In which we applaud the great rock and roll name changes (eg the late Wayne Fontana), get unsettled by 'Stan' culture and over-zealous Taylor Swift supporters, take the temperature of the Night They Drove Old Dixie Down, remember some footballers' hits an

In which we we marvel at the Beatles' 12-song set 55 years ago (four of them covers), applaud a virtual gig in the Natural History Museum, ponder Alan Bennett and Ellen DeGeneres, wonder when musicians became "creative artists", spot the fake band (Canadi

Novelist David Mitchell on Utopia Avenue, his fictional account of life in a band (Sunday Times No 1 best-seller!) - plus Bucks Fizz at the Malvern Winter Gardens, the lure of Marillion, the effect of Abba on tooth enamel, "the high register vocabulary" o

... 50 and 40 years ago this week! In which we salute the magnificent Peter Green (and hear Owen Parker's memories of recording with him in the '90s), look back at the great Q headlines - CarelessTalk Costs Wives! The Hoarse Foreman of the Apocalypse! -

Live Aid's "2,000 million global audience": surely some mistake? In which we remember Lady Di rollerskating in Kensington Palace with Duran Duran on her Walkman, invent fake rap stars and Mod Revival bands, applaud the world's first DJ, light a candle f

Graeme Thomson on John Martyn's "lifelong grudges and huge, messy explosion of records" Music writer, author and old pal from Word magazine, Graeme Thomson on his spledid new book, "Small Hours: the Long Night of John Martyn", a tale involving immaculate

In which we shudder to imagine life in a group with Brian Jones, David Crosby, Dennis Wilson etc, chew tobacco with Charlie Daniels, invent reggae acts, ponder the predicament of Kasabian and Lady Antebellum, remember Garry Shandling and Hitchcock's Rear

In which we ponder American pop showbiz v shambling British charm, bands v solos acts, Will Farrell's Eurovision movie, Ed Sheeran's bank balance, Beyoncé at Glastonbury, which rock star will live the longest and Disco v Grunge in the Stack Waddy game. S

In which we ponder rock and roll stage names, the immortal gag that launched Billy Connolly, KT Tunstall versus the streaming system and best guests on chat shows - and the only British Prime Minister to ever host one. That PM and his chat show ... htt

In which we contemplate pop stars' statues, 50th anniversary albums, excruciating things actors do in Lockdown, fictitious Monsters of Rock, the curious tale of Madonna's Ray Of Light and the best/worst things about Oasis. The Southsea Alternative Choir