Memoirs of a Roadie

The Kiss

Posted on 30th December 2021

This entry's poll year is 1987.

First up is The Cure with Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me. Their best album opener ever, The Kiss, is then followed by one of their worst songs on the album. Unsurprisingly, back in 1987 I made my own version of the album, replacing a few of the low points (IMO) with some infinently better b-sides from the album's singles, which were later released as an extra orange vinyl accompaniment to the album. It definitely deserved to be a double album, as there were some wonderful songs on it, such as The Kiss, Just Like Heaven and Like Cockatoos.

In 1987 I fell in love with In My Tribe by 10,000 Maniacs. I saw them many times with Natalie, but just the once without her. I once knew the words to every track on this album without looking, I played it so much, and even got to sing the Stipe part of A Campfire Song with Natalie at Nottingham in 1989. A Campfire Song and Don't Talk being instant favourites, and still love hearing both now.

While at Coventry Polytechnic, a friend found out I like a lot of Indie and Gothic music, and recommended I listened to Fields Of The Nephilim, and played me the Preacher Man and Blue Water singles. I loved them, and so went looking for their back catalogue and found Dawnrazor, and so began a long standing love of the band, and associated acts. Vet For The Insane and Dawnrazor are my personal highlights from the album.

Although I'd know of R.E.M. for a while, it was the album Document that got me hooked. Learning the lyrics for It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine) I felt was quite an achievement at the time, especially as I can't sing that fast now! Disturbance at the Heron House, The One I love and Finest Worksong are still favourites from their whole repetoire.

I first heard The Jesus And Mary Chain on John Peel, and loved their fresh approach to feedback as music. I liked their debut, but Darklands took them to a new level, and contains some of their best songs. The title track, Darklands, Nine Million Rainy Days, and April Skies being particular highlights.

Rebels In Kontrol

Posted on 29th December 2021

This entry's poll year was 2018. A year I listened to a lot of industrial / EBM / Goth music, as highlighted in my top 5.

KMFDM have been a long time favourite, and this live album pulled together a collection of songs for various periods of the bands history, although most came from the latest album (at the time) Hell Yeah, and was the last tour I saw them on too. Freak Flag and Rebels In Kontrol being particular favourites.

VNV Nation were a band I first saw in London around 20 years ago, and have enjoyed their live sets on several occasions since. The last couple of studio albums didn't quite grab me as much as earlier albums, but I think Ronan must have had a reset, because Noire is quite simply the best album they've made. Difficult to pick a favourite, as every track is so good, but Lights Go Out and When Is The Future? do get turned up a bit more when they come on.

I first saw Gary Numan in 1984 on the Warriors tour. The difference between that tour, and this The Savage Tour, are a stark contrast to how Gary has changed his sound. While back then there was more syntheziers in the mix, now it's a much more guitar, bass and drum focused sound. Samples and synthesizers are still there, but now the whole show is quiet emotive, plus Gary talks to the audience a lot more too. Favourites from the shows were Here In The Black and My Name Is Ruin, the latter with Persia on backing vocals and video screen.

I hadn't listened to Front Line Assembly for sometime, but after listening to some instrumental albums, this got suggested to me, and I think it's one of their best. A follow-up to AirMech, WarMech is another video game soundtrack. As such, several of the tracks are very atomspheric, and as a consequence another album that's difficult to pick a favourite, but Meteorfall does amuse me for the ZX Spectrum like loading sounds at the beginning.

I missed on seeing Steve Hackett with Genesis, and I also missed his first couple of tours playing his Genesis Revisted shows. However, After a friends rave review a few years back, I listened to the Hammersmith live album, and was hooked. Since then I've managed to see every tour, and was delighted to walk in to Birmingham Symphony Hall on the 2017 tour to be told they were recording the show for CD & DVD release. The show itself was fantastic, and Wuthering Nights: Live In Birmingham goes some way to capturing the live experience that night. Show opener, Every Day and Firth Of Fifth were definite highlights.

A notable mention to my sixth placed album, The Girl In The Trees by my wife, Nicole. An amazing album, and all her hard work that went into writing, recording and producing the songs and the arkwork, was certainly worth it. If you'd like to hear more, check out her bandcamp page. 

