Giant steps are what you take..........

The last week or so has seen the passing of two men who had a major impact on my teenage years.

Neil Armstrong died at the weekend aged 82. He earned his place in history as the first man to walk on the moon, uttering the famous words "That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind"

When this happened in July 1969 this seemed like an incredible feat to me and even years later I still struggle to get my head round it (Physics never being my strong point at school).

Buzz Aldrin followed him on to the surface of the moon but I always felt a bit sorry for Michael Collins who was left aboard Apollo 11 orbiting the moon whilst Armstrong and Aldrin strutted their stuff down below. I always had it in my mind that Collins set foot on the moon on a later mission but he never achieved that distinction. Only 10 more American astronauts walked on the moon and of them Alan Shepard was the only name I recognised. The last moon walk was in December 1972 so it is now nearly 40 years since man was on the surface of the moon.

Despite the magnitude of his achievement Armstrong led a very private life after he left NASA and was quoted as having said "I guess we all like to be recognized not for one piece of fireworks but for the ledger of our daily work"

With a doff of the cap to Mr Armstrong I give you my Top10 Moon Related Songs

1. Man On The Moon.......................REM
2. Moon River..................................Andy Williams
3. Moonshadow...............................Cat Stevens
4. Bad Moon Rising.........................Creedence Clearwater Revival
5. Harvest Moon..............................Neil Young
6. Moondance..................................Van Morrison
7. Dancing In The Moonlight.............Thin Lizzy
8. Whole Of The Moon.....................The Waterboys
9. Moonage Daydream......................David Bowie
10. Ticket To The Moon...................ELO

Saturday August 18th 2012 saw the death of Scott Mckenzie singer of the iconic song 'San Francisco (Be Sure To Wear Flowers In Your Hair)' a Number 1 in the UK in the summer of 1967
It took me until I was 50 but I finally made it to San Francisco in 2004 and it remains the best place in the world I have ever been. Sadly by that time I was a bit too old for wearing flowers in my hair.

The song was written by McKenzie's friend John Phillips of The Mamas and the Papas and was reputedly composed for the first pop festival at Monterey just south of San Francisco. It is also reported that the other members of The Mamas and the Papas were none to happy at Phillips giving the song away to his friend.

McKenzie was born Philip Blondheim and allegedly turned down an offer from Phillips to be a member of The Mamas and the Papas when Phillips was forming the group. Instead he chose to become one of the most famous One Hit Wonders ever with a song that encapsulated the 'Hippy Movement' of the time

He may not have been as famous as the illustrious Neil Armstrong but I think he had a more lasting impact on my life. After all I did eventually go to San Francisco largely due to the impression this song made on me as a teenager. It now appears less likely that I will ever make it to the moon

So, as I doff my cap once again, this time to Mr McKenzie I leave you this week with my Top 10 San Francisco Related Songs with an obvious Number 1

1. San Francisco (Be Sure To Wear Flowers In Your Hair)........Scott McKenzie
2. San Franciscan Nights...........................................................Eric Burdon and the Animals
3. San Francisco Days..............................................................Chris Isaak
4. I Left My Heart In San Francisco..........................................Tony Bennett
5. Let's Go To San Francisco....................................................The Flower Pot Men
6. Fake Tales Of San Francisco.................................................The Arctic Monkeys
7. I'm Always Drunk In San Francisco.......................................Nancy Wilson
8. San Francisco Bay Blues.......................................................Richie Havens
9. (Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay.........................................Otis Redding
10. We Built This City..............................................................Starship
      "I'm looking out over that Golden Gate bridge, out on another gorgeous sunny Saturday, not seein' that bumper to bumper traffic. It's your favourite radio station, in your favourite radio city, the city by the bay, the city that rocks, the city that never sleeps"

It doesn't sound like Radio Clyde to me!