Hi,

I'm a DJ on a community radio station in Essex (Phoenix 98FM), and we do top 20 shows, when we ask people to vote for their favourite songs from certain artists. When I was asked what band I'd like to do a show about, I obviously went for Elbow, and now I'm on the hunt for votes!

If you'd like to take part, visit www.phoenixfm.com/the-top-20-show-elbow/ and pick your top 10 songs. The votes will then be collated into a top 20, which will be broadcast on Friday 27th May from 10pm to midnight. Imagine; 2 hours of pure Elbow - it's going to be blissful radio. You can listen on 98.0FM if you happen to be in the Brentwood/Billericay area of Essex, or online in the chatroom.

Votes can be cast right up to the day before the show, so if you want to digest BARB for a little longer, no problem! If you also want to vote for any of the other Top 20 shows we're doing, see them here: www.phoenixfm.com/the-top-20-show/.

I'm really looking forward to finding out the fans' number one song from all five albums, I hope you can help decide what it is.

Cheers,
Dan

Just been having a browse of the forum, and see that some people don't even like Newborn, so it throws open the possibility (to me) that some of the songs I consider to be Elbow's best, might not even make the top 20. What do you consider 'essential' Elbow?

Dan

Well, my own personal favourite is 'Weather to Fly' but I think a lot of the fans would agree when I say I reckon 'Scattered Black and Whites' is the 'essence' of Elbow.
I know I'm wildly generalising of course but over the years that's the impression I got...

all of them !
Trying to narrow down to 10 would be a nightmare lol !

Fugitive Motel, Switching Off, Station Approach, The Birds,
Forget Myself, My Very Best, Lippy Kids, Powder Blue, The Bones of You,
Ribcage,

crap thats ten already and i have hardly started yet... could give you another ten..

This is uncanny because I was considering starting this very same thread myself!

Given its novelty, I will exclude BARB from this top 10, though were I to include any of it, Lippy Kids and The Birds would be up there among the greats!

So...

1. Scattered Black and Whites
2. Friend of Ours
3. Great Expectations
4. Weather to Fly
5. The Loneliness of a Tower Crane Driver
6. Fugitive Motel
7. Mirrorball
8. Powder Blue
9. Switching Off
10. Ribcage

At the moment, anyway! This is the cream of the crop IMO.

I'd agree that 'Scattered...' should be right near the top, but looking at the votes cast so far, it's not even in the top 20!

I haven't voted myself yet, I've got a seven week old daughter and haven't found the time yet to listen to BARB all the way through, let alone several times. She's currently screaming in my ear, so not much point putting it on now... She's given Mirrorball a whole new meaning for me though.

Have to say though, picking a top ten is going to be incredibly hard. I can honestly say there's not one Elbow song I don't like, or occassionally skip when listening to an album.

Dan

I've just voted and i've already got pangs of guilt from those not on the list - bloody impossible !

I'm still somewhat of an Elbow noob, so it's really hard for me to pick like this. I will say, however, that "Switching Off" is my absolute favorite.

You can only pick the songs you know and love - don't worry about it! Thanks for the votes so far, really appreciated.

Dan (who's now off out to get a curry )

Voted for...

1) Newborn
2) Powder Blue
3) Great Expectations
4) Scattered Black and Whites
5) Forget Myself
6) Switching Off
7) The Stops
8) Red
9) Grounds For Divorce
10) The Birds

Top seven was easy. There are a few that could have occupied the other three places.

The show goes out on my birthday so I expect a 'shoutout'!

No particular order:

Presuming Ed
Scattered
The Birds
Ribcage
Mirrorball
ODLT
Lippy Kids
My Very Best
Great Expectations
Some Riot

Aye, your top 10 must surely vary on a day-to-day basis, but here goes anyway:

1 - Fugitive Motel
2 - George Lassoes The Moon
3 - Switching Off
4 - Open Arms
5 - Puncture Repair
6 - Leaders
7 - Not A Job
8 - McGreggor
9 - Powder Blue
10 - Scattered Black & Whites

My definitive, all-time top ten favourites are as follows:

1. Fugitive Motel
2. Powder Blue
3. Great Expectations
4. Switching Off
5. Scattered Black and Whites
6. Leaders Of The Free World
7. The Birds
8. Not A Job
9. Station Approach
10. Friend of Ours

Please note, my definitive, all-time top ten favourites are subject to change, without notice, according to whim, at any particular moment.

It will be interesting to see what the final ten will look like, though I would imagine 'Audience With The Pope' will probably not figure.