Elastica - Elastica

It was all a bit of a whirlwind when I left home and moved down to Leeds in 1993. Within twelve months of settling in West Yorkshire I had settled into a new career, met a girl (who happened to be my boss) and we had bought a house together. I'm still astounded when I look back at that particular chapter.

The house we bought in Headlingley was an investment, or so we kept telling ourselves, but in dire need of some TLC. Fortunately I had a set of mates who were only too keen to help out - I think they saw it as an opportunity to make all of the mistakes on our property before buying their own. A training ground for DIY disasters. Quite amazingly there was no shortage of willing volunteers to come down to Leeds for the weekend, be fed pizza and tea, blast Britpop out of the stereo and smash hell out of a Victorian back-to-back house. I think by the time we had finished the project nearly everyone in Hartlepool had got their hands dirty. Usually, if she could swing it, Sarah would disappear to her mums, or anywhere else convenient, whilst we 'blokes' got on with the demolition.... err DIY.

The first task that we had set ourselves was to replace the kitchen - and it was a midden so had to be done as soon as possible after moving in. So the bat signal went up and two weekends were set aside for the job to be completed. Now that might sound like we set ourselves an over ambitious target until you know that we got the entire set of kitchen units in the back of my Ford Escort! The entire kitchen was transported back from IKEA in one trip. Mind you I was very nervous every time I went over a speed bump.

So with the kitchen unloaded and stacked in the living room, Sarah disappeared off to Liverpool whilst the Hartlepool Handymen moved in for the weekend. We only had four days to complete the task so at first light - well 9ish after several cups of tea and a fry up - we set about knocking hell out of the old kitchen. During the weekend we had several calls from the boss to check up on progress, and usually each one was met with a joke about having no water / electrics / ceiling etc. The plumbing was progressing well, which was surprising as we were making it up as we went along, but it was late on the Saturday so we needed to get the cold supply back on so we could have a brew. The plan was to bung the end of the cold pipe whilst we turned the water back on. The only problem was that DB was not sure which of the two open ended pipes was which......no wait he had remembered. Phew - that avoided a game of Russian Roulette with the water. So with me in the cellar by the stopcock and DB in the kitchen I turned the water supply back on. The pipes rattled and shook as the supply surged back into the house. All was quiet upstairs so everything must've been alright. Relieved, I went back up into the kitchen to sort out a brew and ......

.....water was spurting everywhere as DB had jammed his hand over the gushing pipe to stem the flow. But rather than stop the flow it has the effect of acting like a high pressure sprinkler. He had capped off the wrong pipe!


"Err..it might be an idea to turn off the water again...", DB calmly said. Scrambling down the cellar steps I managed to turn off the water......but the damage had been done. There was water everywhere......and then the phone went. I knew who this was,

"How's it going?", came the voice from Liverpool
"You are not going to believe this, but we've had a problem with the water and the kitchen is flooded", I explained.
"Yeah, funny - I'm not falling for that again", came the response, "See you tomorrow". Mmmm little did she know!

Those early years in Headlingley were great fun and seemed to be accompanied by a great soundtrack; Britpop was in full flow and albums such as this debut from Elastica kept us entertained through each success and disaster. We would work late into the night, with very few breaks, before heading off the pub but never tired because of the great music and craic that kept us going.

And this is a great album, despite some tracks sounding suspiciously like other songs. 'No More Heroes' anyone? Full of energetic, guitar driven, indie-pop gems. Fifteen songs in 38 minutes. Magic.

Like so much of the music from this time it, it takes me straight back. We were, and still are, lucky to have friends who were willing to give up their free time to help us out - even if they can't tell a hot water pipe from cold!

Dream Into Action - Howard Jones

Somewhere between my infatuation with ABBA and my brief flirtation with Madonna there was a spell where I was obsessed by the pop synth maestro Howard Jones. He was a pop genius, and there was no persuading me otherwise.

This reached a peak in 1985 when we went on a two week family holiday to Wales. As well as the usual summer trip paraphernalia; shorts, t-shirts, sun cream and the like, I was also accompanied by a cassette of this album. It had been released earlier that year and by the time the annual holiday came around I was well and truly obsessed by it. I knew every track inside out - words, notes, beats, synth flourishes.....everything. I must've listened to it hundreds of times so how on earth could I be parted from it for a whole two weeks. TWO WEEKS!! Impossible. I can't comment whether my long suffering parents or sister appreciated the Synth Wizard (TM) but I don't think they had a choice to listen to it at least once or twice during those two weeks.

It was an eventful holiday for other reasons. One particularly sunny day we decided that we wanted a barbeque, an unusual choice given that my dad was, and still is, a vegetarian. Anyway we happened upon a local butchers and got the last few sausages from his shop - apparently the Welsh summer had arrived and, keen not miss the one day of sunshine, the rest of Wales had had similar thoughts. Although they had been on display in the window all day we were assured that they were absolutely fine..........have you ever seen two children with sausage induced food poisoning? No, neither had my Man until we both started vomiting profusely during the following night and most of the next day. I think I might've also been presented to a local doctor in desperation to try and stop me from projectile vom........ well I think you get the picture.

