Baker's Dozen

Artists discuss the 13 records that shaped their lives

12. The Velvet Underground & NicoThe Velvet Underground & Nico

I can remember hearing ‘Heroin’ for the first time and thinking it was about a female hero. I was very young. They’re just pop songs at the end of the day. Good tunes. To me they sounded like the Stones. The songs were brilliant. I had no idea what they looked like. There were some weird photos on the back of the album and a banana on the front. I didn’t even know the music press existed then. I’d been at boarding school for about three years. I was completely green and totally removed from normal society. I didn’t know anything. It was very strange.

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