Apologies for the fact that the National are on this twice. Anyone know how to remove anything from a YouTube playlist?

I was driven from Now Hear This to The National's album Boxer, and am very pleased - thank you. Oddly though I have bought and loved CDs by Maps, New Pornographers and others that I didn't take to first on the Word CD. Just shows you need to invest time in new music. I like the new website.

Especially June, Andrew Bird's "Heretics" the Siobhan Donaghy track, Fountains of Wayne and of course Richard Thompson have all taken up semi-permanent residence on my iPod.

As I've said before, your ostensibly free cover CD is actually bloody expensive, since every month it puts me on the trail of at least three or four hitherto unexplored artists. So a full list of my favourites from the last year or so would be quite long! Suffice to say that after hearing Fountains Of Wayne's "Traffic And Weather" I immediately placed bids on their entire back catalogue, on eBay. Much delight ensued, discovering the many joys of their ability to write superbly varied, wittily observed pop songs. Many thanks, folks! I'm similarly indebted to you for recommending The Decemberists, who I found to be a bit of a slow burner, but after several listens their albums are now indispensible. Looking at my eMusic purchases for this year, I can see you must also take full responsibility for me spending my precious 90 monthly downloads on albums by Amiina, Au Revoir Simone, Blonde Redhead, David Lowe's Dreamcatcher, Husky Rescue, Mavis Staples, New Pornographer, Soulsavers, and Trademark. And those are merely the bands with material available from eMusic. I can only rub my hands in gleeful anticipation of the next 12 CDs!

On YouTube, click My Account, then Playlists, then the name of the Playlist you want to alter. Under each thumbnail in the playlist, there should be a "Remove Video" button. Click it. Sorted?

Dan Reeder. Man's a genius. Two albums purchased so far (and played regularly as well).

I can remember buying The Decemberists, Laura Veirs, and the National at least from your CDs. Beirut too. Tinariwen I would have bought anyway since I loved Amassakoul. But the most weird and wonderful suggestion came with Mulata Astatque's 'Tezeta' which led me to download Ethiopiques volumes 1 and 3 and the very best of. Great stuff.

I should have mentioned Steven Lindsay. He's awfully good.

As usual, I'm ignoring the brief. This isn't about this year's music, but last year's (can't remember when exactly). Anyhow, you featured a bloke called Stephen Yerkley and a track called "My Baby Love The Western Violence" which was this hilarious, frightening and tuneful love song to a Krazy Gurl who makes George Dubya look well adjusted. Sample line: "My baby love the Unabomber / Greatest dude since Jefferey Dahmer". When I tried to find the album this came from - or any other album by Stephen Yerkley - I was completely shut down. I even tried the data bases of record stores in the States and Canada. Disappointment of the (previous) year.

So OK, this year I bought the Decemberists, Fountains of Wayne, Amadou & Mariam and Barry Adamson, among others.

Carla Bruni. itunes tells me Lady Weeping at the crossroads is unclassifiable, Promises Like Pie Crust is just as good

You and Bob Dylan single-handedly (double-handedly?) introduced me to Jenny Lewis and therefore Rilo Kiley, so they should definitely be taken into consideration: I think it was Dreamworld that you included most recently. The Real Tuesday Weld's version of The Day Before You Came is a real favourite, and I don't even like Abba. I also think that Elvis Perkins deserves inclusion, as do Mavis Staples, Nick Lowe, Keren Ann's In Your Back and Kendel Carson's I Like Trucks. And it's hardly contemporary, but in your May 2007 edition we were treated to the remaster of Warren Zevon's The Hula Hula Boys. I love this song so much I even had an email conversation with Jordan Zevon as to exactly what hotel in Maui his dad was talking about. I'd stayed in the Ritz-Carlton in Kapalua Beach and was convinced that their not great service was what Warren himself had endured. I'm sure the fat one from the swimming pool is still there.

A big thank you to PVincent re: the Yerkley/Yerkey debacle above. I feel like a stupid Jerk(ley) but ain't this what the Word Community is all about? Next stop Amazon.co.uk - have you noticed that they've stopped using Royal Mail? An unmarked white van delivered the new Steve Earle in the middle of the afternoon last week, about 36 hours after I ordered it. Modern Life isn't always rubbish. Just most of the time.

Being a long standing admirer of the Super Furry Animals, I was particularly taken by Epic45. However, I haven't been able to find the album anywhere - including on-line - but then I am something of a simpleton.

Can anyone point me in the right direction?

This year's favourites include Carla Bruni, The National and the Hold Steady. Also enjoyed (among others) Manu Chao, Elvis Perkins and the song about "keeping the silver clean" (temporarily forgotten singer's name). Finally can I make an early nomination for Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings off the new issue's CD - great song and a stunning performance! And once again from an act I had never heard of before! My interest in current music has really been re-ignited since I started actually listening to these CDs rather than just leaving them lying around, shrinkwrapped and mute.

Sad to say I had ignored anything recent by Nick, having a late 70s view of his work. So the track on Now Hear This led me to 'At My Age' and then backwards through his more recent CDs. Similarly, picked up most recent Ian Hunter, having again lost him somewhere in the 70s, loved it, and just gor a copy of 'Rant' from the US.

T'would be remiss of me not to give respect to Soulsavers, as not only have they turned out some fine music (as shown on your cover CD), but they are local lads. Indeed, Rich Machin is a good friend of my old boss at Music Zone. He was something of a counter fly, and gave off all the rock star aura of an old shoe. Lovely bloke, but you wouldn't look at him and think 'new musical hero'. Appearances deceive, and all that...

