LIKES / Influences (In No particular order)

I love Bruce Hornsby's piano playing because I never know where it's going to take me next. I was a fan back at the start of his career where he recorded more traditional 4-minute pop songs (such as 'The Way It Is'), but it's his improvisations that now really captivate. Finest Hour: the experimental, jazz-tinged LP 'Hot House' where both the lyrics and the playing are top-notch. Jerry Garcia from The Grateful Dead even guests!

I discovered the lyrics and melodies of Billy Joel when I was playing piano at university. It was exciting to discover the back catalogue of someone who was giving Elton John a run for his money. I also really enjoyed playing 'Piano Man' back then, and having friends sing along. Finest Hour: The 'Turnstiles' album from 1976, recorded shortly before he hit the big time with' The Stranger' a year later.

I started my Elton John journey while at school with a copy of '21 at 33' borrowed from the local library. Along the way I've discovered gems such as the epic, eleven-minute 'Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding' and the albums 'Too Low for Zero', and 'Sleeping With the Past'. Musically he never fails to surprise, and he has been one of the soundtracks to my growing up. Finest Hour: The 'Rock of the Westies' LP, full of uncommercial fare but where he and his band really rock out.

What hasn't been said about Madonna that has already been said? I grew up with the albums 'Like A Virgin', 'True Blue', and 'Like A Prayer'. Later on I really liked her 'Confessions on a Dance Floor' album, particularly the songs 'Hung Up' (with its ABBA sample) and 'Jump'. Finest Hour: 'The Immaculate Collection', the early-career greatest hits collection that presented alternate versions of her best-known songs.

The first Lady Gaga record I bought was the 'Born This Way' album; there's some great pop music on that record: 'Marry The Night', 'Hair', 'Scheiße', 'The Edge Of Glory', and the title track all really rock. And that voice ... it really sounds great, especially in the top register. Finest Hour: The moving 'I'll Never Love Again' from the soundtrack to 'A Star Is Born', a tender and poignant ballad that works so well in the film of the same name.

My earliest memories of Kraftwerk's music came via 'The Man-Machine' and 'Computer World' albums of the late 1970s and early 1980s. "Electronic and computerised music with soul" is a good way to describe their work ... indeed a lot of their music is easy to dance to. The band has been going for over 50 years now, albeit in different incarnations. Finest Hour: The 'Computer World' LP ... it really grooves. 

He excelled as the lead in Dire Straits (who doesn't like the guitar part on 'Money For Nothing'?) but his solo work since 1996's 'Golden Heart' has been phenomenal - you never quite know what he's going to come up with next. I like the way he is equally at home with a low-key acoustic song ('Hill Farmer's Blues') or an all-out rocker ('Don't You Get It'). Finest Hour: The 'Down The Road Wherever' LP - a late-stage career album that still shows he's got it.

The three sisters from the US who all sing and play a variety of instruments between them. I also like the idea that what they play on their albums differs from what they play live. For me, they really seemed to take things to the next level on the album 'Women in Music Pt. III' (2020). Finest Hour: 'Don't Wanna' and 'Hallelujah, both from 'Women in Music Pt. III' - these two songs couldn't be more diametrically opposed but are equally enjoyable.

Another soundtrack to my growing up, I first started listening to them properly around the time of GCSEs, when the band - and lead singer Phil Collins - were at their commercial peak. They were one of the few bands that wrote and recorded both short, four-minute songs (e.g. 'Throwing It All Away') and longer progressive rock epics (e.g. 'Supper's Ready'. Finest Hour: Anything from around the time of the 'We Can't Dance' album ... though some will inevitably prefer the Peter Gabriel years.

Something of a guilty pleasure, I'm quite proud to call myself a Bee Gees fan. I prefer their 1980s and 1990s stuff, but one thing is for sure, they were darn good songwriters. 'Alone', 'Secret Love', and 'For Whom The Bell Tolls' have all stood up well in the decades since they were released. Finest Hour: The brilliant 'You Win Again', the hook of which was recorded by Barry in the middle of the night into a dictaphone. The rest is history ...

