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Vote for the greatest song in 6 Music's history

2013-01-07T16:30:10+00:00

From guest writer Gary Bales, editor of BBC Radio 6 Music

Hello there.

Since the launch of 6 Music on March 11th, 2002, our brilliant presenters have played nigh on a million records into your ears (seriously....based on an average of 240 tracks a day we are nearly at a million... maybe even over. Amazing, eh?), and many of those tracks were new at the time. So as we say farewell to 6 Music's 10-year anniversary celebrations, we here at the station thought it was high time we looked back at all the brilliant new music we have played on air during our eventful life so far.

One day in the office, in the autumn of last year, a few of us were talking about our favourite records released during the 10 years we've been on air. As with any musical conversation in 6 Music towers, a polite debate swiftly turned into a passionate argument and lo, the idea of 6 Music's Greatest Hits was born.

Starting today, 6 Music is officially asking, "What is the greatest song released during our lifetime?" Between the 6 Music presenters and staff in the office, after spending the last three months or so sifting through the thousands of songs released in the last 10 years, we somehow came up with a shortlist of 100 tracks we think truly are 6 Music's Greatest Hits, all of which were released between March 2002 and the end of 2012.

And in the spirit of transparency, I'm not going to lie - the whole process was a nightmare. A fun nightmare, but a nightmare all the same. I had a full-on terror dream one night where I was attacked by flying Regina Spektor records.

Trying to be unbiased when faced with songs you personally treasure is agonising. There are a ton of tunes I would have loved to have included in this list but couldn't, and the same goes for all of us here. We didn't have any particular criteria when shortlisting aside from gut feeling and the comfortable knowledge that the list would never truly be finished - if we were asked to do it all again today no doubt at least ten of the songs on the list would change - but it is what it is, and in actual fact I think it looks and sounds pretty strong.

If an alien came down, ended up having a tour of 6 Music and via a clever translation machine asked us, "Inferior Earthlings... What is this thing called alternative music and what is the most excellent example of it from the last ten solar cycles", we would happily give them this list.

I digress - this is where you come in, dear listener, to the world's finest alternative music station. We want you to vote for the track you believe to be the pinnacle of musical achievement during our lifetime from our list of 100.

Now many of you upon viewing will no doubt be throwing rotten fruit at your computer screens because nothing from the new Godspeed You! Black Emperor album made it onto the list. Totally fair enough. But maybe, just maybe, your favourite song IS on there, looking at you with puppy dog eyes, wistfully pleading for your vote...

Go to the voting page now to see the list of 100 tracks in full and cast your vote, and click on the links to Spotify, Deezer and YouTube where you can listen to special playlists featuring every track included in the list.

Tell us what you think on our Facebook page or use the Twitter hashtag #6MusicGreatest. We genuinely can't wait to find out what you think about the list, good or bad.

Voting closes Friday 25 January, and be sure to keep Friday 1 February free as we'll be counting down the 100 songs in the order you voted for them across the day, starting in Shaun Keaveny's Breakfast show at 7am GMT, and concluding with Steve Lamacq from 4-7pm GMT.

BBC Radio 6 Music Celebrates... 50 Years of Jamaican Independence

2012-08-06T13:05:48+00:00

For such a small island, Jamaica's musical influence has been immense. In 1962, when it gained its independence and first flew the distinctive gold, green and black flag, its singers, musicians and their producers declared musical independence too.

Over the past fifty years, the island's bass-heavy sounds, its gifted vocalists and musicians and its innovative studio techniques have spread around the globe and had a profound effect on music of all sorts. Last month BBC Radio 6 Music celebrated The Rolling Stones, the month before punk and in May dance culture… Jamaican music has left its mark on each.

Throughout August we celebrate 50 years of Jamaican independence with a wealth of programmes about its greatest export. Originators Jimmy Cliff and Toots Hibbert visit BBC Radio 6 Music to perform live. Don Letts, David Rodigan, Colin Grant and Gideon Coe play the tunes and explain how Jamaica changed music fundamentally with innovative sounds such as dub (the original drum 'n' bass) and toasting (a precursor to rap) absorbed around the globe,.

We have searched the BBC radio archives for documentaries, concerts and sessions (many recorded for John Peel, an early champion of reggae). We feature Bob Marley & the Wailers, Lee "Scratch" Perry, Burning Spear, Culture, Horace Andy, Mikey Dread and others, as well as UK artists inspired by Jamaican sounds.

