothing seems simple in it. Intriguing, involving and misleading which makes watching the movie an interesting experience.

712. Vice Versa - 1948 (comedy), directed by Peter Ustinov.
Hilarious. The kind of humor, characters and many scenes of the movie very much reminded us the humor and characters presented later by Monty Python. It was like watching the original Monty Python before Monty Python. The comedy very much ahead of its times - or maybe just a very English-like sense of humor.

714. Spectre - 2015 (action), directed by Sam Mendes - the newest James Bond movie, with our favorite Bond impersonation (another one) created by Daniel Craig.

Our Halloween Movies:

735. Blood and Black Lace - 1964 (crime story, thriller) - French production - quite a good plot and a lot of old-time size women, and pretty wardrobe.
 
736. Young Frankenstein - 1974 (comedy), directed by Mel Brooks, with Gene Wilder - classic movie - still funny and entertaining.
 
738. Mark of the Vampire - 1935 (mystery, horror) - nothing in this movie is what it seems to be :-). It appeared to be more interesting that we thought.
 
739. Cat People - 1942 - by Radio Pictures (horror, fantasy) - the main female character has a really dark side. As usual 'Radio Pictures' means something a bit different and worth watching.
 
740. Devil's Bride - 1968 (horror) - a well-written story, although dark in its aspect, interesting - with no cheap effects such as slashing or blood splashing effects.

And what movies did you watch on Halloween?

My Music Abc: J, K

 J

When I listen to some songs by Judas Priest, I can almost feel the wind in my hair. The same wind which blows in your face when you ride a motorbike. And I do not mean the speed exercised by the ones who I call 'donors'. Just a casual ride.

In my early twenties, I was very much into motorcycles. I was interested in such details as bike engine capacity, its strength, and so on. Although I did not have my own motorcycle, I decided to learn to ride a bike (I had already had a car driving license). They had a rather big training motorcycle at the local driving school and my stepfather, who worked at that school, was also my bike riding instructor.

I very much enjoyed the motorbike riding lessons. I did circles, eights, and slaloms on the sandy training ground. Sometimes, two Chinese men who were waiting for their motorcycle class, cheered me loudly, shouting in broken Polish: "go, friend, go!". It was such fun! Once it happened, an older man who was passing by the training place, started reviling when he saw me ride: 'To the kitchen and to the pots, not here!'. It made me laugh and ride the motorbike even more vigorously.

At that time in Poland, motorbiking was an unusual thing regarding a woman's/girl's interests. One of our neighbors - a young woman a few years older than myself - was a member of a local motorcycle club. She was the one and only woman member at that club - among a few hundred men.

My mom was not happy about my hobby and biking classes. She found riding a motorcycle on a street in the traffic unsafe. Needless to say, she was pleased when I told her I would not take the riding license test as I had planned. Why did I change my mind? I got discouraged because the bike I rode at the school was too heavy for me - I was not able to keep it straight when I was taking a turn at a slower speed. I thought I would not be able to pass the riding test because of it. And I quit the classes. But I was happy I learned how to ride a motorcycle.

Anyway, since nobody in my family owned a motorcycle then, soon I forgot the bikes, and what I knew about them, and their engines. But I do remember the songs by Judas Priest and I like listening to them from time to time when I am in a more energetic mood.

K

Kraftwerk - why them? Because I enjoyed listening to early electronic music as well. Kraftwerk worked and lived across the border so they were quite popular in Poland. And their songs both in English and German too.



Krokus - I would say there is nothing revealing in the music by that Swiss band. In their compositions, you can hear the influence of other, more popular groups such as AC/DC for example.  But I used to listen to their songs anyway. Just some solid rock music.

Judas Priest

1. Turbo Lover
2. Painkiller
3. Breaking the Law
4. Parental Guidance
5. Before the Dawn
6. Freewheel Burning

Kraftwerk

Trans-Europe Express - album (1977)
The Man-Machine - album (1978)
Computer World - album - (1981)


Credits:

Photos by Shrader G.

