Holy fuck. Just watching old 80's INXS music videos and wondering, what the fuck am I doing here? It kind of makes me feel like I belong there, not here. What am I doing in the 2020's? Those 80's songs, videos, experiences, times - that's where it was at hey.
Haha, ok, so now I am writing in a slightly more sober condition, so perhaps I don't need to be so emo about the 80's and the simplicities of life they offered, compared to today. Plus it wasn't just the 80's itself - my life was oh so simple back then. I was a teenager; home, food, school all provided for me. All I needed to do was make the most of what was put in front of me, decisions a simple, daily thing. As most teens probably do, I did both the best and the worst with those opportunities, as well as a lot in-between.
But that's not really the reason for this post. I promised my beautiful daughter Sophie that I would provide some means of introduction to her, into what I call good music. Like me, she feels that music is a pathway to one's soul, and a gateway to so much in our world, wider universe, and inner psyche. For me, music makes me feel good. I have experienced many times, stressful situations, or just shitty life periods, being improved by music. I try to have it around me a lot, but in reality, I only listen when driving. That my current job requires a lot of driving is a boon in this regard. But I'd love to find ways to incorporate music into our home more too, especially if it means showing to my family what music means to me, and what music I love.
So my approach is going to be simple. I am going to go through influential artists that have impacted me throughout my life, and whose music remains with me as important to this day. I will list each one, and provide a small explanation about where this relationship came from, and then leave it to you Sophie, or Daniel, or Alex, or anyone else who reads this, to go explore for yourselves. Yes, for those masochists who read this blog, you will be aware that I have a very poorly constructed series on my planned Top 40 of all time. Perhaps this post will reinvigorate that, and help me to find a better way to manage and use my music, than my shithouse iTunes and iPod.
So let's begin. We'll start at the start. My first foray into music was a soundtrack - Ghostbusters. Hey, there are a couple of tunes on that album that I will still pause and listen to once in a while, but by no means is it a really influential one. It was just my first, based on the movie I enjoyed at the time. But, what is important is that this initial purchase does somewhat define or at least introduce an important part of my musical tastes - there are many soundtrack albums that I adore. A soundtrack in many ways, and certainly those that I love the most, is kind of like a mix-tape - as in it is a curated selection, not just random good songs.
When it comes to soundtracks, those that really stand out for me are from the following list of movies; The Matrix, High Fidelity, Mallrats, Pulp Fiction. All are memorable movies, with those on the top line of the pic being masterpieces. High Fidelity was super cool, and John Cusack at his peak. Mallrats was nothing special, but is a nostalgia movie for my old Pommy mate Dave Lowe and I. It also does have some cool songs. What I like about it is that it introduced me to some American grunge and punk bands that I probably would never have heard of otherwise.
Next, let's talk early artists, specifically those that are still with me today. In those heady puberty years of my mid-teens, I was influenced to a small degree by popular culture. That is, I did listen to the odd AC/DC, Dire Straits, Madonna or Duran Duran song, and still do to this day. There are no doubt numerous others that fit that mould. I have a memory of listening to David Bowie's Let's Dance in class circa-1986, but don't have it in my library currently (quite possibly an oversight on my part).
So that's going to form the basis of this latest musical post - a tribute to the soundtracks that I have loved the most over the years, and those I suggest you try out. I'll keep this series going by looking at my favourite all-time bands next. Enjoy, and keep listening!
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