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Playlists: songs about tickets, passes and invitations

January 22, 2025 Peter Kimpton

Get your AAA passes here to a full musical experience ….

Tickets to travel, alluring invitations to important passes come in all forms, and inspired by last week’s topic nominators, guest inspector Loud Atlas brings you access to all areas of musical enjoyment

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In African, avant-garde, blues, calypso, country, comedy, dance, disco, drone, dub, easy listening, electronica, exotica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, krautrock, lounge, metal, music, musical hall, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, psychedelia, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, showtime, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional, trip hop Tags songs, tickets, playlists, invitations, passes, Quincy Jones, The Marvelettes, The Beatles, Fanny, TootArd, Olivia Rodrigo, Gene Wilder, Film, film soundtrack, Della Reese, Half Man Half Biscuit, The Chats, paul simon, Aretha Franklin, Joe Cocker, Tyrone Davis, Silver Cooks & The Gondoliers, Wendy Waldman, The Magicians, Beck, The Kills, Passport, passports, Tracy Chapman, Big Star, Johnny Cash, Hank Williams, Cosmo Sheldrake, The Osmonds, Harry Nilsson, Gladys Knight, English Teacher, Loud Atlas
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Playlists: songs about thinking

January 7, 2025 Peter Kimpton

Descending deeper into the swirling vortex of our over-stimulated minds: Girls In Synthesis

Scratching your head? What makes the inner language and patterns of thought? Is there an art to thinking, of not thinking too much, or even dethinking? Guest writer Uncleben brings clarity and wonderfully crafted playlists inspired by last week’s topic

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In African, avant-garde, blues, comedy, country, dance, disco, drone, dub, easy listening, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, krautrock, lounge, music, musical hall, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, psychedelia, punk, reggae, rock, showtime, ska, soul, songs, soundtracks, traditional, trip hop Tags songs, playlists, thinking, psychology, Lyn Collins, X, Seun Kuti, Fela Kuti, Fela's Egypt 80, John Moreland, Ralph Myerz, Jack Herren Band, Roky Erickson, Ron Moody, Lionel Bart, paul simon, Avett Brothers, Girls In Synthesis, Pere Ubu, Mclusky, Swans, The Beatles, The Charlatans, The Lemon Twigs, Londonbeat, UB40, The Smiths, Albert Collins, Parliament, Aretha Franklin, Robert Glasper, Talib Kweli, Beck, Kevin Ayers, Bob Dylan, The Byrds, Boards of Canada, Uncleben
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Consider this: songs about thinking

January 2, 2025 Peter Kimpton

Welcome to 2025. It’s time to blow a few lyrical and musical thought bubbles and get the grey matter moving. How is thought expressed in song? Is it an inner speech? Is it through the fingers? All this and more with much to think about, here ….

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In African, avant-garde, blues, calypso, classical, comedy, country, dance, disco, drone, dub, easy listening, electronica, exotica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, krautrock, lounge, metal, music, musical hall, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, psychedelia, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, showtime, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional, trip hop Tags songs, playlists, thinking, psychology, Plato, Aristotle, Euripides, Confucius, William Shakespeare, Shakespeare, Voltaire, Thomas Edison, Blaise Pascal, Thomas Gray, Charles Kettering, Mahatma Gandhi, William James, Steven Pinker, Edwin Hubble, Archibald Montgomery Low, future, Nobel Prize, physics, quantum physics, Google, Erwin Schrödinger, Douglas Adams, books, fiim, art, philosophy, language, Jerry Fodor, Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye, Tammi Terrell, Harry Nilsson, Garbage, Nick Drake, Los Campesinos, The Triffids, Barbara Januszkiewicz, Isaac Asimov, Willie Nelson, Yoko Ono, Mary Martin, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Wallace Stevens, Goethe, Audrey Hepburn, The Wizard of Oz
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Playlists: songs about resilience

May 2, 2023 Peter Kimpton

There’s something inside … Labi Siffre

Love and marriage, fighting alcoholism, fearless drag queens, 400 years of black resilience, to being able to bend rather than be brittle and break – there’s something very strong going on here, thanks for playlists picked by guest magicman inspired by last week’s topic

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In African, avant-garde, blues, calypso, classical, country, dance, disco, drone, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, jazz, music, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, psychedelia, prog, punk, reggae, rock, ska, songs, soul, traditional, soundtracks Tags resilience, songs, playlists, Maya Angelou, Mêlée, Kate Bush, Mel & Tim, Fiona Apple, Chk Chk Chk, Grace Petrie, Gerry Rafferty, Dub Syndicate, Aretha Franklin, Joe Walsh, B.J. Thomas, Labi Siffre, Todd Rundgren, Len Chandler, Manic Street Preachers, The Impressions, Mark Stewart & the Maffia, Christina Aguilera, Culture, The Whatnauts, Nat King Cole, Sault, Judy Garland, Little Richard, Long Promised Road, Prince Buster, Andrew Duhon, Jessie Ware, magicman
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Playlists: songs about formal agreements

September 6, 2022 Peter Kimpton

Gang of Four peer closely at the small print ….