My Music ABC: I

In my teens and twenties, Iron Maiden was one of my best of the bests - one of my most favourites. It did not mean that I listened only to their music then. On the contrary - I listened to many bands and music genres, but Iron Maiden was that really something. Nevertheless, due to my complex taste in music, I never looked like a typical heavy metal fan - I was not one. It was just a kind of music I very much enjoyed. So energetic, joyful and full of power! Although I was a quiet and calm person, I was filled with so much invisible, positive inner energy as well. And that inner power needed to be exhaled and breathed out ... In that meaning, listening to the music by Iron Maiden was like expressing my soul. However, it was much more at the same time. In their songs, I found interesting and expressive melody lines. The guitars, percussion, music tempo, the voice of the lead singer and the lyrics created plenty of magnificent impressions called Iron Maiden.

Anyway, my image/everyday look and dress style have always been rather classical, certainly not 'the heavy metal' one. Adding my calm demeanour to it, I can see a reason, why most people did not even think or suspect I would like such music. Besides my neighbours. They knew. At that time, I believed all great music should be possibly shared with others, to let them enjoy the beauty of it.

So I did share it. Loud. The speakers which I had, were not very big, though - only 15 W each. But they were loud and powerful enough, believe me. Somehow, that kind of songs seemed to sound better when the sound was up. However, at some point, I chose to switch to headphones - the neighbourhood had been presented with the music already so I was merciful. :-)
Besides, I needed some more personal music experience too.

My cousin, also an Iron Maiden fan, had much bigger, 100 W speakers. And he lived on the last floor, fourth I think, of a block of flats. When I was visiting him while he was listening to his records, I had to wait for a silence break between music tracks, to ring the door bell and be heard. Can you imagine heavy metal sounds amplified by 2 times 100 W, in a small apartment room? Well, that kind of sound sharing was too loud, even for myself.

I have never had an Iron Maiden t-shirt but I did see the band live when they were on tour in Poland. It was on 09/23/86 - quite an anniversary of that concert this year/month.

In my early 20s, I also happened to go to a discotheque. From time to time. Considering this sort of music, except well-known world disco hits, something called 'Italo disco' was really popular in Poland then. They were songs sang (in English and Italian) by mostly, but not only, Italian bands and singers. The Italian disco music was lively and cheerful, and certainly nothing you could call ambitious compositions. But they were so good to dance to! I did have fun dancing to those tunes, which was a different way of expressing/exhaling my inner power and energy as well. That was why I sometimes listened to those songs at home and danced in my room too.

Clannad was the first Celtic music band which music I found interesting. Later, I learned about other musicians and traditional Irish songs. My husband and I met each other thanks to our mutual interest in the Irish music and culture. We go to North Texas Irish Festival together and enjoy experiencing live Celtic tunes whenever we can.

About NTIF

About Irish Music & Celtic Woman

There are loads of Irish songs which I find my favourite ones. It would be not possible to name them all in this entry. Therefore I list only a few in 'My Hit Parade' below.

Iron Maiden - just a few tracks chosen from so many

1. The Trooper
2. Flight of the Icarus
3. Déjà Vu
4. The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner
5. Purgatory - from the album Killers (1981) -  their #1 album according to myself

Italo Disco

1. Mr. Zivago - Little Russian
2. Ken Laszlo - Tonight
3. Savage - Don't Cry Tonight
4. Fancy -  Flames of Love
5. Schrottnach 8 - Zupppa Romana

Irish Music

1. Red Velvet Band
2. Fiddler's Green
3. Noel McLaughlin - Carrickfergus
4. Blarney Folk - Rattlin' Bog
5. Canticle - The Holy Ground (medley)

My Cosmetic Side: Fragrance

I am that kind of person who needs to quite often change the perfume which I wear, as my nose cannot 'stand' the same fragrance for a long time. The world of perfumes is like an enchanted garden to me. So many beautiful scents to enjoy!


And it is not possible to say which one is the most gorgeous. In my opinion, each composition is delightful in its own way. Besides, why I should limit myself to one kind of scent only, since, every year, so many beautiful ones are created.

That is why there are always quite a few bottles of various fragrance compositions in my cabinet.

Some which I have enjoyed most are listed (in alphabetical order) below.

1. Chopard

CASMIR / night-evening-winter /

notes:

• peach, apricot, blackcurrant, raspberry;
• mandarin, carnation, cinnamon;
• vanilla, benzoin, tonka bean, opoponax ('sweet myrrh' - an oil plant native to the deserts of middle East).

