1 Quincy Jones Walking In Space

A&M, 1969

You say: “Aquarian Age bachelor pad masterpiece taking luxury easy listening to infinity and beyond.” Toni Simmons, via e-mail

Having soundtracked five movies that year including gems like The Italian Job and Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (“the grooviest soundtrack ever written and adapts nowt less than Handel’s Messiah.” Liz Bailey, via Facebook), Q was “so frustrated with being locked into synchronisation that I just wanted to… Pow! We made Walking In Space in just three days.” With Sly Stone, Isaac Hayes and Norman Whitfield incorporating orchestral pop and rock into newly funkified soul, the ever-expansive Q wanted in on the action, so gathered such stellar talent as Freddie Hubbard, Toots Thielemans, Roland Kirk, Valerie Simpson, Paul Griffin, Hubert Laws and others for a slinky, spectacular masterpiece embracing Broadway, big band, funk, gospel, jazz, love, peace and in Benny Golson’s tribute to heavyweight legend Joe Louis, Killer Joe, an all-time knockout groove.

2 Quincy Jones Body Heat

A&M, 1974

You say: “Dark, pulsating and almost obscene at points, it’s a brilliantly steamy, sweaty affair.” Greg Caz, via Facebook

Marrying for the third time, lover man Q met the moment Barry White and Marvin’s Let’s Get It On funkified the boudoir in a carnal collection with side orders of romance (If I Ever Lose This Heaven by protégés Leon Ware and Pam Sawyer), philosophy (Benard Ighner’s Stevie Wonder-alike Everything Must Change), black pride (Soul Saga (Song Of The Buffalo Soldier)) and updated jazz (Benny Golson’s Along Came Betty). Dim the lights, though, and Body Heat gets down to the max – Tupac Shakur would sample the title track for How Do U Want It, Boogie Joe, The Grinder would supply Davie Bowie’s Fame riff – an orgy of old and new-school talent ecstatically finding its Q-spot.