A recent, quite brilliant, post on a Prom concert featuring Northern Soul at the Albert Hall by the redoubtable Richard Williams served as a reminder of the narrowness of my younger self in terms of musical tastes. I grew up pretty much side by side with this kind of music, had a few friends who were big fans, and basically liked the bits I heard, but was reluctant to own up to a liking for music that wasn't 'heavy' enough for my teenage self. The result: I never listened with the attention it deserved and wasn't enough of a dancer to be ready to cut a rug to it.
Luckily I've been granted the grace to listen more closely and appreciatively years after the event - and to read Mr William's deeply informative appreciation of the whole scene. I'm even considering some (strictly private) dancing in celebration.
The moral? Better open than closed (with respect to minds and ears. But not necessarily doors.)
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