Seven songs in seven days - music from my mate Phil

This week my friend PhilPub has been doing '7 songs in 7 days' on Facebook where he posts a YouTube link, says something about the music, and does so every day for seven days. I thought it was rather brilliantly done and asked if I could pinch it and post it here (edited for blog format and removing tagged friends etc).

He said yes - so here are his seven posts plus the videos, on one page. He doesn't have a blog himself (I always think this is a shame but his choice of course!)

In my email to him (suggesting his posts should have a wider audience) I mentioned the new series of Toast (which stars actor and musician Matt Berry) and Phil replied "Matt Berry was on my short list actually, along with Kate Bush, Jefferson Airplane, Godspeed You Black Emperor and Diamanda Galas."

He can play Genesis's Suppers Ready on guitar and taught me to play a bit of a Radiohead song (can't remember which one) but my hands are too small so I gave up ;)

I've included the band name and song name below the video just in case the video is removed and it's not obvious from the text what song it is.

Day One

ELO - Mr Blue Sky

Phil says: "Right, here we go. I've been nominated to share 7 songs in 7 days. Could be worse, there are no ice buckets involved! Think I'll make it vaguely biographical, so here's a classic from my childhood. My brothers helped shape some of my impeccable music tastes, and this would often be blaring from the "back bedroom". I think it primed me for the later Prog-y tendencies."

Day Two

David Bowie - Quicksand

Phil says: "Some albums have been with me so long that they've probably laid down epigenetic markers in my DNA. David Bowie's Hunky Dory is one such album - released six months before I was born, so there might even have been some pre-birth conditioning going on. One of my all-time favourites."

Day Three

Genesis - Dancing with the Moonlit Knight

Phil says: "I couldn't pass on including some Genesis. (Prog's COOL now, honest!) So I might as well go with the opening of my favourite album of all time, a track which epitomises so much of what I love about the band at their strength, when Mr Collins was a bearded wonder behind the drum kit. Banks's Mellotron (the choir-sounding bits) never sounded so majestic. I'm still taken back to my teenage days, having the album playing in its entirety on the internal jukebox as I'm riding my bike through the North Downs of Kent."

Jo says: Phil has a perfectly ordinary remote control for his hi-fi system. I remember chuckling quite a bit when I spotted that one of the buttons had PROG on it. Explained a lot ;) I was already into early-Genesis before meeting Phil but he's introduced me to loads of other cool stuff and we've seen some amazing Genesis cover bands too, hooray.

Day Four

PJ Harvey - Rid of Me

Phil says: "John Peel died 11 years ago yesterday. I had the pleasure of meeting him precisely once, when he presented a rare Radio 1 gig - Echo and the Bunnymen supported by PJ Harvey, whom he championed from her early days. He signed my ticket and introduced me to his wife. Lovely man!

Peej played a stripped down set accompanied only by John Parish, but also performed this song completely solo (just her and her big Gretsch guitar) and it was one of the best things I've ever heard/seen. She is my favourite artist of all time, and particularly performing live, absolutely mesmerising."

Day Five

Fairport Convention "I Don't Know Where I Stand"

Phil says: "Continuing on the theme of my favourite female vocalists (I'm a bit of a sucker...) I was torn between Sandy Denny and Joni Mitchell, so I thought I'd cheat and go for a Fairport Convention cover of a Joni Mitchell track! For the original, check out Joni's 1969 album "Clouds" which takes top slot for my fave late-night listen after a sherbet or three."

Day Six

The Fiery Furnaces - Chris Michaels

7 songs in 7 days, day 6.
Phil says: "Moving into the noughties, no one had really excited me as much as PJ Harvey until the Fiery Furnaces came along. A bit of a Marmite band I think, but when Matt Friedberger directs his ADD in just the right way they're just brilliant. Here's a crazy little mini-rock-opera from possibly my favourite album so far this millennium."

Day Seven


Field Music - The Rest is Noise

Phil says: "And on the seventh day... I said I'd left the '70s behind, but my favourite band of the last few years can't help summoning up the spirit of times past, and putting a fresh, jangly spin on things. This starts off sounding like the theme tune of something I would've been watching just before Match of the Day, drinking hot chocolate in me jimjams, and ends with some brilliant guitar-duelling. I love Field Music!"