Hello Hello to all Hivians, Silver Bloggers and anyone else reading this.
This week's The Silver Bloggers Chronicles - Prompt 27 is ....
The Soundtrack of a Decade
Pick a specific decade from your past and describe the songs or artists that defined it for you. What memories do those melodies bring back?
This is a prompt that I wrote as I find music a huge part of lives, indeed the 80s were huge to me in both football and life, so music and the chronicles seems a great way to capture this.
Not only will it be a fun yearly soundtrack of the 80s it will highlight some Scottish notables as well as memories for me in the following format ...
For each Year
In addition I shall probably tie this in with some ttt (three tune tuesday posts)!
So yes this prompt is as much for me as anyone else...
I am using Grok to generate these images. I am not going to one million and one iterations to get the words correct lol Yes bands have got the wrong songs lol but fluff it, this is my post and I shall do what the fluff I want... It is going to be my longest post of the year already!
📽 Gregory’s Girl – Bill Forsyth’s classic coming-of-age film set in Cumbernauld. This was a firm favourite of Mrs T when she was a nipper and ironically the football team Partick Thistle that the kids in the film supported is who she says she supports when Scotsmen ask who she supports, Celtic or Rangers lol! A diplomatic choice if there was ever one!
📘 A Walk in Wolf Wood by Mary Stewart – Kind werewolfs, siblings and 14th century Scotland, a fun fantasy novel from another Edinburgh based English more famously known for her Merlin trilogy.
🏴 🎸Scottish Single: Sheena Easton – "9 to 5 (Morning Train)". A Bellshill girl taking over the world! The next year she went and conquered America, spent many years working closely with Prince and then became the wife of Don Johnson's wife on Miami Vice, now that was a show and a half!
🎶 Non Scottish singles that I owned on vinyl:
💙⚽️ Rangers Memory The Gers reached the Scottish Cup Final, but lost 1-0 to Celtic in extra time. I remember seeing the riots on TV and wished I had been there!
💫 Other Memory The Rubiks cube and Pacman came out! I was hooked on both hehe!
📽 Chariots of Fire – The ultimate Scottish triumph! It tells the story of Eric Liddell (the "Flying Scotsman") and his quest for Olympic gold. Talking of soundtracks, the Vangelis soundtrack is iconic.
📘 Rhanna by Christine Marion Fraser The first in the series based on the fictional Scottish Island called Rhanna.
🏴 🎸Scottish single: Altered Images – "Happy Birthday". Fronted by Clare Grogan (who also starred in Gregory's Girl). I had a huge crush on her and to this day this is played at any birthday party I attend!
🎶 Non Scottish singles that I owned on vinyl:
💙⚽️ Rangers Memory Scottish Cup Winners! After a 0-0 draw with Dundee United, Rangers blew them away 4-1 in the replay with a Davie Cooper masterclass and two goals from John MacDonald.
💫 Other Memory Just to show the difference in money that footballers earn now. John MacDonald lived in Helensburgh where my cousins lift. One day when I was visiting them I got a lift in his car... It was a mini, not a fancy thing like they have now!
📽 Scotch and Wry – This was the year Rikki Fulton’s Hogmanay sketch show really became a national institution. Hogmanay is Scottish for New Year and having seen the pathetic performance from tourists at the Edinburgh Hogmanay party it is over. These tourists paying for tickets to see the fireworks and leaving at 12.15. Fluffs sake in my day we partied all night long, I mean that is why we got the 2nd as a public holiday in Scotland after all. I was gobsmacked, it was a ghost town lol!
📘 The Bridge by Iain Banks – A brilliant novel set on a structure very similar to the Forth Bridge. What an author, and I got him to sign a couple of his books over the years.
🏴 🎸Scottish single: Simple Minds – "Promised You a Miracle". The song that truly broke them into the mainstream. It took me a long time to even listen to these Celtic fans, but damn their music was good.
🎶 Non Scottish singles that I owned on vinyl:
💙⚽️ Rangers Memory League Cup Winners! Rangers beat Dundee United 2-1 to lift the trophy. This was also the year Sandy Jardine played his final season at Ibrox after 15 incredible years. We have a stand named after him at Ibrox now. He then moved to Hearts the Edinburgh protestant team if you like for a couple of years.
