Ambient Rock

I’m off on my travels again next week, this time a short holiday to Berlin. I’ve only been to Germany once, a visit to the Oktoberfest in Munich way back in 1983, when I took on German beer and lost spectacularly.

I thought that it was about time I revisited the country to practice my German again (as poor as it is), and I think it might be nice to start a tradition where I share some of my thoughts about music before trips, before sharing some photos and experience of my visit on my return.

I was going to post some music about Hallowe’en since it’s 31st October today, but rather than encourage something I don’t really believe in, I’ve decided to go to the other extreme and prove to people who hate rock music, that some of the loudest and most obnoxious bands (in their eyes anyway) can be a source of calming pleasure.

Here are five glorious rocks songs that you can relax to with a glass of wine in a candlelit room with your loved one in your arms.

Steven Wilson – Veneno Para Las Hadas




Regular readers will know that I am a huge fan of progressive rock maestro Steven Wilson. He seems to improve with every album, and while his music wouldn’t really be described as “heavy”, his band Porcupine Tree have produced some fantastic rock music. This particular track is from his first solo album called Insurgentes and is a beautiful, slow and mesmerising masterpiece.

Nine Inch Nails – Ghosts 1 – 9

  

Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails is another musical maestro in my view and his music forms a large percentage of my collection. A few years ago, he produced a double album entitled Ghosts I to 4, containing 36 instrumental tracks, nine for each Ghost part. This is the final part of Ghosts I and is a very pleasant little tune.

Foo Fighters – Still

I’m really looking to the new Foo Fighters album in November and I daresay it will have a dominant position in my car for the next few months or so. While the band can produce some magnificent rockers, they are very good at taking it easy and producing a mellow ambient song. In fact, this is one of my favourite songs by the band.

Black Sabbath – Fluff

People who hate rock music hate Black Sabbath in particular. Yet, if you had never heard of the band and listened to this song first of all, you would find it very difficult to imagine that they were the founders of heavy metal with Ozzy Osbourne at the helm. This is a beautiful song and shows just what great musicians they are.

Rammstein – Ein Lied (A Song) 



It seems fitting that the final song comes from a German band. Rammstein are controversial and sometimes very heavy. Yet they too can turn the volume down and produce a lovely little ambient piece. Again, if this was the first song by the band you had heard, you would have no idea of their reputation nor would you imagine there explosive antics on stage.

Anyway, I hope you like the songs and I shall return with photos of Berlin in due course.

Evolution Of A Metalhead

I’ve been watching a great program on TV that chronicles the evolution of what is known as Heavy Metal music.

It got me thinking (always a dangerous thing).

Why do I like hard rock and heavy metal music?

Well I guess it all started when I was a rebellious teenager, driven by raging hormones, with no direction and desire to lash out at people whether they deserved it or no.  I wasn’t openly angry, reacting only when provoked; sadly, it was very easy to provoke me. I had a very short fuse.

At the time, my schoolmates were exploring Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, AC/DC and other similar bands. Punk rock was around but I wasn’t really exposed it that much because hard rock and heavy metal were prevalent in my school.

People used to lend me albums by Rainbow, Ian Gillan, UFO, Nazareth and Judas Priest; it was magnificent. I found an outlet for my anger. When I listened to grinding guitars, screeching vocals and pounding drums I was mesmerised and completely enthralled.

I will never forget the day when I bought my first rock album, Strangers In The Night by UFO, and put it on in my room at high volume. My dad and I had a row that day over the music and he threatened to break the LP in two if I didn’t turn down the volume.

My hair was long and bushy and I was not alone. At school, hair length was increasing despite the teachers’ attempts to force us to shorten it. One teacher called me “the boy with the chrysanthemum head” in an attempt to shame me into cutting it.

It worked – well sort of.

I reduced the length of it, but rebelled by keeping it bushy.

At school we had to wear a uniform, yet I managed to show our loyalty to the gods of rock with a scruffy beige rucksack upon which the logos of all my favourite bands was etched. I wasn’t talented enough to draw them so I asked my younger sister Jackie, who was a maestro when it came to art.

