"Tonight"

One of the simplest heartfelt teenage love songs ever: "Tonight we're just a boy and girl/The only people in the world". Takes an old man like Nick Lowe to get back to basics.

"Biko"

The segue from "Nkosi Sikelele Africa" into the intro is totally compelling. The threat of the fuzzed guitar, the inevitability of the funeral drumbeat. And the lyrics: so simple, so effective. It's fascinating to listen to the various ways in which politically-active artists demonstrate their commitment: listen to this, and then play Little Steven's "Sun City". Peter Gabriel doesn't need to sloganise; he lets the images do the talking, while Little Steven has to keep reminding us that he "ain't gonna play Sun City". Which works better?

"Whole Wide World"

Despair, hope and tuneful tunelessness. Wreckless Eric can't sing, yet he's a huge star in France. Go figure. A love song for closing time.

"Effloresce and Deliquesce"

One of the most atmospheric productions you're likely to hear: fantastic echoed guitars, a hurry-up beat, coupled to sharp, observant lyrics. I still don't know what either "effloresce" or "deliquesce" mean, but it's one of those tempestuous break-up/make-up-in-bed songs. So I'm guessing there's "imagery" involved. I'll admit that the album cover hooked me as well.

"Play that Funky Music"

Nastiest bass line. Ever.

"Homburg"

Procol Harum should be better known for this song rather than "Whiter Shade of Pale". Lyrics are just as totally bonkers, the mood is the same, beautiful keyboards and organ. Why is it that most art-pop 60s songs resembled really bad art films or "Alice in Wonderland" rip-offs? And what's the deal with trouser cuffs?

"Silver Machine"

Actually, I lied about the Motorhead track. There are two heavy metal songs you need to own, and Lemmy sings on both of them!

"Ace of Spades"

If you can only contemplate owning one heavy metal song, this should be it. All you need to know about long hair, leather, bad skin and ear-bleeding volume in two minutes and forty-six seconds.

"Stay With Me"

It's a loud, obnoxious, raucous, mysogynistic, funny, irresistible party. You will dance. And to think Rod Stewart gave this up for dross like "D'Ya Think I'm Sexy"..... There was a time when he was a fantastic soul singer, and Ron Wood was a pretty fair guitarist too....

"Tipitina"

A rolling New Orleans bar-room groove, a master of boogie-woogie at the keyboard, a few shots of tequila... all you need is a Cajun dictionary to work out what Professor Longhair's singing. Damn, this is fun!

"Kiss Me Hardy"

Serge Gainsbourg never made for comfortable listening, his subject matter was often deeply suspect, but he had an impeccable ear for rhythm and a tune. Maurice Chevalier wouldn't have stood a chance if Serge had been around a little earlier. This one's about cruising gay bars, Francis Bacon and a pun about Nelson's dying words. But when it's sung in French, you sort of forget all that. Actually, scratch the Maurice Chevalier reference... he'd have had a coronary.

"Peach"

Once in a while Prince gets back to his roots. If Dirty Dancing was a sport, this would be the soundtrack. It's downright nasty, misogynist, funky and frankly, irresistible.

"The Sound of Musik"

If you thought "Rock Me Amadeus" was over the top, this goes just that little bit further. I think Falco stuck a kitchen sink in there somewhere, too. It's rap for the uncomprehending Europeans, it's as funny as hell.

"Deeper Underground"

What is it with Jamiroquai? Jay Kay's got the best soul voice since Stevie Wonder, he cooks up evil hooks, and he moves like he's slept in Vaseline all his life.

"I Ain't Ever Satisfied"

There's a dusty, arid hopelessness about this song, perfectly conveyed by the almost-monotone vocals. Steve Earle is one of those few guys who's reached a point where he isn't afraid to take on the moral majority with in-your-face observations about "Amerika", but when he was still earning his stripes he created some great country imagery: "I was born by the railroad track/Well the train whistle wailed and I wailed right back".

"White Punks on Dope"

Fast, furious, this one bleeds all over the speakers and then comes back for more. If you know the Tubes, you know you can't take this seriously, since they satirised just about everything they came across in their early days, but Lord, there wasn't much around in 1977 that came close to this for balls-to-the-wall intelligent rock. Two drummers, three guitars and a singer wearing a Bacofoil jockstrap and twelve-inch stack heels, these guys made Alice Cooper look like Moby.

"Surrender"

Why weren't Cheap Trick absolutely huge? They had the nous to take hard rock and splice it to the Beatles (they even did a killer cover of "Magical Mystery Tour"), they had the pretty-boy singer, the wacky guitarist and the doleful drummer thing all perfectly arranged. There are so many terrific Cheap Trick songs, this is just one of the best. Nudge-nudge wink-wink drug/sex references and a fab chorus for "the kids".

"Little Does She Know"

Right up there at the top of the list of forgotten classics, a mini pop-opera that just gets better and better. This one came out around the same as a lot of pub-rock in the lat 70s, and got a little lost among the Nick Lowe/Dave Edmunds/Eddie and the Hot Rods/Dr Feelgood noise, but it's got one foot back in the 60s when songs told a story - sort of a Jilted John thing.

"Downtown Train"

Tom Waits wrote this and no matter how many folks cover it, his sandpaper vocals are the definite take on the song. It's about as close to a straight love song you're going to hear this man perform, full of high-rise sentiment in a low-rent world. Avoid all imitations. I mean..."Outside another yellow moon/has punched a hole in the nighttime"....

"Beasley Street"

It's a poem, it shouldn't even need to be set to a backing track: it's a savage, pustulent, weeping sore of a poem that goes straight to the bottom of the pile of human experience, and it's brilliant. John Cooper Clarke was the Laureate of Thatcher's Britain.