BIG PICTURE TOPIC RECORDS The world’s oldest independent record company has reached 70. Topic Records started in 1939, and has been a powerhouse of the British folk landscape ever since. With a back catalogue stretching from Pete Seeger to Eliza Carthy, Topic has always attracted praise from the great and good – John Peel said of them, ‘I’ve been buying and scrounging Topic records since 1954. It feels like Topic has always been there, quietly doing good work. Like a backbone.’ To celebrate the anniversary Topic is releasing a seven-CD book set, Three Score and Ten, and putting on a series of concerts on London’s South Bank. Pictured here is a selection of the label’s best covers. ■ Three Score and Ten is out on Topic Records, Mon 14 Sep.