'It's perfect madness'
In the first of an occasional series in which the greatest recording artists reveal their favourite records, Tom Waits writes about his 20 most cherished albums of all time. So for the lowdown on Zappa, as above, and Bill Hicks, step right up...
The fan's verdict
Observer blog: Nine more of Tom Waits's favourite albums
Trial and tribulation
As the Jackson case unfolds, the star's most devoted fans wait outside and maintain his innocence. In Santa Maria, California, Sanjiv Bhattacharya discovers just what sustains such blind faith.
Something on your mind?
Group therapy has helped Metallica and R.E.M. So Sean O'Connell took a leading psychiatrist to meet Razorlight and find out if the fractious four can stand the pressure of success.
Vote MP4!
Tom Cox goes to the Palace of Westminster to ask unparliamentary questions of MP4, the nation's only House band.
He's simply mind blowing
Miles Davis never stood still. Guest contributor Jason Miles, who played keyboards for the trumpeter in the 1980s, follows his long trail.
The recommended 10
Missionaries of Burma
Fay Schopen meets and hears the Rangoon artists whose very existence threatens a repressive regime.
The future's Orange
The songs used to be incidental to the plot on The OC. But now a slot on the teen show can make a career, says Paul Morley.
Twenty-four hour party pupil
They say that your schooldays are the happiest of your life. Regrettably, Emma Warren was too knackered to enjoy hers. She spent her evenings clubbing at the dawn of Acid House - with a little help from her mum.
Flash-forward
M.I.A.’s innovative beats and rhymes are distilled in London but fed by her intriguing - past in Sri Lanka, says Kitty Empire.
A fight at the opera
Sarah Boden: High art isn't elitist, we are told. So why has the chairman of the English National Opera implied that the Glastonbury audience is thick?
The 10
The 10 poshest rockers
A working-class hero is something to be – unless you want to mix with aristocracy or happen to come from a frightfully nice family...
Last month's 10
Laura Michelle Kelly and Natasha Bedingfield
The star of ‘Mary Poppins’, quizzes the pop star about her new-found fame, her favourite designers and a fantasy friendship with Gwyneth Paltrow...
Robert Downey Jr
The gifted but previously wayward actor grew up listening to West Coast rock, had a penchant for Billy Idol in his Viper Room years and now, with his debut solo album due out, is desperate to hear new music. Peter Paphides is happy to oblige.
Regulars
What I'm listening to
Piers Morgan, author of The Insider.
Barometer
This month's ups and downs.
