Metal Evolution

I’ve been watching a TV series on Sky Arts for the past couple of weeks called ‘Metal Evolution’ which as it’s title suggests looks at Metal through the ages and how it evolved and the different sub genres that now exist.

It started off by looking at the root of metal which included a lot of blues and sixties rock.  This origin is accepted and not that contentious really, but it was good to cover the early years of the genre and how it grew out of the raw blues and rock music of that era.

The series went on to cover and explore the early years of metal with Black Sabbath and Deep Purple and how the music gradually grew heavier and darker. 

It also looked at sub genres like the hair metal of the eighties, grunge, NWOBHM, nu metal and the shock metal which includes artists like Alice Cooper and bands like Slipknot.  These were interesting, but I have to admit the episode I enjoyed most was the one that covered thrash metal and I realised this is the style of metal I enjoy most.

Bands like Pantera, Metallica and Sepultura are what I grew up listening to (as well as a range of other bands) and it was interesting to learn more about this style of metal and what it is about it I like so much.

It was fun to see some of the costumes and stage effects of some of the bands mentioned in the series.  From the bouffant hair of the hair metal bands and the spandex of Iron  Maiden and other bands, to the platforms and make-up of Kiss, there was plenty to amuse and entertain.

It is quite rare to find programs dedicated to metal music, let alone a whole series and I have to say I enjoyed every episode.  It showed me why I love this music so much and also introduced me to some bands that I can go away and explore further.

If you are interested in Metal and you happen to see the series repeated (which is likely at some point as it is cable TV after all) then I suggest you take a look. There may be the odd episode that interests you less than others, but overall it made for informative and entertaining viewing.

I’m going to go and put on some of my favourite albums, wave my devil horn hand in the air and rock out a bit.  You can’t beat the feeling.

Music to motivate and inspire.

I recently went for a job interview and had to drive over 3 hours to the Midlands to meet the people conducting it.  The music choice on any road trip is paramount, as mentioned before in a previous article (Road Trip!!!), but I also had to consider the inspirational and motivational qualities of the music I chose this time.

I started off by selecting one of my all time favourite artists, Peter Gabriel, as he never fails to move me and his music settles me as I’ve played it so many times and it is ingrained in my psyche.  I selected his best of collection ‘Hit’ to get a wide mix and played both discs to start my journey off.  It was great to wend my way through the hellish commuter traffic and have Peter vocals and sublime music to soothe me and stop me getting over anxious about the coming interview.

I realised that I would want to be a little geed up and focused for when the interview started and short of playing ‘Eye of the Tiger’ on a loop I knew I’d need some rock music to get the blood (and my fist) pumping.  I selected some Foo Fighters and chose their ‘The Colour and the Shape’ album as it has one of my all time favourite tracks on it, ‘Everlong’.  The album is one of their best and as I approached my destination I was feeling both inspired and motivated.  Peter Gabriel managed to give me the first feeling and Foo Fighters managed to provide me with the second.

The Colour and the Shape

The interview went very well (they offered me the job this week) and I came out feeling relieved and also a little tired from the concentration.  Now I had the journey home before me and I wanted something buoyant to accompany that.  Something to help me celebrate and also keep me alert.

I chose Mumford and Sons ‘Sigh No More’ which has to be one of the best albums I have bought in recent years.  It is one of those rare albums that doesn’t have a bad track on it and that I can listen to at any time.  Pretty soon I was heading back down the motorway with my feet jiggling and body swaying and singing along with full gusto.  The relief that the interview went well and the up-beat music playing out loud made me almost giddy.

I put on some radio later in the journey so I could hear some new music to further explore and find out what’s happening in the world and I arrived home feeling shattered, but satisfied.

Music is such an integral part of my life that I love being able to select it for particular purposes or moods.  To bring me up if I’m feeling down, to create a smouldering mood if I am feeling romantic with my wife, to pound our some aggression if work is particularly difficult or simply just to inspire me and get me buoyed up for an impending interview.  Music is so powerful if you think about it and I am fortunate to have it in my life.

You never know, it may have even been the difference between success and failure in the interview.  If I’d played something else maybe I’d be telling a different story here.  I kind of doubt it to be honest, but it’s worth stopping to briefly consider never-the-less.

Excited to see Tom Petty

I’ve been a little overexcited lately.  One of my favourite artists has announced he will be playing a solo gig in the UK after nearly 20 years.  Tom Petty is at the top of a very short list of bands I want to see live, the others are Marc Cohn, Jill Scott and Mumford and Sons and the thought of getting tickets to see him live has left me as giddy as a school kid on their first date.

As a result I have spent the past week listening to every album in his back catalogue.  His music is pretty varied and the standard is remarkably high for someone who has been on the scene so long and who has released so many albums.  Of course there are some albums that move me more than others and I’m glad to say that one of my favourite albums is one that Tom himself rates as one of his best, ‘Wildflowers’.