She drew the logos of Whitesnake, Deep Purple, Judas Priest, UFO, Nazareth, Black Sabbath and many others, even though she hated the bands herself.

Outside school I started wearing black shirts, T shirts and denim jackets. When I was seventeen I went on holiday with my family to Butlins  and spent the time on my own walking around with no desire to fit into the family lifestyle. I may as well have gone on holiday on my own. Here is a rare photo from that holiday, when my dad finally demanded proof that I had actually been with them.

Yes - that really is me aged 17. What do you think of the hair?

Of course, I mellowed slightly as I matured, yet my love of heavy metal and rock prevailed. The bands changed (I discovered progressive rock in the form of Rush, a band that is still my favourite today).

As I went to university, I began to drift away from rock slightly. My mates said that I would grow out it – and for a while they were right. While I enjoyed pop music, I still found it dull and as the 1980’s wore on, it became clear to me that music, in my opinion was too simple. I began to favour the bands of my youth, the progressive rock bands that composed rock symphonies, the powerful hard and heavy thumping sound of pure heavy metal at its very best.

I welcomed it back into my life with open arms – and I have never looked back since. And to me, my evolution into a metalhead is complete, simply because now I appreciate the music for what it is – skilful and beautiful.

I no longer needed to be the rebel I was when I was fifteen. I didn’t want to break my skull on a wall to the pounding heaviness of “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath”; it was more an appreciation of how beautiful and powerful the genre can be.

And since then, my taste is more refined and the style I listen to most is progressive rock and progressive metal. I love listening to Dream Theater, a band who compose rock music with such virtuosity that it literally brings tears to my eyes, and Porcupine Tree, another fabulously talented band.

Old favourites are still there; Deep Purple, Rush and Judas Priest as well as new rock bands like the Black Spiders.

I marvel at the ability of guitarists like Alex Lifeson, Tony Iommi, John Petrucci, Joe Satriani, Ritchie Blackmore, Angus Young, Kirk Hammett, KK Downing and many more. The vocal range and talents of singers like Ian Gillan and Geddy Lee are incredible. The incredible majesty of drummers like Cozy Powell, Ian Paice, Mike Portnoy and Neil Peart are a joy to behold.

And I am so enthusiastic about these people and the music they compose that I find it hard to contain myself when talking to people about them.

Mrs PM and I have had numerous discussions about the glory of rock and heavy metal and she simply can’t understand why I rave about a Joe Satriani guitar solo or a Dream Theater masterpiece.

I know I’m not alone because I have friends who are enthusiastic as I am. And my eldest lad Stephen also appreciates how wonderful metal can be, though his taste is slightly more modern than mine.

I’ll leave you with a monster of a song from Judas Priest from the 1980’s which sums up why I love heavy metal so much. Incredibly I find songs like this blast away the anger and frustration I feel after an awful day at work – even now.

You won’t get Coldplay playing like this:

P.S. I am currently compiling a list of rock and metal classics to make up a blogathon, similar to the one I did in January that embraced the pop songs I love. I can sense already, dear reader, that this might not sit too well with some of you – but I hope when the time comes you will stick with it. It may even make those who think that metalheads are braindead Satanists think again. If you listen to the actual talent these guys have – you will be pleasantly surprised.

I hope.

Hidden Gems

Over the years, artists have released songs that have mass appeal and it is these songs that we hear on the radio over and over again.

Such songs become anthems for fans of artists and when they release albums we tend to focus on those songs, choosing to treat the remainder of the tracks as fillers.

Some of the best work by pop and rock stars never get played on the radio and in many cases this is the best material.

I think it is a real shame.

I thought I would try to redress the balance and expose some of the better but less well known songs that I have enjoyed over the years.
These are mainly from the 70’s and 80’s. If you haven’t heard the songs before, let me know what you think.

Frankie Goes To Hollywood – Maximum Joy (from the album "Liverpool")


Frankie Goes To Hollywood were huge in 1984, the year I left university. Their first three singles all reached number one , a feat unheard of in those days before mass marketing and people like Simon Cowell ruined pop music. Sadly, their second album bombed massively, thankfully after I bought it. I actually think it is quite good and the song “Maximum Joy” is a fabulous little song that could potentially have been a single.

