There's a reason why The Coral's music has always stood the test of time. There's an opulence and depth to their music, a soul to their stories and an edge to their sound. It should stand to reason that they have a pretty eclectic taste in music, with some pretty high standards.
To get to the bottom of this, and to celebrate the release of their triumphant comeback album, The Distance Inbetween, each member of The Coral will this week be presenting a special guest playlist - starting with frontman James Skelly.
MORE: Our interview with James Skelly and why The Coral still matter
This May, the Scouse heroes will be performing a huge homecoming headline show alonsgide the likes of Catfish + The Bottlemen, Palma Violets, Sleaford Mods and many more. For tickets and more information, visit here.
To kick off a week of special guest playlists from each member of the band, here are 10 tracks that frontman James Skelly has been listening to and enjoying this month
1. Hawkwind - 'Master Of The Universe'
"One of my favourite bands and a big influence on Distance Inbetween. As soon as you hear the first chord, you know you’re going to space."
2. Bruce Springsteen - 'Point Blank'
"This is my favourite song off The River album. The Boss is one of the greatest lyricists of all time as far as I’m concerned."
3. Ghostface Killah - 'Return Of The Savage'
"I love the combo of Ghostface Killah's aggressive vocals and story telling over Adrian Younge's soundtrack-style backing tracks."
4. Tim Hardin – 'It’ll Never Happen Again'
"The saddest song ever. Great vocals. Kills me every time."
5. Joey Beltram – 'Energy Flash'
"This is dark, psychedelic, Acid House at its best. And anything with backwards strings in is OK by me."
6. The Drifters - 'There Goes My Baby'
"Ben E. King’s vocals on this are on another level. I love the drama of the strings, it's like a scene from a great film."
7. ZZ Top - 'La Grange'
"No messing about here, just raw boogie. The first guitar solo is unreal and the second one is even better, what a band."
8. Bob Marley - 'How Many Times'
"I’ve loved the early Bob Marley stuff since I was fourteen, even before I liked The Beatles. I never get bored of it, there's a sweetness to the vocals, it’s absolutely effortless. This song has torn me apart on more than one occasion."
9. The Stooges - 'TV Eye'
"Fun House was the last Stooges album I got into. I don't know why, because it's a masterpiece. This song rips your head off. Great lyrics as well."
10. Nat King Cole - 'Nature Boy'
"Nat King Cole singing one of the greatest songs of all time, accompanied by Nelson Riddle's string arrangement. What's not to like?"
Distance Inbetween is out now via Ignition Records.
Take a peek at The Coral’s UK tour dates below and head over here for tickets to the shows and more information.
Mon March 07 2016 - LEEDS Brudenell Social Club
Tue March 08 2016 - NOTTINGHAM Rescue Rooms
Thu March 10 2016 - BIRMINGHAM O2 Institute
Fri March 11 2016 - SHEFFIELD Leadmill
Sat March 12 2016 - MANCHESTER Albert Hall
Tue March 15 2016 - OXFORD O2 Academy2
Wed March 16 2016 - LONDON The Forum, Kentish Town
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