Oh, look around you, all around you, riding on a copper wave (Patti Smith)

Music is love (You may say I'm a dreamer - Chapter 7: The Seventies Part 2)

Roger in his new pop/rock Marbecks Records

Welcome to the second part of my seventies celebration - the AM (After Marbecks) period - 1976-1982.

Three important life changing events happened in this period. One and two, as I indicated in the previous post, involved meeting Greg Knowles and starting to write to Noel Forth in Adelaide. And the third? I met Roger Marbeck and started working for and with him.

During AM, Greg and I established a weekly pattern of record buying that fed both our habits. 

It went a little something like this: after school on a Friday we would catch a bus into K Rd.

We'd start with George Courts and Rendells in K Rd, then cross the road to The Record Exchange in St Kevin's Arcade, take a wander through Myers Park to Queen Street and work our way down to the end of the road, taking in some of the record shops we came across until we got to Marbecks Records in the Queen's Arcade and the EMI shop in the new Downtown Mall. 

Along that route during these years were a exceptionally large number of record stores: 246's record bar on the second floor, Direction Records, the Record Warehouse, Lewis Eady, Arthur Eady, Taste Records in Lorne Street, down the stairs to Music City in Vulcan Lane, Peaches, Rock'n'Roll Records, and a few more on the side streets whose names I've forgotten.

Watching Split Enz with the Knowleses

This would take hours! We'd walk, chat, spitball, browse, buy - but mainly browse, laugh, joke, people watch, grab a coke (me) or a milkshake (Greg), walk, laugh...

Then we'd get the bus home. I had my drivers' licence by this time so I'd sometimes drive to Greg's and I'd often bus from there. 

Enz at the old His Majesty's 

Greg and I have different tastes so we were never really competing for the same records. It was always supportive. We'd even try to find things we knew the other would like. We'd often trade/swap records - notably I got a lot of Apple singles from Greg. It has been a great relationship and a lasting friendship that I REALLY value.

According to Neil Young, there ain't nothing like a friend who can tell you you're just pissing in the wind.

Often with his big brother, Mike, we also went to gigs together. We saw loads of NZ bands in these years - Split Enz, Golden Harvest, Waves, Streettalk, Hello Sailor, Citizen Band and so on.

During AM, in 1977, we both started student life at Auckland University. While our old school day era routine obviously changed, our frequent trips to Real Groovy (now on Queen's Street after a short stint at the top of Mt Eden Road) and Marbecks, didn't. We also inducted other like minded music lovers, like Kevin Simms, into our arcane routines.

Haydn and Murray as I knew them. Great guys!

Marbecks Records was a special place. It was thanks to Noel that I discovered Marbecks. He alerted me to the delights on offer in that funny little shop in the Queen's Arcade. 

They had a box of Apple singles that I would often ask to see and buy from for Noel and for me. In the shop were two old guys in their white business shirts and ties: Avuncular Murray Marbeck was clearly the boss; Haydn Marbeck was the mischievious, sarcastic, younger brother. A very cheeky female shop assistant was also there to serve us. They were never condescending, always very knowledgeable and obliging. I must have asked for that box of Apple singles dozens of times!

Then one day there was a young guy behind the counter as well (it was getting pretty cramped back there) -  a guy about our age. Another Marbeck had joined the family firm. We would chat with Roger who immediately impressed us with his musical knowledge and his easy going manner. We were speaking the same language! 

Apart from Apple singles, Marbecks also had a range of Apple albums and weird stuff that was unmatched by the other stores. AM was timed around the punk outbreak remember and a lot of those other stores were practising a sad devotion to that ancient religion. Marbecks Records suited me. Clearly, with shirts and ties, it wasn't a slave to punk fashion.

Around this time, end of school, start of University, I had a summer job working as a chain man/gofer for a surveying company. The engineers and surveyors were cool to work for during my holiday breaks. I had a lot of fun there, but I'd had had enough of painting boundary pegs.

Roger Marbeck loves music.

The Rock and Roll lure was strong! When I asked Roger if he needed a hand during the peak holiday periods to help him and shop assistant Vanessa in the new pop/rock shop opposite the classical one in the arcade, he said, "Yeah! Okay."

Brilliant! Not only could I sift through the bins for free, I could take my pay in records (some weeks I actually paid Roger to work in the store).

And that's what happened in my long summer holidays from 1978 until 1982 (and again later - whenever we found ourselves living in Auckland). It was glorious fun! Ness, Roger and I got on really well. The arrangement suited us all. I would have a weekly pile of records put aside and collect them on pay day! Ness had a co-worker and Roger had someone else to share the load and order about! It was perfect.

