John barry

The 1960s are widely regarded as the decade that produced the best ever popular music. This is why BBC Radio 2’s Sounds of the Sixties has been running since 1983, why any pub quiz worth its while inc

Behind the scenes of your favourite soundtracks

Norman Lebrecht on Music HE WORKED SO ...

In 2015, the veteran author, Frederick Forsyth, by then aged 76, unleashed his latest spellbinding adventure. The opening sentences of the latest volume from the man who had already produced such clas

Fondly remembered this month...

In 1974, Mike Oldfield defied the critics and hit the top of the UK charts with Hergest Ridge, the ambitious follow-up to his unexpectedly successful debut Tubular Bells . To coincide with the release of the 50th-anniversary edition, the musician, his siblings and collaborators recount the story of an album created by an overwhelmed 21-year-old taking refuge near the Welsh borders.