Reggae Originator Jimmy Cliff

The origins of Jamaican music

Jamaica's declaration of musical independence came in 1962 with ska. Its celebratory feel was a reflection of Jamaica's new-found confidence, and its infectious beat and sound were revived both in the UK in the late seventies and in the USA in the eighties.

Recording The Upsetter - Lee Scratch Perry In His Own Words (beginning on 7^th August) was a wonderful experience - you can hear his jewellery rattling as he dances in the studio to the music he enjoyed and made. The extraordinary producer told me how much he had loved original 'yank' rhythm and blues music and Fats Domino in particular. Scratch revealed that his hit Return of Django is based on Domino's Sick and Tired.

Crucially though, Jamaican producers such as Scratch, Coxsone Dodd, Duke Reid and Prince Buster and their inventive musicians put their own interpretation on rhythm and blues and jazz. They gave it a new beat and so created a brand new sound. That sound developed from ska into rocksteady then reggae, dub, dancehall and more.

The music was promoted at packed outdoors dances, where selectors played their records through improvised sound systems. Giant speaker cabinets were piled high and tannoy horns tied up in trees. Sounds systems travelled the island in large trucks and have since sprung up around the world. Sound system culture took over London's Notting Hill Carnival in the seventies.

As Don Letts points out, Jamaica's music has been a reliable social barometer, and times have sometimes been tough. Before long, the initial optimism of independence wore off as the economic and political realities began to bite and disaffected rude boys made their presence felt. The beat slowed down and the more brooding, reflective sound of rocksteady emerged. Reggae evolved from rocksteady and its lyrics often contained an element of reportage or commentary.

The extraordinary Lee "Scratch" Perry

Importing Jamaican sounds

The music travelled with Jamaicans who chose to make a new life in Britain and kept them and their children in touch with the island. As Don Letts explains in Tighten Up (beginning on 14^th August), entrepreneur Chris Blackwell and record labels such as Trojan started to cater for Jamaican settlers in the UK. To everyone's surprise, the music also appealed to other British music lovers in the 60s,. Blackwell later used this foothold in the UK to introduce Bob Marley & the Wailers to a global audience.

Meanwhile, inventive as ever, despite limited resources and rudimentary homemade or adapted domestic equipment, pioneering producers such as Lee Perry, King Tubby and Errol Thompson developed dub. In their hands, the studio mixing desk became an instrument in its own right. Existing tracks were stripped down, remixed and, with the use of echo and other effects, woven into thrilling new soundscapes. Dub techniques have been hugely influential in many other genres all around the world ever since.

Another Jamaican musical innovation that emerged with dub was toasting or deejaying. At the dances, originators such as U-Roy and King Stitt, followed by the likes of I-Roy and Big Youth, would talk over dubplates of songs from which the vocal had been mixed out. These unique, exciting performances captivated the crowds at dances and soon appeared on disc. Clearly, this was a major influence on rap and hip hop, which revolutionised music in the late 1970s.

Don Letts also explains how Jamaican music helped to empower him and others of his generation, born in Britain to parents who'd come from Jamaica. Don remembers going into the cinema in Brixton as a youth struggling for an identity, watching Jimmy Cliff starring in The Harder They Come, getting his first glimpse (other than picture postcards) of Jamaica and walking out a different man. He explains how black and white Britons loved the sounds of Jamaica and how empowering the music was for him and his peers.

Don Letts (4^th and 25^th August), David Rodigan (every Sunday in August), Colin Grant (5^th August) and Gideon Coe (6^th August) play all the crucial tunes. Documentaries presented by Brinsley Forde (Island Rock starting on 4^th August) and dub poet Linton Kwesi Johnson (From Mento to Lovers' Rock beginning 12^th August) explain Jamaican music's development. Hail the King (24^th August) explores Rastafari and the influence of Ethiopia's Emperor Haile Selassie I, who visited Jamaica in 1966. The Record Producers (starting on 22^nd August), reveals how Jamaican music and pioneering studio techniques influenced recording the world over and how reggae crossed over into the pop market.

Since Jamaica gained independence, its music, style, food, language and culture have spread and been enjoyed around the world. Its motto is 'Out of Many, One People'. Fifty years on, Jamaica's musical heritage provides a remarkable tribute to the rich mix of creative people who have come from this unique island.