Murray and Haydn were also great guys. Haydn gave me heaps! Murray was always a real gentleman. Mum remembered having dealings with young Murray when she worked at Lewis Eady and she always regarded him highly. She always referred to him as Mr Marbeck.

Friday nights were my favourite time in the store. Not only were there slower hours and that meant I got to choose what we listened to, but it also meant food. Haydn would order Chinese takeaways and we'd take it in turns to eat across the arcade, upstairs in the classical shop.

Somehow, I would often (I hesitate to say, always, but it felt like that) get to share my meal time with Haydn and he was hilarious! And rude! His jokes were always accompanied by twinkly eyes and a dirty laugh. Great times!

I especially loved working with Roger. He's like Greg - a funny, fun, genuine guy who is into music. Our friendship developed naturally. I met his girlfriend, Deirdre Dunn, and we'd all spend time together. I would even stay over at their place in Canongate Street from time to time. I helped out with digging out their basement and Roger gave me a boxed set of Cream albums as a bonus. I enjoyed his company and we listened to a lot of great music.  

I went to his wedding to Deirdre with my date, Lynley Wood, and, in 1984, the Marbecks came to mine, all the way down in New Plymouth. Then we started having our children around the same time: Jessica was matched by Keegan and Adam; Logan/Samantha; Briar/Jade - we were ahead 4 to 3 when we each decided that was enough. Through those young years we shared holidays and family time (more to come in the Family Man chapter). 

Over the years, Roger became a big brother figure and like a big brother whose record collection is really cool, he hugely influenced my listening!

The collection in the AM era

One upshot of this friendship was that my collection expanded and expanded. Both in quality and quantity. For three reasons: one, working at Marbecks meant access not only to its resources but also to Roger's musical brain and superb taste; two, my teaching studentship - I now had discretionary income; and three, I had no dependents - there was just me. 

My university years were great self indulgent times. No one to think about, other than me, and what records I was going to buy. Oh and my studies. I did study hard, too.

Nice one Rory!

Two concerts from the AM era need a mention: Rory Gallagher's 1980 visit to Auckland's Town Hall and George Thorogood at the same venue. For both, somehow, I went on my own. Along with the Nambassa festival, they were amazing experiences and the Rory one tops my gig going list!

The AM era contained the golden years! From 1983 onwards record buying would take a back seat and dry up, as you'll read about in part 3 - AJ (After Jacky).

But before then, let's luxuriate in my second seventies list - my top 20 picks of AM!

20 Easter - Patti Smith (1978)

In a lecture room in the Old Arts Building at Auckland University, Roger and Wystan played Babelogue/ Rock and Roll Nigger to us during their 20th century American poetry paper. I was transformed by the experience!

19 The Clash - London Calling (1979)
Cousin Christine sent me a punk special cassette with White Riot on it among other delights. Life in cosy sleepy NZ was light years away from what The Clash and others were railing against. It would take me some time to get into bands like The Clash. London Calling was much more accessible.

18 Jackson Browne – Jackson Browne (1978)
This is a prime example of someone I wouldn't have discovered without Roger and Marbeck's influence.

17 Rastaman Vibration – Bob Marley and the Wailers (1976)

16 Exodus – Bob Marley and the Wailers (1977)

15 American Stars and Bars - Neil Young (1977)

Watching him do Like A Hurricane on TV (Barry Jenkin's Grunt Machine I think or early Radio With Pictures) with the wind machines howling along with the guitar was similar to my Ed Sullivan/ Beatles moment.

14 Never Mind the Bollocks Here’s the Sex Pistols – Sex Pistols (1977)

13 Live – Status Quo (1977)
I taped this off the radio - I did that a lot back then because I didn't have unlimited financial resources. Then at Marbecks I'd play this in the shop during quiet moments (in between the best sellers that Roger needed to promote with high rotation).

12 Parallel Lines - Blondie (1978)

11 Terrapin Station – the Grateful Dead (1977)

Roger was a fan of the band - Mars Hotel era especially. I hadn't seen the appeal until then, but I somehow got hooked and this album in particular went on high rotate.

10 Bat Out of Hell – Meatloaf (1977)

I'm instantly transported to the games room at Ramelton Road when I hear this album. I was normally suspicious of mega sellers and avoided them but this was too much fun!