Reggae to punk contracts and beyond, it’s time to sign on the dotted line, but only when you’ve read all the small print. With no obligation to express your reaction until you’ve heard it all, come and check out these fabulous playlists picked by guest Tatanka Yotanka from last week’s theme and nominations

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In African, avant-garde, blues, calypso, country, dance, disco, drone, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, indie, jazz, musical hall, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, psychedelia, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, showtime, ska, songs, soul, traditional Tags songs, playlists, contracts, agreements, treaties, The Congos, Gang of Four, Kofi, The Clash, Max Romeo, Stiff Little Fingers, Peter Tosh, Sex Pistols, Gregory Isaacs, US Bombs, The Gladiators, Bad Religion, The Abyssinians, Love, Gene Latter, First Choice, The Trammps, Blossom Dearie, The Rugby's, The O'Jays, Primus, The Stooges, The Streets, 10cc, Aretha Franklin, Lindisfarne, Brides of Funkenstein, TatankaYotanka
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Playlists: songs about perspiration

June 22, 2022 Peter Kimpton

Sweatiest video? Alewya

It’s more than warm in here. Sexual arousal to hard labour, cold sweats to night sweats, picked from all the nominations from last week’s hot topic guest of the week pejepeine’s playlists will leave you perspiring with excitement

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In African, blues, calypso, country, dance, disco, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, jazz, metal, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, psychedelia, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, showtime, ska, songs, soul Tags songs, playlists, perspiration, sweating, Laura Nyro, Van Morrison, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Led Zeppelin, James Brown, Daft Punk, Pharrell Williams, Alewya, Prince, Basement Jaxx, Roxanne Shanté, Findley, Bad Bunny, J Balvin, Dana Bryant, Robin Kester, Yello, Bruce Springsteen, The The, The Fall, Ace Marino, The Soul Lifters, Ohio Players, Keith Sweat, C&C Music Factory, Nelly, Ralphi Rosario, Marcos Valle, Disco Tex & His Sex-o-Lettes, Aretha Franklin, Neil Diamond, Elvis Costello, Joe Dolan, Iggy Pop, pejepeine
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Playlists: songs about heartbreak

May 25, 2022 Peter Kimpton

Otis Redding - cut down in his prime

Relationship breakdown, devastating loneliness to shocking bereavement, from a huge response to last week’s topic, it’s all here in a set of supremely powerful playlists picked by guest magicman, where despite all the sorrow, the music brings release

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In classical, blues, avant-garde, country, dance, folk, funk, gospel, indie, jazz, instrumentals, music, playlists, pop, rock, songs, soul, traditional Tags songs, playlists, heartbreak, relationships, bereavement, Robert Johnson, Odyssey, Otis Redding, Harry Nilsson, Tammy Wynette, Reparata & The Delrons, Diana Ross, Angel Olsen, Sam Brown, Roy Orbison, Jimmy Ruffin, Skeeter Davis, Taylor Swift, The Bee Gees, Eric Carmen, Johnny Ray, Smokey Robinson, Hank Williams, Elliott Smith, John Mayer, Manic Street Preachers, The Shangri–Las, Earth Wind & Fire, Jun Togawa, The Rankin Family, Donny Hathaway, Janis Joplin, Franco & TPOK Jazz, Kenny Rogers, Daniel Johnston, Bruno Mars, Mozart, Andi Thakambau, Willie Nelson, John Holt, Héctor Lavoe, Willie Colón, Stelios Kazantzidis, Beck, Deafheaven, Richard Wagner, JS Bach, Johannes Brahms, Edward Elgar, Samuel Barber, Ketty Lester, Gram Parsons, Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes, Marvin Gaye, Al Green, Nina Simone, Jeff Buckley, Amy Winehouse, The Fureys, Davey Arthur, Aretha Franklin, Wyona Judd
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Take a piece: songs that quote or offer advice

May 6, 2021 Peter Kimpton
Handing out key advice …

Handing out key advice …

Reported or direct, the practical or philosophical, the benevolent or biased, critical or contradictory, from parent to child, expert to novice, or general, this week it’s all about useful instruction, ignored or taken and ideally as detailed and unusual as possible

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In African, avant-garde, blues, calypso, classical, comedy, country, dance, disco, dub, electronica, experimental, funk, folk, gospel, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, metal, music, musical hall, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, showtime, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags songs, playlists, advice, William Shakespeare, Bruce Lee, Maya Angelou, Oscar Wilde, John Steinbeck, PG Wodehouse, Lemmy, Aretha Franklin, The Staple Singers, Christina Aguilera, Michael Jackson, REM, Bobby McFerrin, Harry Chapin, parental advice, childhood, children, Baz Luhrmann, Mary Schmich, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Aeschylus, Sophocles, Charles Bukowski, Josh Billings, Erica Jong, Henry Wheeler Shaw, Helen Fielding, Shirley Temple, Noel Coward, Gore Vidal, musicals, Thomas Tusser
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Pip-pip old chap: a tribute to John aka 9hairs9knots

January 5, 2021 Peter Kimpton
John, aka 9hairs9knots in a classic pose …

John, aka 9hairs9knots in a classic pose …

Pull up a chair, pour a drink and soak in this extensive farewell, filled with anecdotes, quotes and songs to John, aka 9hairs9knots, mischievous, articulate, knowledgeable, funny, warm, sensitive regular here at the Song Bar for years. Rest in peace.

