Sounds
David Bowie: Bowie, Music And Life
Interview by Penny Valentine, Sounds, 1970
David Bowie has never been a conventional anything. Certainly he is no run of the mill product of the music business, something rather that was ...
Band, The: The Band: Stage Fright (Capitol)
Review by Jerry Gilbert, Sounds, October 1970
WHEN YOU hear the term country/rock, you immediately think of Robbie Robertson, Garth Hudson, Richard Manuel, Rick Danko and Levon Helm, collectively The Band. For ...
Who, The: Roger Daltrey: The Sounds Talk In
Interview by Penny Valentine, Sounds, October 1970
DO YOU feel your position as a singer with the Who is as influential as you'd like it to be? ...
Atomic Rooster: More Respect For The Rock Organ
Interview by Jerry Gilbert, Sounds, October 1970
VINCENT CRANE, ambitious leader of Atomic Rooster, firmly believes that the full potential of the organ has yet to be exploited within a rock concept. ...
Fotheringay, Elton John: Elton John, Fotheringay: Royal Albert Hall, London
Live Review by Jerry Gilbert, Penny Valentine, Sounds, October 1970
PUTTING ELTON John second billing to Fotheringay at the Royal Albert Hall on Friday night was a taste of mistaken booking if ever there was ...
Profile and Interview by Penny Valentine, Sounds, October 1970
IT HAS taken the amazing Bread over a year to 'break nationwide' – or for that matter to break anywhere on a really large scale. ...
Son House (part 1): Living King of the Delta
Retrospective and Interview by Jerry Gilbert, Sounds, October 1970
IT WAS the final day of Eddie "Son" House's final sortie away from America. Outside, the rain was pouring down; inside the car sat Son, ...
Hawkwind: When It Comes To Mind-Blowing, Hawkwind Are Really Into It
Interview by Jerry Gilbert, Sounds, October 1970
HAWKWIND MAY not be the world's most affluent group, or the world's most successful group, but they are certainly one of the most mind-blowing. ...
Humble Pie Get Back To Steve's Roots
Interview by Penny Valentine, Sounds, October 1970
HUMBLE PIE have got back to what could ostensibly be called Steve Marriott's roots. Today their musical approach involves a good solid line in basic ...
Muddy Waters: The Man Who Urbanised The Blues
Interview by Jerry Gilbert, Sounds, October 1970
TOP CHICAGO bluesman Muddy Waters, still crippled from a car crash nine months ago, will be wearing a smile when he returns to England in ...
James Gang, The: The James Gang
Interview by Penny Valentine, Sounds, October 1970
PETE TOWNSHEND, who usually has an eye and an ear for the musically arresting and is no man to argue with, could be said to ...
Son House (part 2): Robert Johnson Overshadowed Son and the Whole Delta
Report and Interview by Jerry Gilbert, Sounds, October 1970
SINCE 1966 Son House had only recorded once, a very poor performance for Roots which had failed to capture any of the emotion and lyricism ...
Elton John: The Great White Hope
Profile and Interview by Penny Valentine, Sounds, October 1970
CALL ELTON John what you will. The most brilliant singer/pianist we have ever produced, one of the best artists on record or on stage you ...
Bread: Revolution Club, London
Live Review by Penny Valentine, Sounds, October 1970
AT THE end of Bread's London appearance at the Revolution club on Thursday night they were called back to do two encores and treated to ...
Emerson Lake And Palmer, Nice, The: Emerson Lake & Palmer: Here Comes Another Orgasmic Peak
Interview by Penny Valentine, Sounds, October 1970
KEITH EMERSON is, to say the least, very upset at the release of old Nice tapes currently flooding the market. ...
Homesick James: Homesick Finds a Home From Home
Interview by Jerry Gilbert, Sounds, October 1970
HOMESICK JAMES is a likeable faintly extrovert character whose first British visit seems to have made a mockery of his nickname. For homesickness seemed to ...
T. Rex: I'm A Pop Star On Any Level Says Marc
Interview by Penny Valentine, Sounds, October 1970
MARC BOLAN – whose voice has been known to bring some people out in an allergy and others to their knees in supplication – has ...
James Taylor, Matthews' Southern Comfort: Palladium, London
Live Review by Jerry Gilbert, Sounds, October 1970
THE CLUMSY, gangling, instantly lovable James Taylor conquered the London Palladium and made his eventual return to England a triumphant one on Sunday. ...
Profile and Interview by Penny Valentine, Sounds, October 1970
JAMES TAYLOR was in town and you could tell it by the buzz in the air and the musicians who walked around muttering his name ...
James Taylor, Joni Mitchell: Joni Mitchell in with James
Report by Penny Valentine, Sounds, October 1970
JONI MITCHELL flew into London last Sunday – with James Taylor the man with whom she is being romantically linked. ...
John Renbourn, Pentangle: Pentangle/John Renbourn
Interview by Jerry Gilbert, Sounds, 1971
DECEMBER, ASIDE from its obvious festive revelries, has also been notable for the temporary withdrawal of the Pentangle. In the meekest possible way they have ...
Interview by Jerry Gilbert, Sounds, 1971
BACK FROM a promotional tour of the States, Ian Matthews sat in a West End Wimpy Bar pondering his next move. He knows precisely what ...
Family: In the Talk-In: Charlie Whitney
Interview by Jerry Gilbert, Sounds, 1971
FAMILY GUITARIST Charlie Whitney had just returned to his Notting Hill home after a stint in the north of England. ...
Elton John: Tumbleweed Connection
Review by Penny Valentine, Sounds, 1971
IT IS ALL too easy to go overboard with praise about Elton John. I am guilty of doing it – frequently. But then, when faced ...
Profile and Interview by Penny Valentine, Sounds, 1971
BRITISH MUSIC now seems to have a quality of holding onto its stars, and it’s maybe only once a year that anyone manages to surface ...
Tim Hardin: Contemporary Songwriters: Tim Hardin
Profile by Penny Valentine, Sounds, February 1971
MANY SONGWRITERS could be said to expose a little of their soul during the course of their writing, but there can't be anyone in the ...
Review by Jerry Gilbert, Sounds, March 1971
I GET THE FEELING that only a Joe Boyd-Paul Harris alliance could have produced such a superb album as this. And once again a great ...
Nick Drake: Something else for Nick? An interview with Nick Drake
Interview by Jerry Gilbert, Sounds, March 1971
NICK DRAKE IS A SHY, INTROVERTED folk singer who is not usually known to speak unless it is absolutely necessary. But Nick is not the ...
Profile by Penny Valentine, Sounds, March 1971
CAT STEVENS is very rare amongst the British writer syndrome in that a vast percentage of his work stems from his environment. He is a ...
Crosby Stills Nash and Young: Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young: Four Way Street (Atlantic)
Review by Penny Valentine, Sounds, May 1971
I HAVE to admit at the start of this review that I'm generally not over keen on live recordings. Although occasionally they show that an ...
James Taylor: Mud Slide Slim And The Blue Horizon (Warner Reprise)
Review by Jerry Gilbert, Sounds, May 1971
GOOD OLD predictable James has done it again. He offers not the slightest hint of surprise on his new album, and as expected he has ...
Review by Jerry Gilbert, Sounds, May 1971
IF CLOVER'S first album on Liberty was good, then this follow up is fantastic. The material is a rich variety of country music which brings ...
David Bowie: Contemporary Songwriters: David Bowie
Profile by Penny Valentine, Sounds, May 1971
THE WORK of songwriters is conditioned by many things. Their environment, their childhood, their brushes with love, their hopes and dreams, their disillusionment. And they ...
Interview by Penny Valentine, Sounds, May 1971
You're very rare in music today in that you managed to virtually disappear for two years when you were ill and then came back ...
Randy Newman: Having Fun But Not Making A Habit Of It
Interview by Bud Scoppa, Sounds, June 1971
WHEN RANDY Newman finally decided to become a performer rather than continue his career as a sequestered genius — "I was surprised when I did ...
Robert Johnson: Unravelling the Legend of Robert Johnson
Retrospective by Jerry Gilbert, Sounds, June 1971
JERRY GILBERT looks at Robert Johnson, greatest of the Delta bluesmen ...
Taj Mahal: The Real Thing (CBS)
Review by Jerry Gilbert, Sounds, July 1971
FOR SOME reason it all seems to have gone wrong for Taj Mahal. ...
Cat Stevens: Teaser And The Firecat
Review by Penny Valentine, Sounds, August 1971
Singer, musician and songwriter. As such, in the opinion of many, Cat Stevens is one of the most brilliant and worthwhile talents to have emerged ...
Mungo Jerry: Barbarellas, Birmingham
Live Review by Tony Stewart, Sounds, August 1971
MUNGO JERRY easily adapted their stage act for their shows at the Birmingham nightclub Barbarellas on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday last week. Apparently the first ...
Rick Wakeman: Just Another Yes Man
Report and Interview by Penny Valentine, Sounds, August 1971
WHEN HE was six years old, Rick Wakeman's father dispatched him to a very fine lady piano teacher in Harrow. Two lessons later the infant ...
Cat Stevens: Teaser And The White Hot Cat
Interview by Penny Valentine, Sounds, September 1971
"I built my house of barley rice, green paper walls and water ice, tables of paper wood, windows of light and everything emptying into white." ...
Tonto's Expanding Head Band: Zero Time (Embryo)
Review by Dick Meadows, Sounds, October 1971
AT FIRST sight this is an album to put fear into the hearts of stronger men than me. After all, two whole sides of Moog ...
The Rainbow Theatre: Cheap Seats In Pot Of Gold
Report and Interview by Penny Valentine, Sounds, October 1971
"ROCK audiences now are interested in having a comfortable place to sit and really listen to music. The days of freak out dancing to anything ...
Elton John: Madman Across The Water (DJM)
Review by Penny Valentine, Sounds, October 1971
IT'S AN ODD fact that the British tend to malign their own products to the point of insanity. We managed to ignore Joe Cocker, almost ...
Mighty Baby: A Jug Of Love (Blue Horizon)
Review by Jerry Gilbert, Sounds, October 1971
MIGHTY BABY have been around for an awful long time, and owing to contractual problems which have restricted their recording activities, they have very little ...
Ralph McTell: You Well-Meaning Brought Me Here (Famous)
Review by Jerry Gilbert, Sounds, October 1971
RALPH'S FANS have had a long wait for the release of his fourth album – but the wait has been well worthwhile for this is ...
Stevie Wonder: Music Of My Mind (Tamla Motown)
Review by Penny Valentine, Sounds, December 1971
THIS HAS been hailed as Stevie Wonder's final "coming of age", but I think this album is more important and will certainly have more important ...
Terry Reid, Jimi Hendrix: Mitch Mitchell in the Talk-In
Interview by Dick Meadows, Sounds, December 1971
I FIRST SAW the Jimi Hendrix Experience in a cramped Norfolk cellar club. Then the coloured guy with the frizzed-out hair was a nobody in ...
Gallagher & Lyle: Give The Boys A Break
Interview by Jerry Gilbert, Sounds, 1972
Well, Blackheath Wanderers Sports Club wasn’t quite the venue I had in mind for obtaining the first signs of a sun tan this summer, but ...
Review by Penny Valentine, Sounds, 1972
IN A VAST, empty, wild beach a blonde girl sits in the breakers and watches the sea rolling endlessly into the sand. There are seagulls ...
Profile and Interview by Jerry Gilbert, Sounds, 1972
JON MARK sits outside his local in Wimbledon, quietly supping a pint. The sun is hot and bar strangely quiet in the unusual absence of ...
Joni Mitchell: Royal Festival Hall, London,
Live Review by Penny Valentine, Sounds, January 1972
Saturday night was Cup Final day in London and – in passing – the last time the crowd joined for ‘Abide With Me’ at Wembley. ...
Black Sabbath: Sabbath Ready To Rejoin The Rock Machine
Interview by Dick Meadows, Sounds, January 1972
IN THE black art of rock and roll Sabbath are masters. But the business of fame takes its toll in terms of exhaustion and it ...
Strawbs, The: The Strawbs' Dave Cousins
Interview by Jerry Gilbert, Sounds, January 1972
Can you talk, first of all, about the early days of the Strawbs, how you came together and so on. ...
Joe Cocker: Why The Cut in Cockerpower?
Report by Penny Valentine, Sounds, January 1972
WHEN JOE Cocker came back to Britain at the end of 1970, went back home to Sheffield and word got around to a stunned music ...
Stevie Wonder: Stevie's Moog Music...
Profile and Interview by Penny Valentine, Sounds, January 1972
"I NEVER did realise it would take me so long to lose that 'Little' Stevie Wonder tag. There are times when I wish I'd only ...
Curtis Mayfield In The Talk-In
Interview by Penny Valentine, Sounds, February 1972
WHEN YOU first used strings on your early work with the Impressions it was something of a breakthrough in soul music. Did you find any ...
David Geffen: David's Talented Asylum
Interview by Penny Valentine, Sounds, February 1972
Penny Valentine talks to America's leading manager David Geffen ...
Helen Reddy: Weekend Ever Reddy
Interview by Penny Valentine, Sounds, February 1972
A VERY HEAVY American biography on Helen Reddy comes on with excessive amounts of material on the supernatural, her beliefs in ESP and parapsychology* until ...
Black Sabbath: Town Hall, Birmingham
Live Review by Dick Meadows, Sounds, February 1972
Sabbath: The Old Firm Are Back Home ...
Richie Furay, Poco: Poco: Interview with Richie Furay
Interview by Jerry Gilbert, Sounds, February 1972
RICHIE FURAY has been one of the guardian angels of rock music over the past five years, coming to the fore in 1969 when he ...
Groundhogs, The: The Groundhogs: Tony McPhee At The Talk-In
Interview by Jerry Gilbert, Sounds, March 1972
A FRESHLY cropped Tony McPhee arrived at United Artists offices at some ridiculous hour in the morning, borne out by the fact that Mac was ...
Randy Newman: Royal Festival Hall, London
Live Review by Jerry Gilbert, Sounds, March 1972
NEWMAN GIVING HIS ALL ...
Review by Jerry Gilbert, Sounds, March 1972
ISLAND APPEARED to have forgotten about Nick Drake until he ambled into the offices one day and presented them with this album. No one knew ...
Procol Harum: Procol Back On The Pedestal
Report and Interview by Penny Valentine, Sounds, April 1972
PROCOL HARUM’S new album — not the extravaganza that comes out this week with the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra but the one Gary Brooker and Keith ...
Rory Gallagher: Travelling Full Circle
Interview by Jerry Gilbert, Sounds, May 1972
RORY GALLAGHER admitted this week, that his new year European tour had been a tremendous morale booster.... reinforcing old favourites like 'Laundromat' and 'Sinner Boy' ...
Al Stewart: The Poetic Man Tells Of His Love
Report by Jerry Gilbert, Sounds, May 1972
THE FACT that the rock public generally seem to be adamant in their appraisal of Al Stewart is a definite sign for the good; for ...
Interview by Jerry Gilbert, Sounds, May 1972
LINDISFARNE'S MERCURIAL rise to fame in the past year has done little to alter the outlook of their chief songwriter, James Alan Hull. Hully remains ...
Joni Mitchell: An Interview (part 1)
Interview by Penny Valentine, Sounds, June 1972
THE LADY who walks on eggs is sitting in her hotel suite overlooking St. James' Park with her legs tucked up, her chin resting on ...
Joni Mitchell: An Interview (part 2)
Interview by Penny Valentine, Sounds, June 1972
LAST WEEK Joni Mitchell spoke for the first time in over two years about why she virtually "retired" from the music scene during a period ...
Interview by Jerry Gilbert, Sounds, July 1972
THE drive out to Topanga Canyon from Hollywood along Sunset is quite a heady experience in itself and when Bob "The Bear" Hite is there ...
Procol Harum: Reid Between The Lines
Interview by Penny Valentine, Sounds, August 1972
"I HAVE A VERY bad reputation," says Keith Reid thoughtfully. "Especially with the men who hold all the money in this business". I'm quite sure ...
Interview by Penny Valentine, Sounds, August 1972
"I DON'T THINK we've ever had a particular status. I think we're a band a lot of people underestimate and in many ways I think ...
Report and Interview by Jerry Gilbert, Sounds, September 1972
PETER GABRIEL – slightly eccentric or acute schizophrenic? He cycles to Island Studios to begin a day's work on the new Genesis album, and unpacks ...
Review by Jerry Gilbert, Sounds, September 1972
"HAVE YOU GOT a copy of the new album yet?", Mike Rutherford inquired meekly as Genesis prepared to go onstage at the Marquee last week. ...
Report and Interview by Jerry Gilbert, Sounds, October 1972
"FIVE CRATES OF Brown ale and a crate of Guinness please." Twelve quid across the bar to a landlord shaking his head in disbelief, and ...
Interview by Jerry Gilbert, Sounds, November 1972
WERE YOU and Tony Banks the prime instigators of the original Genesis back at Charterhouse School? ...
Joe Cocker: 'With A Song In Your Heart'
Interview by Penny Valentine, Sounds, November 1972
JOE COCKER has had a pretty heavy day of it so far. Two Australians had been gritting their teeth at him... 'Was it true that ...
Bill Withers: Making Music Till He Drops
Report and Interview by Jerry Gilbert, Sounds, November 1972
THE QUEST for that intangible magic with which so few of us are blessed, can often entail a very long journey indeed. And whilst Bill ...
Interview by Jerry Gilbert, Sounds, November 1972
AN AMERICAN-style interview generally means a rap over the breakfast table and it was under such circumstances that I met Harry Chapin at the Westbury ...
Cat Stevens: A Cat Breaks Free
Interview by Penny Valentine, Sounds, December 1972
Penny Valentine takes a jaunt to see Cat Stevens ...
Joni Mitchell: The Troubadour, Los Angeles
Live Review by Steven Rosen, Sounds, December 1972
Steve Rosen reports from the West Coast ...
Dory Previn: Surviving All Odds: Dory Previn
Interview by Penny Valentine, Sounds, December 1972
WHEN DORY Previn wrote: "I no longer plead with heaven or go rummaging in books for the answers to the questions life contains", she had ...
Doobie Brothers: The Doobies’ Little Gem
Interview by Jerry Gilbert, Sounds, December 1972
LAST YEAR, when the Doobie Brothers made their recording debut with Warner Brothers, there was little reaction either at the time of the release of ...
Loggins & Messina: They’re Havin’ A Good Time: Loggins & Messina
Report and Interview by Jerry Gilbert, Sounds, Spring 1972
THE KENNY Loggins/Jim Messina band is the best thing to emerge from LA in years. Their recent Stateside tour with Delaney & Bonnie took audiences ...
Terry Reid: Terry’s Funky Steamer
Interview by Penny Valentine, Sounds, 1973
FOR A WEEK now in Los Angeles the local TV station have been running a series of old maestro W.C. Fields movies each morning. Today ...
Sandy Denny: Sandy Brings Out The Tears
Live Review by Jerry Gilbert, Sounds, 1973
"SANDY DENNY really draws ‘em out", exclaimed Al Stewart, surveying the sea of well-known faces who had assemble at the Howff to see Britain’s number ...
Procol Harum: Procol's Triumph
Live Review by Penny Valentine, Sounds, 1973
"MAKES QUITE a change for a Friday night at the Rainbow," said the guy behind me surreptitiously half-way through Procol Harum's appearance last week ...
Beach Boys, The: The Beach Boys: Hollywood Palladium, Los Angeles
Live Review by Steven Rosen, Sounds, 1973
THE HOLLYWOOD Palladium had its chandeliers rattled Friday evening when the legendary Beach Boys performed before a sold-out audience of full-fledged, out-and-out surfers. A long ...
Interview by Jerry Gilbert, Sounds, January 1973
SINCE THE formation of the first traditional, electric folk supergroup, to lump together every possible stigmatic cliché that was attached to them, Steeleye Span have ...
Report and Interview by Jerry Gilbert, Sounds, January 1973
1973’s NEW BROOM struck its first death blow last week when the on-off rumors of Pentangle’s long-pending split seemed finally to be confirmed. ...
Profile by Penny Valentine, Sounds, January 1973
RONNIE WOOD'S always been pretty modest about his guitar playing. Mention how good it's got over the past two years and he tends to look ...
Joni Mitchell: The Voice of Woman: Joni Mitchell
Comment by Penny Valentine, Sounds, February 1973
I am on a lonely road and I am travellingLooking for the key to set me free . . . ...
Bette Midler: Trying To Be Free
Interview by Penny Valentine, Sounds, February 1973
THE DIVINE MISS M. sparkles and shines like a great glossy cake trimmed up with rich icing. On stage, word has it, she is superbly ...
Interview by Jerry Gilbert, Sounds, March 1973
THEY SAY that Scotsmen never return home once they've arrived in London, but in the case of Bernie Gallagher and Graham Lyle, they find their ...
Lindisfarne: Alan Hull: Playing In The Band
Interview by Jerry Gilbert, Sounds, March 1973
ALAN HULL, who has led Lindisfarne a stormy path across the other side of the world, is back in Barnet – the Mecca of the ...
Steely Dan: Get Your Thrills Here
Interview by Penny Valentine, Sounds, March 1973
THE MOST exciting new band to break from the States this year is Steely Dan. ...
Todd Rundgren: A Wizard, A True Star (Bearsville)
Review by Jerry Gilbert, Sounds, April 1973
A MAZE. A truly amazing album. That might well have been the subtitle of this latest excursion into the land of magic from henna-haired hero ...
Keith Moon: Bored Side Of The Moon
Interview by Penny Valentine, Sounds, May 1973
Penny Valentine meets an old friend ...
Groundhogs, The: Mac’s Home Cooking: The Groundhogs
Interview by Jerry Gilbert, Sounds, May 1973
DO-IT-YOURSELF man Tony McPhee stands among the debris of a still-unfinished studio at his home in Haverhill, Suffolk. ...
Interview by Jerry Gilbert, Sounds, May 1973
There Goes Rhymin’ Simon is the title of Paul Simon’s new solo album, and last week he was in New York to talk about the ...
Bill Withers: Live At Carnegie Hall (A&M)
Review by Jerry Gilbert, Sounds, June 1973
FIRST TIME I saw Bill Withers live he was appearing at the huge Louisiana State Fair in Baton Rouge to a matter of about 20,000 ...
Steeleye Span: The Steeleye Span Talk-In
Interview by Jerry Gilbert, Sounds, June 1973
STEELEYE HAVE JUST added a drummer for the first time since the band formed. Can you explain how this came about? ...
Led Zeppelin: Steel Driven Led
Live Review by Steven Rosen, Sounds, June 1973
LED ZEPPELIN recently flew into town and within a matter of hours after the Forum box office opened, had sold close to 36,000 tickets for ...
Cat Stevens' Subtle Love Affair
Review and Interview by Penny Valentine, Sounds, July 1973
CAT STEVENS walks out of the burning sun, through the huge glass windows. It’s a surprise to see him. He seems as surprised to be ...
Strawbs, The: Jacks Out For The Strawbs
Interview by Jerry Gilbert, Sounds, August 1973
THE BEST, and possibly only, way of breaking in a new band is to retreat into the country, converge on the local inn and set ...
Barclay James Harvest: Waiting ForThe Cherry Harvest
Profile and Interview by Jerry Gilbert, Sounds, August 1973
A COUPLE of years ago I chanced to review an album by a band which transformed a flirting relationship into something of a commitment. The ...
Rod Stewart, Faces, The: Rod Stewart: Swashbuckler Rod
Interview by Penny Valentine, Sounds, August 1973
ROD STEWART and I have been talking about the Liberal party and their chances in the next election. Now he's standing – one long green ...
Faces, The: Rod Stewart: Swashbuckler Rod
Interview by Penny Valentine, Sounds, August 1973
Rod Stewart and I have been talking about the Liberal party and their chances in the next election. Now he’s standing — one long green ...
Aj Webber: Straight From The Heart
Interview by Jerry Gilbert, Sounds, September 1973
AJ WEBBER is neither to be confused with dustbin Dylanologist A.J. Webberman nor with British bumpkin Adge Cutler, although like the Adge she comes from ...
Interview by Jerry Gilbert, Sounds, September 1973
Sandy Denny and Trevor Lucas were at their Fulham flat watching the test match when I arrived to tape the talk-in. England’s terrible plight was ...
Report by Jerry Gilbert, Sounds, September 1973
THE DAY Starship One landed in Hollywood it effused a trace of the old redolence and affaced just a little of the Hollywood myth. The ...
Don McLean: Eye On The Future, Ear In The Past: Don McLean
Interview by Jerry Gilbert, Sounds, September 1973
DON McLEAN took a deep breath and launched into a long qualification of his next album — how one cycle was complete and how his ...
Poco: One Of The Great Mysteries Of Rock
Profile and Interview by Jerry Gilbert, Sounds, September 1973
Five years and six albums after they formed Poco remain one of the great mysteries of rock and roll – a band who have lurked ...
Report and Interview by Bruce Pollock, Sounds, October 1973
ON THE broadwalk at Asbury Park, New Jersey, you can hear the black waters of the Atlantic rippling against the rotted sides of the pier ...
Strawbs, The: The Strawbs: Ripe Strawbs
Interview by Jerry Gilbert, Sounds, November 1973
THE STRAWBS are at last beginning to mature into the kind of band that does justice to the eminence of the musicians involved. "Come down ...
Rick Derringer: All American: Rick Derringer
Interview by Jerry Gilbert, Sounds, December 1973
RICK ZEHRINGER, one time leader of the McCoys, is now better known as Rick Derringer, the All American Boy. Through his work with Johnny and ...
Steeleye Span: Maddy Prior in the Talk-In
Interview by Jerry Gilbert, Sounds, December 1973
WITHIN THE precincts of Warwick Castle a BBC Outside Broadcast team were attempting to film the second Steeleye TV show in their peregrinations around famous ...
Interview by Jerry Gilbert, Sounds, December 1973
POCO’S TIM Schmitt and Paul Cotton were asked whether Richie Furay would have the band to play on the same bill as Loggins & Messina, ...
Taj Mahal: Taj: Thinking The Blues
Interview by Jerry Gilbert, Sounds, December 1973
TAJ MAHAL was dressed in full regalia when we arrived at his hotel room in Manhattan, and the room revealed signs that he and his ...
Ray Manzarek, Doors, The: The Doors: An Interview with Ray Manzarek
Interview by Steven Rosen, Sounds, December 1973
SR: THE BREAKING up of the Doors was kind of a mysterious circumstance and I'm sure not many people know really what happened. ...
Frank Zappa: Ultra-modern String Bean
Profile and Interview by Jon Tiven, Sounds, December 1973
ALTHOUGH depicted as vicarious forms of slimy nightmare, Frank Zappa is NOT creepy. When asked about days of old (when everyone was groping around, trying ...
Aretha Franklin: With Everything I Feel In Me (Atlantic)
Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 1974
IT'S A sorry state of affairs when you put a new Aretha Franklin album on the turntable and it blends into the woodwork with the ...
Renaissance: A New Life for Renaissance
Interview by Jerry Gilbert, Sounds, March 1974
IT’S FOUR years since the first Renaissance album came out. It was a memorable week as I recall Island issuing that and Fairport Convention’s Liege ...
Canned Heat: The Fire's Lit — The Heat Is On
Interview by Steven Rosen, Sounds, March 1974
THE INDUSTRY of music hangs like the sword of Damocles over its performers. At any turn an artist may be erased from the books by ...
Terry Reid: Reincarnated Cowboy
Profile and Interview by Jon Tiven, Sounds, March 1974
"You’ve got Peter Jay, Led Zeppelin, and blah-blah-blah and it doesn’t have anything to do with what I’m doing now. Like here I am doing ...
Cat Stevens: The Patterns Of A Chocolate Man
Interview by Jerry Gilbert, Sounds, March 1974
With an almost regimental sense of routine, Cat Stevens is back in England rehearsing for his first tour in eighteen months. ...
Report and Interview by Jerry Gilbert, Sounds, March 1974
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN was confined to the boardwalk life on New Jersey. He lived over a drug store "in all the craziness of downtown", prayed for ...
Strawbs, The: The Strawbs: An interview with Dave Cousins
Interview by Jerry Gilbert, Sounds, April 1974
DAVE COUSINS is one of the few musicians whom one can interview repeatedly and always come back with a fresh slant or a new revelation. ...
Live Review by Steven Rosen, Sounds, June 1974
PERHAPS AMERICA'S two most important musical artists took to the roads recently. Bob Dylan blazed a crosscountry tour which left followers and non-believers alike a ...
Phil Manzanera, Roxy Music: Roxy Music: The Two Sides Of Mr Manzanera
Interview by Pete Makowski, Sounds, August 1974
Since the beginning of Roxy Music's career there have been many reports of fights and ego stomping between various members. One man who's been keeping ...
Crosby Stills Nash and Young: CSN&Y: By The Time We Got Through Neasden...
Live Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, September 1974
EVERYONE had their doubts. Throughout the daylong musical orgy of all 72,000 paying customers sat in nervous anticipation, enjoying the exceptionally fine music and the ...
Joni Mitchell: Wembley Stadium, London
Live Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, September 1974
IN CONCERT, Joni Mitchell is one of those rare performers whose sophisticated charisma and fairy-tale personality reach the inner emotions of her audience. ...
Stephen Stills: An American in Paris
Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, October 1974
CROSBY, STILLS, NASH AND YOUNG had only ended their reunion tour three weeks back, and already Stephen Stills was working again. The locale had ...
Sensational Alex Harvey Band, The: Alex Harvey: Rock And Roll Warrior
Interview by Pete Makowski, Sounds, October 1974
Pete Makowski talks to a man who fought at Waterloo. Here, back in his reincarnated form, he talks about making peace with the people. ...
Review by Pete Makowski, Sounds, November 1974
IT IS going to be interesting to see the fans' and critics' reaction when they lay their hands on Stormbringer. ...
Led Zeppelin: Long Beach Arena, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Steven Rosen, Sounds, April 1975
LED ZEPPELIN'S long awaited North American tour could have waited a while longer – about ten years or so. After reports had filed in to ...
Beach Boys, The, Jesse Colin Young: The Beach Boys, Jesse Colin Young: Santa Barbara University, CA
Live Review by Steven Rosen, Sounds, April 1975
"I WISH they all could be California girllls," the Beach Boys sang on a sunny and high spirited Sunday afternoon. It was the perfect setting ...
Ronnie Lane: All Roads Lead To The Big Top
Interview by Mick Brown, Sounds, April 1975
As Ronnie Lane prepares to take his Passing Show back on the road, Mick Brown reports ...
Bernard Purdie: Purdie's School of Drumming
Interview by Pete Makowski, Sounds, April 1975
Pete Makowski talks to top American session drummer Bernard Purdie ...
