Fifty years ago this week Gram Parsons died in Room 8 of the Joshua Tree Inn in California, filled with morphine, barbiturates and alcohol, at the age of only 26.

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There was no escaping this song in the summer of ’77, though I was far more interested in the Pistols and the Clash than chart-topping disco tunes.

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I don’t know how I forgot this one when I was trawling through the songs of my childhood. It wasn’t a big hit but back in 1974 it seemed to be everywhere.

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I don’t know how you can make a song sound this funky with little more than a bunch of drums from Africa and Asia. But dammit, Nina Simone can. And she did.

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On a steamy summer’s day, who doesn’t enjoy a bit of soca music? Well I do, but I’ll admit I don’t know much about it beyond what seems to have become the Notting Hill Carnival’s signature tune, Arrow’s infectious singalong tune Hot Hot Hot.

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This song has been covered numerous times by a who’s who of soul singers. This is the original – the first of two versions by bluesman Latimore – from 1974.

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Jonathan Richman & The Modern Lovers performing their biggest hit single, the instrumental Egyptian Reggae, on Dutch TV in 1978.

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This summer song brought Tony Burrows, the Zelig of Seventies pop, his sixth hit single – all with different bands.

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The Angelic Upstarts, led by shaven-headed Mensi, flew the flag for back-to-basics punk from the North East – and for socialism and kicked off the much misunderstood Oi! movement.

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The Zeros are another of the long-forgotten punk bands from the Class of ’77. This was on the fairly terrible Streets compilation on Beggars Banquet that year.

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