9 Moonflower – Santana (1977)

8 Aja – Steely Dan (1977)

7 Marquee Moon – Television (1977)

Dad, now Managing Director of Wellcome NZ, went on business trips to Sydney from time to time during the AM period. I would put in orders of records and he was a trooper - always came back with a few from my list.

6 Horses – Patti Smith (1976)

Lynley Wood was a fan. She told me about this record as we were standing around outside the University library in 1977. She was so enthusiastic, she talked me into it and she was right!

5 Hard Rain – Bob Dylan (1976)

4 Tejas – ZZ Top (1976)

3 If You Want Blood You’ve Got It – AC/DC (1978)

2 Showtime – Ry Cooder (1977)  

I read an amazing review of this record in Sounds by Barbara Charone (she always wrote well and I kept a clipping of the review). Coincidentally, I heard Jesus On The Mainline on the radio around the same time. Combined, these events convinced me to take a punt.

1 Hejira – Joni Mitchell (1976)  

Of all these albums and of all of Joni's albums - this is the one I play most often. Every time, I convince myself that I'll get it this time (what she's talking/singing about) and every time she leaves me daydreaming about an image and my thoughts wander. I love that.

Love and peace - Wozza

Into this house we're born, into this world we're thrown (The Doors)

Music is love (You may say I'm a dreamer - Chapter 7: The Seventies, Part 1)

Vinyl junkie-dom kicked off big time in the seventies - the decade when I was a teenager.

This first part covers the first flush, the fertile BF (Before Forth)/BK* (Before Knowles) period and takes in 1971-1975. [The second part, due in four days' time, is the AM (After Marbecks) period - 1976-1982].

Records! Bands! What was an interest previously, became much more as posters of bands festooned my teenage bedroom; as the Garrard Sp25 Mark 3 timetable was kept constantly spinning; as Shoot! and Look and Learn gave way to NZ's Groove, Rip It Up, Australia's Go Set, Hot Licks, England's Sounds, NME, Melody Maker and Crawdaddy, CirCreem, Rolling Stone, Circus from America.

Thanks to the growing piles of music magazines under my bed, I began listening to the radio and collecting records with increasing knowledge.

I joined record clubs - RCA first, then World Record Club. I saved up money from odd jobs and my vegetable garden returns from mum and bought records. 

Due diligence became a thing. It became of vital importance to visit record shops a number of times and weigh up the merits of various albums. I didn't have lavish sums remember.

Starting off it was often cut out bins. Often this resulted in some great buys (the aforementioned Small Faces, Hollies, Beach Boys albums came from the Foodmarket, or Woolworths at Three Kings). 

All this gave me habits that last to this day: I love a bargain, and I consider purchases carefully. I value the actual physical object. Number one then, now and forever was/is/will be Long Playing vinyl albums.

During the BF/BK period, a variety of record shops became familiar haunts: Onehunga's Queen Street (Led Zeppelin III); New Lynn's mall (Creedence Clearwater Revival EP); Taste in Lorne Street (Deep Purple's Machine Head); Newmarket's Sounds Unlimited (Frank Zappa's Bongo Fury); 246 (The Hollies and T Rex singles); Otahuhu's DJ Records (The Beatles' Hey Jude and Let It Be package) and on and on it went - building a collection.

As witnessed by the Top 30 list at the end of this post, mainly my tastes ran to hard rock, heavy metal with many tangential weird fringe side streets along the way, but Beatle style music was always a constant.

My modus operandi was to latch onto a group or artist after buying their current album or single. From there I would start hoovering up the back catalogue.

Following my purchase of a Solid Gold Hits Vol 2 album, John Lennon is a case in point - the current album and hit was Imagine in 1971 (from George Courts in K Rd). From there it was a backwards search for John Lennon/ Plastic Ono Band and Live Peace in Toronto. Then it was a slavish devotion to everything he's done, said, written, sung.

I wrote a letter to Sounds magazine in 1975 that to my shock was published. I was seeking information on how to get some mythic Lennon albums - Two Virgins, Life With The Lions, Wedding Album, and Live Peace in Toronto. None of which I could find in any of my usual haunts.

Some of these albums are pictured above. How come? Noel Forth is how come. He saw my Sounds letter and (along with a few others like Lothar Drockner in Germany) started writing to me with suggestions and swaps. He was after certain NZ pressings of Fabs stuff which I could get, parcel up and send to him in Adelaide. In return I got Apple singles and albums, including some of those mythic albums. Heaven.

