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The first track I became enamored with
My first recollection is entering a room at nursery school where they were blasting Yellow Submarine by the Fab Four. I was captivated by the sonic landscape, and John Lennon shouting: “Full speed ahead!” When it reached the hook, I remember thinking: “This must be music!”

The very first 45 I acquired
When I was eight, I was victorious in a contest at school to select a brand new record to play at the weekly dance party we had on Fridays. My instructor took me to a local store, and I opted for Come Back My Love by Darts. The first record I purchased with my own pocket money was Mull of Kintyre by Wings from a record shop in Colne. It was No 1 at the time, and I chose it when my dad mentioned that it was by a former member of the Beatles.

The tune I do at sing-along
I candidly actively avoid public singing and dodge it at all costs. But if forced, I’d choose Summer Wind by Frank Sinatra.

The piece I strangely recite all the words to
I not long ago realised that I know pretty much all the lyrics to The Boy in the Bubble, You Can Call Me Al, and the entire album on Graceland by the legendary songwriter.

The perfect song to blast at a party
It depends on the point of the evening you are at. For the beginning it would likely be I Heard It Through the Grapevine by Marvin Gaye. As the party deepens, I’d work through the Artist, the Rolling Stones and David Bowie, and when it gets lively, Phat Planet by the electronic act, Born Slippy .NUXX by the techno pioneers, and Ascension by the virtual band, which is an massive track.

The number I can never hear
I for some reason cannot stand Mr Brightside by the Killers.

The ultimate song to get intimate to
Come Together by John, Paul, George, and Ringo.

The LP that transformed me
When I was 12 and beginning to learn the six-string, I’d only listen to classic rock and roll, and was consumed by The King, the rock pioneer, Jerry Lee Lewis, the New Orleans legend, Buddy Holly and Eddie Cochran. Then my babysitter introduced me to Let There Be Rock by the Australian rockers. It was still rock’n’roll, but it was powerful rock ’n’roll. As soon as he placed the vinyl on the record player, I was a fan for life.

The tune that gets me up in the morning
What’d I Say in its full glory by The Genius.

The track that makes me cry
All music makes me moved. Aretha Franklin, The Chairman of the Board, Presley and the Beatles all stir my emotions because of the harmony and sheer beauty of the vocals. But The Ocean by Richard Hawley strikes a chord every time.

The track I’d like performed at my memorial service
Elvis. If I’m cremated, I’ll have Burning Love. If I’m buried, I’ll have Way Down.