Patti Smith: Part Woman, Part Black, Part Genius, Part Idiot...
Profile and Interview by Mick Brown, Sounds, April 1975
PATTI SMITH might have been a star last year, but the top side of her first single seemed to have the word 'piss' in every ...
LaBelle: ...How The West Was Won — Nearly
Report by Penny Valentine, Sounds, April 1975
A few days in the life of LaBelle. Penny Valentine reports from America's West Coast where the critics are a harder nut to crack than ...
Gladys Knight & The Pips: Midnight Train To Harlem
Report by Penny Valentine, Sounds, April 1975
Blowing it at the Apollo means you haven't really made it at all. After a heart-stopping false start, GLADYS KNIGHT went on to prove that ...
Pink Floyd: Vancouver, BC; Seattle WA; San Francisco CA
Live Review by David Rensin, Sounds, May 1975
Trapped on the Moon ...
Bill Monroe: Greyfriars Monastery, Glasgow
Live Review by Dave Laing, Sounds, May 1975
Kentucky Friar Bluegrass: At 63, Bill Monroe's Fingers Are Still as Nimble As Ever. Dave Laing reports from Greyfriars Monastery, near Glasgow. ...
Average White Band: The Spirit is High as The Average White Band Go Out to Haunt the Strip
Report and Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, May 1975
Success to these guys means getting better, smoking Rothmans and a few extra patches on their denims. Barbara Charone reports from Los Angeles ...
Led Zeppelin: Earls Court, London
Live Review by Pete Makowski, Sounds, May 1975
"SIX AND A half years is a helluva long time," said Robert Plant who was standing one side of the Earls Court stage, bathed in ...
Joan Armatrading: Reluctant Singer Returns
Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, May 1975
"I'M THE most boring person in the whole world," Joan Armatrading announces, sticking her head out the window of A&M's Oxford Street offices, breathing in ...
Overview by Idris Walters, Sounds, May 1975
...but can white rock and rollers sing the palm tree? wonders IDRIS WALTERS ...
Live Review by Dave Laing, Sounds, May 1975
BEFORE THEY split up in 1972, Patto had the reputation of being a "Musicians' band". Which made them feel good but didn't pay for life's ...
Allen Toussaint: Southern Nights (Reprise)
Review by Jonh Ingham, Sounds, June 1975
Toussaint's Night Flight ...
Ronnie Wood, Bobby Womack: Now Look Here! This is Bobby Womack
Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, June 1975
BOBBY WOMACK is confused. Suffering from an overdose of in-the-studio-excitement and jet lag, he sits on the bed of his hotel room cubicle at Blake's, ...
Roy Harper: Poetry In Motion With The One Eyed Giant
Report and Interview by Jonh Ingham, Sounds, June 1975
ROY HARPER reckons Roger Waters listens to Valentine at least three times a week. He also reckons he's influenced Led Zeppelin and Jethro Tull. If ...
Rolling Stones, The: The Rolling Stones: Madison Square Garden, New York NY
Live Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, July 1975
Frenetic, laid back Stones ...
Stephen Stills: Steve Stills A Man Of Magic
Live Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, July 1975
Stephen Stills: Lennox, Massachusetts ...
Live Review by Dave Laing, Sounds, July 1975
IT WAS, as they say, a night to remember. The queue outside London's Torrington last Sunday stretched right down the road, and dozens were left ...
Faces, The, Rolling Stones, The, Ronnie Wood: 'Now Read' Ronnie Wood
Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, July 1975
"HEY MICKIE BAAABY," a disc jockey screams loudly after playing 'Get Off Of My Cloud' for the third time that afternoon for the greater metropolis ...
Aerosmith: Toys In The Attic (CBS) (36:59).
Review by Jonh Ingham, Sounds, August 1975
AS AEROSMITH race through 'Toys In The Attic', first track on the platter, all raging guitars, quaint lyrics about 'leaving the things that are real ...
Rolling Stones, The: Keith Richards: The Weasel Walks In
Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, August 1975
Barbara Charone talks to Keith Richard, the man who Mick Jagger introduces as 'the guy on sort of vocals' ...
Bee Gees, The: Back on course with the Bee Gees
Interview by Charles Bermant, Sounds, August 1975
BARRY GIBB IS pleased. It is a good season for ‘the Bee Gees (Barry and his brothers, Maurice and Robin) whose new Main Course album ...
Eric Clapton: EC Was Here (RSO)
Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, August 1975
"THE LIVE album," said long time Clapton producer Tom Dowd, "is the answer to everyone saying 'why doesn't Eric play more'?" ...
Supremes, The: The Supremes: The Supremes (Tamla Motown) (32.16)
Review by Jonh Ingham, Sounds, August 1975
SIX PRODUCERS on one record? Is this some kind of a joke? I've heard of Rick Derringer dreaming of a different producer for each song ...
Chris Farlowe: Farlowe's Back In Time
Interview by Mick Brown, Sounds, August 1975
IT WAS, says Chris Farlowe, bloody fantastic. The Marquee Club packed to the limit; sweat staining the walls. A barrage of vintage blues-shouting from Farlowe ...
Stephen Stills: Stills – From Fish Bowl To Pleasure Dome
Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, August 1975
THE KANSAS City Holiday Inn is not the kind of place you would want to call home. Situated right off an interstate highway, the rooms ...
Bob Marley & the Wailers: Bob Marley: Marley On The Mount
Interview by Idris Walters, Sounds, August 1975
Last week you got the low-down on Bob Marley, King of the Rastafarians. But it goes a little deeper than that. For a start the ...
Rory Gallagher: Rory's full of nitty gritty
Report and Interview by Mick Brown, Sounds, August 1975
After their recent success at the Montreux Festival, the Rory Gallagher band moved on to new ground, Finland. ...
Groundhogs, The: Tony McPhee: Prisoner In His Own Castle?
Interview by Jerry Gilbert, Sounds, September 1975
Jerry Gilbert looks at Tony McPhee’s decision to split the Groundhogs. ...
Manhattan Transfer: Be-bopin' theTransfer Tradition
Interview by Jonh Ingham, Sounds, September 1975
Manhattan Transfer don't like being classed as a nostalgia band, they feel they're urban folk singers, singing music of the ghetto. Jonh Ingham talks to ...
Bruce Springsteen: Born To Run (Columbia import)
Review by Jerry Gilbert, Sounds, September 1975
THE VISIONARIES and rock and roll prophets who predicted that this album would be the making of Bruce Springsteen may have noted that while their ...
Genesis: The Lamb Lies Down But Genesis Carries On
Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, September 1975
THE GATHERING was far from morose. No black clothes or sombre faces. No mourning music or dirge-like drones. No sullen postures, despondent looks or vehement ...
David Essex: Roll On For The Main Attraction
Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, September 1975
JUST OFF the Fulham Road, round the corner from an old cinema that Manticore have converted into a hollow rehearsal hall, David Essex sits in ...
Chris Spedding: Speeding With Spedding
Report and Interview by Jonh Ingham, Sounds, September 1975
DEEP IN the bowels of Television Centre, Chris Spedding whiles away the hours in a dressing room, waiting for those few minutes on TOTP when ...
Queen: Wimpy and Quips : Jonh Ingham shares an eggburger with Queen's Brian May
Interview by Jonh Ingham, Sounds, September 1975
IT WAS AN EASY DAY; I was reading my old press clippings. The phone rang. I almost didn't answer it but security can lull you. ...
Dr. Feelgood: Dr Feelgood: Malpractice (United Artists) (36.08)
Review by Jonh Ingham, Sounds, October 1975
FROM THE speed-crazed paranoid stares on the cover to the buzz-bomb guitar attacks inside, one question demands to be answered: would you let your parents ...
Who, The: The Who: The Who By Numbers (Polydor) (37.50)
Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, October 1975
THE WHO are alright kids. They are back with a vengeance. The first opening attack on 'Slip Kid' quells doubts and settles apprehensions about the ...
America: St George To The Rescue
Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, October 1975
DEWEY BUNNELL stood in the middle of his Manchester hotel suite, scratched his beard, and grinned. An hour before, Dewey and a couple of his ...
Emmylou Harris Still Loves Her Dolly
Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, October 1975
"TACKY ISN'T IT?" Emmylou Harris grinned, pointing to a rainbow coloured T-shirt, the words Palamino Club emblazoned across the chest while a genuine chestnut mare ...
Interview by Jerry Gilbert, Sounds, October 1975
THE SUDDEN relaunch of Poco has kicked up some pretty weird conversations and ironies. For few former Poco buffs are willing to believe that Head ...
Steve Gibbons Band: Steve Gibbons
Profile and Interview by Dave Laing, Sounds, October 1975
There's an extra bonus for those of you with tickets for the Who's upcoming tour. It comes in the shape of the Steve Gibbons Band. ...
Roxy Music, Bryan Ferry, Phil Manzanera, Andy Mackay: The Roxy Music Story
Report and Interview by Jonh Ingham, Sounds, October 1975
THE TELEPHONE'S ringing woke him. Sleepily Flame Torso surveyed the tangle of blankets which hid the form next to him. He vaguely tried to remember ...
Linda Ronstadt: Prisoner In Disguise
Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, October 1975
MAYBE IT'S the singer not the song but in the particular case of Linda Ronstadt it is both. Plagued by an unsympathetic selection of material ...
Interview by Jonh Ingham, Sounds, October 1975
TO VISIT ALVIN LEE at home is seemingly to see a man living the perfect fantasy life – 40 room mansion, large gardens, recording studio, ...
Leon Russell: Russell's Hustle...
Report by uncredited writer, Sounds, October 1975
LEON RUSSELL, obviously displeased with the low sales of his last album, Will O'The Wisp, is trying a new idea to stimulate things for his ...
Who, The: The Who's Bingley Bang
Report by Barbara Charone, Sounds, October 1975
I WAS in a pretty blasphemous mood when I left for Stafford. But the thought of seeing the Who cheered me up. It had been ...
Dr. Feelgood: The /almost collected thoughts of Dr. Feelgood
Interview by Jonh Ingham, Sounds, October 1975
DR FEELGOOD: Wilko Johnson – guitar; Lee Brilleaux – vocals; John B Sparks – bass; The Figure – drums. They grew up on Canvey Island in ...
Bonnie Raitt: Home Plate (Warner Bros.)
Review by Penny Valentine, Sounds, November 1975
BONNIE RAITT is an intriguing talent, firmly rooted in the music of men like Otis Rush and Fred McDowell whom she met and worked with ...
Back Street Crawler, Paul Kossoff: Back from the Dead: Paul Kossoff
Report and Interview by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, November 1975
Despite that painful appearance on the OGWT, Paul Kossoff is Alive and as Well as anyone could be after being at death' s door ...
Barclay James Harvest: Who Reaped Barclay James’ harvest?
Interview by Jerry Gilbert, Sounds, November 1975
After seven years with a sizeable reputation and a loyal following, Barclay James Harvest still haven’t made any money. ...
Captain Beefheart: Don't Argue with the Captain: A Rap Wit’ de Cap
Interview by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, November 1975
Captain Beefheart is back in Britain, and despite those hassles over Bongo Fury he has lots of laughs... ...
Tangerine Dream: Ricochet (Virgin) 38 min*****
Review by Jonh Ingham, Sounds, November 1975
THE TANGS RULE. Jamie had seen it spray painted on walls all over town. In underpasses. On the back walls of railway sidings – 20 ...
Bob Marley & the Wailers: Bob Marley & The Wailers: Live at the Lyceum (Island) 35 mins.*****
Review by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, November 1975
IN THESE troubled times of ours there's very few things you can be sure of. ...
Neil Young: Zuma (Warner Brothers)*****
Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, November 1975
YOUNG'S NEWLY gained independence, following his split with his old lady, actress Carrie Snodgrass, seems to have had quite a positive effect on his work. ...
Faces, The, Rod Stewart: The Faces: Vocalist Wanted for Pro Band
Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, November 1975
IT SEEMED like a good idea. After Rod Stewart's predictably flamboyant statements over the Faces future, the band deserved equal time. Would Ian McLagen turn ...
Dr. John: Dr John's Minstrel Trip
Interview by Mick Brown, Sounds, November 1975
WHEN DR John was coming off heroin some time ago, it was suggested that a visit to a faith-healing meeting might help in the cure. ...
Queen: A Riot At The Opera: Queen Triumphant
Report and Interview by Jonh Ingham, Sounds, November 1975
QUEEN ARE the type of group that make a man want to abandon rock writing. They pose questions and never provide answers. They exist in ...
Profile and Interview by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, November 1975
'IN THE street, boy! That's where the action is. Where the wheelers and the dealers and the hustlers and the crooks get the suckers.' ...
Bruce Springsteen: Hammersmith Odeon, London
Live Review by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, November 1975
WHEN THEY were good they were very very good, and when they were bad they were so-so. ...
Toots & The Maytals, Who, The: The Who, Toots & The Maytals: Summit Hockey Arena, Houston TX
Live Review by John Swenson, Sounds, November 1975
THE WHO began the American portion of their world tour in characteristic fashion – opening up Houston's Summit Hockey arena to rock 'n' roll. ...
Tom Waits: Nighthawks At The Diner (Asylum Import) *****
Review by Mick Brown, Sounds, December 1975
Waits: poet of the streets and bars ...
Review by Jonh Ingham, Sounds, December 1975
EVEN IF you don't particularly care for Roy Wood (and his music seems to arouse, negatively speaking, disinterest rather than hate), you have to give ...
Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, December 1975
ALTHOUGH the jumper says "Happy Little Leo", the artiste is in a reflective mood this cold day in November despite comic overtures. Black leather jacket, ...
Can: Tales of the Supernatural
Interview by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, December 1975
I WAS SITTING in a standard hotel bedroom the other day, chewing the fat with a citizen by the name of Irmin Schmidt. ...
Back Street Crawler: City Hall, Newcastle
Live Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, December 1975
IT WAS a fairly complete emotional experience watching Back Street Crawler at the City Hall. You wondered where performance ended and real life began. Was ...
Profile and Interview by Jerry Gilbert, Sounds, December 1975
HEADLEY GRANGE is an unimposing place, rambling, but not overly large and possessing none of the characteristics that make for a manor, stately home, or ...
Steeleye Span: The Folk Who Plugged In
Retrospective and Interview by Jerry Gilbert, Sounds, December 1975
NOW WE are six was a title conveniently borrowed from A. A. Milne to acknowledge that in 1973 Steeleye Span had finally decided to add ...
Dr. John: Dr John: Hollywood Be Thy Name (United Artists)
Review by Mick Brown, Sounds, December 1975
WHEN DOCTOR John failed to deliver a hit single (and album) to follow the success of 'In The Right Place' Atlantic promptly ditched him. That's ...
Live Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, December 1975
YOU REMEMBER how Barbarella nearly died on the Excessive Pleasure Machine? Well, Kokomo almost finished me off the same way the other night. Their whole ...
Michael Nesmith: Mike Nesmith: The Thinking Man's Nesmith
Interview by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, December 1975
MIKE NESMITH has been through a fair amount of professional incarnations, his two most striking public images being most easily summed up as Monkee and ...
Weather Report: Wayne Shorter Cuts It
Interview by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, December 1975
WAYNE Shorter used to be introduced by Art Blakey in the 1950s like this: "This is Wayne Shorter, ladies and genulmen... ‘cos he’s shorter than ...
Interview by Mick Brown, Sounds, December 1975
"I reckon I lost my way somewhere along the line. The whole thing was too regimented. It was getting really silly". It was perhaps ...
Queen: Hammersmith Odeon, London
Live Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, December 1975
‘BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY’ as a single is astonishingly close to a true expression of the character of Queen in any setting. ...
Al Jarreau: It's a bit early for New Year predictions, but here's one: Al Jarreau
Report and Interview by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, December 1975
TO EVERYONE who's raved over Al Jarreau's Warner Bros album, We Got By, the identity of the man has remained an enigma that demanded solution. ...
Cockney Rebel, Kinks, The: The Kinks, Cockney Rebel: Beacon Theatre, New York
Live Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, December 1975
"45 MINUTES of something light and bouncy," Steve Harley promises the audience at the Beacon Theatre one brisk Friday night. Cockney Rebel launch into 'Mr ...
Band, The: The Band: Northern Lights, Southern Cross (Capitol)
Review by Jonh Ingham, Sounds, December 1975
THE BAND don't rush things – this is their first album of original material in four years – and to review this after having listened ...
Doctors of Madness, The: The Doctors of Madness
Interview by Jonh Ingham, Sounds, December 1975
PORTSMOUTH Poly wasn't Saturday night's top hotspot by any means, but then it seemed as well hidden as El Dorado. Still, an evening's pleasure topped ...
Bob Dylan: Million Dollar Bash
Live Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, December 1975
Bob Dylan and The Rolling Thunder Review: Madison Square Garden, NYC ...
Report and Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, December 1975
MADELINE HAS come a long way to be here in Manchester at the Midland Hotel. She has come all the way from New Jersey to ...
Tony Joe White: Eyes (20th Century)
Review by Chas de Whalley, Sounds, 1976
SO YOU thought Tony Joe White was a downhome country guy with his feet firmly in the mud of the Mississippi swamps? ...
Live Review by Sylvie Simmons, Sounds, 1976
SANTA MONICA CIVIC is not the best place to see a rock concert in Los Angeles. It's got about as much rock atmosphere as the ...
Burning Spear: Man In The Hills (Island)
Review by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, 1976
Spear’s album is a staggering success. It's a big challenge to follow up Marcus Garvey (I don't count Garvey's Ghost), which from the instant of ...
Queen: Mercury Rising: The Queen Interview
Interview by Jonh Ingham, Sounds, January 1976
AND SO IT CAME to pass that the Santa Claus single this Yuletide season was a spaghetti-melodrama of Love and Death, by that most British ...
J. Geils Band: Backroom Stuff From Peter Wolf
Interview by Mick Brown, Sounds, January 1976
PETER WOLF lopes across his Savoy Hotel Suite to a tape-deck and slots in a cassette of Arthur Conley singing 'Sweet Soul Music'. "That opening ...
10cc: How Dare You! (Phonogram)***
Review by Jonh Ingham, Sounds, January 1976
THIS ALBUM really bugs me. So much so that I've spent the better part of a morning throwing away half-typed sheets of paper. The trouble ...
Andy Fairweather Lowe: Andy Fairweather-Low: For He's A Jolly Good F-Low
Interview by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, January 1976
OL' RUBBER-FACE is back, No disrespect intended to one of this country's most affable musicians, but the fact of the matter is that he is ...
Rory Gallagher... And The Grain Grafts On
Interview by Mick Brown, Sounds, January 1976
"I USED to know the assistant manager at the Hammersmith Odeon when the Beatles played there. He'd deliver their fan mail and hang around while ...
Review by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, January 1976
Coney Island Baby finds Lou Reed in buoyant mood, the feeling that lilted through his first solo album, Lou Reed, and flashed intermittently in Sally ...
Bad Company: Run With The Pack (Island)
Review by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, January 1976
I WELL remember a poetry session when I was an English Major at university, conducted by Germaine Greer. 'How would you describe this poem?' the ...
David Bowie: Station to Station (RCA)
Review by Jonh Ingham, Sounds, January 1976
IN MY PHYSICS textbook at school was an amazing photo of two galaxies colliding. Just imagine being on a planet in a system in either ...
Doobie Brothers: The Doobies Brothers: Street Fighting Men
Interview by Steven Rosen, Sounds, January 1976
DRUMMER JOHN Hartman leans back precariously in the Memphis Hotel room chair, fingers locked behind head and mouth working in a typically rapid manner. He's ...
Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, January 1976
THE MINI-CAB DRIVER was confused. "Ron Wood," he kept repeating all the way to Richmond. The name was familiar but it's origin was a mystery. ...
Gene Clark: The Soulful Return Of Gene Clark
Profile and Interview by Mick Brown, Sounds, January 1976
WHILE ROGER McGuinn plays with his electronic toys in his Hollywood mansion and makes records that are mere shadows of his past work; while David ...
Heart: Dreamboat Annie (Arista)***
Review by Pete Makowski, Sounds, January 1976
THE FIRST time I heard this album was in the offices of another record company (who shall go unnamed) who were pretty hot to get ...
Country Joe & The Fish: Country Joe McDonald: Shed A Tear In Your Beer For The Fish Cheer
Interview by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, February 1976
COUNTRY JOE said: "I'd like to make some money, buy a Cadillac, make pop music as in popular, radio rock 'n' roll." ...
Kokomo: Grown Some Funk Of Our Own
Report and Interview by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, February 1976
THE SUBDUED shufflings of a hotel chambermaid were gradually coaxing Alan Spenner, Kokomo's friendly grizzly bear of a bass payer, out of sweet slumber. ...
Sailor: Down The Docks: Sailor
Interview by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, February 1976
"PEOPLE IN LOVE," sings Georg Kajanus and the other Sailors sing 'Aa-aaah' as who wouldn't at such nice, cosy thought? ...
Kevin Ayers: Odd Ditties (Harvest) ****
Review by Jonh Ingham, Sounds, February 1976
PERHAPS THE most apt album title of this or any year. Kevin Ayers has a great penchant for odd ditties, and these songs are decidedly ...
Interview by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, February 1976
THE FOLLOWING should be read with a Scouse accent: "I suppose Clancy are treading water and yet looking at the horizon waiting for the great ...
Interview by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, February 1976
TENSE SI SI: That's just to prove I speaka da lingo but it's also true about my interview with 10cc. ...
Emmylou Harris: Sweetheart Of The Rodeo
Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, February 1976
EXACTLY EIGHT years ago a very uncertain singer stood in the centre of a New York recording studio singing demos to an audience of muzak ...
Lynyrd Skynyrd: Hammersmith Odeon, London; Apollo Theatre, Glagow
Live Review by Jonh Ingham, Sounds, February 1976
IF YOU want to know just how good Skynyrd are, they're the rare band you wouldn't mind working for, just to watch the action every ...
Emmylou Harris: The Dome, Brighton
Live Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, February 1976
"FLOWERS?" Emmylou Harris grinned, staring down at a lovely bouquet hurled onstage as an appreciative thank-you from an ecstatic Brighton crowd. "Hey boys they're not ...
Interview by Pete Makowski, Sounds, February 1976
BY THE time you read this, Status Quo's new album and single should be riding high in the charts. You don't have to be an ...
John Entwistle, Who, The: John Entwistle: Is This The Right Man For Mayor of Acton?
Interview by Jonh Ingham, Sounds, February 1976
'Momma's got a squeeze box she wears on her chestAnd when Daddy comes home he never gets no rest Because she's playing all nightAnd the ...
Live Review by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, February 1976
"HEY, BRIAN, it's sold out – there's a line in front of the theatre!" That's one of the Midnight Band's glamorous female entourage calling out ...
Live Review by Jonh Ingham, Sounds, February 1976
I MET A TRUE love at a T. Rex concert, so he has a special affection. At that time he was assaulting America, expecting everybody ...
10cc: Herr Creme Gives You Bounce
Live Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, February 1976
10cc: Hammersmith Odeon, London ...
Report by Jonh Ingham, Sounds, February 1976
KATE SIMON'S MOTHER used to warn her, "Katherine, beware of people who drink before two p.m." My mum advised me to keep that first glass ...
O'Jays: The O'Jays: Family Reunion (Philadelphia International)***
Review by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, February 1976
THERE'S A HIT on this record, in case you're interested – 'I Love Music'. I needn't elaborate on that one, as if you're reading this ...
Kursaal Flyers, The: The Kursaal Flyers: The Great Artiste (UK) ****
Review by Jonh Ingham, Sounds, February 1976
THE KURSAALS have always had a way with visuals and image – Paul Shuttleworth's background in commercial art no doubt. Just check the ad for ...
Alan White: Ramshackled (Atlantic) ***
Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, February 1976
THIRD IN the series and I'll lay odds there's not going to be another Yes solo that sounds less like the parent band. ...
Maria Muldaur: Sweet Harmony (Reprise) *****
Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, February 1976
SALVATION HAS come down from the heaven's in the shape of Maria Muldaur's third album which finds the artist growing in leaps and bounds, moving ...
Sweet: Give Us A Wink (RCA) ***
Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, February 1976
THE SWEET have changed. That's what everyone kept telling me. No longer the offensive pop group they once were, Sweet now rock'n'roll. So it was ...
Eagles, The: The Eagles: Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975 (Asylum) ****
Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, February 1976
MORE THAN other greatest hits collections, this album signifies the end of an era for the Eagles. With the departure of Bernie Leadon and the ...
Phoebe Snow: Second Childhood (CBS) 39 mins****
Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, March 1976
BEST KNOWN to British audiences for her sing-along duet with Paul Simon on 'Gone At Last', Phoebe Snow is a very talented singer-songwriter who deserves ...
Bill Wyman: Stone Alone (Rolling Stones Records) 40mins***
Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, March 1976
WHAT CAN you say about an album that contains contributions from Joe Walsh, Van Morrison, Nicky Hopkins, Ron Wood, Al Kooper, and Dr. John to ...
Stackridge: Mr. Mick (Rocket, white label) *****
Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, March 1976
Presenting Mutter Slater ...
Rick Wakeman: No Earthly Connection
Review and Interview by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, March 1976
ELTON JOHN put the honky Chateau de Herouville on the map but Rick Wakeman and the English Rock Ensemble put it on the label of ...
Rolling Stones, The, Bill Wyman: Lone Stone
Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, March 1976
BILL WYMAN could not stop smiling. He's just received several cassettes full of classic singles by Gary And The US Bonds. Large KLH speakers spread ...
Burning Spear: Jack Ruby: Mono Reggae For The Ghetto
Interview by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, March 1976
WE’RE CALLING this Garvey’s Ghost," explained Jack Ruby, gesturing expansively towards the reel-to-reel, from whence issued sweet, sweet music. ...
Speedy Keen: Y’know Wot I Mean?
Interview by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, March 1976
"ONE BRIGHT spark at Track had a great idea for promoting ‘Previous Convictions’ – he sent out plastic turds, like you get in novelty shops, ...
Interview by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, March 1976
If you look like this … when you really feel like this…then your name is Thijs Van Leer and you’re trying hard to make the ...
Fatback Band, The: The Fatback Band: Ain't No Such Thing As We Don't Sounds BAAAD
Interview by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, March 1976
"WHEN WE get a groove we hate to quit!" shouted out Bill Curtis. His voice carried over inexorable waves of sound, cookin', stampin', and gettin' ...
Interview by Jonh Ingham, Sounds, March 1976
IN HIS last, rather desperate sounding album, Kevin Ayers really hit the nail on the head. In the middle of the first song, weightily titled ...
Kursaal Flyers, The: Kursaal Flyers: Coming In On A Wing And A Prayer
Report and Interview by Jonh Ingham, Sounds, March 1976
IT'S AMAZING the difference a moustache makes. ...
Ian Gillan, Deep Purple: Ian Gillan: Rock And Roll's In Gillan's Soul
Interview by Pete Makowski, Sounds, March 1976
"We all came out to Montreux, On the lake Geneva shoreline. To make a record with a mobile, We didn't have much time." ...
Led Zeppelin: Jimmy Page: Technological Gypsy
Interview by Jonh Ingham, Sounds, March 1976
'Aleister Crowley is the great misunderstood genius of the 20th century.' ...
Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, March 1976
"ACT LIKE a real shit," the assistant director is coaching Adam Faith on the eve of the West End debut of City Sugar. As disc ...
Alan White, Yes: Alan White: Can A White Man Sing.....?
Interview by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, March 1976
"NOW TELL ME honestly, what did you really expect when you came to meet me?" The disarming question is posed as yet another Yes album ...
Robin Trower: A Tower Of Power
Live Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, March 1976
Robin Trower: Empire Pool, Wembley ...
Bobby Womack: Hammersmith Odeon, London
Live Review by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, March 1976
THIS MUST RANK as the most Perplexing gig I've ever seen. All I was left with at the end was a burning desire to rush ...
Doctors of Madness, The: Doctors Of Madness: Late Night Movies, All Night Brainstorm (Polydor) ***
Review by Jonh Ingham, Sounds, March 1976
IF NOTHING ELSE, this record proves that you can't know anything personal about the people involved if you're to take this whole rock-noir terminal guttercrawl ...
Diana Ross: Breakfast With Lady Diana
Report and Interview by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, March 1976
THIS IS the story: it's a champagne breakfast for Diana Ross, being held at a Top London Hotel. Which means that everybody drags in bleary-eyed ...
Stackridge: Presenting Mutter Slater
Report and Interview by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, March 1976
Well this is really a feature on Stackridge but even they admit that Mutter's became their front man. Still they're all getting behind a new ...
Wings: Wings At The Speed Of Sound (Parlophone)***
Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, March 1976
THERE'S NO other way to say it. Wings At The Speed Of Sound is a major disappointment. ...
Nils Lofgren: Cry Tough (A&M) 37 min. *****
Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, March 1976
RELAX. THIS kid is hot stuff. Nils Lofgren has not let us down. Cry Tough is the best rock 'n roll album since Nils Lofgren. ...
Bobby Womack: That's All Y'All
Interview by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, March 1976
2010 note: this is the copy as printed. There is a section of text missing (possibly due to subediting error). This is marked by *** ...
Retrospective and Interview by Pete Makowski, Sounds, March 1976
Pete Makowski's putting his money on Thin Lizzy making the real big time. Here, he talks to Phil Lynott and looks at the past, present ...
Eagles, The: The Eagles: Desperados in Blue Jeans and Sneakers
Profile and Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, March 1976
EXACTLY TWO years ago a very hazy Los Angeles sun shone dimly through the polluted clouds onto the suburban racetrack that housed the California Jam. ...
Who, The: The Who: Madison Square Garden, New York NY
Live Review by John Swenson, Sounds, March 1976
IT'S AN old joke, but it's still happening so it must mean something. There we were eating the meat loaf special at the local watering ...
Live Review by John Swenson, Sounds, March 1976
YOU WON'T find a better textbook example of what's gone wrong with R&B over the past few years. Ticket prices, scaled from $10.00 down, were ...
Obituary by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, March 1976
WHAT CAN you do but grieve. Just grieve. Too close to the edge, always. Pain, so much pain, so much of the time it seemed. ...
Joe Walsh: You Can't Argue With A Sick Mind
Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, April 1976
LIVE ALBUMS are by rule deadweight, redundant renditions of songs better performed and recorded in the studio. Only the Who with their essential Live at ...
Paul McCartney, Wings: Linda McCartney: Silly Love Songs
Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, April 1976
ON A GREY and overcast winter afternoon, two men stand in the foyer of EMI Abbey Road Studios discussing plans for renovation. They are surrounded ...
Interview by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, April 1976
IT WAS A MONDAY like that. My train back to the big city was late so I was late for my interview with Patrick Moraz ...
