Baker's Dozen

Artists discuss the 13 records that shaped their lives

1. John Cale – Paris 1919

Towards the end of the list I was getting desperate, but Paris 1919 came to me straight away – it’s one of my all time favourite albums. It’s like the anti-Transformer; I see it as the antithesis of that record, and I definitely have more love for Paris 1919. I think it’s the best album John Cale’s ever made. It’s odd, because it’s a poppy record, but even his poppy records have sinister overtones. And I love ‘Child’s Christmas In Wales’. It’s a very Christmassy album. Do I play it a lot at this time of year? I’m forbidden from playing records at home. I put Berlin on at home once, and it just killed the room. I tried to make it better by playing some Motown, but the atmosphere had gone.

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