All About The Music

In early 1962 Decca Records had the choice of signing one of two bands? They chose The Tremeloes, who went on to have two chart-topping singles. Not a bad result! Except that the other band were The Beatles. By coincidence, my guest today has chosen BOTH of these bands…

Hello and welcome to another episode of All About The Music, where I’m delighted to be in the company of psychotherapist and author Philippa Perry. Her career has seen her delve deep into how childhood and family shape us as adults, so it’s only fitting that her musical picks take us back to the world of her own childhood - a time of boarding schools, and parents set on Philippa losing her Warrington accent. Whisper it quietly, but some of her choices aren’t necessarily “favourites”… more the tracks that transport her to a formative point in her life, whether that’s being mildly terrified by the story of “Big Bad John”, comforted by her aunt playing Chopin, or misled by the romantic lyrics of Ella Fitzgerald.

And then there are The Beatles. Of all the music of her youth, they perhaps stand alone in Philippa’s eyes and ears. They’re as good now as they always were.

No assessment of Philippa’s musical loves could be complete without a trip to the world of the musical theatre. And Singin’ in the Rain is a show I’m always happy to re-visit!

Does Philippa care for contemporary music? Not a great deal, it has to be said. But Rufus Wainwright is a true talent who became the soundtrack to a memorable weekend in Paris when her and her now adult daughter stayed at the Hotel George V.

Follow Phillipa Perry: https://www.instagram.com/askphilippa/

Listen to all Philippa’s selections on Spotify here https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3VSQpv8s8S6I9RTY9ZVauE

Featured artists & tracks:

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Stay in tune with All About The Music and join the conversation wherever you are: 

Website: allaboutthemusicpod.com — explore episodes, guest playlists, and behind-the-scenes stories. 

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Facebook: facebook.com/allaboutthemusicpod — follow for updates, clips, and listener discussions. 

TikTok: @allaboutthemusicpod — enjoy bite-sized musical moments and highlights from the show.

Follow Neil: @neil.brand.9 — for performances, live appearances, and my personal reflections on music. 

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Because wherever you listen, it’s all about the music. 

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Music so often has big things to say about its time. And there’s something about the 80s where this really went into overdrive. My guest today was living and breathing it…

Hello and welcome to another episode of All About The Music, where I am joined by Damion Burrows who, when he’s not heading up his own architectural business, can be seen on TV shows like Grand Designs: House of the Year, Your Home Made Perfect and Britain’s Favourite Railway Stations.

As a youngster coming out in the 80s, Damion was drawn from hometown Sheffield to the clubs of Manchester which resounded to Bronski Beat’s Smalltown Boy and Pet Shop Boys hits like Left To My Own Devices. Through club music with a real message, Damion was finding his crowd whilst Britain was shouldering “Section 28”, which banned the promotion of homosexuality in schools and by local authorities.

As an adult, music is Damion’s way of relaxing, whether that’s revelling in the soulful brilliance of Celeste, soaking up the vibe with a posh picnic at a Jamie Cullum concert, or marvelling at the Kate Bush-esque vocal qualities of Swedish star Robyn.

And I’m delighted to say, Damion’s introducing a new act to me too – the brilliant baritone of country star Orville Peck, who seems to be able to turn his hand to almost anything.

Follow Damion Burrows: https://www.instagram.com/damionburrows/

Listen to all Damion’s selections on Spotify here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4ukc7QSU9cgSkzZXUSbHKU

Featured artists & tracks:

Jimmy Somerville & Bronski Beat, “Small Town Boy”

Pet Shop Boys, “Left to My Own Devices”

Celeste, “Stop This Flame”, “Strange”

Jamie Cullum, “These Are the Days”, “You and Me Are Gone”

Robyn, “Indestructible (Acoustic)”, “Hang With Me (Acoustic)”

Orville Peck, “Hexy Mountains”, “Mienteme”, “Small Town Boy”

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Stay in tune with All About The Music and join the conversation wherever you are: 

Website: allaboutthemusicpod.com — explore episodes, guest playlists, and behind-the-scenes stories. 

Instagram: @allaboutthemusic.pod — discover new episodes, reels, and the songs that shaped our guests. 

Facebook: facebook.com/allaboutthemusicpod — follow for updates, clips, and listener discussions. 

TikTok: @allaboutthemusicpod — enjoy bite-sized musical moments and highlights from the show.

Follow Neil: @neil.brand.9 — for performances, live appearances, and my personal reflections on music. 

