Crucial Tracks over the last week - Come From Away, The Stranglers, Abba, Joey Ramone, The Beermats, The Pogues, 23 Skidoo, Christy Moore, Barbara and Barry, The Undertones, The Isleys, and the wonderful Mary Saenz

These are the posts from my Crucial Tracks for the last few days.

16 May 2025 - A song from a genre you didn’t think you’d like - what changed?

“Welcome To the Rock” by Joel Hatch & ‘Come From Away’ Company

The genre is ‘musicals’. A lot of West End musical music, and the shows themselves have left me cold, to be honest.

I saw Come From Away a couple of years back, with family, and really enjoyed it. The story is interesting and works well as a couple of hours in a theatre. The songs are strong, and the folk-rock vibe is a kind of music I like.

More than that…it caught me at just the right time. A couple of bits chimed with stuff that had happened in my life

“Welcome To the Rock” by Joel Hatch & ‘Come From Away’ Company on Apple Music

15 May 2025 - What’s the last song you discovered and loved instantly?

“The Visitors” by ABBA

I must have heard this before, but I hadn’t taken any notice before seeing Abba Voyage last month.

I’ve since learnt that it’s about Soviet dissidents waiting for a ‘visit’ from the KGB/GRU. I live in Salisbury, England, which adds to the song’s resonance

The Salisbury Poisonings - BBC

“The Visitors” by ABBA on Apple Music

14 May 2025 - What’s a lyric that resonates deeply with you and why?

“And If You Should See Dave…” by The Stranglers

“It would be nice to say hello

This is where your solo would go”

The Stranglers were the first band I saw, at what is now the Southampton Mayflower. I’ve hardly listened to them since the 1970s -I’ll occasionally play Nice and Sleazy, or Duchess, or their version of Walk On By. This song is about the death of their keyboard player, Dave Greenhill. I don’t knowuch about Greenhill, but the lament for the loss of a friend is something we can all relate to, sadly.

“This is where your solo would go” encapsulates the absence

“And If You Should See Dave…” by The Stranglers on Apple Music

13 May 2025 - If your life were a movie, what would its theme song be?

“What a Wonderful World” by Joey Ramone

“What a Wonderful World” by Joey Ramone on Apple Music

12 May 2025 - How do you discover new music, and what’s the latest gem you’ve found?

“Henrietta Street” by The BeerMats

It’s a mixture of the streaming service, Shazam-ing stuff, music magazines (through Libby)…and very occasionally seeing bands. This is from a band who I saw last month, who were fab

“Henrietta Street” by The BeerMats on Apple Music