THE Beatles and The Rolling Stones changed the history of British pop but they have been left out in the cold in a poll of the all-time great hits of the past five decades.

Between them they may have sold tens of millions of records - The Beatles alone have had 17 number ones - but Lennon and McCartney classics are notable by their absence among the winning singles selected in the latest listeners' survey carried out by BBC Radio 2.

Instead, You Really Got Me by The Kinks was voted the best song of 1955-1964, David Bowie's Space Oddity was winner for 1965-1974, Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody won the 1975-1984 vote, West End Girls by The Pet Shop Boys were winners for 1985-94, and Robbie Williams' Angels was considered the best song of the past 10 years.

The results, says chart-topping Bournemouth pop veteran Ray Dorset, make little sense.

"I suppose the problem with bands like The Beatles is that their songs are so well-known they have become part of the furniture. People just don't think of them when surveys like this come up.

"Also, there are so many great songs that it is almost impossible to choose. However, judging by the winners in this poll, I reckon people have been voting for the records rather than the songs."

Mungo Jerry frontman Ray, who scored his own number one with In The Summertime back in 1970, added: "Frankly, if Radio 2 wanted a list that really reflected the greatest songs ever written they should look at what the favourites in karaoke bars are, the ones that get covered the most times. The truly great songs are the ones that everyone sings, the ones the postman whistles.

"For instance, I love David Bowie and Space Oddity was a great record, but it certainly wasn't the best song produced between 1965 and 1974."

Dorset-based broadcaster and music historian Geoff Barker agreed, adding: "Really it doesn't matter if The Beatles and the Stones aren't included. They were such a huge influence on British popular music that every record released after they arrived on the scene was in some way influenced by them. So in that way both The Beatles and The Rolling Stones have been recognised in this survey."

BBC Radio 2 staged its Songs of the Decades vote to mark the 50th anniversary of the Ivor Novello Awards for songwriters and composers. Listeners were asked to make their selection from a shortlist drawn up by industry professionals. Tellingly, that shortlist included several Beatles songs including Please, Please Me, She Loves You, Yesterday and John Lennon's Imagine. It also contained Satisfaction by the Stones - another no-show in the final.