John Peel once said that the idea of a top 10 of favourite tunes / songs was meaningless. It was always just whatever 10 you liked at any given time.
Of course, there will always be songs by The Fall and Joy Division that are engraved in stone for me by this stage, baetyli if you will.
That said, here’s a 10 I like right now, today (obviously, it isn’t even 10):
Prince – Jazz funk sessions 1977 (in which the 19 year old Prince shows what a gifted so ‘n’ so he was, and how this early evidence of sheer musicianship had to be kept hidden, as that much niche-sector virtuosity is not easily compatible with a record company plan for mere global pop chart domination) :
Curtis Mayfield – Freddie’s Dead (1972) (heard this a lifetime ago, always stuck with me):
Echo Beach – Meats (2021) (nothing special, but a nice little stomper):
Carl Perkins – Matchbox (1957) (short, energetic, no messing – fucking brilliant – you can see why so much original late 70s punk looked back to the good-time 1950s, not to the far-out-man 1960s):
Sarah Simpson – I Kicked The Habit (1970) (You want to know what funky means? Listen to this – sadly, she was barely even a one-hit wonder, but, my God, this is just un-improvable, even down to the essential half-tones element to her singing which gives you that wonderful jazz coolness / self-awareness that you won’t get with conventional singing):
Max Richter – November (2002):
Motörhead – Bomber (live) (1979) (the most authentic hell-raiser rocker, ever):
Tom Waits – Brother, can you spare a dime? (2001) (It’s the way he delivers “You were my pal” – really gets this song – good pictures too):
Rory Gallagher – Bullfrog Blues (live), 1972 (watch to the end – the fun these young lads have with stomping blues rock in an improbable setting is glorious):
Tom Waits – Goodnight Irene (2006) (Tom sings drunk-style better than anybody – he does the backing vocals here too):
The Trashmen – Surfin’ Bird (1963) (although this was one 1960s song that the 1970s punks loved, for obvious reasons):
Disjecta 