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#Cohen6Music - what should be in the ultimate Leonard Cohen playlist?

2016-11-11T10:43:31+00:00

You want it darker? It just got darker.

On Friday morning Canadian singer, songwriter and poet Leonard Cohen passed away at the age of 82.

This Sunday we curate a playlist around the great man, what should be on it?

The news was announced on his official Facebook page on Friday morning (GMT).

"It is with profound sorrow we report that legendary poet, songwriter and artist, Leonard Cohen has passed away," the statement said.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau led tributes to the singer, who was known for hits including Hallelujah and Dance Me to the End of Love. "It is with deep sorrow that I learned today of the death of the legendary Leonard Cohen,"

Mr Trudeau said in a statement. "He will be fondly remembered for his gruff vocals, his self-deprecating humour and the haunting lyrics that made his songs the perennial favourite of so many generations."

Tributes poured in online from all corners of the entertainment world:

Russell Crowe: ‘Dear Leonard Cohen, thanks for the quiet nights, the reflection, the perspective, the wry smiles and the truth”

Boy George: “We have lost a great artist, poet and poignant force of energy. R.I.P. Leonard Cohen”

Bette Midler: “Leonard Cohen has died. Another magical voice stilled”

The world once again is in mourning. What a week. What a year. What should be on the ultimate Leonard Cohen playlist?

The singer's hits including Suzanne, Bird on the Wire and I'm Your Man or everything from his 14 studio albums.

Those he influenced: Nick Cave, Suzanne Vega, Nirvana, Rufus Wainwright or those that have covered his music like REM, Regina Spektor, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash…

Contemporaries of the 60’s folk circuit when he was touring his poetry with Bob Dylan, Joan Baez & Joni Mitchel.

What influenced him, in his own words: “Every time I turn on the radio, I hear something good. Every time I pick up a magazine, I read some writing that is distinguished. My pace and viewpoint is being influenced continually by things I come across. You recapitulate the whole movement of your own culture. Occasionally we are touched by certain elaborate language, like the language we associate with the Elizabethan period, with the King James translation of The Bible, or Shakespeare. In certain moments you are influenced by very simple things. The instructions on a cereal package have a magnificent clarity. You’re touched by the writing in National Geographic — it represents a certain kind of accomplishment”

Or we could just play 2 hours of Leonard Cohen, just saying.

You choose the music, so get your best art suggestions to Tom, via the hashtag #Cohen6Music to help create the playlist. Comment on the Now Playing Facebook page, here on the blog, email nowplaying@bbc.co.uk or drag tracks onto our Spotify playlist.

#Sisterhood6Music - what should make our ultimate sisterhood playlist

2016-06-23T15:02:33+00:00

You already know that 6Music is the only place to soak up the Glastonbury vibe, whether you’re on site or on your sofa.

On Now Playing this Sunday, we want your festival highlights from a fresh perspective. To mark Glasto’s first women-only stage ‘The Sisterhood’, help us compile a playlist of your favourite female performances ever to grace Worthy Farm.

When festival organisers announced The Sisterhood stage, it raised some eyebrows. The space holds just 150 people, and there were questions about the ‘women only’ policy which welcomed all who identify as female but excludes men.

“Why doesn’t Glastonbury invite more of us onto the stage with our male peers rather than shove us women into a ghetto type of situation?” Shirley Manson

"We want to have a really amazing party. You just don’t have to be anything or look like anything; you are accepted completely and you are free." Shangri-La Creative Director Kaye Dennings

All 6music listeners are invited to our playlist party, so share your stories of the best Glasto performances by women with us to help build our #Sisterhood6music playlist. Grimes, Róisín Murphy and Santigold are all on the bill this weekend, or maybe you’d like to hear your favourite track from PJ Harvey’s shattering 1995 set? How about some rhymes from Shangri La star Kate Tempest? Get the FULL Glastonbury 2016 line-up right here.

