First up is Ricardo Godtschalk. I've known this fella for quite a long time now. He was part of a large group of headbangers from different towns who all shared one thing: the love of hardrock music. We all knew eachother, gathered on different locations, went to concerts, did tapetrading etc. Besides that Ricardo was a very talented guitar player, gathering local fame at the very young age of 15 with his band Diamond Evil. Unfortunately he stopped playing in bands at a very young age, but his love for rock music remained very strong. Went I mailed my friends with this request he was the first who replied saying that my question was a difficult one to tackle, but he had his story ready for publication in half an hour! This is his story about (one of) his favorite album(s): Clutching at Straws by Marillion.
There is one album that means a lot to me on a emotional level but is also an album I've known for a very long time: Marillion-Clutching at Straws. Clutching has a very special mood. I first heard it when I woke up on the morning of my 15th birthday after a night of heavy drinking. I got the album on cassette for my birthday (the cd was too expansive at the time) and everything changed when I put it in my cassette player. I can still feel the atmosphere when I think back to that morning. I played it 4 times in a row before I landed on earth again.
What's great about it are the lyrics, but especially the melancholic mood of the album. The floating guitar parts of Steve Rothery in the distance and of course Fish with his storytelling kind of singing: timeless! later on I also bought it on cd, 24 bit remaster cd, picture disc, maxi picture single and picture single!
The first three songs are incredible; they pull you in directly and from there on it is one great trip. The song Sugar Mice probably has Rothery's greatest solo ever! There is no other band who is capable of setting a mood like that on an album. it's simply an album where everything comes together: the basslines, the subtle drumming, the guitar parts coming from that classic Roland amp and of course Fish who puts a lot of feelings in his lyrics.
Clutching at Straws reminds me of my youth, I can still taste the Jim Beam whisky and feel like I'm 16 years old again! In my living room there's still the Sugar Mice picture single hangin' above the tv and the Clutching picture disc above my couch..which says it all! These discs tell me more than a complete photo album.
*Clutching at Straws was released in 1987 and turned out to be the swansong of Fish. It was written during a period of inner conflict and in his lyrics, Fish already hints at the end of the band (The Last Straw)*
Great writing Mark!! I'm getting shy...
ReplyDeleteThe pleasure is all mine Ricardo!
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