Memoirs of a Roadie

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,