Oh Well - Fleetwod Mac

Oh Well! is a number by the earliest Fleetwood Mac incarnation, one that easily transcends the limits of the pop genre and heralds the sort of thing that became typical of the progressive rock of the seventies. It is really two songs incongruously but successfully welded together. The first is two minutes 15 seconds of blues that, while starting in acoustic vein with guitar and maracas, soon breaks into electric rock. Partly a vocal number, it really rocks and though a fine and interesting song in and of itself, its role here is basically to lay down the group's credentials so that the pop listener is made willing to hear the next song, which is quite different indeed. This time Peter Green apparently plays without the group and, although some electric guitar is involved, this is basically in the style of the guitar concerto and strongly features cello, recorder, classical piano and Green's acoustic guitar. The whole piece lasts just over nine minutes. When it appeared as a single, rather than splitting it at the obvious place, side A takes in a little of the second piece, a sort of taster, that is repeated at the start of the second side, wholly in the guitar concerto style. The song confirms the genius status of the boy from Bethnal Green and only adds to the sadness of the story of a man who subsequently knew a troubled life of mental anguish. The lines Now, when I talked to God I knew he'd understand. He said, "Stick by me and I'll be your guiding hand But don't ask me what I think of you I might not give the answer that you want me to" show some insight into the human condition and total depravity in particular.

Whiskey in the jar - Thin Lizzy

I remember seeing this 1972 track performed on Crackerjack of all shows. (I file the memory next to the one that says that lead singer the late Phil Lynott was married to presenter Leslie Crowther's daughter - she the Sarah of another Thin Lizzy hit). They were probably miming. The thing then was the amazing riff, of course, and Lynott's brooding dum a doo dum a da. Like all good pop music, the song, especially in its longer form, bears many listenings. The bottom layer is a fine Irish folk song that tells its own story of the highwayman's Molly and her betrayal. The song is being played by fine jazz musicians who seem to know exactly what they are doing. Finally, it is presented in the popular rock format of the day. Further listens betray the fact that several other things are going on with acoustic guitars and vocals. The Dubliners made the song famous in the sixties and many have recorded it since Thin Lizzy's distinctive version.

To be young, gifted and black - Bob and Marcia

Being neither young, black or particularly gifted, it may be difficult to see why I like Bob (Andy) and Marcia (Griffith)'s 1970 hit To be young gifted and black as much as I do. It is partly the very positive nature of the song, I guess ("We must begin to tell our young There's a world waiting for you This is a quest that's just begun") with its bouncy, infectious and (for me) unusual reggae beat. For years I heard it on the radio and didn't catch what they were actually saying in the chorus! It is also partly an awareness of the history of people of colour and their oppression. It is somehow a relief to know that in 1968, despite everything, Bob and Marcia at least, and no doubt many others, could sing in this very positive way about being young, gifted and black. After years of being told you had to be older, white and from another class, they appear to have woken up one morning with this wonderful realisation that in fact that wasn't so. I don't think the song is meant to be racist or ageist or elitist for that matter. It is a reaction rather to the hegemony of a rich, white, older generation that seemed to have dominated everything until this point in time. The song is actually addressed to their contemporaries and is saying that being black is not a disadvantage but, in the day's new climate, a potential asset, especially if you also have youth and talent on your side. Bob and Marcia's version is the best known though it was first recorded by Nina Simone. It was written with her band leader, the late Weldon Irvine, and was intended as an homage to her long time friend, playwright Lorraine Hansberry (best known for Raisin in the Sun). Inevitably, it became something of an anthem among the young, gifted and black of the title and was also recorded by Donny Hathaway and Aretha Franklin, who made it the title track on her 1972 album. Despite my lack of qualification I take the first verse quite literally and so make it mine - "To be young, gifted and black, Oh what a lovely precious dream ... Open your heart to what I mean. Whatever the doubts or regrets you have to believe in yourself" – this is the authenticate voice of humanism. Here it happens to be black humanism but it is no different to secular humanism of other hues. It will take you so far but what an awakening a person will face if they think being young or old, gifted or privileged, black or white guarantees him anything in this life, let alone anything in the next.

Suzanne beware of the devil - Dandy Livingstone

Jamaican Dandy Livingstone's best known song is the minor hit Suzanne beware of the devil from 1972. It is a nice bit of reggae style pop that can be enjoyed by anyone. The lyrics are quite poor in parts ("Did you say we gotta part Or did you say let's go for a walk" "Did you say you got someone new Or did you say you like the colour of my shoe?"). There is no intention to deliver a serious message, though a Christian who believes in a personal devil will irresistibly find himself being reminded of the need to beware of the powers of Satan. How many relationships are spoiled because of a failure, like Suzanne's, to watch out for his tricks? Of course, by suggesting that it is the devil who is luring Suzanne away, the singer could be abusing his orthodox knowledge of theology to keep the relationship going. Such things are not unknown. Perhaps Suzanne just likes some other guy and the devil has little to do with it. Even the simplest songs can be read on different levels. I love the way Livingstone enunciates the word Suzanne.