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In African, avant-garde, disco, dub, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, instrumentals, jazz, music, musicals, playlists, pop, prog, rock, songs, ska, soul, traditional, soundtracks Tags songs, playlists, 9hairs9knots, Miles Davis, Todd Rundgren, Aretha Franklin, Dinah Washington, Jimi Hendrix, Detroit Spinners, Earth Wind & Fire, Marc Bolan, David Bowie, Wade Flemons, Willie Mitchell, William DeVaughn, The Beatles, Dr John, Nina Simone, Leonard Cohen, Country Joe and the Fish, Pink Floyd, White Bird, Bill Withers, Fort Knox Five, Us3, The The, Steely Dan, The Pretenders, Carleen Anderson, Van Morrison
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Playlists: 'new normal'? Songs about what is or isn't regular, typical or natural

December 2, 2020 Peter Kimpton
Lady Gaga: Just put your paws up – 'cause you were born this way, baby …

Lady Gaga: Just put your paws up – 'cause you were born this way, baby …

Finding the ordinary in the extraordinary to the straight in the straitjacket, this week’s playlists are anything but average, as guest playlister IsabelleForshaw entertainingly reveals that normality is all a matter of perspective

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In comedy, classical, blues, avant-garde, country, dance, disco, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, music, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, songs, soul Tags songs, playlists, normality, Lady Gaga, Joe Walsh, dEUS, Betty Davis, Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band, Bigg Jus, Jerold Marcellus Bryant, Pet Shop Boys, Crowded House, Cameo, Frentel, Mental As Anything, Ivor Cutler, Bob Dylan, Saint Etienne, Yard Act, Superorganism, Day Wave, The Business, Bikini Kill, English Dogs, The Mekons, Arrested Development, Ben Folds, The Pogues, Alan Price, Aretha Franklin, Eartha Kitt, Regurgitator, Weird Al Jankovic, IsabelleForshaw
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Playlists: songs featuring choirs

September 2, 2020 Peter Kimpton
Soweto Gospel Choir

Soweto Gospel Choir

If ever a music genre brought people together, this is it. Sublime selections in a heartfelt tribute by guest playlister magicman from mass nominations spanning South Africa to Russia, America to India, France, Wales and well beyond

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In African, classical, folk, gospel, indie, jazz, musicals, pop, showtime, songs, traditional, soul, rock, playlists, music, dance, disco Tags songs, playlists, choirs, Harry Nilsson, Pierluigi Palestrina, L. Subramaniam, Pavel Chesnokov, Michael Jackson, Caetano Veloso, Cerys Matthews, Fron Male Voice Choir, Gabriel Fauré, Soweto Gospel Choir, Aretha Franklin, The Southern California Community Choir, Reverend James Cleveland, Sweet Honey In the Rock, Bulgarian State Radio & TV Female Vocal Choir, Oysterband, Melanie, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Ray Davies, Crouch End Festival Chorus, Samuel Barber, Chanteurs a la Croix de Cuivre, Zimna Wojna, The Carpenters, Rachmaninov, Scala & Kolacny Brothers, John Taverner, Andi Thakambau, Nicolas Jaar, The Jumping Jacques, Ray Stevens, Sam Smith, Kanye West, Abba, Rod Stewart, The Beatles, Swingle Singers, Vivaldi, Kuban Cossack Choir, magicman
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The sum of its parts: songs featuring choirs

August 27, 2020 Peter Kimpton
The Red Army Choir gives it some welly

The Red Army Choir gives it some welly

Time to sing out! This week, in any genre, music and songs featuring choirs, whether they are the main performers, or come alongside other musicians or singers and then play a prominent or pivotal role

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In African, avant-garde, blues, calypso, classical, folk, funk, gospel, indie, music, musical hall, musicals, playlists, pop, soul, songs, soundtracks, traditional, showtime Tags songs, playlists, choirs, choirboys, Paul McCartney, Vladimir Mayakovsky, John Keats, Brian Eno, Fred Allen, Aretha Franklin, Tina Turner, Keith Richards, The Rolling Stones, Mavis Staples, Florence Welch, Tom Jones, Treorchy, Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Mississippi Mass Choir, Red Army Choir, Russia, Mieskuoro Huutajat, Finland, The Number Nine Chorus, Guðmundur Steinn Gunnarsson, Mouths of the Tyne Community Choir, whales, Bill Drummond, Vokal Ansambl Gordela, Georgia, Werner Herzog, György Fehér, Kate Bush, Le Mystere des voix Bulgares, Reverend James Cleveland
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Playlists: songs and music in three-four time signatures

