So, I wrote a post a while ago about the concept of an album changing your life. It was an interesting piece to consider so I have decided to take this a little bit further and talk about the bands that have had an influence on my musical experiences over the years. We all have a favourite band (or group if you like), but why are they your favourites? Have they changed your life completely or do you just buy their albums because you feel obliged to as a fan even though sometimes you may think they may have sold out? Let's ponder those thoughts a little bit.
Bands, bands, bands
I have mentioned my all time favourite band numerous times, but for those of you who don't know it is and always will be Crowded House. As a band they have bubbled under the surface since they formed nearly 30 years ago and it does seem to me that folks are embarrassed to admit that they dig their music. Neil Finn said recently "I have written some good songs. Don't ever apologise to your hip friends for liking them. They'll be singing them in a karaoke bar someday". I would never apologise for the fact Neil has written some down right amazing songs or for the fact that he is my hero. When someone has been in the music business as long as he has (don't forget he joined Split Enz in the late 70s) I think he deserves the utmost respect for his songwriting ability and longevity of his career. The band have been through some changes over the years and we've seen different line ups, but they will always remain in my heart as my all time number 1. Why? Well, because for starters Neil is a true master of his art. I watched him in awe on his solo tour earlier this year commanding the stage (and a rather large stage it was too) while he sat and played the piano completely alone. Not many artists can hold the audience completely spellbound in that way, but Neil does it with ease. One of the many reasons why I will never tire of the music he produces with or without the band.
I have to admit, I now struggle to name a second favourite band as honestly, I like so many others I don't think there is a clear winner. My taste has changed over the years and I'll get into a new band (like recently Alter Bridge) and then immerse myself in their back catalogue (if they have one) and get to grips with their style.
For many years I would always name Barenaked Ladies as my second choice, but now I'm not so sure. They are definitely up there, but I have to admit that after Steven Page left the band my interest faded slightly. His was the voice I tuned into and as much as I love the output from the rest of the band, it was his voice that drew me to them in the first place. Without him it just hasn't been the same. Don't get me wrong, I've still been to see them live without him and thoroughly enjoyed it as they are great performers, but it was just missing that something. His solo work is not too bad, but didn't really set the world on fire, although his album does have some really great tracks on it and I enjoy listening to it when it pops up on my iPod.
Fall Out Boy are another band that feature heavily in my playlists. I got into them when 'Folie A Deux' was released and once again it was the voice of Patrick Stump that hooked me in for the long haul. I was a background fan for many years, liked their stuff, but didn't go overboard with them really. This was until the made their comeback from hiatus and released 'Save Rock and Roll' last year. It was a well received album and they have been on the up ever since winning awards and gaining a whole new fanbase in the process. Interestingly though, just last week I was sent an interview that DJ Annie Mac gave where she informed the public that she couldn't stand FOB and that she actually found them 'offensive'. No idea why she feels this way, and although everyone is of course entitled to their own opinion, to say they are offensive is a bit much. They don't have rude lyrics, swear or degrade people so it's a bit much to state such a fact if you ask me. Anyway, during their enforced break Patrick released a solo album and EP which are both very good. Unfortunately the public didn't seem to agree and the album wasn't met with much success. I've never really understood why it didn't do better than it did as it's actually a really great piece of work. He did absolutely everything himself and you can tell that it's been lovingly put together. I was lucky enough to see Fall Out Boy when they played the Download festival this year and they do give a great show. Let's hope there's more to come from them next year.
Behold, the greatness that is Fall Out Boy
The last post I wrote on this blog was about the return to my youth in the 90s and my continuing love affair with the Bluetones. They therefore have to feature on this list as a band that mean something important to my life. They are nothing if not a quandary for me though. Massive success when they burst into the British charts in the mid 90s, followed by some lows, then success again and finally the sad conclusion that it was all over. I still find this hard to take and feel that perhaps the public weren't paying attention hard enough cos you know what? They were bloody awesome! Lumped in with the whole Britpop scene (which they weren't at all) they hit us with the jangly guitar of the wonderful Adam Devlin and lyrics which were something to behold. I followed them through their career, but was never fortunate enough to see them play live which is something I will always regret bitterly. I have, however been lucky enough to see lead singer and all round top bloke Mark Morriss play his solo material live (and Adam was with him so it was 2 for the price of 1!!) and I am doing so again very soon. Both Mark and Adam are kind enough to put up with my stupid ramblings on Twitter and I feel very privileged to be able to communicate with them both especially as I have been a fan of theirs for nearly 20 years and will continue to be for the foreseeable future (or until they get fed up of me pestering them)...
What platform for the last train to Clarksville guys?
So, who else? Other bands I've followed from the start include Counting Crows, The Gin Blossoms, Hootie and the Blowfish, Ben Folds Five, the list goes on. Lots of American acoustic style rock bands seemed to be my genre of choice in the 90s/00s. From a British point of view I love bands such as Squeeze, Genesis, The Divine Comedy, Teenage Fanclub, The Smiths, Del Amitri and the wonderful Turin Brakes.
It was being a fan of Turin Brakes which earned me some cool points a few years back as a ex mate of mine was trying to appear 'down with the kids' and asked me to name some good music so she could impress her workmates. I reeled off a load of stuff including the aforementioned Brakes and she told me she was greeted with "that's impressive actually, maybe she does know a thing or two". Yes, I certainly do thank you very much indeed.
I'm actually listening to a lot of Turin Brakes at the moment to be honest as their latest album is fab (We Were Here - check it out) and lead singer Olly Knights has a solo album called 'If Not Now When' which he lovingly put together in his own home using a very unique and personal recording style. I watched a documentary on the production of this album and it was a moving and inspirational journey for him and made me consider that perhaps not all music is constructed by faceless producers for the masses. This was a labour of love for him and a legacy that he could be proud of. It made me hopeful for the future of the industry and confirmed to me that there are still musicians out there who care about what they do on a higher level and these are the people we should be following with interest. Watch the documentary below.
