Nostalgia and Old Albums

I am about to age myself...  Growing up in the '70s and '80s, my family lived in a Rancher-style home, which is not my personal preference.  It is one level with a basement, although ours also had a carport.  Come to think of it, do they even make houses with carports anymore?  It's basically an overhang that extends from your house but the sides are not enclosed.  I much prefer my current two-car garage that provides protection from all of the elements.  The entrance from the carport led to the kitchen where you turned left to go into the dining room.  It was an open design that then led you into the living room and then the bedrooms, which were at the far side of the house in a semi-circle.  Therefore, all of the bedrooms were in close proximity, allowing me to clearly hear the music coming from my brother's room across the hallway. 

As my brother was over four years older, our musical tastes were quite different.  While I was a preteen in the early '80s and listening to disco, K-tel records and pop music on B104, my brother was a full-blown teenager.  He was an avid listener of 98 Rock, the most popular mainstream rock radio station in Baltimore even to this day.  At that time, it was typical to buy albums and spend a lot of time in your room listening to music.  I remember seeing certain albums in constant rotation in my brother's room.  Artists included Peter Frampton (what dude growing up in that time didn't own Frampton Comes Alive?), AC/DC, Van Halen, DIO, etc.  However, as Rush was his favorite band, those were the albums played on repeat.  I couldn't help but pick up the more radio-friendly tunes like Tom Sawyer, Limelight, Freewill, Spirit of Radio and Red Barchetta.  Unfortunately, while I wasn't a fan of the instrumentals like YYZ, my brother loved them. 

Starting around 1983, I became obsessed with Duran Duran.  I had heard songs here and there on the radio but the tune that really solidified me as a Duranie was The Reflex.  It would've been impossible not to have seen their many videos on MTV, particularly those filmed in exotic locations such as Antigua and Sri Lanka.   The video for The Reflex is a live performance of the single version, which I preferred over the album version.  Since I could not get enough of this song, I bought the dance version and played it over and over and over again,  In case you're not familiar, it starts out with several "da na na na"s followed by "the reflex".  After the first verse, there are a lot of "why-y-y-y-y"s and "fle-fle-fle-fle-flex"s.  I consider it no small miracle that I am alive today since I'm sure this drove my parents crazy.  Oh and as an aside, I still think John Taylor (the bass player) is a hottie even today.  

Fast forward to 2016 when I met my husband.  His favorite band is, you guessed it, Rush.  Over the years, I'd become a true fan myself, even though I still don't care for the mostly instrumental tunes.  He wasn't the first drummer I knew that told me that they actually learned to drum solely by listening to Neil Peart and those Rush albums.  I was impressed but did say some prayers that this new guy I'd met was actually a good drummer, as I consider Neil Peart to be the best.  Fast forward to the present and not only did my husband prove just how talented he is but I'm lucky to get to watch him play Rush (and other classic rock) with his band on the regular.  On Friday, January 10th, 2020, along with the rest of the world, we were greatly shocked and saddened by the news of Neil Peart's passing on January 7, 2020.  He was a private man and had hidden his treatment of brain cancer for over three years.  As I would surely mourn the passing of any of my Duran Duran members, my husband mourned the death of his idol. 

A few days later, I noticed that AXS television was airing a special on the Classic Albums of Rush-2112 and Moving Pictures.  I set the DVR and we arranged to watch it the following Friday night after the kids had gone back to their other respective parents.  It was a cold night so we lit a fire and watched the one-hour program, where not only did they discuss the two albums mentioned but actually went back to the formation and evolution of the band over the years.  It was fascinating to hear their influences and the origination of their lyrics and music.  The individual interviews with each of the three members of Rush added personal touches and humor.  Some of their music was complex, which led me to explain to my husband that I preferred the more radio-friendly tunes as they were easier to pick up the words.  The band recalled that on the album 2112, they were actually telling a science-fiction story that spanned throughout the songs on the first side.  I am not one for "theme" albums; however after hearing them explain it song by song, I was now able to fully appreciate them.  

This started us reminiscing about what it was like to grow up in the 1970s and 1980s.  Wow, who can actually believe that these were four to five decades ago now?  Some of our fondest memories are those simple times, alone in our room with huge headphones covering our ears so we could immerse ourselves in the music.  Without any interruption, you could hear every word, every strum of a guitar chord and the rhythm of the bass and drums working together.  

We then ventured down to the basement to retrieve our old albums.  Although we also had varied musical tastes at the time, it was fun to sit together and share old memories of when we got the albums, which were our favorites and the tours where we were able to see the bands play their music live.  

Fast forward to 2021 and things have changed dramatically.  Stereos have disappeared for the most part and all that is left are tiny EarPods plugged into phones.  What's worse is that very few are actually just listening to music anymore without also multi-tasking.  (I am guilty of this.)  You're listening while doing many other things, like checking email, responding to a text, answering a call and falling down the slippery slope that is social media.  While my husband and I shared our cherished memories of those years, it was somewhat bittersweet as we realized that our children will probably never share some of the more simple joys in life.  

Now's your turn to share your favorite albums!