June 17, 2020 Peter Kimpton
Spanning the ages in 3/4: OMD’s Maid of Orleans

Spanning the ages in 3/4: OMD’s Maid of Orleans

Beethoven to Bob Dylan, Aretha Franklin to Funkadelic, Joe Cocker to Cocteau Twins, it’s time to waltz into a set of lists that swing across time and genres, picked expertly by guest playlister DJ Bear from a mass of nominations

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In African, avant-garde, blues, classical, calypso, comedy, country, dance, disco, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, metal, music, musicals, playlists, musical hall, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, showtime, ska, songs, soul, traditional Tags songs, playlists, waltzes, time signatures, Beethoven, Lee Ashley, Patsy Cline, Bob Dylan, Amadou & Mariam, Estrella Morente, Mall Muzak Orchestra, Max Roach, Funkadelic, Queen, OMD, Juana Molina, Aretha Franklin, Eric Bogle, Maddy Prior and the Girls, Screamin' Jay Hawkins, Françoise Hardy, Grethe & Jørgen Ingman, Jackie Deshannon, Tom Jones, The Rascals, Etta James, Joe Cocker, Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes, The Eagles, Billy Joel, Waylon & Willie, Paul McCartney, Wings, Cocteau Twins, George Michael, Metallica, Seal, Deanna Carter, Goo Goo Dolls, D'Angelo, Alicia Keys, Norah Jones, Audrey Hepburn, Dale Watson, Abba, The Prodigals, DJ Bear
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Waltz this way: songs and music in three-four time signatures

June 11, 2020 Peter Kimpton
Fred and Ginger

Fred and Ginger

You can count on this, as easy as one, two, three. While four or eight beats to the has been the dominant form, this week we swing over to three or six beats to the bar, and it's surprising just how many artists have used it

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In African, classical, country, dance, electronica, experimental, folk, funk, gospel, indie, instrumentals, jazz, metal, music, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, traditional Tags songs, playlists, time signatures, waltzes, Sarah MacLean, André Rieu, Frédéric Chopin, Johannes Brahms, Maurice Ravel, Shostakovich, Franz Schubert, Johann Strauss, Johann Strauss II, Maurice Jarre, Film, film soundtrack, Stanley Kubrick, Fred Astaire, Ginger Rogers, Jerome Kern, Eric Coates, Robert Stolz, Ivor Novello, Richard Rodgers, Cole Porter, Thelonius Monk, Sonny Rollins, John Barry, Toots Thielemans, Fred Neil, Jeff Buckley, Aretha Franklin, Carole King, Gerry Goffin, Al Stewart, Simon & Garfunkel, Lou Reed, The Stranglers, David Bowie
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In full swing: songs and instrumentals from New York City

July 18, 2019 Peter Kimpton
There’s more than one way of having in ball in New York. The 1930s …

There’s more than one way of having in ball in New York. The 1930s …

It’s the city of the world that never sleeps, but this week let’s explore what kind of music, particularly instrumentals, but also lyrics, capture the particular spirit, culture, feel and rhythms of its extraordinary five boroughs

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In avant-garde, blues, classical, comedy, country, dance, disco, experimental, electronica, folk, gospel, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, music, musicals, musical hall, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, rock, showtime, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks Tags songs, playlists, New York, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Beastie Boys, LCD Soundsystem, Henry Ford, Duke Ellington, Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan, The Bronx, Staten Island, David Byrne, Talking Heads, George Gershwin, Carole King, Gerry Goffin, Neil Diamond, Sonny Bono, paul simon, Broadway, Jack Kerouac, William Burroughs, Andy Warhol, Janis Joplin, Joni Mitchell, Jimi Hendrix, The Grateful Dead, Lou Reed, Bob Dylan, Blondie, The Ramones, Cyndi Lauper, Madonna, B-52s, The New York Dolls, Iggy Pop, David Bowie, Frank Zappa, Dee-Lite, John Lennon, Yoko Ono, Led Zeppelin, Joe Strummer, The Clash, Television (band), Prince, Woody Allen, Lenny Bruce, Richard Pryor, Harlem, Aretha Franklin, Ella Fitzgerald, James Brown, Milos Forman, John Updike, Bette Midler, Martin Scorsese, Robert De Niro, Film, film soundtrack, Jon Voight, Dustin Hoffman, Al Pacino, gangs, Statue of Liberty
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The gift of sound and vision: songs enhanced by impressive videos

April 25, 2019 Peter Kimpton
What will be your weapon of choice this week?

