In the summer of 1972 I had just finished a term and a half at Tadcaster Grammar School in West Yorkshire and was working in the warehouse at the Bass Charrington Tower brewery in the town of Tadcaster itself. I knew that my hopes of getting sufficient A-level grades to get to university were pretty thin and I had decided that all I wanted to do was to earn some money, get a hi-fi and listen to music. It seemed pretty straightforward really.
The sound system came in stages from Comet in Armley Road, Leeds. In those days Comet was the revolutionary ‘cut-price’ electrical retailer. I started with a Tandberg Thorens record deck (which I still own and use), a Wharfdale Linton amplifier and a set of KRD (Koss Red Devil) headphones that were later cannibalised for disco use.
I used to buy a lot of music mail order from Virgin and one of my best & favourite purchases was Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon. I still vividly remember the joy of hearing the album in full through headphones in stereo, could music get any better than this?
When I heard the news of Richard Wright’s death yesterday all those feelings of excitement at the early listening to the full sound of his band’s playing came rushing back.
Rest in Peace Rick.
“I am not frightened of dying, any time will do.” The great gig in the sky.
The Incisal Edge 