ON THE RECORD...
JACK BOURKE
City Calm Down’s lead singer Jack Bourke shares his favourite tunes over the years. THE BEST OF VAN MORRISON This was the only CD we had in the car growing up. It’s a pearler. My brother, Jim, would sing along and I’d yell at him to shut up. I just wanted to listen. Sensing some enthusiasm for Van ‘The Man”, dad took me to see the full cut of The Last Waltz when I was about five or six-years-old – despite Van’s impressive appearance in purple, four plus hours proved a little much for an inattentive child. AMERICAN BEAUTY – The Grateful Dead I think Dad had this on a double cassette. It’s still one of my favourite records and when I listen to it I’m instantly transported back to my childhood. It doesn’t prompt memories so much as a feeling – a feeling that everything’s going to be alright. The emotional connection to time and place is one of things I love about music. ANIMA – Thom Yorke I was a bit dismissive of this record
86
when I first listened to it. Not because I wasn’t impressed with the writing and production, but because it felt like a collection of Radiohead offcuts. But then I watched the short film by Paul Anderson and the record made a lot more sense. It’s more emotionally distant than most Radiohead records, but when combined with the abstract choreography of the film and the romantic undertones it’s a captivating listen. SAM’S TOWN – The Killers Like American Beauty, this record is able to transport me back in time. I listened to it a lot in the summer after finishing high school. I still think it’s their best work – it’s ambitious stadium-sized pop music that doesn’t put a foot wrong and it has certainly aged well, particularly compared to some of their other work. STRANGEWAYS HERE WE COME – The Smiths This was the first record by The Smiths I listened to. I think a friend
