10. SuicideSuicide
When I was a kid growing up in a small town in Lancashire, there was a record shop there where an older guy (to me at least) was working. Truth be told he was probably only 18 or 19 at the time, but he seemed a lot older. The shop was called Our Price. Anyway, he seemed to be so knowledgeable and experienced and on top of that if I brought blank cassettes to him, he would record any of the records in the shop for me while he was working! That guy turned out to be one of my best lifelong friends, Antony. Anyway he introduced me to loads of great music like The Fall and Big Black records which I could’ve also included on the list but the most memorable one in terms of the impact it made was this record and particularly that song ‘Frankie Teardrop’. I don’t think I had ever heard anything quite like that at the time. I was 13 years old and it sounded to me like living hell! I think it’s almost like an endurance test for a kid if they can listen to the whole of that record! These days, I actually prefer the other record from a couple years after called Alan Vega And Martin Rev but, in terms of impact, this one really had it. I was reading an interview with The Jesus And Mary Chain back then in Sounds or NME or something and one of them said that although Suicide weren’t popular, anyone who heard them would want to go and make music, or words to that effect. I feel pretty much the same way, it is all about the spirit. I always like the idea of them playing gigs with the punk bands and completely annoying the audience by being confrontational and for having the audacity to play synthesisers. Good for them! Scenes are bollocks anyway. Who gives a toss about wanting to fit in all the time?
