Originally published in Uncut Take 123 (August 2007)…
Originally published in Uncut Take 123 (August 2007)…
THE FIRST SINGLE I BOUGHT
“Cum On Feel The Noize”
Slade
1973
The first record I ever bought was Sgt Pepper. But the first single was this. I would’ve been 10 or 11, and it was a big deal going into a record shop with your two shillings, because that’s where all the big boys were. There were some good pop songs around in those days. Soon after, I bought Alice Cooper’s “School’s Out”.
A RECORD THAT INFLUENCED U2
Horses
Patti Smith
1975
It had the energy we were trying to achieve, but the poetic quality of it was also significant, and the way it was arranged – the economy. I always considered myself a minimalist in terms of arrangement – the least necessary is the best approach – and this record is the best example of that. John Cale did an amazing job, and all the players never broke their cool.
THE RECORD THAT REMINDS ME OF BEING A TEENAGER
Hot Love
T. Rex
1971
Marc Bolan was a little too effeminate for me when I was young. I wasn’t in touch with my feminine side! But when I started learning guitar a couple of years later, we had the Top Of The Pops compilations, which was a big Christmas present everyone got. So I was working on “Hot Love” from one of those albums, and when I realised I could play it, I reassessed T. Rex.
THE RECORD THAT RESTORED MY FAITH IN ROCK
The Idiot
Iggy Pop
1977
Iggy is an amazing rock’n’roll lyric writer, and The Idiot has some amazing songs. A lot of music up to that point had lost any ability to engage. So when suddenly I heard Bowie, and then Iggy Pop, it was a fascinating world they were able to conjure up, and I wanted to be part of it. It felt authentic, like they were writing what was going on in their lives.
THE RECORD THAT MADE ME WANT TO PLAY THE GUITAR
A Hard Day’s Night
The Beatles
1964
The film was on at Christmas for something like five years in succession, and I was really taken in by the whole package. I actually had a guitar at that point – a miniature, brought home by my dad from Spain. I’m not sure if I ever learned how to play it, but later my brother was given a guitar which we learned to tune. That was the guitar I learned to play chords on.
THE LAST RECORD I FELL IN LOVE WITH
Now Here Is Nowhere
Secret Machines
2008
They did a couple of shows with us at the end of the last tour. This album is just not like anything that’s happening anywhere else. The opening track is nine or ten minutes long. I asked them what their influences were, and I thought they’d be into Magazine, early post-punk stuff, but they’re all Neu! fans, into Krautrock!
THE RECORD BY A LOCAL HERO THAT INSPIRED ME
Taste
Taste
1969
I listened to Rory Gallagher’s records from the age of 12 or 13. It was the glorious guitar playing that first inspired me to really go after the instrument. Not that I had any ambition then, other than just learning how to play. I saw him in Macroom in 1976. I love his early stuff, the pure energy. That was the era of the trio: Jimi Hendrix Experience, Cream… and Ireland had Taste.
THE RECORD I COULDN’T LIVE WITHOUT
London Calling
The Clash
1979
They were part of our era, the punk and post-punk movement. One of the first punk shows I ever saw was Stiff Little Fingers, so music I cared about always had a political element. London Calling is their finest hour. It was released when they were being called sell-outs. I never cared about all that – I just thought this is an amazing band, this is an amazing record.
THE RECORD I COULDN’T LIVE WITHOUT
Legend
Bob Marley
1984
More than anyone, it’s Marley whose music I keep going back to. It’s the benchmark on every level, musically, spiritually… he’s in a different league. Some music puts you in a dark place, but Marley lifts me out of any funky mood I’m in. For a favourite, I’d like to say Uprising, but the best is probably Legend. I know it’s a compilation, but it’s one of the greatest of all time.
THE RECORD I’D LIKE PLAYED AT MY FUNERAL
“Beginning To See The Light”
The Velvet Underground
1969
One of our proudest moments was doing a gig with them, and it turned out to be one of their last because Sterling Morrison passed away not long after. One of the great things about being in a big band is that you get the chance to ask someone you love to come out with you. It was a bit weird – you shut up and listen.
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