Less locally (MUCH less), I was rather pleased by the Amiina track, though I knew I would be. On a more surprising bent, my ears, and not just my eyes, were pleased by Carla Bruni and Siobhan Donaghy. Whoda thunk?

However, the biggest difference Word has made in my listening landscape thus far has been from an aticle, not the CD. The 'Progspawn' piece from a few months back has lead to a satisfying flirtation with Espers and Sunn O))) (and Boris, who had a fleeting mention) and I am also currently preparing to dive headlong into Animal Collective. Marvellous.

Artists I've bought (can't remember who exactly has been in during the last year) include: Siobhan Donaghy, Laura Veirs, Carla Bruni, Nellie McKay, The Pipettes, Rilo Kiley, Jenny Lewis & the Watson Twins, Emiliana Torrini, Cocteau Twins, Jolie Holland. Still need get albums by The Decemberists and Amiina.

Having just played the latest CD, I'm going to have to insist on adding the relevant songs from Steve Earle, John Fogerty and Teddy Thompson. And I have never had any interest in anything Robert Plant has ever sung; but his collaboration with Alison Krauss is both unexpected and, judging by the song heard here, beautiful.

They were surely on one if I remember correctly. The National & the Hold Steady as well.

This year's free CDs enticed me to go out and buy the Mavis Staples and the Tinariwen CDs - surprisingly, they even made it past my other half's "what the hell is that crap you're playing" test which usually consigns most of my listening to the iPod.

Let-down of the year was the Rilo Kiley cd - a great track on "Now Hear This", which inspired me to buy "Under The Blacklight", only to find that it contained only one great track which I already owned.

My wife even asked me to buy more.

CSC - you can get the Epic 45 album at makeminemusic.com

happy listening - its been the perfect accompaniment to these warm autumn evenings.

I have no idea why this album isn't on Amazon, but you can buy it through www.boomkat.com - which is a good site if you like that sort of dreamy, somnambulic loveliness. The review on the site starts with a quote from me too, amusingly enough. I thoroughly recommend the record - Rob Fitzpatrick and I have played it to death over the summer in the office, and it's gorgeous.

Am I missing something, but wouldn't regular subscribers already have all the tracks from a potential best of CD?

Not if we got different tracks like we did last year.

There are other reasons. Not every reader buys every issue and so only a minority will have heard all the artists. And there are a lot of people who buy magazines for the first time at the end of the year, particularly if they've got some kind of claim to offer the "Best of 2007". So call us money-grubbing empire builders if you like....

I have to agree with some of the comments on this - they sound like a smug, pretentious Levellers, which is surely one of the harshest things you can say about any music. Virtually unlistenable.

Great name for a band though.

The monthly cd's have introduced me to the Gotan Project, Patty Griffin, Dave Alvin and the mighty Decemberists as well as reminding me about stalwarts such as Loudon Wainwright & Richard Thompson who never get an airing anywhere else. All of which have turned into ful purchases.

If you put a Decemberists track on the Xmas CD why not see if you can get hold of Daddy Don't Get Drunk This Xmas!!

Beirut - Flying Cup Club
Manu Chao - La Radiolina - possibly the sexiest accent in the Latin/rock/punk/reggae/ska/copious police siren genre.
Seth Lakeman - Kitty Jay (bought freedom fields as a result of a Now Hear This CD last year & now plundering back catalogue)
King Creosote - Bombshell
Tilly & the wall - Bottoms of barrels (as per seth lakeman)
Siobhan Donaghy - Ghosts
The National - Boxer - need a good dinner & a big hug
Broken Family Band - Hello Love - need a good dinner & a good woman
The Cinematic Orchestra - Ma Fleur - walking down the street listening to this makes me feel like the windswept heroine in a particularly sad film

I live in fear of the day you stop doing these CDs. My bank manager possibly lives in hope.

Your compilation CDs beat the competition hands down for consistency and diversity (and you don't ever put out those dreadful "tribute to..." CDs full of inferior cover versions by bands who should know better. You know who I mean...
Anyway, two tracks that spring to mind as being influential: Tinariwen's track led to me not only going to see them on stage (a fantastic live experience: extremely funky, they look great in their desert robes, and that is one funky bass player); I then bought the T shirt and the CD!

Bill Kirchen's tribute to the Fender Telecaster ("Hammer of the Honky Tonk Gods") grabbed my attention not only because I own a Tele but also because I first saw him performing at Sussex Uni way back in 1976, with Commander Cody and his lost Planet Airmen. That gig was hugely influential in giving me a taste for honky tonk and boogie woogie music. I went to see him play live in Leicester this summer, and it was quite possibly my Gig of the Year: great songs, stunning guitar playing, a rocking good band, and all done with style and humour. He's also a very charming man, and claimed to remember the gig in 1976!

I look forward to more of the same in 2008.

Oh, one more thing: though I love Country music I have to say that the worst track you featured this year has to be "I Love Trucks" by a woman whose name escapes me. Absolutely dire - the sort of thing that gives Country a bad name.

Hey there - greetings from a German subscriber who fell in love with THE WORD this May. Loved all the CDs I got since then, but the one from the December issue was outstandingly great. Nov 2007 was a little downer, by the way. Love your mag, and love those CDs. Keep 'em coming. Cheers, MoreThanMeetsTheEar.

My two best discoveries via Word cd's this year have to be...

...the wonderful Slow Club ('Because We're Dead'): seen them twice now, even better live.

...and The Real Tuesday Weld ('The Day Before You Came'): I didn't even notice it was an Abba cover, striking!