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I was eleven years old when "Alone Again (Naturally)" was released in the States and it was a huge hit, as you well know. At that time, I had also become aware the films of Charlie Chaplin that were being shown on television and was an instant fan of Sir Charles.Around that time, I had checked out a copy of Charlie's book, "My Autobiography" from my public library and began reading it in earnest. One afternoon, I was reading the chapter of Charlie's childhood years in the Lambeth (London) work houses and, while reading those passages, "Alone Again (Naturally)" came on the radio. The tune and lyrics added such a somber feeling to what I was reading that I will forever remember the connection between Gilbert's (Ray's) touching song and Charlie's sad childhood. As a result, I also eagerly bought each new Gilbert O'Sullivan release and still enjoy his music (and Charlie's films) to this day. Many thanks for the memories and music.
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I went to the Royal Albert Hall Monday to see an old friend - and there you were - my idol from the teens. Your singing, lyrics and piano play gives and has always given me something special! Now, back home in Norway, I listen to your records. I have always been a fan - ever since I saw you in Oslo, more than 35 years ago. I love the sound of your songs and the really really wonderful lyrics. Hope you will continue to write songs for many years! Looking forward to February and new songs.
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As a youngster growing up in the 70’s it just wasn’t the done thing to admit to being a fan of Gilbert O’Sullivan, but I loved his music and despite the Osmond/Cassidy obsession of my fellow pupils, I always adored him. When my father died in 2002 I listened to Alone Again (Naturally) with a completely different ear and it took a good couple of years for me to be able to listen to it without breaking down. On Saturday evening I took my mother, brother and husband to see Gilbert at York. It was the first time we had ever been to see him and I sorely regret not having seen him before, he is amazing. My daughter lives in France and she has been over for a few days – she was brought up with a diverse taste in music and when I told her the other day how good Gilbert’s concert was she was really interested. I checked online for tickets in Manchester and there was availability for his last night. I still had the tickets from York in my bag and when it was announced he would be signing autographs at the end of the show, my daughter just knew it would be a later night than she first thought!! We queued for half an hour and he signed my programme and tickets – I got him to sign the picture of him and Mohammed Ali with the words “I bagsy being in goal”, we spoke briefly about Alone Again and I came away feeling like a young child again. What a wonderful evening and what a truly remarkable talent.
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I have followed Gilbert's progress from the early seventies until today. His song Alone Again (Naturally) is very special to me for as a young lad at the time I used to sing along with Gilbert's tracks on my old record player and as my mum said it was pleasing to the ear! . My parents both liked Gilbert and unfortunately they died at a very young age within 18 months of each other,so as you can see it holds great memories for me. I followed Gilbert and attended his concerts whenever he was in Sheffield. Most recently I reached the age of 56 and my daughter gave me a surprise present! she took me to York Opera House to see Gilbert in concert. My daughter has heard many of Gilbert's songs in our house and her favourite is Matrimony, she is 26yrs old and asks me do you ever think Gilbert will release a dance mix of one of his songs? as he is very good! seems her friends like him too. Gilbert is a very talented singer /songwriter whom I think did not get the recognition he deserved.
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Hello, I enjoyed looking at this web-site. It brought back many happy memories of being a Gilbert O'Sullivan fan.
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I have been a fan of Gilbert's since 1970 and can honestly say I love every single song he has written and performed. However the song We Will for me is a modern day classic with it's poignant and haunting lyrics which really touches the soul!
Ian
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I was just a kid when Gilbert sang Alone Again (Naturally) and I loved it. I loved all the songs that he had come out with I think it was because his music that he wrote and unique voice that I really enjoyed, then he disapeared. When I had my son Jay in 1984 the song Clair rang in my head and I would sing it to him every day changed the name Clair to Jay and to this day I have that song on my phone so when he calls I know its Jay and at his wedding I will sing it to him, I am getting emotional just thinking about it. I thank you for your music and I hope that you come to Canada to do a show.
