MBW’s Key Songs In The Life Of… is a collection by which we ask influential music business figures in regards to the tracks which have – to date – outlined their journey and their existence. Taking her flip this time spherical is Warner Music UK‘s Chief Working Officer (and former head of the legendary Abbey Highway Studios), Isabel Garvey. The Key Songs… collection is supported by Sony Music Publishing.
Isabel Garvey is at pains to level out (twice, the truth is) that she is “not an A&R particular person”.
And it’s true, she isn’t. She is Chief Working Officer at Warner Music UK.
She joined the most important in Could 2023, having beforehand been the Managing Director of Abbey Highway Studios for the very best a part of a decade.
Her insistence on readability re. the absence of A&R obligations isn’t, nonetheless, in case of any job title confusion, it’s as a result of she’s apprehensive that her alternative of Key Songs is “too mainstream” as a result of the truth that “I’m basically a Prime 40 fan”.
She needn’t fear, after all. Mainly as a result of, frankly, what the hell’s improper with that? But additionally as a result of her choices are what they need to be: a mirrored image on her life and a soundtrack to her profession. Or, as she places it: “I picked songs that took me again to moments, both in my private life or my working life. The issue got here after I began second guessing myself: ‘Is the correct listing to place in entrance of the business?’
“I’m additionally surrounded by music day-after-day, so there’s a lot to select from, which is why I saved coming again to that steering of associating my ultimate selections with vital recollections.”
The top end result goes from jazz to consummate dance pop by way of the best group to ever choose up guitars. From Brubek to bangers by way of The Beatles. And nobody, not even the snootiest A&R, goes to have an issue with that…
1) Dave Brubek, Take 5 (1959)
I’m one in every of 4 women, and after I was rising up my dad used to take himself off on a Sunday to take heed to jazz on vinyl, it was fairly spiritual for him. Jazz was very a lot a part of the soundtrack to my very earliest days, listening to trumpets and piano popping out of his room whereas he escaped for a few hours!
It introduced a form of calm to the home – which wasn’t all the time there due to there being 4 women. I affiliate it with the odor of print from the Sunday papers, and it’s only a very heat reminiscence for me.
“I nonetheless love jazz to today, to the extent that I’m presently making an attempt desperately to pressure my eight-year-old to be taught the trumpet.”
It additionally clearly seeped in, as a result of I nonetheless love jazz to today, to the extent that I’m presently making an attempt desperately to pressure my eight-year-old to be taught the trumpet.
There was a number of music in the home usually. My mum truly grew up in a really classical music atmosphere. And, like I say, my dad was actually into his jazz. However then each time we’d go on automobile journeys we’d pressure him to place musical soundtracks on whereas all 4 of us sang our heads off.
I feel that’s why he wanted his Sundays.
2) Aha, Take On Me (1985)
I’m a pop lady at coronary heart, with fairly mainstream tastes, and that is simply nice pop music that viscerally takes me again to my teenagers.
It’s additionally in all probability to do with my first crush, as a result of it coincided with a time the place you’ve beforehand simply been listening to the Prime 40 on radio, then you definitely begin to join the songs with the movies. This was a very intelligent video after all, and it didn’t damage that Morten Harket was such a good-looking frontman.
I keep in mind going to purchase the vinyl and enjoying it to dying. It was the period of Top of the Pops, which was like a non secular expertise, and recording the Prime 40 on my cassette recorder despartately making an attempt to ensure I pressed pause play in the correct sequence to keep away from the DJ voice over!
3) Corona, Rhythm of the Night time (1993)
This takes me again to nighttime golf equipment, rising up in Dublin and being with all my childhood pals.
This was our music, it was the one the place you set your bag down and also you went onto the dance flooring.
I struggled to select only one observe from that period of dance music, as a result of there was a lot of it that we beloved.
There was Haddaway, there was Daft Punk, there was Darude… they’re all tracks that take me again to an actual time and place and convey me so many pleasure, nonetheless to today.
“I used to be at a celebration just lately, this got here on and I couldn’t have been happier! It’s wonderful the affect one observe can have.”
In reality, I used to be at a celebration just lately and this got here on and I couldn’t have been happier! It’s wonderful the affect one observe can have.
It was a good time to be going out in Dublin, whether or not to bars that hosted stay gigs with DJs approaching after. or the golf equipment on Leeson Road.
4) U2, I Nonetheless Haven’t Discovered What I’m Trying For (1987)
Being Irish, I can’t undergo this listing with out having a U2 observe – it’s the legislation. So I’ve gone with I Nonetheless Haven’t Discovered What I’m Trying For.
I got here to The Joshua Tree fairly late, truly. I imply clearly U2 have been all over the place in Eire, particularly Dublin, after I was rising up, however I got here to the storytelling side of this period some time after it first got here out. It’s now an album and a music that I’m going again to time and time once more.
I feel it simply hit me greater than the early stuff and it’s in all probability extra my musical model. There are some fairly onerous hitting political lyrics in there, however with this one, on a private stage, you’re in your twenties and also you’re like, so the place is that this bloody knight in shining armor?!
