Wednesday, 20th February 2008.

Clocks, by Coldplay, from their second, 2002 album, A Rush Of Blood To The Head.

Dreamworld, by Los Angeles band Rilo Kiley, from their fourth studio album, Under The Blacklight, released last year. Disconcerting trivia: lead singer Jenny Lewis and lead guitarist Blake Sennett are former child actors. Sample the rest of the album here.

Two Tribes, by Frankie Goes To Hollywood, their record-breaking second single from 1984. This stayed number one for nine weeks, allowing their first single, Relax - which had also got to number one despite a Radio One ban - to climb back up the charts to number two. This song, along with Relax, quickly became two of the biggest selling singles of all time in the UK, mainly due to the group's label, ZTT, issuing limited editions of new and varied mixes of both songs every couple of weeks, which fans bought and re-bought, consequently sending both singles over the one-million mark.

Uncertain Smile, by The The, from their debut 1983 album, Soul Mining. Frontman Matt Johnson had released an earlier album under his own name. Uncertain Smile had previously been released as a single, crashing into the UK charts at number 68 in December 1982. Jools Holland plays the piano outro..... Sample more from the album here.

A Little Knowledge, by Scritti Politti, from their second, 1985 album Cupid & Psyche 85. Personal trivia: I once went out with singer Green Gartside's sister. Really. Sample more from the album here.

Angel Interceptor, by Ash, released a single in 1995, the latest product of the band's obsession with all things sci-fi. The band's second, brilliant single was called Girl From Mars. Like it, Angel Interceptor used sci-fi references to tell a story of love and loss. (The Angel Interceptors were the all-female, string puppet saviours featured in the TV show Captain Scarlett.) Watch the video - and gasp at how young the band were to have produced such brilliance - here.

Face For The Radio, by another bunch of barely-out-of-school teens, this time Dundee's The View. Taken from last year's debut album, Hats Off To The Buskers.

Fat Children, by Jarvis Cocker, from his 2006 debut solo album, Jarvis. Sample more from it here.

Valentine, by Richard Hawley, from his 2007 album, Lady's Bridge. Hawley, from Sheffield like Jarvis Cocker, previously played guitar in Jarvis's band Pulp. Sample more exquisite tracks from Lady's Bridge here.

Ocean Rain, by Echo and The Bunnymen, the title track from their fourth, epic album, released in 1984 with the slogan: "The Greatest Album Ever Made." Who am I to argue? Personal trivia: I once gave lead singer Ian McCulloch a lift in my car. Honest. Sample more of the album here.

Drunk Tank, by Tindersticks, from their debut, eponymous album released in 1993. Sample the rest of it here.

Trouble Sleeping, by The Trashcan Sinatras, from their beautiful 2004 album, Weightlifting. Sample the rest of it here.

Somersault, by Decoder Ring, featuring Lenka on vocals, from the soundtrack to the 2004 Australian film Somersault.

To Cut A Long Story Short(Long Mix), by Spandau Ballet, their debut single from 1980. Check out their costumes here.

Could It Be Magic, by Take That, from 1992 when it got to number three in the UK charts. Had previously been a hit for Donna Summer and Barry Manilow(who wrote it) in 1976 and 1975 respectively. No explanation for the lack of a question mark though.....

It's My Life, by Talk Talk, the title track from their second, 1984 album, which you can sample here.

Train In Vain, by The Clash, released, unintentionally, as a "hidden" track at the end of their 1979 album, London Calling.(It was a late addition, and they didn't have time to update the sleeve track listing). Because the chorus features the refrain "Stand By Me", the track was retitled Train In Vain(Stand By Me) for its US release.....

Someone Somewhere in Sumertime, by Simple Minds, from their 1982 album, New Gold Dream 81-82-83-84.

