All Alone, I Sit Home By The Phone Waiting For You.. Baby.

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I suppose I've been pretty cheerful today, all things considered. I've not got much work done, but I have spent most of the day being endlessly entertained by the bureaucracy that has been generated by yesterday's robbery. My own personal highlight was when I rang the company helpdesk to report the theft (in spite of the fact that my laptop is protected by power on passwords, hard disk passwords, windows passwords, email passwords, intranet passwords and the like, apparently they also need to do things like reroute my email so that no one can hack my computer and pretend to be me, and stuff like that... what-evah).

"I need to fill out a Security Incident Report."
"Fine."
"I'll email you the database link."
"What to the email address you just changed on a computer I don't have? Thanks - that would be great"

Tee Hee.

Anway. Life goes on, and as this is a Friday, that means it's time to turn our attention towards the man who will be leading this week's homage to the Earworm God.

Ladies & Gentleworms, without further ado, it is my great pleasure to present to you.....

Earworms of the Week - Guest Editor #31 - Del from Delrico Bandito

Lists, glorious lists. Thank you Toni for giving me an excellent excuse to make yet another one. Having spent the last week listening to my fave tracks of 2005, it's no real surprise that I'm now sick to the back teeth of them all. So whilst there are current tracks, there's also a fair share of random tracks that have just popped up via my subconscious, presumably my brain's reaction to hearing 'Hounds Of Love' by the Futureheads for the 400th time. Stupid brain.

10. The London Symphony Orchestra - 'Theme from Super Mario Brothers'

Oh yes, you read that right. One of the most renowned and respected orchestras in the world playing a Nintendo video game song. With some aplomb, at that. Takes me back to long, hot summer days... shut away inside playing on my cousin's NES. With no regrets. First heard on a mix by Cuechamp of various Video Game inspired tunes called 'Up, Up, Down, Down, Left, Right, Left, Right, B, A, Start.' A wonderful piece of music, perfectly rendered.

9. Defender - 'Bliss'

Also known as Alan Braxe and Fred Faulke, half of Stardust and the charming chaps who did that 'Intro' tune a few years ago. Lovely funky French house, with a flute line on it! Altogether now... "Do the Hustle!" A B-Side it may be, but let's not forget that's where 'I Will Survive' started out...

8. Betty Boo - 'Where Are You Baby?'

Sigh. Betty Boo. How happy was I to find her classic debut album on vinyl in a charity shop for a matter of pence? Very happy. Indeed. 'Doing The Doo' is an all time classic, but this track is just perfect pop. I used to fancy her something rotten, too. She wrote all the songs herself, y'know. Now she writes them for everyone else. Beautiful and loaded, with the common sense to stay out of the limelight? My knees have gone all wobbly.

7. Nas Feat Billy Joel - 'NY State Of Mind (Lights Out Remix)'

It's kind of obvious to remix Nas's Illmatic classic LP highlight with the Billy Joel track of the same name. Doesn't stop it being bloody funny though! Mr Kelis raps his oh so scary gangsta rhymes over a helium voiced Billy, emoting like a don. Absolutely hilarious! Beats Jay Z sampling 'Hard Knock Life' into a cocked hat.

6. Royksopp - 'What Else Is There? (Thin White Duke Remix)'

Oh just how lovely is this? "And then flashlights, and explosions..." A great record from Royksopp's latest LP made even nicer by the genius behind Madonna's 'Hung Up', Jacques Lu Cont. Stuck in my head with glue or something, thanks to plenty of choice plays on the Big One FM.

5. Bloc Party - 'Positive Tension'

Best bit on Silent Alarm is the explosion in the middle of this tale of stale love gone wrong... "Why'd you have to get SO F***ING USELESS!" And whoosh, like a train, it's off. Fantastic.

4. Fleetwood Mac - 'Everywhere'

Another delicious record. And another charity shop find, this time on a delightfully crackly 7inch. They knew how to do quality pop records back in 1987, and they were proper pop star potty as well. They don't make ‘em like this any more. Great work all round.

3. UNKLE Feat Richard Ashcroft - 'Lonely Soul'

Having lost my mp3 player to the great electrical goods store in the sky after dropping it whilst drunk, *sniff*, I've had to use my own memory to keep me amused on the way to work. As I wandered across the ever pristine Fitzroy Square this morning, this twisted ballad was busy whirring through my mind. Off the original UNKLE album Psyence Fiction, that I still don't know quite what to make of, nearly a decade on from it's release. Ambitious yet flawed. Although I'm no great fan of our Dickie, this is a great performance:

I believe there's a time when the cord of life
Should be cut, my friends (cut the cord, my friend)
I believe there's a time when the cord can be cut
And this vision ends (let this vision end).

But I'm gonna die in a place that don't know my name
And I'm gonna cry in a space that don't hold my fame.

Looking forward to work then were we, Delboy? That said, my favourite bit is the far more cheerful coda, which lifts the whole song into a much more optimistic place. Boss.

2. Glenn Miller and his Orchestra - 'In The Mood'

As heard on the Dr Who episode with Chris and Billie, set in wartime London with the scary people in gas masks. "Are you my mummy?" What an amazing piece of music, almost ruined by Jive Bunny, but mercifully it's emerged intact now that the sorry debacle of the Mastermixers is long behind us. I mean, it's just dance music without the computers, isn't it? Sure, the clobber, the language and the beats have all changed, but if you wanna escape, you just need to get on the dancefloor. Let's jitterbug baby.

1. Hi_Tack - 'Say Say Say (Waiting For You)'

Ah, and some superb modern day escapism from the most appropriately named artist... ever! This is cheesier than Tiffany drowning in Dairy Lee, but all the better for it! Doing my fave trick of taking the best bit of a great record, and just looping it over and over again, it's more addictive than crack, and probably about as much good for you. Oh well. You can't beat a bit of Jacko and Macca. Pretty much makes me jump ten feet in the air every time I hear it, which is rather inconvenient at work, cos I end up covered in dust and ceiling tiles. Still, well worth it.

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Hope that fits the bill ok for you! Thanks again for asking me to do it (and the Blog of the week posting). Great fun. Lists rock!

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Thanks Del - what a great list to kick of 2006. A little bit of this, a little bit of that... and Betty Boo. Nice and eclectic. Just the way we like it around here. I seem to be playing it a bit fast and loose this year in telling you who is going to be editing next week. Well. Nevermind. You'll just have to live with the suspense, eh.

Now if you'll excuse me, I reckon I've earned a pint... and then I'm calling the insurance company.

[Previous Guest Editors: Flash, The Urban Fox, Lord Bargain, Retro-Boy, Statue John, Ben, OLS, Ka, Jenni, Aravis, Yoko, Bee, Charlie, Tom, Di, Spin, The Ultimate Olympian, Damo, Mike, RedOne, The NumNum, Leah, Le Moine Perdu, clm, Michael, Hyde, Adem, Alecya, bytheseashore, adamant, Earworms of the Year 2005]