I’M happy to welcome you to this very special issue of Uncut. For the last few weeks or so, I’ve been looking back at the magazine since it first went on sale on May 1, 1997. While there have been some changes along the way – cosmetic, mostly – I’m gratified to see that some things remain constant. The emphasis on high-quality longform journalism, the imperative to discover and promote new music and the commitment to unearthing untold stories that are evident in Take 1 all remain a critical part of what we do here, 299 issues later. In Take 300, we’ve chosen to feature some of our bestloved artists – from regular reader Jimmy Page to Bob Dylan, David Bowie, Spiritualized, Wilco, Low, Kurt Vile and our cover star Paul McCartney, who is about to celebrate a milestone of his own. A large part of the issue – 31 pages, no less – is occupied by a survey of the 300 best albums released during our lifetime. Readers with long memories will recall we did this once before, for our 150th issue. Running a new vote for Uncut 300 has allowed us to reflect a little on how far we’ve come, reminding us that while many of our favourite artists endure, we can also celebrate new things. Our free CD this month brings together 15 tracks from the 300 list: Uncut’s greatest hits, if you like.