Sunday will see Desert Island Discs celebrate its 70^th birthday. Roy Plomley who hosted the weekly show until his death in 1985 was in fact the mastermind behind  the Radio 4 show back in 1942.

During its history the Sunday morning show has seen the likes of politicians, movie stars, media pros, celebrity chefs, footballers and generally people who have some credibility confess to what eight pieces of music, luxury item and book they would take if alone on a desert island.

So in celebration of Desert Island Discs and Radio as a whole, the writing squad here at SSHQ has compiled their lists as if a guest on the show. Here’s to another seventy years.

Paul – The man who you go to with any questions pertaining to the Silver Screen

1. Claire De Lune – Claude Debussy (as played by Dame Moura Lympany)

Hands down, this is my favourite piece of classical music above all others. It’s one that, if I hear even the slightest hint of it, I have to listen to until the end. It’s a gorgeous bit of music and it never, ever gets old. Specifically, my favourite playing of it comes from the late Dame Moura Lympany, who was a wonderful pianist and she played Claire De Lune with ever ounce of delicacy that just lets every note soar.

2. Take Five – The Dave Brubeck Quartet

For me, there are only a handful of genuinely cool instrumental tracks, and I’m a big fan of instrumental tracks. There’s Green Onions by Booker T and the MGs, So What by Miles Davis, Apache by The Shadows, but this one comes out just ahead over the rest. It’s just as fitting to use as a light summer tune as it is a laid-back night tune. There’s just no time I hear it and don’t feel that bit better in whatever I’m doing.

3. The Ballad of Big Joe and Phantom 309 – Tom Waits

In general, I’m not really too fussed with live albums, though there are some exceptions to that. Metallica’s S&M, Nirvana’s Unplugged in New York, and Daft Punk’s Alive 2007 are all great, but Tom Waits’ Nighthawks at the Diner album is my favourite of all his albums, for many reasons, and this is my favourite track from it. It’s got everything I love about Tom Waits – the storytelling, the mood, that voice of unfathomable character. It is just gold. The fact that he didn’t write it means nothing to me, since I feel like he pretty much owns this song now.

4. Binary Sunset – John Williams

John Williams is one of the greatest composers alive right now, for film or otherwise. He has written so much iconic music that it is impossible to separate him from some of the greatest movie characters ever (Jaws, Indiana Jones, E.T., Superman, Harry Potter), but it’s his work on the Star Wars films that give him his most lasting legacy. And of all the themes that are so recognisable in the Star Wars series, you’d be hard pressed to find anything as moving and stirring as his Force theme, used to greatest effect in A New Hope when Luke watches the dual sunset of Tatooine. You can see Luke’s hopes and dreams in the visuals of that scene, but it’s the music that makes you feel them.

5. Storm – Tim Minchin

It’s a 9-minute beat poem about critical thinking, in which Mr. Minchin recounts a story (true or not? Who cares?) where he confronts the irrational verbosity of a hippy chick at a dinner party, proceeding to carefully deconstruct her viewpoints as the hokum it is. It’s clever, intelligent, insightful, brilliantly written, and very funny. This could have been the only thing Minchin ever gave us and I’d be happy with that. As it is, he’s got a plethora of other stuff that’s just as clever and funny. Talented bugger.

6. What’s Going On – Marvin Gaye

There are some songs that no amount of well-intentioned but ultimately piss-poor charity cover versions can diminish, and this is one of them. One of the greatest soul legends ever singing one of those songs that, for better or worse, has lost none of its potency or relevance in the 30 years since it was recorded. Marvin always gave everything he had in his songs, and it comes through no clearer than on this one. When he cries out, so do we. That it’s also the opener to one of the best albums ever just makes it even better.