What will be your weapon of choice this week?

Music and film are often intertwined commercially, but where does a video become an artform to the level that the visual elements enhance, complement and become symbiotic with the song? Let the action commence …

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In avant-garde, blues, classical, comedy, country, dance, disco, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, gospel, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, metal, music, musicals, playlists, pop, prog, postpunk, punk, reggae, rock, rocksteady, ska, songs, soul, soundtracks, showtime Tags songs, playlists, videos, Film, YouTube, MTV, David Lynch, Bessie Smith, Louis Jordan, Tony Bennett, Serge Gainsbourg, Jacques Dutronc, Jacques Brel, The Moody Blues, Kenneth Anger, The Beatles, Queen, Aretha Franklin, Lady Gaga, Chris Cunningham, Spike Jones, Spike Jonze, Michael Gondry, Daft Punk, Chemical Brothers, Aphex Twin, Bjork, Norman Cook / Fatboy Slim, Bootsy Collins, Christopher Walken, Electric Six, Peter Gabriel, Aardman Animations, Radiohead, Childish Gambino, Cate Le Bon, Fat White Family, Ibeyi, Arctic Monkeys, Philip Glass, Godfrey Reggio
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Playlists: songs influenced by gospel

December 12, 2018 Peter Kimpton
Al Green … holy and sexual in the same line

Al Green … holy and sexual in the same line

Hallelujah! This week’s divine lists, picked by guest magicman from countless nominations, not only shines light on gospel’s music in soul to jazz, disco and more, but will lift hearts and minds though dark times

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In country, dance, gospel, music, playlists, pop, songs, soul, blues Tags songs, playlists, gospel, Billy Ward & The Dominoes, Bed of Roses, The Statler Brothers, Ray Charles, Sam & Dave, Wynton Marsalis, Elton John, Aretha Franklin, Chaka Kahn, Al Green, The Moody Blues, Bobby 'Blue' Bland, Jennifer Holliday, Kanye West, Kirk Franklin, Chance The Rapper, Donny Hathaway, The Impressions, The Staple Singers, Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes, Against All Logic, Nicolas Jaar, Charles Mingus, Labelle, Patti Labelle, Ike and Tina Turner, Ike Turner, Tina Turner, Jackie Wilson, Ry Cooder, Marvin Gaye, Tammi Terrell, Otis Redding, Sam Cooke, Garnet Mimms & The Enchanters, The Source, Candi Staton, Frankie Knuckles, Martha Reeves & The Vandellas, Billy Joel, Bobby Womack, Cannonball Adderley, Emmylou Harris, The Hollies, Jamie Lidell, John Legend, Michael Jackson, Midfield General, Randy Travis, Toots and the Maytals, Change, Nuyorican Soul, Jocelyn Brown, Earth Wind & Fire, Ben Folds Five, Toni Braxton, magicman
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How great thou art: songs influenced by gospel

December 6, 2018 Peter Kimpton
Guitar and singing legend Sister Rosetta Tharpe

Guitar and singing legend Sister Rosetta Tharpe

Big flamboyant, expressive voices to call-and-response choirs, praise and looking for answers? This week we soul search into gospel’s musical styles infused into other genres, from soul to R&B, hip hop to rock, folk and indie

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In blues, classical, country, dance, disco, dub, electronica, folk, gospel, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, music, musical hall, musicals, playlists, pop, rock, songs, soul, traditional Tags songs, playlists, gospel, soul, church music, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Mahalia Jackson, Bobby Womack, Brian Eno, Yolanda Adams, George F. Root, Philip Bliss, Charles H. Gabriel, William Howard Doane, Fanny Crosby, Ira David Sankey, Dwight L. Moody, Charles E. Gold, The Fairfield Four, The Dixie Hummingbirds, Five Blind Boys of Alabama, Five Blind Boys of Mississippi, The Soul Stirrers, The Swan Silvertones, The Charloteers, The Golden Gate Quartet, The Fisk Jubilee Singers, Reverend Gary Davis, Bob Dylan, Tom Waits, Ry Cooder, Thomas Dorsey, Bessie Smith, Tampa Red, Ma Rainey, Reverend James Cleveland, Aretha Franklin, Sam Cooke, Martin Luther King, civil rights, Jerry Lee Lewis, Elvis Presley, Hank Williams, Ray Charles, James Brown, Clyde McPhatter, Roy Brown, Al Green, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Chaka Kahn, Whitney Houston, Beyonce, Chance The Rapper, Kanye West, Frank Ocean, Leonard Cohen, The Kooks, The Rolling Stones, Bon Iver
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Playlists: songs about equality

October 24, 2018 Peter Kimpton
Martin Luther King, 28 August 1963

Martin Luther King, 28 August 1963

Conflict to the Equals, Peggy Seeger to the Pointer Sisters, Kamasi Washington to John Coltrane, this week’s playlists chosen by guest pejepeine from a wonderful week of egalitarian-spirited nominations, are a dream come true

