All About The Music

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/0KsKxgWOXl62MqvQSG2kAT
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…...

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”

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.
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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...

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...