Inspired by Music

Only a short blog post this week, but I’ve been thinking that one of the things I enjoy most about music is how it can inspire me or inspire others to new ways of thought and creation.

It could be how the lyrics in a song make me want to go off and explore more behind what inspired them.  A good example of this is ‘Mercy Street’ by Peter Gabriel.  This is based on a poem by Anne Sexton and I didn’t know of her work before I heard this song.  But after hearing it and being moved by the music and lyrics I tracked down some of her poetry and have since enjoyed it in it’s own right.

I also like how certain music can inspire me to go and write about it or how it has made me feel.  To be moved by something so much that it makes you go off and express yourself creatively is a precious gift.  To feel that emotion so deeply that you want to share it, or just sit at your computer and write about music in general is a wonderful feeling.  My whole blog came from this very motivation.

Sometimes it can be a simple as inspiring me to keep working out harder and with full effort.  If I didn’t have music playing when I sat on the exercise bike or did other exercises I think I’d struggle a lot more and the music bolsters my flagging resolve and keeps me going.

At it’s most basic level music can inspire me to get up and dance or just sing along with full gusto.

I know this to be true of other people and artists.  Marc Cohn writes on Facebook about how other songs and musicians inspire him to write particular songs or just create in general.  Plus some of my friends also feel moved to write poems, or work harder or more effectively due to the influence of music in their lives.

It goes to show how music has the power to affect us at our core, but also affect the way we behave and act.  When you think of it in these terms then it is a powerful gift to have music in our lives and whilst some of the light frothy music may inspire us to shake our tail feathers and have a good time, some of the more brooding ‘serious’ music may inspire the thoughts behind great physics, or other society/cultural changing works.  Not bad for a string of notes and some infectious beats.

Admiring the music of Hans Zimmer

I’ve mentioned in one of my early blog posts (‘Film soundtracks and Early Ego boosts’) that I particularly enjoy the film score music from Hans Zimmer.  Of all the film music I have listened to and added to my collection over the years his albums seem to be the ones I most come back to.

I have my favourites like ‘The Last Samurai’ and I have listened to this album so many times over the years that I know it by heart and hear it in my dreams!  I love the blend of Japanese instruments and western orchestral music and the way the albums builds and the overall feel leaves me breathless.

I also adore ‘Tears of the Sun’ and again the mixture of African singing and orchestral score is very moving.  The themes of the film are particularly harrowing and when I listen to the music I relive some of the emotion of the film.  It makes for a powerful experience.

The music for ‘The Thin Red Line’ is a very dark, brooding piece and whilst I never fully gelled with it I enjoyed the Polynesian chants so much that I bought the companion album that comprises just the chants and other hymns sung by the group that contributed to the film score.  The hymn used in the film ‘God Yu Tekkem Laef Blong Mi’ has a repeating phrase that gradually gets louder as more of the choir join in each time and the deep bass voices that mix with the higher treble voices make your hair stand on end by the time the hymn has finished.

It’s funny how I will watch a film and halfway though think ‘I like this music, I must find out who it is’ and then when I look at the end credits I find it is Zimmer again.  The music for ‘Inception’ was one of these instances and it goes to show Zimmer manages to add to the tension in the film and also be consistent enough that I admire his work even across many films.  I like how the music for this film has a futuristic, racy feel to it, yet remains unmistakably Zimmers style.

I was told by a friend that if I like Zimmer I must buy the Gladiator soundtrack and whilst I do like it, it doesn’t move me as much as other music Zimmer has created.  Maybe this is because I saw the film many years ago and I can’t associate the music to the film any longer, but to be honest I listen to the scores as music in their own right anyway, so maybe it just appeals less for some reason.  Also the music for ‘The Dark Knight’ seems aimless and has no definite crescendo.  It is certainly dark and brooding (rather like the film in places) but it seems to be rather flat compared to the soaring emotion in other music Zimmer has created.  But these are the only scores of his I can think of that have impressed me less.

What I also admire is unlike other film composers who sound similar from film to film (I’m thinking of Danny Elfman and James Horner here), Hans Zimmer manages to tailor the sound for the particular film project he is working on.  You get Polynesian chants, African singing, Japanese instruments and phrases or a futuristic feel, which all contribute to the film they are composed for.

