NO SPOILERS I PROMISE, BUT THE

architect behind MOJO’s favourite album of 2021 describes their masterwork on page 59 as “quite a niche idea”. On the face of it they’re probably right, but that engrossing 46 minutes of music – and again, you really should wait a few pages for the big reveal – tells us something about how our listening habits and tastes can adapt to the moment, and how our range can be far greater than we often assume it to be.

Much of 2021, like much of 2020 before it, has been out of necessity contemplative, and we hope the music, books and films we’ve highlighted in MOJO – and, indeed, MOJO itself – have provided some help as we all navigate these difficult times. This issue is also, though, about moving on, as we return to the live arena and catch up with our old friends The Rolling Stones, going back to work without the imperturbable figure of Charlie Watts behind the kit.

MOJO 338, too, is a significant one for our team: the last to be put to bed by our Production Editor Geoff Brown, who has been directing the rhythm of the magazine so calmly and assiduously since 1998, and contributing since our ver y first issue in 1993, for which he reviewed Little Richard and George Clinton. A lot of the knowledge that underpins MOJO, and the elegance with which we dispense it, has been down to Geoff, and we’ll miss his reassuring daily presence very much. But we’re also relieved to say that his retirement will be disrupted by plenty of writing assignments for MOJO in 2022; his matchless takes on soul, funk and R&B will still be a critical part of our world. In the meantime, thanks for everything, Geoff, and thanks to all of you for your continuing enthusiasm for MOJO and the music we cover. Onwards!