John Denver: What's The Poor Guy Ever Done?
Comment by Mick Houghton, Sounds, April 1976
IT SEEMS as if you can't be complimentary about John Denver without adding some kickback remark to cover yourself. Take Grace Slick's reported comment a ...
Live Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, April 1976
Neil Young: Hammersmith Odeon, London ...
Toots & The Maytals: Toots And The Maytals: Reggae Got Soul (Island)***
Review by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, April 1976
SAD TO say, there's no track on this album that measures up to the quality of the classic tracks on Toots' last two 'rock-oriented' albums, ...
Dory Previn: Children Of Coincidence And Harpo Marx (Warner Bros.) ****
Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, April 1976
OF THE RANDY Newman/Harry Nilsson school of absurdist, black comedy, Dory Previn unleashes her cryptic wit and dry tongue once again. Hallelujah! Dory Previn albums ...
Boz Scaggs: Silk Degrees (CBS)
Review by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, April 1976
BOZ SCAGGS is a musician I've always had a great affection for, from way back in the old Steve Miller days when I was still ...
Al Green: Full Of Fire (London) ****
Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, April 1976
AL GREEN stands in the middle of the ring, caught in combat between an elastic rhythm section and a resilient horn section. Producer/engineer Willie Mitchell ...
Genesis, Bill Bruford: Bill Bruford: Have Drum Will Travel
Interview by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, April 1976
IT WAS IN the unlikely setting of the Una Billings School of Dancing's basement that the partnership which will be titillating the timpani of drum ...
Kate & Anna McGarrigle: Sisters In Song
Interview by Jerry Gilbert, Sounds, April 1976
UNTIL DEMAND forced them to issue that classic Maria Muldaur album two years ago Warner Bros. had always shown a marked reluctance to promote its ...
War: A Walk On War's Wild Side
Interview by Steven Rosen, Sounds, April 1976
FAR OUT Productions, besides being War's Hollywood headquarters, seems to be a favourite hangout for streetwalkers. They seem to think that all the black gentlemen ...
Led Zeppelin: Presence (Swan Song)
Review by Jonh Ingham, Sounds, April 1976
AFTER THIS PLATTER had spun incessantly for an afternoon on the office phonogram I asked a non-Zep fan what he thought."Oh, it's okay I guess. ...
National Health: Carrying The Flag Close To The Edge
Interview by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, April 1976
"THERE'S NO way of encapsulating higher ideas except by some kind of artistic experience," stated Mont Campbell, ex-Egg, current National Health, with fervent sobriety. ...
Flamin' Groovies, The: The Flamin' Groovies: Shake Some Action (Philips) [Import]**
Review by Jonh Ingham, Sounds, April 1976
IT'S HARD to imagine that the Groovies are ten years old, or that it's four years since they tried to enliven us in Britain. But ...
Rick Wakeman and the English Rock Ensemble: No Earthly Connection (A&M)****
Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, April 1976
HERE WE are again and I'm not at all sure that reviewing an album twice is a good idea even if first time round was ...
Chris Spedding: Chris Spedding (Rak)
Review by Jonh Ingham, Sounds, April 1976
'AND EVERYONE goes/To see their guitar heroes' is not the kind of lyric many people would even think of, let alone commit to posterity. But ...
Rolling Stones, The: The Rolling Stones: The Gospel According To The Glimmer Twins
Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, April 1976
KEITH RICHARD hasn't slept for three days. It's all part of his four day on the road life cycle. He celebrates the occasion with a ...
Steve Gibbons Band: Steve Gibbons: The Biggest Names In Rock
Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, April 1976
THE STEVE Gibbons Band are unique. A seventies rock 'n' roll band with roots firmly embedded in the sixties, they rekindle a fading magical musical ...
Smokey Robinson: Smokey's Family Robinson (Tamla Motown) *****
Review by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, April 1976
"A VOICE on the stereo singing softly, Describing what I feel about you, The singer seems to know all about it, Seems like the writer ...
Rolling Stones, The: The Rolling Stones: Black And Blue (Rolling Stones Records)
Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, April 1976
'THE SEVENTIES has witnessed the arrival of several major talents. Singer-songwriters and MOR disco muzak have dominated the charts. Now it looks like Atlantic Records ...
Sex Pistols, The: The Sex Pistols are four months old...
Report and Interview by Jonh Ingham, Sounds, April 1976
THE SEX PISTOLS are four months old, so tuned in to the present that it's hard to find a place to play. Yet they already ...
Bob Marley & the Wailers: Bob Marley & The Wailers: Rastaman Vibration (Island)
Review by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, May 1976
"Chase them crazy bald heads out of town" ...
Gram Parsons: GP (Reprise)*****
Review by Jonh Ingham, Sounds, May 1976
IF YOU woundered why, or where, Rick Grech gets off with performing Gram Parsons type country music, it stems from co-producing this bona fide classic. ...
Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, May 1976
"I'M A ROMANTICIST for life," Lofgren says, sprawled on the bed of his third floor room at Swingo's Celebrity Motel. "Three years ago I wanted ...
Interview by Jonh Ingham, Sounds, May 1976
AT 3PM, Alvin Lee, benevolent despot, was still asleep – he hadn't gone to bed until 9.30am – so it seemed a good excuse to ...
Al Jarreau: A Man And His Laundry
Interview by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, May 1976
"IT DON'T make no moth a fugging difference what happens to me, Going to be there in my own time, in my own way..."– Al ...
Report and Interview by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, May 1976
Well, we've had the wheel, sliced bread, the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel and now Big Phil Sutcliffe's copped the newie...Yep, it's Gentle Giant's eighth ...
Marvin Gaye: I Want You (Tamla Motown) ****
Review by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, May 1976
MARVIN GAYE is in the fortunate or unfortunate position of being regarded as a prophet-cum-saviour. ...
Jethro Tull: Too Old To Rock 'N' Roll: Too Young To Die
Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, May 1976
ON A quick perusal of the field I reckon Ian Anderson is the most articulate rocker I've ever encountered. In fact hearing him talk is ...
Interview by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, May 1976
ROY WOOD IS: the wild man of Brummio who terrifies your parents whenever he's let loose on the antiseptic air-time of Top Of The Pops ...
Elton John: Ol' Four Eyes Is Back
Live Review by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, May 1976
Elton John: Grand Theatre, Leeds ...
Rolling Stones, The: The Rolling Stones: Fire and Fury in Frankfurt
Report and Interview by Jonh Ingham, Sounds, May 1976
FORTY POUNDS for one night in a hotel. It makes you wonder. Forty Pounds would keep me and the missus for a week or more, ...
Gladys Knight and the Pips: New Victoria, London
Live Review by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, May 1976
HAVING BEEN privileged to see two out-of-London sets of G. K. and the P's, I was rather more picky than most of the London audience. ...
Baker-Gurvitz Army:Hearts On Fire
Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, May 1976
THEY FINALLY got there, the Baker-Gurvitz Army, an unlikely gang of ornery hombres, always looked as though it would be goddam exciting if they sorted ...
Curved Air:The Best Of Curved Air*****
Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, May 1976
NOW IT can't be dynamic good style to start with parentheses can it (but when I put those five stars there I obviously mean if ...
Ian Hunter: All American Alien Boy
Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, May 1976
AMERICA HAS been good for Ian Hunter. The self portrait he paints on his second solo album All American Alien Boy retains his distinctly British ...
Temptations, The: The Temptations: Wings Of Love (Tamla Motown)****
Review by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, May 1976
VERY NEAT structure to the new Temps release. Side one has all the funk, all the dancers, and Side two has what you could call ...
Stephen Stills: Illegal Stills
Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, May 1976
THERE'S NOTHING dishonest about Illegal Stills. This is the album guaranteed to enhance Stephen Stills' artistic reputation and regain the sophisticated rock 'n' roll credibility ...
David Bowie: Soul Train Comes To Wembley
Live Review by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, May 1976
David Bowie: Wembley, London ...
Interview by Steven Rosen, Sounds, May 1976
SUPERTRAMP HORNMAN and funnyman John Helliwell gazed longingly out the A&M Records publicity office window at the burgundy Dino Ferrari. ...
Little Feat: The Roxy, Los Angeles
Live Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, May 1976
EVERYBODY WHO is anybody caught Little Feat during their recent three-night stand at the Roxy. That includes Lowell George's mother, Bonnie Raitt, Peter Frampton, Tommy ...
Nils Lofgren: New Victoria, London
Live Review by Ian Birch, Sounds, May 1976
I REALLY wanted to be knocked over, under, sideways, down by the concert. Especially after last November's disappointingly patchy performance. I mean right from those ...
Emmylou Harris: Bluegrass and Fiddle Festival, Long Beach, California
Live Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, May 1976
EMMYLOU HARRIS and her excellent Hot Band just keep getting better. Their headline performance at the fourth annual Bluegrass and Fiddle Festival in Long Beach, ...
Genesis: Supper Is Definitely Ready
Report and Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, May 1976
Thursday April 8 ...
Sensational Alex Harvey Band, The: The Sensational Alex Harvey Band at Newcastle
Report by Mick Brown, Sounds, May 1976
I WAS going to say fascism, but as the man said, how could anyone take Hitler seriously without his moustache? What a moustache! Clipped, sharp, ...
Back Street Crawler: Back Street Fighters: Back Street Crawler
Interview by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, May 1976
IF YOUR tastes run to nasty, sweat-and-gore boxing as well as nasty-hot rock, the ringside seat for you in the next couple of months should ...
Beach Boys, The: Bruce Johnston : This is it, Brucie baby - you and the Beach Boys suck...
Interview by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, May 1976
Bruce Johnston is a most unusual interviewee. Never before have I met a musician who’s immediately aware and co-operative in terms of the journalist’s side ...
Robin Trower, Steve Marriott: Robin Trower/Steve Marriott: Brits Slay Yanks With Past Blasts
Live Review by Steven Rosen, Sounds, May 1976
Robin Trower Band/Steve Marriott’s All Stars: Long Beach Arena, Los Angeles ...
Stephen Stills, Crosby Stills Nash and Young: Four Way Street Revisited... CSNY Revisited
Report and Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, May 1976
How Steve Stills learned to stop worrying about his own solo career and appreciate Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. A case of deja vu for ...
Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, May 1976
NOW I'VE been told by no less a figure than our editor that this is a mighty fine album and I know it means kneecap ...
Back Street Crawler: City Hall, Newcastle
Live Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, May 1976
IF YOU want a nice, peaceful night's rock 'n' roll don't go anywhere near a Back Street Crawler gig. It's more like an on the ...
Average White Band: Edinburgh, Scotland
Live Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, May 1976
"I'VE GOT an announcement to make," Alan Gorrie told a sold out Edinburgh audience the night after Scotland had beaten England. "If there's any dodgy ...
Hall & Oates: White Hopes On Funk
Live Review by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, May 1976
Hall & Oates: Fairfield Hall, Croydon ...
Jeff Beck: Return Of The Lone Axe Hero
Live Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, May 1976
Jeff Beck: The Roundhouse, London ...
Little Feat: Presenting The Open Crotch, Maximum Uplift Little Feat
Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, May 1976
IF YOU walk down Hollywood Boulevard you really can see all the stars. Marilyn Monroe, Marlon Brando, Cary Grant, James Dean, all imbedded in a ...
Average White Band: Young Rascals Searching For Your Soul
Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, May 1976
Barbara Charone talks to Scotland's most famous sons, the Average White Band'I'm sure people will put us down...I hope they don't put us down but ...
Report and Interview by Jonh Ingham, Sounds, May 1976
Jonh Ingham, on the other hand, is guilty. Six days it took him to get us this piece. SIX DAYS! The Patti Smith crazy Sounds ...
Streetwalkers: Red Card (Vertigo) *****
Review by Mick Brown, Sounds, May 1976
RED CARD is the album I thought Streetwalkers last promenade, Downtown Flyers would be. I had mixed feelings about that one. Good to see Roger ...
Interview by Richard Cromelin, Sounds, June 1976
I have never met NapoleonBut I plan to find the time...Cause he looks so fine upon that hillThey tell me he was lonely, he's lonely ...
Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, June 1976
THE SHADES remain. Just barely. Relics of some bygone era, those menacing dark glasses throw faint traces of the past around the present. Behind this ...
Meters, The: The Meters: The World’s First Metric Funk Band
Interview by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, June 1976
Cissy Strut! What a great evocation of the Meters in that title, their second Island album, a kind of Greatest Hits, that’s blasting through the ...
Stomu Yamashta: The Story of 'Go'
Interview by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, June 1976
WITHIN a couple of minutes of meeting Stomu Yamashta I was so engrossed in discussing with him my fears that Muhammad Ali will get his ...
Bad Company, Kansas: Bad Company: Bored Company
Live Review by Steven Rosen, Sounds, June 1976
Bad Company/Kansas: Inglewood Forum, Los Angeles ...
Joe Cocker: Stingray (A&M) *****
Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, June 1976
IT SPEAKS VOLUMES that whatever the ups and downs of Joe Cocker's personal life when he gets back in the studio or out on the ...
J. D. Souther: JD Souther: Black Rose (Asylum)****
Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, June 1976
THE FIRST time JD Souther toured America it was almost a disaster. Just like LA crony Jackson Browne, JD was microphone shy and mumbled his ...
Back Street Crawler: Second Street (Atlantic) 38 mins ****
Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, June 1976
THIS IS the last recording Paul Kossoff ever made which means that commenting on it is rather like reviewing a gravestone. You just don't. But ...
Rod Stewart: A Night On The Town
Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, June 1976
ROD STEWART is back in prime form. Gone are those sterile sounds that plagued Atlantic Crossing and robbed Stewart of his true vocal excellence, replaced ...
Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, June 1976
WHAT THESE three soft rock American releases have in common is the Byrds. That's the connection plain and simple. Staunch Byrd-man Roger McGuinn returns from ...
Natalie Cole: Natalie (Capitol) 35 mins ***
Essay by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, June 1976
IF YOU get right down to it I suppose pop/rock is composed of a set of quite different musical idioms within which almost everyone sounds ...
Tom Waits: Warm Beer, Cold Women
Interview by Mick Brown, Sounds, June 1976
TOM WAITS rocks backwards and forwards in his chair, pulls at a cigarette, draws deep, then turns his face out of the smoke, back into ...
Cream, Ginger Baker, Graham Bond: Ginger Baker: New Skins For The Old Ceremony
Interview by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, June 1976
PHIL SUTCLIFFE takes a walk down memory lane with GINGER BAKER, drummer, sportsman and fellow piles sufferer. ...
Hall & Oates: A Mutant Romance
Interview by Ian Birch, Sounds, June 1976
Daryl Hall & John Oates – boy, if you think Dave Bowie had the Philly Soul enigma variations bag sown up with 'TVC 15' you're ...
Who, The: The Who: The Real Thing – Accept No Substitute
Report by Barbara Charone, Sounds, June 1976
"CHARLTON ain't gonna be any better than this," Mick Jagger had flatly declared to a dubious John Entwistle during the first night the Rolling Stones ...
Average White Band, Kokomo: Hammersmith Odeon, London
Live Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, June 1976
THIS WAS one double bill I just had to see. I mean rock is so find these days and there are good concerts every week ...
Peter Frampton: Leader Of The Pack
Interview by Richard Cromelin, Sounds, June 1976
'Show Me The Way' pleads PETER FRAMPTON but he sure knows where he's going now. RICHARD CROMELIN reports. ...
Outlaws, The: The Outlaws: Dixie Chickens
Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, June 1976
CHARLIE WHITNEY sat on the Outlaws football club dressing room incessantly raving about their guitarist Hughie Thomason. "It ain't fair," Whitney said slightly intoxicated and ...
Genesis: Hammersmith Odeon, London
Live Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, June 1976
Genesisteria sweeps city – hundreds injured in trick of the tail overdose – five night musical orgy destroys London – thousands converted to Genesis religious ...
Uriah Heep, Pretty Things, The: Uriah Heep/Pretty Things: Empire Pool, Wembley
Live Review by Jonh Ingham, Sounds, June 1976
THE PRETTY Things can, on occasion, succumb to being ordinary, but usually they're great. This night was no exception. Using the cavern of Wembley Empire ...
Report by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, June 1976
...The Southside? Why, yes. From New Jersey, Vivien Goldman gives y'all the hot poop on a new Springsteen spin-off band, Southside Johnny And The Asbury ...
Sweet: Sounds Girl In Sweet Nude Bathing Horror
Report and Interview by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, June 1976
THE ERSATZ raunch, bump and grind of 'The Stripper' blares out over the Sportshalle in Cologne. Thousands of minute German teenyboppers are creaming in excitement ...
Report and Interview by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, June 1976
"There he goes looking like a cross between Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen," jested Martin Belmont, Rumour guitarist. 'He' was GRAHAM PARKER on his way ...
Kinks, The: The Kinks: The Kinks Greatest – Celluloid Heroes (RCA)
Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, June 1976
THE RCA Years. The Seventies Kinks complete with horns and female singers. Part 1 – Fat Flabby Annie versus Mr. Black and the Starmaker. The ...
Steve Winwood, Stomu Yamashta: Yamashta, Winwood, Shrieve: Go (Island)
Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, June 1976
THE THEORY of it could be a blueprint for the grossmost excess of pretentious rock – a fusion of cultures through music yet, Japanese, German, ...
Warren Zevon: Warren Zevon (Ayslum) ****
Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, June 1976
THIS ALBUM is a surprise. With a recent spate of LA flavoured albums released simultaneously I was suffering from a bad case of West Coast ...
Rod Stewart: Never Too Rich To Rock
Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, June 1976
"I'M GOING to be evasive," Rod Stewart warned. "More evasive than usual. You evil bitch." ...
Interview by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, June 1976
IF YOU'VE ever been a rock journalist, you'll know what a royal pain it is to be forever doing those conveyor belt, hotel room interviews. ...
Michael Chapman: Wine, One Woman And The Loony Yokel: A Tale of a Yorkshireman, Michael Chapman
Interview by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, June 1976
MICHAEL CHAPMAN was revelling in the afterglow of Decca’s success with John Miles. The company had got really interested in promoting his new album, flown ...
Report and Interview by Jonh Ingham, Sounds, June 1976
Mott are shouting and the girls are pointing. That's what being on the road is all about. Mott are back and JONH INGHAM was there ...
Peter Frampton, Gary Wright, Yes: Yes: The Biggest Gig In The Entire History Of The World
Report by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, June 1976
Bicentennialand and rock's favourite vegetarians take Phil Sutcliffe by storm. ...
Jonathan Richman and The Modern Lovers: The Modern Lovers
Review by Jonh Ingham, Sounds, July 1976
I'D LIKE, if I might, to commence this review by borrowing an expression from Andy Childs, he of 'Zig Zag' and 'Fat Angel' fame. Okay ...
Thin Lizzy: Fat Cheque For Thin Men?
Interview by Jonh Ingham, Sounds, July 1976
Lizzy hit the big time. With one eye on Wimbledon, they reveal all to JONH INGHAM... ...
Flamin' Groovies, The: Flamin' Groovies: Shake Some Action (Sire) ***
Review by Jonh Ingham, Sounds, July 1976
SEVERAL WEEKS ago I reviewed a French import of the above mentioned Groovies album, complaining about the terrible sound. It is my pleasure to announce ...
Beach Boys, The: The Beach Boys: 15 Big Ones
Review by Jonh Ingham, Sounds, July 1976
THE FIRST new Beach Boys studio album in three years. Fifteen big ones celebrating 15 years of Beach Boys on their 23rd album (not counting ...
Leonard Cohen: The Return of Leonard Cohen
Profile and Interview by Mick Brown, Sounds, July 1976
THE POSTER outside the Colston Hall, Bristol announced the appearance that evening of "The Poet of Rock and Roll". ...
Millie Jackson: Free And In Love (Spring/Polydor) ****
Review by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, July 1976
MILLIE JACKSON has purchased a slinky new catsuit for the sleeve of this album, suitable for a liberated courtesan. And she can afford it too, ...
Grateful Dead: Steal Your Face
Review by Chas de Whalley, Sounds, July 1976
ON STAGE the Grateful Dead's Jerry Garcia is not quite the superslick guitarist you might imagine him to be from their recordings. ...
Martha Velez: Escape From Babylon (Sire)
Review by Jonh Ingham, Sounds, July 1976
IF YOU'RE of the opinion that there isn't enough Wailers music available, here's something to make your day. Apart from Ms. Velez, Lee Perry and ...
Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, July 1976
CURVED AIR have never made a bad album and they aren't about to start now, though that isn't to say they're predictable. ...
Led Zeppelin: Interview with Jimmy Page
Interview by Mick Houghton, Sounds, July 1976
IT'S OFTEN strange to recall the outstanding moments at all day music events. At Cardiff, it was a tribute to Duke Ellington being shown on ...
Hawkwind: Robert Calvert : How To Pick Up Girls In Paris
Interview by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, July 1976
The Calvert MethodRobert Calvert, former Hawkwind person, playwright, raconteur, bon viveur, joyeux noel, has just returned from an enjoyable and instructive visit to Paris at ...
Curved Air: Groping for Air: Sonja Kristina
Interview by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, July 1976
SONJA KRISTINA stepped out of the dressing room after the gig at Dunstable in her lace stage dress that doesn’t look as though it’s really ...
Crusaders, The: The Crusaders: New Victoria, London
Live Review by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, July 1976
THE CRUSADERS simply blew London away with their third gig at the New Victoria. Later conversations with the band proved that they also regarded ...
Jeff Beck: Exclusive! Jeff Sez Nothin'!
Report and Interview by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, July 1976
Our story opens in the flashing chrome and glass edifice that constitutes Columbia Records in New York. Their International Department have invited Sounds to attend ...
Review by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, July 1976
Vivien Goldman explains why she's been drooling over Johnny 'Guitar' Watson for the past month. ...
Interview by Jonh Ingham, Sounds, July 1976
THE LIGHT caught him in bas-relief. Under the scuffed, light brown leather jacket a light blue shirt with creases pressed into the shoulders and rolled ...
AC/DC: More Songs about Humping and Booze
Interview by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, July 1976
'You get nothin for nothin'/Who can you trust?/We got what you want/You got the lust/You want blood – you got it . ...
Larry Graham: Graham Central Station: Mirror
Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, July 1976
IT’S NOT every pop lyric writer who can slot in R.I. advice like "Then you should open it up to Matthew 24" and "Look in ...
Johnny Guitar Watson: Ain't That A Bitch
Review by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, July 1976
JOHNNY GUITAR WATSON is one of the classiest musicians around, though you might not believe it from the packaging of his latest album. On which ...
Joan Armatrading: Joan Armatrading (A&M)*****
Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, July 1976
THE RECORD deck grunts and clicks, the turntable sidles to a halt and polysyllabic analysis should be flowing from the critic's pen but I'd just ...
Blue Oyster Cult: True Confessions: Weird Tales From The Early Days Of the Blue Oyster Cult
Interview by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, July 1976
O.K. The B.O.C.’s have just come offstage at the San Francisco Day on the Green, and they’re tired. ...
Beach Boys, The, Brian Wilson: Brian Wilson, part 1
Interview by Richard Cromelin, Sounds, July 1976
The Beach Boys' main man climbs out of the sandbox and explains how he got off the Endless Bummer. ...
Live Review by Jonh Ingham, Sounds, July 1976
ABOVE MANCHESTER'S Free Trade Hall is a little known auditorium, capable of holding some 400, cunningly named the Lesser Hall. Until the Sex Pistols discovered ...
Beach Boys, The, Brian Wilson: Brian Wilson, part 2
Interview by Richard Cromelin, Sounds, August 1976
Pet Sounds & The California Consciousness ...
Emmylou Harris: Honky Tonk Woman
Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, August 1976
Emmylou Harris pleads guilty to not being a genius, but she sure can sing country. BARBARA CHARONE reports. ...
Joan Armatrading: I Second that Emotion: Joan Armatrading
Interview by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, August 1976
LOVER JOAN? Old pal Joan? Sister Joan? Who are you, intimate and mysterious lady? Why do your songs flow in my bloodstream? I got you ...
Grateful Dead: Dead Slay Wembley
Live Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, August 1976
JUST LIKE Woodstock. Even before the New Riders of the Purple Sage kicked off Bill Graham's imported California Jam, bad acid circulated the main stand ...
Linda Ronstadt: Hasten Down The Wind (Asylum) ****
Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, August 1976
I GREETED the release of this album with the same kind of anticipation one would associate with a new album from the Who or the ...
Split Enz: Mental Notes (Chrysalis) ****
Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, August 1976
ME MAM says they're not as good as 10cc and "that group who did the operetta?" "Queen?" "Yes and that one about Ground Control to ...
Blood Sweat & Tears: Blood Sweat and Tears: More Than Ever (CBS) ***
Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, August 1976
BST WERE one of the key bands of the late 60s who began to give rock a respectable musicianly image and yet I've always had ...
Thin Lizzy: Remembering. Part I (Decca)
Review by Chas de Whalley, Sounds, August 1976
EVERY RECORD company has done it at one time or another. Reactivated old material by an artist who has since had hits with another label. ...
Rolling Stones, The, Ronnie Wood: Rolling Stones: We're Nearly Famous
Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, August 1976
"WHEN bands have been around this long they should be dead and buried," Keith Richard mused. "But we're still here and you have to live ...
Profile and Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, August 1976
ROD STEWART has never been predictable. As a songwriter he thrives on controversial topics. Sandwiched between more conventional songs like 'Maggie May' or 'You Wear ...
AC/DC: The Dirtiest Story Ever Told
Profile and Interview by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, August 1976
An everyday story of rape, pillage, runny noses, drunken orgies, broken wind, assaults on and by police, sweat-soaked Luncheon Vouchers, and the 279-pound lady who ...
Kursaal Flyers, The, Clash, The: The Kursaal Flyers/Crazy Cavan/Clash: Roundhouse, London
Live Review by Chas de Whalley, Sounds, September 1976
JOE STRUMMER'S Clash--the best new band of the year? Well, some would claim as much. At least you can guarantee that any band ...
Linda Ronstadt: Hand Sewn Home Grown
Profile and Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, September 1976
THE FIRST I heard of Linda Ronstadt was on the radio. Not that I knew who owned those strong vocal chords. All I knew was ...
Interview by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, September 1976
I WAS SUFFERING an unprecedented fit of nerves as I stood clutching my dime by the pay phones in Little Lucy's El Adobe Restaurant in ...
Rainbow: If You Don't Like Rock'n'Roll, It's Too Late Now
Report by Pete Makowski, Sounds, September 1976
"We're not in Kansas We must be over the Rainbow" – Judy Garland, Wizard Of Oz ...
Queen: The Greatest Show In The World
Report by Chas de Whalley, Sounds, September 1976
"EXCUSE ME, are you with Queen?" was the question. ...
Kraftwerk: 2 a.m. Newcastle Hotel
Interview by Geoff Barton, Sounds, September 1976
'We not only try to brainwash people... we succeed' ...
Who, The: The Who: The Story of the Who
Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, October 1976
IT'S NO accident that the most successful Punk Rock bands include at least one Who song in their act. Eddie And The Hot Rods do ...
Moon: Is This The Dark Side Of The Moon?
Interview by Chas de Whalley, Sounds, October 1976
"ARE YOU using Memorex?" asked Moon's Noel McCalla, leaning quizzically over my cassette machine. "You gotta use Memorex for us, you know. Only the best, ...
Flying Burrito Brothers: Southern Californians Bring Me Down
Live Review by Chas de Whalley, Sounds, October 1976
The Flying Burrito Brothers: Hammersmith Odeon, London ...
Sutherland Brothers and Quiver in Newcastle
Report by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, October 1976
IT CAME to me in a vision about half way through the long set the Suther Quivs have put together for their first headline tour ...
Report and Interview by Richard Cromelin, Sounds, October 1976
"OH YEAH, I'm getting restless. I want to play again," said Alice Cooper, deepening his tan with the smog-filtered sunrays that slanted into the patio ...
Peter Gabriel: Toronto Tales Of The Overkill Kid
Report and Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, October 1976
FOR OVER an hour now, some of the world's finest musicians have been rehearsing 16 very complicated bars of music. Several unorthodox time changes present ...
Emmylou Harris: My Father's Place, Long Island
Live Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, October 1976
NEW ARTISTS consistently better their own past performances. Onstage progression and maturity all too often comes a back seat to the big buck commercialism of ...
Rory Gallagher: Calling Card (Chrysalis) ****
Review by Mick Brown, Sounds, October 1976
FOR RORY GALLAGHER to start making any radical departures from established style at this stage in the game would not only be out of character ...
Willie Nelson: Willie Nelson Live (RCA)**
Review by Chas de Whalley, Sounds, October 1976
WILLIE NELSON has been in country music for the better part of twenty years as a songwriter and performer, while, arm in arm with Waylon ...
Bryan Ferry: Let's Stick Together (Atlantic) Import***
Review by Jonh Ingham, Sounds, October 1976
IT'S HARD to review this album without sounding as artsy-fartsy as the man in question. I mean, I don't know much about Art but I ...
Robin Trower: Long Misty Days (Chrysalis)****
Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, October 1976
THERE'S AN Edgar Allen Poe story in which a small boat is caught up in a maelstrom, a King Kong among whirlpools, spins around its ...
Runaways, The: Runaways (gasp): At Last An (groan) Objective (pant) View
Live Review by Jonh Ingham, Sounds, October 1976
The Runaways: The Roundhouse, London ...
Marvin Gaye: Cool Soul Genius Wows Albert
Live Review by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, October 1976
Marvin Gaye: Royal Albert Hall, LondonTHERE HAS to be a reason for hiring the Albert Hall. It's true that information sometimes gets lost over the ...
Steve Hillage: Watch Out There's A Concept About
Interview by Mick Brown, Sounds, October 1976
IT WAS instant karma out to get me. The sound of one hand clapping – so fast you can't even hear it. We had been ...
Interview by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, October 1976
MARVIN GAYE's chosen an interesting stage of his career to re-visit these shores after a 12-year absence. ...
Eric Clapton: Farther On Up The Road
Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, October 1976
DROUGHT? What drought? The green green grass of Surrey looks so healthy you'd think the local farmers had been secretly pumping chlorophyl injections into the ...
Aretha Franklin, Curtis Mayfield: Aretha Franklin: Sparkle (Atlantic)****
Review by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, October 1976
SUBTITLED 'Music From The Motion Picture', Sparkle is a soundtrack album, that plays like a record. It doesn't, unlike most of the genre, hang limply ...
Carol Grimes: Carol Grimes (Decca) ****
Review by Chas de Whalley, Sounds, October 1976
THIS IS CAROL Grimes' legendary Memphis album, the one that she cut in Tennessee the best part of two years ago but has never had ...