Noel is also a drummer! Tortis first, then Vertical Hold in the eighties. I became a keen fan of both bands. Nothing like that personal connection, is there?

Even before this watershed moment in 1975 though, the collecting picked up pace!

Mum vetoed Joe Cocker's Cocker Happy for some reason - perhaps the drug busts, perhaps the vague obscenity of the title, and Black Sabbath and Frank Zappa brought howls of protest from the folks but generally I was given free reign with my purchases. I loved them all with a passion.  

Sample of stuff from Noel.

During 1972 things really kicked off: in the football teams and my 4B class I had friends like the aforementioned Clive Webber who lent me records like The Rolling Stones' Exile On Main Street, Jimi Hendrix's Isle Of Wight; I bought Machine Head, Dark Side Of The Moon, and Led Zeppelin 4; heard The Doors' Riders On The Storm on a car radio; from the RCA record club came Uriah Heep and Frank Zappa's Fillmore East album. All of these went onto high rotate on the Garrard SP25 Mk3.

And in this way ran the AF-BK years - reading, collecting when I could, listening, day dreaming and wishing. Oh and failing everything I touched at school. Was there a correlation? Hmmm - now that I think about it...maybe, just maybe, there was!

* BTW - it's called the Before Forth/ Before Knowles period because up to 1975 I was collecting on my own. Then, in addition to Noel Forth's long distance help, I met Greg and during the sixth and seventh form at Mt Albert Grammar we became a team - collecting records, buying records together and even recording stuff together (as Buster Bludvessel and Gregarious G-String). Noel's help was invaluable from 1975 onwards, and without him I would have been truly lost. Much more on this in the second part.

Here is my Top 30 of the BK period (there is nothing that compares to the music of your formative years - ages 13 to 15 - life was never going to be the same after this lot!):

30 Blows Against the Empire – Paul Kantner (1970)
Using the same musicians as David Crosby's magnificent first solo (number 2 ), Kantner et al plot my path to the cosmos!

29 Dark Side Of The Moon – Pink Floyd (1973)
My memory surrounding this has me in mum's mini at the Royal Oak shops, on our way home to Asquith Avenue. I'd just bought it, was busting to hear it, and was looking at the two posters and devouring the rest of the packaging. including the Harvest label. So so cool!

28 On the Beach – Neil Young (1974)

27 St Dominic’s Preview – Van Morrison (1972)

26 The Yes Album – Yes (1971)

25 Bongo Fury – Frank Zappa/Captain Beefheart (1975)

I used to get my Sounds magazines from a corner bookshop in Newmarket. Mum would often visit the shops here, so I guess it made sense to 'have it put away' for me here. Funny - I now have my monthly Mojo magazine put away (PaperPlus in Waipukurau). Nothing much has changed huh?Anyway - while in Newmarket I'd cruise up to the record shop, Sounds Unlimited - which had an amazing range. This is one album that came from there.

24 Captured Angel – Dan Fogelberg (1975)
Copious family holidays were soundtracked by the cassette of this. My favourite Fogelberg album by some distance because of that.

23 Close to the Edge – Yes (1972)
I first taped And You And I from a friend's copy, the rest of the album felt way out of my league - what the hell were they on about? Then I got it! Then I was hooked on Yes and had to have everything!!

22 Aqualung – Jethro Tull (1971)
I bought the single version of Locomotive Breath ('balls' was censored) and molested the house with it - loudly! The folks were a bit disapproving (naive me couldn't understand the fuss - I was listening to the riff!!). A bit later I was watching a surfing film at MAGS during a lunchtime screening, when Slip Stream started up behind the surfing footage. Then Locomotive Breath started. Then I HAD to get the album.

21 Made in Japan – Deep Purple (1972)

20 Wishbone Ash – Wishbone Ash (1970)

19 Machine Head – Deep Purple (1972)
I can still feel what it was like, buying this from the ultra cool Taste Records in Lorne Street and walking out of the shop feeling ten feet tall!

18 Live at the Paramount – The Guess Who (1972) 

In 1972 the family had another Sydney holiday. This time I was old enough to INSIST on visits to record shops. I returned home to NZ with a clutch of albums including this one, and Deep Purple's Made in Japan. At the time, I would have put the Purps ahead but not now (obviously). A rare example of a CD improving on the original vinyl by including all the additional tracks.

17 Alive! – Slade (1972)

One of my first buys was the Tak Me Bak 'Ome single, then this album. Slade in their finest hour - burps, rough starts, stutters and asides just add to the appeal.

