My Musical Influences – Part 1

With the real world getting in the way of music-making for a while, I was thinking about the music I listen to now and what were the groups / artists I listened to from the start.

I remember always liking the music shows my parents listened to when very young – even occasionally the Beatles. From Bing Crosby to Val Doonigan, to Stravinsky to Beethoven. No jazz though! I enjoyed it all and was an important part of my life.

So what brought me to being a Prog Rock enthusiast through to jazz fusion? As after that and the emergence of punk, etc., music to me became bland and dull. Almost a snobbery against artists being real musicians.

I think I bought Fleetwood Mac’s greatest hits off my sister, and this was my first vinyl disc.

“Albatross”, “Man of the World”, “Dragonfly” and so many others.

My sister further helped me develop my interest in Prog Rock. Her boyfriend at the time, Alan MacFarlane, who taught me guitar at his student flat, introduced me to Focus. This kind of spoilt me too. What a band. Classically trained and playing everything from rock, jazz to classical and instrumental too. Jan Akkerman became a lifelong hero. Never forget shaking his hand at the Ferry, Glasgow. Almost broke mine. So “Moving Waves” was next.

Saw them in concert in Edinburgh and the guy who was teaching me guitar at the time, was tuning the drums on stage; not that Pierre Van Der Linden was impressed with it! “Eruption” on side 2 is a classic. Still listen to them and they still tour – though Jan is a solo artist.