David Essex: Out On The Street (CBS) ****
Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, October 1976
DAVID ESSEX has arrived at a most interesting junction in his career. Standing at the crossroads, his fourth studio album paints a versatile self-portrait of ...
Led Zeppelin: The Song Remains The Same (Swan Song)**
Review by Jonh Ingham, Sounds, October 1976
THREE YEARS to get a live album out? Three years??? I mean – really!! After all, John Denver did it in ten days. ...
Rusty and Doug Kershaw: Louisiana Man
Review by Chas de Whalley, Sounds, October 1976
I GOT a pre-release tape of this two months ago and I played that constantly. Now I've got the record and it's wearing out very ...
Review by Chas de Whalley, Sounds, October 1976
LET'S HEAR it for Sherbet. They play some of the best contemporary Pop music I've heard this year. Eminently disposable, but for all that, tremendous ...
Flying Burrito Brothers: Sneeky Pete And The Return Of The Flying Journeymen
Interview by Chas de Whalley, Sounds, October 1976
"ASK THEM abouta da name. They gotta no right to use it!"Don't worry, friends, my esteemed Italian colleague doesn't really speak like that, and his ...
Bunny Wailer: Reincarnated Soul Makes Year's Best Album
Interview by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, October 1976
"WHY DO THEY regard me with awe? I didn't know that peope think of me as superhuman. I've never flown or anything of that type. ...
Thin Lizzy: Malady Of A Thin Man
Interview by Pete Makowski, Sounds, October 1976
A CASUAL conversation. A relaxed Sunday afternoon at the, er, Chez Lynott. I mean if you want to catch the man, it's got to be ...
Linda Lewis: Newcastle Polytechnic
Live Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, October 1976
FROM KID Barton's interview with Ms Lewis last week it would seem that her current tour is the latest defiant gesture in a running debate ...
Rubinoos, The, Jonathan Richman, Greg Kihn, Earth Quake: Beserkley Records: The Fabled Label
Overview by Ian Birch, Sounds, October 1976
SOME PLACES become legendary. Mystical meccas for the besotted. That is usually until you sample them first hand. ...
Bob Marley & the Wailers, Peter Tosh, Burning Spear, Bunny Wailer: Reggae: Black Punks On 'Erb
Report and Interview by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, October 1976
'Youth is the first thing that hits you about the musicians...reggae is still a young music, further progress is made every day' ...
Kursaal Flyers, The: Kursaal Flyers: Golden Mile
Review by Chas de Whalley, Sounds, October 1976
A NEW Kursaal Flyers album, eh?On their night the Kursaal Flyers are one of the most entertaining rock bands in the country, with their tacky ...
Willie Nelson: The Troublemaker (CBS)****
Review by Chas de Whalley, Sounds, October 1976
HOW ARE we supposed to take this album, eh? ...
Deaf School: London School of Economics, London
Live Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, October 1976
THE WEEKEND starts here. Right here at the LSE on a Friday night where a bunch of enthusiastic supporters are crammed into the main theatre ...
Steve Hillage: The Axeman Of Love
Live Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, October 1976
Steve Hillage: City Hall, Newcastle ...
Interview by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, October 1976
"IRMIN Schmidt was transporting a washing machine down the stairs, and it fell on top of him." ...
Wishbone Ash: Return Of The Kings
Report and Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, October 1976
Inside this otherwise quiet house in sleepy Connecticut WISHBONE ASH toil to produce the album that will return them to favour with the critics and ...
Report and Interview by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, October 1976
We've got wars and rumours of war...('Armagedon' by Bunny Wailer) ...
Aerosmith: Hammersmith Odeon, London
Live Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, October 1976
ONE GIRL standing in the ladies queue typified audience expectations. Have you ever seen Aerosmith? "No. I don't think I've even heard them." Then why ...
Elton John: Blue Moves (Rocket) ****
Review by Mick Brown, Sounds, October 1976
EVEN BEFORE I'd heard one note of Blue Moves I had divined that this album was going to be the Big One. ...
Leo Sayer: Endless Flight (Chrysalis)*****
Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, October 1976
I WAS prepared to hate this album. The diminitive song and dance man had begun losing his inimitable glow. Another Year needed stronger polishing while ...
Doors, The: The Doors: The Best Of (Elektra)**
Review by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, October 1976
DOES THE WORLD honestly need another Doors compilation? The policy makers at Elektra appear to think so. And they could be right. But The Best ...
801: Phil Manzanera/801: 801 Live (Island)****
Review by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, October 1976
THURSDAY September 2, 1976. British Left-Fielders' night out at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London. It was 801's second and last gig (the other was ...
Tommy Bolin: Private Eyes (CBS IMPORT)*****
Review by Pete Makowski, Sounds, October 1976
WHILE LISTENING to this white label copy for about the millionth time, all that comes to mind as an introduction to this review is 'forget ...
Fleetwood Mac: John and Christine and Stevie and Lindsay and Mick…
Interview by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, October 1976
"DON'T TAKE your love away from me, don't you leave my heart in misery, if you go then I'll be blue, 'cos breaking up is ...
Kursaal Flyers, The: The Kursaal Flyers: Kingston Polytechnic, London
Live Review by Chas de Whalley, Sounds, October 1976
ALL ABOARD, boys and girls. It's time for the Kursaal Flyers works outing. First stop Cheltenham and now here we are at Kingston where you'll ...
National Health: Newcastle University
Live Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, October 1976
WATCHING rock and roll these last few weeks I just feel better and better. The long standing groan about the dearth of new bands and ...
Patti Smith, Stranglers, The: Patti Smith: Once Is Not Enough (ungh! choke! etc)
Live Review by Jonh Ingham, Sounds, October 1976
Patti Smith/The Stranglers: Hammersmith Odeon, London ...
Racing Cars at Newcastle Polytechnic
Report by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, October 1976
A MUSICIAN was telling me the other day that he loved to start a set with an instrumental to prove how good his band was ...
Lynyrd Skynyrd: Saturday Night Special
Report by Pete Makowski, Sounds, October 1976
"It's like throwing a bleedin' virgin into a bed of rampant nymphomaniacs," commented Pete Makowski, our jotter on the spot. Sis he lose his white ...
Wings: 'She's A Good Cook, Eamon'
Report by Jonh Ingham, Sounds, October 1976
THANK YOU, AND I SHOULDN'T HAVE TO TELL ANYONE WHO HE WAS.THE LARGE, widely spaced, easy to read letters are to be the first words ...
Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, November 1976
EVEN IN their basement studio during the formulative stages of recording New England, this album sounded good. Rough mixes of the album sounded good in ...
Mike Oldfield: Boxed (Virgin) *****
Review by Mick Brown, Sounds, November 1976
ONE LAVISHLY illustrated and highly informative booklet, four albums, two hours 40 minutes plus of music – Boxed is the almost complete Mike Oldfield. ...
Bob Seger (And The Silver Bullet Band): Night Moves (Capitol) *****
Review by Chas de Whalley, Sounds, November 1976
THE SAME WEEK Graham Parker proved his real worth with a headlining London theatre date, Capitol release the new Bob Seger album. Seger is to ...
Cate Brothers, The: Cate Brothers: New Victoria, London
Live Review by Mick Houghton, Sounds, November 1976
EVERY SO OFTEN a group's live performance is so good that their albums from that moment on lose something of the impact they once had. ...
Eric Burdon: The Eric Burdon Band: The Mayfair, Newcastle
Live Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, November 1976
IF MEL BUSH, who is presenting Santana at Wembley Pool this weekend, had been present for the opening ten minutes of his support act's tour ...
Robert Palmer: Some People Like What I Do
Interview by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, November 1976
BRIGHT LIGHTS, big city...it's a reception in honour of the Staple Singers and the Meters at a club down in Greenwich Village, prior to their ...
Clover: Roll Me Over, Lay Me Down And Do It Again
Interview by Chas de Whalley, Sounds, November 1976
NICK LOWE knows his way around the big mixing desk. Clover know all about recording studios. Together they're gonna cut some class. ...
Rod Stewart: The Redeeming Of Roderick
Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, November 1976
"WHY DON'T you come up and see me some time," Mae West drawled one recent Sunday evening on BBC2. ...
Patti Smith: The Field Marshall on Portobello Road
Interview by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, November 1976
"THIS ALBUM is I think much more feminine than the first album...the rhythm, it's more like ocean. The cuts that I love the best are ...
Tangerine Dream: Singalongatangs
Report and Interview by Jonh Ingham, Sounds, November 1976
YOU WANT a picture of prosperity?Take a gander over there, then. Yeah, that guy sitting on the floor at the back of the audience. That's ...
Wishbone Ash: Fairfield Halls, Croydon
Live Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, November 1976
"I SAW A band today that will give you guys a scare," someone told Andy Powell in the dressing room after a triumphant concert at ...
Review by Chas de Whalley, Sounds, November 1976
I EXCHANGED Geography for German at the tender age of fourteen, so if my command of the atlas is not all it should be, please ...
Interview by Pete Makowski, Sounds, November 1976
NAZARETH are pissed off!!! Well, they're not that pissed off. Only a bit. In fact they're probably just pissed... ...
Led Zeppelin: The Song Remains The Same
Film/DVD Review by Jonh Ingham, Sounds, November 1976
SO THERE we were. We'd pushed through the crowds outside the Warner West End theatre. Run the gamut of flashbulbs. Said Hello to the McCartneys. ...
Andy Fairweather Lowe: Scream And Scream Again
Interview by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, November 1976
"EVERYTHING'S fine here except for a little problem with the drinks," says Andy good-humouredly, leaping to the phone to exhort room service to further efforts. ...
Babe Ruth: The Marquee, London
Live Review by Chas de Whalley, Sounds, November 1976
SUPERSTARS COME and go, but Babe Ruth seem to rock on forever. The sort of band who always end up at the Marquee. Last time ...
Live Review by Chas de Whalley, Sounds, November 1976
YOU INTO electric guitars? You like them in pairs, screaming and squealing in some kind of linear harmony? ...
Clash, The: The Clash: Barbarellas, Birmingham
Live Review by Jonh Ingham, Sounds, November 1976
WEDNESDAY HAD been booked as Punk Night at Barbarellas, an excuse, if nothing else, for the club deejay to fall in love with the sound ...
After The Fire: Brunel University, Middlesex
Live Review by Chas de Whalley, Sounds, November 1976
AFTER THE Fire are a Christian Band. But don't let that frighten you away. They don't preach, they don't sing songs about Jesus Christ and ...
National Health Warning: Touring Can Make You Broke
Report and Interview by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, November 1976
AFTER National Health's soundcheck singer Amanda Parsons accosted keyboardist Dave Stewart thusly: "Have you got any money? It cost us £16 in petrol to get ...
Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, November 1976
JACKSON BROWNE's heart lies bleedin' within the grooves and between the lines of this, his fourth album. These aren't the wimpish tales of MOR anguish ...
Gil Scott-Heron And Brian Jackson: It's Your World (Arista) ****
Review by Mick Brown, Sounds, November 1976
WITH IT'S Your World – his fourth English but sixth American album – Gil Scott-Heron takes another step in carving out his singular niche as ...
Johnny Guitar Watson: Newcastle Polytechnic
Live Review by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, November 1976
THE GIG at Newcastle Poly was Johnny Guitar Watson's first British date for a decade. ...
Linda Ronstadt: New Victoria, London
Live Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, November 1976
THE VIEW from the stalls at the New Victoria last Saturday night was great, but seen through the lens of a low budget Kodak Instamatic ...
Ultravox: The Nashville, London
Live Review by Chas de Whalley, Sounds, November 1976
MAYBE IT was just the crowd, but nobody seemed able to generate much atmosphere and excitement on this Tuesday night at the Nashville. Support band ...
Linda Ronstadt: Hey, Mister That's Me Up On The Jukebox
Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, November 1976
AT ONE O'CLOCK on a foggy Thursday afternoon, Linda Ronstadt sleeps comfortably on the Glasgow/London express. She does not like to fly. Neither does her ...
LaBelle: Chameleon (Epic) ****
Review by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, November 1976
WE ALL know the story of Patti LaBelle and the Bluebelles metamorphosing under the direction of Vicki Wickham into the space-age erotic bundle of fun ...
Steve Hillage: Stevie's Wonders
Report and Interview by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, November 1976
"I WON'T PLAY if they don't play," said Steve Hillage and a French girl dressed as a clown and holding a saxophone looked pleased, tour ...
Santana: Carlos Santana: T-Shirts And Sympathy
Report and Interview by Mick Brown, Sounds, November 1976
What you been doing with yourself? How come you only got one guy left from last year's band? What's it like working with the third ...
Eddie & The Hot Rods: Eddie And The Hot Rods: Woolwich Polytechnic, London
Live Review by Chas de Whalley, Sounds, November 1976
EDDIE and the Hot Rods are turning into Heroes under our very eyes. ...
George Hatcher Band, The: The George Hatcher Band: Dry Run (United Artists) *****
Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, November 1976
YOU PICK up on a band at one of their early gigs, rave review them, interview them and hustle space for them in the paper. ...
Rod Stewart: A Night On The Town
Report and Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, November 1976
Whole lotta fun – that's the password in this entertainment-packed land of the Emperor's New Clothes and foil wrapped butter as the bright young Oscar ...
Review by Mick Brown, Sounds, December 1976
THIS ONE'S difficult. From the material previewed on Santana's recent UK tour and from the excitement on the part of the band and particularly Carlos ...
Review by Chas de Whalley, Sounds, December 1976
THIS ONE I rather like. Not so much for its musical qualities but for the strange sense of homour through which these five debonair Chicagoans ...
Interview by Mick Brown, Sounds, December 1976
WE ARE going to the University to do a radio interview. Correction; we were going to the University to do a radio interview, but with ...
Interview by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, December 1976
"I think it’s only now people really see it — we suffer here as well." ...
Report and Interview by Chas de Whalley, Sounds, December 1976
COMES AS A bit of a shock really, doesn't it? The news that Man are splitting up after eight years on the road. ...
Interview by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, December 1976
Palmolive, drums; Kate Korus, rhythm guitar; Suzi Gutsy, bass; Arianna Forster, lead vocals ...
Jackson Browne: The Road And The Sky
Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, December 1976
An interview with JACKSON BROWNE by BARBARA CHARONE ...
Jackson Browne: Where The Road Meets The Sky
Live Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, December 1976
Jackson Brown: Apollo, Glasgow ...
Live Review by Peter Silverton, Sounds, December 1976
DOWN THE stairs and into the hall... and into a time warp. With the powerful aroma of smouldering illicit substances and the subdued, attentive audience, ...
Genesis: Wind & Wuthering (Charisma) *****
Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, December 1976
FIRST IMPRESSIONS: Too much to digest on one listening. Overall album sound even better than A Trick Of The Tail. Less immediate but more substantial ...
Bobby Womack: Home Is Where The Heart Is (Columbia)****
Review by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, December 1976
WHEN BOBBY's excursion into country'n'western finally made it into the racks this summer, his long-cherished project met with mixed reviews. ...
Joe Cocker: Live In LA (Cube) ***
Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, December 1976
THIS ALBUM opens with the unctuous voice of the compere saying "Thank you for your patience ladies and gentlemen" which has a certain irony as ...
Elton John: The Real Elton John Stands Up - ‘Hoorah!’
Interview by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, December 1976
ELTON JOHN is 29. So am I. We both wear glasses and they make his eyes look pink and mine look piggily smaller than they ...
Warren Zevon: Palace Theatre, Manchester
Live Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, December 1976
LOOKING like a university student with a major in English Lit, Warren Zevon walked onstage at the Manchester Palace Theatre, greeted warmly by an audience ...
Live Review by Peter Silverton, Sounds, December 1976
The Sex Pistols/The Clash/The Heartbreakers /The Buzzcocks: Electric Circus, Manchester ...
Generation X: Central London College of Art and Design
Live Review by Peter Silverton, Sounds, December 1976
WITH SIOUXSIE and the Banshees not playing because "they couldn't get it together" and the remaining support act, Eater, being a band that I wouldn't ...
Grinderswitch: Pullin' Together
Live Review by Chas de Whalley, Sounds, December 1976
I DIDN't see them live but I gather from the reports that Grinderswitch – Messrs Dru Lembar, Stephen Miller, Larry Howard, Joe Dan Petty and ...
Live Review by Chas de Whalley, Sounds, December 1976
Reviewer rattled by sensuous songstress ...
Linda Ronstadt: Greatest Hits (Asylum)*****
Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, December 1976
THIS ALBUM is great. Had it been live, it would have been even greater. The twelve tracks here represent some of the very best Linda ...
Split Enz: The Enz justify the means
Interview by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, December 1976
Noel Crombie (he’s the one with the cute coiffure) reveals the horrors of shopping in Sainsbury’s…and much more ...
Hawkwind: Coventry Theatre, Coventry
Live Review by Chas de Whalley, Sounds, December 1976
IT'S LIKE trying to resurrect the agonies and ecstasies of the Lysergic communion, putting Hawkwind's Robert Calvert on paper, spinning a yarn from the scattered ...
Dr. Feelgood: Dr Feelgood: The Grandfathers of Punk
Interview by Mick Houghton, Sounds, January 1977
WILKO JOHNSON likes to talk about the truth – in his music, in his writing, and in his, or rather, the Dr. Feelgood attitude towards ...
Sting, Last Exit (UK): Making It: Last Exit
Report and Interview by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, January 1977
Any band with fire in its belly sooner or later has to gamble on that make-or-break trip to London. This is an account of how ...
Emmylou Harris: Luxury Liner (Warner Bros.)**
Review by Chas de Whalley, Sounds, January 1977
I'M SORRY, but I don't like Emmylou Harris very much. Doubtless you'll recommend me to the Inquisition for a Heresy like that. But I've been ...
Mike Heron: A Bird Of A Different Feather
Interview by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, January 1977
MIKE HERON is talking. Compact, sturdy crofter stock (I haven't actually studied a family tree, but that's the way he looks), elegantly bony face, shock ...
Gladys Knight: In A Changing World, There's Always Gladys Knight
Live Review by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, January 1977
Gladys Knight and The Pips: New Victoria, London ...
Interview by Mick Houghton, Sounds, January 1977
QUEEN ARE a much maligned group. There can't be any criticism that hasn't been hurled at them during their lifespan. Certainly it's to be expected ...
Interview by Chas de Whalley, Sounds, January 1977
LONDON'S BURLINGTON Arcade runs up the side of the Royal Academy. It has high gates at either end and boasts some of the most expensive ...
Black Sabbath: Technical Knock-out
Interview by Steven Rosen, Sounds, January 1977
TONY IOMMI walked into the Hollywood Holiday Inn dining room like some living zombie. One wondered, actually, why the Warner Bros. publicist had set up ...
Rolling Stones, The: Keith Richard: One Man's Week OFF THE HOOK
Report and Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, January 1977
MONDAY, JANUARY 10th. In Colorado, Claudine Longet, ex-wife of singer Andy Williams, stood trial for allegedly murdering her lover. On America's west coast, kidnap victim/revolutionary ...
Gentle Giant: Live — Playing The Fool (Chrysalis)****
Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, January 1977
YES, FOR the first time on record you too can hear Gentle Giant play a bum note! In fact not one but several, together with ...
Gladys Knight And The Pips: The Family That Eats Together Hits Together
Interview by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, January 1977
Since their last visit eight months ago, nothing much has changed for Gladys Knight and the Pips. ...
Report by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, January 1977
GEOFF TRAVIS must feel like Dr. Frankenstein sometimes. Geoff is tall and lanky, with a fuzzy afro of light brown hair and a grin guaranteed ...
Kokomo: The Roundhouse, London
Live Review by Chas de Whalley, Sounds, January 1977
WELL, JOE Cocker wasn't there. At least I don't think he was. After a very hard weekend of various rock 'n' roll activities the strain ...
Rory Gallagher: Hammersmith Odeon, Lindon
Live Review by Mick Brown, Sounds, January 1977
NOBODY PLAYS the blues anymore – not unless they're black and old. The blues tradition among young blacks has all but vanished in the mad ...
Profile and Interview by Pete Makowski, Sounds, January 1977
SO THERE we were, surrounded. But where does the story really begin? ...
Brian Eno: Eno: Extra Natty Orations
Interview by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, February 1977
"I was trying to think of some inventions, so I tried to think of what I needed. But I don't need anything. That's the difficulty, ...
Patti Smith: Patti Cracks Noggin, Raps On Regardless
Interview by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, February 1977
Patti sounds plaintive, fragile, over the transatlantic wire. If you can imagine a voice sounding wan, you're near the mark. Reason being — "A swan ...
Live Review by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, February 1977
IT WAS like seeing three movies on one screen. On your right, you have this three-man gospel-style streetcorner vocal section – Bobby and Eldridge King, ...
Lynyrd Skynyrd: Rainbow Theatre, London
Live Review by Pete Makowski, Sounds, February 1977
TO SOME people, kicking off a British tour in London is the equivalent of musical suicide. ...
Jethro Tull: Songs From The Wood (Chrysalis)
Review by Chas de Whalley, Sounds, February 1977
IF YOU PLAY this album at 45 rpm it sounds just like Steeleye Span. ...
Jethro Tull: City Hall, Newcastle
Live Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, February 1977
YOU KNOW how supergroups are supposed to open the show with the '1812 Overture' complete with real facsimile nineteenth-century Muscovite cannon and a battallion of ...
Review by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, February 1977
GUTS. GOOD.And there's ol' John, looking aristocratically manic on the sleeve, in a white jumpsuit, leaning perilously back, twanging at a white flying-V guitar. Ensemble ...
Overview by Mick Brown, Sounds, February 1977
A long look back at F Vincent Zappa and his very special bands from LA (and other places) ...
Lynyrd Skynyrd: The Wild Bunch
Report and Interview by Pete Makowski, Sounds, February 1977
Hey, You Shoulda Bin At The Trial!!! ...
Peter Gabriel: Peter Gabriel (Charisma) *****
Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, February 1977
DEAR PETER, Hangin' round Times Square just the other day when some strange sounds caught my ear. Bundled up my leather jacket, tucked a can ...
Frank Zappa: Frank Panned (Almost)
Live Review by Chas de Whalley, Sounds, February 1977
Frank Zappa: The Rainbow Theatre, London ...
Eric Clapton: Give Me Strength
Interview by Steve Turner, Sounds, February 1977
Meg and George Patterson's cure for heroin addiction ...
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, The: The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band: Dirt, Silver and Gold (United Artists)****
Review by Chas de Whalley, Sounds, February 1977
PLEASE TELL me, who is going to buy this peach of an album? It's a three record set, a compilation of the Los Angeles' band's ...
Jack Bruce: Tales Of A Brave Ulysses
Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, February 1977
"Jack's always been involved with these terrible bloody all-star bands. But now he's in an ideal position. He's older now and can surround himself with ...
Bad Company: Never Give A Critic An Even Break
Interview by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, February 1977
BAD COMPANY, as their name might or might not suggest, are fun to be with. But I'd be lying (and you wouldn't want me to ...
Steve Hillage: Steve Haulage and the Trucking Company
Report and Interview by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, February 1977
"Steve Miller didja say? Aw, Steve Pillage. No? Village?..." OK, we surrender. These Yanks will never get it right. So this is the story of ...
Eddie & The Hot Rods: Eddie And The Hot Rods: Rainbow Theatre, London
Live Review by Chas de Whalley, Sounds, February 1977
ALMOST a Black Sabbath job, this one. You know, up goes the safety curtain, there's the band already head first and accelerating into 'Get Across ...
Bootsy Collins: Bootsy's Rubber Band: Ahh…The Name Is Bootsy, Baby! (Warner Bros.)*****
Review by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, March 1977
FAR BELOW them they could still see the billowing blankets of smoke covering the scorched air that had been their cities. ...
Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, March 1977
THIS IS the solid professional way to introduce this review...Jade Warrior, that is Tony Duhig and Jon Field, are one of the finest unrecognised British ...
Jam, The: Jam: Maximum New Wave
Report and Interview by Chas de Whalley, Sounds, March 1977
PEOPLE TRY TO put us down just because we sound like The Who. ...
John Martyn: Blood, Sweat And Cheers
Report and Interview by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, March 1977
JOHN MARTYN rivets attention performing. You'd be wrong in assuming that just because he's one-man-with-a-guitar he doesn't make every crevice of the stage swing. ...
Report and Interview by Chas de Whalley, Sounds, March 1977
PARIS? Graham Parker and the Rumour loathe the place.Their reasons? ...
Hall & Oates: Daryl Hall and John Oates: No Goodbyes (Atlantic) **
Review by Chas de Whalley, Sounds, March 1977
ATLANTIC RECORDS attempt to cash in on the current Hall and Oates boom with a compilation of some of the best tracks from the Philadelphian ...
Ultravox! New Music From A Doll's House
Interview by Peter Silverton, Sounds, March 1977
CONTRARY to what Stranglers' bassist, Jean Jacques Brunel, is reputed to think, Ultravox! are not "a bunch of session musicians put together by Island records." ...
Clash, The, Buzzcocks, The, Subway Sect, The, Slits, The: The Clash etc: Harlesden's Burning
Live Review by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, March 1977
The Clash/The Buzzcocks/The Subway Sect/The Slits: Harlesden Colosseum, London ...
Michael Nesmith: From A Radio Engine To The Photon Wing (Pacific Arts)****
Review by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, March 1977
"ONE OF THE great advantages of being an artist is that I am able to utilise my craft periodically to write messages to myself," (liner ...
Report and Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, March 1977
ON THE ROAD. Again. The Rainbow seems like years ago. Yesterday they had a rare day off in New Orleans, arriving at the Marie Antoinette ...
Steve Miller: The Best of Steve Miller 1968-1973
Review by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, March 1977
AS BEST OF ALBUMS-released-after-the-artist-leaves-the-company-and-scores-a-big-hit-elsewhere go, The Best Of Steve Miller' stands up moderately well. ...
Peter Gabriel, Television: Peter Gabriel: The Palladium, New York
Live Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, March 1977
Gabriel knows what he likes ...
Rolling Stones, The, Keith Richards: Keith Richard: Exile On The 32nd Floor
Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, April 1977
Take me to the airportAnd put me on a planeI've got no expectationsTo pass through here again ...
Comment by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, April 1977
'STAY TUNED for further developments,' John Ingham said at the end of his 'Rock Special' in SOUNDS October 9, 1976. As he forward-thinkingly observed even ...
Sex Pistols, The: The Sex Pistols: The Screen on the Green, London
Live Review by Jon Savage, Sounds, April 1977
In which it must be conceded that Malcolm McLaren has a first-class media brain with a perfect instinct for theatre. ...
Clash, The: The Clash: The Clash (CBS)*****
Review by Peter Silverton, Sounds, April 1977
If You Don't Like The Clash, You Don't Like Rock 'N 'Roll ...
Stranglers, The: The Stranglers: IV Rattus Norvegicus (United Artists)****
Review by Chas de Whalley, Sounds, April 1977
I THINK this album will surprise a lot of people. After all (by chance, coincidence and a spot of media manipulation, no less) the Stranglers ...
Michael Nesmith: Ex-Beat Group Crazy In Weirdo Film Project
Interview by Mick Houghton, Sounds, April 1977
MIKE NESMITH's career has taken a surprising number of twists and turns over the years, from writing songs for Linda Rondstadt in the early Sixties, ...
Peter Gabriel: The Lamb Stands Up
Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, April 1977
'Because Genesis are now part of the English establishment I felt I'd been seen in context with them. But the better the album does the ...
Live Review by Jon Savage, Sounds, April 1977
ROXY RATPACK, Saturday nite. Find a friend and stick close: sink or swim. Tony and Julie were right: a club full of 'Wild Boys' outtakes ...
Generation X: The Marquee, London
Live Review by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, April 1977
THE QUEUE outside looked promising. Over two months since Gen-X had played a London date (barring the infamous Noreik fiasco). As soon as you forced ...
Blondie: At Last, The Sound Of 1970!
Profile and Interview by Richard Cromelin, Sounds, April 1977
WHAT BETTER way to introduce Blondie's bombshell Deborah Harry as she takes the stage at the Whisky in Hollywood than to use one of the ...
Michael Chapman: Michael Chapman Lived Here 1968-72 (CUBE)****
Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, April 1977
ON THE REAR of the sleeve is a faded brown and sepia pic of Michael Chapman sat on a bed alone, nothing but a guitar ...
Review by Chas de Whalley, Sounds, April 1977
I FIRST got into Poco back when Buffalo Springfielders Richie Furay and Jim Messina were still in the band. They cut a live album, called ...
Small Faces, The: Small Faces: City Hall, Sheffield
Live Review by Peter Silverton, Sounds, April 1977
WAITING FOR the newly reformed Small Faces to take the stage of Sheffield's City Hall, I was probably more nervous than they were (which is ...
Small Faces, The: Steve Marriott
Interview by Chas de Whalley, Sounds, April 1977
IT'S A bit like having a bull in a china shop, being around Steve Marriott. Like being in the same room as a whirlwind. His ...
Asleep at the Wheel: Asleep At The Wheel: Hammersmith Odeon, London
Live Review by Chas de Whalley, Sounds, April 1977
I DON'T think I've ever seen so many ten gallon hats on one stage. Not outside Texas, anyhow. And so many straight-legged jeans and cowboy ...
Faces, The: The Faces: The Best Of The Faces (Riva)****
Review by Chas de Whalley, Sounds, April 1977
"AAALRIGHT: HERE'S one you may well know, you may not know it; and if you don't know it, I really don't know where you bin." ...
Adverts, The, Damned, The, Motorhead: The Damned/The Adverts/Motorhead: The Roundhouse, London
Live Review by Jon Savage, Sounds, April 1977
I FIRST saw the Damned at the Roundhouse last November. Shortly after the release of 'New Rose'. Although the 45 had been successful the set ...
Elvis Costello: My Aim Is True
Review by Chas de Whalley, Sounds, May 1977
ELVIS COSTELLO is a cagey sort of fellow. You can talk to him for hours and still not discover quite what makes him tick. ...
Review by Chas de Whalley, Sounds, May 1977
THE FIRST cut on this album is 'Lay Back In The Arms Of Someone', Smokie's latest chart single. Of course, you'd expect to find it ...
Asleep at the Wheel: Asleep At The Wheel: The Wheel
Review by Chas de Whalley, Sounds, May 1977
THIS IS Asleep At the Wheel's fifth album in seven odd years. It's the one, so they hope, to transform them from a cult country ...
Traffic, Steve Winwood: Steve Winwood: Goodbye Mr Fantasy, Hello Midland Maniac
Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, May 1977
THE SIXTIES are very much alive in Ladbroke Grove these days. Tucked away in the back of Island's Basing Street Studios, swinging London gently reverberates ...