BBC Radio 6 Music Celebrates... 50 Years of The Rolling Stones

2012-07-09T15:34:28+00:00

Working at BBC 6 Music brings many benefits. I get to work with really talented music loving radio people every day. Listening to new music is 'work'. And I get to meet my heroes. And none come bigger than Keef. Many people - my parents chief among them - would say I could have picked a better role model in life. But he's the reason I picked a guitar. And once I realised I was never going to make records that got played on the radio, I decided I could at least pick the songs that were played on the radio. So I'm where I am today because of Keef.

BBC 6 Music's Mike Hanson meets his hero "Keef"

I'm known for many things at 6 Music, but being The Rolling Stones office bore is the main one. For me all roads lead back to the Stones. Any time any of the programmes come up with a musical question or a new feature, I can always find a Stones example to contribute. Steve Lamacq wants to know what albums work just as well if you reversed the track listing? 'Some Girls,' I say.

So when we decided that the 6 Music Celebrates... theme for July would mark the 50th anniversary of the world's greatest rock n' roll band it was a no brainer that 6 Music's greatest Stones fan should programme it. Not going overboard was my only brief. Not an easy thing - to quote one of their greatest songs - 'I'm in need of some restraint!'

The Rolling Stones have a rich history as even their critics will acknowledge, and the BBC sound archive is brimming with brilliant content. So that's where we started. There are several documentaries, all well produced, but my favourite has always been The Rolling Stones Story by Alexis Korner, originally broadcast in the early 1970s. As I grew up in Canada I can't always share with my 6 Music colleagues memories of great BBC programmes that were broadcast in the 70s or 80s - except this one. The series was aired on a station in the US - probably an NPR station - and I remember my friends and I listening to it in September 1981, the night before we were going to travel over the border to the US to see the Stones for the first time. I taped as much of the series as I could and listened to it over and over again. If we ever lose the original tapes, no worries, as I have the whole thing memorised.

We also commissioned a new programme from a man who has an even better job than me - Paul Sexton, who beats my meeting Keef story by actually being in the great man's living room. Paul has interviewed all the Stones countless times over the past 25 years and he made us a wonderful programme of the band telling their history in their own words - The Stones by The Stones - built out of his own archive.

There are lots of other highlights over the month: Craig Charles will play funky cover versions like Otis Redding's version of Satisfaction, whilst Cerys will play some of the original blues songs the young Stones cut their teeth on in the early 60s. There will be live recordings from places like Leeds University in 1971 in our Classic Concert strand, and during the week of July 16, our Album of the Day from Monday to Friday will be a classic Stones album. Monday will be their exuberant debut, with the rest of the week featuring what we all agree are albums from their golden era: Beggar's Banquet, Let It Bleed, Sticky Fingers, and Exile on Main Street. I was tempted to pick an album from each decade but that would have meant favouring A Bigger Bang (decent effort though it is) over a true classic like Exile.

Leaving things out has been the hardest. Personally I would have included Some Girls. It was the first Stones album I bought and for a number of reasons, it is still my favourite. I wore out three vinyl copies in my teenage years.

Which leads me to the main element of BBC 6 Music Celebrates... 50 Years of The Rolling Stones: our search for your favourite Stones song of all time. As a massive Stones fan, people always ask me what my favourite song is. I respond, 'They're all my babies! How can I pick just one?' And how do you pick one song from a 50 year back catalogue of one of the most successful and influential bands ever?

Well, that's exactly what I'd like you to do. Not easy I know, but we've done the hard part and chosen a list of 50. Even doing that wasn't easy. Over lunch one day, just off the top of my head, I made a list of over 90 songs that deserved to be on any vote for the best Stones song. I won't say it's the top 50 but it does represent the fullness of their career from Not Fade Away to Rough Justice. Not everyone will agree with the list we came up with. I can hear 'What? You left off Moonlight Mile but included Love is Strong?' already. But while I agree that they're not as prolific or as creative now as they were 40 years ago, I see no point in surveying a career that has spanned half a century by focusing on a 5 year spout of genius. The voting opened during nowplaying@6Music on Sunday July 8 and closes Friday July 20. Steve Lamacq will reveal your top choice Friday 27 July.

#RollingStones50: Vote for your ultimate Rolling Stones track

Yes the Stones aren't what they use to be, but they will always be the greatest rock n' roll band in the world. They earned that title for keeps years ago. And their influence can still be felt today. For 6 Music, who contextualise new music by framing it firmly in musical heritage, there can be no better way to do this than by celebrating 50 Years of The Rolling Stones.