Overall Hans Zimmer manages to create stirring, emotional film scores that compliment the action and emotion on the screen perfectly and even better, the quality is so high you can enjoy them as works of musicianship in their own right.  Getting that balance right must be like walking a tight line sometimes and whilst occasionally the music is better when watched with the film, like with ’The Dark Knight', generally Zimmer manages to walk that line exceptionally well.

Grieving for Gary Moore.

It’s funny how the death of some well known musicians or celebrities affect you more than others. This may be due to a personal tie to their music or life and how it has shaped you over the years, or maybe the time in your life when they passed.  Only two such instances have affected me in this way.  The death of Christopher Reeve, which is the topic for another blog or time and the more recent death of Gary Moore.

I was first introduced to Gary Moore by my teacher at Primary school.  Looking back it was rather cool that he went to the effort of making some cassettes and sharing them with me as he could tell my love of music and he made me up some excellent compilation tapes which I played to death.

I remember the first time I heard ‘Over the Hills and Far Away’ with those powerful, relentless drums and the first time I heard ‘Parisienne Walkways’ with that held, sustaining guitar note that made the hairs stand up on end and my nerves tingle.  The first time I heard ‘Empty Rooms’ I felt his pain and anguish even though I was too young to comprehend the reasons and emotions behind them.

Typically for me I also loved a track called ‘The Loner’ which is a slower, brooding song and I still love this song to this day, especially the live version.

There was something about Gary Moore’s rich guitar sound and his solos that got into my young head and inspired me. I adored the pumping, driving rock songs he played and the more mournful, emotive blues and I happily listened to either for hours on end. I have fond memories of going on summer holiday to France with my parents and sitting in the cool gite as the sun seared outside and reading Asterix books as Gary Moore played in the background.

I shared the cassettes with my cousin (who is an exceptional guitarist) and we both sat in awe at the music coming out of my tiny cassette player in my bedroom.  We’d also go and sit on the field behind my school during the summer holiday and listen to it over there, with the smell of grass in our noses and the warmth on our skin.  The next best thing to discovering powerful new music is sharing it with those that are closest to you.

So with this rich history of his music in my formative years I felt a great sadness when I heard of his sudden death in 2011.  I remember being shocked as he was relatively young at 58 and for days on end I played his albums and mourned his passing.  I still feel sad when I think of his death even now, I feel it is a loss to the music world, but also without wishing to sound melodramatic, it is also a loss of that tie to my childhood.  I grew up on his music and with his passing I realised I was no longer that young, gawky primary school child who sat and listened to that music in stunned silence. 

Luckily we still have his music to go back to and I play his albums on a regular basis to this day.  His style and sound is rich and unique and if you have yet to experience any of his songs, track some down and give them a listen.  They may not do anything for you, but they just might make the hairs stand up on your arms and make you feel young and alive again.

Reliving my Fame days.

My first full time job, when I was just out of college and still wet behind the ears, was in a central London, luxury department store.  Over the course of my time there I met many wonderful and varied people and I struck up some friendships that have lasted to the present day.

One friend who I was very sad to lose touch with has just come onto Facebook and I have been delighted to catch up with her and share a little of our news and I’m hoping to meet up and share our news properly at some point in the future.

Inevitably it got me thinking back to our time working together and it reminded me of some music stories to share.

One of the things we initially bonded over was our shared love of a relatively obscure band called Ezio (I have written about them before in ‘Finding that Musical Sparkle’) and I remember how we were both so excited when we found out the other one liked their music also.  I felt an immediate kinship with her and we spent ages talking about their music and how it had moved us.  As the cliché goes, it was the start of a beautiful friendship.

We used to stand there and have in-depth discussions about religion and evolution and other topics like that and go on our lunch breaks together.  It made the day go so much faster and more pleasantly having someone like that to work with.

Eventually we went to an Ezio gig together and we got our CDS’s signed by the band and had great fun dancing together and singing out the lyrics full force and then reliving it all again the next day as we set up for work.  Such a fond, happy memory for me.