Live Review by Mick Brown, Sounds, May 1977
"THIS IS our first gig for a while," joked Phil Collins, "so we celebrated by rehearsing this morning." ...
Clash, The: The Clash: Palais des Glaces, Paris
Live Review by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, May 1977
THE AUDIENCE at the Palais des Glaces, a sleazy 30's flea-pit with odd nooks where Parisians indulged in the bourgeois old-wave habit of getting high ...
Marshall Tucker Band, The: The Marshall Tucker Band: Carolina Dreams
Review by Chas de Whalley, Sounds, May 1977
I THINK the late great Duane Allman might turn in his grave if he heard this record. ...
Jam, The: The Jam: In The City
Review by Chas de Whalley, Sounds, May 1977
I HEARD the Jam's single 'In The City' on the radio the other day. The bass came roaring up from the mix and through the ...
Review by Mick Brown, Sounds, May 1977
ANOTHER ALBUM From Tom Waits, his fourth, belatedly released here to tie in with a recent one-off performance in London. ...
Frankie Miller: Be Good To Yourself
Interview by Peter Silverton, Sounds, May 1977
THREE YEARS back, Miami soul-singer Betty Wright had a minor hit with 'Shoo-rah! Shoo-rah!'. On his Radio London show, Honky-Tonk, Charlie Gillett has a "who ...
Retrospective by Pete Makowski, Sounds, May 1977
"Status Quo are one of those peculiar groups who have been around for years and who go through cycles and surges of popularity that make ...
Boston: The Biggest Unknown Group On The Planet
Report and Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, May 1977
THERE ARE five people in Boston. Barry, Tom, Sib, Brad and Fran. One year ago no one knew who they were. Today no one knows ...
Interview by Mick Brown, Sounds, May 1977
THERE IS no need to ask where John Peel was in the summer of love. Anybody with enough brain-cells left to recall the era will ...
Jam, The, Clash, The, Buzzcocks, The: The Clash, The Jam, The Buzzcocks: The Rainbow Theatre, London
Live Review by Jon Savage, Sounds, May 1977
Rock ‘n’ roll can be one of the few honest things left in this world.Yes.An event, a gathering of the clans.Yes.But it was all down ...
Bob Marley & the Wailers: Bob Marley And The Wailers: Hammersmith Odeon, London
Live Review by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, May 1977
And I went in there feeling conscientious, like I really wanted to take notes. But believe me when I tell you, nothing seemed less important ...
X-Ray Spex: Man In The Moon, Chelsea
Live Review by Jon Savage, Sounds, May 1977
A SMALLISH basement room, low-ceilinged, with a bar along one wall, and quite plush – tonite healthily full with about 100 people, A stopgap scene ...
Talking Heads: The Rock Garden, London
Live Review by Chas de Whalley, Sounds, May 1977
WHY NOT somewhere that can handle crowds properly, like the Nashville? Why on earth were Talking Heads put on at the Rock Garden? Do answer ...
Bob Marley & the Wailers: Bob Marley And The Wailers: Exodus
Review by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, May 1977
From a purely marketing point of view, this is the one. With Rastaman Vibration’s appearance, there weren’t many music fans on the planet unaware of ...
Alessi: The Other End, New York NY
Live Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, May 1977
A&M DIDN'T want a picture of twin brothers Bobby and Billy Alessi on the cover of their debut album because they wanted the music to ...
Judas Priest: City Hall, Newcastle
Live Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, May 1977
KING RIFF rools okay? The two coachloads from Dundee said "Yeaah". The Cop crowd joined saying "okay". But the nice thing about being seen to ...
Live Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, May 1977
"TURN OFF the music – we want to play," R the bassist yelled at the DJ and, before you had time to chuckle at the ...
Live Review by Chas de Whalley, Sounds, May 1977
ONE THING about the Kursaal Flyers...they never do things by halves. ...
Sensational Alex Harvey Band, The: The Sensational Alex Harvey Band: Big Hits And Close Shaves
Review by Peter Silverton, Sounds, May 1977
COMPILATIONS ARE generally the occasion for an in-depth reassessment of an artist's career. ...
Ramones, The, Talking Heads: The Ramones: Gabba Gabba Hey In The UK
Live Review by Chas de Whalley, Sounds, May 1977
The Ramones/Talking Heads: Eric's, Liverpool ...
Bob Marley & the Wailers: Bob Marley: Movement Of Jah People
Interview by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, May 1977
ISN'T IT A NICE feeling... isn't it a nice day...isn't it a nice feeling..." Bob Marley croons, strumming on an acoustic guitar. He's glowing, planted ...
Boomtown Rats: Club 51, London
Live Review by Peter Silverton, Sounds, May 1977
WATCH OUT. Here come the Boomtown Rats. Over the Irish Sea, into a reputedly hefty recording contract with Ensign and on to the tiny stage ...
Review by Chas de Whalley, Sounds, June 1977
LET'S START with some questions this time, alright? ...
Review by Pete Makowski, Sounds, June 1977
SOMETIMES I feel so good I can feel my body growing... YEAHHH!!! Y'know CBS were really surprised (in fact speechless) when I enquired about this ...
Gloria Mundi: Sic Transit Gloria Mundi
Profile and Interview by Chas de Whalley, Sounds, June 1977
AND WHAT did Gloria Mundi's Eddie Maelov get for the courage of his, convictions? ...
Funkadelic, Parliament: Parliament: Live: The P-Funk Earth Tour
Review by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, June 1977
"THEY SAY the bigger the headache the bigger the pill!" Dr. Funkenstein shouts. ...
Vibrators, The: The Vibrators: Pure Mania
Review by Jon Savage, Sounds, June 1977
MMM. PSYCHO daisies. Hid her wid de axe/you better relax. More zoop bop cartoon funnies – this time the movie's speeded up. Laugh this one ...
Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, June 1977
THERE'S NOT much doubt that Elkie Brooks is going to be around for ever and ever. Elkie's a singer, simply as that. But there's still ...
George Benson: It's A Man's Man's Man's Man's World
Interview by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, June 1977
"YOU'RE SAYING that women are equal to men and all that crazy stuff!" George Benson laughed in astonishment.Hold on a second I must be hallucinating ...
Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, June 1977
He was born on a summer day 1951And with a slap of a handHe landed as an only sonHis mother and father said,"What a lovely ...
Bob Marley & the Wailers: Bob Marley & The Wailers: Rainbow Theatre, London
Live Review by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, June 1977
THE TENSION in the Rainbow was almost painful, the only relief the appearance of the Wallers. ...
10cc: New 10cc: City Hall, Newcastle
Live Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, June 1977
10CC WERE excellent. This is news? No, though in my experience they have never been the apostles of mechanical perfection sneered at by some critics. ...
Sex Pistols, The, Malcolm McLaren: A Non-Interview With Malcolm McLaren
Interview by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, June 1977
I VISITED THE office of Glitterbest (Sex Pistols management) recently, accompanied by Tony D. (editor of Ripped & Torn fanzine) to try and arrange an ...
Penetration: Anarchy In County Durham
Interview by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, June 1977
MICK JONES of the Clash, leading philosophers of the New Wave, has said that he couldn't play but for the vacuum-pack pressures of the tower ...
Jethro Tull: New Wave From An Old Hand
Interview by Pete Makowski, Sounds, June 1977
OII!!!!! EVEN IF YOU THINK JETHRO TULL ARE JUST A BUNCH OF ARTHRITIC CLAPPED OUT OLDTIMERS, COP A READ OF THIS, YOU MIGHT EVEN FIND ...
Ian Hunter: Mecca Mayfair, Newcastle
Live Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, June 1977
IAN HUNTER was back. ...
Live Review by Jon Savage, Sounds, June 1977
AND I'M supposed to be objective about these guys when I've lived with their first album for 15 months? When that was one of last ...
Sex Pistols, The: What Did You Do On The Jubilee? The Pistols on the Thames
Report by Jon Savage, Sounds, June 1977
BEFORE THE POLICE came, it was a great party. Make that a capital G. ...
Interview by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, June 1977
EVERYONE calls him Van the Man. For reasons of symmetry, mainly; Van Morrison the Man as opposed to the Musician is pretty elusive. Vague slogans ...
Rainbow: There'll Always Be A Rainbow As Long As Ritchie's Here
Interview by Pete Makowski, Sounds, June 1977
"THERE'LL ALWAYS be a Ronnie, there'll always be a Cozy and myself in Rainbow and that's all that matters, others may come and go because ...
Interview by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, June 1977
ALRIGHT, I'm impressed. Tina Weymouth and Chris Frantz are one of the hottest rhythm sections I've seen. I expected a lot of the Talking Heads ...
Jam, The: The Jam: Boy Wonders Make The BIG STEP
Report and Interview by Chas de Whalley, Sounds, June 1977
PHEW. THAT was a close one! For a moment there I thought the Jam were going to blow it completely. ...
Various: The Roxy London WC2 (Jan-Apr 77) (Harvest)
Review by Jon Savage, Sounds, June 1977
AN APPROXIMATE Warhol dictum: ‘In the future, everybody will be famous for 15 minutes.’ We never had a proper Warhol scene over here, did we? ...
Crosby Stills and Nash: Madison Square Garden, NYC
Live Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, July 1977
AFTER ALL the abortive reunion efforts, Crosby, Stills and Nash have finally delivered the goods. Neil Young was really never part of the group anyway. ...
Steve Winwood: Steve Winwood (Island)
Review by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, July 1977
‘I ONCE WAS A-CRYING BUT NOW MY LUCK’S TURNED’ ['Luck’s In']. ...
Abyssinians, The: The Abysinnians: Forward On To Zion (Klik)
Review by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, July 1977
IN THE SOUNDS Top Ten of ’76 I voted this album (then known as Satta A Massagana) number two. ...
Emerson Lake And Palmer: The $2m Show That Never Ends: Emerson, Lake & Palmer
Report and Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, July 1977
KEITH EMERSON sits in a Detroit French restaurant wearing traditional black leather trousers and a very large grin. He’s telling a reporter from Rolling Stone ...
Boomtown Rats: The Pluck of the Irish
Report and Interview by Peter Silverton, Sounds, July 1977
They may have left him stranded in Canterbury, but the Boomtown Rats are plenty good fun says Pete Silverton – now there’s critical objectivity for ...
Motorhead: Motörhead: Pulling Out of the Pits
Report and Interview by Peter Silverton, Sounds, July 1977
"GET OUT of the f––––– way. We’ve got a concert to do." ...
Van Morrison: The Speakeasy, London
Live Review by Chas de Whalley, Sounds, July 1977
EVER LOOKED Dr John the night tripper straight in the eyes? Ever stood this close to Van the Man you can feel him breathe? ...
Rubinoos, The: The Rubinoos: The Rubinoos
Review by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, July 1977
THE RUBINOOS sing a song all about how rock & roll is dead. It shouldn't really worry them either way, because in Rubinoo-land everyone's a ...
Crosby Stills and Nash: Crosby, Stills And Nash: CSN
Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, July 1977
THE TRUTH is you could put the sum of my knowledge of CSN severally and separately on your thumbnail and still have room for a ...
Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, July 1977
GO ON, GUESS how the first Yes album for three years begins. I tell you, you haven't got a hope. ...
Sensational Alex Harvey Band, The: Alex Harvey: The Thoughts (?) Of Chairman Harvey
Interview by Peter Silverton, Sounds, July 1977
"WOULD YOU like to be a rock'n'roll star?" ...
Red Clay Ramblers: The Red Clay Ramblers: Half Moon, Putney
Live Review by Chas de Whalley, Sounds, July 1977
IN THESE DAYS of unbridled electrical energy, it never ceases to surprise me the drive and excitement that can be generated by a highly ordered ...
Review by Chas de Whalley, Sounds, July 1977
Huckleberry Finn will love this one. Five English guys capture the downhome spirit of America. ...
Yes: Credibility Regained (Or: Rich Superstars Make Good Album sensation!)
Interview by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, July 1977
GOVERNMENT HEALTH WARNING: this feature does not contain any references to "punk’ or ‘new wave" ...
Interview by Jon Savage, Sounds, July 1977
GENERATION X. In the 60's: a book wherein 'youth speaks about itself'. In the 70's: a 'new wave' band which does the same, on the ...
Retrospective by Chas de Whalley, Sounds, July 1977
In which SOUNDS people bring long-ignored or deleted albums to your attention ...
Review by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, July 1977
FIRST OF all, the obvious. Why review two albums with the same name? ...
Carole Bayer Sager: Carole Bayer Sager (Warner Bros.)***
Review by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, July 1977
CAROLE BAYER SAGER gets me going, then she lets me down. Since history repeats itself I should've seen it coming, though. ...
Roky Erickson, 13th Floor Elevators: Roky Erickson: One Flew Out Of The Cuckoo's Nest
Retrospective by Jon Savage, Sounds, July 1977
'After you trip, life opens up – you start doing what you wanna do...c'mon, C'MON let it happen to you...' – 'Roller Coaster', 13th Floor ...
Alternative TV: Sniffin' Glue…
Report and Interview by Jon Savage, Sounds, July 1977
NOW: THE ROXY these days is not what it was – whatever shrill camera-lens sense of event there was in the Andy Czezowski days has ...
Lurkers, The: The Lurkers: Attack Of The Distortion People
Profile and Interview by Jeremy Gluck, Sounds, July 1977
ALLOW ME TO present The Lurkers, whose enlightened adherence to the golden rule of "Three Chords, Three Verses, Three Minutes" definitely fingers them as the ...
Grateful Dead: The Grateful Dead: Terrapin Station
Review by Chas de Whalley, Sounds, July 1977
TEN YEARS and twelve-odd albums on from when they first hit the streets of San Francisco, the good ol' Grateful Dead present us with their ...
Kim Fowley: International Heroes
Review by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, July 1977
I REALISE it's getting to be an obsession, but what can I do? Even Viv Goldman, between bouts of trying to convince me to do ...
Review by Chas de Whalley, Sounds, July 1977
WHAT'S THIS? Two stars for Bruce Johnston the ex-Beachboy? Yeah, you read right...and if it wasn't for that illustrious track record of his I wouldn't ...
Review by Peter Silverton, Sounds, July 1977
The Boys ain't no joke ...
Bay City Rollers, The: The Bay City Rollers: It's A Game
Review by Chas de Whalley, Sounds, July 1977
LET'S FACE it, the idea of a Bay City Rollers album is just a little amusing. In fact, it wouldn't surprise me if several of ...
Dead Fingers Talk: Hull Is For Heroes
Profile by Peter Silverton, Sounds, July 1977
"Have you met Harry yet? He's the new man in the office. There 'something not quite right about Harry. I 'think he's qu-e-e-r… "And I leaned ...
Deaf School: Putting On The Agony, Putting On The Style
Report and Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, July 1977
EVEN LA HAD never seen anything quite like them. Deaf School that is. A very British group who really have nothing to do with punk ...
George Hatcher Band, The: The George Hatcher Band
Report by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, July 1977
THE TIME: just before the gig at Birmingham University. In that husky South Carolina accent George Hatcher was telling me about the band: "It will ...
Review by Chas de Whalley, Sounds, August 1977
AS A TECHNICIAN alone Roy Buchanan is one of the finest electric guitarists in the world. ...
Movies (UK), The: The Movies: Double A
Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, August 1977
BEND A CASUAL ear to The Movies and you might almost think they were easy listening, gentle on your mind, treacle on your brain. A ...
Review by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, August 1977
IT ALL DEPENDS whether you're a sucker for the Burning Spear Sound. It hasn't changed too much through all their Island albums, and certain key ...
Gap Band, The: The Gap Band: The Gap Band
Review by Chas de Whalley, Sounds, August 1977
SO I PICKED through the albums lying in Master Barton's dusty drawer and there, amongst the dross, was a name I recognised. The Gap Band. ...
Kim Fowley, Runaways, The: Kim Fowley: The Dorian Gray of Rock'n'Roll
Interview by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, August 1977
TAKE A JOURNEY INTO ROCK N ROLL WITH KIM FOWLEY AND MEET...Venus & The Razorbiades, The Runaways, Juice, Teenage Prostitutes, Steven T., Zippers, Weirdos, Germs, ...
Eddie & The Hot Rods: Eddie and the Hot Rods: The Rods Are Awright
Interview by Pete Makowski, Sounds, August 1977
"All my friends at school grew up and settled down. Then they mortgaged up their lives. When things get set too much but I think ...
Squeeze: Local Boozers Make Good
Report and Interview by Chas de Whalley, Sounds, August 1977
HEY JOHN, take a look at this. When did this happen last in the Hope, eh? There's two bodies stretched out straight in the tiny ...
Runaways, The: The Runaways: Live In Japan *****
Review by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, August 1977
BEFORE YOU take that pinch of salt to go with this album's five star rating, a couple of points: this album was NOT produced by ...
Willy DeVille: It's De Ville Thing
Interview by Sylvie Simmons, Sounds, August 1977
IT STARTED IN '71. Willy deVille, a black-Irish New Yorker, came to London in search of a band. None appeared. After a few frustrating months ...
Beach Boys, The, Dennis Wilson, Brian Wilson: The Beach Boys: I Wanna Be Where The Boys Are
Interview by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, August 1977
"SOME KAHLUA, we need a coupla pitchers of milk..." "Send up a bottle of milk. O.K., cartons. Four cartons. And some honey. And a coffee. ...
Rezillos, The: The Rise Of The Rezillos
Profile and Interview by Jeremy Gluck, Sounds, August 1977
FIVE MINUTES into the Rezillos set at the Nashville I left behind the venue for a far more exotic scenario. I envisaged myself in a ...
Live Review by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, August 1977
LAURA NYRO'S a recluse. Season Of Light proves, in case you ever wondered, that it's her own decision. ...
Interview by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, August 1977
WHO IS this, anyway?" Giovanni Dadomo demanded. "The Caligari Brothers?" Funny you should say that, my pasta-eating pal. ...
Gentle Giant: The Missing Piece
Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, August 1977
GENTLE GIANT crave recognition in their homeland with a longing which at times borders on the pathetic. For all their success in the States and ...
Small Faces, The: Small Faces: Playmates
Review by Chas de Whalley, Sounds, August 1977
OH DEAR, I fear Steve Marriott and his mates are in for a real critical pasting with this, the first Small Faces LP for ten ...
Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, August 1977
THIS IS a double album of many distinctions. For instance, I've never known a record feature the line 'have a cup of tea' so often. ...
Thin Lizzy Rule At Reading OK?
Interview by Pete Makowski, Sounds, August 1977
THE TELEX ended something like: "And besides he's black, Irish and only wears one earring." ...
Ted Nugent: Hammersmith Odeon, London
Live Review by Chas de Whalley, Sounds, August 1977
I WAS STANDING on the stairs backstage at the Hammersmith Odeon when the Ted Nugent band came down from the dressing rooms. ...
Radio Stars: The Nashville, London
Live Review by Chas de Whalley, Sounds, August 1977
SOME CAME TO catch the Boomtown Rats (who had cancelled at the last moment) but, despite the substitution of Chiswick's Radio Stars, there were still ...
Dead Boys, The: The Dead Boys: Pretty Vicious
Profile and Interview by Mary Harron, Sounds, August 1977
THE DEAD BOYS are part of anew generation at CBGB's, a generation that has finally succeeded in erasing that fine line that divides the cool ...
Rita Coolidge, Kris Kristofferson: Radio City Music Hall, New York
Live Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, August 1977
Rita: sleek, sultry, sexy… ...
Alice Cooper: Love It To Death
Retrospective by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, August 1977
"I'M CAUGHT in a dream –so what?" ...
Chris De Burgh: At The End Of A Perfect Day
Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, September 1977
YOU'D EXPECT sensitive singer-songwriters to be well-served by the quiet decorum of the studio where every nuance can be polished to perfection. But it doesn't ...
Dennis Wilson: Pacific Ocean Blue
Review by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, September 1977
THERE'S TWO moods on this record, one I like. That's the slow surge, tidal ebb/flow style, with the/additional tug of solemn female or male voices. ...
Jah Punk: New Wave Digs Reggae
Report by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, September 1977
'We're gonna have a punky reggae party...the Wailers will be there, the Slits, the Feelgoods, and the Clash...' – BOB MARLEY SONGS LYRIC ...
Doobie Brothers: Livin' On The Fault Line
Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, September 1977
WHATEVER HAPPENED to the Doobie Brothers? I've often wondered. And this new album is no help. None of them play on it and the sleeve ...
Fabulous Poodles: Fabulous Poodles
Review by Chas de Whalley, Sounds, September 1977
HOW DO you decide whether an album's a good one or a bad one? Difficult really. If anybody had a handy rule of thumb, a ...
Runaways, The: Runaways: A Primer For The New Runaways
Interview by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, September 1977
THE NEW line up of the Runaways is: Joan Jett/Lita Ford/Sandy West/Vicky Blue. Cherie Currie (vocals) and Jackie Fox (bass) are no longer with the ...
Overview by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, September 1977
ASWAD: Drummie, drums, vocals: George Oban, bass: Chaka Forde, rhythm guitar, vocals: Donald Guiti, lead guitar, vocals. Courtney Hennings, keyboards, vocals. ...
Rich Kids, The: The Rich Kids: Back With A Bullet
Profile and Interview by Peter Silverton, Sounds, September 1977
COMING DOWN from the Harrow Road by bus, Steve New's getting the rise taken out of him by a bunch of kids because he's wearing ...
Profile and Interview by Chas de Whalley, Sounds, September 1977
"WE'LL CHALENGE any band in the business to any bar sport they care to name. Darts, Pool, Crib, Table Football, Pinball. You name it. Meal ...
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers: Tom Petty: Whisky A Go Go, Los Angeles
Live Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, September 1977
IT'S NO accident that the tinny PA at the tacky Whisky was blasting out the Rolling. Stones' 'All Down The Line' prior to the Saturday ...
Van Morrison: T.B. Sheets (Phonogram – Reissue)
Review by Chas de Whalley, Sounds, September 1977
IN WHICH Phonogram Records acquire the rights to Van Morrison's early BANG material and effectively re-issue an album called T.B. Sheets which Decca put out ...
Joan Armatrading: Show Some Emotion
Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, September 1977
AAAAAH, JOAN, Shall I compare thee to a summer rose? Not just now, but how about 'The Summertime Blues'? At least Eddie Cochran is something ...
Buzzcocks, The: Whatever Happened To The Buzzcocks?
Interview by Caroline Coon, Sounds, September 1977
Now there's nothing behind meAnd I'm already a has-beenMy future ain't what it wasI think I know the words that I meanYou know me – ...
Ted Nugent, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Foreigner: Lynyrd Skynyrd/ Foreigner/Ted Nugent: Rock And Roll All Nite
Live Review by Sylvie Simmons, Sounds, September 1977
AN AFTERNOON of heavy rock at the Los Angeles sports stadium. Score: Lynyrd Skynyrd – Win. Foreigner – Place. Nugent – Show. ...
Live Review by Sylvie Simmons, Sounds, September 1977
'LOS ANGELES Police Department reminds you the use of fire works is illegal,' warned the notice outside the Los Angeles Forum. With all the bravado ...
Stranglers, The: The Stranglers
Report and Interview by Chas de Whalley, Sounds, September 1977
TW STUDIOS are tucked away behind a drab shopfront off London's Fulham Palace Road. To gain entry you have to go round the side, through ...
Review by Jon Savage, Sounds, September 1977
"FROZEN WARNINGS close to mine, close to the frozen borderline......" ...
Kursaal Flyers, The: The Kursaal Flyers: Five Live Kursaals
Review by Chas de Whalley, Sounds, September 1977
IT ALL boils down to what you think of the Kursaal Flyers really, doesn't it? Me, I fell in love with them the first time ...
Review by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, September 1977
THESE DAYS Linda Ronstadt works to a production line formula: You get a nice sleeve (this one is by Kosh, who did a similar job ...
Review by Chas de Whalley, Sounds, September 1977
HAVE YOU heard of Joe Ely before? Thought not. I certainly haven't. His past history is a total blank as far as I'm concerned. And ...
Hall & Oates, Daryl Hall: Hall & Oates: Beauty On A Back Street
Review by Chas de Whalley, Sounds, September 1977
THE ACCEPTABLE face of disco music? ...
Stranglers, The: The Stranglers: No More Heroes
Review by Jon Savage, Sounds, September 1977
AHHH – BUT these are testing times...now the very real euphoria has subsided, the scales have fallen from my eyes: not recantation, but re-evaluation. Timely ...
Vibrators, The: The Vibrators: The Punks Who Came In From The Cold
Report and Interview by Mick Brown, Sounds, September 1977
"I think I ought to make it clear", says Knox, arms waving like flags in a stiff breeze, "that when we first started we were ...
Tom Robinson Band: Up Against The Wall: Life with the Tom Robinson Band
Report and Interview by Peter Silverton, Sounds, September 1977
"The British police are the best in the world.I don't believe one of these stories I've heard..." ...
Jonathan Richman: Johnathan Richman: Hammersmith Odeon, London
Live Review by Jon Savage, Sounds, September 1977
CONTRADICTION. (I don't wanna grow up; there's too much...) ...
Fabulous Poodles: A Poodle Is All Things To All Men
Profile and Interview by Chas de Whalley, Sounds, September 1977
'The dog has one fault which you will never be able to overcome, an unforgivable fault, alas! It is common to all dogs, and there ...
Peter Gabriel: Newcastle Welcomes Peter Gabriel
Review and Interview by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, October 1977
In the car park round the corner from Newcastle City Hall a bootleg baker was trafficking in bread buns from the back of an unmarked ...
Harry Chapin: Dance Band On The Titanic
Review by Chas de Whalley, Sounds, October 1977
I REALLY can't make my mind up about this guy Harry Chapin. One one level he is totally crass and on another he is totally ...
Heartbreakers, The: Billy, Walter and Johnny: The Heartbreakers
Interview by Jon Savage, Sounds, October 1977
INTERVIEW TAKES place on a second floor flat, a stone’s throw away from the Thames. Present are: Walter Lure and Billy Rath, singer/guitarist and bassist ...
Mink DeVille: Willy DeVille: Tough But Tender
Interview by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, October 1977
SANDY ROBERTSON meets Willy DeVille and they discuss intellect versus emotion, James Cagney, Kim Fowley, The Belfast Gypsies, Tom Courtenay, James Dean, toughness, sensitivity, street ...
Review by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, October 1977
Chris Spedding says he's been hurt by love on this album. Don't know what else he's been hurt by, but I'm haunted by the feeling ...
Review by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, October 1977
I'd like to offer up a small prayer at this point. Here it is. Thank heavens for the Talking Heads. ...
Johnny Thunders: The Heartbreakers: L.A.M.F.
Review by Jon Savage, Sounds, October 1977
'Living in the jungle, it ain't so hard/But livin' in the city, it can eat out, eat out your heart...' ...
Steve Hillage: Motivation Radio
Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, October 1977
When a guy sings to you "we've all been born together in this special place and time to raise the world," where does your humble ...
Ian Dury: New Boots And Panties!!
Review by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, October 1977
LET'S PLAY CLUEDO on this sleeve. What we deduce from this one – Ian standing in front of a shop window full of ladies' bras ...
Climax Blues Band: The Climax Blues Band: Live in Newcastle
Live Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, October 1977
THE CLIMAX Blues Band are fab. Not a profound remark, I know, but it needs saying because their fate in this country has nearly always ...
Richard Hell: To Hell and Back: Richard Hell
Interview by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, October 1977
"I'M GLAD my name's Hell, because at least those people at the radio stations are gonna have some idea what to expect. I intend to ...
Rose Royce Find Success The Norman Whitfield Way
Interview by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, October 1977
"IT'S KJLH, the station of Kindness, Joy, Love and Happiness," the deejay smoulders on the car radio, and goshdarn if you couldn't almost believe all ...
Stranglers, The: The Stranglers: Brunel University, Middlesex
Live Review by Chas de Whalley, Sounds, October 1977
OF COURSE, what with all those bad reviews the Stranglers have picked up since the release of the new album No More Heroes, you might ...
Boys, The: The Boys: Boys In Bondage
Profile and Interview by Peter Silverton, Sounds, October 1977
IF I'D KNOWN what I was letting myself in for when I went to see John Cale at the Roundhouse this Easter, I think I'd ...
Darts, The: The Darts: Sheer Dart attack
Profile by Chas de Whalley, Sounds, October 1977
DOO-WOP was a term applied to the singing style of American R 'n' B vocal groups of the Fifties, originating in the fact that the ...
Generation X: The Marquee, London
Live Review by Peter Silverton, Sounds, October 1977
ROCK ON Indeed.I've finally figured out, after all this time, why, despite the fact that lots of people whose opinions I respect hate them, I ...
Be-Bop Deluxe: Civic Auditorium, Santa Monica, CA
Live Review by Sylvie Simmons, Sounds, October 1977
SANTA MONICA Civic is not the best place to see a rock concert in Los Angeles. It's got about as much rock atmosphere as the ...
Review by Mick Brown, Sounds, October 1977
THIS IS THE album that should have been called 'A Period of Transition'. Not that it has anything to do with Van Morrison, but it ...
Review by Edwin Pouncey, Sounds, October 1977
SPLIT ENZ are mainly a musical theatrical troupe, not that that's a slagging off because they are also talented musicians. It's just that the first ...
Interview by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, October 1977
"I WONDER WHAT would happen if I drank this? Might do me some good," Ian Dury says grimly. ...
Clash, The: The Clash: Who's In Love With Janie Jones?
Interview by Caroline Coon, Sounds, October 1977
DURING THE hot summer of 1976, a No. 31 bus jolts through Notting Hill Gate. On the top deck is Mick Jones, humming a riff. ...
Racing Cars: Mayfair, Newcastle
Live Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, October 1977
UNFORTUNATELY I'VE always missed Lowell George and Paul Barrere live so I can't tell you with real authenticity that Graham Williams and 'Alice' Enniss of ...
Live Review by Jon Savage, Sounds, October 1977
Prime Manchester venue closes... Power cut at the Electric Circus ...
Review by Jon Savage, Sounds, October 1977
I DON'T know what I expected, but I thought it would be good (I mean credentials: Roxy Music/ Eno/'Diamond Head/’Tomorrow Never Knows'/Nico/etc.) but this wasn't ...
Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, October 1977
AC/DC ARE A 4-letter word band. If you don't like, them and some misadventure elbows you into their firing line the foulest oaths would be ...
Review by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, October 1977
IF IT was Clive Davis, head of Arista, who's responsible for the release of Shirley Brown, I'd like to invite him to hold his next ...
Review by Peter Silverton, Sounds, October 1977
FLICKING IDLY through a rack and coming across an album entitled ha! ha! ha!, you'd expect, if not a comic masterpiece, at least a couple ...
