Ever since the invention of the first stereo - or whatever it was called back then - some people have displayed an almost tyrannical need to impose their musical taste on others, regardless of whether or not the audience shares their enthusiasm.

We’ve all seen them over the years: the bloke who cranks up the volume and opens every window in his car as he pulls up at traffic lights; the person (again, usually a man) with a small fortune to spend on the pub jukebox or the house party guest who hijacks the CD player.

Add to this list the seemingly growing army of self-appointed DJs who now like to share loudly the contents of their playlists when they’re on public transport.

I’ve noticed this trend on several occasions in recent months. First I put it down to someone forgetting their earphones but, after a few similar incidents, concluded that it was indeed just wilful ignorance. Apart from the obvious lack of consideration for other passengers, they don’t even take requests.

The most recent - and possibly most serious - case involved a tinny, distorted and high-volume airing of Hey Jude through a mobile phone speaker on a mid-morning train.

I’m not sure who is unable to get through an hour-long rail journey without hearing the overplayed Beatles anthem but everyone else in the carriage would have managed just fine without an uninvited setlist featuring this and other baby boomer classics (contrary to stereotype, these weren’t young people).

Maybe there was a deluded expectation that other passengers would stand up and join in for a rousing communal chorus. The reality was an exchange of baffled and mildly disapproving looks, along with an unspoken vow to take direct action if Stairway to Heaven came on next.

Whatever happened to headphones or earphones? It’s not as if they’re too bulky to carry around these days; they’re very lightweight and discreet and you don’t have to look like a road worker about to operate a pneumatic drill (although that option is still available).

In the 1980s, broadcasting your music to the wider public required a certain level of commitment, not to mention physical fitness. The ‘portable’ cassette player of choice was the ghetto blaster or boombox, which was the size of a small cupboard and took four batteries, each weighing more than a modern mobile phone.

It may have been 40 years ago but the sound quality was far superior to any smartphone - less so the battery life.