Clive Bibby: Elvis got it right way back then but fools still rush in

As teenagers growing up in the 60s, with little television and only the radio as a link to live broadcasts of concerts featuring our rock and roll stars, we relied heavily on the record player and the odd Saturday night dance as a means of keeping in touch with the songs and music written by our idols.

Karl du Fresne: Then and now

They say that nostalgia isn’t what it used to be, but I’m not so sure. It can be instructive from time to time to recall how things were in the past and to ask the tricky question, is life better now? 

Consider the following:

I remember when my home town, with a population of 3000, had its own daily paper and everyone read it.

I remember when primary schoolkids got the strap for minor infractions and secondary schoolboys were caned.