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The initial track I was captivated by
My first memory is entering a room at preschool where they were playing Yellow Submarine by the Fab Four. I was mesmerized by the sound effects, and Lennon shouting: “Full speed ahead!” When it arrived at the refrain, I remember thinking: “This must be music!”

The inaugural single I acquired
When I was eight years old, I was victorious in a competition at school to select a new record to play at the weekly dance party we had on Friday afternoons. My instructor took me to a local store, and I picked out Come Back My Love by Darts. The first record I bought with my own allowance was Mull of Kintyre by Wings from a music store in Colne. It was No 1 at the time, and I chose it when my father pointed out that it was by one of the Beatles.

The track I do at karaoke
I candidly cannot stand public singing and dodge it at all costs. But if forced, I’d go with Summer Wind by Ol' Blue Eyes.

The piece I inexplicably recite each line to
I just realised that I have memorized virtually every word to The Boy in the Bubble, You Can Call Me Al, and each track on Graceland by Paul Simon.

The perfect song to play at a soirée
It hinges on what stage of the event you are at. At the start it would likely be I Heard It Through the Grapevine by Marvin Gaye. As the night wears on, I’d work through the Artist, the Stones and David Bowie, and when it gets lively, Phat Planet by the electronic act, Born Slippy .NUXX by the techno pioneers, and Ascension by Gorillaz, which is an massive track.

The track I can no longer hear
I strangely cannot stand Mr Brightside by the Killers.

The ideal piece to get intimate to
Come Together by the Beatles.

The record that changed my life
When I was twelve and starting to study the guitar, I’d only listen to 1950s rock ’n’roll, and was fixated on The King, Chuck Berry, the killer, Fats Domino, the glasses-wearing icon and the rockabilly star. Then my babysitter introduced me to Let There Be Rock by the Australian rockers. It was still rock’n’roll, but it was powerful rock music. Instantly after he dropped the record on the turntable, I was a fan for life.

The song that wakes me in the AM
What’d I Say parts 1 & 2 by Ray Charles.

The song that makes me cry
Most music leaves me touched. The Queen of Soul, The Chairman of the Board, Elvis and the Beatles all stir my emotions because of the melody and pure perfection of the singing. But The Ocean by the Sheffield crooner strikes a chord without fail.

The song I’d like performed at my final send-off
Elvis. If I’m given a cremation, I’ll have Burning Love. If I’m laid to rest in the ground, I’ll have Way Down.