Pat Roche
Professor Pat Roche has been Tutor in Physics at Hertford since 1995. His astronomical research is focused on the nature, properties and evolution of interstellar matter and star formation processes and he works at several international observatories.
Click the titles below to read Pat’s comments. Listen to his tracks in the YouTube playlist – to select a different song click the three horizontal lines in the top right of the video.
-
The Beatles – Strawberry Fields Forever
This was the first record I bought (a 45 rpm double A single) for my mum. Although she had very little, she always put her children first and strived to support and encourage us.
-
Deep Purple – Child in Time
A memory of my first rock concert – in Bedford where I grew up in 1970. I was at school and couldn’t afford an entry ticket so scaled a nearby gasometer with some friends and watched from there, until eventually someone leaving the gig passed me a ticket. Deep Purple, who had released this album earlier that year, headlined along with Tyrannosaurus Rex before they went electric and glam.
-
The B52s – Planet Claire
The B52s are always a must at the best parties. Their combination of fun and wackiness is infectious and much needed these days. Planet Claire is definitely where we should be heading.
-
The Alan Parsons Project – Old and Wise
Music from Alan Parsons was a backdrop to much of the 1980s and 90s. it is inventive and tight but this track seems more appropriate in my advancing years. We had a wonderful weekend in Stuttgart in 2015 where, courtesy of my friend Simon, we met the band, watched them rehearse and play and then relax and jam in the hotel afterwards. A very memorable session.
-
David Bowie – Let's Dance
A great dance track. The video was shot in the Carinda pub and the Warrumbungle mountains in north-west New South Wales. In the 1980s, I spent a lot of time at the Anglo-Australian Observatory and Coonabarabran, adjacent to the Warrumbungles and enjoyed walking around the volcanic spires and wildlife.
-
Faure – Pavane
My friend Sal played cello in the band and did a lot of interesting gigs and musicals in Sydney, which I got to see and hang out at. She was a member of a band of talented musicians. This is a beautiful piece and a stunning arrangement with vocals by Kerrie Biddell.
YouTube doesn’t have it, but I would prefer the version by The Posh 1985, featuring Kerrie Biddell.
-
Prokofiev – The Dance of the Knights from Romeo & Juliet
The soundtrack for the birth of my daughter. Stirring music for a grand entrance and a huge sense of joy, responsibility and relief. And of course drastic life changes and enhancements.
-
London Grammar – Wicked Game
This transports me to the John Peel Stage at Glastonbury, where I was mesmerised by London Grammar in 2014 and 2017. A magical few days (sometimes in the face of very inclement weather and conditions) of creativity, celebration and human cooperation – even to the extent of being included in my daughter’s friends’ Glasto gang (very temporarily I suspect).
-
Book
With only one book and potentially a very long time on the island, any book is likely to pale, so I would select a poetry anthology to dip into. Amanda Gorman’s stirring recital at last month’s Presidential Inauguration really struck me and I would like to read more by her.
-
Luxury item
A comprehensive toolkit. With the right tools, I could make a comfortable shelter, harvest fruits, construct a fishing line, collect coconuts and live rather than just survive.
