For the first time in years, I got out my original Andrew Oldham Orchestra – The Rolling Stones Songbook LP today. Recorded in 1966, it contains semi-easy listening (and mostly instrumental) versions of Stones' songs performed by session men, (including rumour has it, some of the Stones) and musically at least, has nowt to do with Andrew Oldham at all, I suspect.

Some of it is really good music, too. Most importantly though, it’s where The Verve sampled The Last Time to make Bitter Sweet Symphony. I have to say BSS sounds exactly like the version on the record (judge for yourself below), although equally, it also sounds nothing like the Stones' song. If it had been some other song by another MOR 'orchestra', I can't help feeling they might just have got away with it, or at least ended up with a slice of the pie. As it was, they lost the lot. Bad luck for The Verve, I say.