🔗 Share this article

The first track I became enamored with
My most primal recollection is walking into a room at kindergarten where they were spinning Yellow Submarine by the Fab Four. I was mesmerized by the audio textures, and Lennon yelling: “Full speed ahead!” When it got to the hook, I remember thinking: “This must be music!”

The very first single I acquired
When I was eight years old, I won a contest at school to select a brand new vinyl to play at the weekly dance party we had on Fridays. My teacher took me to Woolworths, and I opted for Come Back My Love by the group Darts. The first record I purchased with my own allowance was Mull of Kintyre by Paul McCartney's Wings from a music store in Colne. It was topping the charts at the time, and I chose it when my dad noted that it was by a former member of the Beatles.

The song I perform at sing-along
I candidly actively avoid karaoke and avoid it at all costs. But if forced, I’d go with Summer Wind by Ol' Blue Eyes.

The piece I inexplicably know every lyric to
I just became aware that I have memorized almost every word to The Boy in the Bubble, You Can Call Me Al, and every song on Graceland by Paul Simon.

The perfect song to put on at a gathering
It hinges on the point of the event you are at. At the start it would likely be I Heard It Through the Grapevine by Marvin Gaye. As the party deepens, I’d move on to Prince, the Stones and Bowie, and when it really kicks off, Phat Planet by the electronic act, Born Slippy .NUXX by the techno pioneers, and Ascension by Gorillaz, which is an absolute banger.

The track I can never listen to
I for some reason cannot stand Mr Brightside by the Killers.

The ideal piece to have sex to
Come Together by the Beatles.

The album that changed my life
When I was twelve and just learning to learn the six-string, I’d only listen to early rock ’n’roll, and was consumed by The King, the rock pioneer, the killer, the New Orleans legend, the glasses-wearing icon and the rockabilly star. Then my childminder brought round Let There Be Rock by AC/DC. It was still rock’n’roll, but it was high voltage rock ’n’roll. Instantly after he placed the record on the record player, I was hooked.

The song that wakes me in the AM
What’d I Say parts 1 & 2 by Ray Charles.

The piece that gets me emotional
Virtually any music makes me moved. Aretha Franklin, The Chairman of the Board, Elvis and the Beatles all stir my emotions because of the melody and utter perfection of the singing. But The Ocean by Richard Hawley strikes a chord without fail.

The track I’d like performed at my funeral
The King. If I’m given a cremation, I’ll have Burning Love. If I’m buried, I’ll have Way Down.