Why i love music

[Anonymous]

Bloody hell Survivor,I've just been looking at the post "what are you listening to" thought i had an eclectic range of tastes but you take the biscuit,Sheena Easton mixed in with some prog rock and a few bands I've not heard of brilliant.Not to mention ONJ.Did i pick up from you a band called Mostly Autumn? just downloaded it -very good indeed.

With such a diverse taste hard to get a handle on you so tell me what are your 5 fav bands of all time.

Mine would be :

Emerson Lake and Palmer

Leonard Cohen

Marc Almond and all his incarnations

Little Feat

Simon and garfunkel

 

[Anonymous]

Will check out State broadcasters,yah i like Sufjan Stevens alot playing seven Swans now.

 

[Anonymous]

I embraced punk very readily for an old hippie and enjoyed many punk gigs,i think looking back what i liked most was that for a few years the world seemed to change,i loved the attitude and it seemed to transcend the music.I now find punk almost unlistenable as it was very much a moment in time that cannot be repeated,unlike prog rock which i still find very enjoyable if not always relevant now.I understand what your saying about trying to force the issue with music genres but i do it to satisfy my unquenchable thirst for music although jazz still takes very much a back seat.I have tried to listen to todays prog rock bands and i struggle because i think it belongs to the past and therefore somewhat contrived,is it making any sense to you.

 

[idc]

blackcabmal:I now find punk almost unlistenable

Shame, I really think that The Clash and The Ruts produced music that would not sound out of place if it came out now. The Damned and The Sex Pistols do sound of their time, but I still listen to them regularly. As for the rest, I have made up three punk compilations for my ipod and the tracks that still make the spine tingle are by The Dead Kennedys, raw power punk at its best.

 

[survivor]

blackcabmal:

Bloody hell Survivor,I've just been looking at the post "what are you listening to" thought i had an eclectic range of tastes but you take the biscuit,Sheena Easton mixed in with some prog rock and a few bands I've not heard of brilliant.Not to mention ONJ.Did i pick up from you a band called Mostly Autumn? just downloaded it -very good indeed.

With such a diverse taste hard to get a handle on you so tell me what are your 5 fav bands of all time.

Mine would be :

Emerson Lake and Palmer

Leonard Cohen

Marc Almond and all his incarnations

Little Feat

Simon and garfunkel

Hi there, top five? That is so, so hard but I`ll try in a moment. Just quickly talk about Mostly Autumn, really great band. Try to see them live if you can. Well thought of by their peers. Which album did you get?

Top five. Mmmn.. very difficult. I could list fifty and Donna Summer might not even get a mention which might surprise you if I said I own ten of her albums. Just mentioned that so you get an idea how hard this is for me. Right...

Abba, Queen, Fairport Convention, AC/DC, Rush.

Five more - Beatles, Eagles, Genesis, Frank Sinatra, Journey.

Five more - Morrissey, ELO, Judas Priest, Kate Bush, Andy Williams.

Five more - Pink Floyd, Mostly Autumn, Survivor, Olivia Newton-John, Barclay James Harvest.

Five more - Streisand, Diana Ross, Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Meat Loaf.

Five more - Slade, Tom Waits, Bruce Springsteen, Fleetwood Mac, Pendragon

Five more - Arena, Matt Monro, Carpenters, Paul McCartney, Heart.

Five more - Neil Young, Bob Dylan, King Crimson, Scott Walker, Moody Blues

Five more - Free, Magnum, The Smiths, All About Eve, Yes.

Five more - Sisters Of Mercy, The Waterboys, Bonnie Tyler, Joni Mitchell, The New Seekers.

Five more - My Dying Bride, Metallica, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Nolan Sisters, Rolling Stones.

Five more - Wishbone Ash, Josh Groban, The Beat, The Jam, The Stranglers.

Five more - Barry Manilow, Rhapsody, Rainbow, DIO, Deep Purple.

Five more - Nightwish, Bucks Fizz, Clannad, Marillion, The Who.

Five more - Simon and Garfunkel, Bread, Mamas and Papas, Saxon, Ian McNabb.

Five more - Elvis Presley, Cliff Richard, Michael Ball, Whitesnake, The Strawbs.

Five more - The Mission, Steeleye Span, Warrior Soul, Chris De Burgh, Rod Stewart.

Five more - Thin Lizzy, Gary Moore, Blackmores Night, Donovan, Stevie Nicks.

Five more - Jethro Tull, Uriah Heep, Led Zepellin, ELP, Jefferson Starship.

