I blame my friends

But I would not have had to post this if a friend hadn't been posting tracks from her Youth, which a) were very good and b) made me remember some of mine and so I thought why not share the pleasure, or pain, depending on what you like. So here we go, with some of the music of my developing years!

Chris Isaak. (1989), now not many 13 year olds I knew liked Chris Isaak, but boy, I did. So much so that I bought the album, I had to buy the tape, because that's all we had kids, Tape or Vinyl. And I remember where I bought it from, Tower records in London, on a school trip. I played it on the tube on my personal walkman, for those under 30, that's what we used to put tapes in, like an Ipod, but heavier, less convenient and the insides were re-tightened by using a pencil/pen on the cassette wheel. And I loved two particular songs from his early stuff.



Anyway, Wicked Game, as I hope you'll agree is one of the most heartbreaking songs ever written and his voice makes it all the more sorrowful. It also reminds me of the unrequited love I had at that time, as a young 13 year old, in love.



Blue Hotel, by the same man, and although not as good as wicked game, it's a good little tune. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed the music of Chris Isaak.

Temple of the Dog

Before you had the Nirvana and pearl jam, soundgardens of this world, more later. You had Temple of the Dog - spawned by mother love bone members, they essentially where a pearl jam/soundgarden combo, and here's one of their best driven as always by the amazing and unmistakeable voice of Chris Cornell



so onto the leftovers of Temple of the Dog, Soundgarden first I think, I listened to this album most of the summer of '94, which was a great summer for me, we all pretty much lived at the beach the whole of it. Fond memories of beach parties until early in the morning in hidden devon coves!



Spoonman! An all time grunge classic. I was a grunge boy, which I guess means I am like a grandfather of the EMO. We were the originals, musically. for instance I heard Green Day before they sold out and went commercial. The next band is a strange, a band I adore, yet I don't own any albums for an inexplicable reason. The reason I think is that when they were good they were the best at the time, but they couldnt do a whole album. They also did have the best band name of the nineties. You can't hear the beginning Bass intro and think, I am about to hear unparalleled genius, and you'd be right. This can only be played loud.



yet my personal favourite was this one, written by Jerry cantrell, as a sort of musical tribute to his dad, who fought in the Vietnam war and who was nicknamed 'the rooster'. Look the lyrics up. It'll be worth it. Serious case of son honoring the father.



I was never a massive fan of nirvana when they entered the conscious world in the early 90s always was a Pearl Jam man. What did turn me into appreciating them was their unplugged concert, I do believe it was the fact that I could hear what they were singing about that helped me realise that Kurt Cobain was alright. Bizarrely though, it was the covers I preferred. This one, still brings great pain from the old memory banks as for the time it was very apt, with my first real, serious girlfriend and I think from memory I played this over and over again as a form of catharsis. I also considered smacking the bloke in question but, philosophically I was pretty much at the 'and what would that achieve?', and so began my fairly consistent pacifist outlook.



Not sure if this counts as a one hit wonder, but I found it on a CD that came free with the Q magazine, one week.



I don't even know if they are still around, who knows? One good song though.

In 1991, a band released an ablbum that would change my music and world forever, that album was called 'Ten'. I had never heard a sound or a band like it, Pearl Jam have now pretty much provided the soundtrack to my continuing existence. This song, brings the 15yr old Tony Williams back into the front of my mind. GCSE's and when you stand upon the cusp of growing from a child into a young man. This I guess is why their music has almost stained into me and become part of the DNA.



There are two things to love about Bristol, one is that when it's pluralised its another name for boobs. The other, perhaps more important is that it's home to one of the least known, yet most amazing, british voices of the last 20yrs, Beth 'did I have a massive crush on you' Gibbons (Hey, I even own the solo album she did with rustin man) and the stunning portishead. I was going to post a track from the first album, called Glory Box, but I have had to pull it! As it has been plundered from my mind by the person who to a certain extent inspired this ridiculously self-centred post. So, I shall post another, equally impressive track of theirs.



And now we go through, what I term my Hip Hop era; I don't like modern Hip Hop. I was always a fan of the Old school and that too me is three groups; Cypress Hill, WU-tang and NWA.



Genius. What I loved about Cypress was there exceptionally relaxed Hip Hop. One of my favoruite films of the time was, the lost boys and with so much to choose from, here's the best I think



The one and only, Jim Morrison, my only claim to Jim Morrison fame is that perhaps for the two years from the age of 23-25 I may well have been able to match him drink for drink, in the whiskey a go go. I tend to forget until I put the doors on just how much of a genius died at the age of 27

The next one is a tad odd, in that I have only just found out who did it. This is because a friend once recorded it onto one of those 'tape' things I have previously mentioned. And there was this stand out track I remember, and I have only ever known it as 'oh what a lucky man he was'. It was by emerson, lake and Palmer, now you could, arguably get no more into the middle lane music than these. Yet this track is just fantastic. When I look back on what I have done and who I have met. I too have been a lucky man. For those that read my bloggy drivel you'll know I have a very soft spot for synth/keyboards and from 3;20 you get a cracking noise of this! makes the song.



Did I mention that the Eagles were glorious. I believe from a shattered alcoholic fog that I once karaoked this beauty. And I was great. Could someone please catch my falling wife whose recoiling from this unknown talent! I may have also done the air guitar bits too :-)




anyone remember Space? Me neither, but this was a great tune which proved true.



In 95 I was introduced to the work of Nick Cave, through his murder ballads album, which did exactly what it said on the tin. This song also contains my favoruite west country singer, PJ Harvey, who I have seen live, at Nottingham Rock City, where surprisingly, once I finally stood still I stayed stuck due to the stellar glue type quality of the Rock City carpet.

Finally, beacuse the length of this is ridiculous now, the final one is from a great band, who could never replace the singer, and boy did they try, but you couldn't replace him. Loved this band as a teenager, and this song, though not their most famous was one of mine, mainly because I am!

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