'Taylor Made' Radio Programme
This programme was broadcast on BBC Radio 2 on
4 January 2014, from 3:00pm to 5:00pm. The programme contained the news
and four advertisement breaks, reducing the running time to
approximately 111 minutes.
In the programme, Roger plays his favourite tracks, 28 in all,
and talks briefly about each one. David Bowie is the most represented artist, with two tracks ('Under Pressure' and 'Cat People (Putting Out Fire)'), plus a further track written by him ('All The Young Dudes').
Queen also have two tracks ('Under Pressure' and 'One Vision'), while all other artists have one track each.
The full list of tracks played is as follows, and a full
transcription of the programme is given below.
All Day And All Of The Night (The Kinks)
All My Life (Foo Fighters)
All The Young Dudes (Mott The Hoople)
Anarchy In The UK (Sex Pistols)
Back In Black (AC/DC)
Big Block (Jeff Beck)
Brass In Pocket (The Pretenders)
Cat People (Putting Out Fire) (David Bowie)
Denis (Blondie)
Fire (The Jimi Hendrix Experience)
Get Off Of My Cloud (The Rolling Stones)
I'm A Boy (The Who)
Killing In The Name (Rage Against The Machine)
Knights Of Cydonia (Muse)
Let's Have A Party (Elvis Presley)
Love Letter (Bonnie Raitt)
Man Of The World (Fleetwood Mac)
Me And Bobby McGee (Janis Joplin)
One Vision (Queen)
Rip It Up (Little Richard)
Rocky Mountain Way (Joe Walsh)
Speed King (Deep Purple)
Stay With Me (The Faces)
Sunshine Of Your Love (Cream)
The Rocker (Thin Lizzy)
Under Pressure (Queen and David Bowie)
Walk This Way (Aerosmith)
When The Levee Breaks (Led Zeppelin)
Hello, good afternoon and welcome to the show. This is Roger
Taylor, I'd like to indulge you for the next two hours, as I
delve into my record collection, and bring you some of the finest
rock tracks from the last six decades. This seems like the
perfect place to start.
['The Rocker' by Thin Lizzy]
Yeah, that was Thin Lizzy, 'The Rocker'. We did a couple of tours
with Thin Lizzy in America, and we had wonderful memories every
day on the plane, we used to fly commercial in those days, good
old Phil, different girl every day. They were a great band Thin
Lizzy, and they were pretty tough, it wasn't easy following them.
But as I've already said, over the next two hours, I'll be
picking a selection of rock tracks, new and old, to help dust off
the cobwebs for the new year, and it seems appropriate to go back
to where it all began.
['Rip It Up' by Little Richard
'Let's Have A Party' by Elvis Presley]
Two giants of rock 'n' roll there, the last one the late great
Elvis Presley with 'Let's Have A Party', I remember that as a
kid, and before that, Little Richard, and a track called 'Rip It
Up', seminal stuff. I think Little Richard and Elvis really
represent everything that was great about rock 'n' roll in the
fifties, really never been improved on that much, but here's
something a little more recent now, from a band who are just so
good live, they're just extraordinary, great drums, great
guitars, great theatre, great vocalist, this is Muse.
['Knights Of Cydonia' by Muse]
'Knights Of Cydonia' by Muse, the closing track from their 2006
album, 'Black Holes And Revelations'. I've seen Muse quite a few
times now, live, and it started many years ago at the Reading
Festival, and I couldn't believe how big a noise three guys could
make, they're just a, all round a great band, and I think that
really explains why they're one of the biggest live attractions
in the world today. Well coming up shortly, I'll be playing a
couple of very good songs, featuring two of my favourite
drummers, but now, here are two great tracks, from two superb
lead singers
['Denis' by Blondie
'Walk This Way' by Aerosmith]
That's Aerosmith, 'Walk This Way'. Two great bands there, both
with fantastic lead singers, you heard Blondie and 'Denis' from
1978, and 'Walk This Way' by Aerosmith from 1975. I remember
Blondie and Debbie Harry, we met them very long time ago in the
seventies, before they were famous, in a motel somewhere in the
back of Hollywood, and they were sort of semi-punky, a very
stylish New York band, and there was something about them that
said, you know I think they're gonna go somewhere, and especially
with Debbie Harry, was such a iconic look, something special and
it all happened for them. Likewise, we sort of spent a lot of
time in those days with Aerosmith, and Joe Perry and Steven
Tyler, I remember Joe was very influenced by the great Jeff Beck,
and Aerosmith were a very sort of English styled American band.