You pick the music, so get your sisterhood inspired tracks to Tom via the hashtag #Sisterhood6Music and help build the playlist. Comment on the Now Playing Facebook page, here on the blog, email nowplaying@bbc.co.uk or drag tracks onto our Spotify playlist.

GIRLS TO THE FRONT.

#Solidarity6Music - what should make our ultimate solidarity playlist?

2016-06-16T12:26:32+00:00

Music is love, and love wins.

“A rainbow coloured wave of love, from Istanbul to Tel Aviv, from Sydney Opera House to the Eiffel Tower to the Empire State Building and the White House”. Elton John

Now Playing is where we hand over control of 6music to you, the listener, and this week we’d like your suggestions for our #Solidarity6music show. Help us compile a playlist of defiance against hatred, and prove that music is love.

Queen ended their Isle of Wight Festival set last Sunday with “Who Wants To Live Forever” as a tribute to the victims of the shootings in Orlando. Singer Adam Lambert, performing alongside original members Brian May and Roger Taylor, dedicated the song to "anyone who has been a victim of senseless violence or hatred".

“The LGBTQA community, they’re like my soulmates”. Adele

What would you like to hear in our #Solidarity6music playlist this weekend?

The gentle beauty of Eva Cassidy singing ‘Somewhere Over The Rainbow’? The pure defiance of Gloria Gaynor proclaiming “I Will Survive’. 'A Little Respect' for Erasure? Le Tigre’s entreaty to ‘Keep on Livin’, Smashing Pumpkins ‘Siamese Dream’ (the lyrics) or The Impressions ‘Keep On Pushing’

“Art can entertain and educate us and at times like these console us.” Barbra Streisand

You pick the music, so get your songs of defiance to Tom via the hashtag #Solidarity6Music and help build the playlist. Comment on the Now Playing Facebook page, here on the blog, email nowplaying@bbc.co.uk or drag tracks onto our Spotify playlist.

#ActorMusicians6Music – Help us compile a playlist of musicians who act and vice-versa

2015-11-05T11:14:57+00:00

Well here’s one we didn’t see coming. The American actor James Franco (Spider-Man, 127 Hours, Milk) is in a band called Daddy. This week it was announced that Daddy have been signed to a record label and the band will release an album of “Smiths-inspired songs”, all featuring original Smiths bassist Andy Rourke, in 2016.

Not only that, but the album will be titled 'Let Me Get What I Want' in reference to The Smiths' 1984 song 'Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want'. Turns out Franco is something of a Smiths superfan, having already done his own cover of ‘This Charming Man’ in 2014.

So it got us thinking, let’s put together a playlist of actors who do music, and musicians who’ve been in films. This is what’s known in the business as the “double threat”. And it turns out the list is nearly endless.

Go actor-crazy with the likes of Jonny Depp, Jared Leto, Russell Crowe, Jack Black, Jada Pinkett-Smith, Hugh Laurie and Juliette Lewis strutting their rock n’ roll stuff in bands or solo. Or do a switcheroo and choose musicians who’ve made reasonably random cameos in movies, such as George Harrison in The Life of Brian, Jarvis Cocker & Jonny Greenwood in Harry Potter, Bruce Springsteen in High Fidelity, Phil Collins in Buster and Keith Richards in Pirates of the Caribbean.

Get YOUR acting/musician song suggestions to Nemone – including the reasons WHY - via the hashtag #ActorMusicians6Music to help create a playlist. Comment on the Now Playing Facebook page, here on the blog, email nowplaying@6music.co.uk or drag tracks onto our Spotify and Rdio playlists.

#Cilla6Music - Help us create a Cilla Black-inspired playlist

2015-08-02T13:29:41+00:00

Signed by Brian Epstein after a recommendation by John Lennon, Cilla Black was much more than Blind Date and Surprise Surprise.

Indeed, during the 1960s, Cilla was a hugely famous recording artist that belonged to a generation of British female singers that included Dusty Springfield, Helen Shapiro, Petula Clark, Sandie Shaw and Lulu. She responsible for a couple of number one hits -'You're My World' and 'Anyone Who Had A Heart' - as well as putting her own spin on some Beatles classics ('Yesterday', 'For No One' and 'The Long And Winding Road').