I guess there are also the 'classic' bands that most people like (or say they like cos if you don't you appear to be an idiot) like the Beatles, Queen, the Rolling Stones, Led Zepplin etc. I love all of these by the way. We also have to give consideration to other such bands as Guns 'n Roses, Oasis, and even Coldplay and U2. Yes, bloody Coldplay and egomaniacal carnival ride that is U2. People seem to buy their albums and get them to the top of the charts, but whenever I speak to anyone, no-one actually seems to like them! So who is buying their bloody music then?? It can only be because people feel they 'should'. I never buy anything just for the kudos of it. It has to be something I am interested in and enjoy listening to otherwise what's the point? My CD collection is for me and no-one else and I don't feel the need to impress someone with my choices so they'll think that I'm cool. I mean, come on. Everybody already knows that I am...
Anyway, there are are tons and tons of other bands that could be mentioned in this post, but it would then go on forever and I have other things to do. I'm sure you all have your favoutites and that there are reasons why you particularly like them so think about it, chat about it with your friends and keep the conversation going. Or tweet me about it if you want. I'm always up for the debate.
If in the 90's you'd have told me that I'd meet the lead singer of the Bluetones outside the toilets in a Nottingham pub I'd have told you to piss right off. Seriously. But, guess what? It actually happened. True story.
Now, this is a sort of a gig review (I use the term review in the loosest possible sense), but as I am not a 'proper' music journalist please don't expect this to be a full blown account of the gig with set list and all that jazz. It's just a kind of review of the show based on what I thought about it and how it made me feel. Nice and simple, a bit like me. But like all good fairy tales, let's begin the beguine...
I loved the Bluetones from the very first time I first heard 'Bluetonic'. I would've been about 19 back then. Their debut album 'Expecting to Fly' is one of my all time favourites, and what a cracking debut it was. It took me a long time to appreciate the quality of the songwriting on this and the subsequent albums and I think it's only now as I've got older that I can fully understand it more. On the debut the songs 'Putting Out Fires' and 'The Fountainhead' both leave me with chills as to me they are achingly beautiful. I'm not sure that I can say that I felt the same at the time, but back then my appreciation and understanding of music was not the same as it is now.
The debut came at a time when so called 'Britpop' was in full flow, but I never actually considered the Bluetones to be in this genre. To me that was about Blur and Oasis and neither of those were my cup of tea (and still aren't). My old workmate and music pal once told me back in 1995 that he wasn't surprised that I liked the Bluetones cos it was my kind of thing. I was obviously predictable back then too. He also told me that they weren't very good live as I think he'd seen them as they were just starting out. To be fair, this is the man who saw Oasis in a room with about 6 other people before they were famous so he did know his music which is why I listened to his advice.
Basically my youth in a magazine...
I was never lucky enough to see them play live as basically no-one I knew back then was a fan and the voice of doom with his "they aren't very good live" mantra stuck in my head and I never actually bothered. I still however, bought all the albums, listened to them regularly, watched them on Top of the Pops (I can clearly remember them playing Autophilia with a backing choir whilst wearing very nice suits!), fancied the lead singer etc etc but that was it. And then they broke up... Story of my life.
Those of you who punish themselves by reading my other blog posts will know that I am somewhat of a Twitter Twat and that I'm pretty much on there every day, just stalking people or making ridiculous comments about nonsense. I follow mostly the musicians that I love and happen to follow someone called Mark Morriss. Self described as 'former Bluetones lead mincer' it should all now sink into place for you and get you up to date. Got it? Okay.
Well, Mr Morriss went solo and has released 2 spectacular albums. The first called 'Memory Muscle' in 2008 (while the Bluetones were still together) and this years 'A Flash of Darkness'. I cannot describe how good these albums are, but the songwriting and composition is just amazing. Mark's voice has also grown over the years (or at least it sounds that way to me) as sometimes when I listen to the early stuff it doesn't seem as rounded as it does now. The first time I listened to 'A Flash of Darkness' all the way through it was like "Wow, what the fuck have I just listened to?" And I then put it back on and listened to it again. Truthfully. One of the lyrics that always makes me smile is from the track 'Conseula' and goes "You can say what you like behind my back, you can keep on my case like you're Bergerac". That's a bit of a British joke right there which I find very funny. My favourite song on the album (and my constant pinned tweet on my Twitter profile) is 'Life Without F(r)iction' as it's just simply amazing. I wanted to add the video to this post, but can't for some reason so link it here.
Below is a live video of 'Unwanted Friend' from the Memory Muscle album.This song sticks in my head as it reminds me of someone in particular and the lyrics are very fitting for the basis of our relationship. In fact, most of Mark's lyrics speak to me in such a way that I have attached certain people to them. That's a great art right there. Making your audience resonate with you so highly that they feel you are singing on behalf of them. This is one of Mark's many talents.
Anyway, back to this bloody gig. It was at The Maze in Nottingham which is a 'live music venue'. In other words it's a pub with a room at the back large enough to fit a stage in the corner. I'd never been there before, but bearing in mind I am not actually from Nottingham I feel it's okay to state this fact. On the other hand, I have lived here for over 10 years now and am meant to like music so perhaps I should know where all the music venues are. Well, maybe...
As you will know I spend a lot of time doing all things music related (listening, reading, writing about etc) and I also check out the local gig guides to see who's venturing into Notts to play at our many fabulous venues. I can't quite remember how I found out that Mr Morriss was playing here, I think it might have been via his website, but as soon as I saw it I knew I had to go. I had no idea where the venue was, but my friend was game in coming with me and the tickets were a steal at just £13 each so we booked it. This was in early May and the gig was in October so just 5 months to wait then...
Mark shows us the art of sitting on a guitar case and not getting a sore arse
Cut to 10 October and the day of the gig. It was Friday and the yearly beer festival was in full flow at Nottingham Castle. My office is right next to the Castle so I spent the day listening to the various bands performing in the grounds (not all of them good) and enjoying one of them do a kick arse version of 'Ghostbusters'! This should have been getting me in the mood for an evening of live music entertainment, but when I checked the timings for the evening I noticed that there were 2 support bands and Mark was not on until 10pm. I was knackered and feeling grouchy so was not looking forward to having to wait until so late to see him. Pah.
We got to the venue at about 8.30pm and it was already pretty packed. Lots of fellow music lovers were in the bar area waiting for the back room to open and let us in. We got some drinks and then joined the queue and went through to the music room claiming our wristbands on route. The room was a fair size with a large stage and had a few seats and another bar. We nabbed somewhere to sit as we planned to stay on our arses for the entire night and found out later on that we were sitting with a music journalist and a photographer. Nice.