Wednesday 13 February 2008

Pounding, by Doves, single released from their 2002 album, The Last Broadcast. Check out the stunning video here.
Lola Stars And Stripes, by The Stills, from their debut 2003 album, Logic Will Break Your Heart. Sample the rest of the brilliant album here.
I Will Follow, debut 1980 single by U2. I saw them play this live in a Sheffield pub with about 40 other fans in the week of its release. So there.
In This Home On Ice, by Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, from their debut, eponymous album from 2005. Sample the rest of it here.
Lowdown, by Electrafixion, from 1995. The band was the joint project of Echo and the Bunnymen's Ian McCulloch and Will Sergeant, and released one album, Burned.
Winning, by The Sound, from their second, 1981 album whose title makes no sense at all because of a missing apostrophe: From The Lions Mouth. It's not certain whether this grammatical lapse contributed to lead singer Adrian Borland's depression which culminated in his suicide in 1999. Or it may have been to do with the fact his band were never as successful as their labelmates, the aforementioned Echo and the Bunnymen. The Sound's five albums were remastered and re-released by the excellent Renascent label in 2001.
Driving Away From Home, by It's Immaterial, released as a single from their 1985 debut album, Life's Hard And Then You Die. Sample more from the album here.
Trains To Brazil, the irresistable debut single by Guillemots, released in December 2005. Would have made a brilliant Christmas number one. Was included on their wonderful debut album, Through The Windowpane, released in 2006. A new album is rumoured to be imminent. I can't wait. Note: Neither trains nor Brazil feature in the story or the video of the song......
Favourite Shirts(Boy Meets Girl), the debut single by Haircut 100 which reached number four in the UK charts in October 1981.
The World Is Outside, by Ghosts, from their debut 2007 album of the same name.
Everything Is Everything, by French band Phoenix, from their second, 2004 album, Alphabetical. This band came to my attention after one of their tracks was featured in the 2003 film Lost In Translation.
Wood Beez(Pray Like Aretha Franklin), by Scritti Polliti, released as a single in 1984. The fact that it got to number 10 in the UK but a mere number 91 in the US tells you everything you need to know about the cultural divide between our two nations....
Slave To The Rhythm, by Grace Jones. This is the eight-minute, "Hot Blooded" version from her 1998 album, Private Life: The Compass Point Sessions. Sample the rest of it here.
Tanto Tempo, the title track from Bebel Gilberto's 2001 (UK) debut solo album. She's the daughter of Joao Gilberto, the Grammy Award-winning Brazilian singer and guitarist credited as the "Father of Bossa Nova". Chill out to more of her music, including tracks from her most recent album, Momento, here.
Casually Unkind, from the only, eponymous album released by Scottish singer/songwriter Jerry Burns in 1992. She's got a voice to die for, yet never released another album. Information on her is hard to come by - so if anyone reading this can tell me anything at all about her, please leave a comment below - but she has contributed to the occasional film soundtrack. There is a fan website here and some new(er) tracks available at her MySpace page here.
Where Happiness Lives, by Magnet(aka Even Johansen), from his exquisite 2003 debut album, On Your Side. This gifted Norwegian - he writes, sings and plays most of the instruments - recorded the album near Lockerbie in Scotland, where he lived for a while. Sample more from it here.
Falling And Laughing, the debut, 1979 single from Orange Juice.
Will I Ever Be Inside Of You, another grammatically-challenged song title, this time from Paul Quinn And The Independent Group, from their 1995 album of the same name(and still missing a question mark). Glaswegian Quinn had previously played and provided backing vocals for Orange Juice. He formed this group with Alan Horne, founder of Postcard Records(who released Orange Juice's material). Sample more from the album here.

Wednesday, 6th February 2008

Sense, by The Lightning Seeds, from their 1992 album of the same name. Hear more from it here.

The Girl Who Wanted To Be God, by Manic Street Preachers, from their 1996 album, Everything Must Go. As a local journalist in 1998, I stood on the side of the stage as the Manics played to a sell-out crowd at Anfield for the Rock the Kop concert in aid of the Hillsborough Support Fund. Awesome.

Going Down To Liverpool, by The Bangles. from their 1984 album, All Over The Place, which you can sample more from here. The song was originally recorded by Katrina and The Waves(band member Kimberley Rew wrote it) in 1983, and included on their eponymous 1985 album.

Busy City Dreaming, by The McCluskey Brothers, from their 1996 album, Wonderful Affair. This was the ex-Bluebells members' third album, though their debut, 1987's Aware of All, had to be deleted after two weeks when the brothers, Ken and David, realised they were technically and legally still part of The Bluebells. (That album has since been re-released) Hear three other lovely tracks at their MySpace site here.

Race For The Prize, by The Flaming Lips, from their seminal 1999 album, The Soft Bulletin. Sample more from it here.

Put Yourself In My Place, by Kylie Minogue, from her eponymous 1994 album. The only Kylie track I can bear to listen to, and it was accompanied by an equally gorgeous video. Other than that, I think she's complete rubbish.

