Drive Friday, 29/3/13 – Good Friday classic album special: music played
Drive Friday, 29/3/13 – Good Friday classic album special: music played
Dive Friday presenter Jon Shapiro and producer Lachlan Orr took turns showcasing some of their favourite album music. Here are their selections, and what they had to say about each work:
| Lachlan’s selections | Jon’s selections |
| The Cure – The Head on the Door (1985)Song played: Push
Pale English boys in sneakers with big hair playing around with pop and darkness and infusing Japanese stuff. Great guitar, really fun synths and Robert Smith’s accent. Taking the 80’s in an altogether different direction. What’s not to love! The first current indi album I got into whilst in early high school. Still sounds great today.
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Beethoven (1812), Symphony No. 7, 2nd Movement Allegretto
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| The Smiths – The Queen is Dead (1986)Song played: There is a light that never goes out
Again, a massive counter stream to the 80’s. Johnny Marr’s infectious music and Morrisey’s wit, charm and darkness – killer combo.
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Walter Carlos (1972), A Clockwork Orange, TimestepsI was introduced to both classical and ambient/atmospheric music as a child by this album, particularly, Beethoven, also revered by the protagonist of the story; this is a great example of ambient/electronic music from an early master of the genre.
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| David Bowie – The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars (1972)song played: Soul Love
The album that made Bowie huge. A concept album that tells the story of Bowie’s alter ego, Ziggy Stardust, an alien who visits Earth in the firm of a rock star. I love a lot of Bowie’s work. On this album the mix of camp and glam with high powered raw rock n roll and outaspace is awesome.
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Pink Floyd (1975), Wish You Were Here, Wish You Were Here
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| Michael Jackson – Thriller (1982)Song played: Wanna be Startin’ Somethin
The first time I saw or heard of this album was on Countdown. I was 10. Molly said it would be “huge” and he was right! I think there were about 6 or 7 number Australian one hits from this one album. Could that be right?? I just remember it dominated that year. Anyway, I took Molly’s advice and “did myself a favor” and convinced my grandmother to by me a copy. It was the first album I owned. I still own that cassette, the last cassette I own. Still love it.
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Kate Bush (1978), Lionheart, Oh, England, My LionheartIn 1978 I saw Kate Bush (or, rather, a giant poster of her, at Liverpool Street tube station) before I heard her; she certainly caught my attention – and then I heard her; in the form of “Wuthering Heights”, from her debut album that year, The Kick Inside, itself a classic album of peculiarly English folk-rock. Later that year she released Lionheart; the title track, particularly, is pure England-porn, with plenty of references to my home town, to warm my soul.
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| Pixies – Doolittle (1989)Song played: Hey
This album came out and led the way for a lot of indie bands to come. It was experimental but so tight and still sounds great. Such a great raw sound, perfect guitar. Kim Deal so great on base and backing vocals. Frank Black a rock genius. Sugar coated red neck rock. Sweet and playful to dark and demented. My favorite album ever!
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The Beatles (1968), The Beatles, Revolution 1This is one of the first albums I purchased with my own money. It is by my favourite musicians of all time, and is one of an unbroken line of masterpieces they released between 1967 and 1970. The cover design is clearly influenced by the minimalist art of Yoko One; a blank white cover, with (on the LP) the words “The Beatles” embossed (so, there was no colour printing) – hence its nickname, The White Album.
The song “Revolution” also has special significance for me; in Year 11 of High School (1980), I was already interested in progressive social issues, and a friend invited me to go on a picnic organised by their fringe Leftist group to celebrate (or commemorate? I can’t remember) the 40th anniversary of the assassination of Leon Trotsky. On the long bus trip to the picnic various leaders in the group took turns to sit next to new people like myself, and assault our ears with a constant stream of what they thought we must do. Before we arrived at the picnic, I had already decided not to have anything to do with this or any other like group, even though this was the first and only contact I’d ever had with such a group. The next year I purchased this album and immediately grasped the lesson of “Revolution”, which is as relevant today as it was then: “if you go carrying pictures of Chairman Mao, you aint gonna make it with anyone anyhow; if you want money for people with minds that hate, all I can tell is brother you have to wait – you say you want a revolution? You’d better free your mind instead” |
| Joni Mitchell – Blue (1971)Song played: Case of you
A beautiful album of her experience over a year of the loneliness and adventure that spring from traveling alone and the heartbreak and hoof loves in that time. Such a great lyricist. What a rich album.
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Steeleye Span (1970), Hark! The Village Wait, All things are quite silentThis is a classic English folk-rock album, drawing on traditional British songs as far back as the 16th century. This song tells the story of a husband press-ganged into the navy, while he was asleep in his own bed.
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| Radiohead – OK Computer (1997)Song played: No Surprises
A great journey with it’s twists and turns, gentle and calm to fully rocking out to grandly atmospheric. And that’s all in just one song! Intelligent, subversive, beautiful, emotional. One of my favourite bands. I love this album.
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Rodriguez (1970), Cold Fact, Rich Folks HoaxI purchased this album shortly after leaving school, after hearing a friend play me their copy. With its undiluted anti-establishment messages, I couldn’t believe it was available at the local suburban branch of a major chain department store, along with the Sex Pistols’ posthumous compilation album, Flogging A Dead Horse. This song particularly draws attention to our own self-delusions: “the poor create the rich hoax, and only late breast-fed fools believe it”. |
| Stephen Malkmus and The Jicks – Mirror Traffic (2011)Song played: Brain Gallop
The former frontman of Pavement shows he is still in fine form. Colorful and fun songs. A great mix of mellow and rocky tracks. Wonderful tempo changes, the band obviously had fun making this.
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Black Sabbath (1970), Black Sabbath, Black SabbathJust as Jesus Christ wasn’t a Christian, Black Sabbath are at the root of the family tree that eventually became to be known as heavy metal. At the start of their debut album (originally released on, ahem, Friday the 13th (of February 1970)), this song shocks the senses with sound effects (rain and soft thunder, and church bells), before launching into a heavy guitar riff, and then Ozzy Osbourne’s haunting vocals. For a Good Friday music special, I thought I’d play this song to highlight that Christianity is not the only form of occult.
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| The Stone Roses – The Stone Roses (1989)Song played: made of Stone
Ian Brown signing with his angel’s voice and forked tongue. I love what each band member bought to this album. John Squire’s guitar is awesome. Love the beats that put dance back into indie. And the base in Fool’s Gold is one of the best ever. This is the 2nd album in this list from 1989. What a year for music.
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