Ian Boddy reveals the first and last records he bought and the one he turns to in an emergency
FIRST
Focus
‘At The Rainbow’
(Polydor, 1973)
“My teenage years were during the 1970s and I distinctly remember the ritual my friends had of whoever bought a cool album first would host a listening session. We’d pile round to their house, sit quietly while we listened and then listened again while we chatted and pored over the sleevenotes. Good times. The Dutch band Focus were a firm favourite and I’m fairly certain this stunning live album was one of my first purchases on cassette.”
LAST
Ben Lukas Boysen
‘Mirage’
(Erased Tapes, 2020)
“An amazing slice of synchronicity sees my last purchase being by the artist who was featured in this column last month. I’ve never been one to be held in a straight jacket over genres and I love the way Boysen playfully crosses boundaries between electronic, contemporary classical and even flirts with prog. His sense of harmony is blissful and almost hymn-like at times.”
ALWAYS
Tangerine Dream
‘Rubycon’
(Virgin, 1975)
“While it’s almost impossible to pick an all-time favourite this has to be up there for me. At the time this Berlin School style of electronic music simply hadn’t been done before. It just sounded like it had come from another galaxy. While I love the sequenced sections, it’s those gorgeous last five minutes on side two that feels like you’re viewing the birth of a planet still devoid of life. Eerie yet stunningly beautiful at the same time.”
