Gareth Hudson has established a remarkable early career as a composer, performer and record producer. He’s the next local muso to answer the Newcastle Live Desert 5 challenge.
Selecting 5 albums you would want to take with you to a desert island is a hard task for anyone let alone a producer. Gareth’s list give us an insight into what inspires his playing and what he wants to capture when recording artists in his studio… He even snuck in a boxset!
MOONBURN – JON CLEARY | I was up late one night and caught a live performance of him on the ABC. He was performing with his band The Monster Gentleman and I went straight out the next day and bought this album. He is based in New Orleans and is influenced by that style of piano playing. I particularly like the ballad ‘Help Me Somebody’ on this album.
SONGS IN THE KEY OF LIFE – STEVIE WONDER | I love all the Stevie albums. His melodies and chord progressions are like no one else’s. This album takes me back to late high school and I think I bought the album after watching the ‘Classic Albums’ documentary. It’s a musical journey with so many styles and influences coming through each track – jazz, fusion, world, R&B, rock. It also has some crazy guest artists including Herbie Hancock and George Benson.
THE BEATLES BOX SET | My parents didn’t have individual Beatles albums in their collection, but they did have a box set of Vinyl of about 12 records, which chronologically featured all their hits. So I never really knew which songs featured on which Beatles album while growing up. I can’t pick a favorite Beatles album…
ODESSEY & ORACLE – ZOMBIES | I heard ‘This Will Be Our Year’ on the radio and went straight out to find a copy of this album. Released in the late 60’s, it came out around other great albums like Sgt. Peppers and Pet Sounds, and I think this is just as good! I love all the keyboard tones, and the production in general. It’s such a great sound!
IN UTERO – NIRVANA | My favourite Nirvana album! From the very first chord, it’s bursting with energy and angst. The guitar sounds are incredible, and it’s a great listen through headphones to hear all the guitar parts weaving together. It’s another album that takes me back to late high school.
Gareth’s band, Hudson Arc has their Newcastle CD launch at The Grand Hotel on the 31st of May. Check out the event page on Facebook here – www.facebook.com/hudsonarc . Hudson Arc’s album In an Ocean of Sacrifice is on iTunes. You can download it here – https://itunes.apple.com/au/album/in-an-ocean-of-sacrifice/id511224386
