Alex Turner’s favourite 45 single release
Sheffield’s finest Arctic Monkeys have been a staple of the British indie scene since the early 2000s, and despite having six LPs to their name and one on the way this October, the band have never seemed to falter. Although they keep their discography fresh with a breadth of influences mingling at once to create new and interesting sounds, it is perhaps Alex Turner’s songwriting skills that are the band’s driving force.
Turner has frequently cited wide-ranging influences for his music, including The Strokes, (as the lyrics to ‘Star Treatment’ directly reference), Leonard Cohen, Wu-Tang Clan, The Streets, and Nick Cave. His eclectic taste seems to inform his work, and an informed knowledge of poetry also shapes his writing style, most notably the work of John Cooper Clarke, whose poem ‘I Wanna Be Yours’ was adapted by Turner for the Arctic Monkeys’ album AM.
Acting as lead guitarist and vocalist, Turner has transformed from a shy and reserved frontman, once described in 2006 as “a little spooked by the attention,” into a swaggering, leather-clad rockstar. How much of this is a persona to mask his reported “awkwardness” over performing, we cannot be too sure of. But one thing is clear, Turner hasn’t just adopted the look of a rockstar, he really is dedicated to music.
Consistently releasing incredible albums with both Arctic Monkeys and The Last Shadow Puppets alongside Miles Kane, as well as a lovely little EP for the soundtrack of Richard Ayoade’s 2010 film Submarine, Turner is a force to be reckoned with.
Despite the major influence of classic indie bands and 60s crooners, Turner hasn’t shied away from other genres, with covers available on YouTube of Turner singing anything from Girls Aloud to Patsy Cline.
In 2007, Arctic Monkeys covered Shirley Bassey’s ‘Goldfinger,’ which originated as a joke between them and producer James Ford. Some may see this as an unusual choice for the band, but it turns out Turner is actually a massive Bassey fan.
In an interview with NME, Turner revealed that one of his favourite 45s is ‘Dangerous Game’ by Bassey. He explained: “When I’m at home, one of the last things I do before I leave to go on tour is to put a record on. It’s one of the first things I do when I get back again too. We listen to music every day as a band, but there’s nothing quite like sitting there with your turntable, playing a record in its entirety.”
He continued, “One of my favourite 45s is by Shirley Bassey. It’s ‘Big Spender’ on the A-side but the B-side is this song called ‘Dangerous Games’, which I’ve never really heard anybody talk about. It’s amazing, quite Bond, but I don’t think it was for a movie. I’ve always wanted to cover it, and I think it’s mad it’s just a B-side.”
Listen to the track below:
