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AS IT'S Beatles week in Liverpool, here are a few interesting links for you...

Abbey Road Studios has installed a webcam on the famous pedestrian crossing photographed on the cover of the band's album of the same name. As Fab Four fans know, this month marks the 40th anniversary of the album, which has inspired many imitations, as you can read in this article.

Cartoonist John Minnion used it as the inspiration for this cartoon, explored in this interview with Peter Elson.

THIS weekend is the last chance to see the exhibition Sound and Vision: Music and Fashion at the National Conservation Centre.

The selection of fascinating photographs on display were taken by Francesco Mellina from 1978-82 and form a unique visual record of Liverpool's music and fashion scene.

HAS anyone out there got any memories or tape-recordings of the Crabtrees, one of the most popular folk groups on Merseyside during the 1960s?
If so please contact Derek Marsden who founded the group with the brother and sister, Hal and Joy Crabtree from Wallasey.

Sadly, Hal died a few years ago and Joy now lives in Southend.
But Derek, a retired teacher, and Joy are compiling a CD of Crabtrees' songs, which will be accompanied by a colourful booklet.

DO YOU remember the first single you bought? Did you ever chance your arm on a £1 lucky dips - brown paper packages of five mystery singles?

For many people, hours spent in the local record shop are the best memories of being a teenager. Sadly, due to the rise of the download, few still exist.

Liverpool-born author Graham Jones, who ran a music stall at Ellesmere Port Market and used to work in HMV, has written a book documenting their story.

Click here to read an interview with him, or share your own memories below.

THE description of this blog, on the right hand side, rather loftily declares that "the story of Liverpool is as much about its people as its buildings or historic events". But this is something that is never more true when it comes to characters like jazz musician George Melly.

He is the focus of a new exhibition opening at The Walker later this month - featured in a series of paintings by Maggi Hambling. Daily Post feature writer David Charters has written an illuminating and touching interview with her, which you can read by clicking here.

THESE group photos, which I found among a box of old family ones, might be of interest to anyone who has ancestors from the Childwall/Gateacre/Hunts Cross area.

Maybe you can spot a relation among the line-up or know more about the organisations featured.

JOURNALIST Ken Seymour was lucky enough to be perched on the end of John Lennon's and Yoko Ono's bed during their Bed-in peace protest of 1969.

Ken, a window-cleaner's son, was working as a freelance journalist for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation at the time and just a few minutes of his tape recorded interview was used on air.

MUSIC fans should check a new research database created by Liverpool University's Institute of Popular Music and National Museums Liverpool.

The Beat Goes Online resource provides more than 250 pages of stories, images and facts, exploring not only popular music on Merseyside, but also offering a broader perspective tackling the themes and issues related to popular music.

THAT was the question on Daily Post feature writer David Charters' lips last week as he considered which records were banned by the BBC's Dance Music Policy Committee.

Among them were Liverpool comedian Arthur Askey's The Christening (1947) which made fun of a religious service and George Melly's Send Me to the 'Lectric Chair (1951).

THE St Helens-born conductor Thomas Beecham was as well known for his dry wit as for his incredible musical timing, according to the author of a new biography.

John Lucas describes Beecham's many escapades, including the time he threw handfuls of light bulbs down the Adelphi's staircase and hotel guests were woken by the explosion.