Cilla also managed to break America, albeit in an understated way, including an appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, a cabaret season in New York and her single 'You're My World' made it to number 26 on the Billboard Hot 100. In fact, Elvis Presley had a copy the song on his personal jukebox at Graceland.

So we at Now Playing wish to pay tribute to Cilla Black with a playlist of music inspired by her. Cilla's collaborators, songwriters, strong female peers and the men who believed in her music. You could choose songs that Cilla recorded, or some of the originals. Finally, you could pick a playlist full of artists Cilla went on to inspire.

You pick the music, so get your Cilla-inspired suggestions to Tom via the hashtag #Cilla6Music to help create a playlist. Comment on the Now Playing Facebook page, here on the blog, email nowplaying@bbc.co.uk or drag tracks onto our Spotify playlist.

#Fusion6Music – to celebrate the 6 Music Prom, help us mix up the genres this Sunday

2015-07-30T12:12:46+00:00

Fusion. It's a funny old word and many music fans run a mile at the thought of musical fusion, but hey slow down musos! It’s fine! Fusion is better than you think!

In fact, the chances are you’re already more of a fusion fan than you might think. ‘Fusion’ is classified as a musical genre that combines two or more genres. The biggest one of these is something you’ll undoubtedly be familiar with - rock n’ roll - a fusion of blues, gospel and country.

Perhaps the best example of current musical fusion happens next week at the Royal Albert Hall, when Mary Anne Hobbs presents an evening exploring the borderlands of classical music that incorporates electronic, drone and ambient sounds. You can catch the whole thing live on the 6 Music website and on Red Button at 22:15, Wednesday 5th August.

But what should be on Sunday’s Now Playing fusion playlist? Well you could start with a suggestion from 6 Music Prom headliners A Winged Victory For The Sullen. Or perhaps something from other fused genres, like Folktronica (The Beta Band, Momus, Four Tet), Psychobilly (Rocket From The Crypt, Nashville Pussy), or Dance-Punk (Devo, LCD Soundsystem).

Whether it be the best examples of Moombahton or Hong Kong English Pop, you pick the music, so get your fusion-inspired suggestions to Tom via the hashtag #Fusion6Music to help create a playlist. Comment on the Now Playing Facebook page, here on the blog, email nowplaying@bbc.co.uk or drag tracks onto our Spotify and Rdio playlists.

#PublicEnemy6Music – bring the noise in our collaborative Public Enemy playlist

2015-07-16T13:46:53+00:00

It seems hip-hop pioneers Public Enemy have skewed their own message of anti-propaganda - “don’t believe the hype” - by releasing a brand new album on the hush-hush, with barely any hype at all.

Chuck-D and co released the group’s 15th studio album ‘Man Plans God Laughs’ this morning across the world via their own online store Rap Central Station, as well as on CD and vinyl from July 25.

According to a Public Enemy spokesperson (no word on whether or not it was Flavor Flav), the new record is “driven by anthems that echo Public Enemy's longstanding calls to break down institutional blockades”, and it’s left us at NP towers salivating with anticipation.

Public Enemy is hip-hop’s pinnacle in what’s known as the golden age of the genre. Second album ‘It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back’ is considered a masterpiece, as is follow-up ‘Fear of a Black Planet’, with leader Chuck D as passionate an orator as any head of state, with clown prince Flavor Flav by his side as the ultimate hype man.

So what time is it? Its time to celebrate rap’s most consistently respected outfit in the only way we know how, by dedicated a playlist to them. Give us your PE favourites, influences that came after, seminal hip-hop samples and unlikely co-conspirators. Please.

You pick the music, so get your rock ‘n’ roll-inspired suggestions to Tom via the hashtag #PublicEnemy6Music to help create a playlist. Comment on the Now Playing Facebook page, here on the blog, email nowplaying@bbc.co.uk or drag tracks onto our Spotify and Rdio playlists.