Valentine, by Delays, from their second, 2005 album, You See Colours.

My Thief, by Elvis Costello(lyrics and vocals) and Burt Bacharach(piano and music), from their beautiful 1998 collaboration, Painted From Memory. Sample more from it here.

Sad Professor, by R.E.M, from their 1998 album, Up.

Duracellia, by Magnet, from his 2005 album, The Tourniquet. The talented Norwegian is a big favourite of The General Eclectic Company, so we don't mind giving a link to his official website.

The Hush, by Rae & Christian, featuring Texas, from their debut, 1998 album, Northern Sulphuric Soul, which you can sample more from, including the gorgeous vocals of Veba, here.

Bluebeard, by Cocteau Twins, released as a single in 1994. Elizabeth Frazer's otherworldly vocals are perfect for the band's take on a 17th century fairy tale about a serial wife-killer.

The Worst Taste In Music, by The Radio Dept., from their 2006 album, Pet Grief. This Swedish collective produce utterly, gorgeous music with darkly humorous lyrics. Hear more here.

Run Into Flowers, by M83, from their 2003 album, Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts. Sample more tracks here.

2Wicky, by Hoover, from their debut, eponymous album from 1996. This Belgian group have since been forced to change their name to Hooverphonic to avoid anyone confusing their beautiful, ambient soundscapes with a well-known domestic cleaning appliance. Check out the very stylish video here.

Wishing Stone, by Howling Bells, the only decent track on their 2006 debut, eponymous album.

A Promise, by Echo And The Bunnymen, from their second, 1981 album, Heaven Up Here. Sample more of Ian McCulloch's soaring, epic vocals here.

When I Dream, by The Teardrop Explodes, from their 1980 debut album, Kilimanjaro.

Sister Sneaker Sister Soul, by Glaswegian five-piece My Latest Novel, from their 2006 debut album, Wolves.

Wednesday 30 January 2008

Clocks, by Coldplay, from their second, 2002 album, A Rush Of Blood To The Head.



Dreamworld, by Los Angeles band Rilo Kiley, from their fourth studio album, Under The Blacklight, released last year. Disconcerting trivia: lead singer Jenny Lewis and lead guitarist Blake Sennett are former child actors. Sample the rest of the album here.



Two Tribes, by Frankie Goes To Hollywood, their record-breaking second single from 1984. This stayed number one for nine weeks, allowing their first single, Relax - which had also got to number one despite a Radio One ban - to climb back up the charts to number two. This song, along with Relax, quickly became two of the biggest selling singles of all time in the UK, mainly due to the group's label, ZTT, issuing limited editions of new and varied mixes of both songs every couple of weeks, which fans bought and re-bought, consequently sending both singles over the one-million mark.



Uncertain Smile, by The The, from their debut 1983 album, Soul Mining. Frontman Matt Johnson had released an earlier album under his own name. Uncertain Smile had previously been released as a single, crashing into the UK charts at number 68 in December 1982. Jools Holland plays the piano outro..... Sample more from the album here.



A Little Knowledge, by Scritti Politti, from their second, 1985 album Cupid & Psyche 85. Personal trivia: I once went out with singer Green Gartside's sister. Really. Sample more from the album here.



Angel Interceptor, by Ash, released a single in 1995, the latest product of the band's obsession with all things sci-fi. The band's second, brilliant single was called Girl From Mars. Like it, Angel Interceptor used sci-fi references to tell a story of love and loss. (The Angel Interceptors were the all-female, string puppet saviours featured in the TV show Captain Scarlett.) Watch the video - and gasp at how young the band were to have produced such brilliance - here.



Face For The Radio, by another bunch of barely-out-of-school teens, this time Dundee's The View. Taken from last year's debut album, Hats Off To The Buskers.



Fat Children, by Jarvis Cocker, from his 2006 debut solo album, Jarvis. Sample more from it here.



Coles Corner, by Richard Hawley, from his beautiful 2005 album of the same name. (Coles Corner was a meeting place in Sheffield for courting couples) Hawley, from Sheffield like Jarvis Cocker, previously played guitar in Jarvis's band Pulp. Sample more exquisite tracks from Coles Corner here.



