“Let me ask you a question: What’s all this about?” Stranglers’ bassist Jean-Jacques Burnel, looking about as fit and healthy as a 60-something can, is leaning forward in his chair and enquiring with some intent as to why he’s sitting next to the rather less buff former Yes keyboard player and all-round prog overlord Rick Wakeman.

We decided to bring together two men from opposite ends of the musical spectrum to find out what things were really like on the frontline all those years ago. In 1977 Wakeman had spent six months in Queen’s Mountain Studios in Montreux working on Yes’ Going For The One album. In stark contrast, The Stranglers were preparing to release not one but two albums, six months apart: Rattus Norvegicus and No More Heroes. For Yes it marked the end of their imperial phase. For The Stranglers it was the beginning of theirs.

“I do remember