Inspired by the Forever Changes thread, I remembered this article from 1992, where Richard discussed his favourite / most influentianl songs. It was a part of the "Rebellious Jukebox" series in Melody Maker, I think they interviewed a series of people.

Interesting to read the comments now, and ponder how things have changed and how they haven't. :-)

[Taken from Google's news archives -- thanks to the person who typed it up initially.]

October 10, 1992

1) Aphrodite's Child - "The Four Horseman (from "666" LP)

"This is one of the great lost albums, totally underrated, really mad
and erratic, which is everything I like in music. It was made by
Vangelis and Demis Roussos in 1969, their one shining moment before they
went off to sing MOR bollocks and make crap music for TV programmes.
The combination of Roussos crooning away and Vangelis' guitar makes this
one of the best ever LP closing tracks. It's indicative of its time,
really progressive and insane, a fusion of everything."

2) Chris Bell - "I Am The Cosmos" (from "I Am The Cosmos" LP)

"I'm not one of those massive Big Star fans who claims to have heard
them 10 years ago, or any of that crap - but this is one of the best
songs I've ever heard. It's good for feeling really indulgent to, where
you can roll with the emotions. [The] Verve are about taking the
emotions as far as they can go. This track's got a bass line similar to
The Beatles and Chris Bell had a Lennon-ish voice, only more pained. He
goes deep into his own psyche here. He certainly goes into mine."

3) Funkadelic - "Mama Was Funkadelic" (from "Funkadelic" LP)

"I'm a huge George Clinton fan, again because he reminds me of a time
when musicians could be reckless, when there were no barriers. If I
open a club one day in a backstreet of Wigan, this will be the first
track I'll play. It's got a real slow, dirty, lethargic funk feel, one
of the best psychedelic funk tracks ever. We drove to the South of
France in the summer, a real mattress-in-the-back-of-a-transit job, and
played this all the way. Music and scenery in perfect harmony."

4) Can - "You Do Right" (from "Monster Movie" LP)

"When I first heard Happy Mondays' 'Bummed' LP, it seemded uncanny how
heavily influenced they were by Can, especially they're repetitive,
rhythmic drum style. I like Can's experimental approach and their
flamboyance. This song's got that Bobby Gillespie chorus - 'Once I was
blind/Now I can see/You made a believer out of me'. Can were really
into studio techniques, jamming for hours then splicing it all
together. [The] Verve are into that loose, see-what-comes-out
approach."

5) Love - "Andmoreagain" (from "Forever Changes" LP)

"This whole album is just perfect for offsetting any emotional trauma
you might have had - let's face it, everyone's been kicked in the teeth
by a woman at some time in their lives. And this is a beautiful love
song, with amazing strings. The lack of strings in modern pop is
nothing short of shameful. Today's indie kids probably think that
strings are pompous, but they can have an incredible effect. We might
use strings on our album. We'll try anything."

6) The Smiths - "How Soon Is Now" (from "Hatful Of Hollow" LP)

"The Smiths were the first real band I got into, when I was 12 or 13,
after years of being bombarded with 'Top Of The Pops' stuff. Then I
heard their first LP, and I almost became sucked into Morrissey
syndrome, the clichéd kid in the bedroom with a semi-religious belief in
his hero. But I was starting to go out and have fun and discover girls
at this time. This was everything Morrissey was meant to be against,
but I just didn't want to take him that seriously."

7) The Beach Boys - "God Only Knows" (from "Pet Sounds" LP)

"Everyone knows that this is one of the greatest albums of all time, but
when you're 15 or 16, you totaly write off The Beach Boys because of
their 'Fun Fun Fun' stuff, which was never very cool. I read the Brian
Wilson book recently - I nearly had a breakdown with him! He was a
genius, but he was also a really sad guy trying to find happiness. I
really cling onto f***ed-up characters like that. I wish [The] Verve
could do harmonies like this. Problem is, I'm the only one with a
half-decent voice."

8) Sly and the Family Stone - "I Wanna Take You Higher" (from "Greatest
Hits" LP)

"Another f***-up. What interests me is the way geniuses make amazing
records, then get f*** up by the game and suffer a demise. Sly Stone
was a seriously wasted guy, really sad. But this would be the second
track I'd play in my club in Wigan. My mate used to play it in his
bedroom as a warm-ip to a good night out. Generally, though, the night
would be so bad that listening to this in his bedroom would be the
highlight."

9) Elvis Presley - "Suspicious Minds" (from "Greatest Hits" LP)

"I said to my girlfriend last night I'll probably wind up at the end of
the pier in Blackpool wearing a silver suit and singing 'Suspicious
Minds' in a few years' time. Presley's yet another guy who knows all
about sad farewells, but who managed to change the world along the way.
I don't know how anyone can do a Rebellious Jukebox and not choose an
Elvis track. And I think it's great that a 21-year-old like me can
still rate him as the King."

10) The Stooges - "Dirt" (from "Funhouse" LP)

"This is about the time Iggy ate Alice Cooper's shit onstage! Alice
played first, did a shit, and because Iggy wanted to out rock'n'roll
him, when he came onstage he ate the shit. These days, you'd have to do
something pretty outrageous to be that shocking. Anyway, apart from
that, this is incredibly raunchy, with a really cool drum intro. Then
Iggy comes in, howling. This predates everything that happened in
Britain in 1976."

11) The Rolling Stones - "Midnight Rambler" (from "Get Yer Ya-Yas Out!"
LP)

"The Stones are the greatest rock'n'roll band the world has ever seen.
Mind you, when I saw a video of them in 1982, I was totally sickened. I
think that's why I'm so into sudden tragic declines - that way you don't
tarnish the legend. No band will ever be this big again. The Stones
had so much power at their control. It must have been a strange
feeling, being able to cause riots and have guys killed at their
concerts. Bands couldn't possibly arouse that much passion today."

12) Jimi Hendrix - "Voodoo Chile" (from "Smash Hits" LP)

"This is far and away the greatest guitar track ever, in my humble
opinion. I'm a guitar player myself, but even I don't know how anyone
can come up with the usual two-chord, jingly-jangly crap after hearing
this. They must have a strong character. This track was a really big
statement, too. Bands couldn't say anything like, 'I'm a voodoo chile',
today - there'd be jokes in Melody Maker for the rest of the year if
they did. But you should be able to say what you want - it's your
space, use it."

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