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In blues, country, dance, disco, dub, electronica, folk, hip hop, instrumentals, jazz, music, playlists, pop, punk, reggae, rock, songs, soul Tags Songs, playlists, equality, politics, society, Martin Luther King, Conflict, Yothu Yindi, The Equals, Boy George, Culture Club, Field Music, Robb Johnson, Bonnie Raitt, Peggy Seeger, John Coltrane, The Pointer Sisters, Pangaea, Kamasi Washington, The Au Pairs, Aretha Franklin, The Ting Tings, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Roots Manuva, Hugh Mundell, Eddie Cochran, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis, Jamila Lewis, Hurray for the Riff Raff, Johnny Cash, John Martyn, The Isley Brothers, Mr Fingers, pejepeine
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Notes for the NHS: songs about nursing and healthcare

July 5, 2018 Peter Kimpton
NHS founder Nye Bevan visits Park Hospital, Davyhulme, Manchester, in 1948.

NHS founder Nye Bevan visits Park Hospital, Davyhulme, Manchester, in 1948.

This week we’re giving it the special treatment to mark the NHS 70th anniversary, but also looking for music that mentions any kind of medical care, especially nursing, and its emotional effect in lyrics

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In blues, classical, comedy, country, dance, electronica, folk, gospel, hip hop, indie, instrumentals, jazz, metal, music, musicals, playlists, pop, postpunk, prog, punk, reggae, rock, songs, soul Tags Songs, medicine, NHS, playlists, Aneurin Bevan, doctors, nurses, hospitals, Florence Nightingale, Aretha Franklin, Val Saintsbury, Cabbage, John Lennon, US politics, Barack Obama, Donald Trump, Noam Chomsky, Bernie Sanders, Mitt Romney, Michael Moore, Cuba, George Michael, Robbie Williams, George Clooney, Ellen Pompeo, television, film, One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, ER, Grey's Anatomy, Carry On films
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DRINK OF THE WEEK

pint of guinness


SNACK OF THE WEEK

Bacon and egg ice cream (Heston Blumenthal style)


New Albums …

Featured
Book of Churches.jpeg
Mar 19, 2026
Book of Churches: Book of Churches
Mar 19, 2026

New album: Beautiful, tender, melancholic and poetic, a walking-pace acoustic folk and Americana debut solo release by the singer-songwriter Felix Mackenzie-Barrow, co-lead singer with the Nottingham alternative indie band Divorce

Mar 19, 2026
A Pound of Feathers by The Black Crowes.jpeg
Mar 18, 2026
The Black Crowes: A Pound of Feathers
Mar 18, 2026

New album: Following 2024’s resurgent release Happiness Bastards, Atlanta, Georgia brothers Chris and Rich Robinson return with their 10th album in four up-and-down decades, with a belting release packed with Stones/ Keith Richards-style riffs, and a full-blooded, full-throttle classic and catchy rock

Mar 18, 2026
 Paris In The Spring by Alexis Taylor.jpeg
Mar 18, 2026
Alexis Taylor: Paris In The Spring
Mar 18, 2026

New album: The clarity and high range of the distinctive Hot Chip lead singer returns with his seventh solo LP, packed with personal, candid, philosphofical and sometimes melancholy lyrics allided with bright, melodic leftfield electro-pop, a dash of country, elegant disco-house, and Vangelis-inspired soundscapes, and a title echoing a psychological test where things are not as they seem

Mar 18, 2026
Madeleine by Diagonale des Yeux.jpeg
Mar 18, 2026
Diagonale Des Yeux: Madeleine
Mar 18, 2026

New album: Wonderfully weird, wonky, woozy, avant-garde, absurdist oddness by the French duo of Laurène Exposito and Théo Delaunay, with their lo-fi, ramshackle, DIY postpunk and retro-electronica, sharing sung and spoken vocals across French, German, English and Spanish

Mar 18, 2026
Yebba - Jean.jpeg
Mar 18, 2026
Yebba: Jean
Mar 18, 2026

New album: Following 2021’s Dawn, a second LP by the American singer and songwriter from West Memphis, Arkansas, aka Abigail Smith, moves towards an eclectic mix of gentler, more understated pop, folk, gospel, R&B, and soul, is named after her late grandmother, and has candid, personal themes of mourning and spiritual healing

Mar 18, 2026
The Sophs - Goldstar.jpeg
Mar 17, 2026
The Sophs: Goldstar
Mar 17, 2026

New album: A fairytale story of a debut for the Los Angeles six-piece fronted by Ethan Ramon, who cold-emailed demos to Rough Trade Records before even playing a live gig and were signed – that instinctive leap of faith rewarded by this stylish, bold, mercurial, confident, darkly humorous, eclectic debut leaping between rock, indie, pop, hoedown country, delta blues and beyond