💫 Other Memory I remember seeing Hearts play Rangers a couple of times in Edinburgh and the whole stadium applauded him. A great thing to see.
📽 Local Hero – The ultimate "feel-good" Scottish film, filmed in Pennan and Morar. The village of Pennan and the red telephone box drew visitors from all over. I took Mrs T a couple of times there and it was like some of the fishing villages in the East Neuk that I like!
📘 The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks – His debut novel, dark and twisted, set on a remote Scottish island.
🏴 🎸Scottish single: Orange Juice – "Rip It Up". Rip It Up and start again is what I do with some Hive posts hahaha!
🎶 Non Scottish singles that I owned on vinyl:
💙⚽️ Rangers Memory A huge year for the record books—Ally McCoist signed from Sunderland. Though we lost the Scottish Cup final to Aberdeen, the foundation of the next decade was being laid, the good times were just around the corner. Now was when I was a regular at Rangers matched both home and away!
💫 Other Memory The £1 Coin: The gold-coloured pound coin was introduced in the UK, eventually replacing the green pound notes. We up in Scotland kept our £1 notes for much longer, and I remember always asking for the £1 not as opposed to the £1 coin. I wonder how much longer we will have the £1 coin for!
📽 Comfort and Joy – Another Bill Forsyth gem, this one about the Glasgow "Ice Cream Wars." Yes drugs were sold from the ice cream vans that went round all the streets.
📘 A Life by Tessa Ransford - Tessa was a massive figure in the Edinburgh literary scene (founding the Scottish Poetry Library in 1984!). It even got me writing poetry again! This collection of her work from that year is a beautiful, sharp look at Scottish identity and the landscape through a female lens.
🏴 🎸Scottish single:
A side Jim Diamond – "I Should Have Known Better"
B side The Bluebells – "Young at Heart"
🎶 Non Scottish singles that I owned on vinyl:
💙⚽️ Rangers Memory League Cup Winners! A classic final against Celtic that I was in attendance at Hampden! Rangers won 3-2 after extra time, with Ally McCoist scoring a famous hat-trick to secure the trophy. Unbelievable match and it started Super Ally on the road to be the legend he still is!
💫 Other Memory The Miner's Strike: One of the most significant industrial disputes in British history began in March, lasting a full year and fundamentally changing many communities across Scotland and the UK. Many mines were in Scotland especially around Edinburgh and Fife where I was from, so many people affected that I knew.
📽 Taggart – While it started in '83, 1985 was when the first full series aired, making "There’s been a murdur!" a household phrase. And why I call Murder Hill here where I walk up with my bags of groceries Murdur Hill lol!
📘 The Old Devils by Kingsley Amis – (Though he wasn't Scottish, the Saltire Society began its major literary awards this year, sparking a boom in local publishing). A university friend of mine from Aberdeen had a father in the publishing industry, and this saved his wee Scottish publishing house!
🏴 🎸Scottish single: Simple Minds – "Don't You (Forget About Me)". The anthem of the decade.
🎶 Non Scottish singles that I owned on vinyl:
💙⚽️ Rangers Memory League Cup Winners! The Gers defended their title with a 1-0 win over Dundee United. Even in a "dry" spell for league titles, the League Cup was becoming a permanent fixture at Ibrox. It was our cup and such a magic day out to watch the final, usually I made it a weekend!
💫 Other Memory The "New Coke" Disaster: In one of the biggest marketing blunders ever, Coca-Cola changed its recipe in April, only to bring back "Coke Classic" months later after a massive public outcry. This still gets talked about and funnily enough I was watching a show on Netflix today where it was brought up!
📽 Heavenly Pursuits A charming Scottish film starring Robbie Coltrane as a teacher in a Catholic school in Glasgow where "miracles" start happening.
📘 The Trick is to Keep Breathing by Janice Galloway – A powerful, influential novel about a woman’s mental health in Scotland.
Scottish single:
A Side Big Country – "Look Away" Our local band, RIP Stuart Adamson
B Side The Communards – "Don't Leave Me This Way". Featuring the incredible vocals of Sarah Jane Morris.
🎶 Non Scottish singles that I owned on vinyl:
💙⚽️ Rangers Memory The Revolution Begins. In April, Graeme Souness was appointed player-manager. He immediately began raiding England for stars like Terry Butcher and Chris Woods. They capped the year by winning the League Cup again, beating Celtic 2-1.
