It Starts With a Birthstone...

A chart that will no doubt slow with the passing of time, but still has some legs. See if you can guess the artists who recorded songs with ...

  They became parents this day today.

  From one of the great lost talents. And he was right. Truly a black sheep boy.        

  On the radio fairly constantly. I think it has some Vampire Weekend connection.

  Happy Birthday Kevin. Hero!

Haven been to Rosie's for a while as I've been poorly but had a short session there yesterday and unearthed this. One of my fav...

  I have my ABBA moments. Like this. From Arrival. Perhaps the best animal of all.    

  Great cover of one of the best songs of all.

  Stevie Wonder's first single released. Marvin Gaye played the drums. What more do you want?

  Hyena was on R.E.M's set list for a long time before it appeared on the end of Side 1 of  Life's Rich Pageant. I always thou...

  Supergrass were a wonderful band. Very English, but never shoving that fact in your face the way the more opportunistic Oasis and Blu...

  There hasn't been much Led Zep on here so here's a wonderful song from Houses of the Holy to make some ammends .

  The man who invented one of the most esoteric instruments of all was born this day. Said instrument features on this.

  I see no reason why this should be called Rhinoceros. Except that it's a song title that requires a home. The Smashing Pumpkins ...

  Sometimes you get the feeling that certain artists or records arrive in a place or time that's their moment. Such seems to be the...

  Stereolab did any number of utterly wonderful records. Here's just one of them . Put on a pair of headphones and listen loud.  ...

  When I'm not on the jukebox at my local it's a reasonable bet this song or something like it will be. The record was certifie...

  Overdue another utterly spurious series. Here's Clinic. One of the better bands of the last fifteen years.    

  One of the most beautifully poignant songs about how time seems so long and important when you're a teenager and loss so painful....

  Following yesterday's list of covers, here's another great example of doing something totally new with the original. Taken fr...

  It's difficult to remember how dark these times were though nothing particularly changes. Still The Stranglers made a pop song ou...

  A friend of mine provoked this with a Facebook post yesterday and I tried to come up with a Top 30 of great cover versions. All of th...

  The most Patti Smith influenced of all her songs. Something of Dancing Barefoot about it.    

There would be a moment for anyone growing up in the seventies when any youngster with even a passing interest in Pop Music would have e...

  'From 9 to 5 I have to spend my time at work. My job is very boring, I'm an office clerk.'   How much they knew. Unbe...

  Bunnymen's debut single. As reviewed in British Music Weekly Sounds in 1979.

  Bobby Darin's Hippie phase. As with all of these things, a very good idea!    

  Finally. One of the obvious ones. Quite peerless. If only Robbie Williams had had the sense to leave very well alone!    

Never quite a singles band, more of a live one, and a vehicle for extraordinary guitarists. Nevertheless, this isn't a bad run of UK sin...

  John Lennon has to eat humble pie after 'Bigger than Jesus' comments in press conference in Chicago.

  Toots & the Maytals is an almost bottomless pit in terms of great songs. I could have picked twenty just off the top of my head a...

  Happy Birthday!

'They done chased away all our morning dew...'   From the mid-sixties singer songwriter Tim who wasn't Buckley or Hardin....

  Their eighth UK # 1. By now the band was made up of two divorced couples.

'The girl in the cake, jumped out too soon by mistake.'     Never thought this would happen. Boomtown Rats as Song of the Day...

  If you're going to go through life attached to a nickname it might as well be 'Cannonball'.Compadre of Miles Dais and Joh...

  Closing in on five o'clock on a Friday afternoon. Sat at my desk. Having this come in over my headphones is pretty, damned perfec...

  Long term favourite. Almost New Wave in its genius.

  Peter Wolf from The J Geils Band married actress Faye Dunaway in Beverly Hills the marriage ended in divorce in 1979. One of the grea...

  A wonderful song! Though not a great slideshow. Apologies.

  Not a genuine Second World War song but a pastiche of the kind that Flanagan did record back then with Chesney Allen. Great tune! Pro...

  Sun Ra and MC5 in concert together. With a poster like this!

  One Dollar?