Girl In A Suitcase

Boy, this CD sure holds a few memories for me.

It's a collection of rare lounge music from popular British TV and radio of the 1960s and 70s. And by rare, I'm including testcard music, and incidental tunes from TV for the deaf.

I guess the earliest memory evoked here for me would be the Mary, Mungo and Midge theme, an animated show that I used to watch in our old house until I was 4, and which I think I've only ever heard once since. For me, it paints a picture of a time when the world was a much brighter, more colourful place, and when I understandably expected the very long life that seemed to be stretching out ahead of me to be similarly pure.

Later, in my teens, I would hear The Jimmy Young Show on BBC Radio 2, and within a few years had got into reruns of The Avengers on new TV station Channel 4.

In my twenties, I rediscovered Vision On whilst involved with the BBC TV library, and Alan "Fluff" Freeman's radio theme became something of a retro classic thanks to the hard work of Smashie and Nicey.

At 31, (in 2002) I found this album in London. This has become a fond memory in itself, because I remember taking it into the hospital with me, and showing it to my dad. Well, memories of Father are always treasured.

A short time later, when I first heard that Mary, Mungo and Midge theme on there, I found myself silently mouthing Richard Baker's opening narration to the music. "Mary, Mungo and Midge, all live in a town. Do you live in a town?" I felt a great mourning for those childhood days, so ruined by having to "grow up."

Since Father's death, I've got on with my life, as best as I can, and another track on here should have just become a new memory for me, within a sketch my church back in Auckland should be doing today.

And tonight, barely a couple of hours later, I found myself sitting at home back in the UK, wrapping Christmas gifts, as the same tunes once again roared out of the family TV, thanks now to the DVD player.

I'm certainly not done with this cosy album yet...

Reviews of other releases from Winchester Hospital Radio:

Music While You Watch
Natural Born Fillers