Cacophony No.A

Posted on 5th October 2021

Next poll was for 1997.

For those that might not know, I used to crew for Prolapse for a while, and helped to name one of songs on The Italian Flag, and a b-side. So while I might be biased, slightly, this was still my most played album of 1997. The band are great at throwing sounds around, seeing what works, and then letting Scottish Mick and Linda just layer words on top. Watching them rehearse some of these songs was an absolute delight. Cacophony No.A is by far my favourite Prolapse, but Tunguska, Flat Velocity Curve, Visa For Violet And Van, and Slash Stroke Oblique are not far behind. The singles were pretty damn awesome too ... as always.

I've been a long time fan of Gary Numan's, since he released Are Friends Electric? with Tubeway Army. As many have noted, he did seem to lose his direction during the late 80s/early 90s, and while I still bought the records, as there were the odd standout tracks, but the albums themselves didn't really grab his fan base. That was until he release the predecessor to this album, Sacrifice, with a return to a style that should perhaps have followed Warriors and Besererker. If there was any doubt this was a return to form, Exile was proof he'd recaptured his sound. Not a duff track among them, and if wasn't for those pesky kids Prolapse, this would easily been my number one choice for the year. Dominon Day and Absolution still favourites though.

I don't remember what song I heard first by KMFDM, but it was a club the band I was working with were playing that night, and the DJ was playing some records to get himself set for the evening. But it really caught my ears, and a member of the crew told me it was KMFDM. I've since become a big fan, but it was perhaps this album, usually refered to as Symbols due to the symbols on the cover, that convinced me they were worth investing in. While Stray Bullet and Megalomaniac might be my favourites, every track is a delight.

The band Live, despite having the worst name for Google, were on a roll with Secret Samadhi. Following Throwing Copper, I had eagerly awaited to hear what they did next, and I wasn't disappointed. From the opener of Rattlesnake, continuing through with the wonderful Turn My Head and heropsychodreamer, and ending with Gas Hed Goes West, it was another great album.

Another band I crewed for over the years is IQ, having been a fan since late '83 or early '84. While Subterranea might not be my favourite IQ album, it did mark a change for them, opening up musically and thematically more than I felt they had previously. The whole album is a concept, but unlike their previous attempts at this, the pieces seemed to fit much better, and overall the songs and the narrative flows ... even if I still haven't quite figured out the full story!

Karn Evil 9

Posted on 4th October 2021

So the next fortnightly poll was for 1973.

In 1973 I was listening mostly to the Pop and Glam Rock songs that featured on Radio One and Top Of The Pops at the time. However, a few years later, I discovered John Peel (Mon-Thu) and Tommy Vance's Friday Night Rock Show (Fri). I'd then head into record shops around Cheshire on the weekend to see what I could find. Some of those delights help shape my musical tastes.

Emerson, Lake & Palmer were a band I'd never heard the like of before, or since. Tommy Vance played Karn Evil 9 in full one night, and I was blown away. They set the scene for many advetures into what was sometimes termed Progressive Rock, at others Symphonic Rock. I bought the vinyl with the fold-out cut-away sleeve, that is probably worth a bit these days. The H.R.Giger artwork was fascinating, and I end up buying a poster of it to hang on my wall. Although Karn Evil 9 grabbed my attention, after listening to the full album, Still ... You Turn Me On became my favourite ELP song.

Argueably Genesis' finest hour, Selling England By The Pound was enthralling from start to finish. I always loved Cinema Show musically, but the imagary conjured up in the lyrics of The Battling Of Epping Forest told a whole movie in my head. And the word play in Aisle Of Plenty to round off the album, always made me smile, turn the record over, and play it all again. 

Early Black Sabbath were force to be reckoned with. Great lyrics, awesome riffs, and a powerhouse that laid a blueprint for so many rock and metal bands still to this day. Sabbath Bloody Sabbath was for me, the last release of the band at their peak in the 70s. The title track, Killing Yourself To Live and Spiral Architect still send shivers down my spine each time I hear them.

Thanks to Tommy Vance I had been listening to Yes for a while, but while in a second-hand record shop in Crewe, I picked out the live triple album Yessongs!, with a glorious fold-out cover. It was agonising waiting to get home to play it, but was absolutely worth the wait. I closed my eyes and imagined I was there. Sides five and six would frequently get repeat plays with Close To The Edge, Yours Is No Disgrace and Starship Trooper, but the whole album was an absolute delight.

