55 From 55 - 1965

55 records in 55 days - one for every year of my life...so far.

'Helping' Mum in the garden. 1965.

The pictures on the nation's television screens may still have been in black & white, but in 1965, my imagination was ablaze in vivid colour, thanks to the creativity of one man - Gerry Anderson. I was marginally too young for Fireball XL5, but Stingray was already a firm favourite by the time Anderson's newest TV series, Thunderbirds, appeared on the scene in October of that year.

 How I met the Tracy family.

Century 21 Records used the latest in their brilliant '7" Mini LP' series to introduce the Tracy family, Lady Penelope and Parker. Thanks to the kindness of Aunts and Uncles, I accumulated a clutch of these records, which contained theme tunes and exclusive adventures featuring all the various Supermarionation characters. I played those records constantly on the family radiogram and still know them all off by heart, including every scratch, crackle and jump. Thunderbirds are Go!

Gerry Anderson R.I.P.

The products of Gerry Anderson's incredible imagination lit up my childhood, all the way from Fireball XL5 in 1963 to Space 1999 in the mid-1970s. These weekly sneak-previews of the future (as I was convinced they were) captivated me at a time when I had no more serious concerns in life than what style of  hover-scooter I'd require when I grew up and whether or not caps with flip-down communication devices would be available in my size.

Thank you, Mr Anderson, for the countless hours of pleasure. F.A.B., S.I.G., P.W.O.R.