Mar 17, 2026
Kim Gordon - Play Me album.jpeg
Mar 13, 2026
Kim Gordon: Play Me
Mar 13, 2026

New album: Following 2024’s The Collective, the former Sonic Youth frontwoman’s fourth solo LP continues her extraordinary experimental, innovative journey, moving to more melodic beats and shorter tracks with a motorik krautrock-style driven coloured by strange sounds, intense emotions and sharply angled, dark, droll social commentary

Mar 13, 2026
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Mar 11, 2026
ELIZA: The Darkening Green
Mar 11, 2026

New album: The London artist Eliza Caird (formerly under the mainstream pop moniker Eliza Doolittle) returns with more of the cool, slow, sensual, gentle, sophisticated experimental soul-funk style evolving from her 2022 album A Sky Without Stars, here with particularly polished, silky, stripped back grooves and vocals

Mar 11, 2026
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Mar 11, 2026
Andrew Wasylyk: Irreparable Parables
Mar 11, 2026

New album: The Scottish multi-instrumentalist and composer returns with a new selection of soothing, meditative mix of experimental classical and jazz, but this time joined with six different singers represented by the birds on the album artwork

Mar 11, 2026
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Mar 10, 2026
waterbaby: Memory Be A Blade
Mar 10, 2026

New album: A delicate, experimental, understated soulful chamber pop debut by the pure-voiced Stockholm-born singer-songwriter (aka Kendra Egerbladh) in 25-minute, eight-track release of lo-fi, lyrically semi-improvised numbers about heartbreak and self-renewal in a world of gorgeous musical sensations

Mar 10, 2026
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Mar 10, 2026
Joshua Idehen: I know you're hurting, everyone is hurting, everyone is trying, you have got to try
Mar 10, 2026

New album: With a strikingly long title, a euphoric and honest full debut LP by the British-born Nigerian poet, spoken word artist and musician based in Sweden, working with his musical partner Ludvig Parment’s sonic layers, packed pacy dance and hip-hop grooves, clever sampling, slower reflections, and articulate expressions of positivity through the ups and downs of grief and hope

Mar 10, 2026
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Mar 10, 2026
Gnarls Barkley: Atlanta
Mar 10, 2026

New album: Finally, after an 18-year gap since their last collaboration in the heady days of the hit Crazy, with the St Elsewhere and The Odd Couple LPs a third and supposedly final album from fabulous singer CeeLo Green and producer and musician aka Brian Burton with a mix of soaring soul, hip-hop, pop and RnB with songs filled with vivid lyrical memories and strong, emotive melodies

Mar 10, 2026
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Mar 9, 2026
Various: HELP(2) - War Child Records
Mar 9, 2026

New album: Not only a timely and topical milestone charity record following the first in 1995 to help bring aid and wide variety of support to children in war zones around he world, but an impressive double-LP array of stellar British and international talent and powerful, poignant 23 songs from Arctic Monkeys to Young Fathers

Mar 9, 2026
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Mar 9, 2026
Bonnie “Prince” Billy: We Are Together Again
Mar 9, 2026

New album: Just over a year after 2025’s The Purple Bird, but from parallel recording sessions and familiar co-musicians, the veteran Louisville-Kentucky singer-songwriter Will Oldham returns with another collection of exquisite, intimate, gently defiant lo-fi folk to troubled times, an ode to community with a beautiful array of acoustic instruments and his poignant, insightful lyrics and delivery

Mar 9, 2026

new songs …

Featured
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Mar 20, 2026
Song of the Day: Jorja Smith - Price Of It All
Mar 20, 2026

Song of the Day: Sumptuous, soaring, classic soul/R&B/pop by the British smooth-voiced singer-songwriter from Walsall, West Midlands, in this number from the soundtrack for new TV series, Bait, starring Riz Ahmed, and released on FAMM

Mar 20, 2026
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Mar 19, 2026
Song of the Day: Liza Lo - Birdsong
Mar 19, 2026

Song of the Day: Following her acclaimed debut album Familiar, a beautiful, warm, intimate, tender folk number featuring guitar, fiddle and double bass by the Amsterdam-born, London-based producer and singer-songwriter, Liza Lo Hoek, out on Gearbox Records

Mar 19, 2026
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Mar 18, 2026
Song of the Day: Rostam - Like A Spark
Mar 18, 2026

Song of the Day: A beautiful new acoustic folk-pop single with echoes of early 70s Van Morrison by the US musician, producer and former member of Vampire Weekend, heralding his upcoming third solo album American Stories out on 15 May via Matsor Projects

Mar 18, 2026
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Mar 17, 2026
Song of the Day: Kacey Musgraves - Dry Spell
Mar 17, 2026

Song of the Day: A catchy, witty, innuendo-filled new number about being and single and lonely, with some stylistic echoes of Rumours-era Fleetwood Mac, heralding the acclaimed Grammy-winning Texas country singer-songwriter’s upcoming seventh album, Middle of Nowhere, out 1 May on Lost Highway