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I'm from Holland and born 1971. My parents divorced early 1970 and my dad left us nothing but an album from Gilbert O'Sullivan, debts and the old stereo set.
Directly I called my father and asked him about Gilbert O'Sullivan and the name of the missing album, he has a memory of an elephant…
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Gilbert O'Sullivan is the greatest singer/songwriter of the seventies. I have to say seventies because I haven't heard anything lately from him. And I really love his work. It's not a matter of good or bad music or what is right or wrong. Mr. Sullivan has produced a brilliant body of work, and every song seems to be better than the previous one.
"Nothing Rhymed", "Out Of The Question", "Get Down", "Ooh Baby", "Happiness is Me and You" were charted singles in U.S.A., along with "Clair" and the #1 hit "Alone Again (Naturally)".
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From the first time I heard "Himself" I was hooked, I wanted to be diferent from everybody else, I did like Slade, Sweet and the rest of Glam rock but it was all too aggressive for me. As in most of the artists from the seventies the singles that made the charts were the records that were thought to be most commercial but if you listen to the albums of these artists then you could tell if they would be more that just one hit wonders.
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The song which means so much to me is Nothing Rhymed. Gilbert was at the right place, at the right time as far as my teenage years were concerned. To hear such a unique and individual talent made a big impact on my life and I was desperate to hear more. Thankfully he was to release many more clever, melodic records and I would spend my pay from my Saturday job on each and every record and play them continuously. Still to this day, every time I hear Nothing Rhymed it sounds as fresh as ever.
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Where do I begin? He became famous when I was born in 1970. I first heard of his song 'Clair' over the radio in my 20s and fell in love with it. I went to CDs shop to look for his album but couldn't find any then. It was only a few years back that I came across 'The Best of Gilbert O'Sullivan' and grabbed it immediately. There I found more great songs like 'Nothing Rhymed' and 'Can't Think Straight' and wondered why they did not became as popular as the Beatles. He has such a unique vocal and his songs are wonderfully written. Even my 4 year old son loves them. He replayed the song 'Clair' so many times and just couldn't get enough.
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To start at the beginning (of all places); in February 2005 I decided on a sudden whim, that I was going to spend my summer holiday in Ireland. And, as we all know (or should), Dublin is much much nearer to Jersey than Texas. So, naturally, I started fidgeting... and ended up writing a letter to Gilbert, to ask if I could possibly arrange to meet him while I was over. (That letter wasn't at all an easy task: I put it off for ages, almost too scared to go through with it; to start with I was afraid he'd say no, then even more afraid that he'd say yes -- for all my posing, I really am tragically shy. But, inevitably, how could I not ask? Such perfect opportunities don't come by often, after all.) So I did it, and tried not to think of it again -- if I kept dwelling on it, it would feel worse if he did say no -- and then one day, while I was combing my hair, my mother told me (somewhat bewildered, as she didn't know I'd written him) that I had a letter postmarked Jersey. I almost put the comb through my eye. In a very lovely paragraph he informed me that were I to visit Jersey from Dublin while he was at home, I would be more than welcome to stop by. "Easier said than done I know but it's the best I can do." !!! As soon as mental coherence returned, and the gleeful dancing subsided, I wrote an immediate reply (the second letter is aeons easier, I find), stating something to the general effect that I would *swim* across if I had to. Then nothing much happened for a while, except for my swooning around the house, annoying my family by incessantly chanting, "I'm going to meet Gilbert!"
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'It was 1972, when my cousin stopped me and asked me to listen to a song on the radio."Isn't that great?" he asked. "No, it's too slow" I replied and thought no more about it. Two years later, I was leaving school at 16, telling myself I was going to buy every record I could by Gilbert O'Sullivan. It took me until 1985, when I finally picket up a copy of MR MOODYS GARDEN/ I WISH I COULD CRY on Major Minor, completing what I'd set out to do 11 years earlier [I wasn't aware of the non-UK vinyl at the time]. 28 years later, I've listened to Gilbert on vinyl, cassette, cartridge and CD. My goal is still the same. and with the dawning of the Internet, "SOMETHING I BELIEVE" is the 206th Gilbert song to hit my World Issue List. BUT I'm still searching for a certain Italian LP. Hopefully we will get the pleasure of playing ALL Gilbert's songs on CD, and my 28 year search will finally be over. Oh, and the song I labeled too slow back in 1972...Alone Again(Naturally).
