Brian Tatler - Diamond Head
All of us have one or two bands that perfectly capture the moment when we lost ourselves to the majesty of this crazy music we all love so much. For all the Sadmen - but particularly for Mark, who is resolutely myopic when it comes to this once-upon-a-time four-piece from the West Midlands - one of those bands is Diamond Head.
Legendary is a term that’s bandied about too liberally to describe some rock bands. Sometimes it’s because of their behaviour. Sometimes it’s because of their members’ very public love lives. In the case of Diamond Head, the legend lies in their music. Don’t get us wrong - the Head could tear it up on- and off-stage with the best of them back in the day (who knows, maybe even in this day) - but those of us who’ve been there since the start will always come back to the music.
So, believe us when we say it was a real privilege and honour to have founding member, songwriter and lead guitarist Brian Tatler agree to be our very first guest.
Brian’s Top 10 albums of all time, together with his words about each, are listed in true Alan ‘Fluff’ Freeman countdown style further down the page.
You can listen to the interview in full by clicking the player below.
You also can hear what we had to say about Lightning To The Nations when we reviewed it, along with Whitesnake’s Ready An’ Willing and Motörhead’s Ace Of Spades in our first visit back to 1980.
Brian’s Top 10 Albums of All Time
10. Judas Priest - Sad Wings Of Destiny (1975)
“An absolutely brilliant album. One of Judas Priest’s early ones and I love it.
“It’s so varied and it was such an original sound. I never really tire of playing this album. They just kept getting better and better, but for me this is where it all started.
“I grew up listening to Judas Priest, Sabbath, Purple and Zeppelin, obviously, so this is one I always come back to.”
9. AC/DC - Let There Be Rock (1977)
“My favourite AC/DC album. I first saw them in ‘77. Incredible.
“There was nothing like them and when they first appeared it felt almost like a bar band had come over from Australia
“It’s just so raw and exciting. The riffs, the guitar sound, the simple drums and bass, the tongue in cheek lyrics.
“Malcolm (Young) had an iron fist, telling people to stay in position. Let Angus be the star. That takes a lot of discipline.”
8. Steely Dan - Aja (1977)
“This is probably their biggest selling album. I've been a fan since the mid to late Seventies.
“I'm a rocker and everybody I mix with goes on about Motörhead and Slayer and Iron Maiden and all that, and I’m probably not supposed to like Steely Dan. But I think it's like a guilty pleasure and I've always liked them.
“I think it's like some of the most crafted music on the planet and I think, ‘Why not? Why shouldn't I like it?’”
7. Rush - Moving Pictures (1981)
“This is their best album for me. I think it was all growing to that point. I bought A Farewell To Kings and then I just thought that Moving Pictures was just brilliant.
“Tom Sawyer, Red Barchetta … there’s really nothing on this album I don’t like. And what a great sound as well. So clean and tidy.
“Just three guys. What a great combination of players. A very rare thing. And for them to last so long as a three piece … it's almost unique, you know? Ultimate respect.”
6. Deep Purple - Machine Head (1972)
“Machine Head is the Purple classic. Ritchie Blackmore is one of the main reasons I learned to play the guitar, why I actually studied and took it seriously. Once I heard the solo in Highway Star, I just thought, ‘Okay, I'm going to have to practice ...’
“So, yes - Blackmore is one of the main influences on my career and my style and why I took it up seriously. And I think this is a brilliant album.
“Again, every track on a Machine Head is fantastic, but for me Pictures of Home is the one. Not everybody knows that track, but whenever it comes on, I always think, Wow! Just magnificent.”
5. David Bowie - The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and The Spiders From Mars (1972)
“Another brilliant album. I've had this album maybe 40 years and I never get tired of it. I've listened to it over and over again.
“I love albums where you can put them on and there isn't a track on there that annoys you. It all seems to flow.
“Ziggy's a rock album. And I think that's why it really appeals to me. It's quite simple - guitars, bass, drums, piano - and it’s made a lasting impression on me. Bowie was just an incredible talent.”
4. U2 - The Joshua Tree (1987)
“I saw U2 in ‘83 and I was blown away and I've been a fan ever since. And when this album came out in 87, I just thought it was easily their best album up to that point.
“With Or Without You, Where The Streets Have No Name and I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For were obviously the hits, but I liked every track a lot.
“I went to see them three times on the Joshua Tree tour and they were fantastic - one of the best live bands I've ever seen.
“So, yeah … it's a great album and Bono is a great singer. He's one of my favorite singers, actually.”
3. Donald Fagen - The Nightfly (1982)
“I like albums that I can relax to, as much as rock out to.
“This isn’t an album that influenced me in any way, but it's an album I can listen to, to chill or relax to, and I can just fall into the quality of the production and the playing and the grooves.
“I always recommend when I meet somebody who hasn't heard it. I'm quite shocked at that. And I talk them to death until they go and listen to it, and if they don't like it, I'm bewildered … lost!”
2. Pink Floyd - The Dark Side Of The Moon (1973)
“Dark Side Of The Moon is the most perfect album from start to finish. The track links, the quality of the writing, the lyrics and the performances … just a gorgeous mood. I never get tired of it.
“As a young man trying to impress, I favoured Michael Schenker, Ritchie Blackmore and Eddie Van Halen. They were showy, and Gilmour’s understated.
“The older I get, the more and more I appreciate people like Eric Clapton and Mark Knopfler. But when I was 18, 19, I probably still thought I could be the fastest gun in the West.”
1. Led Zeppelin - Physical Graffiti (1975)
“I think a lot of people know that I’m a Led Zeppelin fan, and my favorite song of all time is Kashmir, which is on Physical Graffiti. So, that's an incredible album to me, with loads of brilliant songs.
“It’s amazing how many different styles Zeppelin were able to touch upon in their career and bands don't seem to do that nowadays. Now they're a lot more stylized, you know? They’ve got their style, and they stick to it.
“They don't do an acoustic or reggae song, or something. It was okay to do that in the Seventies, but not anymore. And it’s sort of a shame.”