When I loaded up this album I thought I was going to hate it - other than the odd song here and there, I've not heard it for over twenty years. But I have been pleasantly surprised - despite the obviously dated 80s production there are some top pop moments and some well crafted songs. Yes there are some clangers but you would be hard pushed to find better 80s pop songs than 'Things Can Only Get Better', 'No One Is To Blame' and 'Like To Get To Know You Well'.

I'm not sure why my infatuation with Mr Jones ended, or why unlike ABBA and Madonna, I've not played any of his songs on regular basis - on the strength of this listen perhaps I should have. But maybe not - towards the end of the album I did start to feel a little nauseous - either this is a coincidence or perhaps, just perhaps, those sausages were having the last word.....

The First Of A Million Kisses - Fairground Attraction

In previous blogs I have made several references to how carefully selected music can make one appear cooler than you actually are - carefully building an image track by track until a perfect lie is presented for all to see. But just as an image can be painstakingly constructed, it can also come crashing down with just one false move. That is all that it takes to destroy years of music makeover manipulation.

And so it was with 'Perfect' by Fairground Attraction. They we were, early in 1988, hanging out down at the swings at the bottom end of Clavering and I happened to mentioned that I had just bought this cool CD single called 'Perfect'. Now remember, at this point this was an unknown band with a freshly released single. Everyone was impressed that I was buying music before it had hit the charts. Another carefully constructed step to reinforce my image that I was cool. Then the single entered the chart and the next week down at the swings everyone was impressed that I had managed to select a song, ahead of the curve, that had now entered popular rotation on the airwaves. Cool status preserved....

....and then the song began its slow and laboured rise up the charts. It seemed to take forever and each subsequent visit down to the swings the admiration slowly, week-by-week, deteriorated into derision. Oh how I wanted the song to sink without trace, but no - it persisted in its climb up the Top 40. The higher it got, the more airplay it got, the louder the derision became until my carefully constructed image of coolness cracked, shattered into pieces and lay at my feet. Finally, in May 1988 the single reached the coveted No. 1 spot. But it didn't end there. Oh no. No siree. It got phenomenal airplay and then, just as I thought it could get no worse, it was picked up and used in TV advertising by Asda. Aarrgghhh! The problem was that it was so damned catchy - almost like a novelty song that bangs around your head for days despite repeated attempts to forget it. It'd be there when you woke up, follow you around all day, and be there - still as cheery as it was in the morning - as you went to sleep. It seemed to be oblivious to the mood you were in - feeling down, tired, upbeat or morose - it didn't matter. There it was - being obnoxiously happy.

That is not to say that it is a bad song, it just a little too perky to be ever present. The album it came from is excellent by the way, and there are many other far superior songs on there, such as 'Find My Love'. Unfortunately 'Perfect' is the only one that will be remembered and entered Fairground Attraction into the One Hit Wonder circus.

So please heed this cautionary tale and if you are planning to up your coolness quotient - take care and choose wisely. Being ahead of the game is risky business and not for the fainthearted. Pin your colours to the wrong mast at your own peril. Thankfully I have managed to reinstate my coolness but it has taken over twenty years. Oh I almost forgot - I must tell you about this new band I heard on Last fm...........

Brassed Off! - Grimethorpe Colliery Band

I know - what on earth is this doing on here? It seems incongruous that, what is essentially a brass band greatest hits album, should share shelf space with luminaries of rock and pop.

Well I have a soft spot for brass band music. There I've said it. And I suppose I always have since buying Terry Wogan's version of 'The Floral Dance' in 1978. In part it's because of the lovely round sound that a good brass band makes; warm, comforting and moving. It's also because it's a very northern sound and inextricably linked to the once great mining industry.....

Between 1984 and 1985 the UK was plunged into conflict, only this time it would not be fought on foreign soil with an enemy who we knew little about. No - this time it was fought in car parks, fields, roads, in houses and across kitchen tables. And the north east was hit hard. Very hard. To try and help, local businesses donated supplies and between them created food parcels. Our family helped out by distributing these parcels to families around the region. I vividly remember the smell of freshly baked bread rolls permeating through our car on Sunday mornings whilst we went about our 'rounds'. As well as making me hungry it also made me realise how fortunate we were to have parents who did not need to withdraw their labour in protest to protect our future.

Wherever one lies on the political spectrum surely the distribution of food parcels to families can't be viewed as a subversive activity? I don't see any laws being broken there? Well the police force had a different view and started a campaign of intimidation against my dad; following him to and from work over several weeks. On one hand it must've been nice to have a police escort to school, but one the other it was disturbing and a violation of personal liberty. Or something like that. It's fair to say that since then, I've always viewed the police with suspicion.

Anyway enough of politics for now and back to my original point - that a brass band makes a lovely noise. I'm no expert and I only own two brass band albums (and one of them is a soundtrack) so I'm far from an expert. But we are off tonight to see Grimethorpe Colliery Band play in Darlington and I'm sure we are in for a treat. I just hope that we are not followed there by members of Her Majesty's Constabulary - unless they offer to buy us a pint for past indiscretions....then again pigs might fly!

Rubber Soul - The Beatles

It all too easy to remark that The Beatles had a huge influence on music. It's all been said and done. I could state that they helped shape the person that I am today. But that would be too obvious. But they did. It's hard to believe this now but there was a time when they were in danger of dropping off my musical radar. After helping me on my way I moved onto other things. Modern music. So with no real ceremony or teary farewell they fell of my playlist.......