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"Nothing Rhymed" still has, after 30 years, a very special place in my heart. In 1970 I was 11 years old and already then I was an enormous music lover. At the time there were several music programmes (like Top of the Pops) on Dutch TV and I watched them all. One day, while watching one of them, a new singer was announced: Gilbert O'Sullivan who sang Nothing Rhymed. I can still feel the shivers down my spine when I first heard this song and first saw Gilbert in his extraordinary outfit. I had never heard a song that touched me so much. We had no record player at the time, so I couldn't play the song at home. All I could do was to listen to the radio as much as possible to hear this song again and again. It was a huge hit in the Netherlands and therefore had a lot of airplay. That year we went on a camp for a week with the sixth grade of our primary school. I remember that whenever during that week we were in a cafe or somewhere there was a jukebox (those were very common those days) I filled the machine with coins to listen over and over again to Nothing Rhymed. I loved it, but my classmates were not all too happy about it. Whenever I listen to Nothing Rhymed these memories of my childhood come back.
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'It's not so much a track that has special memories for me, (although so many of them do), but in this instance, a whole album! It was the Summer of '73, and the album was "Back to Front". I was desperate to get this girl to go out with me, and I would have done anything to try and win Liz's affections. I used to pick her up from school in my company car, (at this time I would have been 18), and we would drive around for ages with this album playing on my eight-track, making small talk and hoping that she would never want me to drop her back home. Sadly, the relationship never left the starting blocks. However, I did marry someone else a few years later, which prompts another GOS memory...... Taking my wife (Christmas?) shopping one year and buying myself a copy of "Southpaw". As you can see, I got my priorities right!'
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Here is my little story about certain Gilbert O'Sullivan tracks that are special to me. It was hard to choose, because numerous GOS-songs call up special memories for me. In my mind I still see Gilbert performing 'Matrimony' live during the Grand Gala du Disque, on Dutch television in Spring 1972. It was swinging and what an exciting audience! During the break, Gilbert, still with his pudding hat-based haircut, too short a trousers and coat-rack, danced along the floor, getting behind his piano just in time to re-sing the 'You and me are all that matters'-part again. Fantastic!! I also remember the first time songs from 'Back to Front' were broadcasted. It was Tuesday 5 pm when for the first time I heard 'The Golden Rule'. Herman Stok (one of the first Dutch DJ's ever) played almost all songs, during a special GOS-hour. Also new songs bring back special feelings. Time and again when I listen to 'That's Why I Love You' (from 'By Larry') it hits my heart; true emotion, really. The way Gilbert sings his lyrics, accompanied only by his piano is superb. Especially: '... anytime I see your face something very unusual takes place. All my inhibitions disappear, now that you are here (now that you are here)'.'
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I recently went into a discount store and saw a Gilbert O'Sullivan CD "The Very Best Of" for $4.99 US, and I was thinking WOW! I haven't even seen a Gilbert O'Sullivan CD in years. I went to my automobile and played it right away. Awe... the memories! I had purchased the album "I'm a Writer, Not a Fighter" way back when I was a little girl because I loved the song "Get Down". I must have been like 12 year old. Well, that album along with many others disappeared when I went off to College. I sort of forgot about it... enjoying all the new music of the times. One day I was at work and my department Manager, who knew I was a huge music buff asked me, "who sings the song that goes: alone again, naturally? The CEO asked if anyone knew at a Managers meeting and I replied that I know who will know the answer". I said, "Oh... that's Gilbert O'Sullivan". She immediately picked up my extension and called him to let him know the answer to his question. He personally came to thank me for the information, I guess he had wondered for a very long time and wanted to get a copy of the album it was on. Well, it was nice to get a hold of a copy of "The Very Best of Gilbert O'Sullivan" and take a long needed trip down memory lane. I have been playing the CD while browsing on my computer ever since I purchased it. Hope someday Gilbert will decide to come to the Seattle area and perform. I would definitely be there.
