RECORD STORE TALES Part 215: Mono
Today, I was listening to some old-school Dio, and I had a thought. A sudden thought that I wanted to explore:
“My taste in music was 100% solidified by that month in 1986 that I had mono!”
Yeah! I think it’s true! I was sick at home for a month (at least) too tired to do anything except record videos on the Pepsi Power Hour! I was inundated with a steady intake of incredible songs, in many cases for the first time. And because I still have the old VHS tapes, I know exactly what’s on them. This brief but intense period of my life was rocked by this soundtrack, over and over again:
Ozzy Osbourne – “The Ultimate Sin”
Dio – “Rock and Roll Children”
Lee Aaron – “Shake It Up”
ZZ Top – “Rough Boy”
Kim Mitchell – “Lager and Ale”
Thor (Jon Mikl Thor) – “Keep the Dogs Away”
Triumph – “Never Surrender”
Loudness – “Let It Go”
Spinal Tap – “Hell Hole”, the theme song that my sister and I dedicated to our old Catholic grade school!
These songs were first impressed upon me during that period, the visuals always cool and intriguing to me. Especially Lee Aaron. Ahem. Anyway. I watched these videos over and over again. I recorded the audio (in mono) (…hah, I made a pun!) to a cassette so I could listen to them on my Walkman. This came in handy at the cottage. We didn’t have a VCR or cable there, so the only way to bring my songs was to tape them from the TV.
That one intense period of being stuck at home with nothing but heavy metal heroes might have made me the LeBrain I am today. I’m glad something good came out of it! I couldn’t even go swimming that entire summer!
mikeladano.com 
When I saw the title ‘mono’ I was expecting a discussion on mono vs. stereo recording – can’t say I was disappointed to see WW, I was delighted to hear that many times from friends when I had mono!
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Thanks Stephen! In a way though, this does relate to mono vs stereo recording!
Some of my friends escaped the wrath of mono. They could never appreciate that line like I did.
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Lager and Ale ? please.
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On the rocks!
“Late weekend night and I’m at the Bojar Grill, got decisions to be made between lager and ale…”
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and that tune will stick with us into the days of the old age home …where we can alter the chorus….”Cuz I’m Freddie…..that’s Willie, and Mabel…”
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Man I had a severe case of mono for three months, when I was 13. I wouldn’t wish that on anybody. You’re lucky you were able to be awake to do that stuff. I slept almost the entire time, there was no watching TV. It was wake up, eat, go back to bed. Wake up, have a bath, go back to bed. For three months.
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I remember being tired all the time. It’s like a blur. I do remember that when I went back to school for the last couple days of grade 8, it was the only time everyone was nice to me.
But the music made it tolerable! Thanks, metal!
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It’s totally a blur – because almost all of it was sleep! I missed playing most of a hockey season because of it – I was so ticked. I wouldn’t wish that experience on anybody’s worst enemy. I don’t remember anybody being nicer to me than normal, when I went back. Just “oh yeah, you again.” Hahaha.
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You missed hockey season, I missed swimming season — sounds like we both lost!
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Mike, this is great! Isn’t it funny the things we remember from the past and what triggers those memories? Certain songs always trigger memories for me, especially from my school years..
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Hopefully good memories! For me, “Rock And Roll Children” by Dio always reminds me of being bundled up in a blanket too tired to move! ;)
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