Of the 2 support bands, I preferred the first one who were called Hotbox and are 'an indie rock band from Nottingham, bringing a blend of intense indie rock and upbeat pop to create warm and catchy songs, with upbeat funky rifts and grooving beats'. They were really good. Soooo young, but very good and seemed to go down great with the crowd. Their EP was released that same day which was really exciting for them and they were selling it for just £4! Up and coming stars I would say!
The other support band were called Lois and seem to be regulars at the Maze. They are a four piece rock and roll band from Nottingham who note that they are influenced by some of the great bands of the 60s and 70s. And you could tell. There were hints of the Beatles, but towards the end it sounded to me very much like the Manchester sound of the 90s (very Happy Mondays / Stone Roses maybe). They finished their set and cleared the stage. This was the time I decided to nip to the toilet before Mark came on.
The loo's were out the back past the stage and when I came out of the ladies to return to my seat Mark and his band were standing waiting to go onto the stage (Adam Devlin was part of the band, but he wasn't there at the time). Usually I would never approach anyone famous as I am actually quite a shy person in reality, but for some unknown reason I caught Mark's eye as he was looking towards me and decided without thinking to go and say hello. He was kind enough to speak to me for a few minutes and actually told me he recognised me from my Twitter photo which was a bit of a surprise. Bearing in mind I look awful in almost every single photo I have taken, I now know that I also look awful in real life too!! Thems the brakes. But on the plus side it was nice to know that my tweets are memorable (or else I stalk him far too much, you decide).
What a very nice man he is
When Mark and the band finally arrived on stage at about 11pm, I can honestly say that the gig was awesome, but over far too quickly. He played the majority of 'A Flash of Darkness' and a few choice tunes from 'Memory Muscle' such as the night's great opening number of 'I'm Sick'. I should've been a bit smarter and nabbed the set-list, but sadly I'm not that on the ball. The crowd was a bit sparse which I found very frustrating, but there were some obvious fans there who were having a great time and one lovely chap even bought the band a shot each and some crisps! Nottingham hospitality at it's finest. I purchased a rather fetching t-shirt from the lovely ladies at the merch stall and have already worn it with pride. It was such a shame that there weren't many people there and I really do think that Mark is under selling himself on the ticket price as he gives a great show. But it's not just about the music. The banter and humorous comments with the crowd are all part of being a great performer. I've seen many singers who just get up and do their songs and don't really acknowledge the crowd at all, but Mark spoke to us all the way through and made the crowd laugh with his jokes. It felt nice to be in his company and be part of this gig with the other people who were there. I was sad when it was over, but knew I had seen a great performance which I will remember for some time. I tweeted Mark to say thanks the following day and he replied with a kind response of 'let's do it again some time'. Well, the next time will be in January as I've just booked tickets to see him play a solo show in Derby. And yes, I've told him I'll see him again, and yes, he replied and gave me a thumbs up. I do wonder if he is also preparing the restraining order against me, but I guess only time will tell on that one...
So, what have we learnt?
1. I watched Top of the Pops in the 90s and was a massive Bluetones fan
2. I foolishly listened to someone when I shouldn't and lost out on seeing them live which fills me with regret
3. I still don't know the music venues in Nottingham after 10 years of living here
4. Mark Morriss is a very talented and amusing man who is kind enough to put up with my annoying tweets
5. My gig reviews and shit
Addition 20/11/14
Okay. I have something to add to this post now following ground breaking news I've received this week.
In my quest for all the answers (which apparently I will receive when I turn 38 according to the lovely Olly Knights from Turin Brakes who told me so), I decided to ask my old pal for his take on the whole "they aren't very good live" debarcle so I can finally put it to bed.
So, I emailed him as I am nothing if not resourceful. He replied with "You expect me to remember something I said to you in 1996??!!" to which I countered "Of course I do. You should remember all of our conversations from nearly 20 years ago". Jeez. He then said that he didn't think he'd ever seen the Bluetones live so either I'd got it wrong or more likely he was being contrary. I was fuming. Before you start shouting at me, I have to explain that this person (who I shall now refer to as bellend) was very important to me at the time so I was inclined to believe pretty much everything he said. Call it being young and impressionable (or blinded by lust). Anyway, he then comes back to me and says he googled it and thinks he did actually see them at the V Festival in 1997, but doesn't recall their performance as he was more than likely drunk at the time. What can I say? He is basically nothing short of useless and due to his wanting to wind me up years ago I lost out on the opportunity to see a great band live.
Now, I can't hold him altogether responsible for this as I should have just ignored him and gone anyway. But in my defense, (and remember the lusty aspect) bellend was the person I usually went to gigs with at that time so if he was being an arse about the band then we probably wouldn't have gone to see them anyway. A poor excuse I know, but it's all I've got. I think we can now safely say that the matter is closed. I will reflect on my inability to grow a pair and chalk it up to experience.
As another update, I am also now going to Brixton in December to see Mark and his band play again. It's my Christmas present to myself. Costing me a small fortune, but I think it's worth it and I'm very confident it will be an awesome show. Only a month to go. I've been waiting nearly 20 years so a month should be a breeze...
I've been sitting with my feet up for a while considering how to write a piece on the whole downloading music vs CDs/vinyl debate. After doing a bit of research (or googling which is a very technical method of finding out information, just ask anyone who works in IT) I've decided to put down some thoughts on this matter. It's a subject which will no doubt go on and on, so I'm sure it will present itself again in the future.
The big debate
Anyone who knows me will back up the fact that music is my life. I ramble on about it, write about it, have my headphones permanently stuck in my ears and I also buy a lot of it. Friends that have been shopping with me will know that once I enter a music shop, I will disappear within the space of about a minute and you'll then have to spend a long time trying to find me. When I've moved house (which has happened multiple times so far) the transportation of my beloved CD collection has caused no end of nightmares (and heavy lifting) as it is so vast. Most of my collection has now been banished to my loft due to space issues and I shed a tear on a daily basis because of this. I think you will glean from this that I love my CD's.
I'm all about the physical aspect of having music. I love to buy a CD and hold it in my tiny hands. To be able to take the booklet out and read it or get that shiny silver disc out and hold it up to the light is a thing of beauty. It also means I need masses of space to keep them all hence the reason they are currently in my loft feeling neglected.