.....until the release of their back catalogue on CD in 1987. Suddenly I had a reason to buy their albums again, ditching the vinyl in favour of the new shiny digitally stored format. It is fair to say that the harshness of the stereo mixing did not do their music any favours but the quality still shone through. Suddenly The Beatles were cool again, well almost. I still got some stick for listening to them when I should've been listening to contemporary music. Phil Collins? Feargal Sharkey. Walking down to the beach listening to 'Norwegian Wood' is a timeless memory. So welcome back John, Paul, George and Ringo. Glad you're back.

Last Spash - The Breeders

Do you remember your first time? Every now and again a song will come along that, when you first hear it, it hits you so hard that you are destined to remember when, we're and with whom you heard it. No? Must just be me then. Anyway there have been several of these occasions in my life so far. In no particular order here are a few;

• 'Just Like Fred Astaire' (James) - 1999 lying on the floor at my parents in Ingleby Barwick listening to the stereo
• 'Psycho Killer' (Talking Heads) - 1987 in bedroom listening to the Annie Nightingale show
• 'Radio Song' (R.E.M.) - 1991 in front room in Hartlepool dancing around, quietly as sister was still in bed! Having just hired the CD from the local video shop
• 'Constant Craving' (k.d. Lang) - 1993 in Sarah's room in a shared house in Woodhouse, Leeds

'Cannonball' by The Breeders was one such song. It hit me.....like a cannonball. It came blasting out of the TV in Hartlepool after a typically lacklustre R&B song on MTV. Wow. No forget that.. WOW!!! But how could it not with it's knowingly cool and catchy bass riff, rim shots and overdriven guitar. it was such a change of pace that I almost dropped my morning coffee in a sensitive place.

After hearing the song I just had to rush out and buy it. That, however, proved to be difficult as living in Hartlepool stockists of american alt-rock were thin on the ground - the woman in Woolies looked at me as if I was mad, smiled and called for security. Well almost. Yes the days before the Internet were tough for music aficionados. I eventually did track the album down and 'Cannonball' has become a regular favourite.

Although The Breeders were initially a side project from The Pixies, they became the main outlet for bassist Kim Deal and, controversially perhaps, the better of the two outfits. Sure The Pixies might have recorded some good tunes, but have any made you drop a hot beverage? No, thought not!

The Second Coming - The Stone Roses

Disappointment comes in many guises; The loss of a football game in the dying seconds, being unsuccessful at a driving test, falling short of expectations in an exam, a ruined meal, a cloudy day in summer, missing a train on the way home from work and the loss of a good friend.....

.....but these all pale into significance when compared against the second Stone Roses album. Very, very disappointing. But was it? Could it have ever lived up to the expectations heaped upon it - five years of rumours, court cases and silence from the band. In this heightened atmosphere it was doomed to fall short. And then there was the title, 'The Second Coming', confident sounding almost to the point of arrogance. The Roses had, for once, failed to deliver on their promise. It was crushingly disappointing.

But that doesn't make it a bad album........just ordinary. Had a little more quality control been exercised (and a little less cocaine consumed) then it could've been much better; Trim 4m 30sec from the opening track (animal  and jungle noises - strewth), get rid of the guitar noodling at the start of 'Ten Storey Love Song', cut down on the extended guitar solos, erase the dreaded hidden track syndrome, change the running order and tighten the production. Buried under all the overblown over-production is a great album trying to get out; rhythmic, melodic and in places astounding; 'Straight To The Man' is funky, 'Love Spreads' rocks out and 'Ten Storey Love Song' is beautiful.

So forget your late goals, wet days and dodgy spag boll -  perhaps the worst kind of disappointment is missed opportunity.......

Swagger - The Blue Aeroplanes

I know this will be hard to imagine, but The Blue Aeroplanes are more 'arty' than Talking Heads and R.E.M. combined and, if I'm being honest, that is the reason I bought this album. In 1989 it was very important, if not crucial, to have the coolest record collection. Why? Well I was in the final year of Sixth Form and we wore our record collection on our sleeves......well T-Shirts actually but I think you get the picture. The more obscure the T-shirt the cooler you were, or at least that's how I think it worked.

The Blue Aeroplanes were not what you might call a high profile 'alternative' band so they were perfect. I could almost guarantee that hardly anyone had heard of them. Did it matter if I didn't like them? Well not really - as long as I wore one of their T-shirts and besides I was still harbouring that shameful secret that I had bought 'Tango In The Night' by Fleetwood Mac a few years earlier. Oh the shame! Had that fact, along with the real truth that I really liked The Mac, been exposed no amount of cool clothing would have made up for it. My reputation would've been in tatters - I could have covered myself in Indie bling and tattooed 'The Cure 4 Ever' on my forehead and yet I still would've been tarnished.

But the real twist is that I sort of liked this album, especially the track 'Jacket Hangs'. Hearing it again for the first time in five years or so I can appreciate it for what it really is without worrying that it won't be enough to hide my AOR tendencies. Putting aside the slightly pretentious nature there are actually some great songs on here. Super music, rhythmic 12 string guitars with half-spoken obscure lyrics, now where have we heard that before?

