Episodes

  • Brierly Hill 90210 presents... 2023

    Brierly Hill 90210 presents... 2023
    Dec 15 2023
    While 2023 starts with a continuing war in Ukraine and there are horrific events in the Middle East on the horizon, I'm struck by what a relatively uneventful year it has been. While I clearly don't want you to switch off, and there is some great music and significant moments to enjoy in this episode, I do find myself asking, is this the most uninteresting year ever? But, having said that, there were personal events that will forever shape my memories of 2023. My father passed away in September, just shy of his 84th birthday. While I was pleased I got over to the UK in 2022 to see him, I will always regret not going back again since then while he was ill. I did rush over to help out with funeral arrangements and such, and ended up staying for a month. Even though it was for a very sad reason, I did enjoy that time spent mostly with family and there is a large chunk of this episode heavily influenced by that time spent in the UK.
    Show more Show less
    56 mins
  • Brierly Hill 90210 presents... 1975 v2

    Brierly Hill 90210 presents... 1975 v2
    Jul 29 2023
    Brierly Hill 90210 presents... 1975 I was 8-years old as the year began so was mostly interested in riding my bike, climbing on the backs of tractors as the summer harvest was brought in, waiting until prompted to yell “Crackerjack” at the TV and thinking how much fun it would be to hang out with Jimmy Saville. I have a vague recollection that there was to be a referendum on the UK staying in the European Community but was fairly oblivious to anything else going on in the world. It's hard to believe that, less than 50 years ago, a major Western European nation, Spain, was still living under a dictatorship. Equally hard to believe was that the Vietnam War was still going on. But you better believe... it's 1975
    Show more Show less
    56 mins
  • Brierly Hill 90210 presents... 1973

    Brierly Hill 90210 presents... 1973
    Jul 1 2023
    1973 is another of those years that feels like one chapter is ending as another begins. That may have something to do with personal memories. I turned 7 and, while I certainly have earlier memories, they're just glimpses and fragments. There are stories in this 1973 episode that have a concrete “time and place” to them. But there's a flip side to this. While I have distinct memories of Australia and New Zealand protesting French nuclear testing, the energy crisis, Goodies and the Beanstalk and a host of the other TV sound-bites, I am struck by how many times I found myself saying, “how did I not know this?”. I did not know that there was a referendum in Northern Ireland about whether to remain in the UK or not. I have visited Bermuda several times but never knew that the Governor was assassinated in 1973. I vaguely remember Skylab but did not know that Skylab 1 was shortly followed by Skylab 2, launched to repair Skylab 1. I did not know about an arson attack on a gay bar in New Orleans that killed 32 or the fire that swept an Isle of Man amusement center killing 51. I had never thought through the fact that Nixon was elected with Spiro Agnew as his vice-president but that Gerald Ford was VP when Nixon resigned the following year (sorry for the spoiler by the way). Agnew resigned before Nixon because of his own challenges with bribery, extortion and tax fraud. See if you spot these and other memories as you sit back and enjoy the world of 1973.
    Show more Show less
    56 mins
  • Brierly Hill 90210 presents... 1972

    Brierly Hill 90210 presents... 1972
    Jun 17 2023
    My name is Jon Miller. I was born in 1966 in the idyllic countryside of the Cotswold Hills in the south west of England. I have a brother who is two years younger than me and soon after he was born, my parents moved from the tiny village of Salperton, to the slightly less tiny village of Hazelton about 2 miles away. I was 5 as 1972 begins and attended school at Northleach CofE. I spent most of my time riding my bike, climbing trees (or onto the roof of my dad's shed) or kicking a football around. I have vague musical memories of seeing artists such as Slade, T Rex, Gary Glitter, Roxy Music and Gilbert O'Sullivan on Top of the Pops. But I couldn't swear they were the songs you'll hear or later ones. I do remember Gordon Banks car crash, a world of airplane hijackings and Mark Spitz winning lots of gold medals. But I do not remember some of the bigger news stories carrying over from the previous year; Bangladesh seeking to separate from Pakistan, the British stepping up activities in Northern Ireland or the continued war in Vietnam. For some people, the story stays the same. But for others, things are about to change.
    Show more Show less
    56 mins
  • Brierly Hill 90210 presents... 1971

    Brierly Hill 90210 presents... 1971
    Jun 3 2023
    In this episode you going to hear from artists that are the epitome of 1970s music; T Rex, Rod Stewart, David Bowie, Led Zeppelin, what have you. But there's a new sound creeping in that doesn't even have a name yet! Discotheques had been popping up in Europe as early as the second World War. The shortened term “disco” first appeared in 1964 to describe a fashion and a certain type of LA night club. It wasn't used to describe a style of music until 1973 but there's a prelude to that in a couple of songs you'll hear in this episode. You've probably heard bits of it previously (Sly and the Family Stone comes immediately to mind) as the sounds of rhythm and blues, soul, gospel and funk started to align. Motown had added a distinctive sound of their own, bringing in disco elements, including the bass and orchestra. Contributions come out of Philadelphia and New York plus the role of the UK can't be misstated either with the sounds of northern soul and the newly emerging glam-rock also playing their part. But before this turns into a whole musical history lecture, let's get on with the show. Welcome to 1971.
    Show more Show less
    56 mins
  • Brierly Hill 90210 presents... 1970

    Brierly Hill 90210 presents... 1970
    May 20 2023
    The music of the early 70s does not have the greatest of reputations. You can judge for yourself if that is well-founded or not. But there certainly seemed to be less good songs to draw from as I put this episode together. But, if you're of a similar age to me, a child born of the 60s, there's something that starts to feel more familiar now. See if you agree.
    Show more Show less
    56 mins
  • Brierly Hill 90210 presents... 1969

    Brierly Hill 90210 presents... 1969
    May 6 2023
    One of the reasons for looking back to pre-rock'n'roll in this series was to learn more about the styles, trends and back-stories that shaped the music of the punk rock movement and beyond. I've mentioned before that there's clearly never an alignment to musical styles starting or ending with how the calendar falls. But there was almost a dividing line in the middle of 1968 that signified the end of what I think of as “60s music” and what feels like the 1970s. You hear commentators talk of the “end of an era” and the “end of innocence”. But there is a sense of weariness, cynicism and down-right anger as we bear witness to the death throes of the 1960s. The big news story is the moon landing and is something, as a 3-year old I do vaguely remember being woken up for. There's little in the way of music or other current events I recall. But we're starting to hear TV that was a large point of my childhood. Listen out for Mary, Mungo and Midge, Scooby Doo, Pot Black, The Clangers, Ask The Family, Chigley, and Dastardly and Muttley.
    Show more Show less
    56 mins
  • Brierly Hill 90210 presents... 1968

    Brierly Hill 90210 presents... 1968
    Apr 22 2023
    From the start of this series, I've included clips from television shows, mostly from when they first broadcast. Even though I was born in 1966, I have memories of shows that debuted as early as the mid-50s; The Woodentops, Andy Pandy, The Flowerpot Men. But as we get to the TV of 1968, I'm starting to have more direct recollection of watching them. As I was only 2, it may not have be right away. But you'll start to hear shows that I remember watching when I was small, maybe only a few years after they first came out. Listen out for snippets from Hector's House, Lamb Chop, Joe 90, Wacky Racers, The Herb Garden and The Banana Splits. You'll also hear one of the first movies I remember as a child. See if you can spot that towards the end of the episode.
    Show more Show less
    56 mins