Memoirs of a Roadie

Next poll was for 1997.

For those that might not know, I used to crew for Prolapse for a while, and helped to name one of songs on The Italian Flag, and a b-side. So while I might be biased, slightly, this was still my most played album of 1997. The band are great at throwing sounds around, seeing what works, and then letting Scottish Mick and Linda just layer words on top. Watching them rehearse some of these songs was an absolute delight. Cacophony No.A is by far my favourite Prolapse, but Tunguska, Flat Velocity Curve, Visa For Violet And Van, and Slash Stroke Oblique are not far behind. The singles were pretty damn awesome too ... as always.

I've been a long time fan of Gary Numan's, since he released Are Friends Electric? with Tubeway Army. As many have noted, he did seem to lose his direction during the late 80s/early 90s, and while I still bought the records, as there were the odd standout tracks, but the albums themselves didn't really grab his fan base. That was until he release the predecessor to this album, Sacrifice, with a return to a style that should perhaps have followed Warriors and Besererker. If there was any doubt this was a return to form, Exile was proof he'd recaptured his sound. Not a duff track among them, and if wasn't for those pesky kids Prolapse, this would easily been my number one choice for the year. Dominon Day and Absolution still favourites though.

I don't remember what song I heard first by KMFDM, but it was a club the band I was working with were playing that night, and the DJ was playing some records to get himself set for the evening. But it really caught my ears, and a member of the crew told me it was KMFDM. I've since become a big fan, but it was perhaps this album, usually refered to as Symbols due to the symbols on the cover, that convinced me they were worth investing in. While Stray Bullet and Megalomaniac might be my favourites, every track is a delight.

The band Live, despite having the worst name for Google, were on a roll with Secret Samadhi. Following Throwing Copper, I had eagerly awaited to hear what they did next, and I wasn't disappointed. From the opener of Rattlesnake, continuing through with the wonderful Turn My Head and heropsychodreamer, and ending with Gas Hed Goes West, it was another great album.

Another band I crewed for over the years is IQ, having been a fan since late '83 or early '84. While Subterranea might not be my favourite IQ album, it did mark a change for them, opening up musically and thematically more than I felt they had previously. The whole album is a concept, but unlike their previous attempts at this, the pieces seemed to fit much better, and overall the songs and the narrative flows ... even if I still haven't quite figured out the full story!