A-ha – Soft Rains of April (from the album "Scoundrel Days")

A-ha are one of my guilty pleasures and their second album, “Scoundrel Days” is my favourite. We all know the singles from that album but the final track is a haunting and fitting finale to a great album. I love this song.


Depeche Mode – Clean (from the album "Violator")

“Violator” is one of my favourite pop albums of all time and is an absolute triumph. Depeche Mode became much darker towards the end of the eighties and “Clean” demonstrates this perfectly. It is a fitting finale to a fine album. It is also my favourite song from “Violator” that is no mean feat against some pretty stiff competition.

ELO – Do Ya (from the album "A New World Record")

“A New World Record” was the second album I ever bought. I won’t tell you the first – it is too embarrassing. Nevertheless I am proud to admit that I played this record so much that I almost wore it out. The singles from this album are famous of course, but “Do Ya” is a gem that stands up with them and perhaps ought to have graced the charts.

Enya – No Holly For Miss Quinn (from the album "Shepherd Moons")

Let’s get mellow for a moment and enjoy a haunting piano masterpiece. I shocked Mrs PM when I played “No Holly For Miss Quinn” to her the first time during a romantic meal at home. “You actually like this?” she asked incredulously. “Yes,” I replied. “It is simply beautiful.” And it is – I hope you agree.

U2 – One Tree Hill (from the album "The Joshua Tree")

I think everybody in the world owns “The Joshua Tree” but I wonder how many of the other songs from the album people play. I am not a huge fan of U2 but they have peppered their back catalogue with quite a few gems. In my opinion, this is the best song on the album.

Whitesnake – Blindman (from the album "Ready and Willing")

I was very much into Whitesnake before David Coverdale left his original band behind and became huge in America with a whole new bunch of musicians. In my opinion, the earlier material is by far the best. It is bluesy and soulful and emotional (well some of it anyway). “Blindman” is a diamond that most Whitesnake fans will never have heard. I urge you to listen to this because it shows off just how great David Coverdale’s voice was in the late 70’s. I love this song – it is beautiful.

Genesis – Domino (from the album "Invisible Touch")

“Domino” is really two songs in one; a mellow first part that gradually draws you in followed by a more upbeat and progressive second part. As is typical with progressive rock, the song lasts for over ten minutes – probably a bit too long to be a single I guess. A great tune.

Chris Rea – Looking for a Rainbow (from the album "The Road to Hell")

I bought “The Road to Hell” because I liked the title track. Sadly, it is a little bit hit and miss (but that might be because I am not a huge fan of Chris Rea) but I do like “Looking for a Rainbow”. Coming in at a cool eight minutes, it is up there with the title track and “Working On It” as Chris Rea’s best songs.

ABC – 4 Eva 2 Gether (from the album "The Lexicon of Love")

ABC irritated the hell out of me in the early 80’s. Everybody raved about Martin Fry’s so-called wonderful lyrics. I found them cheesy and desperate. “The Lexicon of Love” was a huge album spawning a few well known songs that were at best okay. A few people I knew liked ABC and tried to convert me. And they almost managed it. Nestling towards the end of the album is “4 Eva 2 Gether” and I think it is a cracking little pop song (despite the lyrics). I saw Rush for the first time in 1982 and the band played various rock songs to entertain the crowd. And unbelievably, they also played this. It was like a cuckoo in a rock nest. And even more unbelievably it worked – that’s why I think it is a hidden gem (perhaps their only hidden gem).

That’s enough for now. I may return with a few more in future from my rock collection.

And now, dear reader, over to you. Have you got any hidden and unknown gems by famous artists?

Embarrassing Moments - Music

I love music. I love music so much that when I am listening to a favourite song I tend to drift into a tiny world of my own. This is absolutely fine when I am alone in the house because I can crank up the volume and engulf myself in sonorous rapture.

