"before you can play two notes, learn how to play one note"

"and don't play one note unless you've got a reason to play it"

Regular readers of this very blog will know by now, that I'm very much into music in a big way. You will also know by now, that I believe there is a very tight relationship between music and photography.

Some people are able to conjure up mental images whilst listening to music. Others simply 'feel' a mood when listening to music, and that is certainly how I feel when I make images with my camera. I 'feel' things when I compose and when I'm working in my digital dark-room too. It's of no surprise that in the musical world, musicians use words like 'dark' and 'bright' to describe the 'texture' or timbre of a sound, or the mood of a piece of music. The same happens when people look at images, they seem to conjure up moods and feelings that are often stirred when listening to music.

Certainly for me, I find that some of my favourite music seems to accompany me whilst I'm out on location making images. My own music collection seems to act as a canvas for my own image making process.

I discovered tonight that one of my all time favourite albums has been re-issued. It's a difficult album for some to listen to, but it was so different at the time of its release. No one saw that it would inspire and be used as a template by prominent bands like Radiohead (for one example) in the coming years. Talk Talk's Spirit of Eden has a lot to offer the listener who's prepared to engage and work at growing into this 'sound canvas'. I even think the art-work is an inspired accompaniment to the music contained within the sleeve.

So for those of you who already own this, you may be interested to know that it's been released as a 180g vinyl release with a special 96khz DVD rom of the entire album (mmmm.... mine has already been ordered). But has also been re-issued on CD too and apparently it's the clearest remaster to date.

This album has given me so much inspiration over the years. So much so that I can't overstate it. It has shown me that you should stay true to your own direction and even if popular culture is going one way, it's ok to swim against the tide. There was nothing 1988 about this album upon its release. It was brave. It made its own statement and it was confident to be what it was, to not follow current trends. I think that alone, was a message that was powerfully demonstrated for me.

I hope you have albums like that in your collection. One's that illustrate individuality, and one's that can, perhaps, help guide you along in your own creative development.