Author Archives: Paul

Four Top Ten hits from 1985: Who were the artists? One Vision? Easy, that was Queen. Love and Pride? Bit more difficult but it was King. 1999? Well, Prince obviously. And this one: Say I’m Your Number One? Princess. So that’s King, Queen, Prince and Princess all in the Top Ten, all in the same […]

I love Vic Reeves but am I the only one who’s always found Bob Mortimer slightly surplus to requirements? Vic is a true original, a flawed comedy genius. But Bob? He just does what Vic does. Beneath the anarchic veneer, Bob seems very shrewd, sensible and ambitious. He trained as a lawyer and was in […]

My old friend Tom Upstone is coming over. Before he emigrated to Australia many years ago, I used to hang out with him a lot. Real music buff, Tom embraced every genre and I remember him raving about this obscure 1950s Nina Simone track – “You’ve got to hear it”. Back then, that was easier […]

Aretha Franklin’s version is far more famous but this is the original. Aretha took the song and re-did it from the standpoint of a strong, independent woman demanding R-E-S-P-E-C-T from her man. But in Otis Redding’s version, “Respect” is just a euphemism for sex. That’s what he’s pleading for when he gets home. I do […]

On the contrary. I think he was a genius and one of the most important cultural figures the world has ever known. But what I liked best about John Lennon was just a fantastic rock ‘n’ roll singer. It was his raw, rasping vocals that made The Beatles such a brilliant live band in the […]

Me too. Maybe because London has been spared the worst of the current freak weather, we can’t fully appreciate how bad it’s been elsewhere. It has, however, been extremely windy. Well actually, it hasn’t. Not compared with other parts of the country. Nonetheless, this track seems very appropriate this morning. It’s an aural antidote to […]

As the DJ at countless weddings, this is what I had to say as the bride and groom took to the floor for their first dance as man and wife. It was usually something awful and predictable like Unchained Melody or Lady in Red. Another old chestnut was It Must be Love. Not only predictable […]

Many, many reasons. Paul was the better songwriter, the more accomplished musician, the one who frequented avant-garde clubs, constantly seeking inspiration while John decamped to a Surrey mansion in a multi-coloured Rolls-Royce. Sgt Pepper, the most famous and influential album ever made, was Paul’s idea. He wrote and recorded Yesterday with just a guitar and […]

I knew I’d (sort of) grown up when I realised that Songs for Swingin’ Lovers was one of the greatest albums ever made. It was the first LP to feature a suite of songs with a common theme rather than just a random selection of tracks. And that theme, of course is love. In 1956, […]

Sounds just like her, doesn’t it? And as we approach Valentine’s Day, its lyrics are suitably romantic and sung by a woman too. This is good because, contrary to popular belief, women are apparently far less romantic than men. On Friday, for example, who’ll be expected to buy the champagne and roses and book the […]