BEATLES

It`s funny how The Beatles seem to transcend the topic of music, entrenched as they are in the popular culture and imagery of their time. Yet it`s those memorable arrangements of notes and lyrics that just won`t go away - be they as original recordings, covers, samples, loops or complete reworks - when most of their contemporaries have faded from the memory. That said, Gerry and the Pacemakers and Billy Fury are still remembered with fondness.

Since The Beatles` day, Liverpool has had to balance honouring its world-conquering sons with nurturing new talent, and on reflection it hasn`t done a bad job, especially given the mind-altering sums that are always quoted by musical historians when trying to express in figures the impact of The Beatles.

The late seventies and early eighties saw a post-punk explosion in Liverpool, as Echo and the Bunnymen, The Teardrop Explodes and The Mighty Wah! started stamping their authority. OMD, The Icicle Works, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, China Crisis, The Christians and Dead or Alive had their hits, as did The La`s, who many saw as being the Beatles` successors but who proved to be dazzling but short-lived. Cast grew from the ashes of the La`s, and Space, The Boo Radleys, The Lightning Seeds and The Farm saw success. The Coral and The Zutons continue the tradition, and let`s not forget Atomic Kitten, who might not have the edge associated with many of the above-mentioned, but are proud Scousers through and through, and have enjoyed major commercial successes.

Let`s also remember the catalyst for the success of countless musicians, be they from Liverpool, Manchester, Glasgow or Detroit - John Peel, that Wirral-born Anfield fanatic and tireless champion of up-and-coming talent.

And the future of Liverpool talent is being nurtured by - guess who - Sir Paul, whose Institute for the Performing Arts may one day produce another of his kind, setting the wheel on its next revolution.

With the addition of the 10,600-seat Liverpool Echo Arena to the city`s music venues in 2008, Liverpool will attract the biggest artists from around the globe, reaffirming its reputation as music capital of the world.