As I read the early postings I was stirred by the memories but the ones from johnross & Joe Offer really hit home. All those names, the songs I used to hear, etc etc. I used to have a few of the records but they've all gone.

Another realisation that hit me (probably inevitable when you come across such a concentrated list) is the skew; to say "bias" might give the wrong impression. A cursory perusal reveals very few women and almost no "ethnics" for want of a better descriptor. As an old fart myself I suspect what several of us have revealed is the context in which we grew from 15 to 25 years old, when (for myself at least) things were different, in terms of gender-equality and ethnic visibility, from what they are now. I wonder what those 15-25 year olds of today will include in their lists in 40 years' time.

I imagine many of the records mentioned above will always have the same sort of status as the items in collections like those of the collectors from the 19th century and earlier. It would be a great pity if there were no archival copies of them and the important subsequent items from later contexts.

Cheers, Rowan