Madonna doesn't allow herself to be photographed holding your new album unless your album is slap-bang on the cutting edge. "I love that photo," says Alison of the shot that turned up in the UK tabloids earlier this month, even though she says she's not particularly flattered. I'm just not very good at putting it on," she says, her voice flat and dry. With an attitude like that, you'd better be good at what you do: people will take it from an Aretha Franklin but they certainly won't take it from a Dannii Minogue. Luckily, Alison is excellent at what she does.

Her moods are notorious and her spikiness the stuff of journalistic legend; she's been known to leave the room if she's not feeling the questions "I'm not scary. "And when I'm in a mood everyone knows it." She gives a little chuckle, but she isn't joking. We're in the penthouse of the St Martins Lane hotel in the belly of London's West End, with its Mary Poppins views to Trafalgar Square and Big Ben. Alison has a little tea tray by her side and some outsized sunglasses within reach at all times, maybe in case a sudden emotional change strikes. Alison Goldfrapp describes herself as "quite moody", but today she's looking more impish in a funny little glittery Pierrot T-shirt, sitting like a child in an armchair that doesn't quite let her feet touch the floor. (XL)The White Stripes It takes two baby/Fell in love with a girl (Sympathy for the Record Industry)The White Stripes Dead leaves and the dirty ground (XL) 2001The White Stripes Hand springs (Extra Ball)The White Stripes Hotel Yorba (XL) 2001The White Stripes Lord, send me an angel (Sympathy for the Record Industry) [two copies]The White Stripes Hello operator/Jolene (Sympathy for the Record Industry) 2000The White Stripes The big three killed my baby (Sympathy for the Record Industry) [two copies]The Wildbunch Danger (Jack White backing vocals) (Flying Bomb)2 Star Tabernacle Ramblin' man (Bloodshot) 1998Travis Wammack Fire fly/Scratchy (ARA)XL-Capris My city of Sydney/Dead budgies (Axle)Yami Bolo Richer than Cory (Jamaica International)Yardbirds Happenings ten years time ago/Psycho daisies (Columbia) 1966. Al Casey Surfin' hootenanny/Easy pickin (Pye International) 1963 Al Ferrier I'm not drinking more/Don't play blue eyes(Master Trak) 1980 Alan Price Set I put a spell on you (Decca)Andy Capp Rico Popatop/The lion speaks (Treasure Isle) 1969Anemic Boyfriends Guys are not proud/Bad girls in love (Red Sweater) 1980Ann Peebles I can't stand the rain/I've been there before (London) 1972Anti-Social Traffic lights/Teacher, teacher (Dynamite) 1977Arthur K Adams Wildwood flower/It's a wild, wild, wild, wild, wildwood flower (Jetstar)Big Stick Drag racing/Hell on earth (Recess) 1985Bill Oddie Harry krishna/On Ilkley moor baht 'at (Dandelion) 1970Boards of Canada Aquarius/Chinook (Skam)Bobby Lee Trammell If you ever get it once/Don't you know I love you (Alley)Cat Power Headlights/Darling said sir (The Making of Americans)Charlie Feathers Deep elm blues/ Nobody's darling (Holiday Inn)Charlie Feathers Nobody's women/ When you decide (King) [two copies]Charlie Feathers Today and tomorrow/Wild, wild party (Memphis Recordings)Charlie Feathers Tongue-tied Jill/Get with it (Meteor)Charlie Feathers When you come around/Too much alike (King)Cheeze Dancin' queen/Dire wolf (Bob) 1989Clague The stride/I wonder where (Dandelion) 1969Clefs of Lavender Hill Stop! get a ticket first/Tell me why (Date)Cleveland Crochet Sugar bee/Drunkard's dream (Goldband)Don Covay It's better to have/Leave him (Mercury) 1973Don French Lonely Saturday night/Goldilocks (Quality) [two copies]Dreamland Express Groovy/UFO (EMI)Easy Teeth Car noise/Her blade (Dental) 1980Eddie & Ernie I believe she will/We try harder (Chess) 1984Eddie & Ernie I'm gonna always love you/Outcast (Eastern)Eddie & Ernie Time waits for no one/That's the way it is (Eastern)Electro Hippies Mega-armageddon death (Strange Fruit) [from Peel Session]Elmore James The sky is crying/Standing at the crossroads (Flashback)Firemen Old smokie/Louie's theme (Le Cam)Freshmen You never heard anything like it/ Bombing run (Release) 1979G L Crockett It's a man down there/Every hour, every day (4 Brothers)G L Crockett Look out Mabel/Did you ever love somebody (Checker)Geater Davis For your precious love/Wrapped up in you (House of Orange)Gene Dozier & The United Front Give the women what they want/The best girl I ever had (Mercury) 1974Golinski Brothers Bloody toy (Badge) 1980 [two copies]Green Hornes Stayed up last night (Italy)Hooton 3 Car Danny/Numena (Rumblestrip)Idle Race Here we go round the lemon tree/My father's son (Liberty)Izzy Royal Coronation St (WEA) 1983Jane Bond and the Undercover Men Hot rod Lincoln/Come on up (Ear Movies) 1982Jerry Byro Memories of Maria/Invitation (Monument) 1961 [two copies]Jody Reynolds Endless sleep/Western movies (Liberty)Johnnie Taylor I've been born again/At night time (Stax) 1974Johnny Adams You're a lady/I wish it would rain (Atlantic) 1972Johnny Fortune Dragster/Soul surfer (Sonet) 1964Ken Colyer's Jazzmen (Tempo) 1953La Peste Black/Better off dead (Black) 1978Larry Bright Mojo workout/I'll change my ways (Tide)Laurie Anderson O superman/Walk the dog (One Ten) 1981Lee Perry Bafflin' smoke signal/Black smoke signal (Black Ark) 1978Lightnin Hopkins Mojo hand/Glory be (Flashback)Marc Bolan Marc Bolan talking to Stevie Dixon, 1973 (Cube/Pye) 1977Mary Monday I gave my punk jacket to Richie/Popgun (Malicious Productions)Max Romeo/Lee Perry Sipple out deh/Revelation (Upsetter)MC5 Looking at you/Borderline (A-Square) [two copies]Medicine Head Coast to coast /All for tomorrow (Dandelion) 1970Medicine Head His guiding hand/This love of old (Dandelion) 1969 [two copies]Mel and Tim Starting all over again/It hurts to want it so bad (Stax) 1972Meow Lat nip/One night stand/ Anthem/ Kill kill kill/Catastrophe/Boy groupies (Twist Like This)Mickey Lee Lane Tutti frutti/With your love (Mala)Mike Spencer and the Cannibals Good guys/Nothing takes the place of you (Big Cock)Nice The thoughts of Emerlist Davjack (Immediate)Nilsson Everybody's talkin' (RCA)Nilsson Kojak Columbo (RCA)Nilsson Without you (RCA)O V Wright That's how strong my love is/There goes my used to be (Goldwax)Paul Blake & The Blood Fire Posse Every posse get flat/Flat out (Studio Work) 1984Paul Revere & The Raiders Him or me what's it gonna be?/Legend of Paul Revere (CBS) 1967Pavement Demolition Plot J-7 (Drag City) 1990Pocket Fishrmen Yr story/The leader is burning (Noiseville) 1989Quads You've gotta jive/There must be thousands (Big Bear) 1979Ray Martin Blue tango/Bell of the ball (Columbia)Revelino Step on high (Musidisc)Rod Bernard This should go on foreverRoshell Anderson The grapevine will lie sometimes/Such a beautiful thing (Contempo) 1974Roy Head Treat her right/So long, my love (Vocalion) 1965Sam & Dave I can't stand up for falling down/Soothe me (Stax)Sasha Caro Grade 3 section 2/Little maid's song (Decca) 1967Scrugg Will the real Geraldine please stand up and be counted/ Only George (Pie) 1969Sheena Easton 9 to 5/Moody (EMI) 1980 [two copies]Sipho Bhengu Tickey dopies/I saluti (In Kon Koni) 1971Soledad Brothers Sugar & spice/ Johnny's death letter (with Jack White) (Italy)Some Chicken New religion/Blood on the wall (Raw) 1977 [two copies]Spit Out O from I/Tan/Rot'n'roll (Ma Frog) 1996Stanley Winston No more ghettos in America/It's alright (Jewel)Status Quo Down down (Vertigo) 1974Super Sister No tree will grow/She was naked (Dandelion) 1971Surprise Package Vol 2 (featuring White Stripes, Rocket 455 and the Blowtops) (Flying Bomb)Surprise Package Vol 3 (featuring Real Pills, MHz, Dirtbombs) (Flying Bomb)The Beatles Come together/Octopus's garden/Something (foreign pressing)The Big Three You've gotta keep her under hand/If you ever change your mind (Decca) 1964The Buzzcocks Ever fallen in love (with someone you shouldn't've) (UA) 1978The Factory Path through the forest/ Gone (MGM) 1968The Galactic Symposium YMCA/Money (Vague) 1978The Henchmen featuring Jack White Some other guy/Psycho daisies (Italy)The Legion of Super-Heroes The great name dropper part 1/The great name dropper part 2 (Amy)The Mark Four Hurt me if you will/I'm leaving (Decca) 1965The Mighty Avengers So much in love/ Something they say (Decca) 1964The Misunderstood I can take you to the sun/Who do you love (Fontana) 1966The Move I can hear the grass grow/wave the flag and stop the train (Deram) 1967The Negatives Love is not real/Stakeout (Look) 1979The Nightcaps Wine wine wine/Nightcap rock (Musicor)The Ramrods Zig zag/Riders in the sky (London American) 1960The Smoke My friend jack/We can take it (Columbia) 1966The Squirrels Oz on 45/Alone again (naturally) (Popllama) 1988The Undertones Teenage kicks (Good Vibrations) 1978 [three copies]The Upholsterers Makers of high grade suites (Sympathy for the Record Industry)The Upsetters Bucky skank/Yucky skank (Down Town)The Upsetters Key card/Domino game (DL International)The Users Sick of you/I'm in love with today (Raw) 1977 [two copies]The Versalites Cutting rasor/Black belt jones (DL Int'l)The White Stripes Lafayette blues/Sugar never tasted so good (Italy)The White Stripes Party of special things to do/China pig/Ashtray heart (Sub Pop)The White Stripes Merry Christmas from...

Even his close friend Andy Kershaw had been unaware of its existence. There are even a few mainstream items, such as a three-track single by the Beatles: "Come Together", "Something" and "Octopus's Garden". Marc Bolan is also represented, but only in the form of an interview that was pressed on vinyl and issued the year he died, 1977.The existence of the box, contents of which will be revealed in a Channel 4 documentary next month, was news to many. They include the kind of obscurities that Peel favoured - the earsplitting grindcore of Electro Hippies, a reggae version of the Coronation Street theme, electronica from Boards of Canada, guitar thrash from Hooton 3 Car.