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Classic Article - "Paul Weller's 12 MUST HAVE albums!"

This ran in the US magazine, "Entertainment Weekly" in 2005.

Paul Weller's 12 MUST HAVE Albums!

1 THE ZOMBIES Odessey & Oracle 1968 (Rhino) ''It was completely unheralded at the time. Every track's great. It's very English, with wistful, autumnal melodies on it. In terms of strength of melody, this has definitely been an influence on me.''



2 STEVIE WONDER Innervisions 1973 (Motown) ''This word genius gets thrown around quite a lot these days, but I think he's worthy of that accolade. He was in full flight around this time.''



3 MARVIN GAYE What's Going On 1971 (Motown) ''I probably heard this at the end of the '70s or early '80s, but it was a real revelation. Marvin is one of my all-time favorite singers.''



4 JOHN COLTRANE A Love Supreme 1964 (Impulse!) ''It was his prayer, really, and it just has a very spiritual sound. Its greatness inspires me.''



5 ALICE COLTRANE Journey in Satchidananda 1970 (Impulse!) ''It follows what [her husband] John was doing toward the end of his life, exploring Eastern scales and North African sounds and the Indian modal thing. A really beautiful record.''



6 BOB MARLEY AND THE WAILERS Soul Rebels 1970 (Trojan) ''There's a certain chemistry Bob Marley had when he worked with Lee Perry. It's got that great raw sound on it, but you can also hear that there was something special going on.''



7 SLY & THE FAMILY STONE Fresh 1973 (Columbia) ''It's one of the first records to experiment with the drum machine. 'If You Want Me to Stay' is a great song.''



8 DONNY HATHAWAY Live 1972 (Atlantic) ''His version of [John Lennon's]'Jealous Guy' is amazing. His voice is brilliant.... He sounds like he's in the song, singing from the inside out.''



9 THE BEACH BOYS Friends 1968 (Capitol) ''I was tempted to put down Pet Sounds, but you always see that on lists. I think this is an underrated album, but it's got lovely tunes like 'Anna Lee, the Healer' and 'Little Bird.'''





10 NICK DRAKE Five Leaves Left 1969 (Universal) ''It's got that quintessential English melancholy feel about it. There's a song called 'River Man,' which is my all-time favorite Nick Drake song—the string arrangement is just fantastic.''



11 THE KINKS The Village Green Preservation Society 1968 (Sanctuary) ''I've been listening to this a lot recently. Ray Davies is such a great writer, and his eye for detail is incredible, really.''



12 CHARLES MINGUS Oh Yeah 1961 (Rhino) ''Apart from being a great musician, he's an amazing composer. He manages to combine church and funk and avant-garde.''

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