#Biopic6Music – It's the best biopic-inspired playlist, chosen by you

2015-07-09T13:12:35+00:00

This week sees the much-hyped Amy Winehouse documentary released to cinema screens. It's the most talked-about music documentary anyone of us here at Now Playing can remember for a long time, already splitting opinion amongst critics and people who knew the late singer.

As well as ‘Amy’, its also announced at the time of writing that actor Jonathan Rhys Meyers is set to play Joe Strummer in a new film about The Clash frontman, out next year.

2015 has so far been a big year for music on film. Several big screen music features have made the news (Kurt Cobain doc ‘Montage of Heck’, punk homage ‘Salad Days’, Foo Fighters’ ‘Sonic Highways’ and more), not to mention the ill-fated Jeff Buckley movie ‘Greetings From Tim Buckley’ that no-one bothered to watch.

But on this week’s Now Playing we want YOUR examples of great moments where artists have either been captured on film, or immortalised by actors.

You could choose warts n’ all behind-the-scenes journals that expose the often tedious realities of life on the road (such Grant Gee’s Radiohead documentary ‘Meeting People Is Easy’), semi-fictional portrayals of fascinating rock n’ characters (‘Sid and Nancy’, ‘Control’, ‘The Doors’) or perhaps other random on-screen moments from your favourite musicians (David Bowie in ‘Labyrinth’, Phil Collins in ‘Buster’…or not…).

You pick the music, so get your silver screen-inspired suggestions to Tom via the hashtag #Biopic6Music to help create a playlist. Comment on the Now Playing Facebook page, here on the blog, email nowplaying@bbc.co.uk or drag tracks onto our Spotify and Rdio playlists.

#Kanye6Music – Help us create the perfect Kanye West playlist

2015-06-25T10:53:26+00:00

Ah Glastonbury, you silly old tease. You bring us so much joy with gazillions of performances, implausible artist bookings and fairy-tale moments from any number of stages…but you just love a divisive booking don’t you? You little minx *pinches Glastonbury’s cheek*.

First it was Jay-Z. Then it was Beyonce. And this year you really pushed out the marmite boat by booking arguably the world’s most divisive artist, Kanye West.

Thousands, if not millions, of entertainment junkies are utterly unconcerned about the booking of Yeezus, but many have protested in a Noel Gallagher-style rant. Indeed, Kanye’s Saturday night performance will be watched with interest after a petition calling on Glastonbury to drop him in favour of a rock band attracted 134,000 signatures.

Organiser Emily Eavis said she received death threats from those who do not want Kanye to play, later adding: "There is no question in my mind that we have got one of the greatest artists of his generation headlining, and we have no regrets at all about booking him."

So this week’s playlist MUST be all about Kanye. His hits, his misses, the controversies, the collaborations, those moments when he stormed award ceremony stages and assaulted paparazzi, but also his musical genius. It’s the definitive Kanye playlist. Or Yeelizt, if you will.

You pick the music, so get your Kanye-inspired suggestions to Tom via the hashtag #Kanye6Music to help create a playlist. Comment on the Now Playing Facebook page, here on the blog, email nowplaying@bbc.co.uk or drag tracks onto our Spotify and Rdio playlists.

#Memorabilia6Music – What should be on our music memorabilia-inspired playlist?

2015-05-28T09:44:43+00:00

This week Andy Gill from Braintree in Essex outbid auction rivals to snap up a nightclub sign for a mere £320. Andy is a music fan, and the club in quesiton – Essex Barn nightclub – was where the young members of The Prodigy first met and formed before they got really famous.

So this week’s Now Playing (Sunday 31 May, 6-8pm) is all about YOUR music swag! We need you, darling listener, to tell us what music memorabilia do you have tucked away or on display?

Perhaps you managed to grab a drumstick lobbed into the crowd by Rush’s Neil Peart? Did you snaffle a gladioli petal courtesy of Morrissey circa 1983? Were you the person who took home Tony Wright’s stage towel at Terrorvision's Bradford St George’s Hall in 1995 (that was me, actually).

