Baker's Dozen

Artists discuss the 13 records that shaped their lives

6. CanSoon Over Babaluma

‘Future Days’ is my favourite Can track. Another one from Andy’s Records in Lancaster. I associate it with going to a rave in the Trough of Bowland and then being sick with flu the next few days and listening to ‘Future Days’ trying to work out if I was imagining certain bits of it. Having flu is pretty handy for developing intense, life-long relationships with particular artworks.

But, as for Can albums, for me it’s Soon Over Babaluma. It has a mysterious atmosphere like no other record, from start to finish. I love the artwork too. Holger is a wonderful bass player. Just a couple of well-placed notes on ‘Chain Reaction’ keeps the monster chugging along. Most people don’t have the discipline to play like that. And then ‘Quantum Physics’, which is another one of those brilliant pieces of music which demands you reflect on the very nature of music itself.

Selected in other Baker’s Dozens: Richard Norris, Richard H. Kirk
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