Mar 17, 2026
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Mar 16, 2026
Song of the Day: Jaakko Eino Kalevi - Black Diamond
Mar 16, 2026

Song of the Day: A splendidly rousing eight-minute retro-style electro-pop baroque melodrama by the Finnish artist with the deep, rich voice, one that stylistically and in his own fashion, draws a pentagram between Goblin, Rondo Veneziano, Cerrone, Doris Norton and Lindstrom, out on Domino Records

Mar 16, 2026
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Mar 15, 2026
Song of the Day: Hannah Lew - Sunday
Mar 15, 2026

Song of the Day: An appropriate day to highlight this classy latest single of shimmering 80s-style synth-pop with echoes of OMD, with themes about pain, love and grief from the upcoming debut album by the Richmond, California artist, out on 10 April via Night School Records

Mar 15, 2026
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Mar 14, 2026
Song of the Day: Mei Semones - Tooth Fairy (featuring John Roseboro)
Mar 14, 2026

Song of the Day: A charming cross-genre fusion of bossa nova, jazz, folk and chamber pop sung in English and Japanese by the Brooklyn-based American musician with a tale of losing a tooth on the subway and friendship, from the upcoming album Kurage, out 10 April on Bayonet Records

Mar 14, 2026
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Mar 13, 2026
Song of the Day: Robyn - Blow My Mind
Mar 13, 2026

Song of the Day: Quirky, sensual electro-pop with a dash of Kraftwerk by the acclaimed Swedish singer, songwriter and producer Robin Miriam Carlsson, in this latest from the upcoming album Sexistential out on 27 March via Konichiwa / Young Records

Mar 13, 2026
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Mar 12, 2026
Song of the Day: Lava La Rue - Scratches
Mar 12, 2026

Song of the Day: The latest single by the London singer-songwriter is punchy, powerful psychedelic rock number with tearing riffs and lyrics about damage from troubled relationship, abuse and self-harm, from the forthcoming EP Do You Know Everything?, out on BMG

Mar 12, 2026
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Mar 11, 2026
Song of the Day: Alewya - City of Symbols (featuring eejebee)
Mar 11, 2026

Song of the Day: A stylish fusion of electronica, soul, hip hop and Ethiopian rhythmic influences centring on themes of heritage, family by London singer, songwriter, producer and multidisciplinary artist, with drums from eejebee and guitar from Vraell, heralding from the forthcoming new debut Zero out 22 June via LDN Records / Because Music

Mar 11, 2026
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Mar 10, 2026
Song of the Day: Huarinami - Carried Away
Mar 10, 2026

Song of the Day: Explosive, stylish, gritty, restless indie-psychedelic punk with angular, angry guitars, driving bass and wonderfully arresting vocals by Pauline Janier (aka Cody Pepper) fronting the French London-based four-piece in this single fuelled by the frustration of big-city life, and heralding their sophomore EP Nothing Happens, due for release on 6 June

Mar 10, 2026
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Mar 9, 2026
Song of the Day: Avalon Emerson & The Charm - Written into Changes
Mar 9, 2026

Song of the Day: Following the singles Eden and Jupiter and Mars, another stylish, experimental indie synth-pop release by the New York artist with the title track of upcoming second Charm moniker album, out on 20 March via Dead Oceans

Mar 9, 2026

Word of the week

Featured
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Mar 12, 2026
Word of the week: wallfish
Mar 12, 2026

Word of the week: It sounds like the singing finned picture ornament Big Mouth Billy Bass that became popular in the late 1990s, but this is a much older noun, derived in Somerset, England, pertains to the climbing gastropod that can slowly climb up any surface

Mar 12, 2026
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Feb 25, 2026
Word of the week: xiphias
Feb 25, 2026

Word of the week: Get the point? This is the scientific name for the swordfish, in full Xiphias gladius (from the Greek and Latin for sword), that extraordinary sea creature with the long, pointy bill. But what of it in song?

Feb 25, 2026
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Feb 12, 2026
Word of the week: yanggeum
Feb 12, 2026

Word of the week: A form or hammered dulcimer, this traditional Korean instrument, with a flat and trapezoidal shape, has seven sets of four metal strings hit by thin bamboo stick

Feb 12, 2026
Zumbador dorado - mango bumblebee Puerto Rico.jpeg
Jan 22, 2026
Word of the week: zumbador
Jan 22, 2026

Word of the week: A wonderfully evocative noun from the Spanish for word buzz, and meaning both a South American hummingbird, a door buzzer, and symbolic of resurrection of the soul in ancient Mexican culture, while also serving as the logo for a tequila brand

Jan 22, 2026
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Jan 8, 2026
Word of the week: aspectabund
Jan 8, 2026

Word of the week: This rare adjective describes a highly expressive face or countenance, where emotions and reactions are readily shown through the eyes or mouth

Jan 8, 2026

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