Nemone - sitting in for Tom Robinson - wants your music swag stories. Whether they are tall tales of snatching unique and priceless items from the stage, waiting backstage for an artist to sign a ticket stub, or buying a random bit of merchandise.

Whatever your best memento moment, Nemone wants to know the artist associate with it, but more importantly the story behind it.

You pick the music, so get your memorabilia-inspired suggestions to Nemone via the hashtag #Memorabilia6Music to help create a playlist. Comment on the Now Playing Facebook page, here on the blog, email nowplaying@bbc.co.uk or drag tracks onto our Spotify and Rdio playlists.

#Sheffield6Music – Help us compile an awesome Sheffield playlist

2015-04-28T14:21:32+00:00

On Sunday’s Now Playing (6-8pm) we’re celebrating the verve of one of Britain’s brightest music cities – proud and stout Sheffield.

As part of 6 Music Celebrates Sheffield, Now Playing pays homage to the Steel City with two hours of Sheffield-related music, as chosen by you, the plucky listener.

Transcendent Sheffield boasts multi-million-selling bands, iconic solo performers and even a 6 Music presenter amongst its musical alumni. From the legendary 35 year old venue The Leadmill, to the twin universities of Sheffield and Hallam, this South Yorkshire city’s appetite for music is unquenchable and constant, and it’s roster of musical graduates is almost unrivalled.

So on Sunday feel free to pick music from any number of proud Sheffielders, from icons such as Joe Cocker, The Human League and Def Leppard, to indie darlings Pulp, Longpigs and Cabaret Voltaire, or one of any number of massive bands that have emerged from the banks of the River Sheaf, including Arctic Monkeys, Moloko and ABC.

Or you could get more obscure and find musical connections through other Steel City natives, including Michael Palin, Sean Bean, Eddie Izzard, Jessica Ennis-Hill and of course the legendary John Shuttleworth.

Get your Sheffield-inspired suggestions to Tom via the hashtag #Sheffield6Music to help create a playlist. Comment on the Now Playing Facebook page, here on the blog, email nowplaying@bbc.co.uk or drag tracks onto our Spotify and Rdio playlists.

#IWasThere6Music – What’s your best gig moment?

2015-04-23T16:01:19+00:00

This week video emerged online of a very young Green Day performing at their high school in California. The video is a wonderful snapshot of a band full of confidence, a million miles away from the massive success that awaited them years later, but still unmistakably Green Day.

So we ask you, dear listener, were you there when a fledgling band made its first tentative steps into the indie landscape? Did you see Arctic Monkeys play The Grapes pub in Sheffield on 13 June 2003? Were you one of a select few who saw Blur when they were known as Seymour in 1989?

Or maybe your best gig moment is more ephemeral, like Wayne Coyne bouncing across your bonce in a giant bubble at a Flaming Lips show, or maybe you were lucky enough to witness one of the many times Axl Rose stormed off stage.

Tom Robinson wants your gig stories – whether they are tales of seeing bands right at the beginning of their careers, mind blowing moments you’ll never forget, or nuggets of rock n’ roll folklore that are so bizarre you couldn’t make them up.

Did I ever tell you that I saw Muse at Sheffield Leadmill in 2000, supported by a little-known band called Coldplay? Well know I have. I even got my ticket signed. Eight quid, not bad.

Whatever your best gig moment, Tom Robinson wants to know the artist & track, but more importantly the story behind it.

You pick the music, so get your first record-inspired suggestions to Tom via the hashtag #IWasThere6Music to help create a playlist. Comment on the Now Playing Facebook page, here on the blog, email nowplaying@bbc.co.uk or drag tracks onto our Spotify and Rdio playlists.

#FirstRecord6Music – What’s your first record?

2015-04-16T13:30:33+00:00

Everyone’s got a first record. Some first records are unfathomably cool, others are crushingly embarrassing, and one or two are made up by unfathomably cool people who do not wish to be crushingly embarrassed by the truth.