Ocean Rain, by Echo and The Bunnymen, the title track from their fourth, epic album, released in 1984 with the slogan: "The Greatest Album Ever Made." Who am I to argue? Personal trivia: I once gave lead singer Ian McCulloch a lift in my car. Honest. Sample more of the album here.



The Not Knowing, by Tindersticks, from their debut, eponymous album released in 1993. Sample the rest of it here.



Trouble Sleeping, by The Trashcan Sinatras, from their beautiful 2004 album, Weightlifting. Sample the rest of it here.



Somersault, by Decoder Ring, featuring Lenka on vocals, from the soundtrack to the 2004 Australian film Somersault.



To Cut A Long Story Short(Long Mix), by Spandau Ballet, their debut single from 1980. Check out their costumes here.



Could It Be Magic, by Take That, from 1992 when it got to number three in the UK charts. Had previously been a hit for Donna Summer and Barry Manilow(who wrote it) in 1976 and 1975 respectively. No explanation for the lack of a question mark though.....



It's My Life, by Talk Talk, the title track from their second, 1984 album, which you can sample here.



Train In Vain, by The Clash, released, unintentionally, as a "hidden" track at the end of their 1979 album, London Calling.(It was a late addition, and they didn't have time to update the sleeve track listing). Because the chorus features the refrain "Stand By Me", the track was retitled Train In Vain(Stand By Me) for its US release.....



Someone Somewhere in Sumertime, by Simple Minds, from their 1982 album, New Gold Dream 81-82-83-84

Wednesday 23 January 2008

All Because Of You Days, by Echo & The Bunnymen, from their 2005 album, Siberia. Sample more of its delights here.

Cigarettes And Alcohol, by Oasis, from their 1994 debut album, Definitely Maybe.

History, by The Verve, from their second album, A Northern Soul, released in 1995. Sample the rest of it here.

The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore, the second number one single from The Walker Brothers, in 1966. See the vintage promo video here.

That's Entertainment, by The Jam, from their 1980 album, Sound Affects. Despite only being available as a single on import, it got to number 21 in the UK charts in early 1981. Allegedly written by Paul Weller in 15 minutes after a session at his local boozer. Check out video here. (Note to pedants: The album title deliberatly uses the verb affect instead of the noun effect)

Home, by Engineers, from their eponymous, debut album of 2005. Sample more from it here.

Interleukin 2, by The Durutti Column, from last year's album, Idiot Savants. The Durutti Column is actually composer/guitarist/awful singer Vini Reilly, who has been turning out his minimalist, beautiful compositions on Factory Records since 1979. This track, named after a cancer drug, is dedicated to Factory founder Anthony Wilson, who died last year. Sample more of the album here.

Cancer For The Cure, by Eels, from their 1998 album, Electro-Shock Blues. Eels front man Mark Oliver Everett has just written a book, Things The Grandchildren Should Know, about his tragedy-packed life. Not only has he seen his parents and sister all die(natural causes and suicide respectively), but another relative was on the plane that flew into the Pentagon on 9/11. And you wondered why his work sounded so miserable....

All Cats Are Grey, by The Cure, from their 1981 album, Faith. Sample more from it here.

Linger, by The Cranberries, from their 1992 album, Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We? Sample the rest of it here.

For Lovers, the solitary, gorgeous release from the 2004 collaboration between Wolfman and Pete Doherty. Check out the video here.

Dance Away, by Roxy Music, from their 1979 album, Manifesto.

JACK'S BIT OF CRACKLING: Messages, by Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark, their third single release from 1980. Classic period video here.

Lost In The Plot, by The Dears, from their second, 2003 album, No Cities Left. Sample more from it here.

There Is A Light That Never Goes Out, by The Smiths, from their third, 1986 album, The Queen Is Dead.

No Bleeding, by Wild Swans, from their 1982 John Peel session, later released on vinyl, and most recently included on the double-CD compilation, Incandescent, released by Renascent. Simply awesome.

News And Tributes, by The Futureheads, the title track from their second, 2006 album, inspired by the Manchester United Munich disaster of 1958. Sample more from the album here.

Faron Young, by Prefab Sprout, from their second, 1985 album, Steve McQueen(though released in the US as Two Wheels Good because of objections from the actor's family). Faron Young was an American country singer famous in the 1950s and 60s.

Horse Overboard, by Microdisney, from their 1987 album, The Clock Comes Down The Stairs

Wednesday 16 January 2008

Pounding, by Doves, single released from their 2002 album, The Last Broadcast. Check out the stunning video here.

