webby
07-07-2009, 17:06
Hi,
I wrote a piece about the music I grew up with on another forum but it's been archived away now. Fortunately I saved it before posting and I've just come across it so I thought I'd post it here.
Songs/albums/movies/books that have influenced my life? I'm not sure if any have necessarily influenced my life. They've certainly been part of the soundtrack. Landmarks along the way I suppose.
Music has played an enormous part in my life. I've always found some sanctity in the fact that I can chuck on a CD and hear the music spill forth from the speakers or headphones, never letting me down, no matter what's going on in my life. Many a time I've been shopping for shoes, jeans, whatever, and I've come home with a CD. £50 for a pair of jeans? £10 for a CD? Only one winner. The jeans will wear and shrink and go out of fashion, but the music is always the same, dependable. It beats me why people think 9 or 10 quid for a CD is overpriced!
When I was 11 or 12 I heard Mad World by Tears For Fears and loved it. I bought the album, The Hurting, and I've been a fan ever since. Everybody Wants To Rule The World from Songs From The Big Chair is one of my favourite songs ever. Later, in '89, came Sowing The Seeds Of Love, a brilliantly realised Beatles pastiche. Genius.
In '85 I heard Don't You (Forget About Me) by Simple Minds. Loved it. Then came Alive And Kicking and the album Once Upon A Time. I was now a Simple Minds fan, but the real influence was their earlier album New Gold Dream. The bass lines on that album had me hooked. I wanted to play those bass lines! I started to pay more attention to the bass lines on my other CD's and it wasn't long before I decided I wanted to play bass. I ended up buying a bass a few years later. Their '89 album Street Fighting Years stayed in my CD player for ages. The title track is one of my favourite tunes. Fantastic slide guitar work.
I guess around '86 I first heard Don't Dream It's Over by Crowded House. What a tune! A classic. I can't believe it's over 20 years old. Again, I became a huge fan of Crowded House. They've made some amazing records over the years, Better Be Home Soon, Mean To Me, Hole In The River, And She Goes On, Fall At Your Feet, Four Seasons In One Day, Nails In My Feet, and Distant Sun to name but a few. The '93 album Together Alone has to be one of my all time faves. Quite possibly my favourite band ever.
Around the same time, Where The Streets Have No Name by U2 came out and I remember buying The Joshua Tree on vinyl but I didn't like it. I think I gave it to a cousin of mine. I liked the singles from it though and ended up buying the album again. I was really into Simple Minds at the time and I think The Joshua Tree was a bit more organic I suppose. Anyway, I clearly wasn't ready for it first time round. Second time, I got it. Great album, goes without saying really. That album, and The Unforgettable Fire (great bass lines again) got me into U2. It was a long wait for the album after Rattle And Hum, but Achtung Baby! showed that U2 were still as relevant, and inventive as ever. An album that almost broke them up turned out to be a triumph. A brilliant return. I particularly remember Love Is Blindness from the gig at Wembley Stadium. The huge screens showed (as I recall it) images of bright stars, slowly turning and zooming in, almost drawing me into the screen, while the music washed over me. It's hard to explain but nothing else existed in that moment. One of the best in-concert moments for me. Still one of my favourite bands.
Hmmm, I've gone off on one haven't I? I'll try and keep the rest brief.
Wonderwall. I don't love the tune, I just liked it at the time. By then I'd moved away from the bass and onto acoustic guitar because I wanted to be able to play a song and sing along (you couldn't really do that with a bass) and Wonderwall was the first tune that I nailed the guitar and singing too. I found it so difficult before but with this song, it just clicked and after that, I was able to do it on most tunes.
You Get What You Give by The New Radicals came along at a time when I hadn't really heard anything very good for ages. This was just such an energetic, feelgood song that had more than a touch of World Party to it. In fact, I thought it was them at first. I just thought it was a great, great song. The album, Maybe You've Been Brainwashed is pretty special too. The guy (Gregg Alexander) made one brilliant album and decided that being a frontman wasn't for him and took the producer/songwriter route instead. He's written hits for Texas and Ronan Keating among others. Yes, that's right, Life Is A Rollercoaster.
A Design For Life by Manic Street Preachers blew me away when I heard it. The album Everything Must Go is awesome and I devoured everything they released after and before that, but nothing has bettered it in my opinion.
Guns 'n Roses' Sweet Child 'O Mine has been my ringtone ever since I've had a mobile. Great song, great guitar solos. Perfect.
Saybia. Danish band. Day After Tomorrow. Great song. Reminds me of Copenhagen.
There are loads of great tracks from the 80's that I could mention. Being in my formative years they all made an impression on me: The Sun Always Shines On TV, Two Tribes, Wild Boys, Wherever I Lay My Hat, Money's Too Tight (To Mention), Life's What You Make It, Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl), Don't You Want Me, Too Shy, Wishing I Was Lucky, People Are People, Nothing Ever Happens.
All this and I haven't even mentioned The Beatles, Lennon, McCartney, Radiohead, Coldplay, Pulp, REM, The Beach Boys, Roy Orbison and Buddy Holly. The latter two being favourites of my Dad. They are indeed, legends.