2. Dior

ADDICT 2

notes:

• orange, freesia, grapefruit, bergamot,
• pineapple, pomegranate, lily of the Valley, watermelon, lotus,
• sandalwood, cedar, white musk.

MISS DIOR CHERIE

notes: 

• pineapple, mandarin orange, cherry, strawberry,
• jasmine, rose, violet, caramel, popcorn,
• patchouli, musk, amber.

DUNE /night - evening - winter/

notes:

• peony, mandarin orange, bergamot, aldehydes,
• jasmine, lily, ylang-ylang, wallflower, rose,
• sandalwood, amber, patchouli, musk,  vanilla, oakmoss, benzoin.

DIORISSIMO /night - evening - winter/

notes:

• bergamot, green leaves,
• lily, rosemary, jasmine, lilac, amaryllis, ylang-ylang, boronia, lily-of-the-Valley,
• civet, sandalwood.

3. Elizabeth Arden 

5th AVENUE /day/

notes:

• dewy magnolia, mandarin, linden blossom, lilac, bergamot, Muguet,
• carnation, violet, Indian tuberose, nutmeg, jasmine, ylang-ylang, peach, Bulgarian rose,
• cloves, amber, iris, sandalwood, Tibetan musk, vanilla.

3. Givenchy

EAUDEMOISELLE de GIVENCHY /day - summer/

notes:

• lemon, basil, tangerine,
• ylang-ylang, rose,
• ambrette, musk, tonka bean.

 4. Guess 

 GUESS for Women /day-summer/

notes:

• strawberry, bergamot, green apple, tangerine,
• freesia, peony, magnolia, peach, red berries, jasmine, ylang-ylang, lily-of-the-Valley, 
• oakmoss, cedar, musk, amber.

5. Lancome:

POEME

notes:

• mandarin orange, black currant, blue Himalayan poppy, bergamot, green notes, narcissus, peach, plum, 
• leather, mimosa, orange blossom, jasmine,
• tonka bean, cedar, musk, amber, orange blossom, vanilla.

TRESOR

notes:

• bergamot, peach, 
• heart of Damascena rose essence, violet flower, heliotrope, jasmine absolute,
• sandalwood, milky musk.

HYPNOSE SENSES /night/evening/winter/

notes:

• mandarin orange, orange, pink pepper,
• rose, osmanthus, white honey,
• French labdanum, patchouli, tonka bean, benzoin.

6. Lolita Lempicka

Si LOLITA evening/night/winter/

notes:

• mandarin orange, bergamot,
• sweet pea, pink pepper, elemi, wallflower, heliotrope,
• elemi, tonka bean, amber, patchouli.

LOLITA LEMPICKA /day-summer/

notes:

• star anise, violet, ivy,
• amaryllis, licorice, iris, orris root, cherry,
• praline, vanilla, tonka bean, white musk, vetiver.

7. Oriflame 

GIORDANI GOLD /night - evening - winter/

notes:

• mandarin orange, white flowers, orange blossom, lemon blossom,
• tuberose, jasmine, lily,
• white musk, patchouli, cypress, moss.

8. Yves Rocher 

COMME une EVIDENCE /night - evening - winter/

notes:

• violet leaf, rhubarb,
• rose, lily-of-the-Valley,
• musk, patchouli, oakmoss.

NEBLINA /day-summer/

notes:

• apricot, orange, orchid,
• violet, orchid, white flowers,
• oakmoss, woody grass, woodsy notes.

9. YSL

BABY DOLL /day-summer/

notes:

• blackcurrant, orange, pineapple, apple,
• lily-of-the-Valley, heliotrope, freesia, rose,
• vanilla, tonka bean, sandalwood, cedar.

BELLE D'OPIUM /evening-night-winter/

notes:

• gardenia, mandarin orange, Casablanca lily, jasmine,
• peach, incense, white pepper, tobacco, fruity notes,
• patchouli, sandalwood, amber.

PARISIENNE /day-summer/

notes:

• blackberry, vinyl, cranberry,
• peony, violet, Damask rose,
• musk, vetyver,  patchouli, sandalwood.

