Good day, everyone, and welcome to my Friday Music Shuffle.
It’s a double celebration today because it’s Valentine’s Day and the Royal Mail trucks – six at the last count – are just gathering outside my house with sacks of cards for me from admiring ladies. And we’ve only got two more weeks of winter to go. Celebrate good times, come on!
Anyway, here my music device chooses ten random tracks from my collection and I tell you what it’s chosen. And should you so desire – and I hope you do desire – you can listen and even sing along.
I also hope you find something you like.
- When I Grow Too Old To Dream by Linda Ronstadt. Back to 1978 and a lovely track from Linda’s Living In The USA LP.
- Lullaby (Instrumental) by Laura Marling. Gorgeous short track from last year’s Patterns In Repeat.
- Walk Beside Me by John Kay. Now it’s 1972 and a track from Forgotten Songs and Unsung Heroes, a solo album by Steppenwolf front man John Kay. Some voice.
- Boogie Down by Eddie Kendricks. The Temptations man with a Motown banger from 1973.
- Light Up by The Avalanches. Short and sweet and totally bonkers from the Aussie geniuses. From 2016’s brilliant Wildflower.
- Take The Money And Run by the Steve Miller Band. Classic Miller from his best album, 1976’s Fly Like An Eagle.
- ‘Til I Die by The Beach Boys. Beautiful, from 1971’s epic Surf’s Up. Arguably, peak Beach Boys and up there with Brian Wilson’s best.
- Goldfinger by Shirley Bassey. 1964 and a true Bond classic theme. Co-written by John Barry, obvs, and produced by George Martin.
- Rhythm Is A Dancer by Snap!. A bit of old skool Trance here, going back to … gulp! … 1992.
- Mirage City by King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard. This band are among my latest loves. Great track from 2024’s Flight b741.
Now that’s what I call eclectic!
This week’s Desert Island Disc is ‘Til I Die by The Beach Boys. But it’s not the best version of the song. This is, though. The Steve Desper mix, where the music is played through twice but the vocal appears only once, in the second part of the track. The song is all about being humble and how small we are in the world. A cork on the ocean, a rock in a landslide, a leafy on a windy day. These things I’ll be until I die. Apropos of nothing at all, I had this played at my mum’s funeral.
