Sleep deprivation

My word, you Spectator readers are an education, and a delightfully idiosyncratic bunch to boot. To celebrate this 100th ‘Olden but golden’ column I invited you to send in your all-time top tens, and three dozen entries have arrived so far, some from as far afield as the US and Australia.

In 2002, we confined ourselves to rock and pop. This time classical music and jazz and indeed any other musical genres were actively encouraged, and favourite singles as well as albums were permitted as well.

I particularly like the bloody-minded independence of Spectator readers. One reader’s idea of an all-time top ten was to send me a photograph of his evidently treasured vinyl LPs of Benny Goodman’s famous Carnegie Hall jazz concert in 1938 with the caption: ‘What better introduction to non-classical music (a very long time ago)’. You are quite right, David Lamb. It is a great place to start.