So we’ve all been put in a box again, for a few weeks, maybe more, who knows.

We have to find ways, entertaining ways at that to pass the time and keep ourselves and others upbeat and positive.

A few of my Twitter friends run music polls.

Richard Shaw does years, best albums from a certain year, usually run every week on a Friday. Iain Crawford does artists. Recently, Gary Numan, currently Bob Dylan and futuristically, Neil Young. Jimmy The Mower doesn’t do polls at all and is far too busy although what lies within his music vaults is probably a best kept secret!

Anyway, those aforementioned are fairly extensive and what I’m embarking on here is equally so.

This project is inspired by through the night radio guru and all round good guy Dotun Adebayo who does a virtual Jukebox, I think once a week, where there’s a set theme and callers are invited to add to a playlist.

So as my taste is reasonably eclectic and music should be all about sharing, right? I’ve scoured my collection to pick many, many favourite songs that incorporate pretty much most of the main music genres AND features artists from all around the world.

It’s taken me since just after 3am to compile the lists and then put all of the songs into RANDOMLIST, a kind of online tombola and I’ve ended up with twelve pools with ten groups in each pool and four songs in each group which is… well, one heck of a lot of songs. And there may be even more still.

As you’d imagine, each group will be diverse apropos genres and styles, some might even have two classic songs going head to head but remember what I said, it’s all about discovery and sharing.

So if you see something you don’t know, try it – have a good old listen. I’ll either have included the video in the Twitter thread anyway or I might do a post here relative to the group in question.

What I’m minded not to do is a splurge. Maybe this could be a slow burner with two groups each day, so as not to be a burden to others currently with projects afoot.

All that said, here are the dozen pools with the contained groups of songs so that you can see exactly what’s involved music-wise and just how tough some of them might be.

And all this will start fairly shortly on an internet somewhere near you.

THE REBELLIOUS JUKEBOX

SECOND ROUND

The second phase is where the real fun begins

All songs from hereon in in must battle it out throughout the year in head to head format.

Below is the up to date draw and just look at some of the mouth-watering ties ahead.