Now, I am not against buying music online. No way. I'm not some kind of luddite who thinks it's the work of the devil to get music via your computer. I have bought quite a few songs online and I actually think it's great. It's just not my preference when it comes to the music I love and want to keep.
How I feel most days
When I first started to buy music in the 80's it was on vinyl. Getting 7 inch singles from Woolworths with my pocket money was the thing to do. Albums were also bought on vinyl until I started to get cassettes. Cassettes! Remember them!! I still have a few of these knocking about somewhere. Anyway. CD's appeared in the 80's, but we didn't have a CD player so there wasn't much point in buying them at that time. I have no idea when I first bought a CD or who the artist actually was, but it was no doubt something a bit twee.
My extensive collection has grown over the years and if I had to do a rough calculation of how many CD's I now own it would probably be in 4 figures. Although as you should know, its not all about the size of your collection, it's what you do with it...
A small amount of my current listening...
Not all the albums I own are amazing, but then that's kind of what music is all about for me. Trying something new and seeing if you like it. I'm not actually sure whether I can say that there is an album I own where I think every single song is a winner. There will always be some kind of album filler that is a bit shite and was only added to get the track listing up. I'm sure most artists would admit to this if you asked them,
But what about this big debate then? Well, as I said I do download some music, but my heart belongs to the physical stuff I can hold on to. I remember watching a music documentary recently where Richard Hawley said something along the lines of "you can't hug a digital music download" which made me laugh because it's so true! It's not a material thing for me where I can show off what I own, it's just the basic need for me to have and be able to hold my favourite music. I know that by downloading you get it then and there, but I don't mind waiting a bit longer for something I love.
As far as I am aware there is the issue that some MP3 files are so compressed that the quality is not the same. With vinyl you get that beautiful 'hiss' and CD's pick up the great backing feed. But digital loses all of this which can sometimes be the best part. People I talk to agree and we hate the whole compression element as we love hearing that extra special stuff that you can sometimes pick up in the background.
Just yesterday I was told an interesting fact by one of my Twitter pals (thanks Michelle) about 'The Mother of the MP3'. This accolade belongs to the 1982 song 'Tom's Diner' by Suzanne Vega. The reason behind this is that the song was actually used to develop the audio compression scheme known as MP3. Great fact and you can read more about it on Wikipedia here.
The Mother of the MP3
From my 'research' (I use the term extremely loosely) it seems that Napster started the download phenomenon in 1999. Apple iTunes is the biggest supplier of downloads and it's an increasing market. The cost of a new CD is now around £9 which has dropped over the years, probably to compete with the online market. You can however buy second hand CD's online from retailers for as little as 1p which is amazing and can help you with your collection if you are looking for some older albums to add.
The choice is yours as to how you buy your music, As a geek and techie I should be excited about downloading music, but I can't help it, I just love buying CD's. I love browsing music shops and wasting hours roaming the aisles looking for bargins or rarities. You just don't get the same enjoyment looking at iTunes on a computer screen. It's what things like Record Store Day are all about and why I joined in the campaign to save a local record shop here in Nottingham earlier this year. The experience of buying music is also a big part of being a fan and although I have to sometimes resort of buying CD's online, my first choice will always be to go to a record shop and get the buzz.
If only I could work here...
However you get your music whether it be online, streaming or whatever, it's really up to you. My house is dominated by CD's and I can't honestly see that changing until they stop producing them full stop, which I seriously hope won't happen for a very long time.
So, I ramble on a lot about the 'Year of Yes', but I suppose I should really explain what this actually means. And before anyone asks, no it's nothing to do with the band 'Yes'. Wakeman was in my last post and I think that's about all of him I can handle...
I made a decision at the start of this year to go to more gigs. As a lifelong music fan and a bit of a know it all, I thought how can I actually talk about it when I don't get involved? So I made myself a promise and tried to be a bit like Danny Wallace to say yes more when people asked me if I wanted to go to a concert. It began with my friends at work asking if I wanted to go and see Frank Turner.
I have written about this briefly before, but as a bit of a recap, I didn't really know who Frank was. I'd heard the name and was under the impression that he was a bit like Billy Bragg, some sort of generation poet. My friends said that he was good and the tickets weren't too bad so I thought 'why not?' and agreed to go with them. It turned out to be a really good night, I discovered 3 new artists that night as the 2 support acts were also great and I now am slightly in love with Frank and all his tattoos! And it proved the point that if I hadn't have said yes, I would never have gone and discovered someone new to listen to. In fact Frank is now on regular repeat on my precious iPod (it never leaves my side, seriously) and we've looked at going to see him again later this year when he tours again.
iPod. I love it more than anything. Touch it and I will destroy you.
So what else did I say yes to then? Well, whilst checking out the upcoming gigs on an email mailing list, I noticed that the band Therapy? were due to come to Nottingham in April. I was vaguely familiar with their music and liked some of their songs, but more so I knew they were my sister-in-law's favourite band. Looking at where they were playing though it was only a few locations in the UK and nowhere near to her so I told her about it and said that I'd go with her if she wanted. She said yes pretty much straight away so I booked the tickets and prepared for a night of loud and heavy music. April rolled around and we went off the to famous 'Rock City' in the heart of Nottingham and joined the crowd for a night of having our ear drums burst. The support act were called 'Lonely The Brave' and were pretty good. In fact they are now getting a lot more popular so one day I'll be able to say "I saw them support Therapy? when no-one knew who they were" and feel a bit smug! Anyway, Therapy? were great, playing the whole of their seminal album 'Troublegum' which is now 20 years old (hence the tour) and other tracks that the audience loved. The thing I loved about them was how humble they were with the crowd. I think Andy Cairns thanked people for coming out about 5 times and expressed how grateful the band were for the fans support and dedication. It was a lovely thing to hear and see. My one downside of this concert was the fact that my ears did not stop ringing for 2 days afterwards. Seriously, it was bad. I've never experienced that before and it was very concerning at one point. Either the band were far too loud or the PA system sucked, but it was such a relief when the car alarm in my head finally ceased!!
