German dance duo The Unknown Cases made a mark in club dancefloors with their “afro-cosmic” debut single Masimbabele in 1983.

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German heavy metallers The Scorpions hit paydirt a quarter of a century after formation with this overblown power ballad about the fall of communism.

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This was the first song I ever heard by Status Quo. It was the one where they changed style from psychedelic whimsy to heads-down no-nonsense mindless boogie.

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Steamhammer were a short-lived band who emerged in Britain’s blues-rock boom of the late Sixties and disappeared soon after.

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Gilbert O’Sullivan was an outlier in the era of Glam. There was no one else remotely like him in the early Seventies.

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It’s fair to say David Isaacs is not a household name, even in reggae circles. But he was an important figure in the music’s evoution.

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Slate became my favourite new band after I caught them by chance in the support slot at an East London pub three years ago.

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Racing Cars were one of those one-hit wonders who found fame with a song rather different from their usual style.

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Madra Salach – Irish for “Dirty Dog” – blend political lyrics and the spirit of punk with the sound of traditional Irish music on Ribbon Factory.

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I rarely listen to R.E.M. these days. And if/when I do, it’s usually the early IRS albums. So I’d almost forgotten this “folk dirge” of a song.

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