MUSIC: my six best ALBUMS Shaun Williamson
SHAUN WILLIAMSON, 50, is best known for playing Barry Evans in EastEnders from 1994 to 2004.
Actor Shaun Williamson tells us what his top 6 albums are and why
STEVIE WONDER: Fulfillingness’ First Finale (Universal/Island)
I miss the old vinyl albums because of the artwork and the printed lyrics. This was beautifully packaged. I played it over and over, nearly wearing the grooves out. I learnt it off by heart and can sing every song. He and Michael Jackson were the two most talented people in popular music.
SIMON AND GARFUNKEL: Bridge Over Troubled Water (Sony)
My older sister got this for Christmas in 1970. I was about five and really intrigued by the cover because Garfunkel seemed to be about 7ft tall and Simon about 5ft. But they made a beautiful sound together. Every song is haunting.
THE SPECIALS: The Specials (EMI)
This completely sums up the late 1970s for me when I went to sweaty little nightclubs and dallied with the mod look. It has a rawness and a great brass sound. I had a Saturday job so I bought everything by The Specials, Madness, Bad Manners and The Selecter.
THIN LIZZY: Live And Dangerous (Virgin EMI)
A rock band at the peak of their powers. The standout track is Dancing In The Moonlight and Phil Lynott was a great frontman. Somebody ruined it years later by telling me that they overdubbed some of it in the studio but it still takes me back to when I was into anything with a big sound.
DURAN DURAN: Rio (EMI)
I adopted the New Romantics in the early 1980s and wanted to be in Duran Duran because they shot videos in sexy locations with the best-looking women. It’s very smooth and polished.
MICHAEL JACKSON: Off The Wall (Sony)
I prefer this to Thriller and I always liked the fact that his greatest hits were written by a white bloke from Cleethorpes called Rod Temperton. I’d just known Jackson as a kid but this was amazing. I saw him on Top Of The Pops and then became a soul boy.
He also appeared in Extras and is playing Albert Perks in The Railway Children at the King’s Cross Theatre, London. Railwaychildrenlondon.com