Richard H Kirk shares the first and last records he bought, and the one he always turns to in an emergency
FIRST
The Rolling Stones
‘The Rolling Stones’
(Decca, 1964)
“The first record I remember buying was when I was about eight years old was the very first Rolling Stones LP, which was all cover versions. I would have got it from one of the Sheffield city centre record shops, Bradleys or Wilson Peck. I did have some earlier singles by The Beatles, but my folks bought them, this was the first one I bought myself. I just thought The Rolling Stones were great. Everybody was scared of them, everybody’s parents hated them and of course, they had longer hair than The Beatles!”
LAST
A Certain Ratio
‘ACR:SET’
(Mute, 2018)
“It’s a great compilation, I knew a lot of the stuff on there, some of it I still have on singles, and I’ve always been a fan. Our paths crossed quite a lot in the early days with Factory, hanging out in Manchester and playing shows together. It was good to hear some of the tracks from ‘The Graveyard And The Ballroom’, which I hadn’t heard since its original release on cassette.”
ALWAYS
Kraftwerk
‘Computer World’
(kling klang/emi, 1981)
“It could have been any number of Kraftwerk albums, but this is always a good one to return to. And very ahead of its time, predicting social media, online dating and surveillance culture. I bought it when it came out and saw that tour in 1981 at Sheffield City Hall. A new Kraftwerk album was always cause for celebration. They seemed to get better with each release and, as we know, they’ve all stood the test of time.”