As you can see, my nose prefers fruity-and-floral/ floral-and-fruity notes with some addition of a few other ingredients.

Many years ago, I was also a fan of some compositions signed by Priscilla Presley. They were light. but quite charming at the same time. I did like them very much. Unfortunately, I cannot recall what their names were.

What is your favorite perfume/eau de toilette?

My Music ABC: From E to H

Before I started writing this text, I tried to remind myself the bands and various E. F, G, H singers' names. I also looked through my old CDs and YouTube contents to refresh my memory.

Of course, there were many more E, F, G, H letters artists than I list here. Although I listened to their music as well, somehow, they were not exactly 'my kind of cake'. Do not get me wrong - I acknowledge those musicians' compositions and their meaning, considering the music time line in general. And yes, I recall (for example) 'Sweet Child of Mine' by Guns N' Roses, and their other songs - but them and some other artists simply did not move that certain string of my soul. That is why you will not find them mentioned here.

Well, the intro was just to remind that My Music ABC is written from a personal point of view and it is not intended to be a music almanac of contemporary music.

ELO - my sister liked them. Since we shared our room and the music equipment, I listened to their songs as well. The tunes were interesting/nice but I would not have called the band my favorite one though. And it is the same today.

When I was in my teens, I hated all disco music which changed slightly later. That is why you can see a piece by Eruption on the list below. Anyway, I am going to write more about some disco stuff in the next entry of My Music ABC.

'Wishing Well' by Free is one of my all-time hits. I have always loved the song and always found it splendid - could listen to it again and again. On the other hand, I have never been a great fan of the band itself. In my opinion, they were simply OK but not much sentiment connected with them.

Emerson, Lake and Palmer and The Eagles were my one hit wonders as well. Either 'Lucky Man' was the most popular number by ELP in Poland, and I heard it more often than their other songs, or I just got stuck to that piece only. All in all, 'Lucky Man' is the 'brand logo' to me, not any other song by that group.

'Hotel California' was my favorite listening comprehension song when I worked as a school teacher. Among others, I used it in classes to practice my students' listening skills. And I can tell you, they enjoyed the exercise/'Hotel California' too.

Helloween and Flash and the Pan - obviously, two totally different kinds of albums. The previous one, lively with interesting melodic lines (love the guitars!), the latter one on the sad or even depressing side. Frankly speaking, I was never interested in the two groups very much - I just happened to come across those records and liked them a lot. However, the heavy metal one cheers me up and makes me feel energetic, 'Lights in the Nights' just the opposite. :-)

When Genesis were at their best, I preferred Phil Collins' solo albums more. Again, Genesis was not really my cup of tea.

Golden Earring - Europe had so many great rock groups then! Besides the British ones of course. I have always thought that having lived in a non English language country, we were in a way culturally richer. We not only enjoyed the popular UK, American and European bands/musicians, we also had our Polish music which was not much known anywhere else. We had two. Not one only.
At any rate, 'Radar Love' was my number one by Golden Earring. There was another song which I also liked but cannot recall its title right now.
 

If you look at My Hit Parade List, you will find all kind of music there, including some classical composers. Generally speaking, the list pictures my music likes and interests which have always been quite eclectic. Yes, I have enjoyed it all and many more.

David Gilmour? Of Pink Floyd of course. Both my sister and myself liked that solo album by Gilmour. I have no idea though where we got that tape from (in the picture above). It was in the times where the cassettes where in use but I am not sure whether we bought it in a store or received it from someone.

Fiddler on the Roof - the movie made in 1971 (directed by Norman Jewison) is, in my opinion, the best version of the musical. Love the songs sung and interpreted by the film characters.

Finally, a fumy thing connected with Human League. I used to like their songs a lot when I was -teen. Nevertheless, I saw them first time on a You Tube video, not long ago before writing this post. The image of the main singer totally surprised me as I had always thought he had more like a rebel look.

Making the list, I was wondering whether I should wait with mentioning The Everly Brothers and The Hollies till I get to the letter O (Oldies, meaning 50s and 60s). On the other hand, all the songs listed below may be regarded as oldies, so I think it really does not matter if I list them now or later...
Have I missed something? Well, probably did, I will try to update the entry later.