Anyway, this is Roger Taylor, and you're listening to BBC Radio
2.
[Advertisement break]
Right, time to play a couple of songs that get your feet tapping.
Both of these bands have made their mark on the music industry
and continue to inspire artists of all kinds. Led Zeppelin have
made such an impact, especially in America, they have one of the
greatest drummers of all time, probably the best rock drummer of
all time, John Bonham, and what a fantastic band, so heavy, but
so dynamic. This is a song written and originally recorded in
1929 by Kansas Joe McCoy and Memphis Minnie, but performed here
by Led Zeppelin. The drum sound on this is probably one of the
most sampled sounds on any record ever made, and everybody wants
their drums to sound like this.
['When The Levee Breaks' by Led Zeppelin]
That was the fantastic Led Zeppelin, don't hear enough of them in
this country, more, more, please. Here's another band, and
they've got two of the most talented drummers in the world, the
band was started by drummer and guitarist Dave Grohl, who was
formerly in Nirvana, you probably know that. He's the singer, and
the main writer. They also have a really great drummer in the Foo
Fighters, he's my friend Taylor Hawkins, he's a great
inspirational drummer and an all round good guy. And this is the
Foo Fighters with one of my favourite tracks of theirs, 'All My
Life'
['All My Life' by Foo Fighters]
That was a band I've played with a few times as guest, the Foo
Fighters, wonderful band, check 'em out if you've never seen them
live, it's a good time. This is Roger Taylor, you're listening to
BBC Radio 2, and here is an early track you don't hear very
often, The Who, 'I'm A Boy'
['I'm A Boy' by The Who]
That's from 1966, The Who with 'I'm A Boy'. A band with another
wonderful, inspirational drummer, Keith Moon. When I first saw
Keith Moon on TV, you've never seen anything like it, he looked
like he was a washing machine or something, just a ballet going
on, this frantic arm waving, fantastic sound powerhouse, and The
Who were really quite a band, one of my favourite bands of all
time. And now for something completely different.
['Killing In The Name' by Rage Against The Machine]
Great record, one of the heaviest records I can think of. Rage
Against The Machine with 'Killing In The Name'. Not your typical
Christmas number one, taken from their self titled debut album,
released in 1992, quite a long time ago, you may remember that
particular track did become the Christmas number one here in the
UK in 2009, beating X Factor winner Joe Mcelderry's 'The Climb'.
Good. Here's a song now, from a great rock chick, wonderful band,
produced by Chris Thomas, The Pretenders from 1979, 'Brass In
Pocket'
['Brass In Pocket' by The Pretenders]
Produced by the great Chris Thomas, who also brought you the Sex
Pistols, INXS, Pulp, and worked with all sorts of people,
including The Beatles and Pink Floyd. This is Roger Taylor, and
you're listening to BBC Radio 2.
[Advertisement break]
['Under Pressure' by Queen and David Bowie]
Myself and the boys, and the brilliant David Bowie, an
interesting man to work with, endlessly creative, and completely
inspirational actually, and what a great singer, I think people
forget what a great singer he is.
['Cat People (Putting Out Fire)' by David Bowie]
This is BBC Radio 2, and you're listening to 'Taylor Made'. OK,
let's get a bit bluesy now, here's Joe Walsh, taking us up to the
news.
['Rocky Mountain Way' by Joe Walsh]
That was Joe Walsh and 'Rocky Mountain Way', great track from 73,
if that didn't get your foot tapping, I don't know what will.
Coming up in the next hour, tracks from the Sex Pistols, Mott The
Hoople and Janis Joplin. This is BBC Radio 2, online, on digital
radio, and on 88-91 FM.
[News break]
['Anarchy In The UK' by Sex Pistols]
This is Roger Taylor, and you're joining me in the midst of my
record collection, picking out some of my favourite rock tunes.
That was a classic from the Sex Pistols, 'Anarchy In The UK',
released as their debut single in 1976. I remember them recording
it, again with Chris Thomas producing, and it was quite a long
process I think and suddenly he walked in the room and a great
rock and roll track was born, the power and anger was unmatched,
it was fabulous, I really love that track 'Anarchy In The UK',
that became the sort of seminal punk anthem I guess, that was the
fashion then. Here's another song from the seventies, written by
someone we've already heard from in this show, Mr David Bowie,
it's Mott The Hoople and 'All The Young Dudes'.
