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Carrying the ages, via The Simpsons. Insert any music you like …
This week we seek strange combinations from starkly different times – old songs covered on new instruments, new songs played on old instruments, traditional musicians playing with younger, or old styles mashed up with the new
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A new American discovery. Columbus, not as heroic as once thought, kisses the dirt again
Political figures to perverted pop stars, sport stars gone sour to disappointing dads, guest ShivSidecar picks playlists that bring a whole rogues’ gallery of favourites perfectly into perspective, all inspired by last week’s nominations
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Joseph Stalin: hero turned villain. Statue torn down in 1956 in Budapest during Hungary's October Revolution
Whether it’s figures of public renown in music, film, politics or history, or private – mentors, relatives and even lovers, this week we look into songs about how the once admired and revered can seriously disappoint and fall from grace
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Sparks are eating apparently nothing to do with what their song is about …
From the witty to the weird, the irreverent to the irrelevant, the poetic to the potty, after a huge outpouring of nominations, guest playlister severin serves up a superb menu of cutting-edge and classic musical conundrums
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Herd this? Non sequiturs are instrumental in this week’s musical zoo
Often poetic, strange, vivid, but definitely illogical, this week we explore lyrics that don’t really follow what preceded it, but somehow their meaninglessness masquerading as meaning, can also end up being something highly musical
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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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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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Fancy a stretch on The Stranglers’ longship? All part of this week’s musical journey
Yorkshire moors to oceans wide, endless deserts to mountains high, through genres and geography, mapping from a massive musical landscape of songs from last week’s topic, guest playlister Maki takes us on a splendid journey
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In the open: Houston demonstration, Tiananmen Square, Monument Valley, John Constable’s Stour Valley
City squares to vast wildernesses, parks and stadiums to commons, fields of solitude to peaceful demonstrations, to locations of violence, revolution and change, this week we find space to breathe in songs about places where society expresses itself
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Berceuse ballad: the Pogues can do a beautiful lullaby
Restless? Don’t worry, this is worth staying up for. Enjoy a countdown in the first of several lists perfect picked by guest amylee from hundreds of suggestions over the week, which in all contexts help a perfect night’s sleep
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Robert Smith has already been kept up with songs that whisper
Rockabye? Close your eyes, but open your ears. This week let's expand the idea of the lullaby beyond children to any song that uses the term or encourages, whether loudly or softly, a state of drifting into the unconscious
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A cartoon postcard at home that could be applied to most weeks
As restrictions loosen in some countries, it's time to reflect on these last three months with titles and lyrics from any time that could now be applied to lockdown experience, as well as more recent songs specifically about the situation
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Look closely and you’ll see why this is a special guide to the first song …
From a suggestive Welsh mount all the way to Texas, from India to getting lost on a London A to Z, guest playlister George Boyland takes us on a personal route, inspired by many more nominations on last week’s topic
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Living maps? Leo Belgicus by Hondius & Gerritsz, 1630
Accurately marked with facts and perfect proportions? Or fuel for fantasy and the imagination? Maps make stories, and stories make maps, and their fascination leads to where X marks the spot. So let’s go there and start digging …
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Few pianists are a patch on New Orleans’ James Booker
And the piano played on … During these testing times, inspired by the deft choices of readers and fast fingers of players, guest ParaMhor picks two note perfect playlists and adds some memorial extras for the dearly departed
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Dave Greenfield of The Stranglers in 1980
What makes a great riff or solo, and how does the keyboard player fit in a band? From purveyors of excess to cool minimalism, rock or prog to soul, electronica, postpunk, pop, jazz or classical, synth to clavinet, let’s follow those fingers
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Shhh! It’s Björk
What does it mean to have quiet in your life? Inspired by hundreds of song nominations from last week’s topic, guest playlister DiscoMonster, puts together music through the prism of a story about truths, conflict and stillness
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Spring bluebells quietly getting on with it
Tranquillity, calm and serenity, or concentration, slow stirring, unrest, plotting and revolution? There are all kinds of quiet out there, and this week it’s time to explore these as described or captured in song lyrics
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It’s the most famous town in the world. This week our songs are about the place itself – its famous streets, landmarks, studios as well as the fascias, finery, or fakery of its people – their hopes, dreams, triumphs, failures, feuds and fantasies
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Sensational song suction: a huge hoover-up of hope in these week’s big playlists
Spring cleaning takes energy, but the results can also generate even more. The same applies to this week’s serenely and clean playlists chosen by guest DJ Bear, who whizzes around the Bar with a hopeful heart and a spring in his step
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