For several years, House Of The Holy might get the odd play, but compared to Led Zeppelin's first four albums, it really took a long time before I really got into it. I have no idea why either, as The Song Remains The Same, The Crunge and No Quarter have become standout tracks from their repetoire for me, and I've since played it more than their first three albums.

The Pot

Posted on 3rd October 2021

I've been a bit behind on the poll posts, but I'm aiming to catch up over the next few days!

So the next poll year is 2006.

First off, topping my list was Tool with 10,000 Days. I came to this album late, as I think it had already been out for a at least a year before I picked up on it. Since then, it has grown on me, as on first listen I didn't appreciate it as much as I do now. It was a step ahead of their previous albums, although the next one was going to be a massive leap. How little did we know. 

I have been a fan of Ministry for a very long time now. Since their early days, their sound has changed dramatically, and their lyrics much most politicised. The album Rio Grande Blood, part of a trilogy regarding GWB, sees their aggressive industrial metal fit neatly into the verbal attack on the the American political system at the time. As can be heard on later abums, the ammunition Uncle Al had to fight with became much needed with subsequent Rebuplican complacency.

Like many of my generation, and musical interests, my first exposure to Gary Numan was Replicas and Are Friends Electric? Having been a big fan initially, towards the end of the 80s and through the 90s, although I still enjoyed his music, it wasn't as ground breaking as it had been. Jagged was a massive return to form (thanks in no small measure to his wife Gemma). It firmly put Gary back on a course that was more of a continuation from Beserker, than intervening albums had ever been. His musical output has only gone from strength to strength.

Porcupine Tree are sadly a band I didn't get initially, which is surprising considering how much I enjoy the Prog Rock scene of the 80s/90s. I don't remember what song or album I first heard, but for whatever reason it didn't grab me. Then, somewhere around 2011, someone played me some songs and I had to ask who they were. I was gutted to discover that they'd recently disbanded and I'd missed the opportunity to see them live several times. This live album, Arriving Somewhere... is a pure delight from start to finish, and features a selection of gems from the previous few albums.

Bruce Springsteen is a phenonmenal songwriter and performer. His ability to write such a strong volume of output is probably only matched by Neil Young, Prince, and Bob Dylan. However, for this album, he neatly side-stepped his own canon of work, and looked back at the songs of Pete Seeger. Several have since become very well known through the years, but Bruce's take on them, gave a complete new lease of life to them all. Dropping the E Street Band, and assembling a new group of musicians to perform with, 

All Cats Are Grey

Posted on 3rd April 2021

This week's poll year was 1981. Quite a influencial year for me, as it was the year I first started going to gigs. It was also the year I discovered we would be moving from Cheshire down to Leicestershire. I was going to miss the record shops in Crewe, and that amazing second-hand shop near school, where I spent a substantial amount of time and money on vinyl from around 1978 onwards, thanks to recommendations from various Radio One DJs, and friends.

My picks from this year, all had made an impression on me from previous years, so it wasn't too surprising they featured highly in my list. However, there was so much I was buying and listening to, I feel I need to put in a top 100 for 1981 (and I will likely have similar for the other years 1978-1984, when we finally get to them!).

My top choice, The Cure I was lucky enough to hear their first single played on late night Radio One (I think John Peel played it) in 1978, so I already knew and had records by the band. However, Faith was the first album that felt like a complete experience from beginning to end. From the opening of The Holy Hour, you knew this wasn't going to be a light-hearted listening session. Other Voices, back then and still now, is the stand out track on the album for me. I can't explain why, it can just stop me in my tracks when I listen to it. There really isn't a dud track on this album though, and I frequently still play it now.

My second choice, Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark, I first heard (as I recall, although I may have heard the previous singles on a Peel/Jensen show) via the single Messages. This their third album was a mix of their pop leanings and the experimental sounds that has frequented many of their albums. I was fortunate enough to see them on this tour at The Apollo in Manchester, and still remains one of the best shows I've seen them perform. She's Leaving and Georgia are still my favourites songs from the album.