Highlights of the 6 Music Celebrates...The Rolling Stones season:

The Stones by The Stones - Paul Sexton introduces highlights from his illuminating trip through 50 years of The Rolling Stones

The Rolling Stones Story - Veteran bluesman Alexis Korner tells the fascinating story of The Rolling Stones in this six part series with contributions from the band including Mick Jagger and Ian Stewart.

Jagger's Jukebox - The Rolling Stones' frontman hand-picks a selection of artists and music that influenced the band's ground-breaking sound.

The First Time With Charlie Watts - In this rare interview with Matt Everitt, Charlie tells of his life as the least rock 'n' roll but always charming Stone.

The Live Music Hour -The Rolling Stones recorded live in session on 20th August 1965.

My Top 10 - Keith Richards - In a programme first broadcast in 1986, Keith Richards of The Rolling Stones picks ten favourite records and talks to Andy Peebles about his life and work.

6 Music Classic Concert - The Rolling Stones, recorded live at Leeds University on their last tour before they left the UK back in 1971.

Now Playing @6Music - Tom Robinson invites listeners to compile their ultimate Stones-inspired playlist.

Bright Lights Big City (Tuesday 10th - Thursday 12th July, 12am to 12.30) - Former Stones bassist Bill Wyman takes a stroll down memory lane to look at the UK R&B scene.

Insight- The Rolling Stones' 1975 USA tour (Thursday 12th July, 4am) - 'What happens on tour, stays on tour' is not the case in this in-depth documentary of The Rolling Stones 1975 tour of America.

The Rolling Stones Story (Saturday 14th -Tuesday 17th July, 4am) - Bob Harris takes the lid off the longest running rock 'n' roll band in the world.

Shedding Hippie Blood - The Altamont Story (Friday 20th July - 4-7am)- Huey Morgan tells the story of The Rolling Stones' 1969 Let It Bleed tour, a milestone in rock history that defined an era and its tragic finale at the Altamont Speedway.

6 Music Classic Concert (Saturday 21st July , 2am-3am) - The Rolling Stones recorded live at Wembley Arena in 1990.

Classic Albums- Beggars Banquet (Tuesday 24th and Wednesday 25th July, 12am-12.30am) - Keith Richards discusses the 1968 release of The Rolling Stone's hit album Beggars Banquet with Roger Scott.

Exile of the Stones (Thursday 26th and Friday 27th July , 12am-12.30am) - Paul Sexton tells the tangled tale of one of the most celebrated albums in rock history, The Rolling Stones' epic Exile On Main Street.

The Best Albums of 2012... So Far

2012-06-26T12:50:04+00:00

Six months down, six to go. BBC Music asked a selection of its own DJs and reviewers, plus a handful of friends from across the industry, to name their favourite albums of the year so far. And below are the results. Enjoy!

Please note that these lists are not ranked - they're just five albums that the DJ or writer in question has really enjoyed. That said, the amount of love evident for the Alt-J, Death Grips, Poliça and Grimes albums marks them as true standouts of 2012 so far.

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Sean Adams - founder/editor, Drowned in Sound (external link)

Chromatics - Kill for Love (BBC review)
Blondes - Blondes
Poliça - Give You the Ghost (BBC review)
Blood Red Shoes - In Time to Voices (BBC review)
School of Seven Bells - Ghostory (BBC review)

On YouTube: Poliça - Lay Your Cards Out (external link)

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Matthew Bennett - deputy editor, Clash (external link); BBC reviewer

Death Grips - The Money Store (BBC review)
Gang Colours - The Keychain Collection (BBC review)
Alt-J - An Awesome Wave (BBC review)
Grimes - Visions (BBC review)
Lazer Sword - Memory

On YouTube: Gang Colours - Fancy Restaurant (external link)

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Mike Diver - BBC album reviews editor

John Talabot - ƒin (BBC review)
El-P - Cancer4Cure (BBC review)
Killer Mike - R.A.P. Music (BBC review)
The Invisible - Rispah (BBC review)
Death Grips - The Money Store

On YouTube: El-P - The Full Retard (external link; contains strong language and scenes of violence, nudity and drug use which may offend... not to mention puppet abuse)

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John Doran - founder/editor, The Quietus; BBC reviewer

Carter Tutti Void - Transverse (BBC review)
Can - The Lost Tapes (BBC review)
The Thing and Neneh Cherry - The Cherry Thing (BBC review)
VCMG - SSSS (BBC review)
Dope Body - Natural History

