Reelin' in the Years: The Soundtrack of a Northern Life The Soundtrack of a Northern Life

"Brilliant, funny and original. If I wanted to study the history of modern music, I'd have Mark Radcliffe as my professor' Brian Eno 'Having hauled the pleasingly surreal show he shares with Stuart Maconie from BBC Radio 2 to 6 Music, Mark Radcliffe unveils an entertaining new memoir. Starting at 1958, Radcliffe picks a favourite song from each year and uses it as a launch pad for his trademark rambling reverie. The chosen tracks are diverse (everything from Cliff Richard to Prince), and the writing is funny and there's an expert X Factor takedown to savour' Shortlist 19/5 '[In Reelin' in the Years, Radcliffe] reflects on his 52 years on the planet, choosing a single song released in each of them, using it to pull in memoires and reflections of British music, fashion, trends and culture across a half century. Among his choices are tracks from the Kinks, Pink Floyd, Bob Marley, The Prodigy, Elbow and Fleet Foxes. Strangely, though, there's nothing from The Shirehorses' The List, May issue 'Radcliffe's given us a remarkable music history and picked 52 defining albums, one from each of those years. Diverse is just one way to sum it up' Henry Sutton, Mirror 20-26/5 'Walk and Talk... with Mark Radcliffe' Interview and book offer in Countryfile magazine, May issue 'Having recently absconded with partner in crime Stuart Maconie to the wilder shores of BBC6, Mark Radcliffe's latest missive is an autobiography based around popular songs from each year of his life, from Cliff Richard's Move It in 1958 to last year's Factory by Band of Horses' Belfast Telegraph 28/5 'A lot of fun... a cleverly structured book in which the DJ picks a song from each year of his life and discusses the impact it's had on him, mixed up with bits and bobs of his personal life, general musings and some pretty funny random tangents. It's a gentle mix of irreverence, silliness and heartfelt honesty, and he delivers it all with a smile on his face, as he discusses everything from Cliff Richard to Joy Division with a warm frankness and a complete lack of ego' Big Issue 13/6 'DJ Mark Radcliffe takes a record from each year of his life (he was born in 1958) and uses it as a springboard for personal and nostalgic reminiscences in the enjoyable Reelin in the Years' Choice magazine, July issue 'An easy-read memoir is reliant on good anecdotes, and Radcliffe has more than a few' Guardian 2/7 'There's a lot to like about this funny, smart and surprisingly touching book' Word Magazine, June Issue