The end of another month and the end of another music challenge on BlueSky, hosted by @tansleyjames.bsky.social.
The challenge? "Throughout February choose 28 of your favourite standalone singles. Post one per day, ranked or unranked. Lead tracks on EPs and singles tagged on to Best Of compilations can be selected, the main criteria is that they aren’t on an artist’s studio album."
I jumped in with an 'unranked and random' selection, initially making it up as a I went along, eventually stockpiling songs that I wanted to use, but using the 'shuffle' function to maintain the random nature of my daily picks. Just two exceptions: my pick for Valentine's Day had to be a song with 'love' in the title, and my penultimate pick, inspired by Swiss Adam, also timed to coincide with the release date of a timely cover version.
I've created two Dubhed selections for your listening pleasure today, a first stand and a last stand, covering picks 1-14 and 15-28 respectively. Amazingly, despite the lack of planning and sequencing, both come in at a smidge over 60 minutes and actually don't jar as much as I might have expected.
The only place today that you're likely to hear Bee Gees followed by Orbital, The Shirelles paired with David Holmes, Stevie Wonder rubbing shoulders with A Certain Ratio and Ellen Beth Abdi, and samples of ABC, Bad Manners and Mazzy Star liberally sprinkled throughout.
I've tweaked and adapted the original BlueSky posts to provide a track-by-track 'sleeve note' for your added entertainment.
I've Gotta Get A Message To You by Bee Gees was The Brothers Gibb's 2nd #1 in the UK and a standalone single, although
it was added to the US edition of 3rd album Idea when the song cracked
the Top 10 there.
From the Brothers Gibb to the Brothers Hartnoll, it's a testament to how many good tunes Orbital had that Omen didn't make their debut album. And if you can remember this rave, you weren't there...
Young Parisians, the debut single by Adam & The Ants, flopped when released in October 1978. By 3rd February 1981, it was enjoying a 2nd week at #9 in the UK, during the height of Antmania. La deuxième fois sera la bonne!
Again, I Wait For The World was recorded for Blancmange's greatest hits compilation in 2024, the song is every bit as good as their peak period pieces.
As a lifelong DMs wearer, My Docs by Kiss AMC was an easy pick for me. Top production from Greg Wilson and getting guest spots from Noddy Holder and Frank Sidebottom in the video was a genius move.
New year, new HANN. Titchiest Kitchen In Britain is the latest in a line of fab standalone singles, with a cheeky DIY video to boot. "Not enough room to tickle a kitten" indeed!
From '26 to '62, with It's Love That Really Counts (In The Long Run) by The Shirelles, a shivering classic written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David.
Johnny Favourite by David Holmes would also be a dead cert for a debut singles challenge. Strap in, I've included the 15+ min Exploding Plastic Inevitable Mix by David, Jagz Kooner & Gary Burns in today's selection. Stunning.
Fast forward three decades from 1994 to 2024 and Real Magnificent by Fluke featuring Leah Cleaver. Comeback of the decade and rarely a more apt title for a song.
I have loved Seconds Too Late by Cabaret Voltaire since my brother bought The Golden Moments Of Cabaret Voltaire CD in the late 80s then included the track on a mixtape for me.
A more recent love is Nzaumi by Ndalani 77 Brothers. Eternal thanks to Ernie Goggins creator and curator of the superb 27 Leggies blog for introducing me to this late 70s Kenyan classic a couple of years ago, during his African Odyssey. Funky as hell!
The original of That's What Friends Are For by Deniece Williams was a UK #8 in 1977, but Janet Kay's cover the same year is the definitive version for me.
Always ahead of the game, I suspect that Sparks released the Madder! EP in 2025 just so they could appear in the #StandaloneSingles series :-) I've chosen opening song Porcupine, which comes with a typically fab video, starring the equally fab Self Esteem.
For Valentine's Day, I picked a song for all the lovers out there. What else, but Laser Love by T. Rex? How on earth did this single stall outside the UK Top 40 in 1976?!
(deep breath, then on with the second half...)
I think Never Change by MC Buzz B got withdrawn from release in 1991 as Bruce Hornsby wasn't happy with the sample of The Way It Is, inspired though it was.
I was cheating a bit with this pick as Never Change appeared on MC Buzz B's album Words Escape Me! However, the song was stripped of the offending Hornsby sample, which changed the song completely (and to it's detriment) in my book!
MC Buzz B later fronted a clutch of classics by Lionrock aka Justin Robertson.
Iron Lion Zion was an unreleased Bob Marley song, recorded circa 1973, discovered in the vaults nearly two decades later, then remixed, released and a UK #5 hit in 1992.
