40 Bicycles

Now that I have returned from the Netherlands I will respond to Andrew's tag. Amount of music on your computer? 6.79GB. Mostly classical. I am not a serious music listener. Most of the music I listen to serves primarily as background sound. My musical taste needs a lot of development. I would love to be able to understand music better. Currently listening to? REM, Best of 1988-2003. Five songs that mean a lot to you... I could spend all year over a question like this, so I will answer it quickly, off the top of my head. Ask me the same question tomorrow and you would probably get an entirely different answer. The following are in no particular order. 1. Nick Drake, Northern Sky. Although I generally prefer the edgy and claustraphobic melancholy of the Pink Moon album, this song from Bryter Layter is hauntingly beautiful and probably belongs in my top five. 2. The Byrds, Chestnut Mare. This song brings back memories of a very happy exam revision period of my life. Strange, but true. 3. Radiohead, High and Dry. I like Radiohead a lot (although I do need to be in a particular mood to get the most out of them). This is one of my favourite songs, from what is probably still my favourite album of theirs. 4. Handel, I Know that my Redeemer Liveth. Although I have not listened to The Messiah for some time, I still find myself humming this to myself in the shower on occasions. Such music does me a lot of good (more good, to be frank, than much of the music I generally listen to). 5. Neil Young, After the Goldrush. This brings back a lot of memories of learning the guitar with a good friend of mine. After the Goldrush was a song we played regularly. Top 5 albums? The following selection is no less random and tentative as the selection above. 1. Miles Davis, Kind of Blue. I don’t listen to much jazz at all, but I really, really love this album. It helps me to relax like nothing else. 2. U2, The Joshua Tree. I think that this is probably the best thing that U2 have done to date. I have enjoyed their latest album, but I doubt that I will revisit it as often as I have revisited The Joshua Tree. 3. Jeff Buckley, Grace. It still sends shivers down my spine. 4. The Stone Roses, The Stone Roses. I can’t stand the swagger and the pretentiousness, Ian Brown is a bit of a yob, and some of the lyrics trouble me as a Christian; nonetheless, this is still a stunning album. 5. The Beatles, Abbey Road. I haven’t listened to this album for over four years (I no longer even possess a copy). I was a huge fan once. Visiting The Beatles Story in Liverpool recently reminded just how good the Beatles actually were. I tag... 1. My brother Mark (who hardly ever posts) 2. Barb 3. Daniel