I WAS RAISED ON ROCK
I have very little interest in listening to the ‘style’ of music that I am often associated with. This is for a number of reasons. I cannot listen to anything without deconstructing the recording processes and unravelling how the songs were made. I take the music apart and critique its design, I simply cannot listen to ‘experimental’ music as entertainment. Secondly, if I were to listen to musicians who record similar music to me it would influence my art. I would unravel what I considered to be the best parts, recreate them and in turn diminish the ‘originality’ of my own work.
My first true love and lifelong passion is rock music.
I started going to rock shows when I was 12. My brother and I saw a lot of rock and metal bands, we travelled alone, without parental guidance, without responsibility, without any form of authority, free from the fetters and pressures of adult life. It was total freedom, a religion and a way of life. We sneaked sips of beer, we slept rough at train stations and with our ears ringing we waited outside the venue with our pens in hand for our heroes to sign our denim jackets.
This experience gave me an unconditional love for ROCK, it profoundly changed me. I do not view rock or metal in ironic terms, or with cynical post-modernist sarcasm, for me ROCK changed my life and in no small way helped me define my cultural, social and political beliefs.
All the other kids at school were listening to risible horseshit like Spandau Ballet, Wham! and the odious, foul and utterley talentless – The Specials and Madness. Meanwhile I had the talisman, the key to the darkside given to me by Saint Ronnie James Dio. This made me a social pariah, an untouchable, an outsider, a ‘Grebo’. But what don’t kill you makes you stronger!
In my teens I discovered a wider spectrum of music. Listening to independent rock music led me to tune into the John Peel radio show, which led me to discover experimental music. I heard Foetus on John Peel. Getting into Foetus opened doors to other genres including big band, film scores and onto to more ‘difficult’ music. This in turn gave me the impetus to create my own music.
It is almost impossible to convey even a snapshot of my collection. All my life every bit of spare cash goes on CDs, records and musical equipment, so my tastes are ever evolving and growing. I have included a cross section of my very favourite records that cross a number of genres.
Although they have created some of my favourite music ever I have not included anything by Nurse With Wound or Current 93, it seemed a bit… incestuous. If I had chosen a NWW song it would have been ‘Cooloorta Moon’, and by C93 it would have been ‘A Sadness Song’ or ‘Hour Glass for Diana’.
Another of my favourite records is ‘Tubular Bells’ by Mike Oldfield, this of course is far too long to be included. I would have also liked to have included the soundtrack work of John Barry, ‘Hurt’ covered by Johnny Cash and at least half a dozen tracks by Judas Priest.
It is impossible to include as many songs as I would have liked due to time limitations, but here is a candid selection of songs that really mean a great deal to me – musically, nostalgically, emotionally and personally. I have tried to be as honest as possible with my selections, with no pretence, with no attempt to show off my very obscure and rare records, just a selection of toe tapping tunes that are close to my heart.
1. Raised On Rock – Scorpions
2. Children Of The Sea – Black Sabbath
3. Lust For Death – Scraping Foetus Off The Wheel
4. Soul Bossa Nova – Quincy Jones
5. Rapimento In Campo Aperto – Ennio Morricone
6. Maypole – Paul Giovanni
7. Panis Et Circenses – Os Mutantes
8. Any Way The Wind Blows – Frank Zappa And The Mothers Of Invention
9. Avril 14th – Aphex Twin
10. Musik Fur Kinder Iii – Carl Orff
11. In Every Dream Home A Heartache – Roxy Music
12. Walk-Don’t Run ’64 – The Ventures
13. Red River Rock – Johnny And The Hurricanes
14. Shot Down In Flames – Ac/Dc
15. Lettin’ Go – Ufo
16. Bron-Yr- Aur – Led Zeppelin
