Author: Alan Ashworth

Wonderful opening verse: ‘Silk scarf and a napkinHidden in a drawerTwo hundred bucks in an envelopeLabelled Lenore.’ Another selection from the excellent Greendale album.

Chosen purely for the title, one for Brexit Day.

From her 1994 album Cover Girl, a terrific version of the Talking Heads song first heard on the Speaking in Tongues LP.

From the 1999 album 69 Love Songs, of which by my reckoning 23 are great. First is If You Don’t Cry. Then Not That Crazy. And finally the wonderfully non-PC … Continue readingThe Magnetic Fields: Three Love Songs

I include this not just because it’s good, but it links to the great Frank Zappa Helsinki concert which forms You Can’t Do That On Stage Any More Vol 2. … Continue readingThe Allman Brothers Band: Whipping Post

Ten minutes of bliss from the great British bluesman. If you have time, check out his album Do I Know You, a favourite of mine. Here it is:

I have several female folk singers vying for the position of least favourite. Judy Dyble is one, along with Jacqui McShee, Celia Humphris and Shirley Collins, all of whom in … Continue readingFairport Convention: Violets of Dawn

We were all talking about this in the sixth-form smoking room the day after this was broadcast in December 1972. It comes from the Dutch band’s album Focus 3 and … Continue readingFocus: Sylvia

Lovely stuff from her album Against the Streams. I think of this as one of her later works but in fact it’s 24 years old.