Robert Gordon, Link Wray: Robert Gordon: Robert Gordon With Link Wray
Review by Chas de Whalley, Sounds, October 1977
FOR SOME odd reason Private Stock don't want you to know that Robert Gordon used to be with those CBGB specials Tuff Darts. Richard Robinson ...
Jess Roden: The Player Not The Game
Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, October 1977
NOW I ALWAYS thought good music was good music but this album is a puzzler. You see I like it at midnight and at half ...
Interview by Sylvie Simmons, Sounds, October 1977
IT'S NOT every day that Steely Dan bare their souls to the public. But amid the palm trees and coke bottles at the Bel Air ...
Talking Heads: Psycho-Killer, Qu'est-ce Que C'est?
Interview by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, October 1977
QUESTION: When is a door not a door? ...
X-Ray Spex: Oh Bondage! Up Yours!
Interview by Chas de Whalley, Sounds, October 1977
"IF SOMEBODY said I was a sex symbol, I'd shave me'ead tomorrer," cackled Poly Styrene. "'Oh Bondage Up Yours' ain't about sex particularly. In fact ...
Chris Spedding: Durham University, Durham
Live Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, October 1977
TALK ABOUT a game of two halves. This was the one where Liverpool and Man Utd battle out a midfield stalemate until the interval then ...
Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, October 1977
GRUNTINESS, that's what it comes down to. ...
Rick Wakeman: Rick Wakeman's Criminal Record
Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, October 1977
FOR RICK Wakeman, Criminal Record is obviously the outcome of some in-depth self-criticism. ...
Millie Jackson: Feelin' Bitchy
Review by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, October 1977
HEY, MILLIE? This is Vivien.I'm writing to you 'cos I dig the way you move onstage. I saw you foolin' round with that guy onstage ...
Interview by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, October 1977
The Stones always meant a lot to a lot of people, but are your own motivations for carrying on and doing it the same as ...
Interview by Peter Silverton, Sounds, October 1977
"I'M NOT stupid. I know, however successful I get to be right now, that in two, three, maybe four if I'm lucky, years' time, I'll ...
Steve Hillage: Hippie Axeman In Jodrell Bank Raid
Interview by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, October 1977
The new Steve Hillage: The Man Who Gets Things Done. ...
AC/DC: Sex, Snot, Sweat and School Kids
Live Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, October 1977
AC/DC: The Mayfair, Newcastle ...
Wishbone Ash: City Hall, Newcastle
Live Review by Chas de Whalley, Sounds, October 1977
WHATEVER YOUR tastes in music, there's one thing you can never argue about. Audience reaction. A hall full of standing rock fans, clapping their hands ...
Randy Newman: Little Criminals
Review by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, October 1977
ON THE SLEEVE, Randy Newman looks as dour as one of the rednecks he dissected with such fiendish accuracy in his last studio album, Good ...
Sex Pistols, The: Sex Pistols: Spunk Rock
Report by Chas de Whalley, Sounds, October 1977
FOR A MOMENT there I thought I'd stumbled into a dream I just wasn't equipped to handle. All change for Edge City. The punk behind ...
Clash, The: The Clash in Belfast
Report by Caroline Coon, Sounds, October 1977
AT FIRST the band were reluctant to have their photo taken anywhere near the soldiers. "They'll think we're here to entertain the troops," said Strummer. ...
Sex Pistols, The: Never Mind The Bollocks, Here's The Sex Pistols
Review by Jon Savage, Sounds, November 1977
Here am I – there are you – here's the Sex Pistols. ...
Interview by Chas de Whalley, Sounds, November 1977
I TELL YOU no word of a lie. This table was at least the length of my sitting room at home, if it wasn't actually ...
Report and Interview by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, November 1977
THE HOUR OF MY VINDICATION is at hand. I'm sitting in the lobby of a London hotel waiting for the Runaways to descend from their ...
Runaways, The: The Runaways: Waitin' For The Night (Mercury)*****
Review by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, November 1977
NOW THIS is a difficult one. Five stars, yes, but not entirely for the reasons I expected. Kim Fowley has kissed off his associations with ...
Review by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, November 1977
ANYTHING BUT a cheap trick, in fact. You may wonder why you keep seeing this bunch mentioned in esoteric magazines like Who Put The Bomp ...
Review by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, November 1977
I WAS listening seriously to music before Neil Young, but I can't remember what it was. ...
Hall & Oates: Outre in Dayton, Ohio
Interview by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, November 1977
I'M SICK! I'm twisted! I'm bent! I'm writing a story about Daryl Hall & John Oates!There's one good thing about devoting your energy to writing ...
Interview by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, November 1977
TALK ABOUT being stood up. The first time I met Winston Rodney/Burning Spear he was eight hours late. And this was, mind you, after having ...
Runaways, The: The Runaways: Newcastle City Hall
Live Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, November 1977
JOAN JETT is gorgeous. Vicki Blue is delectable. Lita Ford is the American Pie smile backed by the American Dream ass. And Sandy West is ...
Live Review by Jon Savage, Sounds, November 1977
Magazine: The Electric Circus, Manchester ...
Leonard Cohen: Death OF A Ladies Man
Review by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, November 1977
'LEONARD COHEN meets Phil Spector' sounds more like a line from a Lester Bangs article than something you would ever expect to actually become manifest ...
Residents, The: The Residents: 'Beyond The Valley Of A Day In the Life'
Review by Jon Savage, Sounds, November 1977
TO THE RESIDENTS, nothing is sacred, least of all themselves. Whether you love/hate the Residents, whether you've heard of them, don't care, matters not at ...
Ramones, The: The Ramones: Rocket to Russia
Review by Jon Savage, Sounds, November 1977
NO MORE shock tactics. Just arrow-straight at your teenage hearts....Wuz wrong! Thought they wanted to be the Byrds (those haircuts, see....); now know they want ...
Damned, The: The Damned: Music For Pleasure
Review by Peter Silverton, Sounds, November 1977
CATCHING SIGHT of the title in a news column, I wondered. 'Music For Pleasure'? Have the dervish-like Damned decided to junk all this credibility rubbish, ...
Sweet: The Sweet: Sweet's Golden Greats
Review by Peter Silverton, Sounds, November 1977
EVERY GENERATION of rock writing throws up its own paper tiger. ...
Michael Chapman: The Man Who Hated Mornings
Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, November 1977
MICHAEL CHAPMAN is a ruminative sort of talent. ...
Jam, The: The Jam: THIS Is The Modern World
Live Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, November 1977
The Jam: The Mayfair, Newcastle ...
Throbbing Gristle: It's Never Too Late To Fall In Love
Interview by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, November 1977
THROBBING GRISTLE are so away from the new wave scene (sort of) and so totally reviled by the standard music fans (at least, by those ...
Brinsley Schwarz, Eggs Over Easy, Ducks Deluxe: The Glory That Was Pub Rock
Retrospective by Chas de Whalley, Sounds, November 1977
"Before pub rock people used to think the ideal gig was somewhere like Guildford Civic where you could sit cross-legged and watch King Crimson pan ...
Profile by Jon Savage, Sounds, November 1977
DEVO/DEVOID/VOID/DEVOTED/DEVOLUTION: Savage attempts a discrete distillation. Devout. Things are not as they seem, nor as they have been reported.... 'The cities are our major source ...
Review by Chas de Whalley, Sounds, December 1977
GREG KIHN again? Does that mean I missed the first one? Suppose it does. Oh, well. So it goes. ...
Kilburn & The High Roads: Kilburn & The Highroads: Handsome
Review by Chas de Whalley, Sounds, December 1977
I SUPPOSE it had to happen sometime. People have such short memories. Pye have re-released the first and only Kilburn and the High Roads album ...
Interview by Chas de Whalley, Sounds, December 1977
"LIVING in Bloomington," considers Rich Stim, "Is like living in a hermetically sealed mayonnaise jar." And you might be excused thinking he was talking out ...
Siouxsie & The Banshees: Siouxsie and the Banshees
Interview by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, December 1977
PREMISE: Record company executives have been skipping the brandy on their expense account lunches in their eagerness to sign up any band that can loosely ...
Status Quo: Odeon Theatre, Birmingham
Live Review by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, December 1977
DEEP IN the heart of boogieland, as it were. Opening were the v. proficient, v. boring Nutz. I seem to recall hearing stuff from their ...
Steve Miller: The Forum, Los Angeles
Live Review by Sylvie Simmons, Sounds, December 1977
THERE WAS a time when Steve Miller used to burn up the stage; there was a time when Steve Miller's giant ego dominated the show; ...
Tyla Gang: Yachtless At The Nottingham Boat Club
Report and Interview by Peter Silverton, Sounds, December 1977
Yacht'less 1. (yot-less) a., having no yacht/s; being in a no-yacht situation; a severe lack of the funds and/or wherewithal with which to purchase same; ...
Black Sabbath: Greatest Hits (Vertigo)
Review by Jon Savage, Sounds, December 1977
ENGLAND CAN be depressing to the point of insanity...grey oozing days for months on end...rows of mean streets, pinched people...clausterphobic scrapyard vistas of country turned ...
Various Artists: Live At The Vortex
Review by Jon Savage, Sounds, December 1977
HA. ANOTHER sledge-hammer blow pulping revolt into style...At least might someone have the good grace and honesty to stick 'Punk (a/k/a 'New/Wave') Sampler' on the ...
Man: All's Well That Ends Well
Review by Chas de Whalley, Sounds, December 1977
I TRUST there aren't too many of you out there who've forgotten Man. This lovable bunch of Welsh boyos were once one of the very ...
Adam & The Ants: Whip In My Valise: Adam and the Ants
Comment by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, December 1977
The angel Gabriel sent me to give you a little bit of sympathy...('Plastic Surgery') ...
Enid, The: Enid: Why Are These Men Facing The Wrong Way?
Interview by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, December 1977
IT'S WELL over a year now since I last annexed a piece of this publication to warn you that the Enid, oddball neo-classical romancers, were ...
Elvis Costello & The Attractions: Whisky a Go Go, Los Angeles
Live Review by Sylvie Simmons, Sounds, December 1977
THE YELLOW posters outside the Los Angeles Whisky and the yellow pins handed to the punters make him out a Buddy Holly figure who murders ...
Damned, The: Voyage Of The Damned
Report and Interview by Peter Silverton, Sounds, December 1977
A rainy Friday afternoon in Stiff publicist Glen Coulson’s office. Glen ruffles his hair, takes a swig from a can of warm Heineken and expounds ...
Brian Eno: Before and After Science
Review by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, December 1977
REACTIONS: 1) Am I happy or sad that other rock music has finally caught up with Eno? He has won his battle to make ...
Uriah Heep: City Hall, Newcastle
Live Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, December 1977
Heep hordes go crazy, critic stays unmoved ...
Review by Peter Silverton, Sounds, December 1977
IN WRITING his plays, Bertolt Brecht operated according to a Roamin Rolland maxim: "Pessimism of the intellect; optimism of the will". Burning Spear's music works ...
Boomtown Rats: Do You Sincerely Want To Be Rich?
Interview by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, December 1977
WHEN SOUNDZ Mother Superior Viv Goldman asked me to do this article I was less than delighted. Reasons being:1 – I've never been hot to ...
Penetration: The Future Is Female
Interview by Jon Savage, Sounds, December 1977
ACCELERATION DON'T go to my head...London – a module, self-contained, trapped in an ever-accelerating time/style warp: a week seems like a month in our brave ...
Report and Interview by Chas de Whalley, Sounds, December 1977
DOWN IN WOKING at three o'clock in the afternoon the Modern World seems miles away. Outside it's icy cold, but in number 44, with the ...
Split Enz: The Rats Are Crawling Up My Back - And Other Seasonal Thoughts Courtesy Of SPLIT ENZ
Report and Interview by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, December 1977
DIZRYTHMIA. "We got the album title from a pamphlet in a plane. It happened to mention the medical name for jet-lag circadia disrhythmia. It means ...
Jackson Browne: Running On Empty (Asylum)**
Review by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, December 1977
EVER BEEN trapped with no hope of escape by the most unmitigated bore you've ever met? You recite the lyrics to 'Sweet Jane' backwards, you ...
Residents, The: Residents: Meet the Residents *****; Third Reich 'N' Roll *****; Finger Prince *****
Review by Jon Savage, Sounds, December 1977
NOT FOR the faint-hearted. Be warned. Residents specialise in cultural sabotage, sonic rearrangement, cryptic capers. They are (at the same time) very funny and vary ...
Alex Chilton: Getting The Cramps Between The Box Tops And Big Stardom
Interview by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, December 1977
ANY SELF-RESPECTING cultural elitist should know who Alex Chilton is, as should all hopeless old bozos still lingering on from the 60s. To recap for ...
Interview by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, December 1977
I walked through Carlisle in a mild drizzle musing on some crafted phrases about the castle, the airy market-town streets, the cool shower of country ...
Jam, The: The Jam: London Hammersmith Odeon
Live Review by Jon Savage, Sounds, December 1977
FRAGMENTATION STRIKES DEEP... as punk "culture" is guided firmly into several easily categorizable (and therefore easier controlled)/marketable segments(divided we consume), it's clean teen night. ...
Television: City Hall, Newcastle
Live Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, 1978
I mean, it can’t be that difficult to come up with 800 words on any gig. A beginning, a middle and an end with a ...
Elvis Costello: This Year’s Model
Review by Jon Savage, Sounds, 1978
THE INSULT that made a man out of Mac(manus). As runs the hype: get sand kicked in your face (or whatever), keep on punching your ...
Little Feat: Waiting For Columbus (Warner Brothers)
Review by Peter Silverton, Sounds, 1978
WHOEVER started the vogue for double live albums (the Band?) has a lot to answer for. Whether pretty good (Bob Seger, J. Geils) or embarrassingly ...
Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, January 1978
COULD IT be that protest singers are about to make a comeback? It makes sense – after the glitter and the head-banging punk came out ...
Flamin' Groovies, The: The Flamin' Groovies: "We're No Museum Piece"
Interview by Peter Silverton, Sounds, January 1978
SOME BOXERS, if you believe what you see on the toob, just won't quit. Knocked down more times than they've slapped in their gum shield, ...
Linda Ronstadt: All Linda Ronstadt Needs Is The Lurv Of A Good Man
Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, January 1978
JUST AFTER midnight a large coach pulls up outside a respectable New York City Hotel, precariously perched on the right side of Central Park. Assorted ...
Sex Pistols, The: Sex Pistols in Memphis
Report by Dave Schulps, Sounds, January 1978
ITEM: Officers of the Memphis, Tennessee Vice Squad attended the Sex Pistols' American debut performance in Atlanta on Thursday just to make certain that the ...
Live Review by Chas de Whalley, Sounds, January 1978
I WOULD have expected Christmas Eye with the Rods at the Roundhouse to turn into something of a real party, wouldn't you? Well, strangely enough, ...
Tapper Zukie: Tapper Zuckie: Man Ah Warrior
Review by Jon Savage, Sounds, January 1978
AN ALBUM full of dignity, grandeur and pride: Smokey swirls intertwining to form a chord of steel... ...
Interview by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, January 1978
BOB WELCH is a hit. After stints in Fleetwood Mac and H. Metal outfit Paris he is enjoying chart action/success with his French Kiss album ...
How To Succeed In The Biz Without Really Dying, part 1
Guide by Chas de Whalley, Sounds, January 1978
OK, SO YOU GOT yourself an electric guitar, you've learned how to play and now you think you're ready to corner the market with the ...
Meat Loaf: The Roxy, Los Angeles
Live Review by Sylvie Simmons, Sounds, January 1978
Ingredients:Meat Loaf (around 250lbs) from Dallas, Texas; lead singer with Ted Nugent on platinum album Free For All; monster-singer Eddie with half a brain in ...
Talking Heads/Heaters: Whisky A Go Go, Los Angeles, CA
Live Review by Sylvie Simmons, Sounds, January 1978
HEATERS: A band for people who like little boys. A punkoid Our Kid, with mop-tops, waistcoats, ties and short-sleeved shirts. A cute little bassist, a ...
Fanzines: Pure Pop Art For Now People
Overview by Jon Savage, Sounds, January 1978
'THEY are vital, audacious, reckless insofar as they represent an extreme view adopted in a broad popular m way, and they have a curious brave ...
Ramones, The: The Ramones: Rainbow Theatre, London
Live Review by Jon Savage, Sounds, January 1978
VERMILION, AFTERWARDS (taking in with a sweep of her arm the splendid rococo-deco vastness of the Rainbow gallery): "Rock'n'roll belongs in the pits, not here". ...
Review by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, January 1978
GARAGE BANDS. Despite all their virtues, and even though groups like Yes and Uriah Heep are pretty convincing arguments against technology and heavy metal respectively, ...
Review by Jon Savage, Sounds, January 1978
SO, NO RAW POWER retreads – it's only possible to live that once – but afterburn: the Ig goes right TO THE EDGE; LOSES CONTRACT/band/sanity/life ...
Review by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, January 1978
NATURALLY ENOUGH, I have to mention the The Runaways in this review. When Cherie left, a lot of people thought they'd sink without trace, but ...
How To Succeed In The Biz Without Really Dying, part 2
Guide by Chas de Whalley, Sounds, January 1978
ROCK'N'ROLL is Laissez-Faire Capitalism Incarnate. Sorry to get so heavy so soon, but it's the truth. The music business is the most highly developed consumer ...
Interview by Peter Silverton, Sounds, January 1978
'If I played my cards right, I'd be a gift to the media – chat shows, the lot' ...
Viletones, The: The Viletones: The Four Viletones Of The Apocalypse
Profile by Jeremy Gluck, Sounds, January 1978
FORGET NEW York, Give London a pass. Come instead to Toronto, Canada's fun city. Join the revellers at David's where, on certain choice nights, you ...
How To Succeed In The Biz Without Really Dying, part 3
Guide by Chas de Whalley, Sounds, January 1978
NOW YOU'RE heading for the one. The big record contract with the big record company for the BIG money and the BIG Hits. ...
Frank Zappa: Zappa Digs Sabs Shock!
Interview by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, January 1978
Sandy: Can I ask you firstly about one of my own obsessions, Kim Fowley, (Oh No! – Ed) Who was on the Freak Out album, ...
Dire Straits: The Nashville, London
Live Review by Chas de Whalley, Sounds, January 1978
DIRE STRAITS are not yet one year old, and they've been playing to the public for little more than six months. Nevertheless they must arguably ...
Sex Pistols, The: Sex Pistols: This Could Be The Last Time
Report by Jonh Ingham, Sounds, January 1978
HYSTERIA! Disgust! Bemusement! Perplexity! The hip, FM radio dj still can't believe it. The Sex Pistols in San Francisco – heavee, man! Back in Hollywood, ...
Althia & Donna: Nah Pop No Style, A Strictly Roots…
Report and Interview by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, January 1978
IF YOU don't like talking to strangers, don't walk through Kingston with Donna or Althia. ...
Review by Jon Savage, Sounds, February 1978
SUICIDE? PERHAPS; rather life at one remove, through a one-way mirror. Or wilful withdrawal from the sea of impossibility... ...
Millie Jackson: Mille Jackson: The Primal Scream Therapist Of Soul
Interview by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, February 1978
MILLIE JACKSON yanked me over to her side of the fence the first moment I heard her belting out some juicy slice of angst on ...
How To Succeed In The Biz Without Really Dying, part 4
Guide by Chas de Whalley, Sounds, February 1978
"How many times have you been asked to sign away your services exclusively for five years? Viewed that way a record contract represents a very ...
Robert Gordon, Link Wray: Robert Gordon with Link Wray: A Modern Elvis And The Missing Link
Report and Interview by Peter Silverton, Sounds, February 1978
LINK WRAY finishes off his instrumental street opera, 'Rumble', with an amphetamine-psychosis, note-tumbling-after-note run worthy of any guitar army hero, clambers up from his bent-knee, ...
Talking Heads: Newcastle Poly, Newcastle
Live Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, February 1978
TALKING HEADS are one of those bands who are so good you have to be careful to avoid falling into telling the world they are ...
Frank Zappa: Hammersmith Odeon, London
Live Review by Edwin Pouncey, Sounds, February 1978
GOOD EVENING ladies and gentlemen. The lights have gone down, the Zappa band are all ready, so let's get on with the show, 'cos that's ...
Wayne County & The Electric Chairs: The Electric Chairs
Review by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, February 1978
AAAHHHHH...WAYNE! Rock 'n' roll is a bitch sometimes, ain't it? I bet it wasn't easy growing up down south when you were...different. It was a ...
Interview by Jon Savage, Sounds, February 1978
THE WORST THEN. The name? Aha an apt trap. Illustrating at once the extreme that they are, yet at the same time to ...
Bill Bruford: Your Friendly Neighbourhood Rock Star
Interview by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, February 1978
"I FEEL sometimes as though they're about to stick my head on a spike and display it outside the Tower Of London for people to ...
Split Enz: Town Hall, Middlesbrough
Live Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, February 1978
OK, IT'S only two months since I last covered Split Enz at this very same Middlesbrough Town Hall. Deja revu? No way. In December they ...
Power Pop part 1: Suddenly, Everything Is Power Pop!
Overview by Chas de Whalley, Sounds, February 1978
A BRAND NEW YEAR and a brand new word for the media to fool about with, eh? What's it all about then, this Power Pop ...
Review by Jon Savage, Sounds, February 1978
Dance to a Modern RomanceDirections: Fast and asymmetrical… ...
Review by Peter Silverton, Sounds, February 1978
"ELLO MUSH...this one's all about getting' yer 'ead kicked in." ...
Power Pop part 2: The C&A Generation In The Land Of The Bland
Comment by Jon Savage, Sounds, February 1978
TICK TOCK f – the clock/the pendulum swings...Oh it's so inevitable in post-punk letdown – the Pistols' 'split': sooooo symbolic – that attempts would be ...
Warren Zevon: Excitable Boy (Asylum)
Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, February 1978
UNDOUBTEDLY, Excitable Boy is one of the finest albums to emerge since Warren Zevon's first album surfaced over a year ago. It transcends California and ...
Emmylou Harris: Royal Albert Hall, London
Live Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, February 1978
CONSIDERING the tensions surrounding the start of Emmylou Harris and the Hot Band's current British tour, their SRO concert at the Royal Albert Hall was ...
Be-Bop Deluxe: Be Bop Deluxe: City Hall, Newcastke
Live Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, February 1978
WHEN IT'S your seventh try at an intro it gets down to saying it's your seventh try at an intro. You see. Bill Nelson coined ...
Runaways, The, Ramones, The: The Ramones/The Runaways: Santa Monica Civic, Los Angeles
Live Review by Sylvie Simmons, Sounds, February 1978
RAMONES: singing about sun and surf while their home town suffered blizzards. 'Obladi-oblada' for the blank generation ...
Kevin Coyne: Beautiful Extremes 1974-1977
Review by Peter Silverton, Sounds, February 1978
KEVIN COYNE is, make no mistake, a major artist. His 'product' might not 'ship' a million 'units' but in every other way he's the superior ...
Iggy Pop, Stooges, The: James Williamson: Real Time Musician From Kill City
Interview by Jon Savage, Sounds, February 1978
A PHONE CONSERVATION with James Williamson at his present home in Claremont, half-an-hour outside Los Angeles. Mainly to talk about the newly released 1975 Pop/Williamson ...
Ian Dury: It's Fairly Whassname…
Interview by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, February 1978
"WHICH WOULD you rather see; Kenny Rogers or Randy Edelman?" ...
Eric Clapton: Santa Monica Civic, Santa Monica CA
Live Review by Sylvie Simmons, Sounds, February 1978
IN A GESTURE distinctly un God-like, Eric Clapton spurned the arena-sized venues of his last few tours to favour 6,000 Los Angelenos in a two-night ...
Review by Peter Silverton, Sounds, February 1978
YOU KNOW how it is. You hear one word and you're tantalised into eavesdropping on the rest. Bars at receptions are a good place for ...
Eddie & The Hot Rods, Radio Stars: On The Road With Hot Rods And Radio Stars
Report and Interview by Peter Silverton, Sounds, February 1978
THE LAST, incongruous Beatles' track spirals its way to the end of its grooves. The house lights dip way, way down, instilling in you that ...
Patti Smith: Easter (Arista)*****
Review by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, March 1978
At last – the rock 'n' roll resurrection is upon us ...
Interview by Jon Savage, Sounds, March 1978
THE FIRST THING you notice on arrival at Koln airport is the modernity and organization. No baggage queues. No pre-fab ramshackle buildings. ...
Bob Marley & the Wailers: Bob Marley: T'ings Could Be Worse
Interview by Peter Silverton, Sounds, March 1978
"Talking to no-one is strange, Talking to someone is stranger." – Kevin Coyne ...
John Lydon, Sex Pistols, The: John Lydon: Man A Warrior – The Interview part 1
Report and Interview by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, March 1978
There's only one place to be late at night in Jamaica – tuned in to radio JBC, the man Michael Campbell, the man they call ...
Advertising, Blondie: Blondie, Advertising: St. George's Hall, Blackburn
Live Review by Peter Silverton, Sounds, March 1978
SWEET LITTLE Debbie Harry sure has come on in the world. Only 32 and already she's got a single in the charts and the wish ...
Soft Boys, The: The Soft Boys, The Brakes: The Nashville, London
Live Review by Chas de Whalley, Sounds, March 1978
NOT AN evening for those with sensitive eardrums, this. Even these days when volume for its own sake seems to be a pre-requisite of too ...
Angelic Upstarts: Bolingbroke Hall, South Shields
Live Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, March 1978
I WAS starting to think the whole thing had gone down the toilet. All the energy and the anger. Suddenly smart suits and cash register ...
Review by Jon Savage, Sounds, March 1978
WHAT DO you expect from someone who's been playing rock'n'roll for nearly 15 years, in a business where age is to be feared rather than ...
Sex Pistols, The, John Lydon: John Lydon: Man A Warrior, part 2
Interview by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, March 1978
CYNICS AMONG the SOUNDS readership may have been wondering why/how our Johnny Rotten underwent such a speedy transformation into this new-fangled character called Johnny Cool, ...
Sensational Alex Harvey Band, The: Zal
Interview by Peter Silverton, Sounds, March 1978
THIS IS a singer? You call...this a singer. A monstrous looking creature in an Imperial Startrooper helmet, white paper one-piece jump suit and red, blue ...
Bob Marley & the Wailers: Bob Marley: Kaya (Island)
Review by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, March 1978
Marley runs on the spot ...
Detective: Watching The Detective
Profile and Interview by Sylvie Simmons, Sounds, March 1978
LOS ANGELES is a city full of Englishmen and Anglophiles. British bands don't play here any more, they live here. Londoners hanging out at the ...
Report and Interview by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, March 1978
"THIS IS cactus. You can wash your hair with it. You pick it," running his finger nail down the cactus bud till a creamy sap ...
Report and Interview by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, March 1978
New York's newest are 'like The Heartbreakers on brown rice', said someone. SANDY ROBERTSON agrees, and then some. ...
Patti Smith: Behind The Wall Of Sleep
Report and Interview by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, March 1978
"Their quarters were filled with counterfeit sleep" – Stephen King, The Shining ...
Congos, The: The Congos: Heart Of The Congos
Review by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, April 1978
HEARING THE Congos is like recognising your favourite nursery rhyme, the one you'd forgotten. Or had knocked out of you. Like the purest folk songs, ...
Interview by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, April 1978
"DID YA hear that bit on the news about Charlie Chaplin's body. The IRA claim they took it and now they want ransom for it." ...
Mick Taylor: A Portrait Of The Young Man As A Solo Artist
Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, April 1978
IT'S STRICTLY a question of roots. Just the other day Capital Radio played 'Wonderful World' by Art Garfunkel supported with tunefully bland vocal assistance from ...
Angelic Upstarts: What's Going On 'Ere, Then?
Report and Interview by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, April 1978
"WHO KILLED Liddle?" On stage a tall young man wearing a police hat, white shirt, trousers and jackboots is down on his hands and knees. ...
Report by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, April 1978
...take it from Sue and Sandra ...
Elvis Costello: Costello Group Therapy
Report by Peter Silverton, Sounds, April 1978
"KNOCK KNOCK.""Who's there?""Elvis.""Elvis who?""Forgotten already, huh?" ...
999: Briefing For Direct Action
Report and Interview by Jeremy Gluck, Sounds, April 1978
I WOULD HAVE LAUGHED at you for saying as much to me before, but Liverpool, with all its cool, uninspiring streets and grey sky has ...
Tubes, The: The Tubes: The Pantages Theatre, Los Angeles
Live Review by Sylvie Simmons, Sounds, April 1978
THE PANTAGES Theatre; plush and Rainbow-esque. Recently the home of Hello Dolly, good clean family entertainment. The Tubes are here for a week. ...
Live Review by Peter Silverton, Sounds, April 1978
FATS DOMINO is and always has been the most unlikely looking bona fide Fifties rock and roller you can imagine. Where Elvis, Eddie and Gene ...
Hot Chocolate: City Hall, Newcastle
Live Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, April 1978
IT WAS the funniest ending to a concert I've ever seen. Hot Chocolate said their goodbyes, walked off and, I imagine, stood in the wings ...
Review by Peter Silverton, Sounds, April 1978
NEW YORK, New York. New albums falling down like rain. La Belle Smith's rock 'n' roll army third wave invasion. Uncle Lou's first street (ha, ...
Interview by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, April 1978
PLENTY PEOPLE don't know the other half of Tapper Zukie. "If they knew the other half of me, they'd see me different. Right now me ...
Wayne County & The Electric Chairs: Wayne County: County Counsel
Interview by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, April 1978
WHEN WAYNE COUNTY left his native state of Georgia, "because it was icky, and I got shot at", he meant to take a trip down ...
Santana, Dave Mason, Ted Nugent, Aerosmith, Foreigner, Heart, Bob Welch: The California Jam Festival
Live Review by Sylvie Simmons, Sounds, April 1978
THERE WEREN'T even traffic jams. ...
Live Review by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, April 1978
REVELATION TIME. Aswad hadn't played any dates to speak of, and the audience were Aswad-starved, raring to rave. ...
Shirts, The: Shirts: Lackeys, Schemers, Pants, Sleeves, Cufflinks And Shirts
Profile and Interview by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, April 1978
"WE WERE always obscure in a way. The way things went, we developed our own world, sort of. We have our own language, words that ...
Flamin' Groovies, The: The Flamin Groovies: Flamin' Groovies Now
Review by Peter Silverton, Sounds, April 1978
LIKE SO many other people, the first time I caught an eyeful of the Groovies in the flesh was when they were supported by The ...
