Be My Baby - The Ronettes (1963)
Thunder Road - Bruce Springsteen (1975)
Sweet Jane - The Velvet Underground (1970)
Goon Gumpas - Aphex Twin (1996)
Optimo - Liquid Liquid (1983)
Beardsman Ska - The Skatalites (1965)
Darlin' - The Beach Boys (1967)
Gimme Danger - Iggy & the Stooges (1973)
Winter Rose - The Bees (2010)
Odessa - Caribou (2010)
I Want More - Can (1976)
Osalobua Rekpama - Sir Victor Uwaifo & His Melody Maestros (1969)
Since I Left You - The Avalanches (2000)
Sound and Vision - David Bowie (1977)
Midnight Train to Georgia - Gladys Knight & the Pips (1973)
Ordinary Joe - Terry Callier (1972)
A Message to You, Rudy - The Specials (1979)
Sitting in the Park - Billy Stewart (1965)
Soul Sister - Allen Toussaint (1972)
You Should've Seen the Other Guy - Nathaniel Rateliff (2010)
Wichita Lineman - Glen Campbell (1968)
Oh! Sweet Nuthin' - The Velvet Underground (1970)
Home - LCD Soundsystem (2010)
This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody) - Talking Heads (1983)
Out of Time - Blur (2003)
Please Stay - The Cryin' Shames (1966)
Seabird - Alessi Brothers (1977)
Keep Your Dreams - Suicide (1977)
True Love Ways - Buddy Holly (1960)
This is my Top 30 playlist of favourite tracks as it currently stands, with a few standout new entries..
I prefer to listen to authentic first generation Ska and Reggae and yet will always have a soft spot for The Specials and their timeless cover of Dandy Livingstone's 1967 Rudy, A Message to You, a track I should probably have included in my list of favourite cover versions.
It's great to finally get a New Orleans artist on the list in the shape of Allen Toussaint's Soul Sister. I've always been a great admirer of the unique sound of 60's/ 70's New Orleans Funk and Rythmn & Blues, the likes of Eddie Bo, The Meters, Betty Harris and, of course, the hugely influential Fats Domino, whose Blueberry Hill very nearly made it this time around.
Graham Coxon's guitar sound undoubtedly contributed a great deal towards the success of Blur and yet my favourite Blur track is Out of Time, the first single not to feature Graham following his departure during the recording sessions for their 2003 album Think Tank.
Without Coxon the band were forced to look for new ways of adapting and expanding their sound. Damon Albarn was working with musicians from Mali for his side project Mali Music and an African influence can be heard throughout the album with some of it (including all the vocal tracks) recorded outside in Marrakech giving it an authentic street music vibe.
Out of Time// Damon Albarn (Featuring the Orchestra of Syrian Musicians)
It seems fitting to bookend the list with Buddy Holly, a remarkable talent who achieved so much in his short recording career before he died in a plane crash at the age of 22. True Love Ways was one of the last songs he recorded and, along with It Doesn't Matter Anymore, showcased a more mature sound that moved away from straightforward Rock 'N' Roll and makes you wonder what could have been.
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