I’m not going to present a case to reappraise the underrated musical genius of Captain Sensible, but this bassline is iconic.

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Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons – The Night (more…)

Lou Reed – Walk On The Wild Side (more…)

Paul Young – Wherever I Lay My Hat (That’s My Home)

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Here is the last playlist of summer (probably), so let’s kick off with a blast of sunshine from The Isley Brothers and fade into autumn with the gentle melancholy of Thelonius Monk. In between there are all sorts of goodies, from Eighties novelty pop (Sigue Sigue Sputnik) to Seventies demos (Roxy Music) and unfamiliar blues takes on a classic (Roy Buchanan’s Hey Joe). And all sorts of other stuff old and new, black and blue.

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I love the infectious Afrobeat vibe of the music on this summery tribute Tony Allen by jazz ensemble Ezra Collective and rapper Kojey Radical.

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Lee Perry’s song Dreadlocks In Moonlight was originally intended for Bob Marley & The Wailers – until a chance meeting at his studio in Jamaica.

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Wyclef Jean offers advice to his homeboys on Mr October, from the first of seven planned solo albums in different genres by the former Fugee.

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I bloody loved The Cramps the moment I heard them. They had all the energy, lo-fi spirit and antisocial appeal of punk – channelled into rockabilly.

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