On YouTube: The Thing and Neneh Cherry - Accordion (external link; contains language which may offend)

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JJ Dunning - editor, The Fly (external link)

A Place to Bury Strangers - Worship
Guided By Voices - Class Clown Spots a UFO
Grimes - Visions
Graham Coxon - A+E (BBC review)
Here We Go Magic - A Different Ship (BBC review)

On YouTube: Here We Go Magic - How Do I Know (external link)

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Chris Hawkins - DJ, BBC 6 Music

Pepe DeluxÃ© - Queen of the Wave (BBC review)
Alabama Shakes - Boys and Girls (BBC review)
Ren Harvieu - Through The Night (BBC review)
Yeti Lane - The Echo Show (BBC review)
Cornershop - Urban Turban (BBC review)

On YouTube: Ren Harvieu - Open Up Your Arms (external link)

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Tom Howard - reviews editor, NME (external link)

Hodgy Beats - Untitled EP
Actress - RIP (BBC review)
Jack White - Blunderbuss (BBC review)
Death Grips - The Money Store
Pond - Beard, Wives, Denim

On YouTube: Death Grips - The Fever (Aye Aye) (external link; contains strong language)

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Paul Lester - Guardian (external link); BBC reviewer

Death Grips - The Money Store
SpaceGhostPurrp - Mysterious Phonk (BBC review)
Nite Jewel - One Second of Love (BBC review)
Hodgy Beats - Untitled EP
Saint Etienne - Words and Music by Saint Etienne (BBC review)

On YouTube: Saint Etienne, Tonight (external link)

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Janice Long - DJ, BBC Radio 2

The Maccabees - Given to the Wild (BBC review)
Richard Hawley - Standing at the Sky's Edge (BBC review)
Django Django - Django Django (BBC review)
Alt-J - An Awesome Wave
Jack Savoretti - Before the Storm (BBC review)

On YouTube: Alt-J - Breezeblocks (external link)

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Jen Long - DJ, BBC Radio 1; BBC reviewer

2:54 - 2:54 (BBC review)
Poliça - Give You the Ghost
Bright Light Bright Light - Make Me Believe in Hope
Cadence Weapon - Hope in Dirt City (BBC review)
TOPS - Tender Opposites

On YouTube: Cadence Weapon - Conditioning (external link)

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Zane Lowe - DJ, BBC Radio 1

The Invisible - Rispah
Poliça - Give You the Ghost
Jack White - Blunderbuss
Odd Future - The OF Tape Vol 2 (BBC review)
Alt-J - An Awesome Wave

On YouTube: The Invisible - Wings (external link)

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Chris Martin - DJ, Amazing Radio (external link)

Alt-J - An Awesome Wave
Django Django - Django Django
Team Me - To the Treetops
The Maccabees - Given to the Wild
Band of Skulls - Sweet Sour (BBC review)

On YouTube: Band of Skulls - Bruises (external link)

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Ralph McLean - DJ, BBC Radio Ulster

Dexys - One Day I'm Going to Soar (BBC review)
Alabama Shakes - Boys and Girls
Neil Young and Crazy Horse - Americana (BBC review)
Dr John - Locked Down (BBC review)
Willie Nelson - Heroes (BBC review)

On YouTube: Neil Young and Crazy Horse - Jesus' Chariot (She'll be Coming Round the Mountain) (external link)

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Jez Nelson - DJ, Jazz on 3, BBC Radio 3

Troyka - Moxxy (BBC review)
The Thing and Neneh Cherry - The Cherry Thing
E.S.T. - 301 (BBC review)
Asunder Trio - The Lamp
Steve Lehman - Dialect Fluorescent

On YouTube: Troyka - Moxxy (introduction) (external link)

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Nemone - DJ, BBC 6 Music

Poliça - Give You the Ghost
Blockhead - Interludes After Midnight
Richard Hawley - Standing at the Sky's Edge
Hot Chip - In Our Heads (BBC review)
Alt-J - An Awesome Wave

On YouTube: Hot Chip - Night & Day (external link)

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Rob da Bank - DJ, BBC Radio 1

Grimes - Visions
Hot Chip - In Our Heads
Alabama Shakes - Boys and Girls
Holy Other - Held (bit of a cheat here, Rob - this isn't out until August)
Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs - Trouble (BBC review)

On YouTube: Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs - Household Good (external link; contains strong language)

