Album: Various Artists, Theme Time Radio Hour Vol 3 (Ace)

Bob Dylan's tenure on Theme Time Radio Hour may be over, but this third compilation of 50 assorted highlights from the series confirms the exemplary taste of the show. No other programme covers as wide a range of music, ranging chronologically from Depression-era minstrelsy to the current decade's contribution from Laura Cantrell, and stylistically from country to calypso, rock to reggae, jazz to jive.

Included are original versions of songs covered by The Moody Blues (Bessie Banks's soulful "Go Now"), Mothers of Invention (The 4 Deuces' doowop "W-P-L-J") and Dylan himself (Ashley's chipper murder ballad "Little Sadie"), alongside standout cuts like Oscar Aleman's Django-esque "Bye Bye Blues" and Dave Bartholomew's trenchant refutation of evolution, "The Monkey (Speaks Its Mind)".

DOWNLOAD THIS Go Now; Bye Bye Blues; The Monkey (Speaks Its Mind)