Barely 15 miles from Oxford Circus an English village has, as if by divine intervention, been preserved from creeping urban sprawl, growing by scarcely half a dozen houses in a century, and keeping still a blacksmith, a pub on the green, and a pond with flourishing ducks and geese.

THE TOURS, the screams, the music, the memories, indelibly written upon the pages of contemporary history, part of the common culture of the late 20th century . . . Shea Stadium, the concerts for peace and Bangladesh . . . the albums, the chatshows. Now George Harrison presents himself to immigration at Kennedy Aiport. A pleasant, fresh-faced official examines his passport carefully, then looks up and says brightly: 'And is this your first visit to the United States, Mr Harrison?' Oh, cruel time]

THE BEATLES have been re- formed, with the help of modern technology, to make a new record.

ANYONE compiling a short history of pointless gestures might consider giving space to the 24-hour 'hunger' strike upon which the Labour MP Keith Vaz embarked yesterday afternoon. His gesture was one of solidarity with the thousands of Hindus protesting in London yesterday against the closure of a temple in Hertfordshire donated to the Hare Krishna movement by the former Beatle, George Harrison. The local council's decision was prompted by complaints from local inhabitants that thousands of worshippers were causing disruption by blocking roads in the vicinity at weekends.

THOUSANDS of Hare Krishna devotees marched through the streets of London yesterday to protest against a ban on them worshipping at a Hare Krishna temple donated by former Beatle George Harrison.

The three remaining Beatles have been offered pounds 2.5m to appear in Britain to play their first concert in 20 years. The move follows reports that Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr will get together to record again for a documentary about their career.

I was dimly aware of ELO in the Seventies, but I only bought my first ELO tape in 1989 after I'd spent four weeks submerged in the Black Country culture for a documentary. It's my secret vice. Try playing their music in a room containing anyone over the age of eight and you can forget it. I listen to them in the car, and it's exhilarating. I am unashamed. Having missed out on them in my youth, it's not a case of nostalgia. I love their sheer mindlessness. It's low- level aesthetic bliss. They were the slickest pop group around: technical perfection and absolute vacuity. Apart from the basic falsetto voice and string sound, they are also winningly unoriginal.

RUMOURS that the three surviving members of the Beatles may get together again to record have created a wave of hype and nostalgia.

Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, the three surviving Beatles, will record together for the first time since 1971 next month, Reuter reports from New York. New Yorker reported yesterday that they will be working with their former producer George Martin.

YESTERDAY

THE BEATLES' red and blue albums, 20-year-old compilations of their singles, are to be released on CD this autumn after a two-year legal battle, writes David Lister.

WORLD PARTY

IT ENDED with a moment of truth and grace, but until then it had been one of the strangest events in the history of rock and roll. The Bob Dylan concert at Madison Square Garden on Friday had just about every mood imaginable, from the beery benevolence of a gold-watch presentation to a tension so extreme that at one point the night threatened to end in violence. In its sudden contrasts and variable quality, at least, it seemed a fitting summary of a long and eventful career.

William Oliver Rowe, dubbing mixer, born Crook Co Durham 2 February 1931, married 1954 Marina Caine (two sons, one daughter), died Northwood Middlesex 29 September 1992.