inspiration
Although I started as a ten year-old Rolling Stones fan back in 1965, my tastes in music have luckily evolved over the years, and I have come to appreciate many kinds of pop/rock music, from Abba to Zappa, from Beatles to Beefheart, as long as it sounds good to my ears, although I’m not too keen on nu-metal, nu-soul, dance, hip hop and r&b in the MTV-sense of the word. It ‘s an age thing, surely...On the other hand, I still watch MTV and keep checking out new developments, especially in rhythms and record production values. Far from being eclectic, my record collection, a huge source of learning and inspiration to me, is largely made up of the usual suspects: The Beatles are, obviously, in a league of their own. They were the best band and songwriters ever and paved the way for everyone else. Totally unique. And then there’s the Rolling Stones, of course. They are directly to blame for my choice of career, and I’m still fond of their early work up to and including Exile On Main Street (1972). After their first decade, they began to lose the plot a little, I feel. Maybe less innovative on a purely musical level, but often more exciting than the Fab Four. I still cherish my scrap books. Other favourites from my salad days: the rest of the first British wave: The Kinks, the Who, the Small Faces (Tin Soldier: most exciting intro ever!), Cream, Fleetwood Mac (i.e. the Green Manalishi/Peter Green years), etc. A little later: Hendrix , Clapton, the Free, Led Zeppelin, Bowie. And then came Yes, ELP, Pink Floyd, Genesis, King Crimson, Todd Rundgren: : In other words: vintage 1970s prog-rock. I hesitate to admit it, but I used to have a Rick Wakeman poster on my bedroom wall; hardly cool even then, but for an aspiring rock keyboardist like me, adequate role models were few and far between, and still are... Although a lot of 70s prog-rock is virtually undigestible now, some albums have survived remarkably well and still sound fresh today. At least, I like to play some of them now and then – even my Gentle Giant albums...There, I’ve said it! I guess this is what they call ‘guilty pleasures’... Speaking about the 70s, I should mention Joni Mitchell, whose music has become very dear to me. Her songs have made a deep and lasting impression, especially her albums from the mid-70s, like Court And Spark and The Hissing Of Summer Lawns. Other female favourites include Bonnie Raitt, Suzanne Vega, Sheryl Crow, k.d. lang, Lucinda Williams Another hero of mine is Frank Zappa, one of the most original, funny and prolific artists in rock history. He made well over 70 albums (over half of them live recordings) and always employed stunning musicians on his albums and in his touring bands. There is a ‘stepping stone theory’ going round, maintaining that Zappa-fans suffer a heightened risk of morphing into Captain Beefheart fans, and it’s true: it happened to me after a friend took me to see the Captain and his Magic Band perform in a nearby village called Roden in Nov 1980. This band sounded like nothing I’d ever heard before. Beefheart’s music is an acquired taste; he is a true eccentric who makes his old highschool buddy Zappa sound pretty m.o.r. at times, but the music grows on you, believe me. Try his masterpiece Trout Mask Replica, if only in small doses... Other important US acts: The Band, The Byrds, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.The Beach Boys have always been an influence (as has been pointed out by reviewers of my Salad Days album), and my appreciation of their music is still growing. Not always seen as the coolest of bands, but many of their songs are stunningly beautiful. Their best albums were often commercial flops: Pet Sounds, Sun Flower, Surf’s Up and Holland. In my humble opinion, God Only Knows is amomg the best songs ever written and Brian Wilson is a genius, both as an arranger and a songwriter. He belongs right up there with Lennon-McCarney, Ray Davies, Dylan, Jagger-Richards, Neil Young, Bowie, Stevie Wonder, Lou Reed, Neil Finn, Paul Simon, etc., especially after I saw him perform live in Hamburg in January 2002. I guess you prepare to be disappointed when you finally get to see one of your all-time heroes when they’re way past their prime, but Brian Wilson’s concert was breathtaking - much better than I’d hoped for: to sit there and listen to an exquisite live rendition of the entire Pet Sounds album... Oh, and lets not forget Steely Dan. Walter Becker and Donald Fagen, sometimes criticized for their ultra-clean sound and almost morbid preoccupation with musical perfection, have created a consistent and timeless oeuvre of slightly mysterious, urban songs that I can listen to time and again. Don’t mistake this for elevator music. More pet sounds: I’m a big fan of XTC, (the Swindon Beatles of the 80s and still going strong) and its main songsmith Andy Partridge. They made a host of great albums and singles; their best moment is probably the Todd Rundgren-produced album Skylarking. And I haven’t even mentioned Peter Gabriel, Elvis Costello, Joe Jackson, J. J. Cale, Tom Petty, etc., etc, etc. You will understand that this little overview is far from complete. Please e-mail me if you are inspired, mystified or angered by my choices or omissions! Recommended listening for baby boomers (There’s more to modern music than Celine Dion, Kenny G or Garth Brooks) Beck: eclectic folk/rock/blues/country/lo-fi/hiphop mix. Really innovative. All his CDs are worth listening to, especially Mutations and Odelay Beta Band: modern, quirky, bearded, parka-wearing English band; experimental folk with acoustic guitars, unusual samples and hiphop grooves. Brilliant. Listen to The Three E.P.’s, their first album, or Hot Shots II Broadcast: a young British band. I saw them in Groningen’s Vera club in 2000; dreamy retro-pop with off-beat electronic arrangments. Album: The Noise Made By People. Fragile female vocals sound like a cross between Françoise Hardy and Nico Calexico: this is what they call alt. country. Post-modern Americana with Mariachi trumpets. Albums: