#4 - The Sun Hasn't Set On This Boy Yet by Nils Lofgren

Recently I've been getting itchy fingers and have been quite fancying playing a bit of music again. When I came across an advert from a band wanting a piano player I applied. They sent me some demos which sounded good and I could hear some spaces into which my clumsy playing could fit. Negotiations commenced and they seemed nice guys but we eventually reached an amicable agreement that it would not work out as my advanced years would not sit easily with the demographic of their audience.

A look in the mirror was enough to tell me they were probably right but how I was deflated.

Sometimes favourite songs are there for when you need them, to cheer you up, to calm you down or, as in this case, to rebuild the broken down ruins that were once your confidence.

Sing it for me Nils...

Listen: The Sun Hasn't Set On This Boy Yet - Nils Lofgren

#3 - Southtown Girls by The Hold Steady

Sometimes a tune becomes a favourite because it has lived with you almost all your life. Sometimes a tune becomes a favourite simply because you have not been able to take it off the turntable for the past week.

Southtown Girls falls into the latter category.

Maybe in another weeks time I will have forgotten it. Maybe not. The a cappella intro grabs your attention and that first organ sweep has you hooked. As soon as the guitar kicks in you realise that there is no point in fighting it and you just allow yourself to be reeled into a swarming mass of bluesy, swampy, rocky perfection.

It struck me that if I listen to this song for as long as I have listened to some others (see previous post) I will be nearly 80. On so many levels I hope that turns out to be true.

Listen: Southtown Girls - The Hold Steady

#2 - A Salty Dog by Procol Harum

It is the 4th July 1976 and a balmy summer evening in the grounds of the Castle Museum, York.

We (the two Reverend Doctors and the future Mrs Grace) are watching Procol Harum play a one-off outdoor show. It is one of those rare occasions when music, location, band, audience and ambience combine to perfection.

I have always loved Gary Brookers voice and it has rarely been better than on A Salty Dog. Keith Reid's lyrics manage to stay the right side of the twaddle he was sometimes capable of and the string arrangements provide the perfect support for a great tune.

Procol played this song that night and thirty-odd years later I still doubt that I will ever get tired of hearing it.

Listen: A Salty Dog - Procol Harum

#1 - The New Jenny Jenkins by Neal Casal

Twice I've been on holiday to a ramshackle house near Thou in France. Like me it is falling apart and has seen better days. However, it is where I want to live and I would go tomorrow if I could.

I remember playing The New Jenny Jenkins on the portable CD as I avoided the spiders in the rusty bath. Whenever I hear it I am transported back there and I am happy.

Listen: The New Jenny Jenkins - Neal Casal

By Way Of An Introduction

I've been listening to, playing, buying and, most of all, enjoying music now for over 40 years. If I had a pound for every time that I've been asked "what is your favourite song of all time?" I still would be a long way from being rich as it would all have been spent on red wine.

The truth is that there is no one song that is my favourite. There are so many songs that I love - some familiar, some obscure, some good, some bad, some happy, some sad...you get the picture.

This blog seeks to answer the favourite song question and explain the reasons why. There could be a lot of posts to come.