Or your PA system sucks
I also went to see a couple of musicals at the theatre aswell which I guess counts as listening to music. I went to see Thriller Live and Rock of Ages which were both pretty fab. As much as I like Michael Jackson I don't actually own any of his albums and I wouldn't go out of my way to listen to him. Don't get me wrong, I like his songs when they are on, but I wouldn't seek them out if that makes sense. I have the same relationship with Madonna - good artist, wouldn't buy the music though. The Thriller live show was not exactly what I was expecting, but I still enjoyed it. One of the singers was particularly good and the female lead was from the 90's band Cleopatra (for those of you who remember 'Coming 'Atcha' being inflicted on us!). Now, the Rock of Ages show was amazing. Very funny, very near the mark, but great songs and the whole place was jumping. In fact, I was in the upstairs of the theatre and the floor was bouncing so hard at the end I thought I was going to end up in the stalls! Well worth seeing if the tour comes near to you.
Roll onto May and my all time hero Neil Finn was bringing his 'Dizzy Heights' tour to the UK. As soon as I found out I checked the dates and was annoyed to find he was coming here on a Monday night which for a concert was not great being at the start of the working week so I was fed up. It was only when I looked at the date again that I realised it was a bank holiday which meant no work that day! Huzzah, I could go! Tickets were booked straight away and I was very excited as I hadn't seen Neil live for a few years. The concert was great, Neil played for over 2 and a half hours and there was a section he did on his own with no backing support which was breathtaking. Not many artists can hold a large stage alone and completely own it, but he did this totally. Impressed was not the word. Even the stage backdrop was amazing as you can see in the picture below. It lit up and changed throughout the show.
Now, I have talked before about how much I love Fall Out Boy, but have never seen them live. When they toured the UK earlier this year I didn't go as they weren't playing anywhere near to where I live. Get off your arse and go and see them I was told, but I didn't so I can't really complain about it now can I. Anyway, when I found out they were playing the Download festival which is very close to where I live it seemed like the ideal way to see them play live. Looking at the line up there were lots of other great bands on too so it would be a great day out. My friend from work agreed to come too as Linkin Park were headlining on the same day so I booked day tickets as soon as they came on sale and excitedly waited for the day to come around. Festivals are known for being muddy and wet so wellies were purchased just in case and our pack'a'macs were put in our bags. On the day we arrived at lunchtime and enjoyed wandering around seeing the stalls and enjoying the atmosphere. I had to buy a hat because the sun was beating down and it was actually a very hot day. We spent most of the day sitting on a picnic blanket viewing the stage from a way back where we could see everything that was going on. Some of the bands were a bit questionable and I was surprised by the attitude of some of them and how they addressed the crowd. One up and coming band who I won't name (they are often on the cover of Kerrang etc) came onto the stage and basically everything the lead singer said was a swear word. He didn't seem grateful to be performing and ranted on a lot which put me and my friend right off. I even think they left the stage at the end of their set without saying thanks! Not good. My boys came on and were excellent as always. I really enjoyed seeing them although because I was watching it on the screens at the side of the stage it felt a bit surreal. I couldn't do the barrier thing though as I have a bladder the size of a pea so it just wouldn't have worked! Linkin Park closed the day and played the whole of their album 'Hybrid Theory' which was great. We really enjoyed it, but as the sun went down it started to get very cold and we were glad we were going back to the warmth of our houses rather than sleeping on site in a tent.
I still have a few more concerts coming up and in fact the 'Year of Yes' has rolled over into 2015. I'm looking forward to seeing Mark Morriss in October, Beans on Toast in November and the Black Keys next February. I'm particularity looking forward to seeing Mark as he features rather heavily on my current playlist and is pretty amazing. Someone asked me the other day if he was worth a listen to and I replied with "well, his songs are intelligently written with meaningful lyrics and great guitar" or something very similar to that. So yes, worth checking out. Beans on Toast supported Frank Turner so the power of the support act reigns! The Black Keys probably don't need any introductions, so I'll stick a video in below for them so you can sing along.
There's always an element of consideration when I look at an upcoming gig, but as long as the time and day are suitable, the artist is someone I like or want to know more about, then I think why not? Unless you go and see what artists are like live then you don't get the whole experience. I always remember an old friend of mine saying "yes, they sound good on the CD, but they aren't that great live". These are the things you need to find out. And you can only do that by saying yes....
So, I wanted to write
a joint piece on music with someone. My sidekick in the fight against bad
music, Mr Cooper, stepped up and agreed to join me in my quest to educate or
perhaps just bore people to tears with our witty and entertaining insights. The
subject of this piece is none other than, wait for it, Prog Rock. Why, I hear
you ask? Well, I'm not that overly familiar with it (as you'll see) and Mr C
has a lot of knowledge on it which makes it an interesting 2 fold account. I
hope....
Anyway, firstly me
and my side. What do I know about Prog Rock? Well, not much to be honest. When
I think of it this is what I see:
Rick Wakeman wearing
a cape and a wizard's hat playing the keyboard for around 2 hours straight. I
also see a young Peter Gabriel dressed as a flower, jumping around on the stage
in the early Genesis days. Or Ian Anderson from Jethro Tull standing on one leg
playing the flute. To me it's long winded keyboard solos, artsy presentations
and story telling with very obscure album artwork.
Check out my cape mofos...
How's that for a
summing up? But am I right or wrong? Let's refer to Wikipedia for their take on
it:
Progressive
rock, also known as prog rock or prog, is a rock music subgenre that originated
in the United Kingdom, with further developments in Germany, Italy, and France,
throughout the mid-to-late 1960s and 1970s. It developed from psychedelic pop
(rather than psychedelic rock, as is often stated) and originated, similarly to
art rock, as an attempt to give greater artistic weight and credibility to rock
music. Songs were replaced by musical suites that often stretched to 20 or 40
minutes in length and contained symphonic influences, extended musical themes,
philosophical lyrics and complex orchestrations. Music critics, who often
labelled the concepts as "pretentious" and the sounds as
"pompous" and "overblown," tended to be hostile toward the
genre or to completely ignore it.
Progressive rock saw a high level of popularity
throughout the 1970s, especially in the middle of the decade. Bands such as
Pink Floyd, Jethro Tull, The Moody Blues, Yes, King Crimson, Genesis, and
Emerson, Lake & Palmer (ELP) were the genre's most influential groups and
were among the most popular acts of the era, although there were many other,
often highly influential, bands who experienced a lesser degree of commercial
success. The genre faded in popularity during the second half of the decade.
Conventional wisdom holds that the rise of punk rock caused this, although in
reality a number of factors contributed to this decline. Progressive rock bands
achieved commercial success well into the 1980s, albeit with changed lineups
and more compact song structures.
