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The initial track I became enamored with
My most primal recollection is walking into a space at preschool where they were blasting Yellow Submarine by the Beatles. I was mesmerized by the sonic landscape, and John Lennon yelling: “Full speed ahead!” When it reached the refrain, I remember thinking: “This must be music!”

The very first 45 I acquired
When I was eight, I won a contest at school to select a new vinyl to play at the weekly dance party we had on Fridays. My instructor took me to Woolworths, and I picked out Come Back My Love by Darts. The first single I purchased with my own savings was Mull of Kintyre by Wings from a record shop in Lancashire. It was No 1 at the time, and I selected it when my father pointed out that it was by one of the Beatles.

The track I sing at sing-along
I candidly cannot stand public singing and avoid it at all costs. But if I had to, I’d select Summer Wind by Ol' Blue Eyes.

The piece I inexplicably know every lyric to
I just realised that I know almost every word to The Boy in the Bubble, You Can Call Me Al, and each track on Graceland by Paul Simon.

The perfect track to blast at a party
It hinges on which phase of the event you are at. Early doors it would most likely be I Heard It Through the Grapevine by the soul legend. As the evening progresses, I’d transition into Prince, the Stones and Bowie, and when it really kicks off, Phat Planet by the electronic act, Born Slippy .NUXX by the techno pioneers, and Ascension by Gorillaz, which is an undeniable hit.

The song I can never listen to
I inexplicably cannot stand Mr Brightside by the Killers.

The best track to make love to
Come Together by John, Paul, George, and Ringo.

The record that altered my perspective
When I was twelve and just learning to learn the guitar, I’d only listen to 1950s rock ’n’roll, and was obsessed with Elvis, Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, the New Orleans legend, the glasses-wearing icon and the rockabilly star. Then my babysitter brought round Let There Be Rock by AC/DC. It was still guitar music, but it was high voltage rock ’n’roll. Instantly after he dropped the record on the turntable, I was captivated.

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

The track that makes me cry
Virtually any music leaves me emotional. Aretha Franklin, Frank Sinatra, Presley and the Beatles all make me cry because of the tune and pure beauty of the voices. But The Ocean by Richard Hawley hits me hard without fail.

The track I’d like performed at my funeral
Elvis. If I’m given a cremation, I’ll have Burning Love. If I’m buried, I’ll have Way Down.