I'm a great believer in the ability of music to alter your mood and motivate. Sometimes when the going's tough, it's cold and raining and I'm miles away from being able to stop, I think about certain songs. These are the songs that I know would fire me up enough to keep pushing ... it'd be even better if there was a global surround sound system that would kick in just when I most needed it.

A few that spring straight to mind are:

Drug sniffin dog - Lard
Bab's Uvula who ? - Green Day
Lust for life - Iggy Pop
Ring of Fire - Mr Cash
Jesus built my hotrod - Ministry
I want it all - Transplants
Tobacco Island - Flogging Molly
Irish Rover - Pogues
White riot - Clash
Wrong day - Kennedy Soundtrack

Anyone else got any idea what on earth I'm going on about ? Anyone like to share their tunes ?

I know exactly what you mean!

Any Road by George Harrison

In a similar vein - Do you ever get songs stuck in your head that you really wish you never knew!? For example, earlier this week on a 30-miler morning ride, I had The Righteous Brothers' Unchained Melody stuck in my head for the whole time. No getting rid of it. Hideous

Christ, don't get me started. I'm a music obsessive, so there's ALWAYS something on the mental jukebox. I've MP3 playlists for when I'm running that are mainly motivational stuff - things that work with my mind not mindless dance drivel with a specific BPM. Some of it's pretty bizarre, but it works for me. I'll stick a sample list up later, but one of my abiding memories of my first Ultramarathon was reaching for the 'choons' during a bad patch and being greeted by the words "i...like...big...butts and I cannot lie....". I stood on the Pic du Midi, killing myself laughing. That, and running off the summit, starting about 15km of continuous descent, to The Utah Saints' "Something Good".

God yes! The 2am 'gibberish choon' that just sits in your head going round & round. Funny thing is though, I can never remember what it was 10 min after it's 'disappeared'

Apparently music /sound is a fundamental part of our mental makeup - to the extent that people who are in a coma can respond to a rhythm! (ref; Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain by Oliver Sacks - v.interesting read)

This is one of my 'things' - I have been known to spend almost as much time compiling playlists as I do riding!

I don't mind having no music with me but if I'm taking the iPod with me then I spend an unreasonable amount of time making sure that it contains the exact right mix of music, songs and artists for any given trip.

Recent favourite albums to ride to (in no particular order - a random-as-hell eclectic mix):

Iron Maiden 'Somewhere back in time'
Orbital 'Snivilisation'
The Tallest Man On Earth 'The Wild Hunt'
Senser 'Stacked up' (would be surprised if anyone remembers/knows this one)
Eddie Vedder 'Ukelele Songs'
Neds Atomic Dustbin 'God Fodder'
Van Morrison 'Astral Weeks'

Fibbitydibbitydob by Snuff

Quentin tarrentino sound tracks are always a good source of playlist material - resevoir dogs and pulp fiction still amongst my favourite - but will be getting django soon I think

Alright, dragged a listing off the MP3 player. This one's all stuff I run to, but it does well for seeing me through bad patches on long runs or rides, or makes me generally drive a little bit too fast. There's a bit of most stuff in it...

Juno Reactor - Pistolero
Skunk Anansie - I Can Dream
Tweaker - Take Me Alive
Frank Turner - Vital Signs
System of a Down - Chop Suey
Neil Young - Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black)
Dubwar - Psycho System
The KLF - 3AM Eternal
Spiderbait - On My Way
Reuben - Every Time A Teenager Listens To Drum And Bass A Rockstar Dies
Urban Species - Destructive
Rocket from the Crypt - On A Rope
The JAMs - It's Grim Up North
Manakin - Gun
Jackie Wilson - Reet Petite
TV on the Radio - Wolf Like Me
They Might Be Giants - Birdhouse in your Soul
Skindred - Rat Race
Terrorvision - EnterAlterEgo
Page & Plant - Walking into Clarksdale
Guano Apes - Open Your Eyes
Rusted Root - Ecstacy
Portishead - Wandering Star
Breakbeat Era - Bullitproof
The Grit - Stuck in Streatham
Fun Lovin' Criminals - Fun Lovin' Criminal
William Elliott Whitmore - Lift My Jug
Grant Lee Buffalo - A.P.B.
Gogol Bordello - My Sacred Darling
Kingmaker - Hey Birdman
Talking Head - Once in a Lifetime
Little Richard - Good Golly Miss Molly
Lamb - Gorecki
Dean Gray - Doctor Who on Holiday
Dave Matthews Band - Don't Drink The Water
Cunninlynguists - The South
Deltron 3030 - Mastermind
Eels - Mental
Faith No More - Digging the Grave
Afro Celt SOund System - Release
Bedouin Soundclash - Living in Jungles
Howlin' Wolf - Little Red Rooster
The Battlefield Band - The battle of Falkirk Muir.

And I thought there was only me who liked skindred

You got any of Dubwar's stuff, Stu? They're Skindred's predecessor, Benji's old band. I got into them first, then SKindred when they formed.

You got any of Dubwar's stuff, Stu?

I have indeed ... I was the other way round, found Skindred first.

Nowt wrong with Skindred, one of my favourite gig experiances

Wow - Skindred are 'out there'!

It's a whacky mixture of sounds they've got going on. Have downloaded some stuff and will see how I get on with it.

Wow - Skindred are 'out there'!

I saw them and the Kennedy Soundtrack on the same night a few years ago ... I was right tired by the end