Fairport convention

On Monday night, I went to the launch of the 2007 Reading Festival – or the Carling Weekend: Reading And Leeds Festivals, as the dual event is now called – which, as you’ll probably know is headlined this year by The Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Smashing Pumpkins and Razorlight, with Arcade Fire, Kings Of Leon and Nine Inch Nails featuring prominently among the supporting line-up.

4CD connoisseur collection of rare mercurial magic from British folk/blues/jazz supergroup

"a running battle for a prize no one bothered to name: the greatest record ever made, or the greatest record that ever would be made.''

Five-disc box set crammed full of unreleased gems

Debut from London-based trio offers a refreshingly catholic take on alt.country/garage blues

The onetime couple's three albums for Island, plus lives and BBC sessions

Best-of for leading lights of the '80s US college rock circuit

(Other new music DVDs)

Beats'n'ballads nu-folk fusion

Folk-rock giant follows up last year's Street Cries