💫 Other Memory
The Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh. It was a controversial year due to boycotts, but seeing the games held in the capital was a huge moment for Scottish pride.
📽 Tutti Frutti – The legendary John Byrne series starring Robbie Coltrane and Emma Thompson as a failing rock and roll band.
📘 Knots and Crosses by Ian Rankin – The very first Inspector Rebus novel. Edinburgh crime fiction was never the same.
🏴 🎸Scottish single:
A Side Texas – "I Don't Want a Lover".
B Side Deacon Blue – "Dignity"
🎶 Non Scottish singles that I owned on vinyl:
💙⚽️ Rangers Memory League Champions! Souness delivered the first league title since 1978. They also won the League Cup in an absolute thriller against Aberdeen (3-3, won on penalties). I was there at Hampden again, and we had to win it in extra time as they had the better goalie...Or so we thought! Take a bow Nicky Walker, he of the Walkers shortbread family. He was outstanding in the penalty shootout! We even won the Dubai Champions Cup this year!
💫 Other Memory
Being from Edinburgh I loved all the Rebus books and Mrs T was a great fan and got most of the books signed by Ian Rankin. It was great fun taking her to all the places mentioned in the books.
📽 Rab C. Nesbitt – First appeared in Naked Video before getting his own Christmas special this year.
📘 The Fanatic by James Robertson – Dealing with Covenanters and Edinburgh’s dark history. Scottish history is fascinating, and with my families ancestry being Roman Catholic on my fathers side and Protestant on my mother's side, it was an interesting read. History is important, we should never repeat mistakes of the past!
🏴 🎸Scottish single:
A Side Fairground Attraction – "Perfect". Featuring the wonderful Eddi Reader on vocals. Who is always on around Hogmanay!
B Side A Side The Proclaimers – "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)".
🎶 Non Scottish singles that I owned on vinyl:
Kylie Minogue"I Should Be So Lucky" (A massive 5 weeks at No. 1)
Yazz & The Plastic Population"The Only Way Is Up" (The ultimate 80s feel-good anthem)
💙⚽️ Rangers Memory League Cup Winners! A third consecutive League Cup under Souness, beating Aberdeen 3-2. This year also saw the signing of Gary Stevens and Kevin Drinkell as the squad became truly dominant.
💫 Other Memory
Another day out in Glasgow, I went with my Dad and brother, he was given tickets my dad and the people tried to leave us behind as they were Aberdeen fans 🤣
📽 "Venus Peter" A beautiful, haunting film set in an Orkney fishing community in the 1940s. It was a massive hit at the Cannes Film Festival and showed the world the beauty of the Scottish islands. Having lived in Orkney as a teenager it was a fun film.
📘 A Disaffection by James Kelman – Shortlisted for the Booker Prize, cementing the "Glasgow style" of writing. It’s a gritty, honest look at a Glasgow teacher’s mid-life crisis. It’s written in that raw, authentic Glasgow voice that people should read at least once!
🏴 🎸Scottish single:
A Side Texas – "I Don't Want a Lover".
B side The Stone Roses – "I Am the Resurrection"
🎶 Non Scottish singles that I owned on vinyl:
💙⚽️ Rangers Memory League Champions! The title stayed at Ibrox, marking the start of what would eventually become the historic "Nine in a Row."
💫 Other Memory
They also made a massive cultural statement by signing Mo Johnston this year. He was the first major Roman Catholic to be signed by us. Monumental time especially after he initially was pictured signing for Celtic lol.
Let me know in the comments! And why not join in with the fun and start your Chronicle!?
My previous Chronicles ... are :-
1 Colour | 2 Joy | 3 Hometown | 4 Wheels | 6 Memory recipe | 7 summer holidays | 8 Moves | 9 back in time | 10 Life of an Object | 11 Childhood friend | 12 Childhood toys | 13 Autumn Solstice | 14 Unforgettable Character | 15 Grandparents | 16 Worry | 17 Tattoo | 18 Historical Moment | 19 Day to Remember | 20x Fads | 21x Pastimes | 22x Grow Up | 23x Fear | 24x Family Holiday | 25x Favourite Meal | 26x Inappropriate Laugh | 27 Soundtrack of your Decade ~ my this one ...
All images and ramblings are from me, the mad Scotsman TengoLoTodo unless otherwise stated..
