If the blogosphere is only a small region of cyberspace, then music blogs are just a village within that surprisingly sprawling subcontinent. And, if we focus in on one decade in one nation, the soundscape bubble shrinks even more. There’s still plenty of room, though, for machinations and intrigue within those tighter boundaries. And who better to be our guide than Steven Wilson? Here’s a fan’s playlist collecting 49 of the 58 tracks on Steven’s 7 LP compilation of “progressive sounds in UK alternative music 1979-1989”.

In the eighties, Crotchety Young Man was almost completely out of touch with the music scene. There was no Internet, there were no streaming sites, the radio was a wasteland. And, the not-yet-cynical early adult was too busy earning money and socialising to spend much time reading the music press. But the good fruit on the tune vine never withers. The grapes that were harvested 3 or 4 decades ago have turned into grand cru wine. And I am immensely grateful to Steven Wilson for these recommendations that sit just a stone’s throw beyond the borders of the Crotchety homeland.

This playlist runs for 4 hours and 33 minutes. I don’t expect you to listen to it all – at least, not in one sitting. But try these for starters: All My Colours, by Echo and the Bunnymen; Memories Fade, by Tears for Fears; Dream Within a Dream, by Propaganda; Ivy and Neet, by This Mortal Coil; Murderers, The Hope of Women, by Momus.