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I remember in the early to mid-'70's, sitting every morning before school in front of an old Phillips box turn-table and playing, again and again, the two Gilbert O'Sullivan 45's I had bought with my saved pocket money, 'Get Down' and 'Clair'. I refused to leave until I had memorised the lyrics once more for the day ahead. I similarly remember being utterly distraught at messing up the application of the Gilbert O'Sullivan transfer available in the album pack of 'I'm a writer not a fighter' which should have been ironed on carefully to a light coloured tee shirt - at the time I didn't think I'd get over it! What memories. Now, years later, listening and appreciating music of all types, I recognise the brilliance of musicians and lyricists like Lennon and McCartney and Sting, where one realy takes the time to sit and listen and maybe understand. 'Nothing Rhymed' ranks with both the aforementioned, and evokes the same thought process. I would dearly love to meet Gilbert, just to say thanks.
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You ever hear an old song on the radio that you haven't heard for years, and suddenly you're transported back to the time and place when you first heard it? Probably when you first heard it, it was on a radio or record player in the background somewhere and you didn't pay much attention to it, but somehow it burned into your memory banks, so that years later, when you hear it again, it provides a kind of memory gateway, or wormhole into your past, so that you can remember exactly the sights, sounds and smells of the world in which you first heard it. I'm sure this has happened to you. And as you can probably guess by now, it also happened to me! It was 1973, I was ten years old, living in Sydney, Australia, and my ten year old friend and I were taken out to Bronte Beach one day by his 18 year old sister, Jenny. I always remember the wonderful time I had playing in the surf all day, and I vaguely remember people on the beach playing transistor radios. There was one song that always seemed to remind me of that day, but for the life of me I couldn't remember who sang it, or what the title was. Now this really bugged me for years, because whenever I sang the chorus to people, no-one could recall it. I was even considering contacting Glenn A. Baker (Australia's rock trivia king) for help on this one. Then a few weeks ago, I happened to bump into Jenny at a local pub. I hadn't seen her in over 25 years, and we got to talking about the old days. Now in her late 40s, she had quite forgotten about that day at the beach all those years ago. She thought it rather funny that a song could remind me of something like that. Then I sang the chorus to her: "Told you once before, and I won't tell you no more to get down, get down, get down...". "Gilbert O'Sullivan" , she replied immediately, "Oh yes, I loved him back then. I've got all his records." I was floored. Someone knew! Jenny, of course she'd know! The next day, I went out and bought "The Best Of" CD. Having worked as a musician and arranger myself, I can really see the class of Gilbert's work; not just his charted singles, but right throughout his career, and I wondered why he didn't enjoy even greater success, or why more people don't remember him today. So Thanks for the memories, Gilbert: the mystery is solved, and the answer is you! I hope we see more of you in future.
