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Baker's Dozen

A Document in Time: Neil Halstead Of Slowdive's Baker's Dozen
Joe Clay , May 3rd, 2017 10:11

With Slowdive reformed and about to release their fourth album (as well as playing Field Day and Roskilde), Neil Halstead tells Joe Clay about the gateway albums that influenced him the most. Photo by Ingrid Pop.

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Can – Tago Mago
It's my favourite Can album and it's the first one I heard. It's the first one Damo Suzuki sang on. It has a different feel to it. There's a brilliant flow to it. I got into Can in about 1992. It sounded really familiar – especially the drums – because they were so influential on lots of other bands I liked, but it was like, 'Oh fuck, these are the people who invented that.' We spent a lot of time driving around in Nick's car – he was the only person who drove at that point – listening to stuff. This was an album we played a lot. That was our thing.  I'm sure kids still do that now. Once you get to a certain age, the car is representative of all those freedoms, where you get to listen to your own music really loud in your Ford Fiesta or whatever.