Ty Segall’s favourite albums: “It’s gonna get weird”
Ty Segall has cemented his reputation as a modern torchbearer of classic rock sensibilities. He’s a fearless creative with a habit of creating kaleidoscopic albums that burst at the seams with musicality. He’s a deeply innovative artist whose methodology is grounded in an appreciation for the greats, citing Black Sabbath and the Ramones as major influences.
Moulding his artistry from the colourful streets of California, from where he hails, Segall has always been a bastion of the counterculture that he has expressed through a psychedelic vernacular. But don’t get it twisted; while Segall’s work might present itself with the warmth of technicolour, it’s constantly evading the limitations of artistic complacency, extending beyond just simple psych-rock. He harnesses his free-spirit attitude to pursue innovation and creates art that evolves with each incarnation.
“I get excited by the idea of pushing people that like my previous records,” Segall once said. “It’s like how I enjoy with some of my favourite artists, where they’re like, ‘Oh, so you like this poppy record? Ok. Can you handle the really fucked-up one that comes after it?’ If you’re still buying the ticket to the ride, well, alright, let’s keep going”.
The lyricism of The Beatles wasn’t the only thing Segall used to put up his stall of artistic values. No, the very act of defying expectations was a craft mastered by the Liverpudlian four-piece, and it’s something Segall was very aware of while deciding how to forge his own career arc.
His 2018 record Freedom’s Goblin was a double album that showcased his ability to master several genres, from tender folk to heavy rock. It was a method of approach deeply informed by legends who came before him: “The concept of that record was to be as varied and random as possible. At certain points of my life, the Beatles’ White Album is my favourite record, or Electric Ladyland by Jimi Hendrix. I love the format of a double LP where there’s a lot of space and you can be more free and open with your writing,” he told Tidal.
And when it came to his own execution of recording a double album, he followed in their fearless footsteps. He leant into the esoteric, safe in the knowledge that he’s cultivated a fan base who understand the meaning behind his need for artistic exploration.
“If you make it to side three, dig in because it’s gonna get weird,” he added. “As a listener, side three of the double LP is usually my favourite side. And if it’s a triple record, oh boy, what’s gonna happen on side five? I like to have a concept with every record I make”.
Segall’s ability to paint outside the lines of conventions is informed by an outstanding level of technical ability. Grounding his exploration at all times are his instrumental and vocal abilities, steeped in the legacy of classic rock artists he adored at a young age.
Segall added: “When I was 11 or 12, a neighbour across the street from me was moving. She knew I was into music and said, ‘I’ve got something for you’ She came over with a stack of like 30 LPs — Alice Cooper, the first four Black Sabbath records, AC/DC, Tommy by the Who, David Bowie’s Low, which I didn’t understand at the time. That was super formative for me. Then I got into the Kinks and more ’60s stuff — the [garage-rock compilations] Nuggets and Back From the Grave. You start to put the pieces together, chase down where it all came from.”
The result is an artist with whom all the aforementioned greats would be happy to share a studio space. Not because he stands grinning with a Stratocaster in his hand, reeling off a performance of their biggest hits, but because even their very best studio ideas would be playfully rebutted by a futurist Segall asking, “Have you thought about trying this?”.