So we ask you, dear listener, what was the first record you ever bought? And we mean with your own money – it doesn’t count if it was bought for you, or if you found it, or if it already belonged to your parents / sibling / friend etc.

If you’re an average 6 Music listener, we work out that the chances are you will have bought said first record in a record store. And it just so happens that this weekend sees the 9th annual Record Store Day, when independent record stores welcome customers old and new onto their premises, promising new goodies and classic gems.

Record Store Day is now a firm fixture on most music lovers’ calendars. A time for artists to release exclusive material and for vinyl to continue it’s rise in popularity.

But of course you might not have bought your first record on vinyl (I did, it was C+C Music Factory’s ‘Things That Make You Go Hmmm’. Unfathomably cool, huh?). You may have bought it on cassette single, CD, minidisc, or you could’ve downloaded it.

Whichever way you bought it, Tom Robinson wants to know the artist & track, but more importantly the story behind it.

You pick the music, so get your first record-inspired suggestions to Tom via the hashtag #FirstRecord6Music to help create a playlist. Comment on the Now Playing Facebook page, here on the blog, email nowplaying@bbc.co.uk or drag tracks onto our Spotify and Rdio playlists.

#Kinks6Music – What should be in our Kinks-inspired playlist?

2015-03-19T11:40:21+00:00

They invented rock guitar, y’know. And distortion. And Damon Albarn. And loads of other stuff.

The Kinks are one of Britain’s finest musical exports. Hugely influential, brave and at times self-destructive, they formed the third prong on the trident of the British Invasion of America next to The Beatles and The Rolling Stones.

They lasted much longer than the Fab Four, too, and barely a year goes by without an inevitable Kinks reunion rumoured to be in the pipeline.

Tom Robinson, who signed to Kinks frontman Ray Davies’ label (and then fell out with him) in the 1970s, wants your music suggestions for this special Kinks playlist. Fresh from Tom’s brand new interview with Ray, in which the two make friends, we at Now Playing need two hours of music to preserve village greens fit for a Waterloo Sunset (sorry).

Artists influenced by The Kinks include punk rock groups such as the Ramones, The Clash and The Jam, new wave and heavy metal acts like Van Halen and Britpop groups such as Oasis, Blur and Pulp. The Kinks were an influence on late-1960s American psychedelic groups like The Doors, Love and Jefferson Airplane.

Get your Kinks-inspired suggestions to Tom via the hashtag #Kinks6Music to help create a playlist. Comment on the Now Playing Facebook page, here on the blog, email nowplaying@bbc.co.uk or drag tracks onto our Spotify and Rdio playlists.

#BobDylan6Music – What should be in our Bob Dylan playlist?

2015-03-19T10:09:40+00:00

“Johnny’s in the basement mixing up the medicine, I’m on the pavement thinking about the government…”

And so, one of the greatest albums of all time begins.

Unbelievably it’s almost exactly 50 years since Bob Dylan released his masterpiece album ‘Bringing It All Back Home’. Not only did Dylan invent the music video for album opener ‘Subterranean Homesick Blues’, but this was also the record where he went electric to the chagrin of some hard-core acoustic Dylan fans.

Just a few months before this album was released, Dylan recorded ‘Maggie’s Farm’ in one take, penned ‘Mr Tambourine Man’, introduced pot to The Beatles and essentially became the coolest cat on the planet.

Love him or hate him, Bob Dylan is the man, and we at Now Playing can’t believe we’ve never done a Dylan show before…until now.

Tom Robinson - a massive Dylan fan - wants your music suggestions for this special Bob Dylan playlist. There are probably thousands of versions of Bob's songs, most notably from Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, U2, Rage Against The Machine and many more.

You can go for covers, sound-alikes, influences, collaborations, musical connections or any other link to music’s greatest troubadour.

Get your Bob-inspired suggestions to Tom via the hashtag #BobDylan6Music to help create a playlist. Comment on the Now Playing Facebook page, here on the blog, email nowplaying@6music.co.uk or drag tracks onto our Spotify and Rdio playlists.