Cocteau Twins - Pearly-Dewdrops' Drops

Elizabeth Fraser and her cohorts Simon Reynolds and Robin Guthrie made some incredible music in the 80's and early 90's, with an ethereal, ghost-like atmosphere not of this world. But it was not eerie or unpleasant, on the contrary it was filled with wonder, excitement and beauty. "Pearly-Dewdrops' Drops" was their first hit single, reaching number 29 on the British charts in 1984, and the accompanying music video received a lot of viewings on television stations such as Sky Channel. Fraser's singing and words sound elfish rather than human, and is unlike anything you have heard in pop music. This song is a true classic!

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Judee Sill - The Kiss

Hands in the air all of you who have never heard of Judee Sill. She was a hugely talented American singer/songwriter in the tradition of Jimmy Webb and Carole King who recorded only two albums, an eponymous debut in 1971 and its follow-up Heart Food in 1973. "The Kiss" is lifted from the latter, an intensely beautiful piano ballad. There are no distractions here, only Sill's wonderful voice (it's a bit similar to that of another great singer/songwriter, Mary Chapin Carpenter) and her grand piano. Sill sadly died from drug abuse in 1979, at the far too early age of 35. Such a waste considering the quality of her work.

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Paul Simon - You Can Call Me Al

Happy birthday, Paul Simon, and that comes from the bottom of my heart. At 70 the guy is still among the world's most interesting musicians, singers, songwriters or whatever. "You Can Call Me Al" from his groundbreaking Graceland album released 25 years ago, in 1986, may not be his best song ever, but it's got some undeniable qualities, and a very funny music video to boot.

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Ultravox - Vienna

Happy birthday to Midge Ure, who's 58 on this fine October day. Ure was in different bands like Silk and The Rich Kids before he became lead singer for Ultravox in 1980, replacing John Foxx who opted for a solo career. That meant Ure's first Ultravox album was Vienna released the same year, thus making him part of the successful line-up that had further hits like "The Voice", "Hymn" and "Dancing With Tears In My Eyes". Still, the song "Vienna" may be my all-time Ultravox favourite, Ure's brilliant voice carrying a beuaitful pop song with cinematic overtones. Great video that fits the song too.

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John Prine - Hello In There

Happy birthday to the fantastic singer/songwriter John Prine who's 65 today. It's only fitting then to play his old song "Hello In There", a song about aging. It's taken from his gorgeous 1971 self-titled debut album that also includes classics like "Sam Stone" and "Angel From Montgomery".

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BREAKING NEWS! Here's a brand new Kate Bush single called Wild Man!

Kate Bush's eagerly awaited record 50 Words For Snow, her first album of brand new material since 2005's double CD Aerial (not counting this year's Director's Cut featuring reworkings of old songs), will be out on November 21st. But today the first single off the album, entitled "Wild Man", was played for the first time on British radio. Kate Bush has made it avaliable for streaming on her YouTube channel, and I must say it sounds very interesting indeed, and it sticks out in her catalogue as "different".

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Achtung Baby re-imagined by Patti Smith, Jack White, Depeche Mode and others

The next edition of the British Q magazine features a free CD that's a cut above the usual. Big names like The Killers, Snow Patrol, Depeche Mode, Patti Smith, Jack White and Nine Inch Nails are among the artists celebrating the 20th anniversary of U2's classic Achtung Baby album by re-imagining the entire album, as well as celebrating the 25th anniversary of Q. The magazine/CD will be on sale October 26th in UK shops, elsewhere a little later. Go here to see the full track list.

Buzzcocks - Ever Fallen In Love (With Someone You Shouldn't've)

Cue back to 1978 and the DIY ethics of the British punk scene, still vibrant although it was waning at the time. Manchester band Buzzcocks was at the forefront of the punk movement due to their legendary Spiral Scratch EP released in January 1977 and the "Orgasm Addict" single in November of the same year. The band had two excellent songwriters, Howard Devoto who went on to form Magazine, and Pete Shelley. Devoto soon quit the band, and so it was Shelley's composition "Ever Fallen In Love" that was to become the band's most famous song, covered by many, featured in loads of movies and appearing on more or less every punk rock/new wave compilation ever to be released. It's still one of the best pop songs with loud guitars ever recorded.

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The Supremes - Baby Love

1964. Motown. Do I really need to say more? The Supremes singing "Baby Love" is like something out of a fairytale.

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Lone Justice - Sweet, Sweet Baby (I'm Falling)

Maria McKee entered the rock world like a whirlwind in front of country rock outfit Lone Justice when they released their self-titled debut album in 1985. Among the singles on this particularly excellent record was "Sweet, Sweet Baby (I'm Falling)", a co-write with The Heartbreakers' Benmont Tench and The E Street Band's Steven Van Zandt. The album shines as bright today as it did back then, and McKee's vocal performance still sounds like nothing else. Their second - and final - album Shelter (1986) should be largely forgotten on the other hand. Thank God Maria McKee went on to a fruitful solo career.

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