Basslines #5: Peter Hook’s basslines with Joy Division don’t just anchor the songs – they often provide the lead melody.

(more…)

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

(more…)

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

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

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

(more…)

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.

(more…)

Roxy Music first recorded Grey Lagoons in 1971 but left it off their debut album a year later, only to re-record it for their second.

(more…)

Hey Joe is not just a classic, but a genuine rock standard, with at least a hundred versions. This is one of my favourites, by blues guitarist Roy Buchanan.

(more…)

Here’s a heavenly marriage of the glorious harmonies of The Congos and the madcap production genius of Lee Perry.

(more…)

The Controllers enjoyed a brief moment in the first wave of LA punk bands, including this love song for an amputee.

(more…)