My last playlist of the year spans more than half a century, starting in the early 1960s with Sandra Barry and taking in tributes to those we lost in December, including Brigitte Bardot, Joe Ely, Steve Cropper and Chris Rea. In between there is folk, blues, soul, country, Eurodisco – and even a little Schumann.
I never met Brigitte Bardot but, like half the boys I knew, I had her picture on my wall when I was at boarding school.
The solemnity and sadness of Lisa O’Neill’s song is matched to a mournful melody that reminds me of a hymn – or a Christmas carol.
There was much more to Chris Rea than the hit singles – a multi-talented artist whose first loves were the blues, racing cars, cinema and journalism.
It was when The Clash invited Joe Ely to join them on tour in 1980 that I began to understand the parallels between punk and rebel country music.
Here’s UK dubmeister Dennis Bovell making a cameo appearance on fellow dub maestro Elijah Minnelli’s new album, the interestingly titled Clams As A Main Meal.
Los Pirañas are a Colombian trio who inject traditional Latin American rhythms with elements of psychedelia, afrobeat and rock to spectacular effect.
This is The Stranglers song Golden Brown as you’ve never heard it before – transformed into a slice of smooth jazz. And it’s wonderful.
Trump is given an imaginary “World Peace Prize” by FIFA in advance of this summer’s football World Cup finals. And, like the moron he is, he seems to think it’s real.
It’s not often you hear people describe a guitarist who doesn’t generally do solos as one of the all-time greats. But countless other guitar greats gave that accolade to Steve Cropper.