October 2010 - Derek and the Dominos - Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs

This album, most famously featuring Eric Clapton, brings back a lot of fun memories from my time in Sheffield. After a few weeks of wearing out the entire Dire Straits back catalogue, we turned from Mark Knopfler to Eric Clapton, with Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs taking centre stage.

Having known 'Layla' for so long, myself and my flatmates decided to give this album a go, and it was, for the first few weeks, magical (I should qualify this - when I say 'myself and my flatmates' I really mean my friend Tom and I). I always judge an album's quality, and the longevity of it, by my favourite song at any given time. When we began listening to this album, Layla was, of course, THE song on the album. As the days and weeks passed, we ended up skipping over Layla if we were playing on shuffle to get to the other songs. I can honestly say that, at one time or another, every single song has been 'my favourite song' for a period of time.

The only studio album by Derek and the Dominos, Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs was released in 1970. The album details, in the main, Clapton's pain over his love for George Harrison's wife, Pattie Boyd. The two were engaged in a sexual affair, but Clapton's love for his close friend's wife caused him immense heartache, explored in good detail on this album.

This album, save some Prince B-sides when I was 16, was my first real exposure to songs detailing the heartache that love can bring, or perhaps the first time I really identified with the pain these guys were singing about. I won't compare my own struggles with that of Eric, but I could certainly empathise with some of what he was singing about, and in a drunk state I have been known to send lyrics from this album to a young lady or two.

As an additional emotional connection, the guitar work on this album is phenomenal. Attainable, too, as I learned to play pretty much the entire album. Clapton's lead work is woven with guest slide guitarist Duane Allman, and the 'main solo' in Layla is in fact not played by Clapton at all, though this has gone unnoticed by many.

Listening back now, I'm reminded of cheap '2 for £5' wine deals and singing with good friends at 3am to the undoubted detriment to most around us. 'I Am Yours' is a beautiful, slow song, and I remember connecting with this song a lot in more private moments. 'Why Does Love Got To Be So Sad?' is a searing song, filled with anger, and I really did find myself questioning this very thing quite a bit during my first year. I got no closer than Eric and his Dominos to finding a solution. 'Anyday' fits a similar mould, and I would be hard pressed to choose a favourite now listening between the two.

Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs is an album that reminds me so well of endless nights without a care in the world. It was around October 2010 that most around us seemed to scale back the freshers celebrations, but that just didn't happen with us. Ultimately, that did us little harm, so it's wonderful to think back now and remember just how much of a fucking awesome time we really did have.

September 2010 - Dire Straits - Communiqué

So here goes, my first blogpost. In September of 2010 I moved away to University, met so many new people and was afforded exposure to so many new musicians and songs, and that's why I've decided to use this as my starting point. Around this time, my music collection consisted pretty much entirely of electric guitar solos - I probably wouldn't regard a song as 'good' unless it had a guitar solo in. Over the years my tastes have changed so much and I've found so many new and wonderful artists that never lay a finger on the electric guitar, but at this point those feelings still held true. This album was probably the first to bring me close to those I lived with, and so it's fitting to feature it first.

I knew about Dire Straits before moving to University, they're probably my dad's favourite band. I didn't, however, have Communiqué, and it was only when I discovered that my flatmate, soon to be good buddy also called Tom, had a mutual interest in the band that we thought to get some more of the Knopfler brothers. Communiqué is the first album in a long, long list that together we came to love. My exploration into music went hand in hand with my exploration into the world of beer, and staying in of an evening trying and tasting some ales, and then some more, and then a few more was regularly accompanied by Communiqué on the speakers.

Communiqué was originally released in 1979, apparently recorded in the Bahamas, and is the second Dire Straits album.

Listening back to it now, I'm reminded of those early days and weeks getting to know those I lived with. 'Lady Writer' was always, whether or not the majority wanted to hear it, the last song played before getting in the taxi to head out to a club. Not a usual choice for pre-drinks I concede, but we loved it. It was probably the first song on when we arrived home, too, but I don't remember that part so well. 'Angel of Mercy' is another of my favourites, and it's a more relaxed, gentle song than some others on the album. Within a few days of owning Communiqué, I knew every word of every song. It was constantly playing through my headphones as I explored living in a new city, and it's definitely the first album I was hooked on at University. The memories this album brings back for me are fond ones, reminding me of a time when I honestly didn't feel as though I had a care in the world.