🔗 Share this article

The initial tune I became enamored with
My first recollection is stepping into a room at kindergarten where they were blasting Yellow Submarine by the Beatles. I was mesmerized by the audio textures, and John Lennon yelling: “Full speed ahead!” When it reached the refrain, I recall believing: “This must be music!”

The first 45 I bought
When I was eight years old, I won a competition at school to select a brand new vinyl to play at the small dance we had on Friday afternoons. My instructor took me to Woolworths, and I picked out Come Back My Love by Darts. The first single I bought with my own savings was Mull of Kintyre by Wings from a record shop in Lancashire. It was number one at the time, and I selected it when my dad mentioned that it was by a former member of the Beatles.

The tune I perform at karaoke
I candidly cannot stand public singing and dodge it at all costs. But under duress, I’d go with Summer Wind by Frank Sinatra.

The piece I oddly remember every lyric to
I not long ago discovered 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 perfect song to play at a gathering
It hinges on what stage of the event you are at. For the beginning it would probably be I Heard It Through the Grapevine by the soul legend. As the evening progresses, I’d work through the Artist, the Stones and 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 track I can not hear
I inexplicably loathe Mr Brightside by the Killers.

The ideal song to have sex to
Come Together by the Beatles.

The album that altered my perspective
When I was 12 and starting to play the six-string, I’d only listen to classic rock ’n’roll, and was fixated on Elvis, the rock pioneer, the killer, the New Orleans legend, the glasses-wearing icon and Eddie Cochran. Then my babysitter played Let There Be Rock by the Australian rockers. It was still rock’n’roll, but it was powerful rock ’n’roll. The moment he put the vinyl on the turntable, I was hooked.

The tune that motivates me in the morning
What’d I Say in its full glory by The Genius.

The piece that makes me cry
Most music makes me moved. The Queen of Soul, Frank Sinatra, Elvis and the Fab Four all stir my emotions because of the tune and utter perfection of the vocals. But The Ocean by the Sheffield crooner gets me going consistently.

The track I’d like performed at my memorial service
The King. If I’m cremated, I’ll have Burning Love. If I’m laid to rest in the ground, I’ll have Way Down.