Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm (CrashTestDummies): Laid-back guitar weirdness from long-haired Canadian five-piece. The sweetest lilting tune coupled with tangential lyrics, taken from the Grammy-nominated album God Shuffled His Feet. Still making records, still touring, but never topped this. Mmmmmm. "Once there was this kid who got into an accident and couldn't come to school, but when he finally came back his hair had turned from black into bright white, he said that it was from when the cars had smashed so hard."
Girls and Boys (Blur): This irresistible slice of thumping disco-pop finally catapulted Blur into the chart limelight. Essex boy Damon sang in praise of holiday slacking, and we all followed (even if we never could quite manage the entire chorus without stumbling). From the benchmark album Parklife, the Britpop classic. "Girls who are boys who like boys to be girls who do boys like they?re girls who do girls like they?re boys, always should be someone you really love."
Hear Me Calling (2wo Third3): All boybands are of course rubbish. Except this one. A 90s threesome with an deliberately 80s sound, plus a very strange taste in clothes. This their first single limped to only number 48 in the charts, but it was synthesiser brilliance and I still adore it. Read more about 2wo Third3 here and here. "Sticks and stones may break my bones - tell another lie - all sorts of names will cause me pain - I can hear you cry."
Hold That Sucker Down(Builds Like A Skyscraper Mix) (OT Quartet): 'OT' stood for 'Our Tribe', a DJ Rollo pseudonym. One of the most uplifting house records ever made, and still my favourite dance track of all time. It's an epic 6½ minute floor-filling symphony, with soaring female vocal and far more of a tune than your average anthem. It rocks. "You can lift your man up, give him all that he wants, it don't mean a thing if you can't hold him down."
Renaissance (M People): First heard as the theme to the UK's first reality TV show - the BBC's doomed 'TheLivingSoap' - then released on the Mercury award-winning album Bizarre Fruit. M People recorded this shining gem just before Heather sold out and went all middle-of-the-road (alas, now decent only for car adverts). "You can build it from bricks and stone but theres still no point in being alone, so unlock your door I`m coming through cos this heart's got a message for you."