This band might seem a strange choice to like at primary school, but, to me, I was simply hooked by the Hi-NRG beat, Pete Burns' booming vocals and the glistening Stock-Aitken-Waterman production. Finest Hour: I still love their 'Mad, Bad and Dangerous To Know' LP, with extended versions of the singles 'Brand New Lover' and 'Something In My House' opening each side of the vinyl.

My first "serious" band, I spent my pocket money as a school boy on records such as 'If You Can't Stand The Heat' and 'Run For Your Life'. I was drawn to their harmonies and also the rhythm tracks of these records, particularly the way the drums were quite loud in the mix. Finest Hour: 'My Camera Never Lies', a really good pop song.

I've gained so much through listening to the music of Nanci Griffith. To me she was one of a kind, someone who melded a number of different styles of music, not just country and folk. Seeing her in concert in the noughties was a truly great experience. Finest Hour: Probably the 'Other Voices, Other Rooms' album where Nanci pays tribute to the songs and artists who shaped her as a musician.

I was fortunate to discover Gordon Lightfoot's music through a family friend, and I love songs such as 'Carefree Highway' and 'Canadian Railroad Trilogy'. He's been recording and touring since the 60s ... hard to believe. I also love the way his guitar playing effortlessly accompanies his vocals.  Finest Hour: The 'Gord's Gold' LP, a great collection of his best-known hits, some re-recorded and some presented in medley form.

Who doesn't love a good Queen song? If I had to name my favourite, I would probably say 'Headlong', but 'These Are The Days Of Our Lives', 'Breakthru' and 'One Vision' are all strong contenders. Like many, I thought the band's performance at Live Aid was phenomenal, where they didn't put a foot out of place. Finest Hour: the 'Greatest Hits II' album, packed full of hits and showed that each of the four band members was capable of writing hit songs.

Another soundtrack to my growing up, Erasure first burst onto the scene in the mid-1980s with Andy Bell's impassioned vocals and Vince Clarke's state-of-the-art synths. Particular favourites of mine are the 'The Innocents', 'Cowboy' and 'The Neon' albums, the 'Abba-Esque' EP, and their greatest hits, of course. Finest Hour: 'The Innocents' album (see 'Top 10 Albums' page), where every track hits the mark and the band could do no wrong.

Mary Chapin Carpenter is one of the undisputed masters of understated guitar work accompanied by effortless vocals. Ostensibly a country artist, I first heard her work through her 'The Essential Mary Chapin Carpenter' compilation from a few years back. Finest Hour: the track 'What To Keep And What To Throw Away' from her 'Ashes and Roses' LP. This is a masterclass in how to construct a song, this one about the aftermath of a romantic relationship that has ended and working out how to move on.

It's easy to forget how successful Donna Summer was in the 1970s. I particularly like the juxtaposition of many of her most popular records' cool electronic instrumentation and her expressive, soaring voice. It's effortless to hear her singing. Finest Hour: The epic 18-minute MacArthur Park Suite from 1978 ... this Grammy award-nominated performance is utterly stunning and I never tire of it. Well worth checking out if you haven't yet heard it. 

I absolutely love Pet Shop Boys and it's testament to their music that they have now been making records for over 40 years. If pushed I prefer early to mid-PSB, from around West End Girls to the time of the 'Very' LP. Their B-sides are also first-rate. Finest Hour: this has to be the 'Behaviour' album released in 1990 ... lush, understated and full of memorable melodies and lyrics. Being Boring is an absolute classic and still stands up today. Would absolutely love to see this band live!

A true musical genius and an underrated one at best. I love his 'Tubular Bells' series of albums, and who can forget his performance at the 2012 Olympic Games in London? He is a master of so many instruments and, like Mark Knopfler, manages to coax a particular sound out of his guitar. He's also a genius when it comes to recording and multitracking in the studio. Finest Hour: His 'Ommadawn' LP, a tour de force album from the 70s that is breathtaking in its construction and musicality.

I grew up with Willie Nelson's records playing at home, and he's certainly been prolific. I probably prefer his output from the 1980s onwards, the remake of The Party's Over, the duet with Carlos Santana, They All Went To Mexico, and the punchy Nothing I Can Do About It Now all standing out for me. Finest Hour: Either the duet with Merle Haggard, Pancho and Lefty, or the haunting Good Time Charlie's Got The Blues, the latter from the Chips Moman-produced 'City of New Orleans' LP.