Another thing we used to do (don’t ask me why) is sing the opening verse and chorus of ‘Fame’ by Irene Cara to each other.  We’d be setting up in the morning for the day ahead, or standing around waiting for customers and one of us would start singing the opening line.   ‘Baby look at me’ and then the other one of us would smile and sing back ‘And tell me what you see’ and then we were off together until we sung out the chorus.  It was a strange and funny thing to do and I’m sure we must’ve got some disapproving looks from our managers and I’m also sure there were some dance moves we made up to go with it too!!!  Eventually my friend bought me the ‘Fame’ soundtrack and to this day I can’t listen to that song without a goofy grin spreading across my face and my memories going back to my friend and our time together.

For some reason when I left we never staying in touch (I remember it was a busy and complicated time in both of our lives) but I thought of her many, many times over the years.  I even rung her old phone number a few years back, but sadly it no longer worked.  Then Facebook did something useful, rather than the usual cat and joke photos and I managed to find my friend again.  Hopefully we won’t lose touch and I hope we can maybe share a dance and a sing-a-long at an Ezio gig one time again.  Who knows, maybe we’ll even relive our ‘Fame’ days too!!!!

Experiencing electronica directly.

A couple of years ago I saw Imogen Heap play at the Royal Albert Hall.  I had been looking forward to the gig for a long time having enjoyed her music with Frou Frou and her solo work and I sat in my seat in eager anticipation.  I’ve always felt Imogen is an innovative artist and I was curious to see how that would translate to the live experience.

I wasn’t disappointed.  Apart from being completely personable and open with the audience, she also managed to include us in the music being made.  She told stories behind the songs she played and I loved the humour she brought to the stories and then the emotion that I felt when she actually begun to play.

Imogen also bravely made use of samples during the show.  At one point she sampled the audience as we sung a refrain and included us in one of her songs.  At another point she sampled herself and layered up a song bit by bit until it was fully formed.  This could’ve gone so wrong (and she did have to restart the sample at one point), but the overall effect was beautiful and made me feel as if I was part of the experience, rather than just a passive observer.

Some people have said use of modern technology detracts from art and music as it creates a barrier between the person creating the art and the person experiencing it.  It is suggested that it brings us out of the music to the gadget that is creating it, but in this instance it firmly rooted us in the music and made it a more powerful experience.

Imi makes extensive use of social media and regularly has video chats with her fans to create music together and share ideas. I’ve loved watching her video diaries online (check out some on her website, she is so endearing), joining in with these video chats and that her connection to the people who buy and love her music is immediate and unfiltered by record companies.  Not only is this refreshing, but it makes me feel more connected to the music she creates.

As a brief aside, Marc Cohn also manages to connect directly with his fans via Facebook in this way.  I love hearing his thoughts on music as he has them and love even more that he (and other musicians who communicate in this way) have control over their voice and what they tell us.

So, not only did the use of technology make my experience of the music at the Imogen Heap gig more immediate and personal, it also means I can interact with her at other times and connect with the music on another level than just the aural.  This can only add to the overall picture and gives me another avenue to integrate music into my life.  Despite some of it’s flaws (as briefly discussed above), technology (and social media) can actually add to our artistic experiences and when used in the right way can bring it to a level previously unimagined.

If you like technology and music then you must also check out Imogen Heaps Gloves that create music.  But that is a whole other blog post.

Visiting Denmark street.

Many moons ago, when I first started playing guitar in my mid to late teens, my best friend and I used to travel to London on a regular basis and browse the guitar and music shops in Denmark street.

If you don’t know, Denmark street (aka Tin Pan Alley) is a side street off Charing Cross road that is famous for it’s guitar and musical instrument shops and it is a mecca for anyone wishing to check out the latest instruments and gadgets.

I remember the anticipation and excitement I would feel as we travelled up on the train and then coming out of the main station in London and walking up the road as people and cars bustled around us.  The whole way up we’d talk about a variety of topics, but the main topic was music and the latest bands and songs that had moved us.  It set the theme for the day perfectly.  We’d often stop off on the way up Charing Cross road at a little CD shop we knew of (that is sadly no more) and buy some CD’s at a great price, then bag in hand we’d continue on up.

