My Top Ten: Bazza

Barry Cross runs his own design company.
He's a very talented designer.

Hot Cross Designs.
Have a look here...

Bazza designed the covers for my two solo albums 'Hopeland' and 'Keepers'.
We first met after he sent me a fantastic fanzine 'Tune In' that he'd designed for Miracle Mile.

His first ever job (unpaid) for us was the diary insert for 'Glow'.
'In Cassidy's Care' is his first cover for Miracle Mile.

I think that he's maybe even more excited than Marcus and I...
Marcus and I played at Bazza's 50th birthday party.
I'll share some candid shots betwixt his choices.
Worth looking at to recognize the shock on Marcus's face.
'Don't look up, don't look up! Just keep playing...'
He's still in recovery...
You see... Bazza surprised us on the night by playing drums.
He'd had 'lessons'.
As I said, he's a very talented designer...

Here's Bazza:

The criteria for my Top Ten was: 
a) did I play this album to the point of obsession?
b) do I continually return to them and feel as passionate now as I did on first listen?
c) were I stranded on a desert island could I play this one album on repeat?

My Top Ten isn't cool, but then neither was my Ford Escort. 
They just got me from A to B. 
They are numbered 1 to 10 but the positions change on an hourly basis, and like all great 'Smash Hits' charts, there are some Bubbling Under albums that also deserve a mention:

Bubbling Under:

'A Walk Across The Rooftops' The Blue Nile

'Technique' New Order

'Sulk' Associates

'Alaska' Miracle Mile

'Closer' Joy Division

11. (woops!)  Under Cold Blue Stars - Josh Rouse (2002)

"and the old van is tired and slow, wouldn't go"

I first heard a Josh Rouse song - 'Miracle', when it featured on a free cover mounted CD on Select magazine. That led me to this album and the discovery of an artist who has been a consistent favourite ever since. '1972' is probably a more immediate album and would quite possibly be in my Top Ten on another day, but 'Under Cold Blue Stars' has greater depth and a more varied palette of influences. There is a unique vulnerability in his voice that I find appealing. This album follows the loose concept of a couple living in the 1950s and their everyday trials and tribulations, it paints these images perfectly. No one does melancholy better than Rouse - 'Summer Kitchen Ballad' being a great example, but it's the combination of this and the positive vibes created by songs like 'Miracle' and 'Feeling No Pain' that make this album so rewarding. He's great live too, and after some dodgy albums influenced by his adoptive homeland of Spain he's back on form with a new album 'The Happiness Waltz'.

10. Spirit of Eden - Talk Talk (1988)

"Take my freedom"

I was a big fan of Talk Talk's 'The Colour of Spring', and following its success the band were rewarded with an open budget by EMI to record this follow up. It's difficult to categorise this record but the experimental nature is awe inspiring and quite spiritual. The engineer on the album described it as being "recorded by chance, accident and hours of trying every possible overdub idea." It's hard to believe this album will be 25 years old this year - it sounds remarkably contemporary. A classic.

9. Paradise Circus - The Lilac Time (1989)

"There will be times of joy and sorrow, don't put off life until tomorrow, the spark of human kindness catches, a little flame among the ashes, truth will only come in snatches"

I'm surprised The Lilac Time hasn't had a mention in these pages. Maybe the ghost of 'Kiss Me' wears heavy, but for me 'Paradise Circus' is a perfect mix of great pop tunes with a folk sensibility suggested by snatches of banjo, harmonica and pedal steel. It also boasts some beautifully understated horns and strings. Maybe Stephen Duffy was ahead of his time as this is a sound many of today's bands are having success with! 

8. Fresh New Life - Phil Campbell (1997)

"I took some thoughts, some crazy ones, and let them become the truth"

I heard Phil Campbell on a 'Listening Post' - the place to find me on a Saturday afternoon when record shops were still on the High Street, and I was immediately blown away by his voice - rough, soulful, heartbreaking. There's a great inventiveness to the production on this album in a 'White Ladder' kind of way, and the songwriting is of the highest standard (I remember hearing Cliff Richard cover one of his songs on Songs of Praise, but don't let that put you off). There is a track on the album called 'Evangaline' - about the breakdown of a relationship, that can bring a tear to my eye. I'm pretty sure this album is currently unavailable, which is a travesty. Phil Campbell has done the rounds - major labels, independent releases, bands (White Buffalo, The Temperence Movement), but I don't think he has equalled the brilliance of this debut album. Some amazing talents very often fall under the radar, and I add Phil Campbell to a list that includes Lewis Taylor and Trevor Jones - classic songwriters still waiting to be appreciated by a wider audience.