I have loved ABBA since I can remember hearing their music in the late 1970s. I am so glad they came back together to record a brand new album, 'Voyage', with an absolutely stellar single, Don't Shut Me Down. I love the way the group has overcome personal tensions to concentrate on what is most important: the music. Finest Hour: 'The Visitors' LP, the group's then-final album featuring the singles 'One Of Us', 'When All Is Said And Done', 'Head Over Heels', and the title track.

One of my earliest memories was hearing 'Swing Low, Sweet Chariot' on an old, crackly 45 ... Eric Clapton is a rare artist (for me) in that I like his music from the 1970s ('Lay Down Sally'), the 1980s ('Pretending'), the 1990s ('Circus') and beyond ('Gotta Get Over'). Finest Hour: the live version of Badge included on the CD version of the 'Forever Man' compilation. I don't normally go for live cuts but this one is first-rate imho.

I have a bit of a fascination with The Beatles more than fifty years after their break-up. I can't wait to see Peter Jackson's 'Get Back' documentary, documenting the making of the 'Let It Be' album.  Finest Hour: 1969's 'Abbey Road' album, a genius record from start to end. The highlight of the record, for me, is 'Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End'. This swansong album always yields something new that I have not heard before. It also shows how much the group had grown since their inception in the early 1960s.

I first got into Nik's music when I was at primary school, through such songs as 'Wouldn't It Be Good',  'Wide Boy', and 'Don Quixote'. My estimation of him increased even more when he performed at Live Aid in July 1985, a real accolade for someone so new to the charts. I think he's a musical genius who's not scared to take risks, musically or lyrically. Finest Hour: the 'The Riddle' album, particularly its three singles.

Before they split into two camps in the noughties, UB40 made great reggae music, either with their cover versions or their original songs. In particular, I really like the intricate, programmed basslines of their early songs.  Finest Hour: Their 'Promises and Lies' LP that I bought in the summer after A-Levels with my first holiday job pay packet. This album contains the hit song 'Can't Help Falling In Love' as well as the catchy 'Higher Ground'.

My knowledge of Pink Floyd's early music is patchy, but I really like their mid- to late-period albums. University saw me begin to explore their back catalogue with albums such as 'Wish You Were Here' and 'The Division Bell'. Finest Hour: the sonic masterpiece that is 'Dark Side of the Moon', particularly the eerie instrumental, 'On The Run'. The band's use of studio technology at this time was first-rate and I never tire of hearing this album.

James Taylor first came to prominence in the singer-songwriter movement of the early 1970s. I love his early output but also some of his later records, including 1985's 'That's Why I'm Here' and 1997's 'Hourglass'. Finest Hour: This has to be the 70s version of 'Carolina In My Mind', rerecorded for Taylor's Greatest Hits album. This cut is the closest you're likely to get to four minutes of musical perfection ... complete with pedal steel guitar (see 'Top 100 Songs').

I really admire the longevity of Chris Rea's career and the dogged determination he showed when things weren't going the way he felt they should have been. I was lucky enough to see him in concert at Christmas in 2017 and will never forget the electric atmosphere as the glitter cannons fired midway through 'Driving Home For Christmas'! Finest Hour: the bit where Part One of 'The Road To Hell' changes to Part Two and the drums and guitar come in - magic!

An unusual like/influence possibly, but this sophisti-pop duo are really good musicians. Made up of brothers Pat Kane (vocals) and Greg Kane (keyboards and other instruments), they first hit the big time in the mid-1980s with the Top 10 single Labour of Love. Finest Hour: Their 'Remote' album, which came out at the peak of their success, this LP has the finest songs, musicians and arrangements. In addition, Pat Kane's vocal ad libs are to die-for!

I've put Digweed last in the list as he's more of a DJ/mixer than a musician like the others in this list (although of course you need to be a musician to mix). I've loved his mixes since university ... 'seamless' is a good word to describe them as it's so hard to tell where one track ends and the next begins. His music is phenomenal for dancing to but also to work to, as there are rarely any vocals. Finest Hour: it has to be 'Renaissance: The Mix Collection, Part 2' from 1995 ... a first-rate mix that still sounds great.