The Black Light en Hot Rail Cotton Mather: very talented band from Texas, but sounding British at the same time; many songs on their Kontiki album could pass for lost tracks from Revolver without sounding old-fashioned. They are worshipped by Noel Gallagher, and rightly so. You have to hear this Dandy Warhols: also from the USA. Majestic, languid and hypnotizing rock music, especially on Come Down and 13 Tales From Urban Bohemia. Very beautiful Daryll-Ann: Happy Traum - simply one of the best Dutch rock albums ever. Their more recent Trailer Tales is a bit mellower and brilliant as well. Pete Droge: US singer-songwriter with a gravelly voice and powerful songs. He must own a lot of Neil Young albums. Nice guitars parts. Best place to start: Necktie Second Eels: some people call this ‘nerdrock’- I think it’s great and intelligent music. All albums are worthwhile, especially Beautiful Freak. Main man Mark Everett, or ‘E’, writes wistful and sometimes outright bitter songs. Very special and definitely an audible influence on me, according to some... Girl Bros: Wendy & Lisa with a different name and a different album. Intimate and original. Not really dance music, and doesn’t sound like Prince High Llamas: English postmodern pop with a very serious and incurable Beach Boys complex... It’s great – you could call it avant-garde easy listening...Album: Hawaii, also: Gideon Gaye Mercury Rev: from up-state New York. They used to be noise-mongers, but their Deserter’s Songs and All Is Dream albums are filled with wonderful, dreamy songs that all have a peculiar, melodramatic atmosphere Mogwai: Scottish noise band chills out and produces slow, trance-like, guitar-based instrumental music: Come On Die Young Liz Phair: Modern American ‘rockchick’. Better, more original and less hysterical than Alanis M., especially on Whitechocolatespaceegg Radiohead: they refused to sell out, and still got famous, and rightly so. All albums are worthwhile, except maybe their debut Pablo Honey, which is a little too faux-grunge for my taste. Best album: OK Computer, but the earlier The Bends and the more recent pair Kid A and Amnesiac are equally worth a try. Takes some time to get used to, but I think this one of the best bands around Portishead: all albums. Wonderful, slow ‘film-noir’ triphop; I’m eagerly awaiting new material Stereolab: experimental easy-listening, or, in other words: avant-garde, but in a friendly, melodic way...(cf. High Llamas). Album tip: Dots And Loops The Sea and Cake: likewise. CD: Oui Ron Sexmith: Canadian ‘songwriter’s songwriter’. I saw him perform solo in front of 15 people in Assen, Holland...Afterwards he was very cordial and autographed the album I bought from him. Wonderful, deceptively simple and transparent songs. All of his albums are worthwhile, especially Other Songs Simian: Talented new British band. From the same planet as the Beta Band; neo-psychedelic with Beach Boys-like harmonies. Album: Chemistry Is What We Are Elliott Smith: his fame spread after getting an Oscar-nomination for his songs on the Good Will Hunting soundtrack. Fragile, melodic, sometimes ‘beatle-like’ songs, especially on XO and Figure of 8. Lush strings and vocal harmonies Sugar Boy Harry: “Broken Lines”. Groningen singer-songwriter Harry Niehof pretends he was born in New Orleans instead of Middelstum, Holland, and delivers a very strong ‘Americana’ record. References: Little Feat, Ry Cooder, Bonnie Raitt, Dr. John, Jack Daniel’s, sitting on the porch, etc. Check out his guitar-playing! I’m pleased to say he’s in my band as well... Teenage Fanclub: Scotsmen, but clearly pretending to be Californian. Not groundbreaking, but wonderful, melodic music just the same. Most of their albums are worth checking out, including Grand Prix and Howdy! Tortoise: they belong to a genre called ‘post-rock’: hardly any vocals, irregular time-signatures, in short: prog-rock for the new millenium. Listen to Standards Yo La Tengo: from New Jersey. Darlings of the international rock press. Difficult to categorize, but could be termed art-rock: you can tell by their album titles: And Then Nothing Turned Itself Inside-out. It’s very good, though Classics, but I missed them the first time around... (Better late than never) Nick Drake: very English singer-songwriter and amazing acoustic guitar player, who has gained a huge cult following since his untimely death in 1974, and it’s easy to hear why; he made three legendary albums in the 70s. A source of inspiration for incurable romantics and modern songwriters alike. To me this was a great discovery. Listen to Pink Moon – and shiver Serge Gainsbourg: Histoire de Melodie Nelson. Totally original. Cinematographic music to watch girls by and smoke Gauloises to. Lecherous icon of French popular culture and worshipped by modern French groups like Air and Daft Punk The Left Banke: little-known, American 60s group. Well-written, pastoral ‘hippy’ songs. You might know some of them, such as Pretty Ballerina and Walk Away Renee, (a chart hit for The Four Tops). Best-of album: There’s Gonna Be A Storm Love: This Californian 60s band is a legend in the USA, but less so in Europe and I only found out about them a few years ago. Pastoral, psychedelic music sweetened by a big string section, and it’s beautiful. Forever Changes is their magnum opus Pretty Things: surprise: not just a scruffier version of the Stones; this London band made an obscure, but amazing concept-album called S.F.Sorrow in 1968. A pure specimen of British psychedelica, it belongs up there with with Sgt. Pepper, Piper At The Gates Of Dawn, and also...: Small Faces: Ogden’s Nut Gone Flake. This a Cockney Sgt. Pepper. Fantastic Scott Walker: Scott 1 tm Scott 4. Hard to pigeon-hole singer/composer. He was in the Walker Bros., although Walker is not his real name and they weren’t brothers either. He sometimes reminds me of his hero Jacques Brel. This music steers a middle course between orchestral pop and easy-listening, with experimental touches cropping up in the later work. Lush, atmospheric orchestrations