So I am more or less
correct. I am a Genesis fan, but I have to admit I don't actually like much of
their early stuff. It was too elaborate for me and I wasn't really into the
whole dressing up on stage and doing a concept piece. I have nothing against
the long instrumental solos in some of their songs at all. In fact, I like some
of them very much. I think it's the dressing as an old man and scaring the shit
out of the audience that gets me. Strangely Peter Gabriel didn't really do that
when he went solo did he? Perhaps he didn't feel the need to anymore as he'd
got over his nerves.
Peter Misunderstood Flower Power....
Now, this is all very fascinating, but it's not really explaining the whole
genre of Prog Rock is it? As I said, I have little understanding of this
subject so I guess I should hand over to the expert for his take on it.
*Disclaimer - Mr C
talks about music a lot*
Prog Rock has never won the hearts of the masses, it’s never been at the
forefront of any musical revolution, it’s often described as pretentious or
unnecessary, created by self indulgent big headed musicians with a ‘look what I
can do’ mentality and listened to by lonely wannabe rock stars alone in their
bedrooms. So if this is true, why has it just refused to go away!
So many musical so called revolutions have arrived and made an
impression but then slowly dwindled, whether it be the ‘Grunge’ movement where
bands such as Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Soundgarden dominated the rock charts, or
the Brit Pop movement where the famous grudge match between Damon and Liam was
deemed as important enough to make headlines (Blur and Oasis front men for
those of you that are too young or were living in a cave at the time).
So they were great times, everyone got on board, millions of albums were
sold, people changed the way they dressed and even the way they acted, but
always short lived and now classed as era’s to look back at in the history of
music.
But Prog Rock is not an era to look back at, it’s still alive and well,
evolving, changing and growing. It’s never been a favourite with the media, the
big music festivals seldom have a true Prog Rock band on and it’s never been
cool to admit allegiance to one of the many bands. So why is it still here? Does it contain some kind of magic ingredient
that the general public have been denied access to?
But before we go further, what is Progressive Rock? I don’t think
it can be summed up in one sentence, I have read countless articles on Prog
Rock, seen documentaries and attempted to read books on it.
There are many interesting opinions but I think that the common agreed
points are that it is created by instruments that are associated with rock
music. It breaks the commercially accepted rules of a radio friendly song, ie
time signatures, keys, subject matter and length, and that musically it is
clever in some way (what does clever mean is debatable in itself) There are
many definitions and I’m open to discuss!!
The origins again are debatable, for me some of the earliest signs of
Prog Rock were when The Beatles released ‘Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band’,
it broke all the rules and created the rule that’ there are no rules’, the
essence of Prog Rock. As it grew, bands such as Pink Floyd, Genesis, Yes and
Rush took it to different places, even early Queen was looking like they may go
that way before they turned into a whole other monster of their own.
Bringing it up to date, some of the original bands are still around, the
90’s saw the birth of Spocks Beard, Porcupine Tree and the rise of (in my
opinion) the masters of Prog Rock Dream Theater.
Dream Theater have managed to combine virtuoso playing which is
impressive to any accomplished musicians standards, with well written songs
that stick in your head AND they look ‘cool’ like any rock band should. From 4 minute ballads, to 18 minute long tracks in multiple keys, many
time signatures and the exploration of genres from blues to classical they
truly are a band that break all the rules and for me are the perfect example of
unadulterated Prog Rock.
Not submitting to the industries rules means forfeiting radio airplay
and TV coverage, but this doesn’t seem to hinder Prog Rock and led by bands
such as Dream Theater who play larger venues every tour it seems that it is
going from strength to strength.
So maybe the reason for the seemingly immortality of Prog Rock is due
partially to the fact that it doesn’t get the commercial advertising of other
genres or movements? So if it’s not sold to the masses as the latest thing that
must be listened to, no one is persuaded to listen to it then I guess they
can’t be persuaded to stop listening either!!!!
Or maybe the fact that Prog Rock breaks all the rules means that it will
never get boring, there are no limits, literally none! So as one band dies another emerges, just as we think we have heard all
it has to offer someone produces something else, different, new, fresh and
exciting!
People constantly need new things, excitement, variation but the
reliability and consistency that gives us security and a place to belong. Prog Rock gives us all of these things, and that’s why it hasn’t died
and shows no signs of going anywhere yet!
So there you have it. Basically I
don't know much about it, but Mr C does and highly recommends Dream Theater. To
be fair, it is something that I need to go off and learn more about. Bearing in
mind that I claim to love all music, I really do need to do my homework and
buff up on these things. I really don't think you can use the excuse of not
being of that generation to ignore older music nowadays. Everything modern
pretty much has its roots in something from 'the olden days' so we should look
back and understand the links of where our favourite bands come from and what
inspires them. Perhaps that's a good explanation of Progressive Rock -
understanding where it comes from and how it shapes the future.
Many moons ago the way you found out about new artists was by someone recommending them or hearing them on the radio or in a club etc. To be approached by an artist directly was unheard of and was certainly not something that ever happened to me. But now, it's an entirely different story. In the age of social media, artists are using various sites to increase their fan base and also their selling power.
Where you used to listen to the latest music...
But is this a good thing? Does it have the same meaning behind it as in the past or is it just an easy way to gain fans without doing the hard work? Conundrum.
Well, for me, I was always an album buyer, not a singles fan. It was very rare that I bought a single and if I did, it was for a specific reason (cool b-side, limited edition, bonus tracks etc). Usually I would hear the single and decide that it was the entire album for me. My friend Roger is the same. He told me that he bought 'Frampton Comes Alive' because he loved 'Show Me The Way' so much. He was something of a pioneer in his day! But what has this got to do with social media? Okay, I'm getting to that...
Nowadays bands use sites like Facebook and especially Twitter to promote their music to the masses. And the way it's done is very clever. So clever in fact, that it inspired me to write this blog post about it. Come on then, how is it so I hear you ask. Well, here's the thing. Twitter is on its most basic level about how many people follow you and how popular you are. We all want to be popular now don't we? The more followers you have, obviously the most popular you look. So, as an up and coming band you want to have a lot of followers and look popular. What do you do? Start following as many people as possible that's what. In turn they will more than likely follow you back and your numbers will increase.
