The Bells.......

Two months ago, I went to see my Godson give a presentation at his “family assembly” in the same Junior School (2nd grade) assembly hall I sat in every school-day morning of my life over 34 years ago. Fifty years ago this may not have been a big deal, but for me, I’ve attended three other schools, moved away to University and eventually moved to the other side of the Atlantic Ocean since that time! It was a serious blast from the past.

My Godson (and his classmates) did an amazing job and despite the popular view that the younger generation have gone to hell in a handbag – if anything the school and class seemed even more orderly and well behaved than things seemed in my time.

I know you wonder what this has to do with music. Well outside of my home, this very hall was the location of many chapters in my book of musical development.

Morning assembly was, for me, a dire rigmarole that got in the way of the far more interesting parts of the school day. A rotating schedule of teachers (including Head Teacher “Mr. Woodcock” – I kid you not!!!) would lead us in prayer, berate us for the latest disciplinary issues and deal with general school admin – all pretty standard (and dull) stuff. But then there was the “musical assembly”

Musical assembly usually consisted of everyone being coached in the art of singing a simple uptempo hymn such a “Sing Hosanna” (actually pretty fun – these were simpler and less cynical times!). The teacher of the day would also introduce us to a piece of music. For some teachers, this would clearly involve a quick scan of the limited selection of vinyl in the staff room and indifferently regurgitating some standard background to the piece and use the time playing the music to catch up on some marking!

Others actually LIKED music and would actually present their music with a little knowledge and enthusiasm. Some of the younger female teachers would enjoy their moment of fun presenting tunes by the Beatles and (if they were REALLY trendy) the Bay City Rollers. Yet there were two particular musical assemblies that stuck with me.

Both involved a male teacher from “upper juniors” (4th and 5th grade), I can’t for the life of me remember his name (you can see how my mind works by now – can’t remember his name but remember the music). A very trendy guy to our young eyes, short and skinny but a few inches taller owing to being perched on top of dangerous looking 3”platform shoes (de rigueur at that time) – he completed the look with his Benny Anderson beard and hugely flared trousers!

And in a very UN-trendy way, his first musical assembly introduced us to Edvard Grieg’s “Peer Gynt” – his favorite music from HIS childhood. Carefully he stepped us though the story of the play to which the music was originally an accompaniment. The sense of journey and mood I felt as we collectively listened was immense – I still draw the same “Fantasia” styled mental images as I listen to “Morning Mood” or “In the Hall of the Mountain King”. We will get to the big issue of prog rock in later entries but I am convinced that this piece, which deliberately illustrates the story in musical themes has a lot to do with why I love this particular genre. Here is a taste




Secondly (and for the first time we might stray into musical territory I share with a few of you) was the 2 part “Tubular Bells” musical assembly mini-series!

Our teacher introduced us to this with a lengthy preamble, where he explained that this was the record that finally shook away his exclusive liking of classical music, how we could expect to hear a quiet, and simple, start build into louder and more complicated bit and though various changes eventually end in a musical deconstruction that resembled a modern day “Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra.” As he removed the album from the sleeve, I immediately recognized the album as one my oldest brother had in his collection – at this point I’d rarely paid any attention to anything either of my brothers played – this would prove to be a big reason why I’d start to give their music the time of day!

If you have never heard the opening bars of Tubular Bells, I encourage you to seek it out as soon as you are done reading here. Literally within a little over ten notes I was completely hooked – a simple haunting piano refrain echoed by glockenspiel. A time signature of God knows what (not that I knew of time signatures at that point ) seemed to pull me in and drag me along – it was unlike anything I’d ever heard! Once the aggressive crunching electric guitars took hold, I was sold. At seven years old, some of this music was unsettling, some exciting and, as master of ceremonies Vivian Stanshall brings proceedings to a close by introducing the tubular bells, some was downright exhilarating!



I rushed home that evening and found my brother’s copy – with it’s almost magical “twisted bell” cover art and cover note reminding me that I could not play this album on old tin boxes (no matter what they are fitted with) you knew the contents were something out of the ordinary. I remember wondering what on earth the record label was all about (Virgin Records…..naked Gemini twins sat on top of a serpent – it’s not hard to hazard a guess now). After the vinyl was given the traditional “stack, thwack and smack” treatment by the gramophone, I was back in my other world – I did not need Dad to encourage me to close my eyes at this point – this was ALL MINE.

By the time musical assembly part 2 rolled around the following week, I did not need an introduction – I was so familiar with “part 2” by this point, I could have given the assembly.
Tubular bells is now more a brand than a piece of music – after 5 or more reworkings (the sequels, the weird millennium thing, the orchestral version, the update, the remix etc etc) it could be easy to forget the original. For me, I can go a couple of years without listening to it, but when I do….I can pre-empt every note, jangle, flaw, bit of fret noise…everything, in all it’s wonder. It’s my bridge from kids music and classical music to the music of the day, the music my brothers listened to and, most importantly, my own taste….

More next time….

A brief programming note – I’ve covered a lot of ancient history so far, but…. Off to NYC to see A-Ha on their final tour this weekend, so expect a review, pics (if the camera police let me) and thoughts on A-Ha (and if you can make the connection between Tubular Bells and A-Ha – one of my all time favorite bands, your taste is as twisted as mine because It’s a long journey between them and even I’m not sure how I got there!)