Dire Straits - Dire Straits

Being the serious teenager that I was, I was well into this album and anything Strait related around 1986. So much so that when we went camping with the school that summer, a C90 with this and the following album accompanied me to the Lake District, along with my trusty Walkman.

Mmm camping with the school. It was great and certainly cemented my love of the outdoors, and in particular that magical part of Cumbria. Looking back at that trip I am astounded at the amount of responsibility we were given. At the tender age of 15 me and several others were taken in the mini bus to the stone circle at Keswick and dropped off. We then had three days to hike across the Lakeland fells back to Langdale Valley, stopping off in pre-arranged campsites. I just can't imagine pupils being given that sort of opportunity these days.

It was an eventful trip. Perhaps the most memorable event was when we were trying to negotiate a particularly piece of boggy land. DB took the lead and confidently set off to navigate us through the hazard. With a firm "Follow me lads!" we all did as we were told and.....plunged up to our knees in thick brown gloop. Cheers DB.

So is it appropraite that the debut Dire Straits album will always remind me of being up to my knees in crud? Probably not - It's a great album and devoid of the extended solos that would embellish their later work. This gives it a much more leaner sound that really allows the great songwriting to shine.

Anyone who doubts this should check out 'Six Blade Knife', a song so cool it was chosen for an Antonio Banderas film soundtrack, 'Wild West End' with its beautiful National Guitar opening riff or 'Southbound Again'. Not a wasted or superfluous note in sight.

Meanwhile, back in the Lake District, after a slog of a hike, we dined in on rehydrated beef risotto and Federation lager and promptly fell asleep, exhausted. You just can't get better than that!

The Joshua Tree - U2

Not many people will know this, but I was once in a band that was destined for greatness - perhaps becoming bigger than U2 one day. We will never know. But we stood at a crossroads and took the wrong turning. I'll explain;

Around 1989-1990 I was part of a three piece with PW and KC and we were going places - usually on the bus into town. Anyway it was formidable group with a keen sonic template - We had managed to nab a photocopy of the sheet music to 'The Joshua Tree' and we were hell bent on bettering it. After much practice in our rehearsal room (KC's parents' dining room) we had just about mastered 'With Or Without You' and could now play it all the way through without stopping. Buoyed by the sound we had created - it was quite amazing, and a testament to our musical skills, how we managed to recreate the U2 sound with just a guitar,  vocal and a cheap keyboard. We now knew it was time to unleash this on the rest of the world, well Clavering Estate in Hartlepool at least. But what could be do? What grand gesture would be big enough to match our expansive sound?

Then KC came up with an idea so unique that it was bound to have the desired effect. We would play an open air gig on top of his parent's garage. What an idea - it would guarantee maximum publicity, especially as it was on the route of the Number 12 bus. We started to plan this event, a happening if you like. But then logistical problems started to raise their ugly head. Who would be in charge of crowd control, what would happen if the police shut us down, did we have an extension cable long enough, could we fill a ninety minute set with one song?...... Problem after problem was raised without solution....After hours of intense discussion we still hadn't found what we were looking for so we did the only thing that we could - we went to the pub and forgot about the whole idea. And that was the end of the band as we knew it.

But who knows where we would be now if we had only followed through on the idea? New York, Los Angeles, London, Seaton Carew all could have beckoned. Ah well - we just had to be content to join the many bystanders in the history of rock music that look back and regret what might have been; Pete Best, David Knopfler.....

Volume Two - She & Him

Some albums, when hearing them for the first time, can be a little challenging, sometimes taking several listens before melodies and hooks start to stick. Indeed some are so challenging that they never stick, no matter how many times or how attentively one listens to it.

And then there are others that are immediate - on first listen they just make sense, the melodies are evident and the hooks do their job first time. 'Volume Two' is one such album. In fact the songs are so easy to listen it would be easy to assume that you have heard them before....well you might have heard two tracks before as they are cover versions, but the rest are all originals. The album is a great mix of 50s influenced pop with country tinges and all featuring Zooey Deschanel's great light vocals.

Those in search of deeper or more introspective songs should stay clear, but if you are in the mood for some light and well crafted sunny pop then you could do worse. Look up the video for 'In The Sun' on YouTube and try not to smile.

Oh and yes... there was a Volume One, in case you were wondering!

Field Music (Measure) - Field Music

The north east has always had a rich musical heritage. The sheer number and quality of bands and musicians from this region would surely give any other region a run for their money.....my god I can hear the murmurings from here.

But look at the evidence; Mark Knopfler, Chris Rea, Sting, Janick Gers, Frank Sinatra... Ok maybe not the last one but I think you get my point.

But Sunderland seem hopelessly under represented in terms of music from the northeast. Well there is Bryan Ferry but that doesn't really count. He's an ar**.

...and then the little known Field Music came onto the scene. Taking elements from diverse influences such as XTC, Talking Heads and The Smiths they have singlehandedly fashioned a 'Sunderland Sound'.

This album finds them at their eclectic best. Angular, strange, melodic, eccentric and above all very north eastern. It won't be to everyone's taste but it is a very interesting listen. Between the experimental tracks there are some pop gems; try listening to 'Let's Write A Book' and not imagining XTC supping a pint in a northern hostelry.

Garbage - Garbage

Every so often a band comes along that sounds really fresh and innovative whilst at the same time sounding a little bit familiar and almost comfortable.

