Woolfy Vs. Projections – The Return of Starlight (Invisible Conga People Remix) (2008)

Ok, I need to take a few deep breaths and step back from the temptation of The Smiths abyss ….. without a touch of discipline, this evening might have descended into some nightmarish, maudlin, navel gazing, weepfest bringing in prime time New Order and, conceivably, ending up in some Dire Straits’ “Romeo and Juliet” flavoured gutter.

Err, hang on, that doesn’t sound so bad …..

Fortunately, Bestmusicofalltime is made of sterner stuff.

So, leap forward 20 years to some classic German Deep House.  A fantastic track whose provenance is surely located in Marshall Jefferson and the classic deep house sounds that emerged from Chicago after the initial blast of Trax Records/DJ International heaven in the late 80s/early 90s.

Many artistes have tried to capture this sound, this track succeeds more than most …. Hey, a song from the last decade, the “kids” will just love it!

The Smiths – There is a Light That Never Goes Out (1986)

Just swapping comments with a chum and was challenged to post some “late period” Smiths. Now he and I both know that he actually meant something from “Strangeways Here We Come”. Perhaps “Paint a Vulgar Picture” or, more likely, “I Won’t Share You” – two quite fantastic tracks.

But, I’m afraid I’ve arrived “mid” career instead. The Queen is Dead is a wonderful LP with many stand out tracks and, in most ways, for most folk, this is the obvious post.

However, this track has always resonated for me on a personal level. I was living in Longsight, Manchester in 1985/86 and my eldest son was born at St Mary’s in central Manchester in late 86. After his mum and he were allowed home, I remember driving them down to Cambridgeshire over a very snowy M62. And this was the soundtrack.

One of the most perfect records of all time.

Take me out tonight …..

The original album track then a dodgy live Smiths version from 1986 and, finally, a surprisingly spot-on version by Morrissey from 2004.