Further to my previous post, I was rifling through some old school books in my library and found a list of albums handwritten on a torn out piece of paper. It was lying in the back of a Year 8 novel (I don't know how I still have it!) and was in my hand. So the year is 1972 most likely, or early the following year.

I looked over the list and many of the albums were not in my own collection, and wondering at a clue as to its provenance, noticed a faded J and two quavers in the top right corner. I puzzled over this slight mystery for a day or two. I went for short walks and listened to tracks from the albums. At Leon Russell's "Roll Away the Stone" the penny dropped.

This was a list of my brother John's albums, ones that I had obviously been influenced by, on the occasions he came down from Queensland and stayed for (invariably) short periods. When only us boys were home, he would play them loudly, as I faintly recall, impossible for anyone to miss. Many of his selections I obviously liked and it broadened my taste in pop.

The artists included Yes, The Cream, The Who, Leon Russell, Rod Stewart, Pink Floyd, The Kinks, The Masters Apprentices, Led Zeppelin, The Doors, Cat Stevens, The Beatles, The Moody Blues, David Bowie and many others. I have John to thank for setting me on the road to a broader knowledge of (admittedly mainsteam) musicians, one that I filled out myself as I grew older.

Those teen years are so critical to how we develop. To balance pop and rock, I had a plentiful supply of classical (I use this term broadly) as well as my mothers love of the crooners, jazz and latin music. There is much now to be thankful for. This list and many other artefacts from the time are like mnemonics for me, crucial in the task of remembering, bit by bit.