Wham Glam Thank You Ma'am

Searching thru the shed the other day (as is my want since all my unworldly possessions ie cassettes, old mags, shit I no longer need but can’t throw away, lurk in there) I came across a dozen hand written pages of a much younger Kami. A Kami that didn’t actually exist yet, instead it was an 11 year old Cammy who was making his own Top 10 lists of songs! Starting from 30^th June 1975 and winding down 10^th December 1978 I kept an unofficial, very tardy, pointless and nerdy list of my fave songs at the time. Some of it is incredibly embarrassing… some of it is just funny but looking over it all now I can also trace my musical roots, almost pinpoint when certain artists, songs and albums entered my psyche.

So, having nothing else to do I think I might inflict the charts on you year by year. (with the odd biographical note) - kami

Let’s start at the beginning.

Top 10 30^th June 1975. (11 ½ years old)

1 David Bowie Sorrow

2 Beatles Twist And Shout

3 Skyhooks Ego Is Not A Dirty Word

4 Elvis Presley Jailhouse Rock

5 Suzi Quatro 48 Crash

6 Pilot January

7 Elton John Crocodile Rock

8 Garry Glitter Do You Wanna Touch

9 Alvin Stardust Coo Ca Choo

10 Wizzard See My Baby Jive

I can remember going on a Sunday drive with my parents to Mt Gambier to visit relatives and the local AM station 5SE was having a ‘battle of the bands’ all day – playing song vs song with people ringing in to vote on them. (no internet, no sms you had to get off yer arse and go to a telephone) Bowie’s “Sorrow” eventually won. It was a song I’d never heard before but after hearing it most of the day as we drove around I fell in love with it. That’s about when I decided to do the charts. Hey I was a geekboy. 1975 was the middle of the Glam Era too so of course Gazza and Alvin and Wizzard were top of the charts (and on all the compilations) Elvis and Beatles reflect my parents influence, especially Elvis- my mum loved him (still does). Skyhooks were, interestingly enough, the only Aussie band at that stage. I think we still had the faulty b&w telly that mum had picked up from the pub she worked at that couldn’t pick up the ABC so I couldn’t watch Countdown. I had to rely on the radio (which was still good back then) and friends. I had received a cassette recorder the previous year I think for Xmas along with Suzi’s Can The Can album and Gazza’s Touch Me Album.