So, I have been putting together these yearly playlists for a while now, and have finally got around to finishing off the first one:

http://open.spotify.com/user/digitaltenderness/playlist/2Y0YDOQWZL19NGEohGmtFo

The idea is to start from 1987, then work outwards in both directions. Self imposed rules are - a track for each day of the year, no artist can be included more than once, and the playlist should cover all the key popular music genres that I can lay my hands on effectively.

I kind of see 1987 as a good transitional year. It was the year that house music really took off in the UK - which I think changed the face of music and youth culture in this country. It also marked the onset of the great UK indie scene that emerged from the C86 era of bands. New wave was having a last hurrah with the end of the second wave goth scene. In the US, hardcore punk was metamorphisising into emo and grunge and metal was descending into the murk of doom and death. Old School Hip Hop was just about to split into the two strands of Gangsta Rap and Conscious Rap. Digital Dancehall Reggae was stepping things up, and R&B was nodding towards a more Urban style. There was also some great pop music around - one of the last greats years for UK eighties pop acts.

Let me know what you think - and if I have missed anything important out.