['All The Young Dudes' by Mott The Hoople]
That was Mott The Hoople with 'All The Young Dudes', a track I
think David wrote very quickly after hearing the news that Mott
The Hoople were gonna break up, he liked the band and he thought
'ah, they can't do that, I'll write a song for them', and I think
you can hear him in the background there, and what a great song
it was, and obviously Mott The Hoople went on to write many
further hits and a glorious future for a while anyway. Next a
track from The Jimi Hendrix Experience, this track had a lot of
influence on me, if you listen to the drumming here from Mitch
Mitchell, a highly underrated drummer in my opinion, there's so
much expression, and of course it's a fabulous song anyway,
probably about one take, and here it is from The Jimi Hendrix
'Are You Experienced?' first album, 'Fire'.
['Fire' by The Jimi Hendrix Experience]
That was 'Fire' by The Jimi Hendrix Experience. Next up, another
guitar true great, Jeff Beck, with 'Big Block'
['Big Block' by Jeff Beck]
That was the great Jeff Beck, with 'Big Block'
[Advertisement break]
Next up, we have the wonderful Janis Joplin singing 'Me And Bobby
McGee'
['Me And Bobby McGee' by Janis Joplin]
Janis Joplin with 'Me And Bobby McGee'. Yeah, Janis Joplin, the
wildest woman to ever hit a stage, fantastic. Back in the
sixties, Britain seemed to give birth to some of the greatest
bands in the world, and one of those bands was undoubtedly The
Kinks, they came up with a series of some of the greatest singles
ever made, also almost inventing heavy rock, with 'You Really Got
Me'. This is the follow up to that, called 'All Day And All Of
The Night'.
['All Day And All Of The Night' by The Kinks]
'All Day, All Of The Night', Kinks. Next up, another great
British band, Rod Stewart and The Faces with 'Stay With Me'.
['Stay With Me' by The Faces]
I remember seeing a Faces gig, and it was more like a sort of
drunken party really, it was a lot of fun though, and the fun did
spread from the stage to the audience, yeah, they were, they were
a lot of fun, and another great British band was Cream. Everybody
was influenced by Cream at the time I think, Eric Clapton, Jack
Bruce, Ginger Baker, this is one of their most famous and most
imitated tracks, called 'Sunshine Of Your Love'.
['Sunshine Of Your Love' by Cream]
That was 'Sunshine Of Your Love' by Cream. This is Roger Taylor,
and you're listening to BBC Radio 2.
[Advertisement break]
It's a rare thing to find a great woman slide guitar player, but
the next act is definitely one of those, it's the wonderful
Bonnie Raitt with 'Love Letter'.
['Love Letter' by Bonnie Raitt]
That was the great Bonnie Raitt with 'Love Letter'. I remember
having the pleasure of meeting Bonnie Raitt in Elektra recording
studios on our very first trip to America, and I remember
thinking 'wow, yeah, streets are paved with gold here', turned
out they weren't. Oh well, we'll go down to Australia now, some
of the heavy guys, here they are, AC/DC with 'Back In Black'.
['Back In Black' by AC/DC]
AC/DC 'Back In Black'. Next up, we have a band that have been
known in several incarnations, but the original incarnation was
Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac. They made some fantastic records,
and this is I think my favourite of those records, this is before
the later Stevie Nicks, Lindsey Buckingham incarnation. This
track is called 'Man Of The World'.
['Man Of The World' by Fleetwood Mac]
Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac with 'Man Of The World'. Another
great English band from the sixties actually, they started then,
Deep Purple, and this is 'Speed King'. Check the drums.
['Speed King' by Deep Purple]
That was Deep Purple with 'Speed King'. Ian Paice, great
drumming, great drumming. Here's a band nobody's every heard of,
they're called Queen, and they used to start their stage act with
this song.
['One Vision' by Queen]
That was Queen with 'One Vision'. Here's a track you might not
have heard in a while.
['Get Off Of My Cloud' by The Rolling Stones]
I'm Roger Taylor, and I'd like to thank you for indulging me, and
I hope you've enjoyed some of my favourite rock tracks. This is
BBC Radio 2, online, on digital radio, and on 88-91 FM.