Upon reaching Denmark street we’d step into each shop and browse the guitars hanging on the walls and drool over expensive items of craftsmanship we could only aspire to.  The shop assistants were usually condescending and dismissive and I’m sure they thought we were just another couple of window shoppers who came in to gawp at and paw their products.

Occasionally when we were feeling braver and the sales assistants weren’t too antagonistic we would ask to try a guitar and we’d carefully cradle the instrument in our arms as we’d strum our rudimentary riffs and licks and try not to embarrass ourselves in public.

Every visit we’d come away with a new music notation book of some kind, or a capo, or some plectrums or some other gadget.  But once in a while, after we had saved up our money, we would actually buy a guitar.  This was a wonderful day and it felt great knowing we could try numerous guitars, safe in the knowledge we were going to buy one at the end of the process.  We usually knew roughly what we were looking for (acoustic or electric etc), but the final choice was often what grabbed and impressed us on the day.  And what fell into our price range!

I still have fond memories of striking a bargain (probably not as great as I thought at the time) and walking back to the station with our new purchase in it’s guitar case, eager to get home to tune it up and start to play it.   Even if it was my friend buying the guitar that day, the excitement was nearly as great and we both vicariously enjoyed the others purchase and growing guitar collection.  Hell, we shared nearly everything anyway, so a new guitar for one was really a new guitar for us both.  We’d cradle the guitar case in our hands on the train home and talk excitedly and then we’d walk to one of our houses from the station at the other end sharing carrying duties and often not even feeling the weight in our excitement and anticipation.  You can’t beat plugging a new guitar into an amp for the first time, or that first full strum of an acoustic guitar.

We may have been belittled by the arrogant shop assistants who I’m sure only worked in the shops until their own bands ‘took off’, but overall I have happy memories of visiting Denmark street.  It was a day out in London with my best friend, it was exploring new music and it was savouring that glow that comes from creating music yourself.  I no longer buy new guitars, or even play much anymore, but the experience of buying them and learning is one I still savour and those years were formative in my musical education and I’d not give them up for anything.

Introductions: Johnny Cash

I know I only wrote about Johnny Cash relatively recently (‘Embraced by Johnny Cash’), but an old friend asked me the other day where was a good place to start with listening to his music and I thought I’d share what I told him with you.

Initially I suggested he start off with a good best of compilation.  One of the best ones in my mind is ‘Ring of Fire: The Legend of Johnny Cash’.  This has the best of his early music, as well as a good selection of his later work and it is great to see labels collaborate to bring out a rounded best of collection for fans. 

I then said he should move on to the prison recordings (’At Folsom Prison‘ and ‘At San Quenstin‘).  This is the time when Cash was reborn as an artist and found his path again after his struggles with drugs and these albums sound especially alive and fresh.  The perspective of a live concert inside a prison is unique as well and the atmosphere as inmates holler and whoop along with the music and laugh at the gentle jokes at the prisons expense only adds to the music on offer.

Then I would jump ahead and work my way through the American recordings (7 albums).  These series of albums again revived Cash’s career after he was neglected by past record labels.  Rick Rubin took Cash to the studio and told him to make the music he had always wanted to without label interference or pressure and the result is a staggering collection of gospel, traditional, reworked and new music that rates extremely highly in Cash’s back catalogue.  Some albums feature just Cash and a guitar and others have a complete band, but regardless the music feels intimate and personal.

On ‘Unchained’ (the second in the series) Cash is backed up by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and the cover of Petty’s ‘Southern accents’ is a real highlight.  The lyrics and significance seem to mean something more when sung in Cash’s rich timbre.

Across the series of albums you get covers of U2’s ‘One’, Sheryl Crow’s ‘Redemption Day’, Springsteen’s ‘Further on up the road’ and Nine Inch Nails’ Hurt’ and these all sound like they could’ve been written especially for Cash.  These are just a snapshot of the covers across the series and each album offers something new to tantalise and delight.

One hidden gem in the American recordings series is ‘My Mothers Hymn Book’ and as its name suggests it is a collection of songs that Cash grew up with at home, singing in the fields and church with his mother. This album was recorded towards the end of his life and was recorded in a cabin on his property.  Cash sings instinctively and accompanies himself on a guitar and he had said before he passed away that of all the albums he ever made, this was his favourite and who are we to argue.