16 Moondance – Van Morrison (1970)

15 Ram – Paul McCartney (1971)

14 Isle of Wight – Jimi Hendrix (1971) 
My first Hendrix experience after the Hey Joe single, this is not an album you'd direct newbies to - the track listing is all over the place, but somehow it's the Hendrix album I play the most often! I taped it from a school friend's copy, then had to own it.

13 The Koln Concert – Keith Jarrett (1975) 

This is an example of an album I NEVER would have found on my own. A double album of solo improv jazz piano? Are you kidding?? Please!! But thank God I met and worked for Roger Marbeck. He gave me a home taped cassette of this and told me to listen. I did. OMG. It brings me to tears, this music. How is that possible?

12 Four Symbols – Led Zeppelin (1971) 

I asked dad to get this for me from DJ Records (I paid) and I will always remember arriving home from school and finding this on my bed. I cherish those memories! Many, many headphone sessions in the dark would wear the stuffing out of this album!

11 Exile on Main Street – The Rolling Stones (1972)

10 The Wild, the Innocent and the E Street Shuffle – Bruce Springsteen (1974)

Like the previous Stones record, bought from the Record Warehouse at the same time as Darkness On The Edge Of Town. What I loved about the Record Warehouse was the way they displayed albums facing front so that you could be completely seduced by the cover! Worked on me every time.

9 Irish Tour ’74 – Rory Gallagher (1974)
I came to Rory via a TV special that hooked me well and truly and for ever!

8 Stormcock - Roy Harper (1971)
A friend from where I played social badminton (St Margaret's church hall) wanted me to tape a load of Genesis and Harper albums for him. While the Genesis ones did nothing for me, I instantly fell in love with this one.

7 Waka Jawaka/ Hot rats – Frank Zappa (1972)

From the World Record Club. I didn't 'get' this record for a long time. A teenagers' attention span finds it hard to appreciate a 17 minute Big Swifty, with no vocal. Yikes. Then it just clicked. I used it often to soundtrack my walks through Hadleigh Castle in Leigh-on-sea. It was a perfect fit for my thoughts!

6 Tonight’s the Night – Neil Young (1975)

5 Thick as a Brick – Jethro Tull (1972)

4 Headband – Headband (1971)

3 Blood on the Tracks – Bob Dylan (1974) 
While at University I would often walk past the central library to get my bus. The library was a great place to borrow records I was unwilling to buy for whatever reason. I borrowed this and a few older Dylan albums and took them back to Ramelton Rd. I taped it, then had to own a copy, then another...

2 If I Could Only Remember My Name – David Crosby (1971)

1 John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band – John Lennon (1970)

Less is more was embraced by everyone it seems on this most harrowing of listening experiences. Maybe that's why I love that philosophy so much.

Apart from this being my favourite album of this era (and actually, any era) the album has special memories for me. 

My mum was interested in a number of creative hobbies - flower arranging, pottery, knitting and for a while - painting. I asked her to paint the iconic cover for me and she did. And I have it hanging, proudly, in Abbey Road Three.  

Love and peace - Wozza

Everybody's saying that music is love (David Crosby)

Music is love (You may say I'm a dreamer - Chapter 7, part 1: The Sixties)

Very 'umble - my whole collection in the early days -  the first 12 albums and singles

Everybody's saying that music is love, 

Everybody's saying it's love, 

Yeah everybody, everybody, everybody 

Everybody's saying that music is love, 

Everybody's saying it's love, yeah.

In keeping with the order from my original autobiography (copyright 1992) we have reached chapter 7: Music is love.

I love music. I can't live without it. Music is love.   
Some of my earliest memories centre around music, whether it be on television, radio, films, or records, and many of those memories gather around The Beatles.

Let's start at the beginning shall we?

Dad built our first TV from a kit set. He was an early adopter and he loved electronics so we had television from the early sixties onwards. 

The Ed Sullivan Show was a regular on the one black and white NZBC channel available. To this day I can picture my eight year old self kneeling on the floor, elbows leaning against a coffee table in our lounge at 18 Korma Avenue, Royal Oak, Auckland. Gaze fixed on the TV in the right hand corner.

After Mr Sullivan did his introduction, a band came on and ripped up my old life and started me on an obsession that is ongoing.

Ladies and gentlemen - The Beatles...screams...the band steps up...oh my God - the lead singer...Oh yeah I...

...and I'm gone. Lost in a moment. Totally. Irrevocably. A John Lennon fan for evermore. A Beatle obsessive forever.




