DEFEATED PIONEERS

"It's hard to listen to that joy - in terms of sheer feeling, British pop has rarely come near There's a Place since - without feeling deeply depressed afterwards, and when you buy the Beatles in 2009 you're effectively buying that memory, a means of distraction from all the machinations of power around you. At the time of the last great Beatles repromotion, there were hopes - however vainglorious - that pop might again lead a movement towards greater equality of opportunity. Now we can see that for the myth it was, and that - combined with the simple passing of time - must be the main reason there has been that much less fuss this time. Every promise is discredited."

Robin Carmody, magnificent on the recent Beatles re-issues.