Beatles

I bet you had a few CDs for Christmas. Were you happy with them all, or should we trade?

"Top of the Pops" this year must have been the Beatles. Every album has been re-released through iTunes. I wasn't their Number 1 fan, but to me it all sounds great. I only owned Revolver and Sergeant Pepper's on vinyl, but plenty of my friends owned the earlier ones and we tended to buy albums that our friends didn't have. they were expensive. Actually, we bought a lot of singles. Listening to Rubber Soul takes me right back to my school days when we went next door to a "social" at the girls' school. There was a record player and just this one album. We played it to death. "Michelle" became the standard smoocher for the end of a dance.

Did you get the Annie Lennox Christmas Album? Wasn't it awful? She just belts them out, obviously having a good time, without us having to be there at all. We passed ours on after only listening to the first few tracks. Our friend Shirley says the last track is OK, so we gave it to her. (She might trade if you really want it.)

We only bought one other Christmas album this year. It's by Pink Martini; an ensemble from the US west coast. They are a multicultural group with songs in Japanese (White Christmas!), French, Chinese, Yiddish, German and Ukrainian. 'Interesting stuff and a very nice sleeve. A bit slushy, but it's Christmas after all. (See the Wrasse records catalogue).

I rather like a Swedish group called Jeniferever. They are a bit introspective and Gothic. To be honest, its the piano-led, instrumental breaks that I like. The vocals are just a bit too "New Moon" for me. If you ever feel suicidal, you can borrow it. (On second thoughts, it's probably a bad idea.)

I also got the new album "Admiral Fell Promises"

by Sun Kill Moon. If you're new to this artist, it's probably not the best starting point. He mumbles over some very nice guitar work. This time he's stopped using steel strings in favour of a Spanish guitar, played in the style of Ralph Towner. I think the vocals spoil it, to be honest. Try one of the older albums.

X Factor stars? Don't wind me up! I have no idea what they are for and refuse to acknowledge their existence.

'Take That? If you like. 'Not my thing but probably worth seeing live.

I have no idea what to look for in 2011. I'm thinking of buying vinyl singles from the guy in Cambridge market: All the ones I once owned, I guess, like Canned Heat, The Nice, Bob Dylan, Beatles, 'Stones and so on. Probably not Donovan this time round.

What grabs you?