My favourite genre is rock music and heavy metal, although I do like less aggressive music also. When listening to a fast loud rock anthem I punch the air in delight, play the air guitar if I can and sing along. This is a big problem; especially if I am driving a car.

About a year ago I was driving to work as usual when an absolute classic rock anthem exploded onto my car stereo.

“Oh YES!” I cried in my mobile haven and immediately joined in with the song. I was captured by the pounding drums, mesmerized by the wailing guitars, enthralled by the screaming vocals. As I drove along I moved my head in time with the music, screamed as the vocalist reached his crescendo, howled with the guitars and, when I pulled up at a traffic light, hauled out my air guitar and joined in with the guitarist while waiting for the lights to change colour.

It was then I realized that the occupants of the car in front had turned around to watch the show. In the back seat of that car, there were two young girls who were openly laughing and pointing. And being stupid, for a second I couldn’t understand the source of their merriment. So I turned around myself, thinking that there was something funny going on outside the car or behind me. When I spotted nothing out of the ordinary, the cogs finally rotated and my brain got itself into gear; they were laughing at me! Trapped in my car, with the lights still on red, I could do nothing. I accepted my embarrassment and waved at the girls. They waved back and continued to laugh so much that their car was shaking.

I wouldn’t mind if this was a one off. Once I arrived at work and one of my colleagues came up to me and said “I was driving in front of you. Are you OK?”

“Of course,” I said. “Why do you ask?”

“Well you looked as if you were in pain,” he replied.

I realised then that I had been listening to a Judas Priest CD and my “pain” was probably me howling along with Rob Halford.

The embarrassment is not limited to just cars, though.

I loathe shopping, particularly grocery shopping in a supermarket. I hate it so much that I need a distraction. I use my mp3 player. I have a wonderful pair of headphones that mask out every decibel of external noise thus providing me with a totally untainted reproduction of all my music. I love them – but they conspire against me.

On one occasion, I was busily pushing a shopping trolley around my local Tesco while listening to Rammstein in my mp3 player. If you don’t know Rammstein, they are a German rock band who are very loud and very heavy; and they sing in German. And I know most of the words.

One of my favourite songs appeared as I approached the frozen food section and while I perused the various offerings, I was oblivious to my immediate environment. You can guess what happened.

It started with a hum.

Then a little muttering.

Then I broke into song.

There I was, rummaging through frozen vegetables in Tesco in South Manchester, singing (possibly at the top of my voice) - IN GERMAN:

Ich brauche Öl für Gasolin
explosiv wie Kerosin
mit viel Oktan und frei von Blei
einen Kraftstoff wie Benzin

I realized what was happening when I picked up my choice (frozen peas I think) and saw five or six people staring at me as if I had just arrived from Mars. I pulled off my headphones and, turning red, switched off my mp3 player and ran from the store in shame – no I didn’t really. I stupidly apologized and carried on shopping. I don’t know why I apologized actually – maybe for assaulting their eardrums.

I know I cannot sing; I once recorded myself singing a Rush song and instantly removed it. I sounded like a cat trying to sing Nessun Dorma while being strangled.

So why do I humiliate myself by singing in public? Of course I don’t mean to but I can’t help it. I need therapy, I think. I think I’ll go to see a specialist - but I must remember to leave my mp3 player at home.

100 Rock Songs (1 To 10)

It was very difficult to whittle down my vast collection of rock music to a mere one hundred songs but I managed it. Here and for the next few posts, I will try to reveal those rock classics I have loved and still love over the decades. These songs are unbeatable in my eyes so here goes – again the order is chronological because as difficult as it was to trim the list to one hundred, it would be impossible to order them.