Last five (I`ve got to get to bed!) - David Bowie, Pentangle, Blondie, Sarah Brightman, Wagner.

I do of course recognize the song writing ability of Leonard Cohen but must confess to only having a couple of compilations by him at the moment. He`s one I intend to spend more time on in the future. It`s difficult to get around to them all. I`ve only recently been getting into The Grateful Dead! Took me awhile but I finally made it!

 

[Anonymous]

Has anybody mentioned the greatest band of all time (drum roll) .... The Misfits.

No? Thought so.

 

[up the music]

Survivor.
I did a quick scan of that list. You made a few mistakes. How did Bucks Fizz, Barry Manilow and Cliff Richard get in there?

Why do I listen to music? Isn't that the point in life? Sorry Captain D, I obviously don't work enough.

 

[Anonymous]

idc,I give you the Clash,somehow i always fail to remember them as punks,somehow seemed a bit to talented for the era.Keep listening to those bands

 

[Anonymous]

Survivor,You cheated,let me put it like this your stranded on that preverbal desert island and you had 5 albums,those that really really love and have an association with.Just noticed Ian McNabb but did not include Icicle works.

The reason for my love of ELP was i loved the idea of a trio and the main instrument being keyboards,every sat i would go to the vintage mag shop on Cambridge circus and sift through 100's of music mags for info,(no Internet then) and made some great scrap books which i still have,they absolutely consumed me for years.

Leonard Cohen i had never heard of but whilst working at M&S many moons ago a security guy covered in tatoos got chatting about Leonard and invited me and my equally music mad mate (and still is) back to his flat to listen,we were both blown away,his 02 gigs last year were fantastic.

Marc Almond i saw on the tv one night and became obsessed and have followed his career closely and seen him many times,particulaly liking Marc and the Mambas.

Little feat i saw in i think '79 at Charlton fc supporting the Who,they should never have been on the bill and did not go down well,But i never forgot seeing Lowell George and have loved them ever since.Recommend Thanks I,ll eat it here solo album completely bombed when released but a truly great album.

Simon and Garfunkel,i remember getting into around the time of Leonard and i loved them,imo bridge over troubled water is the best record ever,and always remember thinking that Art was not needed to make Simon successful the i saw the Central park concert where Art did botw solo with his hands in his pockets and thouht the guys really good and now i see why he was important.

I could list loads of other bands i like and love and have a funny tale about getting into Joni Mitchel 20 years to late,but i have to work now so will relay it later on.

 

[survivor]

up the music:Survivor. I did a quick scan of that list. You made a few mistakes. How did Bucks Fizz, Barry Manilow and Cliff Richard get in there? Why do I listen to music? Isn't that the point in life? Sorry Captain D, I obviously don't work enough.

Hi Up The Music, they were deliberate mistakes! I`ve got every Bucks Fizz album on vinyl and cd. Barry Manilow is one of my all time favourites and I rate him very highly and a master of his craft. When Nirvana were around he claimed that his power ballads could match anything that Nirvana were doing. I suspect people laughed when he said this but I fully understand what he was saying. His music has a certain intensity which I find very appealing. As a youngster I grew up on Andy Williams, Matt Monro and Jim Reeves (mother): Bert Weedon (father): Elvis Presley, Cliff Richard, Diana Ross, John Denver, Bread, Carpenters, Olivia Newton-John,Lobo, Gary Puckett (two elder sisters)

The list I posted was long but only included real favourites. Missed some out mind such as Glenn Campbell, Praying Mantis, Asia, Santana, Bob Catley, Ennio Morricone and The Small Faces. Anyway, thinking about it that list doesn`t really show the diversity in my collection. I have loads of other artists from different genres and if you think the three `mistakes` I listed were bad you should see my massive Eurovision Song Contest collection! In fact I`ve already pre-ordered this years double Eurovision cd, not to mention my Christmas collection which includes everything from The Dickies to the Smurfs! I also have a fair collection of musicals, soundtracks, theme tune compilations, classical, soul, jazz, punk, new wave, music from the 20`s and 30`s, a little rock `n` roll, new romantic,ska, some lounge music and a steadily growing psychedelic and underground folk/rock collection.

All the best!

 

[survivor]

blackcabmal:

Survivor,You cheated

Sorry for cheating. I was hoping you wouldn`t notice!

