There is always music playing in our house and I have confusingly 'catholic' tastes. This might give some idea as to why I like what I do....

I started listening to music seriously in the mid 1970's, consequently I have a large (somewhat embarrassing) collection of 'prog rock' - Genesis, Yes, E.L.P., Jethro Tull etc.

I discovered Neil Young in 1977, concurrently with punk rock which helps explain why many 'West Coast' albums (Mr Young, Jefferson Airplaine, Grateful Dead, Byrds, Love etc.) sit side by side offerings from the likes of the Sex Pistols, The Buzzcocks, Joy Division and The Ramones.

In the early 1980's I was listening to New Order, The Teardrop Explodes, Echo and the Bunnymen, The Psychedelic Furs, The Chameleons and Young Marble Giants. I was also (and remain to this day) a huge fan of the Velvet Underground and in particular, John Cale.

I became disenchanted with rock music in about 1982, Neil Young had discovered the synthesiser and truly awful groups like Tears for Fears and Depeche Mode were in the ascendency....

For many years in the 1980's I only really listened to classical music. Primarily 20th century British, although I have a good deal of American music - Barber and Copeland, through to Reich and Adams.

In 1987 Husker Du reinvigorated my love for loud, distorted, guitar-based rock, when I saw a video of them on television. I promptly went out and bought Warehouse Songs and Stories - within three months they had broken up. But better late than never....

The last decade could be characterised as 'mostly American indie' (Big Black, Buffalo Tom, Blake Babies, Husker Du, Throwing Muses, The Pixies, Smashing Pumpkins, The Lemonheads, The Replacements, Sonic Youth, Sebadoh etc.) although I never had much time for Nirvana, and 'shouty' bands like Soundgarden and Babes in Toyland (the most tedious band I've ever seen.)

I also like certain U.K. bands (eg. My Bloody Valentine, Placebo, Hopper, Cornershop, Kenickie [now sadly defunct], Helen Love etc.) but have no time for 'Britpop'. In fact I would go so far as to say I loathe Oasis and dislike The Verve with a passion that borders on the messianic!

So in the spirit of believing that it is possible to make a crude character analysis of a person from the type of music they listen to - here are some of my favourites, in no particular order: