Sally’s Drive Time Playlist #Music to get the weekend started – 1974 – Tiger Feet by Mud, Devil Gate Drive by Suzi Quatro

Welcome to my browse through my various playlists, for every mood, and most usually listened to when in the car or exercising. Some of the tracks on my playlist have been favourites for nearly 50 years. Others that I listen to regularly bring back memories of some of the tougher times in life, but you can’t blame the music for those!

I began married life in late 1973 in a large, dark and chilling married quarter based at RAF Waddington in Lincolnshire. The houses were built during the war and had not been updated since. The walls were painted a regulation mud colour and all the wood work was dark brown gloss. It came fully furnished with mismatched sofas and chairs, old oak dining room table and beds that had seen a lot of traffic.

However, I was in full new bride mode and added framed prints to the walls and colourful cushions to the mottled beige sofas.

I did not drive so was more or less restricted to base during the week. There was a food shop for residents of the station and I would walk over daily to buy essentials, more for the exercise and the chance to meet another person.

My husband was a co-pilot on the iconic RAF bomber the Vulcan. The squadron would be away for ten days at a time on training exercises in places such as Goose Bay in Canada, so until I met a few of the other wives it was quite lonely. Social life was good with a function on in the mess most weekends and that was fine when my husband was home. Many of the wives already had young children and were busy but I eventually met up with a handful who like me found themselves stuck in the wilds with time on their hands.

What I did have was a radio, a gramophone player and my Wilbur Smith books. Radio One by now was hugely popular and the Breakfast Show was switched on first thing and music would be playing in the background all day. The DJs were the media stars of the time and included John Peel, Tony Blackburn, and believe it or not… Terry Wogan.

The top hits of 1974 were mixed and probably one of the most popular was David Essex with Gonna Make You A Star, The Three Degrees with When Will I See You Again, Terry Jacks and Seasons in the Sun, Mud with Tiger Feet (great hit in the mess on Saturday night) and the song that used to end the evening’s entertainment, the deep and sexy voice of Mr. Barry White with You’re My First, My Last, My Everything.

However, 1974 was one of my dancing years and I was a really cheap date. A half pint of lager and out on the dance floor until the music stopped. Here are two tracks still on my playlist today and great motivating me on cold wet mornings. Once a rock chick.. always a rock chick!!!!!

Here is Mud with Tiger Feet – something to get you up from that desk……

And here is Suzi Quatro – Devil Gate Drive – Suzi Quatro Amazon

If you have certain songs that bring memories back.. good or not so good, then please leave the title or even a link to YouTube in the comments, and I will include in a request show later in the series. Thanks Sally.