My life can be followed chronologically via music. There are a few anomallies along the way, but at most stages there is a band or artist that has that evocative effect of taking me back. In this blog I will cover songs and bands that have or do mean something to me. This is a brief history of my musical life.
I can still see Englebert Humperdincks huge sideburns and eyebrows staring at me from the cover of my mums favourite album in the late sixties and “Please Release Me” is one of the few things that I remember clearly from my pre school life. The next would be my elder sisters Monkees obsession and the album “Headqurters” the song “Forget That Girl” evokes sounds and smells and memories that would be lost forever without it. My first purchases were The Scaffold single, “Lilly The Pink” and The Archies “Sugar Sugar” both songs Top of The Pops performances are forever etched in my minds eye. A breif flirtation with glam rock, The Sweets “Blockbuster” and Slades “Cum On Feel The Noize” brought me to my first real album interest Ian Dury and The Blockheads “New Boots and Panties”. Thanks to my older brother I was introduced to Dury at an early age and I still listen to his music now. A lyrical genius and completely unique I will cover him more in a later post. Elton Johns ” Captain Fantastic and The Brown Dirt Cowboy” came next and only goes to emphasise the tragedy that is Elton Johns music, at it’s best as on “Captain Fantastic” he touched genius and then you have the dicotomy of the rubbish that he produced in the eighties.
In 1978 something very special happened I was now 13 and ripe for real influence and thanks to my older brother again I was introduced to The Jam. For the next 3 years I listened to nothing else devouring every single and album as soon as they were released. My appetite for lyrics was fed by everything Weller wrote from “In The City and “Art School” to “Going Underground” and “Just Who Is The 5 O’Clock Hero?” My first musical obsession and one that lives with me still.
Following The Jam split the gap was filled by some great early eighties Scottish bands. Orange Juice, “Rip It Up” and The Associates with the remarkable and sadly lost to us Billy MacKenzie. “Club Country” remains firmly in my top ten songs of all time. Aztec Camera’s album “High Land Hard Rain”was and remains a complete musical treat. How Roddy Frames genius was largely ignored by mainstream radio is one of life’s mysteries. Aztec Camera were great and should have been one of THE great British bands.
Echo and The Bunnymen, “The Cutter” and “The Back of Love” inspired me to see my first live acts and The Bunnymen at The Shakespere Theatre in Stratford on Avon and The Royal Albert Hall still live long in the memory. Then watching Top Of The Pops brought Morrissey and The Smiths to my attention. “This Charming Man” started a passion that burns as brightly today, there really is a light that never goes out! The Smiths music has inspired everyone since from The Stone Roses and Oasis up to Fall Out Boy and The Kooks today. The Smiths will be a recurring theme through this blog.
As the Smiths folded so my life changed, and a different group of freinds saw me discover jazz funk which I endured more than enjoyed and I even flirted in the late eighties with the hugely under rated A Ha (Morten Harket is still the only man who has ever made me question my sexuality). With Duran Duran and Stock Aitken and Waterman it was a musical wasteland but it matched my decadent late teens and early twenties when getting drunk and getting laid was the order of the day.
One song got me back on track to guitar music with lyrics that mattered and it coincided with the time I met my wife. Del Amitris “Nothing Ever Happens” ensured that from that day until now Justin Curries lyrics and voice would keep me going. From “Kiss This Thing Goodbye” up to “Learn To Cry” Del Amitri push The Smiths very close as my most listened to band. Curries beautiful lyrics on life and love matched my married life perfectly. There really is a song for every mood more on Del Amitri in later posts.
Having children again changed my musical out look, I just didn’t have the time to obsess. I liked Oasis, I liked Pulp, and many other 90’s britpop acts but they didn’t mean everything to me. My kids did. I continued to follow Wellers astonishing career as he continued to keep up and set current trends. It was my boys love of the WWF as was that brought about my last real obsession. Hulk Hogans entrance music was “Voodoo Child” by Jimi Hendrix, I needed to hear more and over the next couple of years I bought every piece of Hendrix music I could find and read everything I could about this completely unique individual. The fact that this stuff was written and recorded over 30 years ago is staggering I am so glad I picked up on this later in life it is a constant delight each time I discover another new piece of the Hendrix genius.
Now my kids are older and starting with Green Day they keep me in touch with whatever is important. It is with great pride that my boys ignore the drum and bass culture and imerse themselves in guitar music. We are all off to see Muse at Wembley Stadium and my house is full of the sounds of Kaiser Chiefs, My Chemical Romance, Fall Out Boy, Panic At The Disco and The Fratellis.
So that brings us up to date, quite a journey and one I look forward to writing about in more detail.
And Todays Music Is..... 