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Laura Snapes - associate editor, Pitchfork (external link)

Sharon Van Etten - Tramp (BBC review)
Field Music - Plumb (BBC review)
Ramona Falls - Prophet
Niki and the Dove - Instinct (BBC review)
Sophia Knapp - Into the Waves

On YouTube: Sharon Van Etten - Leonard (external link)

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Huw Stephens - DJ, BBC Radio 1

Alt-J - An Awesome Wave
First Aid Kit - The Lion's Roar (BBC review)
The 2 Bears - Be Strong (BBC review)
Niki and the Dove - Instinct
Tom Williams and The Boat - Teenage Blood (BBC review)

On YouTube: First Aid Kit - Blue (external link)

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Jo Whiley - DJ, BBC Radio 2

Emeli SandÃ© - Our Version of Events (BBC review)
Alabama Shakes - Boys and Girls
The Maccabees - Given to the Wild
Richard Hawley - Standing at the Sky's Edge
Jack White - Blunderbuss

On YouTube: Jack White, Love Interruption (external link)

Punk Britannia on BBC Four and 6 Music

2012-05-28T16:06:30+00:00

John Lydon (Photo: Andy Dunn)

June 2012 is a month of big anniversaries across the UK and in my role at BBC Radio 6 Music, I have had the pleasure of piecing together our Punk Britannia season alongside colleagues at BBC Four.

Punk Britannia marks 35 years since Punk's heyday in 1977, which exploded across the country during the Queen's Silver Jubilee. BBC Four will focus their content around an insightful three-part documentary series, which will be supported by additional programming and BBC Radio 6 Music will feature a range of curated shows from some of punk's most iconic names, alongside a series of themed shows.

It all starts on BBC Radio 6 Music with John Lydon on Friday 1 June from 12am-1am. As a teenager, Rotten Lydon (as he wonderfully refers to himself in the show) announced himself to the world as the focal point of British punk. Combining a healthy distain for current music trends and illustrated by a polarising fashion sense, the Sex Pistols spearheaded a musical revolution still reverberating today. His views on popular culture and subsequent career with Public Image Limited and collaboration with hip hop pioneer Afrika Bambaataa cemented his importance to the British music scene.

John Lydon's Playlist takes us on a journey through his record collection, making some surprising stops on the way. The shows include music from and stories about - T-Rex, Black Sabbath, Edith Piaf, Petula Clark, Johnny Cash and ABBA.

One of Punk's most iconic figures, Siouxsie Sioux (10 June, 12-1pm) shares her inspirations from the world of music and arts. New York innovator Patti Smith (17 June, 12-1pm) showcases the variety of her tastes in her playlist and The Damned's Captain Sensible (24 June, 12-1pm), picks out his music highlights and reminisces on the explosive years of punk.

There will also be specialist punk-themed shows throughout the month - including two Now Playing @ 6 Music specials (3 and 17 June, 6-8pm) where Tom Robinson invites listeners to collaborate on a British and US Punk playlist.

Documentary A Tale of Two Punk Cities (17 June, 8-10pm), looks at both London and New York's claim on the genre. Its presenter, Vivien Goldman has the best job title in the world - Professor of Punk and Reggae at New York University. Vivien is also a founding member of The Flying Lizards and has the best punk anecdotes I have ever heard. She knows everybody! The documentary hears opinions from a choice selection of musicians, including The Pistols, Chrissie Hynde, Siouxsie Sioux, Lenny Kaye, Neneh Cherry, The Slits and Public Enemy. The show delves into the worlds of punk, reggae & hip hop - highlighting the cultural exchanges which formed the majority of current music trends and it's a great listen.

On 25 June from midnight-1am, DJ Don Letts will musically recreate one of his legendary Punky Reggae nights from London club The Roxy, live from the Radio 6 Music studios. Huey Morgan also celebrates the musical legacy of his hometown with a New York special (17 June, 1-4pm) and listeners will also hear from the Sex Pistol's guitarist Steve Jones from LA (25-28 June, 7-9pm).

BBC Four's three part music documentary series, Punk Britannia, traces the historic cosmology, meteoric impact and smouldering aftermath of the most genuinely transformative force in British popular music history. Kicking off on Friday 1 June at 9pm, part one takes in the early 70s cultural landscape, from the influence of American punk and pub rock, to the Damned and the explosion of the Pistols in 1976. Part two (8 June) focuses on the 'white heat' of the punk explosion; looking at how it became the new pop and part three (15 June) is about post-punk and the genre's development from 78 onwards.

