If you follow the Beatles on Facebook, you may have spotted this recently:

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Inspired synergy or slightly tacky? Personally I find this particular collision a bit icky (on at least two levels).

Possibly the most sampled voice in the world has died.

Have a listen to this and play spot the 90s club hit.

And putting aside all of the nasty legal squabbling and implausible-sounding models on Top Of The Pops, I'd have Black Box's Ride On Time AND Love Sensation right up there as separate and equally valid works of dance magic.

She was the sound of euphoria.

I would have thought the Canadians were a tad better known to their southern neighbours, non?

More outrage from Twitter denizens here: http://whoisarcadefire.tumblr.com/

While you can find almost anything via iTunes or Spotify or wherever, sometimes a blog like this reminds you that out there somewhere exists a very odd seam of stuff that won't ever reach people's ears (often with good reason, mind you).

Anyway, look at this for a labour of love. This chap finds obscure vinyl, rips em to mp3, scans the label and writes up whatever he knows.

http://lordofthebootsale.blogspot.com

Pat Phoenix: Coronation Street Monologue (1962)

The Beejays: My Boyfriend's Back (complete with charming letter from the label)

And so on...

Doing some driving around the Scottish highlands this weekend, I got to listen to Radio 1 quite a bit. It struck me how rather thrilling a lot of UK Top 40 music actually is and much of it is of the grime/urban variety. The production is chunky and sounds great on the radio; it's not sugary old nonsense either.

I'm thinking of transatlantic success story Taio Cruz and 'Break My Heart':

And current chart botherers Roll Deep, Magnetic Man, DJ Fresh, Tinchy Strider etc make bloody good pop hits. It strikes me that these rather imaginative pop tracks will have a bit of permanence while N Dubz and others just don't quite cut it.

A golden age of UK pop?

Have a butchers at the whole set on flickr. I particularly like the Enya one.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bltpicons/sets/72157622801622434/with/46961...

Later I read an interview with Morrissey where he was asked what he thought about his former Smiths bandmate (Marr) making Italo disco records, to which he replied something like: "I just don't understand why he would want to."

To that I say: Fuck you, Morrissey. That Electronic single alone is better than every album you made post-Viva Hate.

From a rather touching post from a US blogger on his Anglophilia as a teen. Kind of hard to argue with the post-Viva Hate bit actually; 'Getting Away With It' was pretty stonking.

http://chartrigger.blogspot.com/2010/03/throwback-getting-away-with-it-a...

Fantastic analysis of what's wrong with Taylor Swift (the Product, rather than the person): "A symbolical analysis of the Taylor Swift cannon (w/infographic). Is there art without sex? Love without raincoats? Feminism without girls? Beauty without dirt? Copycats without claws?"

http://www.autostraddle.com/why-taylor-swift-offends-little-monsters-fem...

This app turns your voice into various instruments on an iPhone. I'm just amazed that this sort of thing is possible and for a couple of quid only.

And I thought my dinky Casio Sampling keyboard when I was a teen was the height of amazingness.

Having surprised myself by enthusiastically purchasing a new album on the basis of hearing one embedded YouTube vid, I had a think about the usual filtering/assessing procedure I generally follow.

Would most of the massive have a similar process?

Those of you around Islington and into RIchard Hawley (that should cover a lot of you) may be aware that he is headlining tonight's Mencap Little Noise Session in the sublime Union Chapel (it's a church - and it's got a bar!)

I was there last night with a pal who used to work for Mencap. Mika headlined and I begrudgingly tip my cap to him. He was a riot. (Alas, Paloma Faith had to cancel - although most people seemed to be there for Mika so weren't too disappointed.)

Jo Whiley comperes and the whole thing is in aid of Mencap. Traditionally, they get 'unannounced' acts popping in (previous years saw Chris Martin, Bono & The Edge 'just happening to be in the area'). There was a strong rumour that a certain popular Sheffield act are to appear tonight. This could be nonsense, but I was told that if I mentioned it, I would have my nethers put in a vice.

Anyway, small, intimate venue (fab acoustics obviously) and for a good cause.

More info: http://www.littlenoisesessions.org.uk/

These are rather clever, non?

The full set can be seen here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/littlepixel/sets/72157594269138651/

How talented people are really.