Johnny London made history at the age of 16 when his only recording became the first single to be released on the great Sun Studio label in Memphis. (more…)

Satta Massagana was the debut single of The Abyssinians, arguably the greatest of all the vocal groups to come out of Jamaica. (more…)

Straight outta Stokey…. this was local boy Marc Feld’s first single, released by Decca in October 1965. With its stripped-back R&B sound, it could be filed under Freakbeat, and you can already hear the nascent influence of psychedelia and fantasy in the lyrics.

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Another of the early single releases on Stiff Records came with this “double B-side” from pub rock veteran Sean Tyler and The Tyla Gang. (more…)

Ever since it came out in May 1977 this has been my favourite single. (more…)

It’s March 1977 when The Clash, the second most talked-about band in UK, put out their first single. (more…)

Ian Dury’s debut single is one of the most iconic singles in the pantheon of punk – recorded by a man twice the age of some punks. (more…)

Motörhead were never a punk band. But in terms of velocity and volume, attitude and aggression, they had a lot more to do with punk than many of the chancers who rebranded themselves to cash in on a trend. (more…)

I can vividly remember Less Than Zero, the song that launched Elvis Costello’s career, coming out in March 1977 when I was at college. (more…)

Whole Wide World by Wreckless Eric is one of the greatest singles to come out of the punk era. Even if it’s not typically punk. (more…)