🔗 Share this article

The first song I was captivated by
My first recollection is entering a space at nursery school where they were playing Yellow Submarine by the Beatles. I was captivated by the audio textures, and John Lennon shouting: “Full speed ahead!” When it got to the chorus, I recall believing: “This must be music!”

The inaugural 45 I purchased
When I was eight, I won a contest at school to select a new vinyl to play at the mini disco we had on Fridays. My instructor took me to a local store, and I picked out Come Back My Love by Darts. The first record I bought with my own allowance was Mull of Kintyre by Paul McCartney's 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 frankly actively avoid public singing and steer clear at all costs. But under duress, I’d select Summer Wind by Ol' Blue Eyes.

The piece I inexplicably know each line to
I just discovered that I have memorized almost the entire lyrical content to The Boy in the Bubble, You Can Call Me Al, and each track on Graceland by the legendary songwriter.

The ideal tune to blast at a party
It relies on the point of the event you are at. At the start it would likely be I Heard It Through the Grapevine by the soul legend. As the evening progresses, I’d transition into the Artist, the Rolling Stones and David Bowie, and when it hits its peak, Phat Planet by Leftfield, Born Slippy .NUXX by the techno pioneers, and Ascension by the virtual band, which is an undeniable hit.

The number I can never hear
I inexplicably cannot stand Mr Brightside by the Killers.

The ultimate piece to have sex to
Come Together by the Beatles.

The album that transformed me
When I was 12 and starting to learn the guitar, I’d only listen to early rock ’n’roll, and was fixated on The King, the rock pioneer, Jerry Lee Lewis, the New Orleans legend, the glasses-wearing icon and the rockabilly star. Then my babysitter played Let There Be Rock by the Australian rockers. It was still guitar music, but it was electrifying rock ’n’roll. As soon as he placed the vinyl on the record player, I was a fan for life.

The tune that motivates me in the morning
What’d I Say parts 1 & 2 by Ray Charles.

The piece that gets me emotional
All music leaves me emotional. Aretha Franklin, Frank Sinatra, Presley and the Fab Four all bring a tear to my eye because of the tune and sheer beauty of the voices. But The Ocean by Richard Hawley strikes a chord every time.

The music I’d like played at my funeral
Elvis. If I’m cremated, I’ll have Burning Love. If I’m laid to rest in the ground, I’ll have Way Down.