Today Elvis Presley would have been 77, Shirley Bassey hits 75, Stephen Hawking becomes 70 and David Bowie turns 65. Who'd've thought it?I was never a big Elvis fan, although his laughing version of Are You Lonesome Tonight? never fails to reduce me to giggles. Shirley Bassey always seems a bit pompous but her rendition of Bond themes, such as Goldfinger, is iconic. And as for Stephen Hawking; as a student I used to dance to his records all the time...
As a kid I used to be a huge Bowie fan; the first album I ever bought was The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. Following exposure to this, I saved up all my pocket money to buy everything the man ever produced throughout the 1970s.
His musical changes in direction during the 70s were thrilling; each one accompanied by a change in persona. He ushered in the 1970s with Space Oddity and the tale of Major Tom who chooses cosmic oblivion rather than return to earth. This was followed by the reptilian Ziggy Stardust who, in turn, was followed by Young Americans and his plastic soul persona.
Next came the Thin White Duke and Station to Station and then a segue into a drug-fuelled, krautrock influenced trilogy of albums with Brian Eno; Heroes being the stand out song from this era. He ended the decade by returning Space Oddity's Major Tom to earth on the perfect pop song Ashes to Ashes.
Each time I hear these songs I am transported back to the slick and super sophisticated 1970s. Happy birthday Mr Jones.
| Today's run at 08:43 | |||
| Distance | 4.01 km | Time | 22:58 |
| Pace | 5:44 min/km | Cadence | 82 spm |
| Comments: Fresh, clear. | |||
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