From today (1 August) until the middle of next week (6 August) Glen Matlock will be discussing his teenage years as a Sex Pistol at this year’s Edinburgh Festival. Taking part in the fringe at the Spiegeltent Palazzo, Assembly, George Square Gardens, he’s made Q this Playlist of the tracks that inspired his punk years.
Gene Vincent – Bebop A Lula
“Of all the earlier rock and rollers, Gene takes the biscuit and his fragile beauty oozes out through every note he sings.”
Booker T & The MGs – Green Onions
“The epitome of cool. Spare, sparse and succinct, put to fine use in the shoot out scene in Scorsese’s Mean Streets which whenever I hear it,takes me in an instant right back to the Parisian premiere I saw when I was a young feller me lad.”
Sensational Alex Harvey Band – Faith Healer
“Pre punk, these fellers were completely out there. Their menacing stage presence and top notch playing, all coming together in this majestically brooding mini opus.
How did they get that pulsing sound back then?”
Faces – You Can Make Me Dance
“The most uplifting song I can think of and the only drag being not getting to play it live when I did a handful of shows with 3/5 of these likely lads a few years back. Did get to knock it through at rehearsals one time though – that’ll do.”
Anthony Newley – What Kind Of Fool Am I?
“Every time I hear a cover which I dig – Muse doing Feeling Good – which I had down as a Nina Simone song, I find that Mr Newley wrote it. This is the jewel in his crown.”
The Kinks – Dead End Street
“Such is the power of Ray Davies songwriting, as a 10 year old or thereabouts, I 99-percent believed he had written this about me and my family. The rent collectors out and trying to get in… Soon learned otherwise though!”
Humble Pie – I Don’t Need No Doctor
“Best track on the best live album by the best vocalist ever – it’s a gas.”
The Rolling Stones – Midnight Rambler
Dark and dangerous and grooves just so in so many insiduous little ways.
Pink Floyd – Lucifer Sam
“When they were cool they were cool and Syd was thankfully into moving his lips the day they recored this.”
Captain Beefheart – Big Eyed Beans From Venus
“Distant cousins there’s a limited supply – just as well we have a few one offs like Mr van Vliet and they weren’t called the magic band for nothing.”
For more information and to get tickets head to Edfringe.com.
