Unhealthy Obsessions

I have always had that "fanboy" collector mentality, which is fine. You acquire all the official releases and then pick up some bootlegs, then onto the solo albums ... but sometimes you just go too far.

ELO

c.1977 (aged 12) . I think it began with buying "A New World Record" released the previous year. It was the first proper LP that I bought with my own money (up until this point I had only owned compilation albums and singles). My assertion that they were the greatest band in the world was confirmed with the release of "Out of The Blue".

Unhealthy obsession - purchasing the Violinski - Clog Dance 45 by ELO violinist Mick Kaminski. The Clash released their Cost of Living EP at about the same time - I didn't buy it, shame.

Hawkwind

c. 1980 - 1983 (aged 15 - 18) . I think I blame Deek for this. He lent me PXR5 and I was hooked, and with lyrics like these who wouldn't be?

Robots call, but we don't answer to their wail
Computers hum and bright
lights flash to no avail
The course has been set for us to go in light years
past
Outlaws of time, visions of an ancient cast
And so we search until
we find
the answers that we left behind
and we go from star to star
to find the dream
And we will pursue the race
that made us outlaws
of this space
and led us to become a seed of life,PXR5, PXR5

Unhealthy obsession - not having learned my lesson after purchasing the woeful "Choose Your Masques" in 1982 - I went on to see the band in 1983 live (for the 4th time) at Dundee students union. Unfortunately the small stage could not fully accommodate the wind's "space totem" and Dave Brock was wearing a skin-tight body stocking. My mate Shaun and I "hung out" with them backstage - I was wearing a labcoat, shame.

The Monochrome Set

c. 1983 - 1987 (aged 18 -21) . I still love this band and would urge anyone who is even vaguely interested in clever post-punk to investigate Volume,Contrast, Brilliance; Strange Boutique, Eligible Bachelors and Love Zombies.

Unhealthy obsession - 1985, blagging my way into Fat Sams in Dundee with a friend on the pretext of working for the fictitious fanzine "Is it a fish". Unfortunately when it came to interviewing Bid the charismatic lead singer I was so starstruck I was pretty much struck dumb. Bid felt so sorry for me that he gave my his bowl of ice cream which I stared at in awe as if I had been given custody of the holy grail. I continued to buy Monochrome Set records out of loyalty long after my obsession ended including 1993's Charade (which was very poor indeed).