Hailing from near-ish to the actual Hooton Lawn Tennis Club, Liverpool band Hooton Tennis Club will release debut album Highest Point In Cliff Town on 28 August, teased next week (29 June) by new single, and former Track Of The Day Kathleen Sat On The Arm Of Her Favourite Chair. Providing some insight into their influenced – something a lot of people, musician or otherwise, will empathise with, the band have made us this Playlist of “Songs our dads played us to selfishly mould and manipulate our budding musical tastes”. “It is the right of every parent to try to and selfishly manipulate the musical taste of their children to match their own: I like Led Zeppelin, and I’ll be damned if you don’t like them too!” they explain. “Do we honestly like the music that our parents played us, or is it just musical Stockholm syndrome? Meh. Who knows? Who cares? This is a playlist of songs that our Dad’s made us listen to.”
Harry (drums)
James Taylor – Mexico
“Mexico reminds me of France. Northern France was our go-to family holiday destination, and I seem to remember that James Taylor’s Classic Songs was my Dad’s go-to CD for the car. I don’t remember ever listening to it on the four week (approx.) drive from Chester to Plymouth, but as soon as we got off the ferry at Roscoff or Calais, James went straight into the CD player and everything instantly became sunny and happy stuff. Mexico instantly reminds me of sitting in the back seat of the car with George, Jack, loads of blankets and pillows, and a free bottle of Orangina that they gave you as you left the ferry port. I’ve still got that CD, it’s quite old, the spine is cracking and James’ hair is greying on the cover photo, but it still gets a run out in the car quite often.”
The Drifters – At The Club
“I don’t really have a specific memory relating to this song, but I remember that my Dad played The Very Best Of Ben E King and The Drifters in the car quite often. The CD had a cartoon drawing of the band on the front, and I’m pretty sure that the inner sleeve was completely stuck together with some sticky drink that had been spilt over it. I don’t think my Dad has ever been a huge fan of The Drifters, but I seem to remember that between 1997 and 2004, whenever I’d look in the glove-box of the car I would see that Drifters CD. I’ve just listened to the album and… boy-oh-boy! It’s packed with hits! How could I have forgotten You’re More Than A Number In My Little Red Book and Kissin’ In The Back Row Of The Movies?”
The Beach Boys – Help Me Rhonda (Single Version)
“I remember hearing When I Grown Up (To Be A Man) and I Get Around on the soundtrack to Look Who’s Talking when I was in Year 3. I liked those songs so much that my Dad bought me a copy of 20 Golden Greats on CD (my Dad already had the record, but I wasn’t cool enough to like vinyl when I was seven, man) and made me listen to Help Me Rhonda. I must have reeeally liked that CD because I talked to my Year 3 teacher about it and she made me do a Beach Boys themed presentation to the rest of the class. I’m sure all the snotty seven year-olds were thrilled to hear my opinions on Surfin’ USA and Fun, Fun, Fun.”
Callum (bass)
Carmel – Storm
“The first song my Dad played after a 12 year-old me ventured into my Nan’s loft to dig out her old record player. Carmel’s warm, soaring and ultimately unbelievable vocal are in direct contrast to the freakish, art jazz bridge. Although I didn’t really understand it from the off, the twisted darkness of the track and the sheer noise and pace achieved through the understated instrumentation has always stuck with me.”
The Beat – Stand Down Margaret
“Politics! Yeah! Released during the Thatcher reign, a golden era for insurrectionist anthems, it’s been a rather long time since my dad showed me this song and yet, it is still very relevant today. An up tempo reggae ska beat and African hi-life guitar, hides the message within. ‘I said I see no joy, I see only sorrow, I see no chance of your bright new tomorrow’. Clearly dad was trying to politicise me from an early age, but being so young I didn’t really care for lyrics and was happy to bop around to the music.”
The Smiths – What Difference Does It Make?
“This is a track, from an album, from a band, that every Dad should force upon their young sons. This particular song from the eponymously titled album allowed my Dad to teach me a very valuable lesson. I’d typed the lyrics to this song out on our old HP Pavilion computer (complete with dial up broadband) and slightly changed them in order to create what I assumed would be a new song. Clutching the freshly printed lyric sheet in my grubby mitts, I proudly showed my Dad my accomplishment. He instantly noticed that I’d kept the chorus the same, lambasted me for plagiarism Morrissey would have been proud with, and sent me on my way.”
Ryan (vocals/ guitar)
Michael Jackson – Leave Me Alone
“My Dad has Michael Jackson’s Moonwalker on VHS. I specifically remember watching, and re-watching that film – sat on the floor with my sister, Georgia; surrounded by plastic toys, games, and Lego. We just couldn’t figure it out! The bit for Leave Me Alone is like a sort of video collage. There’s this part where Michael is going down a log flume type thing into some gnashing teeth, and then later on he’s part of the roller-coaster! Growing up I used to play a lot of video games (still do), and I thought that the Leave Me Alone video was supposed to be like that: a side-scrolling, action-adventure game, featuring some guy that sang the bad guys away. Things like Moonwalker definitely had an influence on me. I do a lot of collage in my spare time, and sometimes I pretend that I’m Crash Bandicoot.”
Daft Punk – Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger
“We’re off to France again. My Dad’s old red Ford Escort had a choke, a spoiler, and (most importantly) a tape player – it was fucking legendary! We used listen to loads of Daft Punk on our way to Brittany. My sister and I knew all the words to Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger. We liked that one the best because we could make up ‘dance moves’ to the words in the back of the car (punching your own palm for ‘harder’, pointing at yourself for ‘better’, etc). Sometimes we’d fight – my sister and I – and my Dad would stuff a load of pillows between us, but when Discovery came on there was always a truce.”
James (vocals/ guitar)
Utopia – Singring And The Glass Guitar
“My Dad turned me onto Todd Rundgren without me even realising until writing this. Most evenings my Dad could be found at the record player in the front room; lying on his belly, crossed legged with our dog Lucy perched on his lower back. Like most kids, my attention span was nil. Unfortunately, it still is – I blame it on being part of an ADD generation. So I’m not going to lie and say I listened to the whole 18minutes of this epic. Coming back to this as a Todd fan now, and the memories of hearing it as a kid, I desperately want to start a soft rock/progressive rock band.”
Black Sabbath – War Pigs
“There would be a loud leak of music from my Dads cans; an almighty oppressive sound overpowering the sound of the television. A storm would be brewing in our front room as the first minute of the track played out. The whole family knew Sabbath was being spun in the record player. My mum would turn to me and my brother with a look of utter disgust, ‘Every night he plays those records at that volume!’. Rock on, Dad.”
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