Dylan: acclaimedWhy are lists so interesting I can think of five good reasons... but seriously, there are an awful lot of lists out there, perhaps in pop music more than anywhere else. Nick Hornby

Update (Monday 7 October 2002): Congratulations to John and the many people who helped him reach No 9 in the charts released yesterday - He's a two-hit wonder! ************************************

Alan Lomax (1915-2002)Sadly, the great music archivist and celebrated ethnomusicologist passed away on July 19, 2002 at the age of 87. Like so many of the musicians he first recorded and brought to

First things first - it isn't a part of West Africa colonised by the small Mediterranean island. Ghana (pronounced 'aana', the gh- being silent, meaning song) is actually the local folk music of the

Maccy asks: 'Who are Can ' - which brings us to something of an oxymoron, for Can were one of the most influential German bands of the last 40 years, and central to a movement that came to be known

There have been numerous requests to name the music used to promote the new Channel 4 breakfast show 'RI:SE'. The song is called Holes and it's the first track from the Mercury Rev CD Deserter's

Lisa 'Left Eye' Lopes of US R'n'B group TLC (pictured, centre, with band mates Tionne 'T-Boz' Watkins, left, and Rozonda 'Chilli' Thomas) died last week when her all-terrain people carrier crashed

I heard a Neil Diamond song on the radio, but I know little about him ' can you enlighten me Neil Diamond was born Noah Kaminsky in January 1941 in Brooklyn New York. In common with most teenagers,

Q. Has the computer revolution changed the way musicians learn to play A. The advent of technology has resulted in some significant changed within the music industry, especially with regard to

Q. Where have all the independent record retailers gone A. The way of corner shops - they've been forced out of business by the supermarkets and record company-owned mega stores, the days of the

Q. Are Boy Bands a new idea A. Not as new as you moght think - if you go back as far as 1965, you'll find The Monkees, who can claim the title as the original 'boy band', although the label

Q. Can you recommend an Alice Cooper album A. A good entry into the world of Alice is the School's Out album, which contains his best-known song, and biggest hit single. Q. Is the single a

Q. I heard a comic song at my parents' house, they told me it was George Formby, and he was a massive star. Can you tell me more A. George Formby was born George Hoy Booth in Lancashire in 1904.

Q. I'd like to manage a rock band, how do I start A. First of all, you need to be very sure that this is what you want to do. Managing a band is second only to playing in a band, in terms of the

Q. I adore the Concierto de Aranjuez, what can you tell me about its composer A. The Concierto de Aranjuez is probably the most famous piece of Spanish classical guitar music ever written. It s a

Q. My parents have a load of James Last albums which they love - what can you tell me about him A. In spite of his English-sounding name, James Last is actually German by birth. Hans Last adopted a

Q. What can you tell me about opera singer Lesley Garrett A. Lesley Garrett is a respected opera singer around the world, and she's built her career on the belief that musical snobbery,

Q. What was the most experimental album The Beatles ever made A. That would have to be The Beatles, known to everyone as The White Album. Q. What is experimental about it A. This is an album

Q. I keep hearing reference to a rapper named Tupac. Who is he A. It's actually who was he. Tupac died after a drive-by shooting in 1996, at the height of his fame, and in his mid-twenties. Q.

Q. Is the pop single dead A. Dead no, but decidedly unhealthy these days! Q. Why A. Because record companies are scaling down the release of singles in the belief that customers will buy