Share with your friends: Listen to All About The Music

Because wherever you listen, it’s all about the music. 

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What does Britain’s most famous film critic listen to in his spare time? Perhaps predictably, the odd movie soundtrack gets mentioned today! But that’s about all that’s predictable…

Hello and welcome to this episode of All About The Music, where I sit down with Mark Kermode — film critic, broadcaster and, I’m proud to say, a musician mate of mine. Mark’s taste is wonderfully eclectic, stretching from the 1930s Blues that he and his father could bond over, through skiffle to the political punk of Gang of Four and Mark’s formative years.

The eclecticism only grows as we get to movies. Who else could pick Mark Knopfler’s superbly evocative Local Hero soundtrack, alongside the bold, boundary-pushing composition of Mica Levi and Anna Meredith’s Nautilus, which has been brilliantly described as the “sound of a panic attack”?

And whilst it’s Dire Strait’s main man who leaves Mark with goosebumps, it’s the American Jonathan Richman who almost reduces him to tears. I encourage all of you to take a full listen to Jonathan’s 1979 number “The Morning Of Our Lives” – it really feels quite unique.

Follow Mark: https://twitter.com/kermodemovie

Listen to the Spotify playlist of Mark’s selections here:

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5RlMqKAB9Q5ws2iZI7zp6x

Featured artists & tracks:

Washboard Sam – “Who Pumped The Wind In My Doughnut?”

Lead Belly – “Rock Island Line”

Gang of Four – “Ether”, “I Found That Essence Rare”

Mark Knopfler – “Wild Theme”, “The Ceilidh & The Northern Lights”

Mica Levi – “Love”, “Monos”

Anna Meredith – “Nautilus”

Jonathan Richman – “The Morning of Our Lives”, “Roadrunner”

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Stay in tune with All About The Music and join the conversation wherever you are: 

Website: allaboutthemusicpod.com — explore episodes, guest playlists, and behind-the-scenes stories. 

Instagram: @allaboutthemusic.pod — discover new episodes, reels, and the songs that shaped our guests. 

Facebook: facebook.com/allaboutthemusicpod — follow for updates, clips, and listener discussions. 

TikTok: @allaboutthemusicpod — enjoy bite-sized musical moments and highlights from the show.

Follow Neil: @neil.brand.9 — for performances, live appearances, and my personal reflections on music. 

Share with your friends: Listen to All About The Music

Because wherever you listen, it’s all about the music. 

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What a joy to be contacted out of the blue by a legend of British TV. “Please Neil, let me be a guest on your podcast!”

Hello and welcome to another All About The Music, where I’m delighted to say that my guest is Anneka Rice – known to all of us who owned a television in the ‘80s and ‘90s, when she was jumping out of helicopters for Channel 4’s Treasure Hunt, before achieving the impossible week-in week-out on the BBC’s Challenge Anneka.

Furthermore her entire life – quite clearly – has been filled with music, and it’s a joy to discuss her favourites from across the decades with her. As a young girl she was listening to the Beatles (of course) but was influenced by 60s female role model Dusty Springfield. Both these artists also established Anneka’s love of great storytelling in music.

Musical theatre has made a big impression on her too – from Tim Rice’s take on cold war politics in Benny and Bjorn’s Chess, to the more off-beat world of Richard O’Brien’s Rocky Horror Picture Show.

Above all, Anneka loves how music can reach across divides and bring people together – as demonstrated perfectly by Stormzy and his memorable headline performance at Glastonbury.

Listen to the Spotify playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0fJp3Yx6KmMwITVMBjASAx

Featured artists & tracks:

Dusty Springfield, “I Only Want To Be With You”, “Twenty-Four Hours from Tulsa”

Rocky Horror Picture Show, “Touch-A, Touch-A, Touch Me”

Chess (Tommy Körberg), “Anthem”

The Beatles, “Strawberry Fields Forever”, “Golden Slumbers”

Dmitri Shostakovich, “Piano Concerto No.2 in F Major, II. Andante”

Stormzy, “Blinded By Your Grace, Pt. 2”

Connect With Us 

Stay in tune with All About The Music and join the conversation wherever you are: 

Website: allaboutthemusicpod.com — explore episodes, guest playlists, and behind-the-scenes stories. 

Instagram: @allaboutthemusic.pod — discover new episodes, reels, and the songs that shaped our guests. 

Facebook: facebook.com/allaboutthemusicpod — follow for updates, clips, and listener discussions. 

TikTok: @allaboutthemusicpod — enjoy bite-sized musical moments and highlights from the show.

Follow Neil: @neil.brand.9 — for performances, live appearances, and my personal reflections on music. 

Share with your friends: Listen to All About The Music

Because wherever you listen, it’s all about the music. 

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Love songs are as old as love itself. And there are thousands to choose from. So with Valentine’s Day almost upon us, what might make the perfect love song for your own true love?

Hello and welcome to an especially romantic edition of All About The Music, with me, Neil Brand. Today I am here to help in your quest to find that special song for that very special someone. And believe me, I am throwing the net wide – from Nina Simone in 1966 right through to Jvke and his Golden Hour in 2022.

My advice? Listen carefully to this show because no two love songs are the same (even if they’re a cover?!) in the same way that no two relationships are ever quite the same. From the euphoria of The Cure’s Robert Smith and the timeless devotion of The Beach Boys, to the Yorkshire humour of Jake Thackray and the darkest thoughts of Elvis Costello.

I promise that this show has something for everyone, whether you’re currently experiencing love at first sight, are all set for your umpteenth wedding anniversary, or simply looking back with love and warmth.

Happy Valentines Day everyone!

Find the Spotify playlist of all my love songs here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4Ur4knv5z98CxaAOfSSJ3p

Featured artists & tracks:

Jvke, “Golden Hour”

Marvin Gaye, “Let’s Get It On”

The Cure, “Just Like Heaven”

Jake Thackray, “La Di Da”

Arctic Monkeys, “I Want to Be Yours”

The Beach Boys, “God Only Knows”

Bob Dylan, “Make You Feel My Love”

Adele, “Make You Feel My Love”

Nina Simone, “Wild Is the Wind”

Elvis Costello, “I Want You”

Amy Winehouse, “Love Is a Losing Game”

Lily Allen, “Madeline”

Sinead O’Connor, “Nothing Compares 2 U”

Tom Waits, “Martha”

Serge Gainsbourg & Jane Birkin, “Je t’aime… moi non plus”

Connect With Us 

Stay in tune with All About The Music and join the conversation wherever you are: 

Website: allaboutthemusicpod.com — explore episodes, guest playlists, and behind-the-scenes stories. 

Instagram: @allaboutthemusic.pod — discover new episodes, reels, and the songs that shaped our guests. 

Facebook: facebook.com/allaboutthemusicpod — follow for updates, clips, and listener discussions. 

TikTok: @allaboutthemusicpod — enjoy bite-sized musical moments and highlights from the show.

Follow Neil: @neil.brand.9 — for performances, live appearances, and my personal reflections on music. 

Share with your friends: Listen to All About The Music

Because wherever you listen, it’s all about the music. 

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What makes the perfect Christmas song? Is there a formula for a festive hit? Call me foolhardy, but I think there might be!

Hello and welcome to this special Christmas edition of All About The Music, with me, Neil Brand. Today the guest chair is empty, but instead my studio sleigh is bursting with Christmas songs – from Slade’s joyfully raucous “I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day” to Chris Rea’s bittersweet drive home and the timeless grace of David Bowie and Bing Crosby’s unlikely collaboration.

In this episode, I reveal my key ingredients for creating a Christmas hit. (Even better, it will become a hit year after year after year!) From picking the right instruments to penning the right lyrics and even choosing the right chord pattern, all is discussed as we work through 80 years of Christmas classics.

And once we’ve heard from everyone from Mariah Carey to John Lennon, I’ll be able to reveal the ultimate Christmas song. (Plus, whisper it quietly, the one festive favourite that breaks all my recipe rules.)

Listen wherever you get your podcasts, and join me – where it’s all about the music.

Find the Spotify playlist of all my Christmas selections here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0EQvrCcPm648fHKgmJTNwQ

Featured artists & tracks:

Bing Crosby - “White Christmas”

Wizard - “I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day”

Chris Rea - “Driving Home for Christmas”

Wham! - “Last Christmas”

John Lennon & Yoko Ono - “Happy Xmas (War Is Over)”

Slade - “Merry Xmas Everybody”

David Bowie & Bing Crosby - “Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy”

Paul McCartney - “Wonderful Christmastime”

Jonah Lewie - “Stop the Cavalry”

Andy Williams - “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year”

Mike Oldfield - “In Dulci Jubilo”

Mariah Carey - “All I Want For Christmas Is You”

Sia - “Snowman”

Cliff Richard - “Mistletoe and Wine”

The Pogues & Kirsty MacColl - “Fairytale of New York”

Connect With Us 

Stay in tune with All About The Music and join the conversation wherever you are: 

Website: allaboutthemusicpod.com — explore episodes, guest playlists, and behind-the-scenes stories. 