7. Weird Science – Oingo Boingo

I’m pretty sure that this is just because of recent listening patterns, but hot damn, this is an awesome song. Catchy, fun, with a sweet funk riff and it is such an effective earworm of a track that it will instantly cure you of having any other song stuck in your head that you don’t want there. That it comes from a very amusing John Hughes flick doesn’t exactly hurt it either.

8. Help! – The Beatles

Granted, it’s probably not their best song. I’m not really sure what you can say is their best song, or by what criteria you’d judge that. All I can say is this: Help! was the first Beatles song I ever heard, when I was about 6, and from that instant, I was hooked. I would have heard them at some point anyway, and perhaps it would have been a different song, and I would most certainly have been a lifelong fan anyway. However, the fact is that it all started with this one and I’m very grateful that it did.

Luxury item – A boat.

Book -The Stand – Stephen King

John C – Comic Man

1. The Who – Pinball Wizard

2. The Rolling Stones – Brown Sugar

3. The Temptations – My Girl

4. Jim’s Big Ego – The Ballad of Bary Allen

5. Kirby Krackle – Secret Identity

6. Muse – Supermassive Black Hole

7. R.E.M – Nightswimming

8. AC/DC – Shoot to Thrill

My luxury item:My copy of Watchmen, of course.

Book -Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Melanie – Only girl on the block

1. Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology) – Marvin Gaye  

Hard to pick just one Marvin song but I did whittle it down to just two and as one of my fellow writers selected What’s Going On, it had to be this one I went for. Marvin Gaye touched on so many social issues with his What’s Going On album back in 1971. A true conceptual album which we seldom see too many of today with songs that were written with passion.

2. Another Star – Stevie Wonder

When Stevie did this as an encore at Glastonbury in 2010 I thought I had died and gone to heaven. This song never gets old and even the house mix by Kathy Sledge back in in the nineties was a solid effort at remixing a classic.

3. Encore – Jay Z

As a Hip-Hop lover it was hard to get to this point as there were plenty of artists I wanted to select but it was this track from Jay-Z, produced by Kanye West that took precedent. It just reminds me of a great time in my life and the hype Jay built up for himself as he sold out Madison Square Garden in record time, the first Hip-Hop act to do so.

4. In the Air Tonight – Phil Collins

Teaming up with 80’s super producer Hugh Padgham, the drum intro developed by Padgham is enough to make any music lover sit up and listen. The lyrics along with the arrangement are what attracted this song to me as I was never a big Phil Collins fan.

5. Elbow – One Day Like This

Guy Garvey can sing to me every day of the week and I would never get bored just like I can listen to this song time and time again and it still feels like the first time I listened to it. Granted the live versions of this song with huge orchestra accompaniments are more impressive but this song will never grow stale.

6. California Soul – Marlene Shaw

Just a happy happy song, that reminds me of two very influential people in my life, one my daughter and the other, an editor I have worked with for close on a decade. Love love love this song.

7. (You Make Me Feel) A Natural Woman – Carole King

One of the best songwriters ever in my book. No matter who sings this song, even the Aretha Franklin version, no one sings it better than the lady who penned it. The epitome of a timeless classic

8. White Christmas – Otis Redding

Of course there are plenty of Otis songs that I love, but this one, his only ever version of a Christmas song simply sends tingles down my spine no matter how many times I hear it. Again like my number seven pick, there are many versions of this song floating around but this one is the perfect accompaniment to Christmas.

Luxury Item –Mont Blanc pen and moleskin notebook  

Book –Encyclopedia Britannica 

Mick C – The man able to make us tune in to the worst TV shows just to see if they really are that bad

1. The Pogues - The Auld Triangle

2. Toots & The Maytals - Pressure Drop

3. The Beatles - Norwegian Wood

4. The Undertones - My Perfect Cousin

5. David Bowie - Station to Station (favourite)

6. The Doors - The End

7. Gloria Jones - Tainted Love

8. The Specials - A Message To You Rudy

Luxury Item -Broken Washing Machine

Book -Instructional Manual on Washing Machine Repair