In my role as the sage of Battersea Arts Centre, the Yoda of Lavender Hill, the eye candy of Burgess Hill and the once and future King of Rochdale, I necessarily wear many hats. Especially on sunny days. So it's a given that many people read this blog in order to be on point with the issues and slightly ahead of the curve about what to think. 

I get that. So let me direct to you to some songs that aren't famous but, maybe, should be. It's that Shazam moment where you frantically point your phone towards some tinny speaker in the pub when a weird and wonderful track comes on. "Wow! What's that!"

You Can't Win Them All Mum - Lost Soul Band (1993)

Ever tumbling, ever dying, You Can't Win Them All Mum, was my favourite song of 1993. A bit like Theresa May's favourite sexual position, who cares? Well, I have taste and this is a beautiful song. Led by Gordon Grahame, this Scots band had about 10 seconds of fame in the early 90's but - like a Celtic Achilles, they burned bright and then left. I had this single in three formats (7', 12' and cassette) back in the day. This is always on my Desert island Discs playlist. It's a private song from my youth, means something personal and shows that people who sound like Tim Robson can make it - albeit only briefly!

Sucker - Kevin Tihista (about 2001 /2 I reckon - Google is a bit silent on this)

Shit man! Beautiful, wistful, the alternative world's national anthem. For every loser out there who has been duped by an unfaithful parter. Call yourself a 'sucker' and then move on. Hold the moral high ground, it's their fault not yours. Also speaks forcefully about asymmetrical attractiveness within a relationship. Never happened to me, of course! Though all my girlfriends have been pretty stunning. Heart rending vocals, great acoustic guitar. Makes you weep. Makes you strong. Sucker!

Yohanna - Funny Thing Is

She sings like the best female singer you're ever gonna hear, she beautiful as hell, she writes great songs. Big in Iceland... If there was any justice in the world, Yohanna would be fucking huge all over the world, and you'd all be saying that you got on the Robson hipster train before she was famous, before she was the pin up of female vocalists, the Icelandic Aretha Franklin. Yeah, so she and I swapped a few Facebook messages a couple of years ago. Doesn't mean I'm smitten (I am! I am!). Of all the artists here - she's the one you need to check out and go - 'why the hell don't I know her?' Join the secret club of the righteous. 

Forever J - Terry Hall - 1994

Wow! Another of my Desert Island discs. Got nowhere in the charts back when I had hair and my girlfriends were plentiful and ridiculously attractive. A stunning song with a French feel, great melody, vivid memories. Once heard, never forgotten. Well forgotten by everyone except me and a few others who can also recognise this diamond in the dirt. BTW - doesn't Terry Hall look like that nob Ed Milliband here in the video? 

That's it for now. I guess I'm easing my way back into blog writing as I seem to have slept through the last couple of months. When inspiration dies. It dies. You can't fake it. And I've been uninspired recently. There's no alchemy and I can't give you base metal.

But now I can. It's back.  I'm back and this time, it's for real. Man.