The first song I remember hearing
The Tornados – ‘Telstar’
“It’s very hard for me to remember – I have a really bad memory. That’s probably a good thing for a snooker player and a sportsperson – you can forget all the bad moments that happen. I do remember hearing ‘Telstar’, which was an early electronic single that was in the charts, about a satellite. That was quite catchy.”
The song that got me interested in music
Unit 4 + 2 – ‘Concrete & Clay’
“It seemed a bit different to everything else that was around. One of the people in Unit 4 + 2 was a guy called Russ Ballard who went on to join a band called Argent, which I went on to like when I was older. Perhaps he was involved in the writing – that may have been what made my ears prick up.”
The first single I bought
Neil Young – ‘Heart Of Gold’
“I just loved it. At that stage I had pocket money, but I didn’t want to blow it all on the album so I just bought the single. I got that from a record shop in Woolwich.”
The first album I bought
Argent – ‘In Deep’
“It was progressive rock, but not like how prog rock turned out in the end. They had a bit more about them. The first proggy track I ever liked was Argent’s ‘Hold Your Head Up’ – it had a long keyboard solo in it. I’d never heard anyone go off on one like that. It was different to what was going on in the charts.”
The first gig I went to
Gentle Giant, London Theatre Royal, 1974
“They became my favourite prog rock artist. While most people went down the road of Yes and Genesis, I much preferred Gentle Giant. I thought they were a lot more inventive.”
The song I can no longer listen to
Chas & Dave – ‘Snooker Loopy’
“I don’t dislike it – but who’d have thought I’d have been a pop star with Chas & Dave and got to Number 6? We were ahead of Madonna and Whitney Houston in the charts! I’m not pooh-poohing it, but I feel like it’s been done to death.”
The song that makes me dance
Cyrus – ‘Inversion’
“It’s a dub techno record from a legendary label and artist called Basic Channel from Berlin, but they also put out music as Cyrus. They’re the grandfathers of dub techno – it’s not trance, but it’s trancelike. It goes on for quite a while – it’s a very infectious piece of music. You have to listen to it!”
Steve Davis & Kavus Torabi are set to play this year’s Standon Calling, July 27-30 in Hertfordshire