Hit selection 1964-1984

Paul Cooijmans bc.

Introduction

Below is my choice from "hit" singles of 1964 to 1984. Songs appearing on albums but not on singles are, though often better than "hits", not included (give or take a few exceptions). The order of the songs within a year is random. I was born in 1965 and largely lost interest in pop music, in favour of jazz and classical music, in 1984. If one has lived long enough to know these songs "first-hand", the list may be a journey "back in time".

Would it be for "album" music — and I like that better than singles, but to write an article on albums would make little sense as the music in question would not be known to most — my favourite bands and musicians would be Van Halen (David Lee Roth period), Pink Floyd (up to The Wall), Led Zeppelin, Frank Zappa, AC/DC (the Bon Scott period), Clannad, Soft Machine, and the Doors. My favourite guitarists are Eddie Van Halen and Allan Holdsworth (note his Soft Machine period, for instance the song "Hazard profile [part I]"). My favourite jazz musician was Chet Baker. Going further back, there are some good 20th century composers I'll not mention by name now, and Erik Satie, J. S. Bach, John Dowland, various Renaissance and medieval polyphony, and I know of attempts to revive prehistoric music using (replicas of) ancient instruments and artefacts.

The list

1984

1983

1982

1981

1980

1979

1978

This is the year in which I started buying records, the first being the album Bat out of hell by Meatloaf. So from this year on, I was (also) listening to music I had chosen, instead of only depending on what happened to be broadcast on radio and television.

1977

1976

1975

1974

1973

This seems to be about the last year from which the music resides in what I would call my "childhood memory". From about 1974 onward, I seem to have an "adult memory" for music. The adult memory appears to have made a more narrow selection in terms of genres. The music with the strongest connection to my childhood is from the years 1967 to 1973.

1972

1971

1970

1969

1968

1967

1966

1965

1964

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