A native of Yorkshire, England, Paul Hyde emigrated to North America in his teens, a tough northern lad who burst on the scene in 1979 as the voice of the Payola$, a band he formed with guitarist/co-writer Bob Rock (now best known as a hit producer).
The Payola$ tallied six albums, gold and platinum records, considerable airplay and four Juno Awards. After the group dissolved in 1988 (including one lp as Rock and Hyde), Hyde went solo in 1990.
David Bowie- Aladdin Sane
A killer album from 1974. Includes the masterpiece The Jean Genie. Rocking, aggressive and confident. Bowie at his best. Fabulous greasy guitar work and madhouse piano from the late great Mick Ronson. Mick produced two albums for Payola$ and came on tour with us across Canada. He was going through a period where he didn’t feel like playing guitar so he played keyboards. I’ve never met a nicer man.He was very humble for a guitar hero/rock star. Something to do with Yorkshire perhaps. Women loved him. Men loved him because women loved him. He died from liver cancer in 1993.
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The Beatles- Sgt Peppers
They wrote the book on beautiful creative pop music. Sgt Peppers came out in 1967 when I was 12. It never gets old for me. I love collage and Pop Art from this time and the cover, by Peter Blake is perfect and I would take the record with me to the Space Station {and play it on the space station turntable}
Paul Simon- Graceland
‘Diamonds On The Soles Of Her Shoes’,
‘Graceland’ and ‘Call me Al’
Brilliant and uplifting stuff. Infectious South African rhythms and smart lyrics.What’s not to love.
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Chris Wood-Handmade Life
There’s no dancing to be had here, just superior folk music performed with dark instrumentation. Not to everyone’s taste. Splendid topical stuff from a decidedly left wing songwriter with a clear conscience. Slightly melancholic , a bit dark in places, but to my ears, uplifting too, with honest songs about real life.
Bob Marley- Legend
’No Woman No Cry’, ‘Get up, Stand up’, ‘Buffalo Soldier’ etc etc etc etc……
Most of the hits on one album. Like a breath of fresh air. Perfect for a spin around the earth in a tin can.
XTC-the singles
I loved XTC so much I was a member of their fan club. I was also fortunate to see them, twice {Victoria and Vancouver} before they stopped performing. Hard to beat these guys for inventive melodic pop songs. An avalanche of sing alongness. Tons of singles. Brilliant.
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