Take Garbage for example. On the face of it they were had something different; melding samples with industrial beats, grunge guitar and wrapped it in pop music. But then, at the same time, it sounded like something you had heard before. It might have been the samples, such as The Clash's 'Train In Vain' on 'Stupid Girl', or it could be due to the fact that well written pop songs should sound familiar.

My cherished band Curve got there before them with a very similar blueprint, but Garbage refined it. Made it less abrasive and more..... dare I say it.....radio friendly. Not that there is anything wrong with that of course. Not really.

The Pop Will Eat Itself Cure For Sanity - PWEI

Picture the scene - driving down an open road in a MkIII escort, the Poppies blasting out of the car stereo, mountain bike in boot and heading for the hills for a day of pain, excitement and danger. Usually in equal measure.

This album was never far from my stereo around 1990 - with The Poppies and The Wonder Stuff I had discovered my grebo side.

'Cure For Sanity' is never going to make it into any classic album chart, but that is the compiler's loss. It is a heady mix of samples, crashing guitars, dance beats and surreal lyrics - and guaranteed to set you up for a day of mountain biking!

NR and I got to see them several times in the 'Boro around the time of this album. One particular gig was at The Empire and The Poppies were on top form. Launching into hit after hit, the place was absolutely jumping from start to finish. So much so that sweat was pouring from the roof - almost like there was a hole in to roof and the cold northern rain was coming in. Now that is something you don't get at the Royal Albert Hall. Top times indeed.

The House of Love - The House of Love (The Butterfly Album)

The landscape of popular music, whilst being wondrous and varied, is littered with the remains of bands that have fallen by the wayside; often overlooked or forgotten.

The House of Love are one of those such bands. Critically acclaimed but criminally overlooked. Arriving on the scene in 1987 with the debut single 'Shine On' they were something a little different; melodic, melancholy and serious. I have to admit that I was not convinced at first but not because I did not like the single but because it was championed by Scotchy. I did not have anything against Scotchy, in fact we got on really well, but he seemed to take great pleasure in being 'alternative'. He went to great lengths to cultivate an image of being a little different - yet he lived in a lovely detached house in Hartlepool. And so when he presented the gang with a single from a new band he had heard, probably on John Peel, it was met with extreme suspicion. Or at least is was by me - and it was killing me as I loved the single but just dared not admit it. I'm shallow like that! But he would have the last laugh as my pride took over. Amazingly they were coming to Hartlepool. Yes Hartlepool!. But I played my part so well that I chose not to go. Idiot!

Over the course of the next few singles I found my resolve waning so by the time this album came round in 1990 my defences were well and truly down. I loved it immediately - and who wouldn't as there is not a single duff track on it. Shimmering guitars, reverb, echo, the great voice of Guy Chadwick, top tunes and great production. What's not to like? I have nearly forgotten about this album until I overheard a friend in work singing 'Beatles and The Stones' - one of the standout tracks. But there are so many others; 'Shine On', 'Hedonist', 'Never'.... well all of it really.

But do yourself a favour. If you are ever in the position where you want to do something but are afraid what others might think. Just do it. You never know - you might just live to regret it if you don't!

Gran Turismo - The Cardigans

Why is it that every time the British invent something it is not long before other nations adopt the invention and then are all too eager to show how it's done? How about our national game Football? Invented on these isles but then perfected pretty much everywhere else. Except Wales. Only joking. Speaking of football, how about drinking? Yes the British do like a good drink, but then the Germans have taken that and refined it into an art form. Pubs became beer halls and beer gardens became huge marquees in the form of beer festivals. And then there is invading other countries. We got there first but then the Americans have really stolen our thunder on that one. I'm joking of course but then....

...When The Beatles invented pop music (it's true - I've just read it on Wikipedia) it was not long before other countries were knocking on our proverbial door wanting to show us how to improve upon our formula. It was bad enough when the Americans started doing it, at least their native language was similar to ours. But then non-english speaking countries started showing us up. Yes I'm looking at you ABBA and A-ha.

Which is all an elaborate segue to The Cardigans and their album 'Gran Turismo'. Although at it's heart it follows the ABBA blueprint, it is a much more detached, icily cool album; part electronic beats, part pop music and it works. Sure there are some weaker moments, but singles like 'Erase / Rewind' and 'My Favourite Game' are perfect examples of how to take pop music in a subtly different direction. A world away from 'Love Me Do'.

Raising Sand - Robert Plant & Alison Krauss

I don't know how, but Led Zeppelin passed me completely by...well not quite completely - I was aware that 'Whole Lotta Love' was the theme tune to Top Of The Pops and that it is forbidden to play 'Stairway To Heaven' in guitar shops. But that is my sum total of knowledge of their catalogue. Apparently they were very influential to a diverse number of bands and solo artists.... but obviously not to me! I decided a few years ago to make the effort to listen to some of their earlier albums so bought cheap second hand versions of LZ I and II. The CDs have not left their cases yet - maybe I should dust them off....sometime.

I am familiar with Alison Krauss' material, especially with Union Station. She has a high register voice that is very pure and I was interested to see how it would sound next to Plant's more rock growl. Surely a case of chalk and cheese? Actually no - they sound great together and this collection of country and bluegrass tinged songs suit the partnership perfectly.