7. Come On Feel The Illinois - Sufjan Stevens (2005)

"In the tower above the earth, there is a view that reaches far, where we see the universe, I see the fire, I see the end"

I'm always excited by new Sufjan Stevens albums. Actually, I'm quite excited each time I listen of this one, as his music is so multi layered there are new things to be discovered with every play. This is my current Sufjan favourite and part of his fifty states (a promotional joke!) project, although 'Avalanche' (amazingly an album of 'Illinois' outtakes) and 'Age of Adz' rate equally highly. I saw him live a couple of years ago and he puts on an amazing show. You've got to admire someone who has released 100 christmas songs!

6. Forever So - Husky (2012)

"We'll leave our things behind for friends and family, we'll roam like gypsies along shores of silent seas, there'll be no reason to be frightened or sad, there'll be no wishing for things we never had"

I'm quite surprised that an album released as recently as last year makes my Top Ten, but I can't stop playing this album. In a similar vein to the Midlake album 'The Trials of Van Occupanther, Husky evoke images of another world, a world that we'd like to be a part of, or a world that maybe we once were! From the sweet opening harmonies of 'Tidal Wave' this is a great listen, and of all the albums in my ten this is the one I would recommend everyone add to the 'Wish List'.

5. The Unforgettable Fire - U2 (1984)

"Oh don't sorrow, no don't weep, for tonight, at last, I am coming home"

I realise it isn't cool to like U2 anymore, but I can't dismiss the listening pleasure I received from their first four albums. I remember my mate 'Diddy' May playing me '11 O'Clock Tick Tock' - the major label debut single from U2, for the first time in 1980, and me being quite indifferent to that first listen. Although I think that was more to do to with Diddy having had the day off, and 'discovering' it before me, rather than the music that filled my ears. I saw U2 many times in the days of their first 4 albums - before they became the biggest band on the planet, and I enjoyed some particularly amazing nights at The Lyceum and The Hammersmith Palais seeing them. 'The Unforgettable Fire'  was the first collaboration with Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno, and it produced some inspired music. During the early eighties, I sent unsolicited illustrations to the U2 magazine - at the time not much more than a photocopied fanzine. But their publication may have been the catalyst that led me to a realisation that I may just be able to earn a living in design and artwork.

4. Round The Back - Café Jacques (1977)

"He lay to rest, the sun was slowly sinking, songs played are meaningless now"

I was a glam kid in the early seventies; Slade, Sweet, Mud, I'll even admit to owning an Osmonds single! And as the seventies drew to a close I struggled with punk. I didn't get The Clash until 'London Calling', The Jam until 'All Mod Cons', XTC until 'Drums and Wires', The Stranglers until 'Black & White'. So while the angry kids were thrashing their guitars and spitting at their audience, I was still desperately clinging on to uncool bands like Genesis, 10cc and Steely Dan. Three bands that - were they to emerge from a Kenwood mixer, may well have a produced an album sounding rather like 'Round The Back' by Café Jacques. Café Jacques were a scottish band who - despite the punk landscape, followed their own path; produced two great albums (this and 'International' in 1978); were championed by Phil Collins; and sank without trace. I've never met anyone who has heard of them and I don't expect any mutual appreciation for this choice. It's probably not worth seeking them out unless you're still lamenting the loss of Genesis (unlikely). I can remember the first time I heard this album - the sofa was pulled up close to the coal fire in it's winter position and I listened on headphones the size of cereal bowls. It remains my musical hot tea and toast. 

3. Get Happy! - Elvis Costello & The Attractions (1980)

"He'd seen the bottom of a lot of glasses, but he'd never seen love so near, he'd seen love get so expensive, but he'd never seen love so dear"

This album does what it says on the tin. If I'm ever in need of a lift this album does it, definitely the Elvis Costello feel good album, and my reason for placing it above 'This Year's Model' 'Armed Forces' and 'King of America' in my Top Ten. Elvis listened to stacks of Stax (see what I did), Soul and Motown prior to making this album, and himself admits to lifting a couple of Booker T and Four Tops parts long before 'sampling' became part of the music norm. I remember walking home from work at the local supermarket with this album under my arm, and an air of anticipation in my step - I never tire of it. I also love the cover design by the great Barney Bubbles - still a massive influence on my own work. There is a great retro feel to the cover that perfectly represents the music. The 'scuffing' effect on the artwork - as if the album has been continuously in and out of a listeners collection, is inspired. Apparently the US record company found this unacceptable and insisted on the artwork being cleaned up!