Instagram: @allaboutthemusic.pod — discover new episodes, reels, and the songs that shaped our guests. 

Facebook: facebook.com/allaboutthemusicpod — follow for updates, clips, and listener discussions. 

TikTok: @allaboutthemusicpod — enjoy bite-sized musical moments and highlights from the show.

Follow Neil: @neil.brand.9 — for performances, live appearances, and my personal reflections on music. 

Share with your friends: Listen to All About The Music

Because wherever you listen, it’s all about the music. 

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I love the unpredictable mix of music that guests bring to the show, and this episode is no exception – step forward jazz legend Miles Davis, and electronic producer Jon Hopkins!

Hello and welcome to another All About The Music, where I’m joined by Charlie Luxton — architectural designer, familiar TV face, and lover of music with a tendency to push boundaries. Charlie’s playlist is as bold (yet often simple) as his buildings. We discuss the vulnerability of Thom Yorke, a candidate for the best album ever from Marvin Gaye, and the wild inventiveness of Edinburgh’s Afrobeat-laden Young Fathers.

Plus there’s a conveyor belt of memories from Charlie – from listening to vinyl in old barns to travels in Southeast Asia and the many live performances that are clearly so important to him.

And he is without doubt the first guest on the show to be designing a recording studio for a member of Radiohead. Now that is a recording studio I’d love to look around…

Follow Charlie: https://www.charlieluxton.com/

Listen to the Spotify playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7tMykQKYD9jxNPamRtE9IM

Featured artists & tracks:

Radiohead, “Fake Plastic Trees”, “15 Step”

Marvin Gaye, “What’s Going On”, “What’s Happening Brother”

John Hopkins & King Creosote, “Bats in the Attic”

John Hopkins, “We Disappear”

Miles Davis, “So What”, “Will o’ the Wisp”

Young Fathers, “Geronimo”, “Rice”

Connect With Us 

Stay in tune with All About The Music and join the conversation wherever you are: 

Website: allaboutthemusicpod.com — explore episodes, guest playlists, and behind-the-scenes stories. 

Instagram: @allaboutthemusic.pod — discover new episodes, reels, and the songs that shaped our guests. 

Facebook: facebook.com/allaboutthemusicpod — follow for updates, clips, and listener discussions. 

TikTok: @allaboutthemusicpod — enjoy bite-sized musical moments and highlights from the show.

Follow Neil: @neil.brand.9 — for performances, live appearances, and my personal reflections on music. 

Share with your friends: Listen to All About The Music

Because wherever you listen, it’s all about the music. 

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Paul Martin presented almost 1500 episodes of Flog It! But despite being a daily presence on our screens, how many of us knew that Paul was once a professional drummer?!

Hello and welcome to this episode of All About The Music, where I’m chatting to Paul – a musician with stories as colourful as any found in the auction room, and someone for whom music and emotion are never far apart.

Where else to start but drumming – the foundation of everything, as Paul explains. But, like the sorely missed Taylor Hawkins of Foo Fighters’ fame, some drummers have managed to break out from providing mere rhythm. Technical brilliance arrives in the form of Jeff Porcaro from both Steely Dan and Toto, with Paul revealing the one song all good drummers have to master.

Elsewhere, Paul tells me of the tearful day he left home to join a band, hints at bachelor life listening to Keith Jarrett’s record-breaking solo piano album, and revels in his kids keeping him up to date at a Tom Grennan concert.

Paul’s absolute love of music pours out of him. Although it hasn’t helped him keep up with Jeremy Clarkson’s bank balance yet.

Find the Spotify playlist of all Paul Martin’s selections here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3ndopURKeazchjb0jiW6uA

Featured artists & tracks:

Foo Fighters – “Times Like These”, “Best of You”

Steely Dan – “Rikki Don’t Lose That Number”

Toto – “Rosanna”

Hothouse Flowers – “I Can See Clearly Now”, “Don’t Go”

Keith Jarrett – “The Köln Concert (Part I)”

Tom Grennan – “Full Attention”, “Somewhere Only We Go”

Connect With Us 

Stay in tune with All About The Music and join the conversation wherever you are: 

Website: allaboutthemusicpod.com — explore episodes, guest playlists, and behind-the-scenes stories. 