I feel like I'm ready to have a go at Led Zeppelin. If anyone is reading this is a fan, and the odds are that someone will be as the whole planet except me seem to be find of the long haired rockers, a starting point would be appreciated!

Ten - Pearl Jam

It's almost hard to remember now the days before YouTube, video streaming and the internet in general. Back in  1988, however, it was a different matter. For most music fans there were only two sources of music broadcast; Top Of The Pops (BBC) and the Chart Show (ITV). For me, these were essential viewing and kept me in touch with the music that I liked, or indeed would like. It also brought out the obsessive in me (yes again!). To make sure that I'd be able to watch the music videos and performances again, I taped these shows, as well as others such as The Word. It didn't end there.... I then edited the videos onto a master tape, copying the clips that I wanted to keep, and then updated my database.. err.. notebook, with the tape counter reading and a few salient notes. This went on for quite a while and in a relatively short space of time I had filled six video tapes - nearly 24 hours of music clips. Impressive.....

Then things started to get out of hand - we got MTV. My obsession couldn't keep up with the almost constant stream of music beaming to the TV. But I tried. Oh boy did I try. In the end I filled twenty one videos. Yup over 80 hours of music videos, TV studio performances, live recordings and interviews - and all lovingly detailed and recorded in my notebook.

Pearl Jam's 'Jeremy' was the first MTV recording that made it onto my video collection - and it went on to make several other appearances through the years. The start of our MTV era coincided with the Grunge movement and those early video contain a lot of Pearl Jam, Nirvana, L7 and the like. Of all the bands of that time, thought, Pearl Jam ruled the roost - Eddie Vedder was just way cooler than anyone else and their debut contains some top tunes; 'Even Flow', 'Alive' and the aforementioned 'Jeremy' to name but a few.

Incidentally I still have the videos and the notebook but since then I have made the jump to digital storage - you see they have all now been transferred to DVD and the notebook contents converted into a spreadsheet....I just couldn't help myself. As someone kindly informed me - I need a hobby!

Then things

A Bronx Tale - Original Soundtrack

Movies have always been a huge part of my upbringing so it is only natural that I'm also an afficionado of soundtracks, providing that they are compiled well and form an integral part of the film. I am also a huge fan of Robert De Niro so I suppose 'A Bronx Tale' was bound to tick all of the right boxes.

Listening to this soundtrack reminds me of two key things;

First of all it reminds me of a holiday we had in New York and Boston in 1994. It was a really memorable holiday; travelling with friends BV and RPG, meeting up with MJ (the Karate Lawman) in the foyer of our hotel and then saying good-bye and immediately going to sleep, phone calls from home about Bell's Palsy, accidentally saying 'Cheers!' to the bar tender in Cheers! bar, MJ flooding our hotel room whilst getting a shower and smuggling back my own weight in laserdiscs - the forerunner for DVDs and essentially 12" CDs - and one of them was 'A Bronx Tale'. It was a bargain and well worth facing extradition for!

The second thing it that this album reminds me of is arriving at my parents on a Friday night, usually having travelled straight up from work... or if we were lucky, having taken the day off work and detoured via the Brymoor Ice Cream Parlour. Anyway within moments of arriving, the red wine would be opened and this CD would be inserted into the CD player...."Oooo on the street of the Bronx...".

I don't intend to dissect the movie here except to say it is one of De Niro's last great films, and his first as director. The soundtrack is a great collection of music; doo-wop, rock 'n roll, soul and Jimi Hendrix.

Right that enough from me - it's Friday night, 'A Bronx Tale' is playing again and there's a glass of wine with my name on it!

Twin Peaks - Angelo Badalamenti

Who killed Laura Palmer? That was the question on everyone's lips in 1990. Or at least it was amongst those devotees who had become captivated by the surreal series. As the series drew on it became clear that the ending was going to be even more bizarre than the journey, but it didn't matter. We were hooked - to the extent that on a college field trip to Derbyshire we all gathered around the TV in the lounge to watch the latest episode.... after that the night deteriorated ultimately resulted in us receiving a round of slow applause from the rest of the hotel residents the following morning. After a hearty but shame-faced breakfast the entire course was ejected from the hotel. We were leaving anyway that morning but not a proud moment... we did have a laugh though!

The soundtrack to the series captures perfectly the tone of the series and it is so distinctive that, although I've not heard the album in years, just a few bars of the theme tune immediately took me back to a misty part of fictional America where there is good cherry pie and damn fine cups of coffee.

Old Liquidator - The Minus 5

You know you have made the transition from fondness to obsession of a band when you start to buy up the side projects of the members of that band. Usually without any consideration as to whether you are going to like it or not.

The Minus 5's 'Old Liquidator' is one such album- they are a loose collective of musicians and one which frequently featured Peter Buck from R.E.M. "Ahhh....so that's why" I hear you say. Yes I got the R.E.M. bug so bad that I started buying side projects and albums featuring members of the Athens quartet.

I really want to like this album, I really do, but I just can't. I bought the album on the 18 February 1995 from Jumbo Records in Leeds - I know this because I left the receipt in the sleeve notes - this was a habit of mine which I pleased to say has since stopped. I realised that I was getting far too anal about keeping information on where and when I bought music. Yes I have kicked that particular habit.... now instead I log them on a database along with the label, bar code, running time, cost, distributor and a picture of the cover art. Yes I really pleased that I am much less anal than I used to be!