Enjoy …

(1) Led Zeppelin – Dazed And Confused

Led Zeppelin were one of the pioneers of rock music and, as this song demonstrates, have their roots firmly in blues music. Lyrically this song is a triumph. Robert Plant’s voice is at its brilliant best; Jimmy Page is a master on the guitar; John Paul Jones is a maestro on the bass guitar; Jon Bonham is a legend. Magnificent.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-eIwfym0TbY

(2) Deep Purple – Child In Time

Talking of pioneers, Deep Purple are up there with Led Zeppelin. Deep Purple, whose career spans decades, were and are still one of my favourite bands of all time. Over the years, they have produced many classics songs. “Child In Time” is one of my favourites and epitomizes the band at their very best. Ian Gillan’s vocal range is immense and this song demonstrates this range to the full. Of all the line ups, the “Mark IV” is my favourite. Ritchie Blackmore shows why he is regarded as one of the top guitarists in the world, and is ably accompanied by Ian Paice, John Lord and Roger Glover. Legendary.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJCTrolF3CY

(3) Pink Floyd – One Of These Days

I first heard “One Of These Days” on a compilation album containing so-called “dance songs” by Pink Floyd, a band I would hardly describe as a creator of dance music. That said, the song does appeal to a wider range of people than your average Pink Floyd track, simply because you could dance to it, if you were so inclined, I guess. Personally I wouldn’t do so but that’s just me. The opening bass, drums and keyboard set the scene beautifully before the guitar joins the party. For me, the appeal is not the fact that it is a foot-tapper; there is a menacing undertone that becomes evident later on when the distorted vocal appears, for a few seconds only. Brilliant.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQvG2SMVl84

(4) Deep Purple – Highway Star

“Highway Star” is my favourite song by Deep Purple. Putting it simply this song is the quintessential classic rock track. I have been lucky enough to see the “Mark IV” line up perform the song in their later years, before Ritchie Blackmore called it a day finally, and it was the highlight of the concert for me. It does not get any better than this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgZSnAkQc4c

(5) Led Zeppelin – Stairway To Heaven

This song is arguably Led Zeppelin at their peak. I can’t listen to this song without tears of pure joy running down my cheeks. From the faultless acoustic beginning, Robert Plant and Jimmy Page lead us through perfection and eventually the bass and drums join to help us all reach a crescendo of pure ecstasy of classic rock heaven. Wonderful.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ayzhJKy8H_A

(6) Alice Cooper – Elected

How can this song have passed me by for so many years? Well in 1972 when the song was released I was too young to appreciate it – in fact I don’t actually recall ever hearing it in the seventies. All that changed when I saw Alice Cooper live about six years ago. “Elected” was the encore and the die hard Alice Cooper fans almost exploded in rapture. I was so enthralled that I went on a crusade to discover this masterpiece and haven’t looked back since. Unbelievably good.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NawhWb8Uu5E

(7) Jethro Tull – Thick As A Brick

“Thick As A Brick” isn’t just a song – it is a dazzling concept album, performed with tongue firmly implanted in cheek. It is a fun album from an eccentric rock star, the unique Ian Anderson. Sadly the excerpt below doesn’t do the album justice. You really must listen to it in its entirety to fully appreciate just how good it is. Magnificent.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=toHlMD50eYY

(8) Black Sabbath – Sabbath Bloody Sabbath

Black Sabbath are much maligned and extremely misunderstood. People who know nothing about the band and their origins just assume that the songs are played in satanic devil worship rituals. Those people should read about the band and listen to the music – especially the lyrics. “Sabbath Bloody Sabbath” is the best song the band has written, for me typifying why this legendary band has so many fans and are the inspiration for many later bands. Dark and scary!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnsOAnojFVM

(9) Pink Floyd - Money

The album “Dark Side Of The Moon” propelled Pink Floyd into the stratosphere. I love the album and “Money” is the biggest diamond amongst the gems. Dave Gilmour’s guitar work on the track is tremendous and invites every rock fan to pick up their air guitars. Breath-taking.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AXQg7Oir1Bg

(10) Lynyrd Skynyrd - Freebird

“Freebird” is one of those songs that most people know or at least have heard of. Why? Well, simply because “Freebird” is one of the best classic rock anthems of all time. The first half of the song is a classic piece of melodic rock before in the second half, the band cranks up several gears and ascends into an epic guitar solo that takes the listener into rock heaven.
Remarkable.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PENBU3lrpE&feature=related

11 to 20 to follow ...