What would you put on your E, F, G, H - Hit Parade list?

E

The Eagles: Hotel California

ELO:
Telephone Line
Jungle
Calling America

Emerson, Lake & Palmer: Lucky Man

Enya: Caribbean Blue

Eruption: One Way Ticket

Eurythmics: 

• Here Comes The Rain Again
• Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)

The Everly Brothers:

• All I Have to Do is Dream
• Till I Kissed You

F

Fiddler on the Roof:  Movie Soundtrack

Free: 

• Wishing Well
• Come Together in The Morning

A Flock of Seagulls: 

• I Ran
• Wishing (If I Had a Photograph of You)

Fleetwood Mac: Albatross

Flash And the Pan: Lights in the Night (album - 1980)

4 Non Blondes: What's Up

Flack Roberta: Killing Me Softly

Foreigner: Waiting for a Girl Like You

G

Genesis: Home by the Sea

Gilmour David: There's No Way Out

Glitter Gary: Rock'n'Roll

Golden Earring: Radar Love

Grieg Edvard: Peer Gynt

H

Hair - Movie Soundtrack

Handel George Frideric: 

• Messiah
• Water Music

Helloween: Keeper of the Seven Keys (album - 1987)

The Hollies: The Air That I Breath

Human League: Don't You Want Me

More on My Music ABC: click on the picture below to find more

My Music ABC: D

Time for the next part of my Music Alphabet in which I tell you about bands - and musicians which I have been found of most of my life (in different degree though). I listen to some of them less often these days, but the sentiment and memories connected with their music still remain rather vivid.

Deep Purple

They were one of my first and biggest music affection and I still like the music by Deep Purple today. Some time ago, I listened to one of their albums again. Despite all the years which had passed, their songs stay so fresh, alive and vivacious. When I listened to "Highway Star", "Space Truckin'"  and other tacks, somehow I felt like coming home. Frankly speaking, it was quite a strange but nice feeling at the same time. Whatever it was - response of my European soul, reuniting with the European culture, or my teenage years maybe.

Anyway, I have already mentioned in my previous posts that in the 70s, music and record stores in Poland were much different to the ones in west European countries. Of course, they had many records on offer, but not the ones I would have wanted to get. Although, current non Polish rock (and other 'modern' genres) music was available to listen to on the radio, it was hardly ever possible to find it in a record store. You could only buy an LP from someone who had brought it to Poland from abroad. Luckily, there were such people who were able to travel outside of the country because of different reasons.

I first saw the album 'Deep Purple in Rock' at my high school pal's cousin's. Since I loved the songs (especially 'Child in Time') and the owner of the record was not very keen on it, I though to myself: 'I am going to buy it'. Well, I had the plan but no money. It took me some time to save enough cash, but finally, my dream came true and I got the album. It looked like brand new. Both the cover and the vinyl were in a very good shape as the boy did not listen to Deep Purple at all. Needless to say, I was extremely happy with the purchase! These days, when you can get/order anything and everything online or in stores, it is hard to explain what that buy meant to me.
All in all, I got another record by Deep Purple (with some of their greatest hits) much later, when I was in holiday in Bulgaria. However, that LP was not so much valued by myself as 'In Rock'.

The Doors

I have always cared more about music than the musician's lifestyles, visage or image in general. Partly because that kind of news were scarcely available where I was growing up, partly because I have never been much interested in celebrities/their lives. Well, quite ironically, in some cases more information could have possibly ended my music interests.

Last year, I watched a movie based on the biography of Jim Morrison. If the facts/ his personality shown in the film were true - rather tragic life he had. But maybe that was what made him create all the great songs.
Anyway, listening to music tracks we usually do not think of what was/is behind the music, unless we can see part of a live concert as in the movie about John Morrison or eg. a different one, by somebody else, called 'The Song Remains the Same'.

There were more rock and pop Ds which I sometimes listened to. Nevertheless, since they have never been my favorites, I am not going to mention them here. On the other hand, I am planning to include Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich in my 'O' post.

Classical D

Dvořák

I like the atmosphere of his music - with no special favorite pieces. Well, maybe besides 'Slavonic Dances'.

More entries on My Music Alphabet here.