I think I have only played this CD twice since I bought it - I was so disappointed that I couldn't face playing it again. When I parted with my £13.99 (It's also on the receipt) I was expecting another version of my beloved R.E.M. but instead I got off-the-wall songs about finding severed fingers accompanied with really challenging and sparse musical arrangements.

So today I placed this album in my CD player with much trepidation. Will the intervening years and my increased maturity help me get along with this record? Well... not really. I think I understand it more and can relate to some of the more bizarre arrangements but it is not my cup of tea. Buck's trademark Rickenbacker guitar is only present on one track and this is, not surprisingly, the best track. I don't hate the album as it does have some merit but it is not an easy listen. It does get better during the final few tracks but it is a real effort to get that far.

So let this be a lesson to any budding obsessives out there - by all means explore solo outings and side projects of favourite bands.... just do it carefully and with some consideration or you might just end up with an Old Liquidator sitting on your shelf, glaring at you and laughing as your obsession takes hold. You have been warned!

Next week Vent 414 from the (then) ex-Wonder Stuff frontman Miles Hunt......

Disraeli Gears - Cream

I've never really understood the need for 'Supergroups' - the coming together of famous musicians to form a new group. It is assumed that the new group will be even more than a sum of its parts due to the quality of its components. It very rarely has the desired results - just look at Power Station! Maybe that is a bad example. Exactly. In that example the group was very short lived, lasting only a year before going their separate ways. Actually longevity is a feature of a supergroup, or rather the lack of it. I can only put this down to the egos of those involved or a lack of a cohesive direction.... listen to me, I'm rambling.

Cream were one such Supergroup but more than lived up to their potential with this album often referred to as their defining moment. It certainly is special as it successfully combines psychedelic rock with heavy blues. No mean feat. This contains some of their most well known tracks, such as 'Sunshine Of Your Love', and some rather odd doodling in 'Mother's Lament'.

Let It Bleed - The Rolling Stones

I've always had the sneaking suspicion that The Rolling Stones were...well at little bit crap. Sure I liked their Greatest Hits albums but when it came to individual albums they couldn't hold a light to their 'rivals' The Beatles. Not even close, in my eyes anyway. I don't want to spark off a joyless debate about the worthy merits of either band but I'll just say that The Stones had to resort to covering Lennon / McCartney tracks. The Beatles never needed to return the favour as it were.

I would be on very safe ground with these opinions were it not for 'Let It Bleed'. B'Stard. It is, as someone might say, a corker. From the cover inwards it is a triumph in blues tinged rock.

The opener 'Gimme Shelter' is a lesson in how to take a guitar hook and craft a rock classic from simple materials. Then to follow this with the slow blues of 'Love In Vain' is brave and jolting. Blues, country and rock sit side by side.
If Side A (remember them!) is the bluesy side then the Side B is it's rockier alter ego. 'Midnight Rambler', 'Monkey Man' and the epic closing track 'You Can't Always Get What You Want' dominate the side and I doubt there is a better collection of blues rock anywhere in popular music. Quite a claim?

As I was raised on The Beatles, this album is never going to hold a special place in my affections but if I had to nominate desert island discs then it would certainly be a contender.

Indigo Girls - Indigo Girls

When I first heard Indigo Girls I did not know it was them a d I wasn't. I'll explain.
Being a keen Wonder Stuff fan I collected everything they released so in 1993 I bought the 'Full Of Life' CD single. One of the B-sides on that particular single was a song called 'Closer To Fine'. It was such a classic Stuffies song that I didn't even think to check out the songwriting credits on the CD so for years I though it was one of their own compositions. It was only when I read an article about the Indigo Girls that my error was corrected. Oops. Either way it is a great song.

Writing this blog today got me to thinking about cover versions that are sit so comfortably with the host artist that it could easily be assumed that it is one of their own, making mistakes easy to make...and here are some others:-

'Because The Night' - Patti Smith (Bruce Springsteen)
'Superman' - R.E.M. (The Clique)
'I Fought The Law' - The Clash (The Crickets)
'Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds' - William Shatner (The Beatles)

..errr perhaps not the last one....

'Indigo Girls' is a great album and despite opening with arguable the strongest song, the aforementioned 'Closer To Fine', the rest does not disappointed. Produced by the peerless Scott Litt and containing performances from Berry, Buck, Mills and Stipe (Tracks 3 and 6 fact fans) it is worth seeking out.

Real Life - Joan As Policewoman

This album has quite a strange connection for me.

Throughout 2006 and into 2007 I regularly drive up to Hamsterley Forest to go mountain biking. Alone. This all came to an abrupt stop, quite literally, when one Sunday in January 2007 I crashed off on the fastest part of the course. Travelling at around 38mph and hitting hard packed gravel was never going to be a good thing and it resulted in me shattering my wrist. I was now faced with the problem of getting off the hill and back to the car - which was 5 miles away. Alone.

Obviously I made it but not without some difficulty - riding one handed where possible and walking when not.
The next obstacle was how to get home - I had the car. I could only thing of one thing and that was to ring DB. Luckily there was a public phone near the car park as mobile phone signals were non-existent. Without hesitating he agreed to drive with M to our house, pick up S, and then drive another 45min to the forest. When they arrived I burst into tears of relief; in a lot of pain but safe. I will always remain very grateful for rescuing me.