Making Plans For Nigel – XTC – 92.3%

Debaser – Pixies – 72.7%

The Killing Moon – Echo and the Bunnymen – 70.6%

Run Like Hell – Peter & The Test Tube Babies – 54.5%

Pretty In Pink – Psychedelic Furs – 55.6%

Only Love Can Break Your Heart – Saint Etienne – 52.8%

Hanging On The Telephone – Blondie vs Going Underground – The Jam

Nothing Else Matters – Metallica vs Live To Tell – Madonna

Me – The Wolfhounds vs Skateaway – Dire Straits

Laid – James vs Senses Working Overtime – XTC

Smash It Up – The Damned vs Second Skin – The Chameleons

Reel Around The Fountain – The Smiths vs Jacket Hangs – Blue Aeroplanes

Lorelei – Cocteau Twins vs Lotta Lovin’ – Gene Vincent

Sweet Jane – Velvet Underground vs Maps – Yeah Yeah Yeahs

Poor Little Fool – Ricky Nelson vs Something That I Said – The Ruts

Life On Mars – Dexter Wansel vs A Message To You, Rudy – The Specials

Red Rain – Peter Gabriel vs Rhythm Of Cruelty – Magazine

Lullaby – Low vs Lay It Down – Magnapop

Sexuality – Billy Bragg vs Sennen – Ride

Wonderous Stories – Yes vs Ever Fallen In Love – Buzzcocks

Stay With You — Goo Goo Dolls
vs I’ve Been Loving You (Too Long) – Otis Redding

Love Wars – Womack & Womack vs I Don’t Want You – The Ramones

In Da Club – 50 Cent vs Asylums In Jerusalem – Scritti Politti

Hollow Horse – Icicle Works vs Monkey Gone To Heaven- Pixies

The Happening – Diana Ross & The Supremes vs A Little Soul – Pulp

God Is A DJ – Faithless vs
Maria’s Little Elbows – Sparklehorse

Teen Age Riot – Sonic Youth vs Hurry Up Harry – Sham 69

Antmusic – Adam and the Ants vs Go (Woodtick mix) – Moby

For The Widows In Paradise – Sufjan Stevens vs Going Missing – Maximo Park

A Time To Be So Small – Interpol vs Best Friend – The Beat

The Dreams Of Children – The Jam vs Hey Hey My My (Out Of The Blue) – Neil Young

Quadrophonia – Quadrophonia
vs Hay Fever – 14 Iced Bears

See You – Depeche Mode
vs Ghosts Of American Astronauts – The Mekons

I Don’t Belong – Fontaines DC
vs Shining Path – Dreadzone

Birthday – The Sugarcubes
vs American-English – Idlewild

Crackling Rosie – Neil Diamond
vs In My Garden – Swans

Hey Little Girl – Icehouse
vs And A Bang On The Ear – The Waterboys

A Trip To Trumpton – Urban Hype
vs Indoor Fireworks- Elvis Costello

Fake Plastic Trees – Radiohead
vs Pure – Lightning Seeds

The Mists Of Time – John Mayall
vs In Shreds – The Chameleons

Bend And Break – Keane
vs How’s It Going To Be – Third Eye Blind

Chance – Big Country
vs Are You Happy – Microdisney

Into The Great Wide Open – Tom Petty
vs Dear God – XTC

I Need A Beat – LL Cool J
vs 555 Dub Street – Augustus Pablo

Halcyon (And On) – Orbital
vs Starlings Of The Slipstream – Pavement

Something Better Change – The Stranglers
vs Bloodsport For All – Carter USM

Celia’s Dream – Slowdive
vs Dignity – Deacon Blue

Australians In Europe – The Fall
vs Bodies – Sex Pistols

Release The Pressure – Leftfield vs Sensitive – Field Mice

Gotta Getaway – Stiff Little Fingers
vs Embarrasment – Madness

Place To Be – Nick Drake
vs Night Porter – Japan

I Know It’s Over- The Smiths
vs Sometimes I Still Feel The Bruise – Mountain Goats

Good Times – Chic
vs I Could Be Happy – Altered Images

Big Machine – Goo Goo Dolls
vs Maggie Said – Natalie Merchant

India – Psychedelic Furs
vs Go Wild In The Country- Bow Wow Wow

Twenty Years – Placebo
vs Twenty Four Hours – Joy Division

My Own Summer (Shove It) – Deftones
vs Are ‘Friends’ Electric – Tubeway Army

Killing All The Flies – Mogwai
vs The Sound Of The Suburbs – The Members

A Little Respect – Erasure
vs Two Months Off – Underworld

Avignon – The Orchids
vs Do Nothing – The Specials

An End Has A Start – Editors
vs I Want You – Elvis Costello

Two Tribes – Frankie Goes To Hollywood
vs In Between Days – The Cure

Tommy Gun – The Clash
vs Stripped – Depeche Mode

Can’t Seem To Make You Mine – Johnny Thunders
vs Bruise Violet – Babes In Toyland

Charlotte Sometimes – The Cure
vs Decades – Joy Division

Beauty Of The Ride – Sebadoh
vs Running Up That Hill – Kate Bush

Considering A Move To Memphis – The Colorblind James Experience
vs Climbing To The Moon (Jon Brion remix) – Eels

Fatman – Southern Death Cult
vs Union City Blue – Blondie

Revolution – The Beatles
vs Leave The Capitol – The Fall

Bloody Sunday – Stiff Little Fingers
vs All Sparks – Editors

God Only Knows – The Beach Boys
vs Gramme Friday – The Fall

Violently Happy – Bjork
vs Blood Meridian – Hope Of The States

Sunflower – Low
vs Shine On – House Of Love

The Working Hour – Tears For Fears
vs Great Fire –XTC

A Forest – The Cure
vs You’ve Got My Number – The Undertones

Grace Cathedral Hill – The Decemberists
vs The Bitter End – Placebo

Take Me – Wedding Present
vs Harmony In My Head – Buzzcocks

The Hanging Garden – The Cure
vs Surmount All Obstacles – The Fall

Whole Lotta Rosie – AC/DC
vs Well I Wonder –The Smiths

Ashes To Ashes – David Bowie
vs In A Rut – The Ruts

Shadow Of A Doubt – Sonic Youth.
vs Song Of Life – Leftfield

The Lovecats – The Cure
vs Hounds Of Love – Kate Bush

I’ll Feel A Whole Lot Better – The Byrds
vs Holidays In The Sun – Sex Pistols

Saturday Morning – Eels vs I Just Can’t Be Happy Today – The Damned

Wish You Were Here – Pink Floyd vs Nice ‘n’ Sleazy – The Stranglers

Up The Junction – Squeeze vs thick As Thieves – The Jam

Taste – Ride vs Fools Gold – Stone Roses

The Drugs Don’t Work – The Verve vs Natural Beauty – Neil Young

Echo Beach – Martha and the Muffins vs This Is The Sea – The Waterboys

Bankrobber – The Clash vs Where’s Captain Kirk – Spizzenergi

The Girl From Ipanema – Astrud Gilberto vs Waterfront – Simple Minds.

Sinking – The Cure vs Because The Night – Patti Smith Group