The Front Line

I seem to be saying 'thank you' a lot at the moment. Maybe it's a sign of where I am, grateful for what I've had, what I have and what I may no longer have.
And talking to a friend about music and moments for certain songs and what they mean to us. And that made me think of The Front Line.
Side 1.
The Mighty Diamonds - Right Time
U-Roy - Natty Rebel
Johnny Clarke - Declaration of Rights
I-Roy - Don't Touch I Man Locks
The Gladiators - Looks Is Deceiving

Side 2.
Delroy Washington - Freedom Fighters
U-Roy - The Great Psalms
Keith Hudson - Civilisation
The Gladiator - Know Yourself Mankind
The Mighty Diamonds - Africa

I have had this record - LP for a long time. I copied the cover and had it on my wall at university. It made me feel strong. It made me feel like a fighter.

I would never have seen this cover or heard this album if it had not been for Matthew Duffield. I often wonder what he is doing now, what bands he has discovered, what music he has introduced to people. If he has the cast of his face, or was it hands that was on his parents' mantlepiece? He was so cool. He would go down to London and come back with music the rest of us had never heard of. And if you liked it, he would buy it for you on his next trip. I asked him to get The Front Line for me. And he did. It added to my life, the way I thought, the feelings I had, the images I appreciated more and more that stood for things, spoke to people. Do I love the cover more than the music? Probably. Made me see the power of visuals. I need to replay the music. Make the effort to lift the lid on the turntable.

And on the other end of the scale, thank you to Jez Wade for my bright yellow LP of Elton John's A Yellow Brick Road which I love because he gave it to me. I don't have that cover on my wall. It doesn't make me see the world differently. It doesn't smack me in the face the way The Front Line does. But it is part of my life.
Makes me think of all the senses and their power.