New Order, although this being their debut, obviously were well known and anticipated in the months after Ian Curtis' death the previous year. Although they didn't exactly sound like Joy Division, you could still hear that musical progression from the previous few years. With the band members all trying out the vocals, before they finally settled on Bernard being the vocalist, each song has it's own subtle sound differences, even though musically it's all the same band. I remember playing it the first time with eager anticipation on my Dansette record player, and having the feeling that whatever came next, this band were not going to disapppoint. As we now know, they didn't ;) My favourite track changes, but for the moment Dreams Never End is the one I'm drawn to.

My next choice, Rainbow, had been a personal favourite for many years after becoming a Deep Purple fan, when I was recommended to buy a copy of Made In Japan from that second-hand record shop in Crewe. When Ritchie Blackmore left Deep Purple and formed Rainbow, for me it felt like a natural progression. Although Down To Earth was a striking change in direction, Difficult To Cure with new singer Joe-Lynn Turner gave the band a fresh lease of life. I got to see them on this tour (my second gig!) at Bingley Hall in Stafford, where upon arrival discovered the venue was not much more than a massive barn, where they auctioned farm live stock! As it turned out, it appears to have been one of Ritchie favourite venues, as the two shows I saw them play there (I saw them again in 1984 on the Bent Out Of Shape Tour) they were the longest sets on the tour, clocking over 2 hours for both shows, whereas tapes from other shows I have, usually just hit the 90 minute mark. Favourite song from the album was Can't Happen Here. 

My final top 5 choice is Stiff Little Fingers. My school friend Alan played me Alternative Ulster back in late 78, and I was hooked. A new form of punk was emerging, and SLF were the front runners. By 1981's third album, they had honed their craft, and were turning out cracking songs with ease. Gate 49 is easily my favourite from the album, and is the Gate at Heathrow when flying to Belfast, which explains the lyrics. Although, I didn't get to see them on the tour for the album, I did see them on the short tour in January 1982, when new boy Dolphin Taylor was introduced to the fans. It had been snowing heavily, so even though the show was sold out, several people never made it. As such, seating wasn't really being checked, so as a couple of my mates were slightly smaller than me, we opted to head up to the balcony. We had an hilarious time pogo-ing on the walkway between the front and back tiers of seats. Years later, I got to do a lighting gig for SLF at the Institute in Birmingham. I felt like that teenager again :)

And so to my top 100...

I should mention that most of the albums 1-50 I own. However, for those in the list 51-100, I mostly have listened to initially from friends albums, but have discovered others in more recent times. Having said that, there are more than a few that I hope to add to my collection at some point.

Gimme Chocolate!!

Posted on 27th March 2021

So this week's poll year 2014. A lot of rock/metal and progressive rock albums this year, and a few folk entries too. 

To date, BABYMETAL are now the last band I've seen live, back in February 2020, at my old haunt the Manchester Apollo. I discovered them around this time when I caught a feature of them on a music channel, possibly Kerrang!. I was both impressed with the songs, but also the ability for the Kawaii J-Pop sounds to mix seamlessly with the power metal of the Kami Band, forming the unique Kawaii Metal scene.

I've been a long time fan of KMFDM, and this album was instantly among my favourites on first listen. From the introduction by Miss Annabella, Lucia and Sasha's daughter, through to Make Your Stand, an electronic beat tour-de-force all the way. Respeckt!

I discovered 3TEETH a few years ago, and now wished I discovered them even earlier. This, their debut album, set the scene for what was to come, and from such an awesome beginning, it's been great to see them only grow. 

With NMA I have been very fortunate, as I've known them since their very first record. A friend of mine was the boyfriend of Rob Heaton's younger sister, and when I went to visit him back in Holmes Chapel once, he persuaded me to buy the single Bittersweet from him (he was doing a good sales job with all his friends), but he knew it was my kind of music. He wasn't wrong, and I've been a fan ever since. This album was a solid companion to 2013's Between Dog And Wolf, offering both studio and live tracks.

Mogwai, I saw in the late 90s, but mistook them for another band, who I wasn't impressed with, and ever since had not really paid attention to them. Until 2019, when I happen to listen to one of the albums and realised my mistake. I have since gone back and listened to all their albums, and hang my head in shame that I missed out on this band for so many years. Their more recent albums, include Rave Tapes, are a pure delight.

