Hilary Woods reveals the first and last records she bought and the one she reaches for in an emergency
FIRST
Carl Maria Von Weber
‘Invitation To The Dance’
(Deutsche Grammophon, 1983)
“This is first record I remember ever having bought, it was a secondhand copy on 12-inch vinyl from a flea market in Rathmines in Dublin when I was about 10. I was struck by the artwork; a striking close-up image of a dancer. I was excited by the fact that I was salvaging this dusty old and slightly scratched LP from the bottom of a bargain basket and that it had found a loving home. I went home to polish it up and listened to it on repeat for weeks.”
LAST
Pan Daijing
‘Lack’
(Pan, 2017)
“This is an immediate, intuitive, raw record that is a culmination of Pan’s improvisational live work. It’s an inspirational album. Favourite tracks include ‘Phenomenon’, ‘The Nerve Meter’ and ‘Act Of The Empress’. There is a physicality and at times relentlessness in these tracks that confronts and anticipates Pan’s later work. Her tape released in 2015, ‘Sex And Disease’, led me to explore her more recent material.”
ALWAYS
Neil Young
‘Harvest’
(Reprise, 1972)
“This is one record that I return to a lot. I have a love for all the songs on this record, particularly ‘Old Man’ and ‘Heart Of Gold’. This record inspired me to take up the harmonica some 10 years ago. I didn’t stick at playing it, but nonetheless I return to this record frequently. Every time I listen to it I hear something new, and appreciate the songcraft ever more. It’s a record that gets better with every listen, I love the lyrics and Young’s voice.”