Ok, l`ll do it properly. Firstly though just want to quickly say how much I enjoyed reading your stories of how you got into the five you listed. Thanks for your Little Feat recommendation. They are actually a name I have been meaning to check out for sometime but haven`t got around to as yet. Not familiar with Marc Almonds solo work but I really like "Bedsit" and "Say Hello Wave Goodbye". Also I do like The Icicle Works ("Love Is A Wonderful Colour" is comfortably in my top ten favourite songs from the 80`s) but I prefer Ian McNabb as a solo artist.

Right then, these are the five who have influenced me the most -

Abba - first love. I was really, really into Abba. Liked them from the moment I saw them win the Eurovision Song Contest. Seemed like they would fade away and then "SOS" came out and I knew they were going to be stayers. Bought every album and single. My first concert was Abba at the Royal Albert Hall in 1977. Three friends and I bought the first four public tickets to go on sale in England for "Abba - The Movie". I thought they were the greatest pop band ever.

Meat Loaf/Jim Steinman - in particular the "Bat Out Of Hell" album. I fell in love with the drama and intensity of this album. It was like nothing I`d ever heard before. Meat Loaf`s voice at the time was incredible. It`s a tragedy he damaged it so badly. Liked Meat`s stage presence, even his attire with the frilly shirt and red hankerchief! But more than Meat Loaf Jim Steinman`s writing style really blew me away. This thread is of course about the artists and not individual albums so I`m pleased to say for me it was not a one off. My second favourite album of all time is Jim Steinman`s "Bad For Good". He wrote some more great songs on Meaf Loaf`s "Deadringer" album and then the classic "Total Eclipse Of The Heart" for Bonnie Tyler. Great Steinman songs have been very thin on the ground for some years now but I still recall the influence his/their work had on me at the time.

AC/DC - In 1980 I bought amongst others records by Rush, Judas Priest and Motorhead. But the band that were mainly responsible for my getting into heavy metal/rock were AC/DC. Heard "Highway To Hell" at the end of `79 at a party and made a mental note to seek out this band. Early 1980 they released "Touch Too Much" and that was that, I was hooked! Bought "Highway To Hell" album at Wembley market and never looked back. Didn`t get to see them live until 1982 and that was my first metal concert. I`ve often thought to myself over the years how grateful I am that my ears enjoy the sounds of heavy metal. It was a great awakening and a time I think back to with great fondness. Sadly marred a bit by the death of Bon Scott who died I believe literally a few weeks after I got into the band so I never saw them live with him as lead singer.

Heart - I haven`t actually listened to this band much lately. However, when I first discovered them I couldn`t get enough of them. In 1982 I rented a house with my brother and two other guys, one of whom happened to be a music journalist. He owned a massive record collection and he came into my room one day with a copy of "Dreamboat Annie". He suggested I give it a listen as he thought I`d probably like it. Can`t remember why now but I never got around to giving it a spin. Fast forward five years to 1987 and Heart release a song called "Alone". Wow, loved it to bits! Bought "Bad Animals" and when I did the guy in the shop suggested I try the self titled album they released two years earlier. Well this time I listened to what this guy said and took his advice. At this point the penny still hadn`t dropped. Over the next few weeks (or possibly months) I worked my way through Heart`s back catalogue and that`s when I picked up "Dreamboat Annie" and when I saw the cover I realised where I`d seen it before! So I could have got into Heart five years earlier. Oh well, better late than never. Incidentally the same music journalist chap did get me into Journey as he had two copies of "Fronties" and gave me his spare one so thanks for that Mike!

Mostly Autumn - during the 90`s I thought that good music was dying away for ever. Thankfully Mostly Autumn came along and gave me hope. Discovered them playing as a three piece (normally a seven piece) supporting Ritchie Blackmore`s Blackmore`s Night band. Classic Rock magazine played a big part by putting two of Mostly`s tracks on two of the magazines free compilation cd`s. Took a chance and ordered the bands first three albums all in one hit (the third one had just been released). Loved all three albums immediately and started to see them live which I would highly recommend to anyone who likes great classic rock. Terrific blend of styles in particular on the mentioned first three albums and because of that these are the albums I would take with me to a desert island. Following this band has been a real joy and one of my very favourite musical journeys.

Well there we are. I managed it this time! Mind you, it wasn`t easy leaving out The Eagles!

All the best!

 

[survivor]

blackcabmal:

I could list loads of other bands i like and love and have a funny tale about getting into Joni Mitchel 20 years to late,but i have to work now so will relay it later on.

So where`s the Joni Mitchell tale?