N o N i g h t S w e a t s : I LIKE MUSIC

N o N i g h t S w e a t s

Sydney's Post-Punk Bands	I Like Music	Slapp Happy are Terrific
A List of CDs	Text is What I Write	Crime Fiction is Silly

[ I Like Music ]

Can - Ege Bamyasi - one of the best albums ever made

I became quietly obsessional about music from the time when my new-found friends and I started reading NME and listening to glam-rock. I never got into the clothes, though, which was probably for the best.

But, eventually, we HAD to start playing music ourselves, didn't we? Fuelled by the energy of The Sex Pistols and Radio Birdman and, at least for me, influenced by the people below, the bands that I played in, and hung around with, DID manage to create some great stuff, even if I do say so myself.

I went overseas in 1984 and either gave away or sold all of my earthly possessions including the vast majority of my LPs and my treasured Arp Odyssey synthesiser. I came back to Australia the next year disillusioned not only with myself but with music itself.

And so it wasn't until sometime in 1995 that I regained, once again, my love for the glories of rock and pop.

It's impossible to say why I feel so connected to some songs but this page is simply an indication of the range and breadth that excites me. Go here for a list of my CDs.

Pere Ubu - Hard, left-field rock music with a fantastic rhythm section, harsh guitars and synth squalls and the unmistakable voice of main man David Thomas. '30 Seconds Over Tokyo' still sounds as raw, emotional and gut wrenching as the first time I heard it. Their first 2 albums should be owned by every person who considers themselves fans of rock music, even if they can be difficult to handle. Still continuing today after many personnel changes. I finally saw them live at the beginning of 1999 and it was nothing less than the best rock concert I had ever seen.

This Heat - As difficult and intense as rock music gets. With a wild set of influences including prog-rock, Faust-like experimentation, free improvisation and a love affair with repetition, their decidedly post-punk attitude held sway. Sometimes the polemic gets on my nerves but, in vital, understated songs like 'The Fall Of Saigon', it makes sense. They only made 2 LPs and a single or two during the lifetime of the band but posthumous releases have shown a breadth of vision that few others have managed.

Krautrock - Undoubtedly, some of the most glorious rock music that has ever been created! From the cut-ups, fun and deconstructions of Faust, through the cyclic beats and telepathy of Can, past the metronomic growl of NEU! and onto the future-is-now of Kraftwerk, they had it all. These records are as exciting now as they ever were.
Faust Can NEU! The Krautrock Message Board (Radio KRMB)

Slapp Happy - Oodles of charm, bags of melody, whiffs of the avant-garde and a vaguely naive manner : a true pop sensation that never reached the wider public. Their 1998 CD "Ca Va" didn't change that at all but was gorgeous just the same. I've written a little page about them here.
Dagmar Peter Blegvad

Henry Cow - Obtuse, complicated, prog-rock without the goblins. Instead, a group dynamic prevailed that prided itself on forward thinking. The time signatures may be fiddly, the demeanour may be intellectual but they knew how to have fun as well. All of the 'sock' albums are now re-released in their original formats with glorious sound quality and so on and so on - get 'em. Have a look at drummer Chris Cutler's web site for a personal and wide ranging overview.

Robert Wyatt - Where does one start with a singer and composer of such rare tranquillity? Why not the Soft Machine (who helped along the English jazz and prog scene so much) or with "Rock Bottom" - still one of the best albums ever made or, finally, with his more recent albums where, it seems, his fascination with other performers has returned.
Strong Comet's Wyatt Site Canterbury Stuff

Family - A band who were largely unloved during their reasonably lengthy stay, although I can never work out why - it seems as if these are one of those that you either get or you just don't. To me they'll always be accompanied by joyous images of a small flat in Hurstville, masses of frizzy hair and a portable record player. Some R'n'B influences, some English psychedelia, some proggy pretensions and a gravely voice like Rod Stewart eating glass. Just marvellous, really.

David Bowie - From the guitar fest of "Black Country Rock" through the soulful emptiness of "Low" and onto an ageing pop star's grab for prime time in "hours...", you simply can't discount Mr. Bowie (although most people who didn't grow up with him would probably disagree strongly). At one time he was the leader of all musical styles but now he's mostly trying to catch up, although there are parts of his latest releases that are as youthful and invigorating as "Ziggy Stardust". An icon and, seemingly, a fairly nice chap to boot.

Brian Eno - From the pseudo pop of "Paw Paw Negro Blowtorch" through the proto ambient stylings of "(no pussyfooting)" and "On Land" to the controversy of the mostly unheard "The Drop", here's a non musician worth knowing. The picture in Roxy Music's "For Your Pleasure" with long, blonde hair flowing high in the air made me go out and buy a synthesiser quick smart! Squeaks and bloops and a naive type of intellectualism combined to create serious and unserious but always great music. An artist who continues to challenge the listener (as they say) although, if I hear one more noodling ambient record I may just give up.

Have a look at my latest acquisitions and what I think about 'em...

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