Proof of just how long he has been bashing drums (both ear and snare) is supplied in 40 Years of Queen, a lavishly illustrated new book of photographs, posters, memorabilia, gig tickets and scribbled song lyrics. A grainy black-and-white snap shows an angelic-faced Taylor at 15, drumsticks poised over cymbals. He was something of a veteran, having formed his first band at the age of eight (the Bubblingover Boys) and his second when he was barely 13 (the Cousin Jacks). He still had some way to go, though, before he became a full-time musician. He won a choral scholarship to Truro Cathedral School (his adult voice spans three and a half octaves), then secured a free place at a public school, Truro School, after which he started on a path towards dentistry at the London Hospital Medical School.