Fresh from his fascinating collaboration with Steve Cobby, poet and author Russ Litten talks about the first and last record he bought, and the one he always goes back to
FIRST
The Sweet
‘Wig Wam Bam’
(RCA, 1972)
“As a little lad, I was obsessed with Native Americans. I would boo the cowboys in the Saturday morning westerns on TV and cheer loudly whenever an arrow felled them from their horses. So when I saw The Sweet performing ‘Wig Wam Bam’ on ‘Top Of The Pops’, it was love at first sight. I pestered my mam to buy me a copy and I played it over and over again. Still the best crunchy guitar sound ever.”
LAST
The Durutti Column
‘Time Was Gigantic… When We Were Kids’
(Factory Too/London, 1998)
“I’ve always loved The Durutti Column, but this album somehow slipped past my radar when it was first released. I heard it round a mate’s flat recently and felt compelled to invest. Vini Reilly, like all true conduits of the muse, is plugged into an alternative universe. His stark and beautiful music makes me feel both very young and very old at the same time.”
ALWAYS
Talk Talk
‘Spirit Of Eden’
(Parlophone, 1988)
“This takes references from all my favourite music – Miles Davis, Can, Neil Young, The Velvet Underground – and still sounds utterly unique and on its own. It’s just got everything – anger, tenderness, wonder and elation. If there was such a thing as a waiting room for heaven, this is the record they would be playing. Like all great art, ‘Spirit Of Eden’ creates a real and vivid world that you never want to leave. Just sublime.”
