1. Cardiacs
It
took me a while to really get Cardiacs, but when I did I found myself listening
to half a song from someone else before thinking ‘I’d rather be listening to
Cardiacs’ – it actually became quite a problem. It’s weird, eccentric, unique,
very British and they definitely stray into the realm of ‘progressive-punk’,
but I stand by it. Cardiacs did their own thing for a long time. There’s some
footage of them rehearsing ‘Jibber and Twitch’ and ‘As Cold as can be in an
English Sea’ on YouTube and I swear it’s the best thing on the internet.
2. Operation Ivy
When
15 year old me heard that record I started a band (Ye Wiles) almost instantly.
They were only a few years older than me when they recorded it and I thought it
was the coolest thing that I could do something like that. 20 years later it
has the same effect. I miss buying albums before the internet, looking
for bands in the ‘thanks list’ on the sleeves of records I liked and hunting
them down. Between my friends and I we must have had the complete Lookout back
catalogue.
3. Magazine
When
my best mate played me ‘Real Life’ I thought it, punk, had all been done 25
years ago. It blew me away – I think Devoto had had enough of the Buzzcocks vibe
after one EP in ’77. I was wrong, of course, we’ve had loads of great music,
but the fact people were getting better at their instruments and moving on
and, that it was OK to do so, gave me a lot of confidence to try new things
myself. Although Magazine is quite dramatic – it didn’t produce in me the
allergic reaction that Prog and Emo does, one that makes me reach for the off
switch. Where’s the energy? Where’s the urgency?
4. Bad Brains
Oh
yeah, energy and urgency. ‘Do I like this album I just bought?’ ‘No, ok – I’ll just play Rock for Light... again’. I was totally on board from day
one of hearing Bad Brains, they are a band, that are so much more than the sum
of their parts and more than, in my opinion, some dodgier later records.
There’s not much to be said that hasn’t been said before, except perhaps that
yes it was the superior 1982 version of ‘Rock for Light’...
5. Wire
Yes, Wire! ‘Pink Flag’ is a classic. There’s so much variation on that record, yet
it all seems to marry up perfectly. I kind of thought it was ‘our thing’ with
my mates in my home town, maybe too ‘art-y’ or whatever for some, but when I
got through the Minor Threat record for the first time I never expected to hear
‘12XU’. I don’t know why I was so surprised now, but I was amazed at how varied
the scene was, yet everyone was on the lookout for one another – everything is
connected! I saw them recently, and they blew me away, they’ve got a recent
track called ‘Harpooned’ which is easily as good as, or better than, their stuff
from the early days. It makes me want to keep going too.
6. Refused
I
once jumped in the van with Five Knuckle (a truly great band) when Ye Wiles
were touring with them and ‘The Deadly Rhythm’ was playing on the stereo. I
must have now bought ‘The Shape of Punk to Come’ four or five times, as I have
a habit of losing things, and it’s one of those albums I get a craving to
listen to from start to finish. I just loved the production of it, it was so
far ahead of the curve.
7. Minutemen
I
never really got massively into a lot of their peers in a way I know a lot of
people do, but Minutemen to my mind were the best of that bunch. Never a
hardcore band, or even close, but no-one questioned their punk credentials when
they played alongside Black Flag or whoever. There’s such a creative
do-it-yourself drive behind it all – ‘Double Nickels on the Dime’ in my opinion
will never be surpassed!
8. The Jesus Lizard
I
think Goat is a truly great record. To my mind, one of the finest bands ever. I
never really considered technical ability to come close to creativity when it
comes down to it, but these guys make me want to play better and harder every
time I hear them. I think they’re labelled noise-rock or whatever, but their
live shows were as punk as anything. If I could go back in time to two shows
it’d be Operation Ivy and these guys.
9. Joeyfat
Growing
up in Tunbridge Wells, Joeyfat were the first real band I both saw live and
knew personally. I think in a way the rock scene (especially then) was its own
influence, a self perpetuating community – it’s quite difficult to ignore such
an inclusive scene. If you put a little effort in, you got a lot more
out. That aside, Joeyfat were and are a ground-breaking band, cutting their
own rhythmic path. ‘The Unwilling Astronaut’ is never out of rotation for me. I
still recognize how lucky I was to have these guys, and the Tunbridge
Wells Forum, right on my doorstep.
10. Pixies
I
guess I was really surprised when I first saw a picture of the Pixies, I wasn’t
expecting them to look like they did – a kind of normal group of misfits, no
dressing up or posing or anything. I remember hearing ‘Tame’ when I was quite
young and I didn’t understand it, it was too heavy or loud or whatever, but now
it’s one of my all time favourite songs. Ned from Dissociates played me
the video of them playing Brixton in ’91 recently and the credits roll to that
tune with everyone jumping around in the chorus. It just made grin, it’s so
cool. I like how they always separate aggression from heavy music, there’s no
bravado, menace sure, but I don’t have to adopt an attitude to listen to it.
‘Surfer Rosa’ is, today at least, my favourite record of all time.
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