High Fidelity – Stephen Richards from Lucky Number

As the fifth annual Record Store Day looms ever closer (Saturday 21 April), we got in touch with a few leading lights in the music industry to find out which records in their collection ‘make them tick’.

Kicking things off today we have Stephen Richards, co-founder of Lucky Number – responsible for bringing Darwin Deez,Caged Animals, Gotye, Sebastien Tellier and some Brooklyn upstarts called Friends to the fold. Here, Stephen picks three of his all time favourite classic records.

“The first album that stopped me in my tracks”: Prince - Purple Rain

Purchased: WH Smiths, Falmouth

“On yet another family holiday in Falmouth Cornwall (12 in a row) I saw the video for ‘When Doves Cry’ on Top of The Pops. I was mesmerised by what I saw and heard, Prince looked like he was beamed in from another planet. Literally ran into WH Smiths to look for the album the next morning, (with free poster) – easily my most played and most loved album of all time.”

“The album that changed my life”: The Smiths - Meat Is Murder

Purchased: Christophers’ Records (RIP), Barry

“Hatful of Hollow is my favourite Smiths album (all be it a collection) but Meat is Murder changed my life. It led me to investigate factory farming, animal cruelty and I became, and remain, a Vegetarian. It probably would have happened anyway, but hearing that song (on that album) changed my life in 6 minutes – nothing has ever hit me so hard in the gut on first listen.”

“The album that makes me feel like anything is possible”: Public Enemy – It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back

Purchased: Plastic Factory (RIP), Birmingham

“1988 and it was my first year at college, at Aston University, Birmingham. I had a grant (it felt like a lot of money in those days – sorry kids, it’s shit nowadays I know), there was a lot of good record shops there and 1988 was a truly great year for music. House Music really took off that year and became really important to me, and there was so many great albums that year – like Daydream Nation (Sonic Youth), Surfer Rosa (Pixies), Nothing’s Shocking (Jane’s Addiction) and Isn’t Anything (My Bloody Valentine) – it was a really inspiring time of my life as you can imagine. The album that reminds me most of that wonderful period however is It Takes A Nation of Millions To Hold Us Back. The best hip-hop record of all time… one of the best albums of all time. I find it hugely exciting and inspiring to listen to, they don’t make them like this anymore etc”