Ted Lucas
Ted Lucas
1975
He was a guitarist and a session musician for Motown, who played with The Supremes and Stevie Wonder. He was a hip, far-out guy who opened up for Ravi Shankar and Frank Zappa, and I’ve heard he inspired “Mr Tambourine Man”. This is just one of those albums I constantly turn to; it’s beautiful, gentle, soulful music. His voice is so pure and rich – it has a debilitating beauty – but it’s also comforting.
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Slapp Happy
Acnalbasac Noom
1982
They were a German-British avant-pop group and I guess part of the kosmische/krautrock movement. They made some futuristic music, but this is close to a perfect pop/art-rock album. It’s fun and playful, proto-everything music – I’ve never heard anything like it. There’s a haiku, a philosophical, humorous element to their lyrics. My favourite of theirs, “Blue Eyed William”, is on there [CD reissue only].
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The Jimmy Giuffre 3
The Easy Way
1959
Giuffre was an American clarinettist and saxophone player who died in his eighties, having made a huge number of records. This is the type of jazz I like – it’s slow and minimal, almost incidental – like blue jazz – and in a weird way, really ahead of its time. I really like music that feels like it’s ever decaying, where the percussive element has either been erased or exists in a room 20 blocks down.
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William Onyeabor
Atomic Bomb
1978
The world might just be better off not hearing this song, which will burrow and propagate its seed exponentially by the second, into the hearts and souls of all humanity. It’s the catchiest song I’ve ever heard; when it gets in my brain, I can’t sleep. He’s a mythical character from Nigeria and there’s so little information about him, but Luaka Bop is putting out the first reissue of his music.