All sorts of early memories....

Hearing Judy Teen on my new transistor radio and being drawn in and totally smitten by the quirkiness of the sound.

Waiting for TOTP round my friend Penny's house where they had a colour TV but, when she informed me that she thought CR were rubbish and she would laugh all through the song, taking off on my bike and pedalling the best part of 2 miles back to my house flat out and watching Judy Teen in B&W but without distraction

Begging on my knees on the kitchen floor to be allowed to go to my first gig.

At my 2nd gig being desperate to meet the band but getting beaten back at the stage door by all the taller and older people

Finally getting a bedroom of my own (after years of sharing with younger sister) and plastering the walls with pictures and cuttings of Steve and the band.

Collecting all the albums on cassette (so I could play them) and vinyl too (whilst I saved up for my own record player) - a friend kindly transfered all the singles and b sides to cassette for me.

Begging copies of the NME and Melody Maker from a friend and saving every cutting with even the smallest mention of SH&CR

Happy days and some things haven't changed...the cuttings collection is enormous

My favourite memory is of calling the Simon Bates show back in 1977(?) where Steve was the guest that evening.

I worked in a factory back then and the radio played all day long. On this particular day they were plugging the show and Steve being the guest so I told everyone to listen in as I was going to call in and talk to Steve.

If I remember correctly the lines opened at 6pm for you to call in with your question. The show was live from 7 to 8pm and if they wanted to use your question then they would call you back. So I called in and eventually got through, left my question and hung up.

I was 16 years old and painfully shy at the time so this was a huge thing for me. I felt sick waiting for the call (don't know why I was so convinced I would get picked!!) we had the radio on in the kitchen, my dad had his on in the garage and my sister had hers on in our bedroom. Time went by and I started to think I wasn't going to get on when the phone rung! I actually thought it was a wind up and it was one of my work mates, especially when they asked me to count down from 10 to 1 as a sound check but I went through with it anyway. But sure enough it was real alright and they told me to listen through the phone as if I was listening in on the radio and eventually Simon would say something about going all the way up to Scotland for the next call and I was to just go with the flow. Well I went with the flow alright. My mum had to get me a bucket as I thought I was going to vomit!! Infact just as we wound up I actually did!

So I got to talk to Steve and asked him something about his stage costumes, can't quite remember what I said but I do know that I sounded tiny and petrified. I was so excited going in to work the next day - but none of my friends had listened as they never thought for a minute I would do it!

Anyway here is the funny thing about this whole experience. A few years ago I was at Karen's house with, and I hope I've remembered the right people, Peter JH and Kees. We had been at a gig at Blackheath and were in Karen's living room coming back down to earth again when we got talking about memories of Steve and I told them this story. Before I finished telling it Karen had disappeared from the room. When she returned she had an old cassette which she put in the machine and lo and behold there it was!!

SHE HAD THE SHOW TAPED FROM 1977 AND THERE I WAS!!!

Unbelievable eh!! What a memory. My mum and I are talking about it now as I am writing this and she is rolling about laughing as we remember it...........

Ann - I need to find a way to transfer this to CD for you....fortunately (as you know) the sound of the bucket being used is not included

Anyone out there have a means of converting cassette to CD?

That would be so nice if we could all hear it on here. I've heard it , a wee little scottish girl, the Ann we all know and love , captured in such an timeless flight ! its magic.

That would be the Belguim trip mate? Am I allowed on here to say look at my page (Mr_Sofitie's) on Pete's site for the answer?

That's in answer to post 37

Ray Smith wrote:
Hi Ray

If you want to respond to a specific post rather than the thread as a whole click on the 'Quote' button instead of 'Reply'.

This makes sure that the post you are responding to is included in your response.

Andy