Cabaret Voltaire: Something strange is going on in Sheffield tonight
Interview by Jon Savage, Sounds, April 1978
INSIDE THE HOUSE, an hour to kill before going into town. Hungover. Sit on the sofa and watch TV with the sound off. A tape ...
Report and Interview by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, April 1978
SOMETIMES it works and sometimes it doesn't. I mean check it out, brothers and sisters, you're paid to follow up hunches, which is why I ...
Damned, The: The Damned: Final Spotlight On The Damned
Report by Peter Silverton, Sounds, April 1978
"OOOOOOOOO CAPTAIN," says Helen from Headingley, "you're so cool these days. That jacket" – indicating his sombre black tuxedo affair and matching multi-colour polka-dotted tie ...
Review by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, April 1978
"AN EXORCISM of low-riding smack-shooting ghosts" was how Rolling Stone described Judee Sill's life, in issue 106/April '72 it was. Interestingly enough, that same issue ...
Steel Pulse: No Jah-Babble In-A Birmingham
Interview by Peter Silverton, Sounds, April 1978
REGGAE IS HIP. Punks said it was OK way back and how the parasitic shower of hustlers and sycophants who comprise the music biz are ...
Generation X: 'You Can't Help Selling Out'
Report and Interview by Jeremy Gluck, Sounds, April 1978
"MY FRIEND was bawling her eyes out. She asked Billy to kiss her and he did. She just about fainted!" ...
Rory Gallagher: Apollo Theatre, Glasgow
Live Review by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, April 1978
RITUAL IS wonderful for those taking an active part in it, but almost totally meaningless to a dispassionate observer. So that's why I got more ...
Elvis Costello: The Guildhall, Portsmouth
Live Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, April 1978
THE THEATRE manager of the Portsmouth Guildhall stood in the foyer panicking. "This Costello chap hasn't turned up yet," he mumbled nervously to one of ...
Review by Jon Savage, Sounds, April 1978
SEE THE record cover. See the four men in red shirts and black ties. See them stand in line. See them in profile in the ...
Seeds, The: The Seeds: Merlin's Music Box
Review by Jon Savage, Sounds, April 1978
In which Sounds scribes bring long ignored or deleted albums to your attention. No star rating necessary – naturally, they're all Very Important Platters ...
Gladiators, The: The Gladiators: Proverbial Reggae
Review by Peter Silverton, Sounds, April 1978
LEAFING THROUGH an ancient copy of the once-revered American fanzine Shakin' Street last night I finally chanced on the solution to the difficulties – "it's ...
Interview by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, April 1978
SO THERE I was with photographer Harry Murlowski, dozing and half-listening to his interminable, politically-orienated conversation with a couple of hard-core Sham 69 followers in ...
No Dice, Judas Priest: Judas Priest/No Dice: Whisky a Go Go, Los Angeles
Live Review by Sylvie Simmons, Sounds, April 1978
JUDAS PRIEST had a captive audience, No Dice made a mark, and Gary Valentine just about escaped alive. Proving that heavy metal lives, good old-fashioned ...
Gladiators, The: The Gladiators: Soul Originators
Profile and Interview by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, April 1978
ALBERT GRIFFITHS has interesting hands. The fingers are stubby, square but deft, workman's hands. His manner is straightforward, workmanlike, direct, too. And if you do ...
Bob Marley & the Wailers: One Love Peace Festival
Report by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, April 1978
SUNDAY AFTERNOON Bob Marley relaxed on his front stoop. Everybody is still discussing the One Love peace show the previous day, on the night of ...
Lou Reed In Cloning Sensation!
Interview by Peter Silverton, Sounds, May 1978
PETE SILVERTON goes to Philadelphia to borrow a book from Lou Reed (That's not what it said on his expenses — Ed.) ...
Profile and Interview by Jon Savage, Sounds, May 1978
PATTI PALLADIN and JUDY NYLON came to Britain last year, made 3 remarkable singles (one with Eno) then split. Or did they? JON SAVAGE steps ...
Be-Bop Deluxe: Be Bop Deluxe: The Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Sylvie Simmons, Sounds, May 1978
GOING TO The Shrine in sleazy downtown LA is a bit like going to the pictures, a sort of giant Odeon with lumpy seats and ...
Blue Oyster Cult: Colston Hall, Bristol
Live Review by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, May 1978
FLAMING PYROTECHNICS, lasers, smoke...plus great rock'n'roll; Blue Oyster Cult is the group you always dreamt about. Even though there were sound problems and the visual ...
Mink DeVille: Mink Deville: Return To Magenta
Review by Ben Edmonds, Sounds, May 1978
(Ben Edmonds, a former CREEM editor in Detroit, signed Mink DeVille to Capitol when he worked for that label in 1976. He now resides in ...
Pere Ubu: Datapanik In The Year 1978: Pere Ubu
Interview by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, May 1978
Vivien Goldman and Geoff Travis in conversation ...
Clash, The, Blue Oyster Cult: Blue Oyster Cult and Sandy Pearlman
Interview by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, May 1978
ERIC BLOOM is adamant about the current position and status of the band he sings and plays for, the am-aaa-zing Blue Oyster Cult; they are ...
Live Review by Sylvie Simmons, Sounds, May 1978
SPEND TOO much time in the sun and you will soon dry up. Let this be a warning to all who make the sound of ...
Van Halen: Platform Boots Still Make It
Profile and Interview by Sylvie Simmons, Sounds, May 1978
COLUMBUS, Ohio. Van Halen, just called back for an encore, are basking in the unexpected adulation. The support band takes a bow. "Thank you Cleveland", ...
Punishment Of Luxury: Punishment of Luxury: Can Success Save These Men From a Season at Butlins?
Profile and Interview by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, May 1978
PHIL SUTCLIFFE hopes so. Punishment of Luxury hope so even more ...
Siouxsie & The Banshees: Siouxsie and the Banshees: Music Machine, London
Live Review by Jon Savage, Sounds, May 1978
SWEET SIOUXSIE and her boys in black play loud, angular, claustrophobic. Batter batter into submission: make you want to do bad things... ...
Live Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, May 1978
ANGUS YOUNG has got himself some new front teeth. An elegant row of even ivories that wouldn't look out of place in the mouth of ...
Aerosmith: Santa Monica Civic, Los Angeles
Live Review by Sylvie Simmons, Sounds, May 1978
AEROSMITH ARE in Los Angeles doing a series of small hall back-to-the-people gigs. ...
Tom Robinson Band: Power In The Darkness
Review by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, May 1978
TOM ROBINSON IS dangerously mythic. His aggressive homosexual stance gets up people's noses so much that they continually try to prove he's secretly straight, and ...
David Bowie: Peter And The Wolf
Review by Jon Savage, Sounds, May 1978
THE RELEVANCE of this classical record to the 'rock marketplace' is quite frankly marginal but evidently heavily counted upon by RCA in their wisdom. ...
Review by Dave Lewis, Sounds, May 1978
Alive And Intriguing - Mega-Star Makes Fine Solo Album ...
Interview by Peter Silverton, Sounds, May 1978
THE FIRST time I met Ian Dury – nearly two years ago in Dingwalls when I was little more than just another wide-eyed and a ...
Penetration: Abcess Makes The Heart Grow Fonder
Interview by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, May 1978
EVERYONE was smiling, feeling rosie the way you do, when a wedding service draws to a close. Pauline, singer with Penetration, and her long-time sweetheart ...
Ramones, The: The Ramones: Goodbye Tommy, Hello Marky
Interview by Peter Silverton, Sounds, May 1978
DRUMMER wanted for name NY punk band. Must have own leather jacket and torn Levis. Ability to mumble 'gabba gabba' an advantage. No interlektewals. Apply ...
Black Sabbath: Apollo Theatre, Glasgow
Report by Peter Silverton, Sounds, May 1978
Sabbath Bloody Sabbath ...
Don McLean: City Hall, Newcastle
Live Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, May 1978
ALTHOUGH HE has become generally underrated because 'American Pie' and 'Vincent' in their different ways were songs impossible to top, to me Don McLean has ...
Peter Gabriel: Peter Gabriel (2)
Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, June 1978
WITHOUT a doubt Peter Gabriel's second solo album is the very best record to surface from the entire Genesis-Steve Hackett-Anthony Phillips-Brand X-Gabriel vinyl conglomerate. ...
Review by Jon Savage, Sounds, June 1978
'I'm faking an extravagant journey, also it seems to me...' ...
Tom Robinson Band: Tom Robinson: Up Against The Wall
Interview by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, June 1978
TOM ROBINSON had just had his teeth capped at the dentist and was about to embark on a diet when we met. So? ...
Throbbing Gristle: Industrial Paranoia: The Very Dangerous Visions Of Throbbing Gristle
Interview by Jon Savage, Sounds, June 1978
'All art aspires to the condition of musak.' 'Most of the people who disapprove of musak... but we are doing it for your own good!' ...
Godz, The: The Godz: The Smell Of Burning Leather…
Profile by Sylvie Simmons, Sounds, June 1978
"WE'RE A rock and roll band!" spits the ugly rock junkie Eric Moore at the handful of people ogling the stage. "That heavy metal shit's ...
Profile and Interview by Peter Silverton, Sounds, June 1978
Pete Silverton assembles a few views of Basher — man, myth and magic ...
Sham 69: If The Kids Are United…
Report and Interview by Caroline Coon, Sounds, June 1978
JIMMY PURSEY'S very baggy grey flannels are held up by a brand new pair of white braces. His striped shirt is as clean as five ...
Angel: Angels With Tarty Faces?
Report and Interview by Sylvie Simmons, Sounds, June 1978
ANGEL: 'The boys come because the girls come...our audience is anywhere from 8 to c-cup.' ...
Rolling Stones, The: The Rolling Stones: Some Girls
Review by Peter Silverton, Sounds, June 1978
WHICHEVER WAY you look at it, this is an important album of the first order. Important primarily because it's the first album (excluding Love You ...
Bruce Springsteen: Darkness On The Edge Of Town
Review by Peter Silverton, Sounds, June 1978
LET'S START with the obvious. It's impossible to approach this album without taking into heavy account the fortunes and misfortunes of this Crown Prince of ...
Review by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, June 1978
IF THE word hadn't grown flabby through over-use, I'd say that Culture were strictly roots. ...
Interview by Peter Silverton, Sounds, June 1978
I THINK it was the Jesuits of whom it was said they always answer a question with a question. Or maybe it was the Jews. ...
Mighty Diamonds: The Mighty Diamonds: There's No Ganja In Nassau
Report by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, June 1978
DAWN FLUSHED the sky like tomato juice infiltrating a shot of vodka, as a precarious caravan of dreadlocks weaves between stately lines of towering palm ...
Randy Newman: Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, London
Live Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, June 1978
RANDY NEWMAN just might be the only artist in the whole of the music business capable of getting bedsores from live performances. Noted for his ...
Bob Dylan: Universal Amphitheatre, Los Angeles
Live Review by Sylvie Simmons, Sounds, June 1978
THE CAMERAS panned over a line of deck chairs and sleeping bags sprouting people grinning and flashing peace signs and the man in the ticket ...
Todd Rundgren: The Roxy, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, June 1978
WHATEVER THE reasons might be, Todd Rundgren is back. That is, Todd Rundgren the pop singer/guitar singer as opposed to the Utopian pyramid-freak. ...
REO Speedwagon, Rainbow: REO Speedwagon/Rainbow: Los Angeles, California
Live Review by Sylvie Simmons, Sounds, June 1978
REO Rattled By Rampant Rainbow ...
Boomtown Rats: The Boomtown Rats: A Tonic For The Troops
Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, June 1978
IT'S NO accident that the second Boomtown Rats album has a catalogue number of ENVY 3. Any creative artist or major group has genuine cause ...
Dickies, The: The Dickies: More Than Just Another Crazy Band From L.A.
Interview by Sylvie Simmons, Sounds, June 1978
Dickies n. pl. 1: Fake undershirts originating in U.S. high schools in the mid 60s, when "creeps" who wanted to look like the Beatles without ...
Interview by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, June 1978
AFTER THE show there was a photo session in a back-room of the theatre. Randy walked in and, since there was no other reason for ...
Ian Gillan Band: Mayfair, Newcastle
Live Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, June 1978
WHEN YOU'VE seen one old Deep Purple singer you haven't seen them all. It happened that a month ago I reviewed David Coverdale putting his ...
Profile and Interview by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, June 1978
JUDY MOWATT of Wailers' I Three fame is wearing a blue denim button-through skirt, and her hair is hidden under an elaborately rimmed scarf tied ...
Clash, The: The Clash: The 'Serious In-Depth Interview' You've Been Waiting For!
Report and Interview by Peter Silverton, Sounds, June 1978
"AAAWOOOEEEUUUOOO, PETE...'ear you bin to the States...how wazzit?" ...
Waitresses, The, Tin Huey, Jane Aire & The Belvederes: Rock in Akron: The Music Of Greater Akron
Report and Interview by Peter Silverton, Sounds, June 1978
Is this the avant-garde or the sound of cash registers? Pete Silverton has a pretty good idea ...
Jan & Dean, Beach Boys, The: The Beach Boys: Four Girls For Every Boy
Report and Interview by Sylvie Simmons, Sounds, June 1978
IMPORTANT DATES in the history of surfing music: ...
Review by Peter Silverton, Sounds, June 1978
FEELING RUTHLESS, you could divide the entire spectrum of pop and rock'n'roll into two. ...
Review by Jon Savage, Sounds, June 1978
REMEMBERING THAT electricity comes from other planets... ...
Review by Jon Savage, Sounds, June 1978
OH JESUS! After Devo, the (marketing) deluge. ...
Interview by Caroline Coon, Sounds, June 1978
THIS BLOKE stands menacingly in the entrance to Bath Spa Station. "Hmm," I muse to myself, taking note of his close crop, "a West Country ...
Siouxsie & The Banshees: Siouxsie And The Banshees: The Unacceptable Face Of '78
Interview by Jon Savage, Sounds, June 1978
'Overground – from abnormalityOverboard – for identityOverground – for normalityOverboard – on identity'– 'Overground' ...
Bootsy Collins: 'Don't Leave Home Without Your F.U.N.K!'
Interview by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, June 1978
"I WANNA PLAY with the kids", Bootsy Collins said, yearning. Walking down the gravel path winding past the white neo-Classical pillars of Kenwood House, Highgate, ...
Tom Robinson Band: The Starwood, LA
Live Review by Sylvie Simmons, Sounds, June 1978
CONSIDERING THE relative lack of any amount of hype, the Starwood was respectably full, if respectable' is a word you could use to describe the ...
David Bowie: City Hall, Newcastle
Live Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, June 1978
EVERYBODY I spoke to was complaining. A front row of seats had been sold then removed to fit the stage extension in. The roadies thought ...
Bob Dylan: Earl's Court, London
Live Review by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, June 1978
MY THEORY was that this Bobby the Zee concert was strictly for nostalgia-lovers, music fans keep clear. ...
Subway Sect, The: Subway Sect: Life Underground
Interview by Jon Savage, Sounds, July 1978
Everyone's a prostituteSinging in the song in prisonMoral standards the wallpaperThe wall's a bad religionMedia teach me what to speakTake my decisionsIt's how to find ...
Van Morrison: "Sam Cooke Still Turns Me On"
Interview by Davitt Sigerson, Sounds, July 1978
A short and rather scruffy man, accompanied by a handsome L.A. Ethnic (tee-shirt, jeans, clean black moustache) is milling around Oxford on an afternoon characterised ...
Specials, The, Clash, The: The Clash/The Specials: Friar's, Aylesbury
Live Review by Garry Bushell, Sounds, July 1978
FOR PEOPLE who like to put things in neat little pecking orders – and because of our conditioning there's a lot of them – the ...
Graham Parker, Joan Armatrading, Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan: Blackbushe Festival - Nice To See Ya, Bob
Live Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, July 1978
...OR RATHER, IT would have been, but at least we heard him and that made the hassles worthwhile, reports our survivor of the million dollar ...
Devo: Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo
Review by Peter Silverton, Sounds, August 1978
'Monkey men allIn business suitTeachers and criticsAll dance the pootAre we not men?We are Devo!Are we not men?D-E-V-OWe must repeatOK let's go!' ...
Rich Kids, The: The Rich Kids: Ghosts of Princes in Towers
Review by Peter Silverton, Sounds, August 1978
What do you do with what you've got? ...
Linton Kwesi Johnson: Poet And The Roots: Dread Beat An' Blood
Review by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, August 1978
'All oppressionCan do is bringPassion to de heights of eruptionAn' songs of fire we will sing'– 'All Wi Doin' Is Defendin' ...
Dictators, The: The Dictators: The Starwood, Los Angeles
Live Review by Sylvie Simmons, Sounds, August 1978
FOR A START, L.A. is about as distant from the Bronx as Tunbridge Wells, and not just geographically, here they are very serious about punk/rock/whatever, ...
Wayne County & The Electric Chairs: Wayne County: A Transexual In Transit
Interview by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, August 1978
KCHUNK. NOTHING. Kchunk. Cherry Vanilla, bare tits with orange peel between her legs. Kchunk. Transomething Jackie Curtis in 1969, glittered eyes. Kchunk. Patti Smith, youthful ...
Interview by Davitt Sigerson, Sounds, August 1978
WEBSTER’S gives "Excessive, extravagant; Fanciful, fantastic; violent, unrestrained" as definitions of ‘outrageous’. ...
Anthony Braxton: Living In The Dynamic Operating Arena
Profile and Interview by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, August 1978
IT HAS TO be said that playing an Anthony Braxton album is the quickest way I can think of to clear a rock fan's room. ...
Talking Heads: More Songs About Buildings and Food (Sire)
Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, September 1978
SUCH A CIVILISED BAND. You may think this is no way to run a review but I'm going to quote all the words to one ...
Beach Boys, The: The Beach Boys: Summer Days (And Summer Nights)
Review by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, September 1978
LATER SHE realised she'd really been attracted to him because he looked sad. All the other boys on the beach were so cheerful, and the ...
Who, The: The Who: Sweat, Bollocks & Guts
Interview by Sylvie Simmons, Sounds, September 1978
IN ORDER that you wouldn’t get lost in the huge Universal Studios complex, accidentally find yourself on a glam-tram and off on a tourist-view of ...
Wild Man Fischer: Wildman Larry Fischer: Neurotic? Paranoid? Depressed?
Interview by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, September 1978
THE FIRST time I met Larry Fischer was early one Sunday morning in the shadow of the Capitol Records Tower in Hollywood, at the fabled ...
Linton Kwesi Johnson: Poet Of The Roots
Interview by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, September 1978
"The one crowded space in Father Perry's house was his bookshelves. I gradually came to understand that the marks on the pages were trapped words. ...
Blue Oyster Cult, UFO: Blue Oyster Cult/UFO: Live In Los Angeles
Live Review by Sylvie Simmons, Sounds, September 1978
THEY DON'T have a Trades Descriptions Act in the States. If they did, then the Cult might be in trouble. Their ads (and, what's more, ...
Profile and Interview by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, September 1978
HUSTLE MINUS hype, really. Still, it could only happen in Hollywood, that's for sure. Where else but in dream-machine country could a 16-year-old girl with ...
Live Review by Mick Middles, Sounds, September 1978
Rabid roster on the rampage ...
Mick Farren: Vampires Stole My Lunch Money
Review by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, September 1978
MICK FARREN, in case you didn't know it, is a rock journalist and author who very occasionally makes records. Remember The Deviants' amphetamine hippy-boogie, or ...
Review by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, September 1978
I JUST decided there is no such thing as Art Rock; all there is is different levels of commerciality. ...
Blast Furnace & The Heatwaves: The Chord Is Mightier Than The Pen
Interview by Peter Silverton, Sounds, September 1978
HEAR THE CLASH OF LEWIS LEATHERS AS PETE SILVERTON MEETS BLAST FURNACE ...
John Cooper Clarke: Just Another Ex-Gravedigger Poet Into Dada and the TV
Interview by Garry Bushell, Sounds, September 1978
GARRY BUSHELL GOES PUNK-SURREAL ...
Dr. Feelgood: Dr Feelgood: Private Practice
Review by Peter Silverton, Sounds, September 1978
MY, THESE boys really have moved up in the world. Once upon a time, it was the local quack and 'You Shouldn't Call The Doctor ...
Bryan Ferry: The Bride Stripped Bare
Review by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, September 1978
I MUST confess myself horrified to recall, just as I was about to start this review, that my first ever album review was of Bryan ...
Ramones, The: The Ramones: Road To Ruin
Review by Jon Savage, Sounds, September 1978
JOEY RAMONE sips tea, strikes Janet Street Porter pose... ...
Dr. Feelgood: Dr Feelgood: Private Practice
Review by Peter Silverton, Sounds, September 1978
The Worthington White Shield of Rock ...
Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, September 1978
I UNDERSTAND it has remained OK to like Genesis (which I don't) but it's not OK to like Yes (which I do though no longer ...
Rich Kids, The, Slik, Midge Ure: Midge Ure: Confessions Of A Pop Performer
Interview by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, September 1978
SLIK: TEEN IDOL MARK ONE ...
Joy Division: Band on the Wall, Manchester
Live Review by Mick Middles, Sounds, September 1978
IT WAS during the unforgettable summer of '77 that I had my first encounter with Joy Division (then named Warsaw). Through a steamy Electric Circus ...
Stiff Little Fingers: Electric Ballroom, London
Live Review by Peter Silverton, Sounds, September 1978
Let's give the Fingers a big hand ...
Blondie: Hammersmith Odeon, London
Live Review by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, September 1978
Y'WANNA HEAR a plangent melody? Forget it, Blondie are a rock 'n' roll band who have (at last) gotten to the point where they can ...
Buzzcocks, The: Buzzcocks: Love Bites
Review by Jon Savage, Sounds, September 1978
VULNERABILITY MEANS never having to say you're sorry... ...
Beach Boys, The: The Beach Boys: MIU
Review by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, September 1978
How can grown men sing stuff like this and mean it? ...
Ted Nugent: Long Beach Arena, Los Angeles
Live Review by Sylvie Simmons, Sounds, September 1978
ISN'T IT nice to know that in this ever-changing world there is always something you can rely on to stay the same? Apart from a ...
Live Review by Peter Silverton, Sounds, September 1978
"HELLO, MY name's Mick Farren...I wanna drink!" ...
Joan Armatrading: To The Limit
Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, September 1978
I'M UNDER strict instructions to make this Joan Armatrading review a little less like a love letter than its predecessors. Well it's hard you know ...
Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, September 1978
THIS GENTLE Giant album could present you with some difficulty and even expense. The problem is that you'll have to set your record player up ...
Blue Oyster Cult: Some Enchanted Evening
Review by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, September 1978
IT COULD be just my fevered imagination running away with me, but right now it seems that Sandy Pearlman (wily old fox and Cult behind-the-scenes ...
Review by Jon Savage, Sounds, September 1978
SO: THE next stage. The ending of one, the beginning of another? But of course, all the world's a stage. Aaaaaaah... ...
Review by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, September 1978
THE INSTANT reaction is to scoff at someone as blatantly marketable as Grace Jones. An astonishingly beautiful model, she prompts writers to haul their most ...
Led Zeppelin: The Definitive Discography
Discography by Dave Lewis, Sounds, September 1978
PRE-LED ZEPPELIN SESSIONS ...
Interview by Geoff Barton, Sounds, September 1978
He's also lead guitarist for RUSH and writes songs about the politics of oak trees, shapeless spirits and The Real Truth. Psychiatric care by Geoff Barton ...
Interview by Peter Silverton, Sounds, September 1978
AN HOUR or so in the company of Kate Bush is rather like being trapped for the duration as an unwitting participant in a very ...
Live Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, September 1978
DESPITE ALL your Weather Reports, Coreas, Dukes and such, Brand X remain the sum total of British jazz-rock to reach what might reasonably be termed ...
Live Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, September 1978
A CAMEL Caravan from Canterbury (two down, three across). You couldn't fit the solution into The Times crossword though. It took an hour-and-a-half to play ...
Electric Light Orchestra: Anaheim Stadium, Los Angeles
Live Review by Sylvie Simmons, Sounds, September 1978
I KNOW those were pretty strange-looking cigarettes the people from Jet Records were handing out on the coach down from LA to Anaheim stadium, but ...
Linda Ronstadt: Living In The U.S.A.
Review by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, October 1978
HI AGAIN. It's only me and this is only another Linda Ronstadt review. The words 'rock and roll' are used in the ads for this ...
Jan & Dean: Jan and Dean: Starwood Club, Los Angeles
Live Review by Sylvie Simmons, Sounds, October 1978
THEY'VE RENAMED LA's Starwood club the Surfwood for the night. ...
Profile and Interview by Peter Silverton, Sounds, October 1978
IF MY FIRST sight of Jake Burns had been while keeping myself occupied on a bus by speculating on the lives of the other passengers, ...
Skids, The: The Skids: No Comedy, No Intellect, No Politics, No Punk
Report and Interview by Garry Bushell, Sounds, October 1978
GARRY BUSHELL INTERVIEWS THE SKIDS AND GETS CONFUSED (AGAIN). AN EVERYDAY STORY OF SCOTTISH LADS IN A POP GROUP. ...
Abyssinians, The: The Abyssinians: Arise
Review by Vivien Goldman, Sounds, October 1978
I LEARNT to love the Abyssinians at the kitchen sink, age 7 or so. As I sang Beatles tunes in three-part harmony doing the washing ...
Siouxsie & The Banshees: The Scream
Review by Peter Silverton, Sounds, October 1978
NO MATTER what anyone may say or think, the success of 'Hong Kong Garden' was neither predicted nor predictable. Despite its obvious instantness (primarily, of ...
Review by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, October 1978
AKRON'S BRIGHTEST star smiles knowingly and proves that everyone else has it all wrong, because nope, you don't have to exhibit an air of disdain ...
Penetration: Moving Targets (Virgin)****
Review by Jon Savage, Sounds, October 1978
WE'RE NOT the same, you're not the same, they're not the same. ...
Joan Armatrading: Perrier Water and Privacy: Joan Armatrading
Interview by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, October 1978
"LOOOK this way pet, wooood you dear," said the photographer in a voice fusing Andy Stewart and Larry Grayson. "Please pet". Fussing, fussing. ...
Overview by Caroline Coon, Sounds, October 1978
UNTIL RECENTLY, watching rock on the box was the worst of media masochism. ...
Live Review by Sylvie Simmons, Sounds, October 1978
I SHOULD have been prepared for it, being in San Francisco and all that, but I hardly expected that a Boston concert would find me ...
Weather Report: City Hall, Newcastle
Live Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, October 1978
IF YOU spent an evening in the company of some guys and the only word they uttered was 'Goodbye' you might well think they were ...
Review by Jon Savage, Sounds, October 1978
THESE ALBUMS are famous, if at all, for not being famous. Now that the all too seductive veil of obscurity has been lifted (and therefore ...
Vivian Stanshall: Viv Stanshall
Interview by Dave Lewis, Sounds, November 1978
From cuckoo's nest to Rawlinson End ...
Residents, The: The Residents: Not Available
Review by Peter Silverton, Sounds, November 1978
EVEN BEFORE slotting the stylus into the grooves, you're aware that this is one of the most bizarre albums ever to make it a: far ...
Stephen Stills: Thoroughfare Gap
Review by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, November 1978
IN THE end all will be disco, or so it would seem, so the best you can hope for is that your chosen hero exercises ...
Kilburn & The High Roads: Wotabunch!
Review by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, November 1978
'ORRIBLE SLEEVE! Revolting stuffed animals and tacky cardboard cut-out Kilburos abound. I fear Stiff are disassociating themselves from Wotabunch!, which is understandable when you consider ...
Report and Interview by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, November 1978
WHEN WHITESNAKE first hit the road six months ago (with Brian Johnston on keyboards) the generally buoyant Coverdale let out one cry of pain to ...
Crazy Horse, Neil Young: Neil Young & Crazy Horse: The Forum, Los Angeles
Live Review by Sylvie Simmons, Sounds, November 1978
COMES A time when even Neil Young has to do something different with his live shows than the acoustic set followed by hard-rock-with-band bit. ...
Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, November 1978
NOT YER average roots of mystic religion jazz-fusion ...
Police, The: The Police: Outlandos D'Amour
Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, November 1978
IT WILL probably come as a surprise to most people who saw them during their early months last year, but The Police have finally come ...
Boomtown Rats: This Feature Is Guaranteed Free From Bob Geldof
Interview by Peter Silverton, Sounds, November 1978
...THAT'S THE PETE SILVERTON PLEDGE ...
Interview by Mick Middles, Sounds, November 1978
THROB,THROB, THROB, THROB. "Hey Miss, a bottle of Newcastle please, what? Oh, a bottle of Pils then." THROB, THROB, THROB, THROB. ...
Rod Stewart: Blondes Have More Fun
Review by Peter Silverton, Sounds, November 1978
OR BLOATED egos with lots of money get to see more of the world. ...
Clash, The: The Clash: Town Hall, Middlesbrough
Live Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, November 1978
PERSPECTIVE. THE Clash are heroes (but not mine). ...
Foreigner: Live in Los Angeles
Live Review by Sylvie Simmons, Sounds, November 1978
FOREIGNER ARE pretty much a thinking man's Bay City Rollers. ...
Siouxsie & The Banshees: Siouxsie and the Banshees: The Most Elitist Band In The World
Report and Interview by Peter Silverton, Sounds, November 1978
'A gig is often an exaggeration of what we feel every day and therefore it can probably seem a bit ridiculous at times maybe. It ...
Jim Morrison: An American Prayer
Review by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, December 1978
A BOOK could be written (and has been), about James Douglas Morrison, sometime sex symbol, filmmaker, poet, drunk and rock 'n' roll star, so I ...
Julie Covington: Julie Covington
Review by Peter Silverton, Sounds, December 1978
AND SO this is Christmas. ...
Review by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, December 1978
THE TRICK experience, but hardly cheap at £8.50 a shot. Even so, it's worth it, as is evidenced by the fact that Flyover in Hammersmith ...
New York Dolls, David Johansen: Funky (But Chic): David Johansen At Point Blank
Interview by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, December 1978
RIGHT BETWEEN the eyes, pilgrim. Yeah, he does look like Lee Marvin. In walks the supposed progenitor of all this punko nonsense, ex-New York Doll ...
David Johansen, New York Dolls: Funky (But Chic) — David Johansen at Point Blank
Interview by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, December 1978
RIGHT BETWEEN the eyes, pilgrim. Yeah, he does look like Lee Marvin. In walks the supposed progenitor of all this punko nonsense, ex-New York Doll ...
Cars, The: The Cars: (I Love The Sound Of) Fading Brakes
Live Review by Peter Silverton, Sounds, December 1978
The Cars: Lyceum, London ...
