Jeff Harford

In 1996, with Britain in thrall to a band that fancied itself as the new Beatles on 'roids, petulant bombasts and power chords held sway.

In the age of the single download, Jeff Harford rediscovers the album.

In the age of the single download, Jeff Harford rediscovers the album.

The journey from Sevierville, Tennessee, to Dollywood is not a long one, as the crow flies. For one of the 12 children of a dirt-poor tobacco farmer, however, it represents a hike of epic proportions.

Gary Numan paid a price for his rapid elevation to pop-star status in the wake of punk rock.

If a young band was ever entitled to draw inspiration from punk to wage war on its dire circumstances, it was the Undertones.

John was a stout name for an ordinary young man in 1970s New Zealand.

''Theft of Stetson hat causes deadly dispute. Victim identifies self as family man.''

When stylish young Sheffield pop-stars-in-the-making ABC threw their lot in with Trevor Horn for the recording of 1982 debut album The Lexicon Of Love, they promised to make him the most fashionable producer in the world.

The 1971 war that pitted East Pakistan and India against West Pakistan was stained with atrocities, resulting in the exodus of 10 million refugees from the newly established Bangladesh.

The Beat might not have been the largest figure among the ska revival acts but it was the tightest musical unit of all and the first UK act to document its razor-sharp edge via the new digital recording environment.

In the age of the single download, Jeff Harford rediscovers the album.

In the age of the single downlaod, Jeff Harford rediscovers the album.

Sandy Denny (1947-1978) is remembered with deep affection by the musicians with whom she shared the stage and studio.

In the age of the single download, Jeff Harford rediscovers the album.

In the age of the single download, Jeff Harford rediscovers the album.

By 1971, Booker T. & the M.G.'s were all but estranged from Memphis-based Stax Records, the label they had served diligently for 11 years.

In the age of the single download, Jeff Harford rediscovers the album.

Yma Sumac was a true tall poppy.

The Fall, abrasive, abstract and ragged-edged, bears few of the hallmarks you might expect of a band in its 37th year.