Lola Stars And Stripes, by The Stills, from their debut 2003 album, Logic Will Break Your Heart. Sample the rest of the brilliant album here.

I Will Follow, debut 1980 single by U2. I saw them play this live in a Sheffield pub with about 40 other fans in the week of its release. So there.

In This Home On Ice, by Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, from their debut, eponymous album from 2005. Sample the rest of it here.

Lowdown, by Electrafixion, from 1995. The band was the joint project of Echo and the Bunnymen's Ian McCulloch and Will Sergeant, and released one album, Burned.

Winning, by The Sound, from their second, 1981 album whose title makes no sense at all because of a missing apostrophe: From The Lions Mouth. It's not certain whether this grammatical lapse contributed to lead singer Adrian Borland's depression which culminated in his suicide in 1999. Or it may have been to do with the fact his band were never as successful as their labelmates, the aforementioned Echo and the Bunnymen. The Sound's five albums were remastered and re-released by the excellent Renascent label in 2001.

Driving Away From Home, by It's Immaterial, released as a single from their 1985 debut album, Life's Hard And Then You Die. Sample more from the album here.

Trains To Brazil, the irresistable debut single by Guillemots, released in December 2005. Would have made a brilliant Christmas number one. Was included on their wonderful debut album, Through The Windowpane, released in 2006. A new album is rumoured to be imminent. I can't wait. Note: Neither trains nor Brazil feature in the story or the video of the song......

Favourite Shirts(Boy Meets Girl), the debut single by Haircut 100 which reached number four in the UK charts in October 1981.

The World Is Outside, by Ghosts, from their debut 2007 album of the same name.

Everything Is Everything, by French band Phoenix, from their second, 2004 album, Alphabetical. This band came to my attention after one of their tracks was featured in the 2003 film Lost In Translation.

Wood Beez(Pray Like Aretha Franklin), by Scritti Polliti, released as a single in 1984. The fact that it got to number 10 in the UK but a mere number 91 in the US tells you everything you need to know about the cultural divide between our two nations....

Slave To The Rhythm, by Grace Jones. This is the eight-minute, "Hot Blooded" version from her 1998 album, Private Life: The Compass Point Sessions. Sample the rest of it here.

Tanto Tempo, the title track from Bebel Gilberto's 2001 (UK) debut solo album. She's the daughter of Joao Gilberto, the Grammy Award-winning Brazilian singer and guitarist credited as the "Father of Bossa Nova". Chill out to more of her music, including tracks from her most recent album, Momento, here.

Casually Unkind, from the only, eponymous album released by Scottish singer/songwriter Jerry Burns in 1992. She's got a voice to die for, yet never released another album. Information on her is hard to come by - so if anyone reading this can tell me anything at all about her, please leave a comment below - but she has contributed to the occasional film soundtrack. There is a fan website here and some new(er) tracks available at her MySpace page here.

Where Happiness Lives, by Magnet(aka Even Johansen), from his exquisite 2003 debut album, On Your Side. This gifted Norwegian - he writes, sings and plays most of the instruments - recorded the album near Lockerbie in Scotland, where he lived for a while. Sample more from it here.

Falling And Laughing, the debut, 1979 single from Orange Juice.

Will I Ever Be Inside Of You, another grammatically-challenged song title, this time from Paul Quinn And The Independent Group, from their 1995 album of the same name(and still missing a question mark). Glaswegian Quinn had previously played and provided backing vocals for Orange Juice. He formed this group with Alan Horne, founder of Postcard Records(who released Orange Juice's material). Sample more from the album here.

Lost In The Plot, by Montreal's The Dears, from their 2003 album, No Cities Left. Sample the rest of it here.

There Is A Light That Never Goes Out, by The Smiths, from 1986's The Queen Is Dead.

Horse Overboard, by Microdisney, from their 1987 album, The Clock Comes Down The Stairs

Wednesday 9th January 2008.

Yes, by McAlmont & Butler, a single and opening track from their first album, The Sound of...McAlmont & Butler, released in 1995 after they'd already split up(only to reform and record a second album to general indifference in 2002). Their last single, Speed, came out in 2006. You can visit their official website here. Butler was Bernard, erstwhile guitarist with Suede and, later, The Tears. He has just co-written the forthcoming debut album from brilliant new singer Duffy, including the single Rockferry, which is well worth hearing here(though you'll have to click on the video to hear the whole song as her record company is too stingy to allow the audio to be downloaded in its entirety)

Munich, by Editors, single and track from their debut album, 2005's The Back Room. Their eagerly awaited second album was released last year and is a pile of bombastic rubbish, which may or may not have something to do with the singer/songwriter's lasting dalliance with insufferable Radio One DJ and professional Scot, Edith Bowman.