Instagram: @allaboutthemusic.pod — discover new episodes, reels, and the songs that shaped our guests. 

Facebook: facebook.com/allaboutthemusicpod — follow for updates, clips, and listener discussions. 

TikTok: @allaboutthemusicpod — enjoy bite-sized musical moments and highlights from the show.

Follow Neil: @neil.brand.9 — for performances, live appearances, and my personal reflections on music. 

Share with your friends: Listen to All About The Music

Because wherever you listen, it’s all about the music. 

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I suspected we might be listening to The Beatles in this episode. Instead I got Blondie and The Monkees, neither of which were expected… both of which put a big smile on my face!

Welcome to another episode of All About The Music, where I’m joined by Samira Ahmed — broadcaster, journalist and author – whose interest in music is every bit as great and varied as you’d expect from a presenter of BBC Radio 4’s Front Row.

From her first album – Blondie’s Parallel Lines – via piano lessons and Claude Debussy, to the bizarre brilliance of William Shatner covering Pulp’s Common People, Samira and I chat our way through many times in her life and find music at the heart of all of them.

I absolutely loved picking apart the simple poetic magic of Nick Drake with someone who adores his work. And it’s always a pleasure to discuss how much better The Monkees are than many people assume!

Follow Samira Ahmed: https://twitter.com/SamiraAhmedUK

Find the Spotify playlist of all Samira’s selections here. https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1zesdmdIW0rheIt2Jkm96q

Featured artists & tracks:

Blondie, “One Way or Another”, “Heart of Glass”

Nick Drake, “At the Chime of a City Clock”, “Parasite”

Claude Debussy, “Arabesque No.1”

The Monkees, “The Girl I Knew Somewhere”

Frank Sinatra & Betty Garrett, “Come Up To My Place”

Pulp, “Babies”

William Shatner, “Common People”

Connect With Us 

Stay in tune with All About The Music and join the conversation wherever you are: 

Website: allaboutthemusicpod.com — explore episodes, guest playlists, and behind-the-scenes stories. 

Instagram: @allaboutthemusic.pod — discover new episodes, reels, and the songs that shaped our guests. 

Facebook: facebook.com/allaboutthemusicpod — follow for updates, clips, and listener discussions. 

TikTok: @allaboutthemusicpod — enjoy bite-sized musical moments and highlights from the show.

Follow Neil: @neil.brand.9 — for performances, live appearances, and my personal reflections on music. 

Share with your friends: Listen to All About The Music

Because wherever you listen, it’s all about the music. 

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What a joy to sit down with the brilliant Stephen Frost – comedian, actor, and master improviser. I’ve been lucky to know Stephen for years, but he’s loved by a great many more for his roles in The Young Ones, Blackadder, and Whose Line Is It Anyway?

Stephen’s love of music is just as infectious as his onstage energy. In fact, you can feel that energy in many of his choices! He loves the hit of an intro that grabs hold of you from the outset – step forward, Status Quo and Thin Lizzy.

There’s also a real South London vibe to Stephen’s selection, which is no surprise as this has been his stomping ground for decades. He’s hung out in Brixton with the likes of Alabama 3 – famous for producing the track that became the theme music for The Sopranos. And he can’t help but love the humour of Mike Skinner that’s peppered throughout The Streets.

But on a Sunday morning at home… it’s time for some jazz and the unmatched voice of Ella Fitzgerald.

Listen to the Spotify playlist of all Stephen’s selections here - https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5QhU4BehXJDRTJqpT3rQpp

Featured artists & tracks:

Connect With Us 

Stay in tune with All About The Music and join the conversation wherever you are: 

Website: allaboutthemusicpod.com — explore episodes, guest playlists, and behind-the-scenes stories. 

Instagram: @allaboutthemusic.pod — discover new episodes, reels, and the songs that shaped our guests. 

Facebook: facebook.com/allaboutthemusicpod — follow for updates, clips, and listener discussions. 

TikTok: @allaboutthemusicpod — enjoy bite-sized musical moments and highlights from the show.

Follow Neil: @neil.brand.9 — for performances, live appearances, and my personal reflections on music. 

Share with your friends: Listen to All About The Music

Because wherever you listen, it’s all about the music. 

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