Your top tens

Spectator, The, Mar 23, 2002 by Spencer, Charles

Olden but golden Your top tens Charles Spencer

Who would have thought that The Spectator, notoriously the home of fogeys both young and old, would have a secret readership of cool cats, unrepentant rockers and old hippies? There were a few worrying days when I first asked you to send in your all-time top tens and the email queue remained depressingly empty each morning. But you were clearly just scratching your heads and rummaging around your collection for a herculean task that involves hard thought and agonising choices. Apart from a piece I wrote for the Daily Telegraph about my alcoholism and being banged up in the Priory (still sober, thanks, one day at a time) I have never had such a prolific response from readers.

Your submissions were funny, opinionated and passionate. I've read them all with pleasure, and have made some damaging dents in my credit cards following them up. The only disappointment was that many of you wimped out when it came to choosing a trio of shame - records despised by the cognoscenti which you secretly love. More of these, please. Anyway that's enough of me, apart from my thanks to everyone who took part, and apologies to all those who didn't make this month's cut. I'll be returning to the Top Tens, however, so don't despair. And if you haven't sent one in yet, what are you waiting for?

Andy Kevin's Top Ten

Derek and the Dominoes - Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs. Simply perfect. The agony of unrequited love and bloody good guitar playing.

The Doors - Strange Days. Genuinely defines that much abused term 'cool'. Inimitable and timeless.

Jimi Hendrix Experience - Electric Ladyland. Patchy, but Hendrix's genius illuminated what could be.

Focus - Focus 3. The only jazz-rock album which seems to be a natural blend of both forms.

Rory Gallagher - Calling Card. One of Rory's best. Enough said.

Dr Feelgood - Let it Roll. Nothing flash; just perfect straight-ahead r'n'b.

Caravan - In the Land of Grey and Pink. Very whimsical and English but it rocks.

The Only Ones - Baby's Got a Gun. Vitriolic lyrics matched to peerless pop melodies. Music by which to think of people you do not like.

Madness - One Step Beyond. Irresistible dance music. It also proves that only British bands can inject humour into rock/pop.

Die Lassie Singers - Sei a GoGo. It helps if you speak German with this one. 'Hamburg' has got to be the best song ever written about spending too much time on motorways/autobahns.

Barbara Duncan's Top Ten

Steely Dan - Aja. Still thrills. Who can resist lyrics like `Crimson Tide' or `Dead Behind the Wheel'?

Santana - Abraxas. No Gympie/QLD/Australia farmhouse party fit to call itself that could fly without Carlos.

Joe Jackson - Day and Night. Dropdead glamour.

Laura Nyro - New York Tendaberry. Inspiring for musicians and slobs - just let her get on with it and get out of the way.

Van Morrison - Tupelo Honey. So fine my copy 'walked'.

Wings - Band on the Run. Shake off the Beatle iconography and have some real fun.

Tim Buckley - Greetings from LA. He really did take it with him - no one else quite got in touch with the down and dirty as dear dead Tim did.

Tangerine Dream - Tangerine Dream. Turn up the volume and drive.

Doobie Brothers - Minute by Minute. Real harmony invented before the boy bands.

Elton John - Madman Across the Water. We all longed to be that Tiny Dancer. Was it just a girl thing?

John Martin's Top Ten

Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin I. Things were never the same again.

Stephen Stills - Manassas. Alt country 25 years before the term was invented.

Kevin Coyne - Marjorie Razorblade. Raw English blues drawing on his days as a psychiatric nurse, disturbing and addictive.

Peter Hammill - The Silent Comer and the Empty Stage. My favourite from some 40 releases by the forgotten genius of lyricism. Who else writes songs about Bernini?

Spirit - Spirit of '76. Great guitar album from Randy California as taught by Hendrix.

Jefferson Airplane - Jefferson Airplane Takes Off. Ignored first record but listen to that acid kick in.

Handsome Family - Through the Trees. Gothic weirdness that gets through to your bones.

Love - Forever Changes. Classic Sixties period piece.

Chris Mills - Kiss It Goodbye. The man should be a household name for his allround songwriting.

Grateful Dead - Dick's Picks vol 14. How to choose a Grateful Dead entry? It has to be live as the studio never recreated the magic, so it's this one from 1973. I'll get up and fly away.

Charles Spencer is theatre critic of the Daily Telegraph Email: Chasnicked@talk21.com