London Calling, by The Clash. Nothing else to add, other than RIP Joe Strummer.

Walking With Thee, the title track from the third, 2002 album by Liverpool's Clinic. They've never made it big, but their menacing brand of rock/pop is often featured on late night, imported Channel Four TV series. They're like a scary Half Man Half Biscuit. Sample their most recent album, last year's Visitations, here.

The Last Good Day Of The Year, from the debut, eponymous 1999 album from Cousteau. And, if truth be told, the only decent track on it.

Astounded, by Bran Van 3000, from their 2001 album, Discosis. This track samples Move On Up by Curtis Mayfield.

The Lighthouse, by Hector Zazou, featuring Siouxsie(without her Banshees) on vocals, from Zazou's 1994 album, Songs From The Cold Seas. On this little-heard gem of an album, the prolific French composer collaborates with a succession of female vocalists, including Bjork, Suzanne Vega, Jane Siberry and Barra-born Gaelic singer Catherine-Ann MacPhee. Sample it here.

Pure Shores, by All Saints, from the soundtrack to The Beach(2000).

In My Bed, by Amy Winehouse, from her debut 2003 album, Frank. Sample the rest of it here.

Love Letter, by Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds, from their majestic, mournful 2001 album, No More Shall We Part. Sample the rest of its heartbreaking beauty here.

The Disappointed, by XTC, from their 1992 album Nonsuch. Sample all the hits from the career of one of England's most charming and eccentric bands here.

JACK'S BIT OF CRACKLING: Flight, by A Certain Ratio, released as a 12-inch single with Blown Away and And Then Again on Factory Records in 1980. Though embraced as cult favourites, the band never quite achieved the fame of their labelmates, Joy Division. But they've got a great website here.

The Space Race Is Over, Billy Bragg's heartfelt lament for the loss of innocence and the power of imagination, featured on his 1996 album, William Bloke. Sample the rest of it here.

Good Souls, by Starsailor. Classic single, included on their 2001 debut album, the much underrated Love Is Here. Sample tracks from their most recent(2006) album, On The Outside, here.

Something Wicked This Way Comes, by Barry Adamson, from his 1996 album with the rubbish title, Oedipus Schmoedipus. He once played bass guitar with Magazine, don't you know...

Revolutionary Spirit, the debut single by The Wild Swans. The last single released on Liverpool's legendary Zoo label in 1982, the story behind this recording is almost as epic as Paul Simpson's lyrics and vocals. First, it was financed and produced by Pete de Freitas(RIP), drummer with Echo and the Bunnymen who'd just received a royalty cheque for £2,000. He also played the drums on it and is credited as Louis Vincent. Second, it was recorded in mono by mistake, and that was the version the band stuck with. A stereo version was released in the US after de Freitas took the master tape to New York and remixed it with Talking Heads' live engineer, but the band believed the mono version was superior and released that in the UK. Third, the flipside was the equally stirring God Forbid. Fourth, this was the only record this incarnation of The Wild Swans ever released(though they produced a spine-shiveringly exquisite session for Radio One DJ John Peel which was later released on vinyl).

The group then disbanded while Simpson pursued a project with Ian Broudie as the duo Care(see the blog for 12 December below), reforming with new personnel to record their 1990 album, Bringing Home The Ashes. Their second album, Space Flower, saw a drastic change in direction(they went all Happy Mondays) and was only released in the US - until last year, that is, when it was released by Korova as part of a retrospective two-disc set called Magnitude. Sample it here. Then read the full, wonderful story of the band here.

Wonderful Life, by Black, aka Colin Vearncombe. This was the single and title track from the cheery Scouser's debut album in 1987. Check out the wonderful video here.

Young Americans, by David Bowie, released as a single and album in 1975.

Venus As A Boy, by ex-Sugarcubes vocalist, Bjork, from her stunning 1993 debut solo album, Debut.

Horse Overboard, by Microdisney, from their 1987 album, The Clock Comes Down The Stairs.