This was my Heartbreak Hotel moment. John immediately stood out for me. Johnny Rhythm - the smart one, the caustic one, the dreamer, the honest one.

If ever there was a seminal moment, this was it!

That I watched in awed silence, alone, was symbolic of my remoteness. Ross and my parents never shared my hell bent fervour for rock'n'roll. Nor does Jacky. Curious.

For the rest of the sixties, music came to me via my dad's records, television shows like Ed Sullivan's and local variations like C'mon, and the radio. 

Jazz and easy listening sounds were my sixties soundtrack for most of the time. Herb Alpert, Sergio Mendes, Big Band swing and Dave Brubeck were there long before T Rex, Slade, Zeppelin, Sabbath and Purple took over.

In these early days, we had a radiogram type device before dad upgraded equipment. As well as being an early adopter, he was what is now termed an audiophile. It was all about the quality! He built amps, bought new turntables and speakers on a regular basis. Whatever was new! Thank God.

Later, he would build my amps and make speakers for me to go with my Garrard SP25 Mk3 turntable.

Radio Hauraki and later on, 1ZM, were life savers. They provided the signposts to going further out into the musical cosmos. I discovered so many new sounds - progressive stuff, and deep cuts. Sadly radio is no longer the force it was. Now it's niche marketing and, too often, blandness. Then it was less is more, and, therefore, different, and vital to my musical education.

Many highlights for me growing up were musical in nature: hearing Yellow Submarine on Hauraki; seeing the Let It Be movie posters in cinemas; having the Do The Bluebeat single by Dinah Lee; and seeing a promo for the Woodstock movie.

John Lennon was the total package throughout these pre teen years. 

I admired his creativity, intelligence, ability to articulate his feelings, and the ability to cut through his own persona and myth with self deprecating humour. I came to admire other things about him too - how he confronted his masculinity and how caring and loving he was to Yoko. Certainly, he made mistakes and opened himself up to ridicule, but that just made me love him more. 

I know this is crazy talk, but I feel, no doubt like millions of others, that I connected personally with him. He touched our lives so profoundly; his loss is still felt, and always will be.

I not only collected records, but... I also took pictures of them!

I was about 12 when I got my first real records. From a mixture of sources: Christmas presents (1970's Hey Jude - The Beatles); twisting mum's arm at the new food market in Three Kings (1967's Pisces Aquarius Capricorn and Jones Ltd - The Monkees/ 1969's The Autumn Stone - the Small Faces/ 1968's Best of The Cowsills); and the RCA record club (1969's Santana).

My collection slowly built up.

It wasn't until the seventies that I collected back catalogue items from my favourites, and much, much later that I compiled a number of sixties albums and singles that now make my top picks.

And so, here it is, my first list - my top 20 picks of the sixties!

1 The Beatles – The Beatles (1968)
When I was a teenager, I finally caught up with this. We were living in Asquith Avenue in the mid seventies and I played this album endlessly in the front lounge while we were there. It instantly conjures up sunny, carefree days in Mt Albert.

2 Revolver – The Beatles (1966)
Hearing Yellow Submarine on the radio in the back yard of Korma Ave is a distinct memory. Smart move by the Fabs - a kids' song that hooked us kids!

3 Electric Ladyland – Jimi Hendrix (1968) 
In the 4th form I was lent a single of Hey Joe b/w Voodoo Chile (Slight Return) by Clive Webber. I'm pretty certain he's totally forgotten about that but I never will. Wow - especially the B side. This guy sounded dangerous. And huge!

4 Abbey Road – The Beatles (1969)
I remember going to a friend's place, a birthday party and trip to a movie, and his big sister had the Come Together single playing. I looked at the label - an apple. AN APPLE!!! The sound was amazing and the graphic design stunning. I wanted more!

5 Led Zeppelin – Led Zeppelin
(1969)
My first Zeppelin experience came from III, bought in Onehunga. Instantly, I was a fan - taking cuttings from Groove magazine. Then I backtracked via II, to the debut. My parents hated it!

6 Crosby Stills and Nash – Crosby Stills and Nash (1969)
Dad would often be Mr Fixit for friends' Hi Fi issues. I remember him working on a friend's car - something to do with the 8 track cartridge player. I remember seeing the cartridge for this and Who's Next in the car - and thinking how cool the covers were. The music seemed impossibly cool as well.  

7 Woodstock – Various (1969)
I've already mentioned the promo which grabbed my interest, my other memory of this involves aching over the price of the triple LP boxed set in Woolworths (at Three Kings Plaza in Auckland). It seemed so exotic and kind of subversive, and so so out of reach!