Thanks for reading :)
Over to you....
I wrote a piece about the music I grew up with on another forum but it's been archived away now. Fortunately I saved it before posting and I've just come across it so I thought I'd post it here.
Songs/albums/movies/books that have influenced my life? I'm not sure if any have necessarily influenced my life. They've certainly been part of the soundtrack. Landmarks along the way I suppose.
Music has played an enormous part in my life. I've always found some sanctity in the fact that I can chuck on a CD and hear the music spill forth from the speakers or headphones, never letting me down, no matter what's going on in my life. Many a time I've been shopping for shoes, jeans, whatever, and I've come home with a CD. £50 for a pair of jeans? £10 for a CD? Only one winner. The jeans will wear and shrink and go out of fashion, but the music is always the same, dependable. It beats me why people think 9 or 10 quid for a CD is overpriced!
When I was 11 or 12 I heard Mad World by Tears For Fears and loved it. I bought the album, The Hurting, and I've been a fan ever since. Everybody Wants To Rule The World from Songs From The Big Chair is one of my favourite songs ever. Later, in '89, came Sowing The Seeds Of Love, a brilliantly realised Beatles pastiche. Genius.
In '85 I heard Don't You (Forget About Me) by Simple Minds. Loved it. Then came Alive And Kicking and the album Once Upon A Time. I was now a Simple Minds fan, but the real influence was their earlier album New Gold Dream. The bass lines on that album had me hooked. I wanted to play those bass lines! I started to pay more attention to the bass lines on my other CD's and it wasn't long before I decided I wanted to play bass. I ended up buying a bass a few years later. Their '89 album Street Fighting Years stayed in my CD player for ages. The title track is one of my favourite tunes. Fantastic slide guitar work.
I guess around '86 I first heard Don't Dream It's Over by Crowded House. What a tune! A classic. I can't believe it's over 20 years old. Again, I became a huge fan of Crowded House. They've made some amazing records over the years, Better Be Home Soon, Mean To Me, Hole In The River, And She Goes On, Fall At Your Feet, Four Seasons In One Day, Nails In My Feet, and Distant Sun to name but a few. The '93 album Together Alone has to be one of my all time faves. Quite possibly my favourite band ever.
Around the same time, Where The Streets Have No Name by U2 came out and I remember buying The Joshua Tree on vinyl but I didn't like it. I think I gave it to a cousin of mine. I liked the singles from it though and ended up buying the album again. I was really into Simple Minds at the time and I think The Joshua Tree was a bit more organic I suppose. Anyway, I clearly wasn't ready for it first time round. Second time, I got it. Great album, goes without saying really. That album, and The Unforgettable Fire (great bass lines again) got me into U2. It was a long wait for the album after Rattle And Hum, but Achtung Baby! showed that U2 were still as relevant, and inventive as ever. An album that almost broke them up turned out to be a triumph. A brilliant return. I particularly remember Love Is Blindness from the gig at Wembley Stadium. The huge screens showed (as I recall it) images of bright stars, slowly turning and zooming in, almost drawing me into the screen, while the music washed over me. It's hard to explain but nothing else existed in that moment. One of the best in-concert moments for me. Still one of my favourite bands.
Hmmm, I've gone off on one haven't I? I'll try and keep the rest brief.
Wonderwall. I don't love the tune, I just liked it at the time. By then I'd moved away from the bass and onto acoustic guitar because I wanted to be able to play a song and sing along (you couldn't really do that with a bass) and Wonderwall was the first tune that I nailed the guitar and singing too. I found it so difficult before but with this song, it just clicked and after that, I was able to do it on most tunes.
You Get What You Give by The New Radicals came along at a time when I hadn't really heard anything very good for ages. This was just such an energetic, feelgood song that had more than a touch of World Party to it. In fact, I thought it was them at first. I just thought it was a great, great song. The album, Maybe You've Been Brainwashed is pretty special too. The guy (Gregg Alexander) made one brilliant album and decided that being a frontman wasn't for him and took the producer/songwriter route instead. He's written hits for Texas and Ronan Keating among others. Yes, that's right, Life Is A Rollercoaster.
A Design For Life by Manic Street Preachers blew me away when I heard it. The album Everything Must Go is awesome and I devoured everything they released after and before that, but nothing has bettered it in my opinion.
Guns 'n Roses' Sweet Child 'O Mine has been my ringtone ever since I've had a mobile. Great song, great guitar solos. Perfect.
Saybia. Danish band. Day After Tomorrow. Great song. Reminds me of Copenhagen.
There are loads of great tracks from the 80's that I could mention. Being in my formative years they all made an impression on me: The Sun Always Shines On TV, Two Tribes, Wild Boys, Wherever I Lay My Hat, Money's Too Tight (To Mention), Life's What You Make It, Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl), Don't You Want Me, Too Shy, Wishing I Was Lucky, People Are People, Nothing Ever Happens.
All this and I haven't even mentioned The Beatles, Lennon, McCartney, Radiohead, Coldplay, Pulp, REM, The Beach Boys, Roy Orbison and Buddy Holly. The latter two being favourites of my Dad. They are indeed, legends.
Thanks for reading :)
Over to you....