When my friend John wanted to educate me in the brilliance of Belle & Sebastian, Dog On Wheels was one of the songs that he chose. It worked.
Face To Face by Goodbye Mr. Mackenzie is a harrowing account of rape and it's aftermath, including the failure of the legal system. Three decades on, rape, sexual assault and domestic abuse remain hugely under reported crimes with shamefully low conviction rates for those that make it to court.
Weakness is track 2 of the Island Head E.P. by Inspiral Carpets and one of their finest songs, full stop.
The Cure's 1980s singles pop up frequently in others' #StandaloneSingles picks (and rightly so). Wrong Number is an underrated gem, released to promote the Galore singles compilation in 1997. As always, The Cure also deliver a rather wonderful video.
My next choice is Can't Stop Jumping by Bim Sherman and Dub Syndicate from 1983, specifically the 10" version produced by Adrian Sherwood and featuring Dr. Pablo. The single was a double A-side with Keep You Dancing, equally wonderful.
My Sahel was an all-star, one-off single to promote the My Sahel initiative mysahel.org in 2023. Credited to Vieux Farka Touré, Amadou & Mariam and OMG Oumy Gueye, featuring Bassekou Kouyaté, Songhoy Blues and Tal National.
Originally a one-off digital single by The The in 2007, Mrs Mac reached a new audience in 2023 as the 7" B-side of $1 One Vote! One of Matt Johnson's deepest, darkest songs.
Stevie Wonder was 17 years old when he co-wrote and recorded I'm Wondering in 1967. I'll just leave that fact there.
When A Certain Ratio and Ellen Beth Abdi get together, magic is guaranteed. Day By Day is the opening track of the superb 4-track 2023 EP.
I was a fan of The Dream Academy but not so much their 1985 standalone single, a cover of The Smiths' Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want. Thanks to John Hughes' used of the song in Ferris Bueller's Day Off, it grew on me!
The 12" of Tarantula was the first Colourbox single I bought and it remains my favourite song of theirs, but the cover by This Mortal Coil was the first version that I heard, in 1986.
There are several other varied and fine covers out there including Beck (2019), Diane Birch & The Phenomenal Handclap Band (2010), Maria Usbeck (2016) and, released just yesterday, Darkinari & Pandit Pam Pam (with thanks to Swiss Adam at Bagging Area for the heads up on the latter).
And, to close...
Four Tet released Into Dust (Still Falling) last June. It's Kieran Hebden at his best, with an aching hint of Hope Sandoval/Mazzy Star to melt your heart.
First Stand
1) I've Gotta Get A Message To You: Bee Gees (1968)
2) Omen (12"): Orbital (1990)
3) Young Parisians (Single Version): Adam & The Ants (1978)
4) Again, I Wait For The World: Blancmange (2024)
5) My Docs (7" Mix): Kiss AMC (1990)
6) Titchiest Kitchen in Britain: HANN (2026)
7) It's Love That Really Counts (In The Long Run): The Shirelles (1962)
8) Johnny Favourite (Exploding Plastic Inevitable Mix): David Holmes (1994)
9) Real Magnificent (Single Version): Fluke ft. Leah Cleaver (2024)
10) Seconds Too Late: Cabaret Voltaire (1980)
11) Nzaumi: Ndalani 77 Brothers (1977)
12) That's What Friends Are For (Single Version) (Cover of Deniece Williams): Janet Kay (1977)
13) Porcupine: Sparks (2025)
14) Laser Love: T. Rex (1976)
Last Stand
1) Never Change (7" Mix): MC Buzz B (1991)
2) Iron Lion Zion (7" Mix): Bob Marley (1992)
3) Dog On Wheels: Belle & Sebastian (1997)
4) Face To Face (Single Version): Goodbye Mr. Mackenzie (1987)
5) Weakness (Single Version): Inspiral Carpets (1990)
6) Wrong Number (P2P Mix): The Cure (1997)
7) Can't Stop Jumping (10" Version): Bim Sherman / Dub Syndicate (1983)
8) My Sahel: Vieux Farka Touré, Amadou & Mariam, OMG Oumy Gueye ft. Bassekou Kouyaté, Songhoy Blues & Tal National (2023)
9) Mrs Mac: The The (2007)
10) I'm Wondering: Stevie Wonder (1967)
11) Day By Day: A Certain Ratio ft. Ellen Beth Abdi (2023)
12) Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want (Single Version) (Cover of The Smiths): The Dream Academy (1985)
13) Tarantula (Second Version) (12"): Colourbox (1983)
14) Into Dust (Still Falling): Four Tet (2025)
Wow. Quite the achievement- what a great pair of tracklists
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