I think if you managed to get these albums and spent some time listening to them you’d get a good idea of Cash and his music.  Of course there are other albums that are worth tracking down if the bug has bitten you and the collection of early Sun records tracks is worth a listen at some point.  But with a good best of collection, the prison recordings and the American recordings, you’d have a solid and satisfying introduction to an American legend.  I am still only scratching the surface of his music and it has moved me a great deal and quickly become an integral part of my music collection.

Singing the Blues

Funnily enough for quite a young boy, some of the first music I grew to love in my life was the Blues.  Maybe I was a morose young chap (although I don’t like to think so), or I had an old soul, but a part of me revelled in the stories told in the songs and I adored singing along ‘the sky is crying’ or ‘I’m a hoochie coochie man’ and I loved hearing the raw blues guitar or harmonica as it ripped through me and made my insides ache.

I started out with Eric Clapton and one of the first albums I owned was ‘Journeyman’.  The track ‘Old Love’, whilst slightly too polished to my ears now, was a great introduction to the blues.  I now prefer the slightly more emotional version from ‘24 Nights’.  Clapton’s album of blues covers ‘From the Cradle’ is still one of my favourite blues albums to this day and I will happily turn up the volume on this album and feel strangely uplifted by the blues on offer.

Jimi Hendrix is another early blues artist for me (I’ve mentioned in ‘Discovering Jimi Hendrix’ how I discovered his music) and whilst he has some great rock music in his back catalogue, tracks like ‘Red house’ are as blue as they come and the original version of ‘Voodoo Chile’ still gives me Goosebumps to this day.

I quickly began digging out other blues albums and blues compilations and mixed them with more rock stuff as well.  Gary Moore is a great example of a rock guitarist who also plays some searing blues guitar.  ‘The Loner’ and ‘Parisienne Walkways’ are both simply breath taking.

I also remember one track from a blues compilation that I used to play, rewind the cassette and then play again, called ‘Christo Redemptor’ by Charlie Musslewaite.  The version I had was a live performance and to hear the harmonica wailing away as the crowd whooped and yelled in the background was magical to my young ears.  But boy was that a mournful, melancholy soaked song!

My blues listening developed into a roll call of the greats, John Lee Hooker, Muddy Waters, Howling Wolf, Robert Johnson, Rory Gallagher, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Janis Joplin, Johnny Winter, B.B. King, Buddy Guy and on and on and on and my blues education continued apace.

Even after my tastes moved on to other types of music and I started to listen to heavier rock during my teenage years I still had/have a soft spot for the blues.  I enjoy Seasick Steve and his style of blues and I have been playing his various albums a great deal recently.

The blues was for me and I still believe is for anyone, a great grounding to explore other music.  From the blues I explored soul and gospel music, jazz, the great rock bands of the 60’s, some of the heavier rock of the 70’s and 80’s and I can see it’s influence in some of the great metal bands I enjoy listening to today.

It goes without saying you don’t necessarily have to have a blue personality, or have experienced the same strife in your life as in the songs you hear.  The stories are often universal and the emotion in the music carries you along where there are holes in your own personal knowledge.

Although I may have been a slightly unusual child and when other kids were outside playing and still listening to the music their parent enjoyed, I was often inside reading my books and exploring my own musical avenues, but I wouldn’t of had it any other way.  It stood me in good stead when I started to experience my own heartache later in life and whilst I couldn’t stop these things from hurting me and shaping me, at least I could relate more directly and I had a damn good soundtrack to go along with them.

Getting hooked on Audioslave

I remember the first time I discovered the band ‘Audioslave’.  I was working in London and a group of us who worked together used to share music on a regular basis.  We’d talk about music on our lunch breaks, go to record shops after work and browse the vinyl, go to gigs together, pass on new musical finds, as well as suggesting old favourites and over the years I found some great bands in this way.   

One day a friend suggested I check out the new (self titled) album from Audioslave and when I said I didn’t know them, he gave me a little history.  He told me they were the joining of the band members from Rage Against the Machine (Tom Morello, Brad Wilk and Tim Commerford) and Chris Cornell (the singer from Soundgarden) and that all the sounds you hear on the album are made using only musical instruments and no samples.  He told me they were relatively heavy, but considering I like heavy music this was no problem for me.

