A 70th BIRTHDAY PLAYLIST

After breakfast this morning I made a quick iPod playlist of 70 tracks, a bit random but all songs I love, almost all of them from the 50s, 60s and 70s which was deliberate. No real surprises I don't suppose, and more recent songs can wait for another day. I could have done 700, of course, but that would have taken too long and I didn’t want to waste time while the sun was out. Either way I’ve probably missed some favourites and I made a rule to limit the number of songs to one per artist. (I broke that rule, but only with Beatles, Who, Bowie and Dylan.) Then I got in my car and headed south, to Lancing, and walked along the beach towards Brighton with these songs playing in my head. The weather was wonderful, warm, all blue skies and fluffy clouds, and the beach was largely deserted. I knew which song on the playlist was number 35, so after that played (and by an odd coincidence it was Dusty singing ‘Goin’ Back’) I walked back to Lancing, had a coffee in the Perch café and then drove home.

            Music has been a constant in my life since I was nine or ten, so it seemed only right to spend the first part of this day with songs I've grown up with. It took just over four hours and here’s what I listened to…

   

Mystery Train – Elvis

Great Balls of Fire – Jerry LL
Tutti Frutti – Little R
Rave On – Buddy H
Summertime Blues – Eddie C
Claudette – Everlys
Only The Lonely – Roy O
You Need Love – Muddy W
Hellhound On My Tail – Robert J

Sweet Little Sixteen – Chuck B

Long Tall Sally – Beatles

Satisfaction – Stones

Rising Sun – Animals

Respect – Aretha F

Sweet Soul Music – A Conley

Slippin’ & Slidin’ – Band (live)

Don’t Worry Baby – Beach Boys

Waterloo Sunset – Kinks

Hello Mary Lou – R Nelson

Here Comes The Night – Van M

Substitute – Who

Who Do You Love – Bo D

Mr Tambourine Man – Dylan

Shakin’ All Over – J Kidd & Pirates

I Fought The Law – Bobby Fuller 4

Move It – Cliff R

Time Is Tight – BT & MGs

Bells of Rhymney – Byrds

Stop In The Name of Love – Supremes

Tracks Of My Tears – Smokey R & Miracles

Walk Away Renee – Four Tops

My Girl – Temptations

Midnight Hour – Wilson P

Ecstasy of Gold – Ennio M

Goin’ Back – Dusty S

I Want You – Dylan

4 + 20 – CSN&Y

Don’t Let Me Down – Beatles

I Can’t Let Maggie Go – Honeybus

I Can Hear The Grass Grow – Move

Save The Last Dance For Me – Drifters

Be My Baby – Ronettes

Gasoline Alley – Rod Stewart

Knock On Wood – Eddie Floyd

When You Walk In The Room – Agnetha F

How Can You Mend A Broken Heart – Al Green

River Man – Nick Drake

See Emily Play – P Floyd

Hold On I’m Coming – Sam & Dave

Who’ll Stop The Rain – CCR

Winner Takes It All – Abba

Everybody’s Talkin’ – Harry N

If Paradise Is Half As Nice – Amen Corner

All Right Now – Free

Starman – Bowie

Chimes Of Freedom (live) – Bruce S

Me & Bobby McGhee – Janis J

Rock’n’Roll – Led Zep

Europa Endlos – Kraftwerk

Heroes – Bowie

I Can See For Miles - Who

Dixie Chicken – Little F

There She Goes – The La’s

Like A Hurricane – Neil Young

Baby Blue – Badfinger

Hello In There – John Prine

Highway Man – Albert Lee & HH

Blitzkrieg Bop – Ramones

Dreaming – Blondie

Elvis Presley Blues – Gillian Welch