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!