2. Steve McQueen - Prefab Sprout (1985)

"Here she is with two small problems, and the best part of the blame, wishing she could call him heartache, but it's not a boy's name"

Their first album 'Swoon' didn't quite get me, but Steve McQueen is perfection and I continuously return to it. Prefab Sprout - and this album in particular, evokes memories of listening to the Anne Nightingale show on Sundays - she was always a great champion of the band. 'From Langley Park…' pushes this a very close second in my affection, and I hope that Paddy still has a few more great albums up his sleeve. Genius doesn't do him justice and as I'm sure everyone here has this album, I need say no more.

1. Sheet Music - 10cc (1974)

"Old men of rock and roll, came bearing music, where are they now?"

I can remember walking home from school singing the 'Rubber Bullets' chorus to myself, and - at the time, having no clue who this band were. It was 1973, and the start of a long and rewarding appreciation - I saw the current incarnation of the band last year. Any of the first four albums could have been in my top ten, but 'Sheet Music' has the perfect mix of ingredients - from the hit singles, the epic cinematic songs, to the quirky one that Gouldman gets to sing. We were able to play records in our art lesson at school and this was regularly on the turntable. I play it now and can be back in that class, it continues to inspire me creatively. As with 'Get Happy!', the artwork to this album adds to the overall appreciation I have for it. The clever visualisation of the Sheet Music title is a perfect example of Storm Thorgerson at his best. The finest work from the original band of Gouldman/Stewart/Godley/Creme and although they have since enjoyed greater success, creatively this was their peak. "Play me" …oh alright then!

Albums for Life: My Top 10: Di

Here's Di's Top Ten.

She's managed 12.

Must've snuck a couple in under her hat...

1. Born To Run - Bruce Springsteen 

2. Slow Fade - Miracle Mile 

3. Ultra - Brian Lopez

4. Eight - Nik Kershaw

5. White Ladder - David Gray

5a. Coming From Reality - Sixto Rodriguez

6. Poses - Rufus Wainwright

7. Steve McQueen - Prefab Sprout 

8. Feather & Stone - Tom Baxter

8a. Pulp Fiction (Soundtrack)

9. Human Condition - Richard Ashcroft

10. Poetry & Aeroplanes - Teitur

My Top Ten: Is there one? Les Nemes

Les Nemes is famous for being Haircut 100's bass player and one of the three founder members.
Les Nemes is infamous for many things: one of them being his stint as bass player with Miracle Mile in the early days. He was part of a fabulous rhythm section alongside drummer Trevor Smith. Many happy gigs with those two and Steve Davis (guitar), Mark Hornby (guitar) and Phil Smith (sax and keyboards). Les played on both 'Bicycle Thieves' and 'Candids'. He left the band and the country to start a new life in Spain. He's still there, with his fingers in many paellas. There is talk of some new H100 recordings and a possible reissue of 'Pelican West' with some unheard recordings from that period. I'll keep you posted here.
Les is a top man, a very funny guy, a loyal friend and an undervalued musician.
Why not have a look at the master explaining his craft here...
Meanwhile; heeeeere's Leslie...

Les:
Oh yes erm .....

1: Electric Ladyland - The Jimi Hendrix Experience. When my Brother was conned into joining the army by my parents, (as they saw it as a perfect way to stop his wayward ways and bring some discipline into his life), he left all his albums for me to listen to. This was the one that really caught my ears. So different to anything that I had ever heard before. The perfect off the wall, break all the rules introduction to my love affair with music. I carried my love for this band through my secondary school years which, had the effect of segregating me from the rest of the kids as they were too busy listening to Sweet and Wizard but, I saw it as being my little secret. Jimi made me realise it was possible to play for a living.