Punk has left a genuine impact on music, attitudes, fashion and art and it's wonderful to be able to tell the story across BBC Radio and Television. Punk Britannia catches up with the most distinctive voices in a movement that blazed briefly - this first wave of punk happened in a flash - but has never been shut up.

VIDEO: Watch more exclusive clips from Punk Britannia at BBC Music Showcase

Read the BBC TV blog post by Andy Dunn, director of the first episode of BBC Four's Punk Britannia.

Join us on Twitter using the hashtag #PunkBritannia

At A Glance - Punk Programme Highlights in June:

Friday 01/06/12

6 Music Playlist 1/5: John Lydon (6 Music; midnight)

Punk Britannia 1/3: Pre-Punk 1972-1976 (BBC Four; 9pm)

We Who Wait: TV Smith & The Adverts (BBC Four; 10pm)

Saturday 02/06/12

Stiff at the BBC 1/2 (BBC Four; 0.55am)

Stiff at the BBC 2/2 (BBC Four; 1.25am)

Classic Concert: Sex Pistols at Finsbury Park, 1996 (6 Music; 2am)

Anarchy in the UK 1/2 (6 Music; 4am)

Sunday 03/06/12

Anarchy in the UK 2/2 (6 Music; 4am)

6 Music Playlist 2/5: John Lydon pt 2 (6 Music; midday)

Now Playing @ 6 Music Punk Special (6 Music; 6pm)

Monday 04/06/12

Evidently... John Cooper Clarke (BBC Four; 0.30am)

The Live Music Hour: Siousxie and the Banshees (1981) (6 Music; 3am)

My Way: The Sid Vicious Story (6 Music; 4am)

Tuesday 05/06/12

Punky Reggae Party 1/3 (6 Music; midnight)

Wednesday 06/06/12

The Jam: Made in Britain 1/2 (6 Music; 4am)

Friday 08/06/12

Punk Britannia 2/3 (BBC Four; 9pm)

Sunday 10/06/12

6 Music Playlist 3/5: Siouxsie (6 Music; midday)

Friday 15/06/12

Punk Britannia 3/3 (BBC Four; 9pm)

Sunday 17/06/12

6 Music Playlist 4/5: Patti Smith (6 Music; midday)

Now Playing @ 6 Music Punk Special (6 Music; 6pm)

A Punk Tale of Two Cities - Vivien Goldman (6 Music; 8pm)

Sunday 24/06/12

6 Music Playlist 5/5: Captain Sensible (6 Music; midday)

MORE PROGRAMMES TO BE CONFIRMED

The Best Albums of January 2012

2012-02-03T11:10:18+00:00

BBC Album Reviews Editor Mike Diver casts an ear over the best of the bunch from January's raft of new record releases.

Album of the Month

Django Django - Django Django
(Because Music; released 30 January)
Recommended by: 6 Music Album of the Day, Vic Galloway, Tom Robinson, Lauren Laverne

"Smart but not showy, clever but never at the expense of a catchy hook, this is 'indie' par excellence: guitars that ring through the mix like a clarion call from the inspired to take up arms against the dunderheaded legions of lad-rockers; buzzing synths that swirl around like a cloud of friendly wasps; lyrics delivered in mantras, summoning forth similar sermons to those once purveyed by the mighty Beta Band."

Read the full BBC review
Watch the official video for Waveforms on YouTube (external link)

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The best of the rest...

Lana Del Rey - Born to Die
(Polydor; released 30 January)
Recommended by: Jo Whiley, Janice Long, 6 Music Album of the Day

"Born to Die isn't perfect: it slumps slightly towards the end, and the glossy trip-hop production grows wearying on lesser gothic melodramas like Dark Paradise. But it's the most distinctive and assured debut since Glasvegas' eponymous disc in 2008, and makes you desperate to see where she goes from here. Del Rey's defenders can take a break: Born to Die does their job better than they could hope to."

Read the full BBC review
Watch the official video for Blue Jeans on YouTube (external link)

The 2 Bears - Be Strong
(Southern Fired; released 30 January)
Recommended by: Kissy Sell Out, 6 Music Album of the Day, Rob da Bank, Nick Grimshaw

"Be Strong, in short, is superb: a joyous amalgam of disco textures and dancefloor stylings which never fail to bring a big grin to your face. A love letter to the last 20-plus years of dance nation sensations which references the finest moments with a cheery and cheeky approach, this is far from a pastiche. In a just world, this set would sell by the bucket-load. So yeah, follow the bears. You know it makes sense."