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'I first fell in love with the music (and the man) in 1972, at the tender age of 11. My "Himself" album was worn out within the first year. It was all I ever played. Thank god for CDs, at least they last a bit longer. What I most admire about my hero, apart from his extraordinary talent, is his quiet confidence. Having suffered at the hands of ruthless "music tycoons" he gave the two-fingered salute and his most avid fans could only respect him more for this. When I was 31 (in 1992), I booked a table at the Camden Jazz Cafe for my birthday to see him and the band. Amazingly, Bobby Davro and his wife walked in and had nowehere to sit so they joined us. It was wonderful, Bobby Davro and I competing with each other to see who new the most lyrics. I got to meet Ray after the gig and was finally alone with him in a small room and just couldn't think of anything sensible to say (the champagne had also kicked in by then). I did the most natural thing I could and asked him for a kiss. He obligingly agreed and it was then I came out with the most embarrassing line I'd ever utter "I come from France"...wishful thinking. Ray, if you ever get to read this I just want to thank you for colouring my childhood and teen years so brightly. I feel that you and your music still have a tremendous impact on me. Even last week, when I took my 7 year old son to see Stuart Little 2, I could not escape your magic!!!! Most people (those who read the Sunday tabloids anyway) are aware how much you value your privacy (do you really have to straighten the rugs in your hallway like that??) and I would assume that you still find praise a hard thing to take. You are still an unquestionably rare talent and we love you.'
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'Of course the entire Back to Front Album, I was born in 1965 and listened to Gilbert O'Sullivan, The Beatles and Elton John."In My Hole" brings me back to the simple times of growing up with no worries.When I listen to it today it sends a tingle down my spine...'
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'Bought GOS Himself LP before we had a record player. Played it every Sunday morning at my sisters both sides twice and home for dinner. Other than the winner can anyone remember the winning answer from the Rita fan club, How they would spend a day with Gilbert ? We know the winning answer. Yes we have met Ray quite a few times but not enough. The most memorable time was at the Stables at Milton Keynes, Ray was doing his sound check and we snook in to watch. When Ray looked over then looked again and said " You two get about a bit if I were to be playing in Antarctica you would be there and if you weren't I would be disappointed" been on cloud nine ever since.
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'Hello. My name is Gary Owen. I am a 35 year old American musican(troubador)currently on tour of Scandinavia. I was born, raised and live in New York City(Staten Island).I have been a fan of Gilbert O'Sullivan since the glory days of American AM radio. I can recall the summer of 1972. I was 5 years old,nothing mattered,it was hot outside and the music was cool. WABC(770 AM)and WNBC(660 AM)was the radio stations to tune into. I remember laying in my bunk bed. I was on the top bunk. My younger brother Brian below and my older brother Mike in his own bed across the room. Now Mike was one of those kids that liked to go to sleep with music playing. During that hot summer,we had a KILLER air conditioner in our room. We would have that thing blasting all night long. It was so cozy to know it was 3,000,000 degrees outside and VERY comfortable inside our little safe haven. Anyway,one of my fondest memories was waking up in the middle of a scorching hot July night and hearing Gilbert O'Sullivan singing 'Alone Again(Naturally'. My brother had a knack of keeping the volume up just enough so we could JUST hear it. Whenever I need to relax and soothe my nerves, I think back to those days during the summer of 1972 and hearing the likes of the Raspberries, Cymarron, Carly Simon and, of course, Gilbert O'Sullivan while laying comfortably in that cozy air conditioned room. Since then,I have purchased every one of Gilbert's studio albums on CD(it was NOT cheap either!!!). I am sooo glad I did as I have discovered some of the prettiest and most original music I have ever heard in my life. I brought an MP3 player with me on my Scandinavian tour. My Gilbert O'sullivan files include over 50 songs. With that,I would like to say: "Thank you Gilbert. You have most definetly been an inspiration to me and my choice of career"'.