8 Santana - Santana (1969)
As pictured at the start of this post. This came from a record club. Dad bought it but I quickly 'borrowed' it and thrashed it! Soul Sacrifice, as performed at Woodstock, and here, is an immense sound. No way can I sit still while this is playing!

9 Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band – The Beatles (1967) 
On one of our family holidays to 
Sydney I spotted the gatefold cover in a store - I was too young to actually buy it, but I still vividly remember that moment. I wanted it badly, but I didn't have enough pocket money saved.

10 Pet Sounds – The Beach Boys (1966)

The Beach Boy singles in the sixties sound tracked our summers via Radio Hauraki. I didn't really appreciate how much until I bought some of their albums from Marbecks when I worked there (much more on this in the second seventies post). I love all the double vinyl sets I bought from Marbecks - this one came with Smiley Smile.

11 Hot Rats – Frank Zappa (1969) 
Crucially, cousin Christine was/is a few years older than me, and lives in the UK. In those days the UK was like Mars - it was impossible to imagine ever being there. She introduced me to this album via It Must Be A Camel (I had some later Zappa albums already but this just seemed too wacky for me in 1969).

12 Let It Bleed – The Rolling Stones (1969)
Ah, the Stones. In the sixties I was much taken with Get Off Of My Cloud on the radio (and Paint It Black). I loved those songs but it was The Beatles that won out over The Rolling Stones. When I started at Marbeck's, Roger educated me to the back catalogue items.

13 II – Led Zeppelin (1969)
I can't hear this without thinking of the Ramelton Road games room where I did my art and designed countless T shirts from silk screen stencils.

14 Highway 61 Revisited – Bob Dylan (1965)
It took until my university years to fully appreciate Dylan via Greg Knowles. Dylan just didn't touch my consciousness in any way during the sixties. I was too young and naive.

15 The Doors – The Doors (1967)

Like Dylan, I didn't know much about Jim Morrison or the Doors in the sixties. It took hearing Riders On The Storm on my mum's car radio, their The Mosquito single, and Apocalypse Now - all that and working at Marbecks - to really educate me to the splenders of The Doors.

16 Beatles For Sale – The Beatles (1964)
This was one of my first buys after Hey Jude.

17 Sweetheart of the Rodeo – The Byrds (1968)
Another band I didn't know until the seventies, although I must have heard their stuff on the radio.

18 Big Brother and the Holding Company – Cheap Thrills (1968)
And another. Working at Marbecks beefed up my collection hugely!

19 Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn and Jones Ltd – The Monkees (1967)
One of the 12 first albums in that picture above - this one came from watching their amazing television show, and hearing the hits on the radio throughout the sixties.

20 Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere – Neil Young (1969)

I got completely hooked on the extended Crosby, Byrds, Stills, Nash, Hollies, Young, Buffalo Springfield, Manassas, Crazy Horse universe in the seventies, largely thanks to Roger Marbeck's influence (much more on that in future posts).

Love and peace - Wozza

Wow, reality, what a concept (Robin Williams)

Tonight and forever (You may say I'm a dreamer - Chapter 6, part 6)

With Annette, Jo and PJ

By 1989, Colin had moved on,  and we were sick of living in Auckland. 

Dad had moved on as well and had remarried by June. Second wife Nita had been mum's bridesmaid all those years before. 

Jacky and I welcomed the marriage, Ross was less magnanimous. The wedding went well, I spoke at the wedding to welcome Nita to the whanau, and clearly Dad was happy and that was enough for me. Both he and Nita had had enough tragedy and bad days.

Inevitably, dad now had less space in his life for the grand kids. That's just a fact - we certainly didn't begrudge him. Ross had also recently married and, naturally, he was now less inclined to spend time with us as well. 

Ross has always needed a best friend. In younger years he'd always latch onto one friend at a time and pretty much ignore everyone else while in that friendship. Lynda was his first female best friend. They are well suited and, to this day, they remain a tight unit with their two sons.

Our sibling relationship hasn't really changed much over the years. Typical of brothers, we have always been on the opposite sides of issues, and we've always found things to fight about. 

Growing up, there were many heated discussions at the dinner table as my ideas and thoughts were often at odds with his and my parents. An example is the racially selected Springbok tour in 1981. I marched against it and in our house, I was definitely alone on the issue.

