Synth wrangler extraordinaire, Jane Weaver fills us in the first and last records she bought and the one she always turns to in an emergency
FIRST
Kate Bush
‘The Kick Inside’
(EMI, 1978)
“I was only five when I first saw her on ‘Top Of The Pops’, but was immediately captivated. Until then it had been The Bay City Rollers, but this was like a massive upgrade. For Christmas 1978 one of my presents was this album on tape. I decided then that I wanted to be a singer. I was lucky enough to see her live at the Eventim Apollo a few years ago, it was quite an overwhelming experience, lots of tears of joy!”
LAST
Orchestre Poly-Rythmo
‘The Kings Of Benin Urban Groove 1972-80’
(Soundway, 2004)
“I bought this recently as I’d heard the track ‘Hwe Towe Hun’ somewhere and loved it. It’s also got a weird synth bit in it, which is always good. Essentially it’s pretty drum heavy and I read that the percussion is based on voodoo traditions as ‘each god has its own rhythm’. It’s definitely made me want to explore their collective further.”
ALWAYS
Serge Gainsbourg
‘Histoire De Melody Nelson’
(Philips, 1971)
“There are so many beautiful moments in this record, I love the production and string arrangements and how it manages to be a concept record in a running time of less than half an hour! Fragile vocals with fuzz guitar and epic chorale vocals, this is a record I’d have loved to watch being recorded. I have it on good authority it took a matter of days from start to finish…which is pretty mind-blowing.”
