Prince – Well…I never really liked him or his music, which I suppose you would call funk.  I only have The Very Best Of Prince, and apart from the big singles ‘Purple Rain’ ‘1999’ etc…it still doesn’t work for me.

The Proclaimers – I saw them live at one of The Fleadhs in Finsbury Park in the early nineties I think, and they were great and I started buying their albums.  Their debut was pretty good too – This Is The Story (1987), if a bit rough around the edges.  A predominantly acoustic sound, lightened by their evocative Scottish accented vocals.  Best song by a mile is ‘Letter From America’, but I also like ‘Misty Blue’ and ‘Make My Heart Fly’ But their follow-up really was one of their best – Sunshine On Leith (1988).  With a fuller more rounded sound and better production, and most important a batch of brilliant songs this album really established the band.  From the opener ‘I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)’ to exuberant closer ‘Oh Jean’ – there isn’t a poor song on the record.  I particularly love ‘Cap In Hand’, the title track, their take on ‘My Old Friend The Blues’ and ‘Come on Nature’.  I had a couple more on vinyl back when but only have one more original on CD; 2007’s Life With You.   A pretty good album, if it has lost some of the excitement and fervour of their earlier albums – best songs are ‘In Recognition’ (a jibe at rock stars getting above themselves), ‘Harness Pain’ and ‘If There’s A God’ ( a great philosophical song almost questioning religion itself).  The CD came with a live album which is pretty good too.  I do have 2 greatest hits CDs – The Best Of – which has all the hits, including my favourite – their version of Roger Miller’s ‘King Of The Road’.  And Finest – which is a bit quieter and more reflective; with a few lesser known gems.  Both are great for parties or just when you want a quick fix of these Scottish laddies.

Procul Harum – Of course they had a number one hit with ‘Whiter Shad Of Pale’ in 1967 itself.   And in a way they never recovered from that; they had a couple of lesser hits – best was ‘Homburg’ – but they seemed to get lost in the late Sixties explosion of great bands.  I have Greatest Hits – which is really all you need.