Day 317 The Fall "Living Too Late"

More of the genius that is MES

Day 316 Fontella Bass

I saw her sing with Cinematic Orchestra back in the Vital days (2001, I think).  Life changing...

Day 315 Gil Scott-Heron "B Movie"

I'm ashamed to realise that I've spent nearly a year posting songs and not posted one by one of my musical heroes, Gil Scott-Heron.  I apologise and will try and make up for it.  Here goes part one...

Day 314 Public Enemy "Black Steel In The Hour Of Chaos"

What's your favourite opening line in a song?  This would have to be mine...

Day 313 Nusart Fateh Ali Khan "Musst Musst (Massive Attack Remix)"

Yesterday we went to the holiest site in Islam that non-Muslims can go to (Eyup Mosque in Istanbul. )
In my own way (that is, ignorant of a lot of what Islam is about) it put me in mind of this...

Day 312 Susan Barrett "What's It Gonna Be"

On the day my beautiful partner has her birthday (she looks younger now than the day I met her, you know) here's her classic rendition of a Dusty Springfield song, from her album "Mixed Emotions". Beautiful and talented...I am a lucky man.

Day 311 The Incredible Bongo Band "Apache"

Above all I love it for its unlikeliness.  A bunch of sessions musicians mucking around with an old Shadows tune produce the greatest breakbeat of all time.

Day 310 The Kinks "Village Green Preservation Society"

I probably should have posted this yesterday, on St George's Day, because it captures the mixture of disdain and affection I feel for the old country. And the harmonies are great, too.

Day 309 Kid Creole & The Coconuts "Stool Pigeon"

Best Dressed Man of The Eighties and a witty little tune to boot...

Day 308 Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band "We Are Normal"

We are normal and we dig Bert Weedon - RIP Bert. Fades in slowly...

Day 307 Lamont Dozier "Going Back To My Roots"

In all its 10-minute plus glory...

Day 306 The Band "Don't Do It"

Remember Levon like this...

Day 305 The Equals "Police On My Back"

If the Clash had run around in a Keystone Cops style, I might have posted their version. Turth is, I prefer this one anyway...

Day 304 The Age Of Chance "Kiss"

This was the future in 1987..how were they to know the immediate future would be men in plaid shirts with guitars?

Day 303 Bob Dylan "Brownsville Girl"

More proof that Bob didn't completely waste his or our time in the 80's

Day 302 William Shatner "It Was A Very Good Year"

After 10 hours at the chalk face, I could do with a laugh. Proof that Shatner was comedy gold well before "Boston Legal", this is from his album "The Transformed Man" (covers of Dylan & the Beatles interspersed with Shakespeare and that) It really is the work of a unique talent...

Day 301 Sister Rosetta Tharpe "Didn't It Rain"

Live from Chorlton Railway Station. In the rain. Dressed like she's going to church, whilst playing some mean blues guitar. it defies description, really...just enjoy

Day 300 The Byrds "Chesnut Mare"

It's difficult to pull of talking in songs, but it works here...not sure about that line "she'll be just like a wife" though.

Day 299 Mahavishnu Orchestra "You Know, You Know"

Some fierce jazz-rock to blow the cobwebs away...

Day 298 Camper van Beethoven "Take The Skinheads Bowling"

This could be an annoying smart alec US college rock thing, but the lyrics are funny enough to save it. "Everybody's coming home for lunch these days" makes me chortle every time...

Day 297 Soul II Soul "Keep On Movin'"

I was going to post "Back To Life" For Easter Monday - d'you see what I did there? - but this is the better song. Happy memories of living in Tottenham and hearing this blasting everywhere during the summer of '89.

The video features Jazzie B running for a bus, which is also good.

Day 296 The Stranglers 'Hanging Around"

Seems an appropriate one for an Easter Saturday. Oh, that bass...brutal

Day 295 Neil Young "Cortez The Killer"

So much the love about this - Neil's all-white ensemble (that looks like he grabbed it out of the dirty laundray moments before), the bass players odd little dance...it's all wonderful

Day 294 Elvis Presley "Crawfish"

Day 293 Screaming Lord Sutch & the Savages "Jack The Ripper"

Ridiculous, but great - that was Lord Sutch...

Day 292 Robert Wyatt "Shipbuilding"

30 years on it still packs a punch

Day 291 Ivor Cutler "Grass"

The late, great...

Day 290 King Creosote & Jon Hopkins 'Running On Fumes"

From my fav album of last year.