I remember so clearly, the day I discovered music. At the age of 3 or 4 my parents divorced. A confusing time for a wee little chap. It was strange visiting my father, who at the time was living in a caravan in the backyard of his friends place. I was also terrified by a Boxer (canine) called Ugly that lived in the backyard that patrolled the perimeter like a brutal guard in the Gulags. It was only temporary lodgings but those strange things stick in your mind.
A few years later, when I was 6, my Mother had met a new fella and he was moving in. A pretty big thing in both his and my life you would imagine. Sensing his eagerness to please his new ready made family, I would confidently flip through his records without fear and asked a million questions about them. I had never seen so many. Close to 500 I would say. I was also intrigued by the beautiful Yamaha YP-D6 Direct-Drive Turntable. A thing of beauty with its matte silver hardware set off by wood paneling on the lower half. This thing was exquisite, built like a tank and is still in perfect working order to this day. I had to know how to operate this perplexing solid yet delicate machine.
I remember asking/telling this new fellow that now lived with us: I want to learn how to use this machine with these delicate black discs. Now, this is when it happened, this was the moment that I fell deeply in love with music and records. I was allowed to go through the collection and pick out the ones I either liked the look of or had enjoyed listening to. I was shown how to hold them, clean them, put them on the platter and gently move the headshell over and drop it gently on the lead out groove. I loved playing records so much. I loved the artwork on the sleeves, the liner notes, the slips inside. Most of all I loved the tunes… Here is the selection from that day.
The Cars - Candy O
While there are some killer tracks on this record, (I actually prefer their eponymous debut album) I think it was the cover art that had the true magnetism. The Alberto Vargas painted ‘pin up’ on the cover is something to truly behold! An education at a very young age. Interestingly, 16 years later I would sign a recording contract with the very same label (ELEKTRA) that this album came out on*
Jonathan Richman and The Modern Lover – Rock and Roll with The Modern Lovers
I don’t know why but I have always just loved Jonathan. At an early age I guess the naiveté of his childlike lyrics and catchiness of his songs appealed to me. I still listen to his music almost every day.
Max Romeo and The Upsetters
This is probably one of my favourite albums of all time. I was lucky to discover it as a kid. One the truly great records from Black Arch Studios.
The Beatles – Revolver
No need to go on too much about this one. It’s very interesting to play Please Please Me and Revolver back to back and marvel at the fact that there is only 3 years separating them.
Ian Dury - New Boots and Panties!!
I remember hearing the bass drop on Wake Up and Make Love With Me (Song 1 Side A) and loving it. I also remember thinking Billericay Dickie was funny because it was aped by a rather well known domestic cleaning product commercial around the same time.
***Honourable Mention***
Derek and Clive – Come Again, Ad Nauseum, Derek and Clive Live
I crossed paths with these records slightly later in life, around 11 or 12 years old. If you are even slightly familiar with its content you will know that that’s probably a good thing. These were bona fide, Mum’s out of the house records… Pete and Dud in their finest inebriated foulmouthed form.
Thinking back to that day and remembering what I picked out of the wall unit that was buckling under the weight of all these treasures. I have noticed a few interesting things. The first being that all of these records have strikingly simple artwork. All (except the hand written Derek and Clive live and the bag of vomit on Ad Nauseum)show pictures/drawings of people posing in some way. I feel that this doesn’t happen so much these days. I’d like to see more.(the White Stripes carried the torch for posed sleeve photos in my most recent memory). Secondly and most importantly, I still listen to every one of these albums to this day. I’ve actually gone and bought my own copies on vinyl since leaving the parental nest many moons ago. I wonder if there is a deep neurological attachment to these albums, whether they helped my fledgling brain create synapses and thus their melodies are trapped deep in the grey matter somewhere?? Could Jonathan Richman be in my brain someplace?? Or are they simply great albums?
-Mark Wilson (*Mark played bass in a little band called Jet)
