🔗 Share this article

The first tune I was captivated by
My most primal memory is stepping into a room at kindergarten where they were blasting Yellow Submarine by the Fab Four. I was enthralled by the audio textures, and Lennon yelling: “Full speed ahead!” When it got to the hook, I recall believing: “This must be music!”

The inaugural single I purchased
When I was eight, I won a contest at school to pick a brand new record to play at the small dance we had on Fridays. My teacher took me to a local store, and I opted for Come Back My Love by Darts. The first single I bought with my own pocket money was Mull of Kintyre by Wings from a music store in Colne. It was topping the charts at the time, and I selected it when my dad mentioned that it was by a former member of the Beatles.

The song I perform at karaoke
I frankly cannot stand karaoke and steer clear at all costs. But under duress, I’d go with Summer Wind by Frank Sinatra.

The song I inexplicably know each line to
I just became aware that I know almost every word to The Boy in the Bubble, You Can Call Me Al, and the entire album on Graceland by Paul Simon.

The best song to play at a gathering
It relies on what stage of the event you are at. For the beginning it would most likely be I Heard It Through the Grapevine by the soul legend. As the night wears on, I’d move on to the Artist, the Rolling Stones and David Bowie, and when it hits its peak, Phat Planet by the electronic act, Born Slippy .NUXX by Underworld, and Ascension by Gorillaz, which is an undeniable hit.

The song I can not listen to
I strangely cannot stand Mr Brightside by the Killers.

The best piece to get intimate to
Come Together by John, Paul, George, and Ringo.

The LP that transformed me
When I was 12 and starting to learn the six-string, I’d only listen to early rock ’n’roll, and was fixated on Elvis, Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, the New Orleans legend, the glasses-wearing icon and the rockabilly star. Then my babysitter brought round Let There Be Rock by AC/DC. It was still guitar music, but it was high voltage rock music. As soon as he dropped the vinyl on the turntable, I was captivated.

The song that gets me up in the AM
What’d I Say in its full glory by The Genius.

The song that gets me emotional
Virtually any music leaves me emotional. Aretha Franklin, Frank Sinatra, Presley and the Beatles all stir my emotions because of the harmony and utter perfection of the singing. But The Ocean by the Sheffield crooner hits me hard without fail.

The music I’d like performed at my memorial service
Elvis. If I’m cremated, I’ll have Burning Love. If I’m buried, I’ll have Way Down.