10 Top Summer Albums

The sun is out!  Summer's finally arrived!  Time to crack out the barbeque, pour the Pimm's and dust off the deckchairs.  And here, in no particular order, are ten top albums to add to your summer playlist.

B.B. King & Eric Clapton - Riding with the King

Just look at the album cover.  Roll back the top and go driving along a sun-soaked highway with this collaboration between two blues legends.



Lord Huron - Lonesome Dreams

There's a reason so many Lord Huron tracks were picked for the Walk in the Woods soundtrack.  Every song entices you to take your best buddy and hit a mountain trail.  You can smell the outdoors in this album.




John Martyn - Solid Air

Put on a pot of coffee and sit out on the patio with this jazz-folk fusion.




Chris Rea - On the Beach

Clue's in the title.






Ben Howard - Every Kingdom

Possibly a personal one, but this conjurs memories of lying in the Exmoor sunshine waiting to be picked up after a particularly tough bike ride across the moor, listening to this album on my iPod.




Rusted Root - When I Woke

You might remember stand-out track 'Send Me On My Way' from the 1996 film of Matilda. Guaranteed to put you in the most positive of summery moods.



Kylie Minogue - Kylie

A controversial choice, perhaps, but what summer party would be complete without the debut album from the self-styled Princess of Pop?





Miles Davis - Kind of Blue

Another personal choice - this time memories of a harbourside restaurant in Dubrovnik, with the sun setting over the Adriatic.


Kate Rusby - Awkward Annie

The English countryside in musical form.







The Specials - The Specials

Would any summer playlist be complete without a bit of reggae?

The Power of Kroll

(Series 16, Episodes 17-20)

Summary: Green people who live in a swamp are rather aptly named Swampies, in a familiar story of human colonists viewing the natives as savages.  The Swampies call up their god - the titular Kroll - by jogging on the spot to a techno beat, the humans are essentially harvesting giant squid fart and John Leeson swaps voice duties to show off his ‘staring anxiously and confused at a screen’ skills.  Thankfully, the Swampies live to protest another bypass.  Fun fact: the green dye didn’t come off.

Watch it because: Well, if you want to see what John Leeson looks like…you could probably just do a Google image search.

Original Air Date: 23 December 1978 – 13 January 1979.

Doctor: Tom Baker.

Companions: Romana (Mary Tamm).

Writer: Robert Holmes.

Director: Norman Stewart.

Producer: Graham Williams.

The Androids of Tara

(Series 16, Episodes 13-16)

Summary: Whilst the Doctor goes fishing, Romana displays a complete lack of understanding of the rules of Doctor Who.  Count Grendel confuses ‘sweeping off your feet’ with kidnapping and the denouement is a very long sword fight after which Grendel just…swims away?  Reynart and Strella are reunited, but poor old K9 is left floating in the moat.

Watch it because: Swash-buckling androids…only in Doctor Who.

Original Air Date: 25 November – 16 December 1978.

Doctor: Tom Baker.

Companions: Romana (Mary Tamm) & K9 Mk II (John Leeson).

Writer: David Fisher.

Director: Michael Hayes.

Producer: Graham Williams.

The Stones of Blood

(Series 16, Episodes 9-12)

Summary: Ooh, I do love a good cult, with bonus flames and chanting and stone circles, but those poor hapless campers have clearly never read the rules about camping in horror films.  It all goes a bit Hitchcock with the crows, the Doctor is attacked by creepy walking stones and the Megara are massive pedants.  And goodness me, three intelligent women have a conversation!

Watch it because: “Doctor!  In the cause of science, I think it our duty to capture that creature!”

Original Air Date: 28 October – 18 November 1978.

Doctor: Tom Baker.

Companions: Romana (Mary Tamm) & K9 Mk II (John Leeson).

Writer: David Fisher.

Director: Darrol Blake.

Producer: Graham Williams.

The Pirate Planet

(Series 16, Episodes 5-8)

Summary: There’s a neat little twist in the tail in this story of planet pillaging and a whole lot of LOL too.  The Doctor looks a bit peaky, Romana starts to show off her skills and K9 engages in a battle with a robot parrot.  After the reign of Queen Xanxia is spectacularly ended, the second part of the key to time is retrieved and onwards we go.

Watch it because: Check the writing credit.

Original Air Date: 30 September – 21 October 1978.

Doctor: Tom Baker.

Companions: Romana (Mary Tamm) & K9 Mk II (John Leeson).

Writer: Douglas Adams.

Director: Pennant Roberts.

Producer: Graham Williams.