"Ask the Green Man where he comes from,

ask the cup that fills with red;
ask the old grey standing stones

that show the sun his way to bed."

- Jethro Tull (Cup Of Wonder)

My own music doesn't sound remotely like anything that follows, but nevertheless the artists and these works in particular, have inspired me through the years.  It's only a small sample of a much larger list of varied music; please explore it more if you're interested. It's roughly alphabetical and I have included links from the pictures where available.

INFLUENCES A - M

 Big Country, The Seer. An often underrated Scottish rock group with a strong Celtic-Folk inspiration. Kate Bush does a nice backing on the title track. Stuart Adamson (formerly of The Skids) was a very talented songwriter. 

Clannad, Lore. Celtic folk group noted for their dark and haunting chants and harmonies, particularly strong on this album. Maire Brennan eventually became Enya.

Havergal Brian, 3rd Symphony. I can't get enough of this stuff, a very unique and distinctive composer. His first symphony Gothic is also worth a listen. For inspirational creative classical composers I should recommend at least these from my favourites: Lutoslowski, Bax, Mahler, Lalo, Rimsky-Korsakov, Dvorjak  and Sibelius. Get the volume  up.

 Jethro Tull,  Songs From The Wood. Probably one of my my all-time favourite musicians, is Iain Anderson. A competent flautist and composer, his music ranges from rock and blues through jazz to mediaeval and Celtic folk music. For me, Tull's other definitive albums are Heavy Horses, Minstrel In The Gallery  and Roots To Branches.  

The Levellers, Levelling The Land. Named after the 18th Century social and political reformists of the same name, the Levellers are often labelled "new agey" and don't get the credit they deserve. Their lyrics are political and environmental, and their style is folk-rock. They're a very accomplished live act, and a mainstay of live festival music.

The Mediaeval Baebes, Worlde's Bylsse. Surprisingly nape-prickling chant-dancing music from oldenne tymes, using old fashioned instruments and often singing in old dialects, their choral voices are very powerful, and they're a wonderful act live. They're also all stunningly beautiful. Salva Nos is also another good album.   

The Moody Blues, On The Threshold Of A Dream. I was about 12 when I got into the Moody Blues. They don't fit into any musical category, flirting with psychedelia, prog-rock and prog-folk. Like Tull, they're very prolific artists and have been an inspiration of mine for years. Another fave LP is To Our Children's Children's Children.

INFLUENCES N-Z