Suicide’s Martin Rev on the first and last records he bought and the, erm, one he turns to in an emergency…
FIRST
Danny And The Juniors
‘At The Hop’
(ABC, 1957)
“A toss-up between this and The Silhouettes’ ‘Get A Job’. After that, the boys all got into little multi-coloured transister radios, the new thing at the time, so we didn’t buy much. Didn’t need to. Every day new songs were coming off the streets and through those radios. The best 45 collections though were built from scratch by the girls. When there was a party, you’d make sure to invite one of those great collectors so that the sounds would swing all night.”
LAST
Thelonious Monk Quintet
‘5 By Monk By 5’
(Riverside, 1959)
“Man, I buy few records now. When I want to hear something I walk over to the home library that has accumulated over the years and I will usually find it. Otherwise there’s YouTube if necessary for a quick review. I did hear a Monk record the other night and had overlooked it, thinking it wasn’t as hip as the others I dug growing up. ‘5 By Monk By 5’ with the addition of Thad Jones. Bought it. It’s got the groove.”
ALWAYS
Various artists…
“No way would I ever be able to distill all the albums I consider great into a favorite one. I wouldn’t even venture a favourite jazz, rock or classical album, although that would be easier… and in an emergency? Well, it depends on which kind. If it’s one that’s conductive to having the time to listen, any work created with musical intelligence and spirit will add to the positive energy needed.”
