Music journalist from Wick fulfils lifelong ambition with guide to essential albums
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A music journalist from Caithness has fulfilled a lifelong ambition by writing a book about the albums he regards as essential listening.
Robin Murray said he had tried to look beyond tried and tested classics and, in doing so, was able to reassess his own relationship with music.
The book – his first – is entitled Listen to This If You Love Great Music: 100 Essential Albums That Really Matter, and will be available from next month.
London-based Robin (35), who was raised in Wick, is editor-in-chief of Clash Magazine.
He says the book is "an attempt to wipe the slate clean, to find some different vantage points, and allow different voices to be heard".
Robin explained: "Essentially taking the birth of punk, disco and hip-hop as a starting point, it moves from seminal classics to understated gems, from The Clash and Young Marble Giants through to Dizzee Rascal and Kanye West, via Beck, Blur and Beyoncé.
"The book is split into 10 chapters, focusing on different aspects of music and fandom – so there are great debut albums and amazing climaxes, super one-off statements and incredible comebacks."
He aimed for a 50/50 gender divide, "while reflecting the diverse racial identities of both fans and musicians". There is also a chapter on mental health and how this has been represented in modern music.
Commissioned by Quarto Books, the fully illustrated volume has a publication date of June 1 with pre-orders now open. It will be available in bookshops, once restrictions are lifted, as well as from online retailers such as Amazon.
Robin attended Pulteneytown Academy and Tain Royal Academy before studying at the University of Dundee.
"I joined Clash Magazine as an intern in 2007 and never left," he said. "I subsequently did about every possible job with the title and I became editor-in-chief in 2020."
Robin's grandfather Bob Murray was a tin-whistle player who released an album, produced by John "Fats" Sutherland, and his father Rob Murray was guitarist with Radio City, Zero Option, The Interest and One Card Trick. Rob's brother David was also in Radio City and became drum major with the Highlanders Regiment, while sister Lorna was a piper in Wick RBLS Pipe Band.
Robin's parents Rob and Joan live in Tain, while sister Ruth is in Wick. Younger sister Faye, a former Tain Royal Academy pupil who played lead violin in the traditional music group Gizzen Briggs, lives in Glasgow.
"I am overjoyed to finally share this book with the world," Robin added. "Writing it was a helter-skelter ride during 2020, spending my evenings drafting and re-drafting chapter after chapter.
"Writing the book allowed me to reassess my own relationship with music, uncovering new elements in albums I've loved my entire life, while also finding some fresh favourites. It's the realisation of a lifelong ambition, and I hope people enjoy it."
