| ‘71 | John Lennon Imagine 1971's Imagine is widely considered as one of the greatest records of all time (Rolling Stone magazine). Initially credited solely to John Lennon, Yoko Ono's contribution was overshadowed for some time, but the songs refrain was actually coined by Yoko in reaction to her youth in Japan during World War II. The sugar coated nature of the recording is very probably behind the unbridled acceptance of an essentially anti-religious, anti-capitalist, anti-nationalistic glorious piece of work. Each print has the lyrics individually embossed and this is our nod to the impression that this song has left on popular culture. Taken from the album 'Imagine' |
| ‘71 | Marvin Gaye What's Going On 3 minutes and 51 seconds that changed the face of Motown forever. A conceptual record that dealt directly with Marvin Gaye's spiritual beliefs and rallied against the American conflict in Vietnam where his brother, Frankie, had fought in combat. Motown boss Berry Gordy, with whom Marvin had a turbulent relationship, didn't want the record released, when it sold millions, Gordy realised that his stable could release albums that were much, much more than a selection of hit singles. This record is a uniquely reflective ode to troubled times, whatever time and place they occur. Taken from the album 'What's Going On?' |
| ‘78 | The Rolling Stones Miss You The ever savvy Stones enlisted disco producer du-jour Bob Clearmountain to remix the track and in turn give them their eighth number one in the US. It also facilitated the revitalisation of the band in the eyes of the rock critics and helped them regain the 'influential' status that had eluded them on their previous two albums. Mick was in the middle of a divorce from Bianca and in the midst of a blooming romance with Jerry Hall when this was song was written, which led to much media speculation about which one of the Jagger women it was penned for. What was Keith doing we hear you cry? Heroin and Cocaine stoopid. Taken from the album 'Some Girls' |
| ‘79 | Monty Python Always Look on the Bright Side of Life Quintessentially English, the Pythons influence on comedy is as profound as the Beatles is on music. Taken from both 'Life of Brian' and 'The Meaning of Life', the song (so the story goes) is the result of a hot, bothered and bored day of filming Brian. Eric Idle started to sing a little ditty to lift morale. Everyone (bar Eric) loved it and it was quickly adopted by them (and very soon the nation) as a two fingered salute to bad times everywhere. |
| ‘80 | Motörhead Ace of Spades Laandons very own Motorhead were formed after Lemmy was sacked from Hawkwind in 1975 for 'doing the wrong drugs' (Motorhead is a slang term for a hardcore amphetamine user). Brilliant. Unquestionably influential and undeniably British, Lemmy & Co. are standard bearers to this day and we've chosen to celebrate 2 mins and 49 seconds of fist shaking sonic vigour: The Ace of Spades. We don't wanna live forever either. |
| ‘81 | Indeep Last Night a DJ Saved My Life Post the last days of disco and pre the first days of house music, this 1983 dance classic fused the two worlds and helped lay the blueprint for the New York New York house sound that its producer influential Newark DJ Tony Humphries, pioneered and spread worldwide throughout the eighties and nineties. Included here for it's uplifting pop sensibility and its unadulterated good times message. We're only sorry that we couldn't draw the bass-line. |
| ‘91 | Primal Scream Come Together A dirty great acid house footprint in the UK's musical garden and the best slice of psychedelic gospel we've ever heard. Remixed by Junior Boys Own stalwarts Terry Farley and Andrew Weatherall, the sonic combination of lo-fi indie and blissed out electronic dub proved a winner. It'll come as no surprise that this eclectic production approach led 'Come Together' to the Ibizan dance floor where it became the Balearic monster that it is today. Rave. On. My. Son. Taken from the album 'Screamadelica'. |
| ‘00 | Jay-Z I Just Wanna Love U Shawn Carter, Jazzy, Mr. Beyonce, Jigga, Iceberg Slim and Hova are just a few nom de plumes of the Worlds Greatest MC and current President of Def Jam rekkids. We've opted to work with the Neptune's produced classic 'I Just Wanna Love U', the hooky chorus combined with Jigga's inimitable lexicon ensures that this will remain a block party classic for light years to come. Quite simply; the game needs him. |
| ‘06 | Lily Allen Littlest Things Lily's arrival this summer was like a breath of fresh air and a rabbit punch all wrapped up in a pair of rinki-dink Nike Air Max 90s. A genuine Noughties pop star, who's ability to create a melody the Germans would unequivocally call a Ohrwurm (earworm) is only matched by her insightful lyrics and outspoken character assassinations. Go Girl. We've chosen to celebrate her new single, 'Littlest Things' a hopeful ode to a love lost.. |
| ‘06 | Amy Winehouse Rehab Just when you were thinking that contemporary soul music had lost its...well...soul, along comes Amy Winehouse with Rehab, one of the most earth-quaking, heart-shaking songs in many a year. Scuzzy chords and dirty horns, swelling strings and jerking rhythms, plus that voice, like an angel drinking through a broken heart, issuing a defiant refusal to modern celebrity's spotlit rollercoaster of sin and redemption. This one line was all It's Pop It's Art needed before taking further inspiration from Ms Winehouse's tattoo collection to create an unalterable mantra revelling in the spirit of rock'n'roll that all those boys with guitars will never grasp. |
| ‘08 | Duffy Mercy Duffy is a Welsh-born chanteuse whose soulful voice and classic pop sound is reminiscent of the great Dusty Springfield. Her brilliant hit Mercy reached the number one spot in the UK singles and stayed there for five weeks - a rare thing in these ADD days of songs heading straight to number one for a week before disappearing from view - entirely appropriate for a song that harks back to the old days. IPIA isn't usually inclined to boasting but we were so ahead of the game on this one that back in December we designed an extremely limited edition Giclee print based on the song's heart-felt lyrics, and Duffy herself signed each of the 10 prints at a special event in Rough Trade East last December. |