Jul 30, 2022·edited Jul 30, 2022Liked by Rowan Davies, Jon Millington
Great article James - perfectly captures that "I'll listen to anything" period when your ears are wide open and you haven't yet chosen your tribe.
Also, Northop Hall!! What I remember about Northop Hall is that it had a ford across the road, which always fascinated me, even though the A55 had long since bypassed it.
I grew up in Halkyn., but I was a dozen years ahead of you, so my "not sure why I like this" track was from an earlier Don.
Don McLean's American Pie. His high school sounded a lot more interesting than mine. Nobody was kicking off their shoes and dancing in the gym at Holywell High. Or if they did, they didn't invite me.
Here was another old guy, trading on nostalgia and lamenting 'the day the music died'.
Hang on just a minute, Don. You mean I'm only just discovering this stuff and I've already missed the best?
But, Boys of Summer is a classic. It's so much more than just another bland slice of AOR. It's a rock elegy to a dead romance, or maybe one that never was. And let's face it, where else could you find a guitar solo that sounds like seagulls?
The mid-80s was like Jurassic Park for rock dinosaurs, with David Hepworth as a sort of Richard Attenborough, exhibiting them in an insecure Q magazine to alarmed teenagers
There’s also a terrific interview with Mike Campbell, who co-wrote Boys Of Summer and came up with the original riff, about the writing of the song, on YouTube…
Don Henley himself didn’t care for the music video. He viewed music videos as a necessary evil, as they compromise a fundamental element of the music: They define a visual image of the song, that didn’t really exist - and he believes music should allow each listener to form their own image in their mind.
Great article James - perfectly captures that "I'll listen to anything" period when your ears are wide open and you haven't yet chosen your tribe.
Also, Northop Hall!! What I remember about Northop Hall is that it had a ford across the road, which always fascinated me, even though the A55 had long since bypassed it.
I grew up in Halkyn., but I was a dozen years ahead of you, so my "not sure why I like this" track was from an earlier Don.
Don McLean's American Pie. His high school sounded a lot more interesting than mine. Nobody was kicking off their shoes and dancing in the gym at Holywell High. Or if they did, they didn't invite me.
Here was another old guy, trading on nostalgia and lamenting 'the day the music died'.
Hang on just a minute, Don. You mean I'm only just discovering this stuff and I've already missed the best?
But, Boys of Summer is a classic. It's so much more than just another bland slice of AOR. It's a rock elegy to a dead romance, or maybe one that never was. And let's face it, where else could you find a guitar solo that sounds like seagulls?
The mid-80s was like Jurassic Park for rock dinosaurs, with David Hepworth as a sort of Richard Attenborough, exhibiting them in an insecure Q magazine to alarmed teenagers
There’s also a terrific interview with Mike Campbell, who co-wrote Boys Of Summer and came up with the original riff, about the writing of the song, on YouTube…
https://youtu.be/mxBYBnPJfGQ
Don Henley himself didn’t care for the music video. He viewed music videos as a necessary evil, as they compromise a fundamental element of the music: They define a visual image of the song, that didn’t really exist - and he believes music should allow each listener to form their own image in their mind.