In terms of chart position this was the second biggest of Del Amitri’s hits. No 13 in 1992.

Del Amitri: Always the Last to Know

I saw in the Guardian on Wednesday that Chip Taylor has died.

Though he was a performer in his own right he is better known as a songwriter; perhaps best remembered for Wild Thing, a song The Troggs had a huge hit with and was then taken up by Jimi Hendrix.  The Troggs later recorded Taylor’s very different Any Way That You Want Me but in the meantime Taylor composed Angel of the Morning,  brought to prominence by Merrilee Rush and later a hit in the UK for P P Arnold.

I must confess that until I read Taylor’s wiki page  I hadn’t realised that he was a brother of actor Jon Voight (and therefore uncle to Angelina Jolie) nor that he had co-written I Can’t Let Go, a UK no. 2 for The Hollies in 1966.

The Hollies: I Can’t Let Go

James Wesley Voight (Chip Taylor): 21/3/1940 – 23/3/2026. So it goes.

The Alan Price Set was the band Price formed after he left The Animals. This wasn’t their first hit – that was the Randy Newman song Simon Smith and the Amazing Dancing Bear* – but it was the first which Price wrote.

The Alan Price Set: The House That Jack Built

*Edited to add: I just remembered The Alan Price Set released I Put a Spell on You and Hi-Lili, Hi-Lo which were both hits before Simon Smith and the Amazing Dancing Bear.

As I said before The Stranglers were – are – my brother-in-law’s favourite band. I doubt he could tell you the number of times he’s seen them play live.

Anyway, here’s one of theirs from 1986.

The Stranglers: Always the Sun

No apologies for repeating this song from earlier in the category. Country Joe died a few days ago. This one’s a studio recording, though.

Country Joe and the Fish: I-Feel-Like-I’m-Fixin’-to-Die Rag

Joseph Allen (Country Joe) McDonald: 1/1/1942 –  7/3/2026. So it goes.

Neil Sedaka died last Friday.

He was one of the most distinctive pop acts of the late 1950s and early 1960s before the advent of The Beatles overturned everything.

His many songwriting credits include Stupid Cupid, a 1958 hit for Connie Francis, and Love Will Keep Us Together (Captain and Tenille, 1975.) (Is This the Way to) Amarillo (1971) eventually became a big hit for Tony Christie – aided by Peter Kay’s video – in 2005.

Sedaka’s own hits include Calendar Girl, Little Devil, Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen, Breaking Up Is Hard to Do.

He kind of reinvented himself as a singer-songwriter in the 1970s with a more adult-oriented approach.

Here’s a live performance from 1975.

Neil Sedaka: Laughter in the Rain

This one was a hit for The Carpenters but this is a Sedaka performance-

Neil Sedaka: Solitaire

Though he had an earlier hit with I Go Ape this was the song which really announced him in the UK in 1959.

Neil Sedaka: Oh! Carol

Neil Sedaka: 13/3/1939 – 27/2/2026. So it goes.

The group’s second big hit and only no 1. From 1997.

The Verve: The Drugs Don’t Work

Bowie’s first hit (no 5 in 1969) and a bit of a false start as he wouldn’t have another till Starman (no 8 in 1972.)

Atmospheric and eerie at the same time. Utterly memorable.

David Bowie – Space Oddity

Esteemed drummer, SlyDunbar, died last month.

Along with bassist Robbie Shakespeare he formed a rhythm section much in demand.

The list of people he played with or for is extensive (see link.)

This is possibly the earliest of his recordings I became aware of.

Dave and Ansel Collins: Double Barrel

Lowell Fillmore (Sly) Dunbar; 10/5/1952 – 26/1/2026. So it goes.

Not quite Dunfermline’s finest but the band launched the career of guitarist Stuart Adamson, later of Big Country fame. Lead singer Richard Jobson became a TV presenter.

Skids: Into the Valley