2: A Nod's As Good As A Wink - To A Blind Horse - The Faces. My all time favourite band ... ever! Totally underrated and only just validated by their recent induction into the Rock 'n' Roll hall of fame which was long overdue. Better than the Stones by miles, they were the perfect English rock 'n' roll band. Not just the haphazard songs, the way they were played or the down to earth day to day poetry of the lyrics but more so the "had me a real good time" attitude you felt every time you saw them play. It was so obvious they were best mates, having a laugh, not taking it at all seriously and making the best of the situation they found themselves in. I saw them at the Lewisham Odeon at the age of 14 and walked out after the gig with my head totally blown off and so excited as I had realised in the moment ... "Now THAT ... is what I want to do for a living". Impossible to choose one Faces album over another as they are all perfect for different reasons but I will go for this one today as Ronnie Lane .. it was Ronnies band in all honesty ... is without doubt my major all time influence and hero. He is very heavily featured on this album as Rod was often off doing his own stuff so it seems to come from more of a bass players perspective. These albums are my bass playing bible, the bass lines on them made me who I am now and whenever I sit down to come up with a line for a new song, my first thought is always, "What would Ronnie play on this?" Listen to the track, "Last Orders Please" as a perfect example of the band and Ronnie at their best. The only reason that this is not number one on my list is that I heard Electric Ladyland first.

3: Never A Dull Moment - Rod Stewart. Although I much prefer Rod when he was "Fronting" the Faces, this album is still mentally pre-Britt Ekland who, in my opinion, was possibly responsible for sewing the "you don't need them" seed into his mind and also his fall into pop blandness. Most of the band are playing on this album anyway so he still had his Faces hat on when he wrote it as he was split between this and his commitment to the band which means that this could have been a Faces album anyway. My brothers fault again, I first heard this when he used to take me out in his MGB GT, racing down the road, top down and this album full volume on the 8 track player .. remember those? I was about 12 at the time and so impressed, my brother was my hero. Los Paraguayos and Italian girls are the perfect songs to accompany a drive to nowhere in particular.

4: XTC - English Settlement. The proper Haircuts, the four piece guitar band, grew up on a diet of Talking Heads, XTC, The Clash, The Jam and Squeeze. Talking Heads apart, we were really into the Englishness of pop because at the end of the day, no-one does it quite as well as the Brits. Having said that, the American Funk and Soul influence was also very prevalent, especially with the arrival of Blair into the band because his greatness allowed us to do it but at first, it was a secondary mix in as much as it was from bands like Talking Heads who came forward with their own version of funk, lots of picky and funky guitar lines with a solid but tuneful bass and drums underneath. The quality of the playing was nowhere near as good as that of the musicians who influenced it but ... I quite liked that about it. The early XTC was a big part of this, the Drums and Wires album in particular but .. for me .. the real standout album was to come later in the form of English Settlement. I listened to that album every day of my life for months on end. When we were on the tour bus or flight to somewhere, it was on the Walkman strapped to my head. Every time I listened to it, I heard something new and I still do. Layers and layers of sounds and parts that, even if you listen to it a hundred times, you only hear on the 99th time. Recorded at Richard Branson's studio, The Manor, in Oxfordshire it has a totally unique sound of it's own. For me, a great song is not just about the Old Grey Whistle test theory but also about what the musicians on the song play. When you listen to this, you can see that no-one at any point said, "That'll do". I loved Colin Moudlings playing as he was very similar to Ronnie Lane in as much as he traveled around the fret board. Every bass line is a little song in itself but never gets in the way and that is how I like it, it is especially highlighted on this album. After "What would Ronnie play" my second rule in coming up with lines is, wherever possible, start with any note apart from the root note. I think, this is Colin's way as well and this let's play something special attitude seems to be the number one rule and why this album is so special. We had the wonderful pleasure of recording our second album at the Manor and I soon as I walked into the live room, I swear I could still feel the vibe of English Settlement in there.

5: Steely Dan - The Royal Scam. If a favourtie album is measured by the amount of times one listens to it, then this has to be at least top five. Steely Dan are a band that I was always aware of but never really listened to in any big way until the mid 80's when a friend of mine had a restaurant and burger and steak bar with a very Americana theme. He went to the states for a few weeks buying up memorabilia and stuff like posters and number plates to furnish the place with. Of course, the music had to be spot on and I would often compile tapes to play in restaurant. Stuff like The Eagles, Frampton, The Stones(?), Fleetwood Mac, Bob Segar etc etc and of course ... Steely Dan. He would lend me his collection of their albums to use, he had them all and that is when I started really getting into them. I also heard the title track on Nicky Horn's night time show on Capital Radio and was blown away. This was the one album where I loved every track. I was well into my funk and soul phase by now and the combination of Chuck Rainey on bass, (another lovely "play all over the place bass player") and Bernard Purdie on drums was the funkiest and tightest rythmn section I had heard in years. Check out the playing just after the solo in Green Earrings when they settle down into the groove ... amazing! The piano solo and brass arrangement on "Sign In Stranger" and the wonderful take you away "The Royal Scam" are the highlights for me. An album I never tire of and always use for inspiration.