But one of my other favourite albums is one that critics were pretty harsh to and which seems to slip under most fans radar.  ‘Echo’ was written at a time when Tom was going through a divorce and when his bass player, Howie Epstien, was ill with various drug related illnesses.  Yet the songs on the album have a particular feel that seems to connect with me.  It isn’t an accessible album and you certainly need to give it a few listens, but it is well worth the effort.  I love the backing harmonies on ‘Swingin’ and the groove on ‘One more day, one more night’ never fails to get me swaying along and it ends the album perfectly.

Tom’s early work is also great and songs like ‘American Girl’, ‘Refugee’ and ‘Breakdown’ never fail to plaster a goofy grin on my face as I sing along.  I especially love the version of ‘Breakdown’ on the live album ‘Pack up the Plantation’ where the audience sing along perfectly.



I grew up on Tom’s music and I guess whenever I hear him I feel comfortable and nostalgic for my childhood.  The fact that he is an extraordinary songwriter and his lyrics are outstanding only helps keep my interest as an adult.

I watched some live DVD’s this week as well and got myself all stirred up ready for the gigs he will play in June.  He really seems to connect with his audiences and I can’t wait to feel that same connection and sing along and whoop and shout my approval with the rest of them.

If you have yet to try Tom Petty then I recommend him VERY highly indeed.  Give the Greatest Hits album a try, but be aware his later albums aren’t represented as he changed record company.  I love ‘Wildflowers’, ‘Echo’, ‘Damn the Torpedoes’, ‘She’s the One’, ‘Full Moon Fever’, ‘Into the Great Wide Open’…..hell it would be easier to just say I love them all in their own way.

I’ll report back later in the year and let you know how I get on at the gigs.  I anticipate I may embarrass myself with my over exuberant antics and get some strange looks, but it’ll be worth it.

Honouring my grandfather

A couple of weeks ago I attended my grandfathers funeral, where I was also a pallbearer.  Two of the most emotional moments of the service for me were related to music.  Funnily enough these were the most emotional moments for most other people too and it shows the power of music to move us and tap into our core.

My grandfather used to do highland dancing and my aunt also plays the bagpipes on the hills surrounding her farm.  As a tribute to him she arranged for a bagpiper to play music as we entered and left the church.  I remember standing next to the hearse as everyone filed in and I nervously waited to be shown how to carry the coffin.  The bagpipes played in the cold, crisp air and the sheer volume surrounded me and worked its way into my thoughts stopping me from focusing on dropping him too much!

My wife said the congregation could hear the pipes from inside the church and it was quite moving to hear the plaintive sound seeping into the building as people settled themselves before the service began.

When I has the weight of the coffin settled on my shoulders and we began the walk into the church the piper played us in. It was very moving for me to feel as if I was carrying my grandfather on his final journey and showing my love for him by doing him this honour as this almost stately music played behind us.

During the service there were the usual hymns, but I have to admit these didn’t do too much for me.  I always find it hard to link to hymns in church when you can hear people sing off key or like myself with nervousness or hesitancy.

But another moving moment was when a song was played for my Grandfathers wife that meant a great deal to them.  We were told the significance of the song and as it started and we listened to the lyrics it was even more powerful.  The vicar also said it related to everyone there and so when we heard the lyrics we were all soon deeply moved and welling up.  The song was ‘One Shining Moment’ by Des O’Connor and the funny thing is, whilst I’m not a fan of Des at all, the potency of the lyrics and their personal significance still made me and everyone else link to what was being said and become emotional.  That is the true power of music.  To make you share and feel with everyone else even if you all don’t share the same taste or passions.

Finally, as we followed the coffin out of the church the bagpiper played a Scottish lament called ‘The Dark Island’.  By this time I had had my emotions riled up by the service and words I had heard and I quite freely wept as we followed the coffin and the lament swirled in the air about us.  Passing people stopped to watch and notice the unusual sound in the streets and I found it to be a moving and fitting tribute to my grandfather.

Any funeral is hard to get through and when particularly emotional music is played it helps us link to our emotions and grieve.  Music can also be used to honour and respect and both of these things happened at my grandfathers funeral.  I thought I would share these moments with you.


    Away to the westward, I'm longing to be
    Where the beauties of heaven’ unfold by the sea
    Where the sweet purple heather’ blooms fragrant and free
    On a hill-top, high above the Dark Island.

    Oh Isle of my childhood I'm dreaming of thee
    As the steamer leaves Oban, and passes Tiree
    Soon I'll capture the magic, that lingers for me
    When I'm back, once more upon, the Dark Island.
   
    So gentle the sea breeze’ that ripples the bay
    Where the stream joins the ocean, and young children play
    On a strand of pure silver, I'll welcome each day
    And I'll roam forever more, the Dark Island.

    True gem of the Hebrides, bathed in the light
    Like a midsummer dawning, that follows the night
    How I long for the cry, of the seagulls in flight
    As they circle high above’ the Dark Island.