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Watch the official video for Work on YouTube (external link)

The Maccabees - Given to the Wild
(Fiction; released 9 January)
Recommended by: 6 Music Album of the Day, Zane Lowe, Jo Whiley, Radio 1 Review Show, Victoria Derbyshire

"Whether Given to the Wild provides the hoped-for kick up the festival billings this summer remains to be seen - at times the obsessive shading masks a lack of melodic punch - but its makers are right to be proud of it. If only all bands had the guts and honesty of The Maccabees, maybe they'd get round to making third records as good as this."

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Watch the official video for Pelican on YouTube (external link)

Chairlift - Something
(Young Turks; released 23 January)
Recommended by: Rob da Bank, Nick Grimshaw

"Far from being the expected hook-shy mope, Something does what so many of us fail to do when romantic endeavours go arse-over-tit. It offers a confident, head-held-high reappraisal of the band's MO, with the newly-promoted Wimberly a more than capable foil for Polachek's songwriting smarts. In producing a focussed follow-up that completely transcends its litigious backstory, Chairlift have summoned a watertight case for the defence with their second LP."

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Watch the official video for Amanaemonesia on YouTube (external link)

Leonard Cohen - Old Ideas
(Columbia; released 30 January)
Recommended by: Jarvis Cocker, 6 Music Album of the Day, Bethan Elfyn

"As with any album to which Leonard Cohen puts his name, Old Ideas is a work which displays great finesse. The music presented is gentle, even fragile, with backing vocals and instrumentation similar to that heard during his brace of UK concerts four years ago. But as ever, it is the author's sense of poetic balance that renders this release as being a work of art."

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Watch the official video for Show Me the Place on YouTube (external link)

Portico Quartet - Portico Quartet
(Real World Records; released 30 January)
Recommended by: Jamie Cullum, Gilles Peterson, Late Junction

"Everything still sounds familiarly Portico Quartet, only fresh, forward-thinking and a little bit tougher. Their arrangements and wide-open ambience remain sparse, but, on InterRailing-inspired Window Seat, are paired with drifting synths; elsewhere, Ruins and Steepless carry the Radiohead gene always present in their improbably tuneful experiments. As journeys go, this one's endlessly absorbing."

Read the full BBC review
Watch the official video for Ruins on YouTube (external link)

First Aid Kit - The Lion's Roar
(Wichita; released 23 January)
Recommended by: Another Country with Ricky Ross, Tom Robinson, 6 Music Album of the Day, Rob da Bank, Loose Ends

"Johanna and Klara Sodenberg's close harmonies charm unaffectedly, pitched in the mix like the faint voices of songbirds echoing through a woodland scene, and it's difficult to imagine anyone topping this collection in 2012. Sat neatly between Laura Marling's trauma, Alessi's Ark's florid scenes and Joni Mitchell's spot-lit thoughts, First Aid Kit's second album lines them up as the band most likely to cross over into the big time."

Read the full BBC review
Watch the official video for The Lion's Roar on YouTube (external link)

Laura Gibson - La Grande
(City Slang; released 9 January)
Recommended by: 6 Music Album of the Day, Another Country with Ricky Ross, Bethan Elfyn

"Her voice, which has always been pretty, in a vintage, timeless kind of way, reaches new levels here. On songs like The Rushing Dark, call-to-arms Time Is Not and measured, graceful closer Feather Lungs, they add to the record a wonderful old scratched-vinyl quality. This gem of a long-player - both sleepy and steely, mystical yet rooted in very real and universal themes - deserves all the plaudits that will hopefully meet its release."

Read the full BBC review
Watch the official video for La Grande on YouTube (external link)

Errors - Have Some Faith in Magic
(Rock Action; released 30 January)
Recommended by: Marc Riley, Huw Stephens, Vic Galloway, Tom Robinson

"Have Some Faith in Magic is impressively characterised by its very organic design. It sounds as if it's the work of human trial and error, rather than a series of computer-coded phrases and melodies, and it's this fragility that really has it standing out as the work of a band hitting its peak. This is, easily, the Scottish 'post-electro' band's most composed, defined album to date."

Read the full BBC review
Watch the official video for Pleasure Places on YouTube (external link)