Here’s a random, by no means definitive, complete or didactic ‘top ten-ish’ tunes of ‘things available on YouTube’…

Misty’s Big Adventure - indie Birmingham band, led by songwriter-producer-singer Grandmaster Gareth, who sadly died young a couple of years ago (he is the chap who hands the bag of bits and bobs to the old man under the tree). I gigged with them a few times around the place in the early years of the century and got infected.

Kate Goes - part of the same indie quirky Birmingham movement, albums produced by Grandmaster Gareth. I was introduced to them while compering a stage at a festival in Bracknell, a long time ago. Warning: there is a cute doggo involved in this live video.

Anna Meredith’s Handsfree, is a longer performance thing, but makes me happy.

I’ve never been a big Led Zeppelin fan, and genuinely enjoy their songs played in a reggae style with an Elvis impersonator (TortElvis) as frontman, hence this entry by Dread Zeppelin on the list…

I could put most of Suzanne Vega here - so here’s a Tiny Desk Concert…

I can’t say Jonathan Richman was an influence on things like Cats Are Better Than Fish, but I’m can’t say there’s nothing in what he does that wasn’t… Here’s I Was Dancing in the Lesbian Bar.

I really love this Bacharach/David medley from the Carpenters, a wonderful arrangement and performance…

I need a bit of Sondheim, and Sunday in the Park with George is the musical that made me become an artist - and this performance of a key Act II song is a nice Covid-time artifact…

’I have nothing to say / You have many things / Well, nothing that’s not been said / Said by you, though, George’ solves one problem, and makes me think of Whistler being reprimanded by that woman at the exhibition who said, ‘I don’t see trees like that,’ with regards to his painting, to which he replied, ‘Ah, but Madam, don’t you wish you did?’

I love a bit of punk cabaret, and think this is just above The Tiger Lillies for me: Dresden Dolls’ Coin-Operated Boy… more energy than I have…

From Frank Zappa’s 1972 album, Waka/Jawaka (a sort of jazzy/fusionny thing), is a tune called Big Swifty, a long piece created somewhere within hearing of Bitches' Brew, maybe. It’s not going to be everyone’s cup of tea, but it’s a place I enjoy spending my time.