Here are some small band facts to set the scene for you.  They were brought together by Rick Rubin who has had his hand in the success of many bands and musicians over the years.  At one point the band nearly didn’t get it together due to quarrelling managers and record companies, but a compromise was finally reached which allowed them to move forwards and release the first album and form a group. Cornell was battling with drug problems during the making of the first album and used the project to find his feet after leaving Soundgarden and pursuing mixed success solo work.  Later in their career they became the first American band to play in Cuba and at the time Morello insisted there was no political message to this, but that they were on an artistic cultural exchange, although the impact of their decision could never be ignored when RATM had been such a political band in the past.  Anyway….

After the recommendation I went down on my lunch break and bought the album (as well as numerous other CD’s) and I remember slipping the disc into my CD player as I walked home and the raw, powerful intro to ‘Cochise’ washing over me.  I was instantly hooked.  I didn’t really know much Soundgarden stuff, so Cornells vocal style was new to me and to my ears suited the music perfectly.  Heavier songs like ‘Gasoline’ are balanced with slightly gentler tracks like ‘Shadow on the Sun’ which has some incredible bass lines and overall it is solid album from start to finish.

Their first album is one of the rare gems where every track is outstanding and the CD didn’t leave my stereo at home or my portable CD player as I travelled too and from work, for weeks.  It quickly became the music that coloured and influenced me during that summer and I happily passed on the recommendation to anyone who would listen.  They managed to blend the power and rawness from RATM’s sound with Cornells distinctive vocals and come up with a sound that is instantly unique and compelling.  There are some albums that set the time and place when you heard them so perfectly that every subsequent listen over the years instantly takes you back there.  ‘Audioslave’ became such an album for me.

Over the bands life they made two other albums and whilst they are also good (‘Out of Exile’ especially developed the bands sound), they each have a different feel and for me don’t quite match the urgency and power of the first album.  Whenever I play the album it reminds me of walking through London’s streets during the summer, feeing the heat from the pavements, watching groups of people drinking and laughing outside pubs, making my way home as it grew dark and having these songs as the soundtrack to my thoughts and feelings. 

I came across many great bands through the sharing of music with work friends, but this is one of the albums that endures and even now, at the first sniff of summer, it comes out and I play it loud and proud.

The Prayer Cycle

Many years ago my brother recommended an album to me and as always I quickly tracked it down and gave it a listen.  But the album he suggested was more unusual than most and it has become a moving and integral part of my music collection, if not my life.

‘The Prayer Cycle’ by Jonathan Elias is a choral symphony in 9 parts where various prayers/poems are sung by different known and unknown musicians.  Names include Alanis Morissette who sings in French and Hungarian, James Taylor and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, to name just a few.

The prayers/poems are included in the booklet and the theme of the album touches upon nuclear weapons and the affect they have upon the world.  This may sound bleak to some people, but this is a deep, moving album and it is also an album of staggering beauty that never fails to take my breath away.

The blend of choral and solo voices with the orchestra is perfect (there is no other description) and the raw, emotive vocals that Morissette brings sits alongside the plaintive, penetrating singing of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and the whole thing becomes a stirring experience.

The first time I listened to this album I read the poems at the same time and it was an incredible, memorable event.  My spirit was affected by the music I heard in my ears and my mind and thoughts were overwhelmed with the imagery and emotions given in the words.  It was, and still is, a powerful experience.

There is a second album in this series called ‘The Prayer Cycle:Path to Zero’ and this also has some well known vocalists who add their talents to the piece.  It has similar themes and it is a good album and is as moving in places, but the original album has a depth and power to it that I will never tire of.

I was recently able to pass on the pleasure this album has given me when a colleague at work heard me playing it and remarked at how beautiful it was.  I bought him a copy of the album that evening and I am so happy to pass on something that has affected me so deeply and share something that has now become a part of my life with him.  It sounds melodramatic when you put it that way, but music (some more than others) has the ability to make you feel that way.  I guess I just need to thank my brother for introducing me to something so profound and beautiful and sharing this music with me.

http://www.globalzero.org/ (The organisation Elias supports and tries to highlight with his Prayer Cycle albums).