This was the first album I ever bought with my own money (The first album I owned was ELO's Out Of The Blue which was given to me by my mum as a present after I'd fallen from a roof as a kid and broken both of my arms). Coincidentally, one of the musicians who played on this album was Dave Gregory from XTC, although I didn't know that at the time.
This is an album that still reveals new things to me when I listen to it today. Gabriel stipulated that there should be no cymbals used on this recording and that gave it a dark, sticky kind of feel. 'Not One Of Us' pounds along with a little help from Paul Weller on guitar and 'Family Snapshot' slips from quiet introspection to deadly menace and back again with extraordinary ease.
After listening to this album, all I ever wanted to do was to write and play music. It's a pity I turned out to be a bit of a tosser instead.