Well it’s been a couple of fucked up months with this stupid Covid shit. Which means I haven’t written a thing on my blog since early February when I went to my last concert of the year. So, I thought it was about time I write about something.
In the past few weeks, I have seen posts on Facebook challenging people to name ten albums that have influenced their music taste and upbringing. One album cover a day with no explanation or anything. Not sure why I was never challenged, or wait, maybe I was and just ignored it. Oops, sorry if you challenged me and I didn’t take on the challenge. But now, I am up for it but I am playing by my own rules. I might do more then one a day and then it might take me months to do it. Time will tell. But I also want to talk about why the album was an influence on me. So here we go!
I have to go with the album by the Canadian icon Stompin’ Tom Connors, and that album being Stompin’ Tom And The Hockey Song. An album that was released in 1972, but caught my attention in probably 1976-77. As a young kid my dream in life was to be the next Guy Lafleur, and any Canadian who grew up in the 70’s knows that he was one of the best hockey players of the 70’s, winning scoring titles and Stanley Cups by the handful with the Montreal Canadians, my favourite team as a child.
Well because I was such a hockey fan, I used to and still do (how I miss watching hockey) watch Saturday night Hockey Night in Canada. While watching the games as a youngster, and back in them days it was always either Montreal or Toronto on the tube, and lots of times both teams playing each other. And you were either a Habs fan or Leafs fan, I was a Canadians fan (Habs) because of Lafleur and they always won, as a kid how could you not cheer for a team that always wins. Well it was while watching these games that I first heard the song “The Hockey Song”, well fuck me, that was the coolest thing I had heard, being an aspiring hockey player and fan of the game, someone sing about the game of hockey. The first song I could actually relate too. I had to ask my dad who sang that song, well Tommy,” that is Stompin’ Tom Connors”. I had to have that song, so off it was to probably Woolworth’s, K-Mart or something like that to get the album. SO, that would be my first album I ever owned, and it is still the same copy I have to this day. That was bought when I was 6 or 7 years old. And ya it has seen better days, it’s rough looking. But man, I played that album as a little kid with no regards to condition or knowing how to look after vinyl. And, for the longest time, the main song I ever wanted to listen to was the last song on side one. So, you can imagine what the vinyl looks like with someone so young trying to line up to that last song. Though I did really like the first song too “The Consumer”. So, the record got abused with a young kid trying to listen to just a few select songs. Pick up the needle, drop the needle, oh the abuse. Of course, as I got older, I learned to appreciate the full album. Then of course there are the teenage years, when you had to pull out this album and relive the old days. Now, you’re a teenage drunk and still playing the album at parties and such, turntable is getting bumped while dancing in the living room and who knows what else is going on. I think I used to drive my friends nuts by putting this on, but then there were always those few friends that would sing ol’ Stompin’ Tom along with me. Think we cleared out the room a few times singing to Stompin’ Tom.
Having just given’ this album a spin again, it sure brings back some great memories. And I should also get myself another copy of this album that is in a little better condition.