As an average joe on Twitter there is nothing more rewarding than being followed by a bonafide band, trust me. And what has this to do with singles and albums? Well, bands don't have to have completed an album to start promoting themselves in this day and age. A couple of singles or an EP will do and your on your way. No more waiting for a full album to be available before you can start selling your wares and this in itself means you can have a solid fan-base in advance. Not so good for me and Roger and our album 'issues', but hey-ho!
A little bird told me you like Fall Out Boy...
For me, there's a whole other side to this medium. One that has brought me a lot of enjoyment for a start. I'm talking about the discovery side of this little play. I have been lucky enough to be followed by many, many bands over the last few years. And I have a rule that I use with all of them which is that I do my homework. As a total music geek (my own words), I am nothing if not interested in new music so I will always, and I mean always, go off and listen to anyone that follows me. If I like what I hear I will follow back. It's as simple as that. If I like you a lot, I will recommend you to other people and retweet you. But what comes with this is something that frustrates me each time it happens. These 2 things:
1) bands that don't wait long enough for me to make a constructive decision and unfollow before I've had a chance to listen to them
2) bands that unfollow you after literally no time at all as they want to find the next bunch of willing participants as you've served your purpose now. See ya...
Not good tactics people. I have unfollowed because of this as I don't take kindly to being messed around. You have been warned!
If it hadn't been for this method, I would not have discovered artists like Elliot Minor and so many more that make such good music. They are using Twitter as a platform to gain new fans and publicise their music which I think can only be good thing. If it opens people up to new things and you get introduced to an artist which changes your life, then it's served it's purpose.
It also enables fans to get close to their idols in a way that was not possible before. In the good old days if you wanted to get in touch with your hero you had to write off to some obscure PO box address somewhere in the middle of nowhere and hope that the person you were writing to actually got your letter. Chances are they probably didn't, but what else could you do? Meet and greets were rare and the bands stayed very detached from their fans. You saw them live on stage and that was it. Now that has all changed. With so many people on Twitter you have a good chance of actually engaging with your heroes. I know I have. My all time hero is Neil Finn and not only does he follow me on Twitter (I know!), but he has actually replied to my tweets. There is no way that this would never have happened years ago. I do realise that he will still have absolutely no idea who I am, but for me, the fact that he replied and acknowledged my existence means the world to me. Such a small thing that probably took him 2 seconds to write made my day. It's an amazing thing and it is happening more and more. We should think ourselves incredibly lucky.
And then my heart broke
I guess it does depend on who the artist is though. The person I actually joined Twitter to follow does not appear to be someone who really engages with his fans. I'm not sure why, but I don't often see him responding to anyone other than his in-crowd of friends or talking about himself which can be somewhat disappointing. There is so much potential there to connect with people that I think it's a real shame if you decide not to take it. It's entirely up to you of course, and there does needs to be limits as they are (surprisingly) human beings at the end of the day.
I have an endless amount of love for FOB in particular as they do take the time to answer their fans as much as they can. I have only had replies from Patrick, but I treasure each one as he gets so inundated with people tweeting him that it must be like mission impossible to pick which ones to actually reply to. He is a true gent and is regularly online for hours doing Q&A sessions with fans as he appreciates how much it means to us. A small token which is gratefully appreciated. Just remember though, that they real people and they do not owe the fans anything if they do not want to engage. I'm just pointing out that there is a large potential there if they want to go down that route.
So, has Twitter actually changed music? I think the answer is yes. There is more connection with the artists now, you can discover so many new bands and find unbelievably good music that you would be a fool not to be part of it if you consider yourself to be a music fan. I have made loads of friends online and now have people I can discuss music with which is something I have struggled with in the past. Finding like minded people is such a bonus as they can also introduce you to other fans or artists that you might like. There are also loads of music magazines or record labels with profiles that you can be part of that side of it too. It's a total win-win for everyone. But is it an easy way to gain fans? It can be, but people are so fickle nowadays that you need to do something to gain their interest in the first place and it's not a given that you will be popular from the off. You need to put in the work and be engaging with your fans to make them stay so it's not an easy task.
Anyone reading this who is a music fan and is not on Twitter, I would recommend that you get on there now as you are seriously missing out. Any bands out there who want me to listen to their stuff, hit me up. I might not be a 'proper' journalist, but I am interested in all music and promise to give your tracks a listen. I am now a dedicated fan of Elliot Minor and this is all because they followed me on Twitter. You see, good things do happen so jump right in....
I read a great article the other day by Patrick Stump (yes him again) about the 10 records that changed his life. It's a very good piece and it got me thinking about my own musical journey and whether I could actually say there was an album or albums that changed my life in some way. I made some notes, pondered on it and did nothing.
I was then watching one of my favourite films of all time, 'High Fidelity', and this brought the question back to me again. John Cusack's character, Rob, talks about his top 5 records for certain circumstances in this life and I wondered if I had a short list of something regarding music in me. It certainly seemed more plausible than 10 albums anyway so I had yet another think.
I don't think I can honestly say an album has necessarily changed my life. I have certainly listened to some that have made me change the way I feel about music or have been significant at a certain point of my life, but changed it. I'm not so sure. Bearing in mind I have always had a lot of music around whilst growing up, I don't really consider albums as being time sensitive so I can't catalogue it in this way. If you look at what I'm listening to at the moment, it's as much old as new. In fact as I'm writing this I have been listening to 'Frampton Comes Alive' which was released in 1976 and makes it as old as me. This doesn't influence me in any way and I go backwards as well as forwards with my musical taste.
If I had to choose an album that stands out as a defining moment of my life, I guess I would have to say 'Woodface' by Crowded House. It was the first album of theirs that I heard and bought and it started my ongoing love affair with them which has never waned. They are still my favourite band of all time and without this album I would never have been as dedicated as I am. This was the album that got a lot of people into their music due to songs like 'Weather With You' and I guess it came along at the right time for me when I was looking for something. It was 1991 and I was still at school. I wasn't one of the cool kids, but I wasn't one of the picked on kids either. I was somewhere on the outside, not really fitting in anywhere. I guess music was a way to escape for me and I kept it to myself.
