Al Lewis joy of decks

The Joy of Decks with Al Lewis

Welsh singer-songwriter Al Lewis has recently released his eighth studio album, Te yn y Grug. In this instalment of ‘The Joy of Decks’, he reveals his listening habits and favourite albums.

What record is on your turntable right now?

Al Lewis: 22, A Million – Bon Iver

What’s the last great album you listened to?

Al Lewis: The Film Hits of Ennio Morricone

Are there any classic albums that you only recently heard for the first time?

Al Lewis: So – Peter Gabriel

Al Lewis Te yn y Grug
Te yn y Grug by Al Lewis (image credit: Waterloo Records)

Describe your ideal listening experience (when, where, what, how).

Al Lewis: Sunday morning, sitting on a comfy armchair, with a great cup of coffee.

What’s your favourite album no one else has heard of?

Al Lewis: I Need to Start a Garden – Haley Heynderickx

What album should everybody get into before the age of 21?

Al Lewis: Rubber Soul – The Beatles

Which artists — musicians, singers, songwriters, producers — working today do you admire most?

Al Lewis: Aaron Dessner (The National), Laura Marling, Taylor Swift, Blake Mills, Bon Iver

Do you have any comfort albums?

Al Lewis: Rumours – Fleetwood Mac

Do you think any “canonical” albums are widely misunderstood?

Al Lewis: Pet Sounds – The Beach Boys: who knows what Brian Wilson was really thinking…

What’s the best album you’ve received as a gift?

Lewis: Raising Sand – Robert Plant & Alison Krauss

What album do you recommend to people most often?

Lewis: Tango in the Night – Fleetwood Mac

How do you organize your records?

Lewis: Chronologically by date bought.

What’s the most interesting thing you learned about an album recently?

Lewis: There is a sample of Stevie Nicks on the Bon Iver album 22, A Million

Which genres do you especially enjoy listening to? And which do you avoid?

Lewis: Folk/pop/jazz – I don’t avoid anything as long as it’s good!

What album might people be surprised to find on your shelves?

Lewis: Cello Concerto in B minor – Antonín Dvořák

Is there any album in your record collection you desperately wish you’d made?

Lewis: Revolver – The Beatles

Have you ever changed your opinion of an album based on information about the artist, or anything else?

Lewis: It took me ages to “get” Bruce Springsteen, then I heard the album Darkness On the Edge Town and everything changed.

How have your listening tastes changed over time?

Lewis: I care more about lyrics than I used to as a kid, when it was always about melody.

You’re organizing a party. Which three artists, dead or alive, do you invite?

Lewis: Joni Mitchell, Dolly Parton and Elvis Presley.

Disappointing, overrated, just not good: What album did you feel as if you were supposed to like, and didn’t?

Lewis: Still don’t love Van Morrison’s Astral Weeks as much as I supposedly should….!

Any upcoming albums you’re really looking forward to?

Lewis: The Ascension – Sufjan Stevens

 

Al Lewis’ latest album, Te yn y Grug, is available now.

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Legendary Welsh singer-songwriter Martyn Joseph answers our ‘Joy of Decks’ Q&A, and reveals his passions, listening habits, and love for Bruce Springsteen.

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