Spirit of Play

Look, I know I've mentioned him before, but it's not just me this time, honest. The Grauniad/Observer are getting people (well alright, Grauniad/Observer writers) to name their favourite albums and super Bob Stanley of St Etienne fame has nominated Fire Escape in the Sky: The godlike genius of Scott Walker, which features, well, the godlike etc etc of etc etc and is also, as Mr Stanley points out, an act of great generosity on the part of Mr Julian Cope, who put it together.

The album, as we quaintly called them, was hard to get hold of in them days, and as soon I got my grubby, nail-bitten hands on its plain grey cover, it became the precioussssss. I even put it in a plastic sleeve. I'm not sure as how it would definitely be my favourite album of all time if you asked me now (go on: ask me), but a very formative one (for which read: teenage years spent in attic room painted black, listening to this, Love, the Beatles, Tim Buckley, Incredible String Band, Big Star, Slint, Jacques Brel, Ella Fitzgerald etc etc - all good healthy fun). Ahem. What about you? Any favourite albums? No? Just me?