MY SIX BEST ALBUMS

NICK HEYWARD, 56, was lead singer of Haircut 100 who had hits with Fantastic Day and Love Plus One. He enjoyed solo success with Blue Hat For A Blue Day. His latest album is Woodland Echoes and he tours in May: nickheyward.com/gigs THE BEATLES: Revolver (EMI) I use this as a mental template when I start recording because I feel it is the perfect pop album, something to aim for, recorded when they were at the top of their game.

I found The Beatles in 1982. It was like going up into the loft and opening a box filled with gold. XTC: White Music (Ape House) This inspired me to do music. It was electric and I had never seen a band like them. They were dynamic, raw and passionate. Lyrically, with songs like I’m Bugged, it was like poetry. SUFJAN STEVENS: Carrie & Lowell (Asthmatic Kitty) My partner introduced me to this in the car, which is a great place because you can listen to music subconsciously and the windscreen becomes like a cinema screen.

It is mainly about the passing of his mother. It is gentle with beautiful, heartfelt poetry. I felt I was getting an insight into their relationship. ELLIOTT SMITH: XO (Polydor) Delicate but passionate, where less is more. When I went to India in about 1999, I just had this one album with me. I got an old bus from the north to the south and played this non-stop.

This album was the soundtrack for the landscape and the smiling

children at the side of the road. TALKING HEADS: (Sire) I wanted to go to art school and be in a band like this. They looked like a beat group from a French avant-garde film. I saw them live a lot. The music is jerky, jangly and you are pulled in different directions. Brilliant lyrics with surreal subject matter. EARTH, WIND & FIRE: The Greatest Hits (CMG) Sublime. No one else could play music as good as this. It makes you feel elated.

A guy at work used to play them non-stop and I never got bored.

They dressed up on stage like they had landed from somewhere else, dancing together with the music.