The Currency Of Pop - Week 1. Ep 1.

So...the humble 7" single. In the first of two weeks devoted to these delightful pieces of art, I will be trying to understand the importance of them, both from a nostalgia perspective and from the point of view of us pop music fans back in the 70's and 80's.

Where to start? I know, the beginning.

My Mum and Dad had a few records, mainly Sinatra and Herb Alpert LPs and some classical stuff that didn't interest me at all. They also had a bunch of singles. Most of which were these weird 4 track EPs of hit singles covered by unknown artists. No idea why they had them. Oh and some Bachelors singles. But in the midst of this lot I found my first ever Beatles record (it kinda became mine by stealth, a bit like my sister's Ghost Town single many years later). Can't Buy Me Love b/w You Can't Do That on the Parlophone label (R5114).
The thing that struck me about it was the sheer energy that it exuded. It literally jumped out of the speakers (of a green Dansette) at me in a way that was somewhat shocking, but I knew I liked it. And so I played it. A lot. I actually liked the b-side even more than the hit song. What I later found out to be John Lennon's voice, made me realise, probably for the first time, that these pop songs could exude all sorts of emotions, including some not very "nice" ones. The singer of You Can't Do That was clearly somewhat cross at someone. I didn't really know why, but it sounded bloody good.
It was certainly a bit different from Long Haired Lover From Liverpool and Tie A Yellow Ribbon Round The Old Oak Tree (they making up the rest of my "collection").