LAST NIGHT A RECORD
CHANGED MY LIFE Snooker and prog don Steve Davis glorifies Magma’s Mekanïk Destruktïw` Kommandöh (A&M, 1973).
“It was in Plumstead in 1973. I was 16, 17. My head was in the clouds – of snooker, and music. Gentle Giant were my favourite prog rock band. One night I went to a friend’s house and he put on Mekanïk Destruktï`w Kommandöh. I thought it was a pile of shit, really rubbish.
I was also into Caravan, Hatfield And The North, Canterbury bands. We went to see Isotope, who were supporting Magma at the Roundhouse. We were going to leave, but we didn’t, and when Magma came on-stage it was like I’d witnessed the second coming. I immediately bought the album and my whole listening habits changed.
It’s a struggle to sell it to people. You might say, say a dollop of classical, a dollop of jazz and a dollop of rock, in a blender, and what comes out is the best mixture of those ingredients. The album’s effectively one piece, taking you on a journey in the same way classical music does. Christian Vander is an incredible, creative drummer, it’s got a swing to it, even though it’s regimented. It’s not just about the notes or the great basslines, it’s bigger than its parts. He just seemed to tap into something otherworldly, which is nothing to do with them singing in an invented language about another planet, I totally remove myself from the science fiction/ operatic thing, which they quickly got rid of. You have to see them live, to see how magnificent they can be. Euphoria is a part of Magma’s music.
It’s been my most-played album, up and down motorways late at night, after doing snooker exhibitions. If it wasn’t for it, and the path I went down, I wouldn’t be here, with [new band] The Utopia Strong. I do know Magma but I’ve not spoken to Christian Vander much. I’m happy to have him on a pedestal, you know?”