In 1976 I had my music gap year. I was seven years old. I had been buying records since I was four. There were two main reasons for my music gap year. Firstly, the music in the charts, and therefore the music I had access to, was going a bit soft. Glam rock, with its fast and simple riffs (perfect for a kid like me to jump about to) had fallen out of fashion and many of the bands and…

One by one they fell. One by one they changed. One by one you watched your classmates step out of their childhood. They changed in the way they spoke and in the things that they spoke about. They changed the way they wore their school uniform, applying rebellious alterations where they could. The standard school tie was jettisoned for one of a much slender appearance. Expensive brogues replaced standard "back to school" shoes bought cheaply from a local factory outlet.…