• Home
  • About
  • Music
  • Contact
  • Falling A Records
  • Miniatures 2020
  • Falling A shop
  • Archive
Barry Lamb
BL

My grandfather's playlist...

28/6/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture

I have been thinking of doing a number of podcasts about my musical influences and key points in my musical journey but felt the blog / playlist idea would suit it better. I can then add to the playlist and edit the blog as I remember things that I would otherwise miss. 

My grandfather Doug H Lamb had a profound impact on my life and musical landscape. He was from New Jersey but moved to England at a young age after his father died. He and my grandmother lived in Middle Mill House in Colchester for a period before becoming wardens of a youth hostel in Maldon, Essex. 

He ran a sailing school on the Blackwater estuary and often would have under privileged inner city children attend on residential sailing holidays. He was a Quaker, an active CND campaigner and a staunch amnesty international supporter and socialist. In the early 1960's he was awarded the Empire medal (now called the MBE) in the Queens honours list for services to British youth. The picture above was taken by the local paper after he received his award. He is wearing the medal. Such was his humility that I didn't even know that he had been awarded this until I heard it mentioned at his funeral in 1983. 

I have some early childhood memories of the youth hostel in Maldon. We had a number of family Christmas get togethers there with relations from all over coming to stay at the hostel for a few days over Christmas. The picture below was taken in the grounds of the hostel in the summer of 1966. I am seated on my grandfathers lap. My grandmother is on the right of the picture and her brother David in the centre with his youngest daughter playing on the grass.

My grandfather's impact on my musical journey was one that broadened my musical taste, shaped my worldview and my spiritual view of life. He also had a profound impact on my sense of humour. Whilst as a teenager I was mostly interested in rock music, I always found something of interest in his small collection of records. Without any doubt he introduced me to the blues and opened my ears to folk music. 

He also showed interest in everything I was listening to. I remember that he really enjoyed hearing Led Zeppelin III and was intrigued by punk. Always fascinated by youthful passion and energy. One weekend in May 1981 myself, Pete and another friend of ours stayed over at my grandparents and my grandfather took us to a local concert organised by some youths he had been working with. The concert was at Maldon Jubilee Hall on May 1st and featured three punk bands, The Accidents, The Americans & The Fear Of Sex. I was intrigued by my grandfathers interest in the music but also the goodwill towards him from among the local subculture of disenfranchised youths. There were resounding words of "You are really lucky to have such a cool grandad".

I wrote the lyrics to the second part of "Ruin Moon" within days of his death. The second part has never formally been released but we will perhaps release it when we revisit the insane picnic catalogue. 

The Two Headed Emperor "Goldhanger Creek" album and the forthcoming album "Tales From A Mariners Pen" both hark back to memories of sailing on the Blackwater Estuary. The nautical themes are most certainly passed down from my grandfather and also my father who himself has been a seasoned yachtsman. 

The final song in the playlist is "Deep Blue Sea" by the Weavers. A song that I would often hear him sing and in some small way inspired the atmosphere of both the aforementioned albums. Many place references and some of the names in the tracks are attached to very vivid childhood memories around the river Blackwater, the short period where my family lived in Tollesbury and many visits to my grandparents in Maldon and later in Goldhanger. 

Picture

0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Picture

    Archive

    These pages represent my best attempt at a musical journal, travelogue, archive record of my musical landscape and everything I have been involved in over the years. It features celebrated projects to undeveloped ideas, sketchpad moments, memories and general stuff that has been part of my creative endeavours and the Falling A Records story. I am attempting to place things in chronological order though as time passes and I trawl the crates in my loft, I am discovering that my record keeping has been quite vague at times. Please feel free to interact and correct where necessary. The page also serves as the archive page for the website and is where we post our various announcements etc.,
    It's very much a work in progress. 

    "a work of art is never finished, it is merely abandoned" 

    Archives

    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    May 2017
    December 2016
    June 2016
    April 2016
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    June 2014
    April 2014
    January 2014
    September 2013
    June 2013
    February 2012
    October 2011
    September 2011
    March 2011
    April 2010
    March 2010
    February 2010
    June 2009
    April 2009
    April 2008
    November 2007
    July 2007
    May 2007
    January 2006
    July 2004
    May 2004
    April 2004
    March 2004
    February 2004
    May 1983
    December 1982
    August 1982
    June 1980
    October 1978
    August 1978
    December 1977
    November 1974
    December 1969
    October 1961
    March 1959

    Categories

    All
    Archive
    Cassette Culture
    Catalogue
    Clacton Years
    Cloud Quartet
    Definitive Moments In The Musical Landscape Of A Noise Architect
    Dynamite Vision Years
    Falling A Archive
    Influences
    Jazz
    Musical
    Music Press
    Rock Against Racism
    Social Media
    Stone Premonitions
    Synth Pop
    The Insane Picnic

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly