In My Record Collection, we dig down to the bottom of musicians' souls to find out what the most treasured parts of their record collection are. This week, it's the turn of experimentalists Melt Yourself Down and their bandleader and saxophonist Pete Wareham, let's see what he opts for...
In My Record Collection, we dig down to the bottom of musicians' souls to find out what the most treasured parts of their record collection are. This week, it's the turn of experimentalists Melt Yourself Down and their bandleader and saxophonist Pete Wareham, let's see what he opts for...
The first record I ever bought with my own money was…
"Outlandos D’Amour by The Police. I was eight or nine years old and was obsessed with them. I cycled down to the record shop with my dad and bought it on cassette. A lot of the lyrics on those albums were quite adult for my brain at the time. 'Be My Girl (Sally)' was all about this dude who was an alcoholic and was obsessed with his sex doll. Quite a lot to take in for a nine-year-old!"
The record that made me want to be in a band was…
"Outlandos D’Amour by The Police! My friend and I had a band called The Rubber Ducks (I still think that’s a great band name) when we were nine or 10 and we played 'Next To You' along with the cassette - me hitting the desk with rulers and him singing. I remember telling him I thought it sounded like punk music and him telling me I was an idiot..."
The record I've played more than any other is…
"Oooooh, that’s a tough one. Because there are jazz records that I’ve transcribed so that involves a lot of repetition! But I guess something like Forever Changes by Love, Astral Weeks by Van Morrison or Way Out West by Sonny Rollins."
The record that always makes me feel good is…
"The English Riviera by Metronomy. There’s something about it that is utterly bulletproof."
The record I turn to when I'm feeling down is…
"A Love Supreme by John Coltrane. That has saved me so many times. I always think of his music, especially around 1963 and 1944 as very healing. Either that or White Chalk by PJ Harvey. It doesn’t cheer me up but makes the sadness feel beautiful."
The record I think is the most underrated of all time is…
"Emahoy by Tsegué-Maryam Guebrou. She’s an Ethiopian nun who has been living a reclusive life, composing and playing the piano, for several decades. She’s 99 years old now and the album was released on the Ethiopiques label as a compilation of her works. It’s incredibly beautiful, mysterious, delicate and elegant."
The record with my favourite cover art is…
"Another massive question, which I can’t answer. I’ll probably think of it in a couple of weeks, but for now, let’s say Malibu by Anderson Paak. I love that album and the cover art has an amazing atmosphere that tells a story. It’s a photo collage and it really looks like the music sounds."
The record with my favourite title is…
"The Shoes Of The Fisherman’s Wife Are Some Jive Ass Slippers by Charles Mingus."
The record I can't understand why everybody loves is…
"I’ve always struggled with 'Eleanor Rigby'. Obviously, I love the Beatles and have immense respect for all of them, but I just find that song so dreary and depressing, I always skip it. I had a ‘Learn to Play Beatles’ piano book when I was a kid, long before even hearing them, and always skipped the page when 'Eleanor Rigby' came up."
"I mean maybe it’s meant to be depressing and dreary, but those are two values I’ve always tried to avoid!"
The last record I bought was…
"It was The Don Of Diamond Dreams by Shabazz Palaces."
The record I'm most looking forward to hearing in 2022 is…
"The album by The Smile which is the new band with Thom Yorke, Jonny Greenwood and my old friend Tom Skinner, in collaboration with Nigel Godrich. The new single which just came out is amazing and the musical multi-verses those guys are able to conjure will be staggering. Can’t wait for that."
The greatest record of all time is…
"You’re really putting the cat amongst the pigeons now! It’s got to be The Beatles, I think. Let’s say Revolver. It has everything - it’s mainstream, it’s experimental, it’s concise, iconic, beautiful… the list goes on."