It had a big influence on what I wanted to do with my life and I made the decision that I wanted to be a studio engineer. Ideally I would have liked to be a musician, but my talent was somewhat lacking so I looked at getting into it from another angle. My college courses were based on this, but sadly I dropped out due to the pressure and my dreams of working on some top albums died with it. Speaking to a friend recently who is a session musician, he tells me that studio engineering is very different now to how it was back then. I had to go off and learn about physics and mechanical mathematics as you needed this type of understanding for the job, but now it's all about computer programming. How times change.
This hand should belong to me...
So did Woodface have any bearing on this? Maybe, or maybe not. I can't say for sure. It opened me up to a new sound and type of music and it was definitely a defining point for me, so maybe the answer is yes. When I have thought about what to write in this post it has been more about the music that started something for me. Something that I heard that stood out to me and made me think about things in a different way. The next album I can honestly say that about is 'Little Earthquakes' by Tori Amos.
I was never really into female singer songwriters much, but when I heard this album it was like a wow moment and something resonated inside me. I had never heard anything like it before, the voice, the piano, the lyrics, it was amazing. I think it was probably 'Silent All These Years' that I heard first and it hooked me in. She is still my favourite female singer songwriter and I have most of her albums. Strangely though, I can only find 1 or 2 people that enjoy her work too which I think is a real shame. One other female singer that I very nearly included in this post was Bjork with her album 'Debut'. It's a similar story with this one, although I was introduced to it by a friend so it doesn't stand out to me in the same way. A great album though with some fab tracks on it.
Go and listen to this album
I have been introduced to a lot of music over the years, but I think it was during my late teens that this happened the most. I was working at my first job (which I hated), but I had a friend there who was older and liked a lot of the same things as I did. He taught me a lot about music and made me a tape (yes a tape!) of amazing tracks which included bands like Sugar, Stereolab, The Blue Aeroplanes and many more that I had never heard of. I think it's only now that I realise the meaning behind giving someone a compilation tape, but unfortunately that ship sailed a long time ago and in fact said ship married someone else. Anyway... One of the other bands I was introduced to was The Divine Comedy. It was at the time their album 'Casanova' was out and on a whim I bought it, mainly to impress him. I had no idea that I would in fact grow to love it so much and they became one of my favourite bands. I've seen them live and still have their songs on my iPod today. Defining moment? Maybe.
So far all these albums have been in the past, but what about recently music? I considered if there was anything that I bought not long ago which I could say changed my outlook on music. The one that stands out to me the most is 'Solaris' by Elliot Minor. I'm late to the party with this band, and in fact I'm so late that they have just played some final, goodbye concerts. Fuck it. I can tell you exactly why I listened to them and it was all because of Twitter. They followed me on there and, as I always do, I went off to find out what they were like. I had no idea what they were about, they looked like some boy band with guitars and I didn't hold out much hope, but I am nothing if not interested and willing to give anyone a chance. I found them on YouTube and the first song I listened to was 'The Dancer'. As soon as it started I knew this was different. They were strings involved for fucks sake. A rock band with string arrangements, WTF was I listening to. I was blown away and have been ever since. Albums were purchased and I have also got my friend Paul into them too. He said the exact same thing as me when I played their music to him "Why have I not heard of this band before?". It's a great shame that we are so late with this one, but am I glad I have them in my record collection? Hell yeah! Did this album change my life? Well, no, but it certainly cemented the fact that there is new music out there to be discovered and that in this time of social media and online marketing, Twitter is a great way to find cool music. So much so, that this is going to be the basis of my next post.
But back to life changing records. I guess hearing 'Brothers In Arms' by Dire Straits was another moment I can remember. Maybe they are not such a cool band, but it was the guitar solos that got me. My brother came back from camping and told me that he had heard it there and liked it so much that he'd brought the tape. I listened to it with him and could see why it appealed to him. I haven't listened to it in a long time, but I can remember hearing it back then and thinking it was important. It could well have been this that got me into the guitar as a leading instrument, I don't know. Say what you like about Dire Straits, but man, Mark Knofler can play the guitar.
Speaking of guitars, I asked my friend Paul whether an album had changed his life in any way. This is what he told me:
"It’s 1986, I’m 13 years old and just
discovering music. I remember it clearly, I was at home and on the radio I
heard ‘Friends Will Be Friends’ by Queen.
Although the song was catchy, and the vocals
were impeccable, it was the guitar that caught my attention. I was already
learning to play classical guitar, but this was different, the tones, the
warmth it exuded and the melodic playing, it was if that guitar was actually
talking to me, and then it changed, another tone, and then another with a
different feel and it made me think (and that was unusual for me). How can one
instrument do all that in the space of 3 minutes?? I knew from that day on that I needed an
electric guitar.
On purchasing the album ‘A Kind Of Magic’,
that the song was taken from (gatefold vinyl) I heard a plethora of tones,
sounds, squeals, harmonies and chunky rhythms all from Brian’s Red Special and
my love affair with Queen, and perhaps more importantly the guitar had begun.
Now it was 3 years later that I finally
persuaded my parents that classical guitar wasn’t the instrument for me and
they agreed to buy me an electric one, a Marlin Slammer cheap beginner’s
package with amp, lead, strap and plectrum!
It didn’t stay in tune, the tone was awful
and I couldn’t play anything that wasn’t offensive to the ears. But I loved
every minute of it.
Many years later, I have bought, sold, given
away, broken and acquired many guitars, amps and effects pedals. I have played
in numerous bands, played full venues that seated thousands of people and recorded
albums. I have met some great people and some not so great people in the
eclectic world of music.
Would I have done all this if I had not
discovered ‘Queen’? I honestly don’t think I would.
I believe I can honestly say that ‘A Kind Of
Magic’ changed my life". @PaulCooper01
I guess I could go through my record collection and pick out my favourite albums, but that isn't what this is about. It's about whether I can say certain albums have changed my life. I'm still not sure if I can, but I can look at my musical journey and say that some things stand out more than others. They may not be cool or popular choices, but they mean something to me. 'August and Everything After' by Counting Crows was the first album I wrote a review about. 'Sheer Heart Attack' is my all time favourite Queen album and the first one I bought on vinyl. 'Greatest Hits' by the Eagles was one that I stole off of my dad and copied. 'Rubber Soul' is the only Beatles album I own. I could go on, but I'm sure you get the idea.
When Rob in High Fidelity rearranged his record collection, it wasn't by chronological or alphabetical order. It was autobiographical and I can totally get that. In fact, it might just be the way to go...
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