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I've been a Gilbert fan most of my life. I started listening to his songs back in 1973, when I was 13 years old. I'll never forget that long summers once the school was over. It was for sure one of the happiest times I've ever known. Every time I hear " Alone Again", "Clair" or" Get Down", it triggers automatically memories of those days, you know, the days one starts looking at the girls, first loves and all that things probably gone forever, I can vividly remember the Summer nights, hugging my pillow, listening "Get down". Here in Spain, then Gilbert was always in most musical {and not musical) magazines and charts, His singles were all about. (Even today, each time I go to some second hand market of vinyl found Gilbert's singles), The girls I knew, without exception, they all had at their home records by Gilbert:" Back to front"," I'm a writer,.,", " A stranger in my own back yard"... Most gorls loved him. I remember seeing him on magazines and lists up to 1974 or so {"Xmas song" was the last time I remember), Then he disappeared mysteriously and out of the blue. Nonetheless, that same thing happened to some others, like Lennon or Nilsson. In 1978 I found two new jewels: "Southpaw" {even my father loved the Paraguayan harp of "No telling why") and "Greatest hits" album {1976 issue) with nice pictures in B&W within. Was amazing listening to this album of hits over and over again and seeing how one side as "fast": "No matter how I try"," Ooh baby"," OO wakka-doo., " whilst the other was more "quiet": "We will", "Why oh why oh why...". In 1979, a very special time for me, I listened to that "Greatest hits" album lots of times. No wonder. It's a piece of art. Never after Gilbert has made songs like those, and I'm afraid he'll never do. The same has happened to others (Macca for example or George Harrison).Meanwhile, whenever possible, I'd buy every single I get, for even the B-sides {quite the contrary with other singers or groups) were nice. For example, "Save it" (Alone Again B-side) was a nice tune.
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'Saw Gilbert at the Odeon on Oxford road in Manchester (where I live) in 1971 it was in his flat cap days. He was brilliant, promoting the 'Himself' album. I was 16 years old at the time and went with about 10 of my mates. He was different to anything else around at the time and I still listen to his first 2 albums today, 'Himself' and 'Back to Front'. One of my mates who came that night is now a resident in Jersey and sees Gilbert now and then.'
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'In approximately 1978 I was the South Wales contact for the Gilbert O'Sullivan fan club. I and some others in my area got together and we went to Colston Hall to Gilbert's concert where we had the privilege of meeting him. He had food poisoning and told us he was not feeling very well!, but the show must go on, and it did!.I still have a photo of my arm linked through his in this concert surrounded by a couple of the friends I went with. I also had a mention in one of the comps where you got to go to Gilbert's home. My poem went like this, it was approximately 1974: GILBERT O'SULLIVAN IS HIS NAME, NOTHING RHYMED WAS TO GIVE HIM HIS FAME, WITH HIS CAP & SHORT HAIR, AND HIS MUSICAL FLAIR, HE'S DONE IT AGAIN & AGAIN! I also went to a concert a few years ago in Cardiff in St,. David's Hall when Gilbert told his life story. It was very good.'
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'I fell in love with Alone Again in th summer of 1972 and then saw him live at Garden State Arts Center in New Jersey (USA). There are so many fantastic songs that it is hard to pick one. I believe GOS is the greatest songwriter ever (not counting Lennon and McCartney of course). 'Back to Front' is still amazing. Probably my all time favorite is 'Only Themselves to Blame'. But I couldn't argue with 'Out of the Question' or 'Bye-Bye.''
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'I was about twelve years old and was returning from a cottage trip from the natural wilderness of northern Ontario, Canada. On my way to Toronto, an elderly lady whom I did not know drove me back. I remember she had a gentle and warm grace in her gestures. The northern landscape and wilderness made a deep impact on my mind --I was just feeling the wonders of nature.(Something which I know relate more through the poetry of William Wordsworth). Then while drving on the highway and looking at the landscapes, a song called Alone Again came on the radio. The music began to stir my thoughts and being while I was observing the natural settings of the landscape and seeing the small towns that we drove by. I did not understand what the song was about until much later in life. But the music itself imprinted my mind and made an association with the growth that I experienced on that drive back. So when ever I visit the magical wilderness of northern Ontario, I often remember Gilbert's song.'