During my three days in hospital I had my wrist pinned, plated and potted and was released. I also had time to contemplate the dangers of biking alone and I haven't done it since....well not much anyway!

So what's the point of all this? Well during my drives up to the forest I regularly played this album. Nearly every trip.

It is a great album - avant garde in places mixed with interesting musical arrangements and slow but melodic songs. Not something you would normally associate with hurtling through a forest and down steep hills. But it is for me.

The Christians - The Christians

For an 80s mainstream hit album this is actually quite soulful. Sure the production had aged a little but it is such a strong set of songs that it doesn't really matter. So strong in fact that they struggled to follow it up and became a victim to the classic 2nd album syndrome. Strong sales but less critical acclaim. Their debut though is a totally different animal - there is not a single duff song on the CD and each one could have been a 7" release.
I bought the 'Ideal World' single in December 1987 and for some reason I had convinced myself that I was going to get into trouble for making the purchase. Something to do with spending all of my pocket money on CDs and having to go back for further subs. Mmmm. Anyway because of this I felt that I could only listen to it at night, under the cover of darkness using headphones. I even hid the CD in one if my drawers under a pile of cassettes. Nonsense really. I think I did eventually play this out in the open but for me that song in particular reminds me of nocturnal auditioning.

Savage - Eurythmics

According to my iTunes listening record, I have not heard this album since 2005 so I was well overdue. For quite a mainstream pop band this was quite an experimental album, almost a concept album of sorts. When this album was released in 1987 an accompanying VHS Cassette was also issued. Needless to say, I purchased this as well. A video was made for each of the songs on the album, and when viewed it sort of made a short movie. Well sort of... There was a theme running through anyway. Or at least that is how I remember it.
Listening to it again today, although some of the songs do sound a little dated, this is mainly due to the 80sproduction rather than the quality of the songs or their recording. Despite this, tracks such as 'Beethoven (I Love To Listen To)' are very individual and was a brave choice for a single. Very different and as with the rest of the songs on the album, it serves as a reminder that the Eurythmics were more than a pop band. Yes they had hit singles but there was an experimental, darker side to them as well.

Debut - Bjork

Bjork is perhaps the most famous thing that people know about Iceland - until the banking collapse in 2008 at least.
The first solo album (conveniently ignoring the self titled album from 1977) from the lead singer of The Sugarcubes was quite a departure from their sound - moving more towards dance music, albeit with the trademark Bjork oddness. And what a wonderful departure it is; rhythmic, quirky, melodic and memorable. The nearest thing to Kate Bush since....well Kate Bush. For me the stand out tracks are 'Big Time Sensuality' and 'Come To Me', although the single remix of the former is superior.
Released in 1993 this is inextricably linked to me taking up my first job in Leeds, moving into a rented semi in Horsforth, making a whole set of new friends and meeting my partner. Violently Happy indeed, Bjork.

Vauxhall and I - Morrissey

With returning to work this morning after a lovely Christmas break I was feeling a bit down so I thought a bit of Mozza would cheer me up!
'Vauxhall and I' was, perhaps surprisingly, one of the first CDs that S bought me. Maybe be she was telling me something, after all the lead single was called 'The More You Ignore Me, The Closer I Get'! Only joking! For this reason alone though it has a special place in my collection. The other reason is that it is rather good.
In fact 'Vauxhall And I' is perhaps Morrissey's best solo outing. The witty and occasionally dour lyrics are present but this time he has remembered to write some tunes. For once you get the impression the he had not just written a song around a humorous title.
It is probably the highlight in his solo career - later releases have been patchy and he is now in danger of becoming better known for his suspect views and quips than his music. Almost a caricature of himself. Shame.

The Guilt Trip - Emily Druce

In 2000 we went to The Grove in Leeds for Sunday lunch with my parents. The Grove is a lovely old pub just to the south of the city centre - it is quite a strange sight now because large multi-storey office blocks have been built around it. It is definitely overlooked but standing its ground. Anyway there was a young blues guitarist playing that lunchtime and we were very impressed with both the food and the music. So much so that we bought this album and got it signed. We saw her several times following this unexpected introduction, encouraging friends to come with us.
'The Guilt Trip' is a wonderful mixture of her own compositions and blues standards all accompanied by her exquisite guitar playing. If you can seek out a copy of the album check out 'So Much More', 'Matter of Luck' or the Robert Johnson classic 'Love In Vain'.
Emily released a couple more albums, being championed by none other than Mike Harding, but never really got the attention she deserved. Shame but typical of a music industry obsessed with image, gloss and frippery.

Document - R.E.M.

I was hoping to last a little longer before repeating myself but I just had to play another R.E.M. album. To be honest I've done well to last this long. Not a single R.E.M. note has passed my ears since the first blog....well maybe one or two. Anyway this is my gig so I get to set the rules. Plus it is tradition that the first album I play in a New Year has to be R.E.M. Well when I say 'tradition' I mean it is now! Ha!
This album is another classic from the Athens four piece and enough has already been written about it so I won't bother adding to the existing volumes, other than to say it is one of the best alternative rock albums ever written and you'd be a fool not to own it!