Thomas Leer reveals the first and last records he bought and one he always turns to in an emergency
FIRST
The Doors ‘Waiting For The Sun’ (Elektra, 1968)
“I was on holiday with my parents when I bought this in 1968. When I got home and played it, initially I was like, ‘Oh my god, what is this?’ because it was mostly soft ballads and not the hard rock I was expecting after the ‘Hello, I Love You’ single. When I listened to it properly, I finally got into it. ‘Yes, The River Knows’ became one of my favourite songs – it’s just beautiful.”
LAST
Gudrun Gut ‘Moment’ (Monika Enterprises, 2018)
“I love Gudrun Gut – I think she’s fantastic. I’ve listened to her since Einstürzende Neubauten and Malaria!. Most of the electronic records that I really like today are being made by women. Men in electronic music seem to be stuck in a sort of a time-warp from 20 years ago, whereas I think female electronic musicians mine something that men generally don’t. Men just want to clobber it.”
ALWAYS
Nico ‘Desertshore’ (Reprise, 1970)
“I’ve listened to this album over and over since it first came out. Nico had an extraordinary voice, and it’s what made me love her, and it always draws me back in. She was a great poet, but she never got any credit for that. All that ever gets talked about is her drug habit and the fact that she was gorgeous. There was much more to her than that. She was a genuine artist.”