And on to 2014's top 50...

You Are the World

Posted on 20th March 2021

So the first poll year is 1991. In my original list Tribe's Abort came top, and while I still love the album, having listened to several other albums I bought at the time, my preferences all got scrambled again!

+Live+ were a band I discovered thanks to their song Pain Lies On The Riverside, from my new top choice, Mental Jewelry. I went to see them on their Throwing Copper tour in 1994 (well I actually crewed the gig they did at Edwards No.8 in Brum ... supported by Catatonia), and have been a fan ever since.

So my top 50 for 1991 ....

Where the Bands Are

Posted on 20th March 2021

So my good intentions with writing up a diary entry once a month with some of the bands and artists I'd been listening didn't get very far. Sadly events of last year proved too overwhelming to write more. I still have several draft entries for some of those I had planned to feature, so I hope to finish them off over the coming months.

Although writing proved tough last year, I did get involved with a Twitter sensation of ranking albums released from 1965 to 2005, and the associated decades, thanks to the idea of Richard Shaw (@RichardS7370). Together with Mark (@marksmusic1977), Iain (@icrawford17), Si (@SimonFarrier1) @jhoburgh, and several others, music polls have been the thing that has helped me to keep lockdown fatigue at bay.

Rediscovering albums, bands, and songs, as well as listening to several I'd never heard before, has been a delight. 

This year Richard has decided to turn things around slightly, and while we once again revisiting several of the years featured last year, he is extending it to feature the years 1963-2021. As such, I will also be revisiting my top 50s that I was posting, reviewing, and reposting an up to date version here. 

Let the listening begin....

Where The Pieces Lie

Posted on 26th April 2020

April's Artist of the Month is Wheel.

I accidentally came across Wheel while listening to a few other bands, and a suggestion came up for a song off their latest album, Moving Backwards. Trying to find more information about the band initially proved awkward, as the band's website was inactive (it's back now). Thankfully, after a bit of searching across various website, provided me with their Twitter and Instagram handles. From there I discovered a few more bits of info.

The band hail from Finland, although vocalist James Lascelles is from the UK. Moving Backwards (2019) is their debut album, and was preceded with two EPs; The Path EP (2017) and The Divide EP (2018). They have since also released a combined CD with both EPs. They've been touring for some time, but mostly across Europe so far. With the state of the world and gigs at the moment, it might be a while before they head out for a more extensive tour, but hopefully they fit a few UK shows into their itinery.

The band have a sound that is very reminscent of Tool in places, but at the same time I can also hear influences of Porcupine Tree. However, those comparisons might mislead you, as the band have their own style, which builds on these influences, but gives something else in return. I've heard a few bands recently, some well known, that seem to have similar influences, but for me Wheel have something that is just that extra special, and given the right exposure, will forge their own identity.

The songs are a blend of rock, metal, progressive, hardcore, and maybe even a bit of grunge. They have the complexity of what you might expect of a modern progressive rock band, but it's underpinned by some solid bass and drums, allowing the guitars and vocals to weave their way into and around your mind. The song Wheel being a good example, as the bass and drums lay the foundations and settle you into a groove, when the guitar riffs start infiltrating the flow, and almost without you noticing, the bass and drums have been getting harder and more infectious. The vocals then appear seductively drawing you in, until they have you and then drag you raging through the chorus. 

Several of their songs clock in over 8 minutes, but while listening to them, you become so engrossed it's easy to think they finish far too soon. It's become acceptable now for the progressive rock/metal bands to clock in long songs, but I do remember the days when anything breaking a 5 minute barrier was frowned upon by the metal press. Wheel strike a good balance between the song lengths, with each song sounding as long as it should. It wouldn't surprise me if at some point they come out with a 20+ minute epic, along the lines of Dream Theatre.

If you only see Wheel as another band influenced by Tool, then I think you'd be doing both bands and yourself a disservice. Most bands start with their influences, but those with talent and substance, quickly evolve their own personality. Judging from the early EPs to the debut album, Wheel are doing exactly that. Personally I can't wait to hear what comes next. I'm also hoping I get to see them live at some point.

Favourite songs: Wheel, Farewell, The Path

Check them out at wheel.band