In the 15th January 1972 edition of Disc & Music Echo, Peel stated that he would list his complete 77 favourite (single) records of all time in no ranking order. In his column, he listed 44 records and promised to reveal the rest next week. He also mentioned that the list was compiled after he received a phone call from a "lady at the Radio Times" who had asked him to list his all time top ten favourite singles in ranking order and that this would be published in the next edition of Radio Times. However, according to archive Radio Times magazines kept at the British Library, it seems Peel's list of all time top ten records was never published.
Here is the 44 records listed by Peel, published on 15th January 1972:
- Donovan: Sunshine Superman
- Wilbert Harrison: Kansas City
- Righteous Brothers: You've Lost That Loving' Feeling
- Heavy Jelly: I Keep Singing That Same Old Song (JP: 'This latter, if you don't know it, is a seven minute masterpiece by, basically, Skip Bifferty as was or almost Bell 'n' Arc as is - I'll play it for you sometime')
- Flamingos: I Only Have Eyes For You
- Don & Juan: What's Your Name
- Del Shannon: Runaway
- Del Shannon: Hats Off To Larry
- Jimi Hendrix Experience: Hey Joe
- Rod Stewart: Maggie May
- Jimmy Reed: Too Much
- Rolling Stones: 19th Nervous Breakdown (JP: 'Much better than Satisfaction')
- Ronettes: Be My Baby
- Ike & Tina Turner: River Deep Mountain High
- Who: I Can See For Miles
- Link Wray: Rumble
- Nirvana: Pentecost Hotel
- Santo & Johnny: Sleep Walk (JP: 'Whatever happened to Santo and Johnny?')
- Eddie Fontaine: Nothin' Shakin
- Jack Scott: Leroy
- Shangri-Las: Leader Of The Pack
- Roy Orbison: Crying
- Bill Black's Combo: Don't Be Cruel
- Elvis Presley: That's Alright
- Conway Twitty: The Story Of My Love
- Procol Harum: Homburg
- Capris: There's A Moon Out Tonight
- Duane Eddy: Peter Gunn Theme
- Bill Doggett: Honky Tonk
- Garnet Mimms: Cry Baby
- Shep & The Limelites: Daddy's Home
- Chimes: Once In A While
- Van Morrison: Domino
- Little Richard: Lucille
- Little Richard: Tutti Frutti
- Otis Redding: Ole Man Trouble
- Wilson Pickett: Land Of A Thousand Dances
- Phillip Goodhand-Tait & The Stormsville Shakers: No Problem (JP: 'Still my favourite group name after Stark Naked and the Car Thieves')
- Eddie Cochran: Somethin' Else
- Merseys: Sorrow
- Charlie Feathers: Tongue Tied Jill
- Bobby Lee Trammell: If You Ever Get It Once You Gonna Want It Again
- Andy Capp: Pop A Top (JP: 'Which is everything a reggae record should be - at least I think so')
- Stackwaddy: Roadrunner