Call me Mr Controversy, but I'm saying that the A- and B-list from this week are among the all-time greats. There has been a brilliant set of nominations over the last seven days – never have my shortlists been quite so long. Fictional places took us everywhere, from forgotten worlds, to reimagined childhoods, through fantastical meta-planets to the incredible places in our own minds. In the words of a gurning, X Factor poppet, we've been on a journey…
As for the B-list, we start with Todd Rundgren's amazing (and decidedly odd) Never Never Land, then move vertically to Mahalia Jackson's The Upper Room. There has been some discussion on whether "heaven" is on-topic, but I'm saying no one's ever come back with a photo, so it might as well be fictional.
David Bowie's Wild Eyed Boy from Freecloud posits itself in a hilariously nonsensical world, while Frankie Goes to Hollywood – as with Rush in the A-list – tap Coleridge for inspiration and come up with Welcome to the Pleasuredome. More soberly, Brian Eno imagines Another Green World and, in the process, creates the introductory music for the much-missed BBC arts show Arena, while Kool Keith looks out his window and fears he sees a terrifying Weapon World.
Bob Dylan's Desolation Row is definitely worth a visit, though I'm not sure you'd want to live there, while KC Flight's Planet E turns our environment inside out and upside down so that you won't recognise it.
Does Echo Beach really exist? I'm saying no, it's a concept, an imagined place where Martha (and the Muffins) can "pass the time away". We close with Roots Radics Band and Freddie McGregor's Storming the Death Star. Dub in made-up space. What could be more fictional than that?
This week I'm after songs about the future. Songs that take us all forward in time and attempt to explain what it's really going to be like. However, next week I'll be handing over control of Readers Recommend to the splendid Paul MacInnes, so he will be going through your nominations. I want to say sincere thanks to everyone who's recommended so much amazing music over the last few months – I have hugely enjoyed every single week. I'm just pleased my brief tenure coincided with the birth of my new best friend in the world,Spotify.
Deadline is, as ever, midday Monday; please note that posts should not contain more than a third of a song's lyrics. The A-Z and RR archive are attaching the glass helmets, while the Overspill blog is oiling up the hover car. Goodbye and good luck.