I’ve seen them stay a number of instances, however the one I keep in mind most was from their Elevation tour after they performed Earl’s Court docket. I obtained in actually early and I used to be proper on the entrance. It was simply such a second.
“they couldn’t consider an Irish girl runs Abbey Highway! They beloved that.”
Everybody in Dublin has a narrative about Bono. There’s a pub they hand around in Dalkey, which is the realm they stay in. I’d seen them in there a few instances and mentioned good day. After which in true Irish model you spend the remainder of the night pretending they’re not well-known.
After which at Abbey Highway I had a stunning second. They did a Christmas particular in Studio One and I obtained to face within the room whereas they recorded. To face two ft away from U2 doing all of the hits was simply unbelievable.
And they’re so pretty, so good. I keep in mind them saying they couldn’t consider an Irish girl runs Abbey Highway! They beloved that.
5) Coldplay, Velocity of Sound (2005)
This isn’t truly my favourite Coldplay music, however the cause I picked it’s as a result of it has a very particular place in my reminiscence financial institution.
I joined EMI Music, which was my first job within the music business, in late 2004, simply as X&Y was about to return out. It was clearly a massively vital album for the band and for EMI.
The build-up to it contained one in every of my most surreal moments of being an government in recorded music. I used to be in a boardroom as a part of a bunch who have been all males, aside from me. It was the Parlophone gang and the entire management of EMI, listening to the file to attempt to determine the lead single.
They performed three songs and finally selected Velocity of Sound. So, to start with, how thrilling is it to be one of many first individuals on the earth to listen to this? However, extra bizarrely, in a boardroom filled with music males, when this music began, everybody began doing one thing: air guitar, air drums, standing up and correctly swaying round and dancing.
I used to be like, what the hell… I didn’t realise you needed to do one thing? Can I get away with simply tapping a pencil?
It was a tremendous period for EMI. Coldplay have been severely established at that stage, plus there was Gorillaz, there was Corinne Bailey Raye, there was KT Tunstall. We have been on an actual run, and it was all actually resonating within the US as effectively.
Extra just lately, I noticed Coldplay at Glastonbury final 12 months they usually have been simply wonderful. The best way they will get 100,000 individuals to expertise one thing that’s really unqiue and transferring… I truly took my children to that and at one level my seven-year-old son mentioned, ‘Are all gigs like this?’ If solely!
6) Ed Sheeran, The A Workforce (2011)
One other pretty human, and being only a small a part of his profession is one other privilege of working on this business, which we will generally take without any consideration.
Ed was newly signed to Atlantic after I joined Warner first time round. He got here into a global assembly and performed A Workforce, simply him and a ukelele. Whilst a non-A&R particular person, I knew he was wonderful immediately – to see such uncooked expertise at that proximity was unbelievable.
“he turns into one of many greatest artists on the earth. And I’m left pondering, I noticed him in a boardroom!”
It’s a part of the magic of this enterprise that we now have A&R individuals like Ed Howard and Max Lousada, who discovered Ed and understood fully his artistic imaginative and prescient and the success he wished to attain, plus advertising groups who understood find out how to place all the things and get behind it – and from there he turns into one of many greatest artists on the earth. And I’m left pondering, I noticed him in a boardroom!
Ed has an absolute magic components: an amazingly proficient artist, an distinctive songwriter, an outstanding performer, a wonderful character who can win over the media and followers – and who can do all of it with good grace.
7) The Beatles, Come Collectively (1969)
Clearly I needed to have not less than one observe with an Abbey Highway connection, and this one simply appeared good.
Operating Abbey Highway for eight years has been one of many absolute privileges of my life. It’s only a phenomenal place, steeped in historical past. You continue to get the goosebumps going up the steps.
After all its story is so interwoven with the Beatles, and this explicit music is from Abbey Highway, which is the album that named the studio. Till then, it had all the time been generally known as EMI Studios.
The connection between the 2 is magical, and while you convey individuals to the studio, the very first thing they need to see is Studio Two, the Girl Madonna piano, and so forth.
These are the fables that the studio is constructed on, however they’re not fables; they’re a part of the truth of that constructing, they’re the results of how the Fab 4 – together with Sir George Martin – labored with that studio.
We did a number of playbacks of Beatles songs, and that is one which we used quite a bit, so it’s ingrained in me as a observe that represents my time there.
My time at Abbey Highway was filled with very surreal moments: I’m in Abbey Highway, which is mad sufficient, I’m working Abbey Highway, which is loopy – and now I’m simply casually saying good day to Paul McCartney within the hall!
8) Dua Lipa, Levitating (2020)
I truly really feel like I owe so much to Dua Lipa, for this music and this album. It got here out in lockdown after we have been all within the depths of despair, a number of us struggling fairly a bit with this unprecedented state of affairs, after which there’s this irresistibly joyful and uplifting album reminding us that we’ll be again on the market at a while sooner or later.
One factor I did to protect my sanity in lockdown was go for a run alongside the Thames, and I might ensure I planted this music midway by way of my playlists to elevate me and hold me going.
It was the album all of us wanted. It was form of a throw again to the eighties, and to the times of disco, so it was each acquainted and new – all made even higher by an outstanding voice. It was my salvation.
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