6: Be Bop Deluxe - Futurama and Sunburst Finish. - OK ... so I may be cheating on
this one, originally two separate albums but it is impossible to chose between the two and I didn't want to use up 6th and 7th place so ... as it WAS also released as a double album box set, I think it counts as one. Bill Nelson has to be THE most overlooked guitarist. Not only can he out-play every other guitar "hero" on the planet but, his solo's and playing are so totally thoughtful, musical, melodic and unique as is his songwriting. It is not just about how many notes you can play in every bar but the content of what you play and this is what makes him outstanding. The fact that he is not automatically in the top three
token list of best guitarists is just beyond me. Check out the two solo's on Crying to the Sky.... sublime! If you want mad solo's and technique, go no further than Stage Whispers, Sound Track or the backwards solo on Sister Seagull. If you want great commercial songwriting, listen to Maid in Heaven or Ships In The Night. Beautiful cherished acoustic? .. Jean Cocteau and ... for a few minutes of absolute bliss where he shows everyone that he can express mood without playing ten to the dozen, The Islands of the Dead. The bad were amazing too, from the tight fairground kick drum, to the wonderful Fender funk bass lines and keyboard solo's. If you missed them, check out this double album, a bit of an acquired taste but stick with it, it is well worth the effort.

7: Yes - Fragile. OK, this is where we go hippy. In this current world of must have this, must have that and must have it now, I am sure I am not the only one that likes to go old school by actually stopping to sit down and escape into music world by sitting back and letting a whole album take you through what it has to offer. Sometimes the only thing that will do is the "journey" album. The one that takes wraps you up, takes you away on an adventure and then brings you home safe and sound. Some of the titles that spring to mind are Trans Euro Express by Kaftwerk, Second Light by Dreadzone, Bandstand by Family, What's Going On by Marvin Gaye and Fragile ... Heart Of The Sunrise being the stand out track. I loved the way Punk Rock came along a blew apart all of this self indulgent clap trap but I cannot help also loving every second of it. A band that could carry you away but also come up with some of the most commercial and outstanding pop songs ever written.

8: Court and Spark - Joni Mitchell. I was listening to the Danny Baker radio show one morning as I always used to do on the way to work and this particular morning, he was on a "How good were the 70's" mission. To prove his point, he played about 10 seconds worth of intro to about ten classic songs of the decade while saying things like "For example this..." One of the intro's was to Help Me by Joni Mitchell which for me totally sealed and proved his point. From the acoustic prelude, to the drum fill and "Help me I think i'm falling.." first line, you are hooked in and cannot escape. He was of course, right. The 70's had everything from the leftovers of the great 60's artists who were by then at their most relaxed and prolific, to Rock, Funk, Disco, Reggae, Guitar hero's. Prog Rock, Jazz Funk, Jazz Rock, Pop and Punk with all the amazing bands and artists that grew from it like the Clash, The Police, Elvis Costello and The Pretenders. You name it, we had it. Never was there and never would there be such a varied, outstanding, inventive and inspiring decade of music. One of the highlights of that decade was Court and Spark by Joni Mitchell. I always found her other albums a little hard work but this one slipped by effortlessly. It colours every situation, you can chill to it, you can sing to it, you can drive to it but it always delivers. As with many of these albums from this era, it took me a while but I eventually discovered how many amazing musicians the 70's gave us, the un-sung hero's, people who you have never heard of but who's playing was the back bone of some of the greatest songs and albums of all time. This particular album has a whole bunch of them and as a bass player, I have drawn loads of ideas and influence from the playing on it.

9: Earth Wind and Fire - I Am. What can you say? Best funk band on the planet that just happened to also be able to write some of the most catchy songs ever heard. The quality of the musicianship broke all the moulds. Anyone who can keep their feet still to Can't Let Go or Boogie Wonderland must be at least physically dead!

10: Thin Lizzy - Live and Dangerous. Thin Lizzy, the perfect match of great playing and beautifully commercial and well written songs. This for me is the best line up. Phil Lynott, Scott Gorham, Brian Robertson and Brian Downey. Lynott is the all time classic rock star and front man. Gorham and Robertson play so well together, (the two solo's on Still In Love With You are perfect as are the harmonies they play) and Downey shows what a rock solid and creative drummer he is. This is one of those rare albums where the live versions of the classic songs are much better than the studio versions. Never ever get tired of it and a really sad loss.

So, there it is, these albums, can of course change positions at any time depending on my mood at the time!