Ross and dad had many things in common. I stood outside their relationship. I enjoy art and literature, they loved electronics and making things that produce noise (model airplanes, go carts, and so on). 

Ross has a science degree, mine's in the arts. I love music with a passion, he doesn't. I love sport, he doesn't. He's good with money. I'm not. He's happy working from home. I'm not.

I could go on but, believe me, the sequence holds up. We're opposites.

I love my brother, but the only thing we really have in common is our parents and now they are not around anymore.

Briefly when dad died we had a moment but that passed and we live our own lives with our own families. So be it.

For all these reasons, there was nothing keeping us in Auckland.

Dornwell Road in Three Kings had been a good central spot to live. While I commuted to Macleans, Keegan went to Three Kings Primary and enjoyed the multi-cultural feel there. Jacky was at home, looking after Adam and our new baby, Samantha. They were yet to start school so that also contributed to our rationalisation that this was a timely move.

With Peter Joyce and magazine crew,
the hirsute, colourful shirts/ skinny tie years had continued

Nelson came from out of the blue, more accurately, from out of the Education Gazette. I'd never been there and when I told Jacky of an assistant Head of English job at a Nelson school she said, perkily, "Yeah - I could live in Nelson!"

Everything fell into place quickly. I got the job after a phone call, we sold our house in Three Kings, flew down during a long weekend for a look around and bought a house in Wakefield before flying back to pack up the kids.

Chilling at Waimea

We moved in the May holidays of 1989. Our place looked over pine tree forests, farmland and a river. Snow peaked mountains were visible from our second floor bedroom. Easy to get blase about all this!

After Macleans, Waimea College was a major shock to the system. No sophisticated  city kids here. Instead, the rural client base provided a more laid back, basic feel. For two terms I struggled with trying to maintain high Macleans' values while accepting my new reality. 

No one had ever sworn at me before. A boy in my class told me to 'Firetruck Off!' It was a shock! And I didn't like it.

Actually, I didn't know what to do. When it happened I went immediately to the Associate Deputy Principal, Geoff Ashton and asked his advice. Geoff was always pretty calm and he handled things but I went back to class feeling discombobulated.

I'd also walked into a situation where two English staff members (Mary Hall and Grant Rawlence) had been passed over for the job given to me. They were frosty and watching me keenly!

PJ wisely takes a step backwards. The big hair years!

But then the nineties started and the Head of English (Aileen Ambler) left on promotion, leaving me in temporary charge. Fellow English staff members, Peter Joyce, Jo Kahl and Annette Sivak were great fun, fabulous teachers and kind hearted souls. The students stopped swearing at me and actually turned out to be good sorts!

I was rewarded with the permanent job and started to build on the confidence that Colin had kick started in me. The Head of English job came largely from being in the right place at the right time. It's ironic - after all those failed attempts as a student, since then I have continued to have huge success.

Some wonderful characters crossed my path at Waimea. Students like James Scott, Sam and Leda Sivak, Rowena McQueen, Chris Seifried, Kimberly Anderson, Susie Dulieu, Natasha Fijn and Jason Richards. They made life very easy for me. 

Jason, of course, is well known to NZ racing enthusiasts. Tragically, he passed away in 2011. The wiki link fails to mention his schooling, where we knew him (and remember him) for his killer smile and personality.

Peter Joyce is a great English teacher, very intelligent, and hugely funny. We became tennis partners and had a lot of fun at pub quizzes. One of his inspired ideas was to host a games and dessert night for the department - top entertainment!! I'm sure he won't mind me thinking that (to myself). 

John Clarke was also on the staff - we'd cross paths many times in the years to come, including in the Middle East! Tragically, he also died far too young. Like Jason, Clarkie was a fine human being.

With the Borlases

More firm close friendships kicked off during the Nelson nineties. 

Annette's family moved into the house next to us in Wakefield. The Sivaks  - Sam, Leda, Luke and Stas became great neighbours and friends. Like the Borlases - another family living close by that Jacky made friends with. Duncan, Steph, Terri, and Steve (close in age to Adam) continue to be our southern Spring Grove buddies.

With Annette and Stas

These Nelson years were also important for Jade Michelle Purdy's emergence (yep - more on this and Stephanie Borlase's antics coming in the Family Man chapter). 

It was during my five years at Waimea that I also started this autobiography. It ended with a comment along the lines of - what next in my brilliant career? 

That thought was left hanging and...it will continue to do so - you'll have to wait for the next bits and the family history - up next is the music chapter, as per the original text.

Love and peace - Wozza