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'My little story is:- all Gilberts early songs have a special memory for me, they all remind me of when my lovely Daughter Gill was born, being a great fan of Gilbert's those songs were were new and great hit's at the time. When she was first born in 1972 Alone Again was the best song I had ever heard, I would sing it to her and play the record to her when it was time for bed. Matrimony and Nothing Rhymed was unusual and sad and used to bring tears to my eyes. My daughter was brought up with the wonderful music of Gilbert O Sullivan, she is now 30 and when she left home to work in London she took most of Gilberts records with her, on condition she gave me them back when she no longer wanted them ,well last year I got them back to my disappointment as I thought she had lost interest, but to my joy she has now got them on CD, as these days record players are very scarce. so you see when I think back to when Gill was a baby all memories of her early days come flooding back, and at the same time I am reminded of the wonderful music and talent of Gilbert.'
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'In the early 70's I was the Chief Pharmacist for St. Joseph Hospital in Ottumwa, Iowa, USA. During the workday we had our radio tuned to a pop station. The 3 songs of Gilbert's which were played frequently were "Clair", "Alone Again (Naturally)", and "Get Down". These songs and the catchy name Gilbert O'Sullivan have stuck in my mind and have been a nostalgic reminder of that period of my life. It all recently surfaced with the birth of a little grand niece named, "Clair". I told the mother (too young to know of Gilbert O'Sullivan) of the song "Clair". I just recently presented the "new Clare" and her mother with the song and am now enjoying my newest CD purchase, "THE BEST OF GILBERT O'SULLIVAN". Thanks for the memories, Gilbert, and thanks for "Clair".'
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'I like many other TRUE Gilbert fans out there first saw him perform back in Late December 1970 on Top of the Pops. The song knocked me out. The following year i bought his first album, "Himself"-a true masterpiece. My favourite songs off that album being, "Matrimony" & "Permissive Twit" I just wish Gilbert would perform "Permissive Twit" when in concert the lyrics in that song are awesome and that harpsichord that was something else. I've followed his ups and downs over the years and my has he produced some excellent songs on the way. I know this is corny but I always said that if I ever got married(which I did) and I had a family(which I also did!) and I had a daughter(which happened!) I would call her CLAIR. On the 25th.Jan.1985 CLAIR joined the family. I recall when i registered her birth the lady for some unknown reason wanted to spell it her way. I was adamant I wanted it spelling CLAIR for obvious reasons. She's 17 now and she's well aware of how she got her name AND proud of it I might add! Met Gilbert at The Crescent in Peterborough in 1993. Like you do though-you just clam up and don't really know what to say! His kind wife Aase was there and noticed I was carrying a camera and asked if I would like some pictures with Gilbert. Needless to say those photos are my pride and joy. A week later I met Gilbert again at St. George's Hall in Bradford this time my wife and 3 children all had the pleasure of meeting the man. I could write about the guy/his music/his influence etc, etc forever but I realise time and space doesn't permit it.'
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'My name is Dana Countryman, and I've been a Gilbert O'Sullivan fan since I first heard "Clair" in 1972. I still love that song, and Clair Mills' giggling at the end still gives me a kind of chill. My most interesting memory of a particular song of Gilbert's would be concerning "You Are You." I heard it on a local Seattle radio station in 1974, and much to my disappointment it never made the charts or was made available for sale. I loved the song SO much, that I called the radio station and talked to the program director about it. He remembered the song and invited me to come down to the station, which I did. Then he let me dig through the pile of 45s in a box on his desk, and I found the record that they had played. When he gave the single to me, I was overjoyed! I have played that record many times over the years, and it has never lost it particular appeal to me. I feel it is one of G.O.'s best (and underappreciated) tunes! It is so great that there are so many G.O. fans all over the world. I remember feeling quite alone about loving his music here in the USA, and I'm happy there are these beautiful web sites now.'
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I was in Amsterdam 1970 - 1972 and whenever I hear "Nothing Rhymed" I think back to those good old days of De Tap and the Voom Voom club on the Prinsengracht. Such clever lyrics and a really wonderful composition. I somehow feel we have been denied the pleasure of GOS over the years. As a lyricist he is superb.
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I was 11 years old when I first heard "What's In A Kiss?" on the radio. 20 years later I have the same magic feeling whenever they play it on the radio. I live in Buenos Aires Argentina.
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