India, July 17 -- Around the middle of the third episode of For the Record: An Incomplete History of Music, I caught myself doing something I don't normally do while watching a YouTube video.

I paused, sat back and wondered: Where will this go next? Not because I was confused, but because I genuinely couldn't guess.

Nine episodes, over 10 hours, four years in the making - and it opens not with a guitar or an ancient instrument but with the Big Bang. Was that a huge act of confidence on the part of its creators (the Cosmic Shambles Network, with British actor Charlotte Ritchie presenting) or pure madness? Having worked my way through six episodes, I think it's a bit of both. Which is exactly why I highly recommend it.

Most music histori...