1980: Americana (Patreon)

OK, OK, some - several, even - tracks here aren’t American. Australia’s here. Jamaica, too. Doubtless a Canadian or two.

The terrible secret of this bracket is that it was the last to be put together, which means it’s a rough mix of stuff which would justify an actual Americana bracket (the country tracks, for instance) and a bunch of odds and sods which got cropped from other groups. There was too much reggae for half a bracket and not enough for a whole one - so Bob Marley got cut out to make the remaining groups more balanced. Riz Ortolani’s delicate theme to, er, Cannibal Holocaust defied easy positioning, but I realised its twanginess left it tantalisingly close to fitting into this rootsier set of sounds. Same goes for Midnight Oil’s rather lovely “Wedding Cake Island”.

In amongst this grab bag is the meat of an actual bracket - rockers, cowboys and outlaws of various ornery stripes. I had Chrissie Hynde in with some of the Brits for a while but (sorry lads) she’s just a lot cooler than they are. Pat Benatar’s battle-ready rock swaggered in here by right. The Cramps and Tom Waits get to expose a little American underbelly. Bruce shows up, of course.

And there are the country songs. Even people with no interest in country might know “He Stopped Loving Her Today”, and any kid with a TV in the early 80s will recognise the Waylon Jennings track. But it’s great to hear a proper trucking song from Eddie Rabbitt, and the droll John Anderson song is a treat too.

POTENTIAL WINNER: The Duets poll saw an upsurge of interest in country, which I fear may not last, but “He Stopped Loving Her Today” is one of the genre’s monoliths and has a good shot at pushing through to the final week.

DARK HORSE: There’s been enough signs of low-lying Tom Waits fandom in previous polls for me to fancy the chances of “Heartattack And Vine” - one of his most famous pre-Swordfishtrombones tracks - at escaping its group and, who knows, maybe getting further.

FAVOURITE TRACK: This is honestly not my favourite bracket, but you’d need a heart of ice and hips of stone to resist “Hit Me With Your Best Shot”.

DISCOVERY: Eddie Rabbitt’s sweetly thoughtful voice makes “Drivin’ My Life Away” one of the softest truckin’ anthems I’ve heard, with a killer chorus and lots of hooky instrumental touches.

DON’T MISS: If you haven’t heard Cannibal Holocaust before, well, enjoy yourself, and wonder perhaps if the composer knew what film the music would be used for.