Sniff 'n' the Tears: Fickle Heart
Review by Peter Silverton, Sounds, December 1978
DON'T BE misled by the collective title. Sniff 'N' The Tears is no more a real band than Tommy Dunbar's imaginary Psychotic Pineapple. Everything here ...
Queen: Municipal Auditorium, New Orleans
Live Review by Sylvie Simmons, Sounds, December 1978
IT'S BEEN five years or so since Queen last played in New Orleans and the fans, having heard the glowing reports of last year's US ...
Eric Clapton, Muddy Waters: City Hall, Newcastle
Live Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, December 1978
THE OLD Testament followed by the New (also written some while ago you will recall). For once there was hardly a vacant seat by half ...
Alternative TV: A Different Kettle of ATV
Interview by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, December 1978
WHEN I FIRST mooted that I'd be interested in scribbling out a feature on Alternative TV, the thinking man's all-purpose unpunkgroup, the band's hustler and ...
Bob Dylan: The Forum, Los Angeles
Live Review by Sylvie Simmons, Sounds, December 1978
THE 18,000 people who presumably didn't pitch tent early enough to make Dylan's sold-out summer date in L. A. but packed into the Forum this ...
Public Image Ltd: Public Image (Virgin)
Review by Peter Silverton, Sounds, December 1978
AND THE BOY looked at Johnny. And he shouted: "Look, ma, the Emperor's got no clothes." ...
Runaways, The: The Runaways: And Now The Runaways
Review by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, December 1978
HOW DOES it feel to be on your own? ...
Report by Peter Silverton, Sounds, December 1978
"HI, THIS is the Nightbird, Alison Steel, brought to you by the Army Reserve. And tonight my guests in the studio are Scott Gorham and ...
Live Review by Mick Middles, Sounds, December 1978
THE WORLD funk extravaganza circus comes to Manchester. ...
Grateful Dead: The Grateful Dead: Rainbow Theatre, London
Live Review by Edwin Pouncey, Sounds, 1979
"THERE'S NOTHING like a Grateful Dead concert." This oft-quoted statement from past hand-out material was going through my head as I stumbled over the attendant ...
Clash, The: The Clash: Sending for the Cavalry
Live Review by Mark Cooper, Sounds, 1979
The Clash: Live At The Roxy, Los Angeles A CLASH TREAT for their fans this, a five dollar ticket and a smaller setting than bands ...
Neil Young: Live Rust (Reprise)
Review by Peter Silverton, Sounds, 1979
THE WORD is, of course, survivor. Just Neil left on the Reprise label and Neil being the only remnant of the sixties still hanging in ...
Penetration, Punishment Of Luxury: Penetration/Punishment Of Luxury/Neon: City Hall, Newcastle
Live Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, January 1979
THIS WAS A night to crush Cleveland, bugger Bloomington and give the arse to Akron. North British talent ruled, and it was OK. Well, no, ...
Kiss: The Timeless Quality Of Platform Boots
Interview by Geoff Barton, Sounds, February 1979
KISS' PAUL STANLEY, GEOFF BARTON AND 'PERHAPS THE GREATEST INTERVIEW OF ALL TIME' ...
Stiff Little Fingers: Inflammable Material (Rough Trade)*****
Review by Garry Bushell, Sounds, February 1979
POOR OLD Stiff Little Fingers. They stormed across the Irish Sea last year and confused most people by talking loudly about being Ulster Boys without ...
Cheap Trick, Fundamental Ache And The Concept Of Divine Effort
Interview by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, February 1979
SINCE THE onset of 'serious' rock criticism in the late Sixties there seems, for the most part, to have been a parting of the ways ...
Velvet Underground: 1969 Velvet Underground Live (Mercury)
Review by Peter Silverton, Sounds, February 1979
BUT LOU REED, Lou’s got real problems. Ever since he started out he’s been trying to wheedle Jehovah into making him Keith Richard (‘Rock And ...
Clash, The: The Clash In America
Report and Interview by Sylvie Simmons, Sounds, February 1979
"SO YOU think we lost the battle — then go home and weep about it. Sometimes you’ve got to wake up in the morning and ...
Wreckless Eric Cleans Up His Act
Report and Interview by Peter Silverton, Sounds, February 1979
PETE SILVERTON JOINS HIM ON THE WAGON ...
Stiff Little Fingers: Breakout in Newport: Stiff Little Fingers
Report and Interview by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, March 1979
All the action of life at the top as Phrantic Phil Sutcliffe, our man with his finger on the pop pulse, goes "on the road" ...
Toto: A Growth Industry For Modern People
Interview by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, March 1979
A TOTO/SANDY ROBERTSON MULTI PLATINUM FINANCIAL READOUT ...
Bram Tchaikovsky, Uriah Heep: Uriah Heep/Bram Tchaikovsky: City Hall, Newcastle
Live Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, March 1979
HEEP AND Tchaikovsky? All I expected to want to write was a letter to the civic authorities asking them to put Andrex instead of Bronco ...
Bad Company: City Hall, Newcastle
Live Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, March 1979
I WALKED into a pub before the gig and... go on, guess what was playing on the jukebox, 'Alright Now'. Eh? You don't get the ...
Report by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, March 1979
...sometimes. The rock critic as musician. By Sandy Robertson ...
Graham Parker and the Rumour: Squeezing Out Sparks
Review by Peter Silverton, Sounds, March 1979
One current school of thought – represented at our editorial meetings by the capitalist Ruislip reader faction – has it that Graham Parker has well ...
Alicia Bridges: Ackshon Replay
Interview by Garry Bushell, Sounds, March 1979
ALICIA BRIDGES OVER(COMES) TROUBLED WATERS, PUNS GARRY 'DISCO BOY' BUSHELLL ...
Pop Group, The: We Know There’s Something Wrong Somewhere: The Pop Group
Interview by Peter Silverton, Sounds, March 1979
This and other astute observations on life, art and the consumer society in THE POP GROUP interview. ...
Journey: Hold The (Balls On The) Line
Report and Interview by Geoff Barton, Sounds, March 1979
AN ADMIRABLE PHILOSOPHY. BUT WILL IT BE ENOUGH TO POPULARISE THE JOURNEY BRAND OF AMERICAN AOR IN THE UK? GEOFF BARTON SEEMS TO THINK SO ...
Graham Parker: You Can't Be Too Strong
Report and Interview by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, March 1979
THE HOSPITALITY room backstage at Newcastle City Hall welcomed me like a cold echo. A table load of cellophane-covered salads and the muffled sound of ...
Members, The: The Members: At The Chelsea Nightclub (Virgin)*****
Review by Garry Bushell, Sounds, April 1979
BEFORE WE start let something be said: if lesser papers want to slag off Sounds they're quite welcome to try, but per-lease don't use the ...
Popol Vuh: Nosferatu (Egg)****
Review by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, April 1979
SHROUDED IN mystique since their inception in the early 70's, Popol Vuh are arguably the least known exponents of Teutonic 'rock' music in this country. ...
Interview by Sylvie Simmons, Sounds, April 1979
Dateline Hollywood: SYLVIE SIMMONS demurely averts her gaze from the tight satin loonpants and sez: Gimme the track-by-track lowdown on the new album. At least, ...
Rezillos, The: Can’t Stand The (Other) Rezillos
Report and Interview by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, April 1979
A Family At War. A live album from a dead band. Or, as our contribution to Einstein’s centenary, PHIL SUTCLIFFE proves that 3+2=0, ...
Buzzcocks, The: The Buzzcocks: Inside The Hit Factory
Report and Interview by Peter Silverton, Sounds, April 1979
"It's really amazing. I can just sit there and go dee-da-dee-da-dee, da-dee-da-dee, put some words to it, teach the other three how to play it, ...
Daevid Allen: N'Existe Pas! (Charly)***½/ Banana Moon (Charly)***½
Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, April 1979
YOUR PLANET Gong correspondent reporting again, and with better news than of late, Both of these albums have much to commend them to Daevid Allen ...
Interview by Garry Bushell, Sounds, April 1979
"THEY THINK THEY'RE FIGHTING FASCISM ON BEHALF OF BLACKS, BUT THEY'RE FOOLING THEMSELVES" ...
Kate Bush: The Perfumed Garden Of Good And Evil
Live Review by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, April 1979
DID YOU ever visit some distant relative for tea and cakes, and as a postscript have to sit through the "party piece" of their little ...
Report and Interview by Garry Bushell, Sounds, April 1979
GARRY BUSHELL FOLLOWS THE T(H)IN MAN AND THE REST DOWN THE YELL O'BRICK ROAD ...
Police, The: The Police: The Whisky, Los Angeles
Live Review by Sylvie Simmons, Sounds, April 1979
THERE'S SOMETHING schizophrenic about this group. An English band with an American drummer, a Californian who knows how to bash out rock and roll – ...
Rezillos, The: The Rezillos: Mission Accomplished…But The Beat Goes On (Sire)***
Review by Peter Silverton, Sounds, April 1979
HEY, EVER known what it's like feeling like you're E.J. Thribb? Try reveiwing this album. Phil Sutcliffe got it just right in his 3 plus ...
Live Review by Peter Silverton, Sounds, April 1979
ANOTHER YEAR, another Lou Reed in a different toilet. ...
Judas Priest: The Starwood, Los Angeles
Live Review by Sylvie Simmons, Sounds, April 1979
THIRD NIGHT at the Starwood and they're still packing them in. Limbs flailing through the dry ice that fills the stand-up section in imaginary guitar ...
Dire Straits: The Roxy, Los Angeles
Live Review by Sylvie Simmons, Sounds, April 1979
IF THERE really is the third British Invasion the Californians keep talking about, platinum-sellers Dire Straits, welcomed to L.A. by bunting across the Sunset Strip ...
UK Subs, Specials, The, Damned, The: The Damned/UK Subs/The Specials: The Lyceum, London
Live Review by Peter Silverton, Sounds, April 1979
WITH ENOUGH police grouped manacingly outside in coaches, in squad cars and standing around to supervise a couple of Manchester United away fixtures, I suppose ...
Angelic Upstarts: Gonna Be A Prison Break-In
Report by Garry Bushell, Sounds, April 1979
THE BAND THE POLICE LOVE TO HATE INVITED TO DO A PRISON GIG? ...
Review by Davitt Sigerson, Sounds, April 1979
IN A YEAR already generous with good R&B albums comes Ray Parker's second release, and it may be the best of all. ...
Ted Nugent: Divorce, Ted Nugent Style
Interview by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, May 1979
TED NUGENT (Hammersmith Odeon, second house): "There can come a time when you baby turns to you and says 'I'm splittin'' and you're so sad ...
Review by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, May 1979
ANOTHER THESIS would be the straw that broke the camel's back. Now there's a line that could easily have been snipped from one of David ...
Rick Wakeman: Rhapsodies (A&M)***½
Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, June 1979
A MAN of honour is old Rick. Some three years ago when he was preparing No Earthly Connection he said he would like to do ...
Nick Lowe: Labour Of Lust (Radar)***.5
Review by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, June 1979
PEOPLE USED to slate Frank Zappa by dragging out some old rock critic's smart jibe that however Francis would parody 'Louie, Louie' till he was ...
Wayne County & The Electric Chairs: The Wayne County Interview
Interview by Peter Silverton, Sounds, June 1979
WAYNE COUNTY was already in the car. I was ushered into the front seat, leaving Wayne staring down the back of my neck. That was ...
Gang of Four: The Gang's All Here
Interview by Garry Bushell, Sounds, June 1979
...WELL ALMOST, AS GARRY BUSHELL DISCOVERS DURING A DRUNKEN DISCUSSION WITH THE GANG OF FOUR ...
EMI: Saturday Night Beneath The Corporate Umbrella
Report by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, June 1979
MUSIC, FILMS TV, HOTELS, RESTAURANTS, MEDICINE, WEAPONS...HOW A GIANT RECORD COMPANY NOW EXTENDS INTO EVERY AREA OF LIFE – AND DEATH. ...
Joe Jackson: Further Thoughts On The Foolishness Of Polka Dot Ties
Report and Interview by Sylvie Simmons, Sounds, June 1979
"I THINK people realised it's about time they had some decent music over here", says the man behind the desk at the top of the ...
Knack, The: The Knack: How You'll Be Getting It
Report and Interview by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, June 1979
I LEANED over and whispered in the ear of the blank-looking blonde girl seated next to me: "I'm a stranger in this town, so maybe ...
Tom Robinson Band: Live in Los Angeles
Live Review by Sylvie Simmons, Sounds, June 1979
"EDUCATION", CLAIMS the motto six feet above the head of Tom Robinson for his second time in LA, "is learning to use the tools which ...
Allman Brothers Band: The Allman Brothers Band: Live in Los Angeles
Live Review by Sylvie Simmons, Sounds, June 1979
THE CROWD is going apeshit. A five-figure bunch of America's Finest with cowboy hats and beer bellies are whooping it up like it's New Year's ...
Throbbing Gristle: The Factory, Manchester
Live Review by Mick Middles, Sounds, June 1979
WHEN I WAS watching Throbbing Gristle where were you? ...
Secret Affair: Mods Without Parkas
Interview by Garry Bushell, Sounds, June 1979
"HEYYY, don't crowd me, wanna be the only one. Heyyy, won't you give me a break, I'm gonna be second to none." ...
Ruts, The: The Ruts Bleed For You
Interview by Garry Bushell, Sounds, June 1979
IT WAS ALL going so well too, that was the point. So everyone assumed it was part of the act. I must admit I was ...
Report and Interview by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, June 1979
...but instead you'll be relieved there are no Police puns in this headline ...
Robert Gordon: Down And Out In Paris The Robert Gordon Way
Review and Interview by Peter Silverton, Sounds, June 1979
Robert Gordon: Palais des Sports, Paris ...
Rickie Lee Jones: The Roxy, Los Angeles
Live Review by Sylvie Simmons, Sounds, June 1979
CHUCK E.’S IN the audience. Got up just in time for the show. No doubt Chuck E.’s also in love. He’s definitely in business. The ...
Review by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, June 1979
IF INTENTION automatically equalled success then this would be one hell of an album. As it is, it's beautifully recorded, self-consciously precious, a maddeningly white ...
Johnny Guitar Watson: Johnny 'Guitar' Watson: What The Hell Is This ****½
Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, July 1979
THIS IS a real mutha for ya, from the first seconds of the title track which go for your vitals with a rivet gun of ...
Ramones, The: The Ramones: Rock'n'Roll High School (Sire Import) ****
Review by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, July 1979
THE ERA of the compilation is upon us, and this soundtrack album of smarties and arties is another rapid fire job, featuring the next best ...
Interview by Sylvie Simmons, Sounds, July 1979
ENCAPSULATED VERSION: five-piece group from as near to Boston as matters bust their balls and abuse their bodies digging their way out of the grime ...
Sham 69, Sex Pistols, The: Goodbye Sham 69
Report and Interview by Garry Bushell, Sounds, July 1979
"WE WANT SHUM! WE WANT SHUM! WE WANT SHUM!" Friday night in Glasgow The Apollo is packed to capacity and if you want understatements the ...
Nina Hagen, Herman Brood: Herman Brood: The Further Adventures of Herman and Nina
Report and Interview by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, July 1979
'It's a magic, fantastic, plastic fireball/makes you strong for life/makes you stumble and fall/they're gonna call you names you never heard before/they got you comin' ...
Penetration: The Whisky, Los Angeles
Live Review by Sylvie Simmons, Sounds, July 1979
I'D SEEN the name around several times, but I'd never seen the band until tonight. Strange how your luck can change. ...
Roches, The: The Roches: The Whisky, Los Angeles
Live Review by Sylvie Simmons, Sounds, July 1979
THE ROCHES. Pronounced as in bugs. Maggie and Terre and Suzzy, three sisters somewhere in their 20s. ...
Beach Boys, The: The Beach Boys: Universal Amphitheatre, Los Angeles
Live Review by Sylvie Simmons, Sounds, July 1979
POTTED PALM trees, fishing nets, dry ice aka sea mist, the Captain (sans Tenille) and a backing band in a boat. Degenerate drummer in Brian-sized ...
Herman Brood: Herman Brood And His Wild Romance (Ariola) ****½
Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, July 1979
THE ONLY thing against Herman Brood is his nationality. The world may simply not believe that a Dutchman can sing filthy English-language rock like this ...
Ry Cooder: Bop Till You Drop (Warner Bros.)*****
Review by Peter Silverton, Sounds, July 1979
THERE'S PROBABLY a whole bunch of enormous ironies knocking around this world but right now I can't think of a bigger or more slap-happy one ...
Rod Stewart: The Forum, Los Angeles
Live Review by Sylvie Simmons, Sounds, July 1979
YOU DON'T have to be hungry to make good rock and roll, but it helps. Sitting through a Rod Stewart show is like watching a ...
Lurkers, The, Gary Numan: Beggars Banquet: Laughing All The Way To The Banquet
Report by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, July 1979
FROM SECOND-HAND RECORD SHOP TO NUMBER ONE SINGLE AND ALBUM. THE STORY OF BEGGARS BANQUET ...
XTC: Drums And Wires (Virgin)****
Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, August 1979
I'M WELL qualified to write about XTC. I don't understand them at all. I prove that publicly last autumn when a couple of days in ...
Review by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, August 1979
CHRIS WILSON, lead singer of the Flamin' Groovies, was once described as "looking a bit of a prick in orange satin", but he got off ...
Nils Lofgren: The Second Coming of Nils Lofgren
Interview by Sylvie Simmons, Sounds, August 1979
IT'S A COMMON complaint among watchers of American late-night television. Everything is going along as normal, all the right cliches are being spoken, when you ...
Interview by Garry Bushell, Sounds, August 1979
"She used to do a topless/Down at the Surrey Docks/With tassels on her wotsits/She did a t'riffic job/Of raising all the eye-brows/Of every lunch time ...
Saxon: Big Teasers From Barnsley: Saxon
Interview by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, August 1979
HERE'S A challenge to sort the men from the boys. From new "grassroots English heavy metal band" Saxon to the latest American skullcrushers to go ...
Led Zeppelin: Knebworth Park, Hertfordshire
Live Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, August 1979
WELL. I quite like them. ...
New Barbarians: Knebworth Festival, Hertfordshire
Live Review by Peter Silverton, Sounds, August 1979
ROCK AND ROLL having as it does sod all to do with music and a whole lot to do with sex and drugs (even to ...
Angelic Upstarts: The Nashville, London
Live Review by Garry Bushell, Sounds, August 1979
THE MUSIC Press is a middle class toy, perpetually pampered, easily bored, easily bought off. It's too easy to sit pretty in your safe mortgaged ...
Genya Ravan: …And I Mean It! (20th Century Fox import) ****½
Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, September 1979
DON'T EVEN let it cross your mind that I'm influenced by Ms Ravan being the only artist who's given me a great big kiss at ...
Barracudas, The: The Barracudas: Hanging Ten in West London
Profile and Interview by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, September 1979
SERIOUSLY, WOULD you expect even one of the skinheads who inhabit the feral slums of Ladbroke Grove to have the slightest notion of the origins ...
Kim Fowley, Helen Reddy: Sandy Robertson's Hollywood Confidential
Report by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, September 1979
"On my first visit to Los Angeles I was conventionally prepared for almost anything except for what it really looked like – a quite beautiful ...
Report by Peter Silverton, Sounds, September 1979
ROCK AND ROLL at this level can be a damn luxurious business, I reflected in the air-conditioned comfort of the Nazareth limo sashaying and bumping ...
Siouxsie & The Banshees: Siouxsie And The Banshees: Join Hands
Review by Peter Silverton, Sounds, September 1979
WHADDA YA MEAN, is it extreme? Can you honestly imagine the Banshees doing anything —whether it be throwing shapes for a camera, getting dressed for ...
Cheap Trick: Dream Police (Epic) ****
Review by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, September 1979
IT'S NO mere coincidence that Dave Edmunds openly admires Rick Nielsen, has dinner with him and appears onstage alongside Cheap Trick at the drop of ...
Tom Verlaine: Tom Verlaine (Elektra Import) ***
Review by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, September 1979
IMAGINATIVE TITLE, eh? Nah, but hand it to him for resilience, you really thought you'd seen the last of teevee after the hostile critics were ...
Sham 69: The Adventures Of Hersham Boys (Polydor)***
Review by Garry Bushell, Sounds, September 1979
WHAT DID Sham mean to you? I don't really give a monkey's cos to me and a lot of my mates they were the business. ...
UK Subs: Another Kind Of Blues (Gem)*****
Review by Garry Bushell, Sounds, September 1979
THIS REVIEW lasts 180 seconds and reads 1-2-3-4. It starts with a loud guitar burst, then bass and drums explode and your voice roars 'GARAGELAND' ...
Meat Loaf: Meatloaf: Meat The Wife
Interview by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, September 1979
WHAT'S SO FUNNY ABOUT MEAT LOAF AND UNDERSTANDING? QUIPS SANDY ROBERTSON ...
Live Review by Mick Middles, Sounds, September 1979
A movement with no name... and a festival with no people (But a 'staggering event' all the same, says our man Middles) ...
Siouxsie & The Banshees: In Aberdeen...No-one Can Hear You Scream
Report and Interview by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, September 1979
THE GEEZER standing next to me in the urinal said "Hey, have you heard the rumour? Two of the Banshees have run off. They're not ...
Faulty Towers: Miles Copeland’s New Wave
Report and Interview by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, September 1979
MILES COPELAND is prone to saying things like "cracking America and the world is a big job and we're going to have to work really ...
Penetration: Coming Up For Air (Virgin) ****
Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, September 1979
UP! THAT'S what Penetration are. Such stimulation. A Japanese masseuse on speciality-of-the-house rates could hardly have tickled more of a tingle into every nerve-end from ...
Shirts, The: The Shirts: Street Light Shine (Capitol) ***½
Review by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, September 1979
THE SHIRTS are the problem children of the New York rock scene, but they don't let it show; desperation wouldn't suit them at all. ...
Mahogany Rush: Why Does This Man Look Like This On The Verge Of 1980?
Report and Interview by Sylvie Simmons, Sounds, September 1979
SYLYIE SIMMONS MEETS FRANK MARINO OF MAHOGANY RUSH AND MANAGES TO TALK ABOUT THINGS OTHER THAN HIS SHIRT, BOOTS AND THE PIMPLE ON HIS FACE ...
Patti Smith: Walking Down The Kings Road With Lenny Kaye...
Report and Interview by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, September 1979
...Can be a disagreeable experience. Sandy Robertson gives the Patti Smith Group the elbow. ...
Slaughter and the Dogs: The Boot Boys Are Back In Town
Profile and Interview by Garry Bushell, Sounds, September 1979
"PUNK IS BACK, PUNK IS BACK, WO-AH, WO-AH!" ...
XTC: Apollo Theatre, Manchester
Live Review by Mick Middles, Sounds, September 1979
STUDYING THE development and, um, progression of XTC is one of my favourite past-times. ...
Cure, The: The Cure: Capitol Theatre, Aberdeen
Live Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, September 1979
THIS GIG with The Cure supposedly supporting the Banshees had a somewhat surprising outcome which you'll have read about last week in this journal but ...
Siouxsie & The Banshees: "Humourless? Us?" - Siouxsie & the Banshees
Report and Interview by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, September 1979
"...Thy Kingdom come / They will be done / In Earth as it is in Heaven / Amen... Knock, knocking on Heaven’s door / Let ...
Clash, The: The Clash Turn Pro (Sort Of)
Report and Interview by Peter Silverton, Sounds, September 1979
TUESDAY LUNCHTIME: Cleveland Airport. With a couple of hours to kill before my one-stop-only flight to Minneapolis and the first date on the Clash’s second ...
Gary Numan: Do Sheep Dream Of Electric Androids? The Gary Numan Enigma
Report and Interview by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, October 1979
DATA: Gary Numan found his stage name in the Yellow Pages. The original Numan is a vendor of domestic appliances. In German ...
Kinks, The: The Kinks: Low Budget (Arista)
Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, October 1979
FOR OLD codgers like me it’s very difficult to pin down reactions to albums by old codgers like the Kinks. These we have loved. ...
Joe Jackson: Is She Really Going Out With Him?
Report and Interview by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, October 1979
HURRAH'S IS, for the moment, the in-crowd club in New York's rock circle, having taken over the limelight from CBGB and Max's. Those who seem ...
Ruts, The: The Ruts: Tears On The Notepad
Interview by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, October 1979
EVEN FOR THE wacky, fun-loving RUTS there comes a time for serious reckoning, a time to pour it all out, a time for... ...
Girlschool: Never Mind The Bollocks, Here's … Girlschool
Report and Interview by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, November 1979
I MET GIRLSCHOOL in a pub called the Leather Bottle, which was appropriate because leather is what they wear and bottle is what they've got ...
Various Artists: Pebbles Vols. 1-4
Review by Peter Silverton, Sounds, November 1979
[To be read in a C&A Paisley shirt and matching tie, black lace-up school shoes and a pair of 16" cuff flared trousers re-cut from ...
Poison Girls: Old People Can Be Rebels Too: Poison Girls
Interview by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, November 1979
LOOK AT Poison Girls on stage and you see a straight line of straight faces, clothes all red and black in front of a red ...
Madness: Blue Beat and Pork Pies
Report and Interview by Garry Bushell, Sounds, November 1979
Not so much New Boots and Panties, more a case of...Blue Beat and Pork Pies. Britain in the grip of Madness. Report by Garry Bushell. ...
Clash, The: The Clash: London Calling (CBS) **
Review by Garry Bushell, Sounds, December 1979
"THE HELL with it! Let chaos reign, louder music, more wine, the hell with the standings, the top rungs are up for grabs. All the ...
Bodysnatchers, The: Invasion of The Bodysnatchers
Profile and Interview by Peter Silverton, Sounds, December 1979
UNDER NORMAL circumstances, the only people paying attention at a band's fifth gig should be a few friends and the cousin who's been roped in ...
Stevie Wonder: Hotter Than July
Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, 1980
IF THIS ALBUM had been issued between Fulfillingness First Finale and Songs In The Key Of Life I think I'd still have given it four ...
Ian Dury and the Blockheads: Laughter (Stiff)
Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, January 1980
I'M IN the mood for superlative hyperbole (oh – and love). I may have caught some flak from the Arts Page faction when in a ...
Bruce Springsteen: The Last American Hero
Essay by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, January 1980
MUST BE some new kind of drug or somethin', 'cos even a 16-year-old don't do a graveyard shift of four hours and then dance on ...
Clash, The: The Clash: Rude Boy
Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, January 1980
LONDON CALLING? It hardly covers the situation. Every is-or-was punk fan in the country must be quietly slavering to see the Clash film and apprehensive ...
Report and Interview by Garry Bushell, Sounds, January 1980
FROM WHERE I'm sitting Chris Stein looks like a chubbier version of Paul Foot, his tousled hair spilling over the thick black frames of his ...
Dexy's Midnight Runners, Geno Washington: The Dexedrine Gang: Dexy's Midnight Runners
Profile and Interview by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, January 1980
BY THE TIME I'd reached the counter, I'd forgotten it. "What was it again?" I called over to the Dexy's tables. They said "Five teas ...
Pretenders, The: The Pretenders: 'The Night I Played Top Of The Pops With No Underwear!'
Interview by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, January 1980
I CAN TELL you I was worried about this Pretenders thing. I thought they'd be too much for me – well, not so much 'they' ...
Neil Diamond: September Morn (CBS)
Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, February 1980
THAT SLIGHT tremor in his voice tells you that Neil Diamond is emotional and vulnerable. Those bass notes tell you he's manly and he can ...
Cherie and Marie Currie, Runaways, The: Cherie and Marie Currie: Messin' With The Boys (Capitol) **½
Review by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, February 1980
"THEY" SAY that Capitol have got themselves in the position of having to blow a bunch of bucks on promoting this turkey if they want ...
Flying Lizards: The Flying Lizards: The Flying Lizards (Virgin) **½
Review by Peter Silverton, Sounds, February 1980
SOME TIME ago, American journalist and alliterator Tom Wolfe wrote an essay, 'The Painted Word', on the world of post-war American painting. ...
Sex Pistols, The: The Sex Pistols: The Very Best Of
Review by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, February 1980
THE PERFECT contradiction: The Japs offer such fine pressings, this album'll cost you about £9 if you want it…and I'm reviewing it as usual on ...
Mikey Dread: Who's The Man Plays Dubwise Selection Without Objection? Mikey Dread, Of Course
Interview by Edwin Pouncey, Sounds, February 1980
MICHAEL CAMPBELL is a man of many parts. Producer of numerous dub, toasting and vocal sides he has also worked for such luminaries as King ...
Splodgenessabounds: Help Stamp Out Splodgeness!
Profile by Garry Bushell, Sounds, February 1980
MANY DISTRESSED Sounds readers have written to us about the alarming outbreaks of 'Splodgenessabounds' currently sweeping through lower class areas of South East London. This ...
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers: Tom Petty: The Forum, Los Angeles
Live Review by Sylvie Simmons, Sounds, February 1980
LIGHTERS COME on round the arena, a couple of firecrackers go off, then on strides Petty with his rockstar lope, leans into the microphone with ...
Tubes, The: The Tubes: The Roxy, Los Angeles
Live Review by Sylvie Simmons, Sounds, February 1980
A TUBES show without the props is a bit like the Royal Family without Princess Margaret: a lot of money for something expendably traditional without ...
Report and Interview by Geoff Barton, Sounds, February 1980
Despite the hit single 'Babe' Styx are still Pomp Rock Supremos, Claims Geoff Barton from the USA ...
A Certain Ratio: The Graveyard And The Ballroom (Factory) ****
Review by Mick Middles, Sounds, February 1980
A CERTAIN Ratio (currently the hippest combo in Manchester) typify the approach, style, feel, and idealism of Factory Records. They are distant, difficult to touch ...
Sparks: Terminal Jive (Virgin) **
Review by Betty Page, Sounds, February 1980
D.I.S.C.O. HOW many of you recoil in horror at the word? Are you one of the legion of Sounds readers who would venomously denounce it ...
Buggles: The Age Of Plastic (Island) **
Review by Betty Page, Sounds, February 1980
THE BASTARDISATION of "new music" continues! From Numan to New Musik they dress up their pop pulp with synthetics and call it futuristic; now The ...
Report and Interview by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, February 1980
YOU NEED a publicist? Look no further than Dean Klevatt, a young man who makes Phineas T Barnum himself look like a shrinking violet. ...
Review by Peter Silverton, Sounds, February 1980
The way I heard it, at the panty-creaming peak of his career, Al Green was so drunk on the cortical rush of his fame and ...
Sports, The: The Sports: The Whisky, Los Angeles
Live Review by Sylvie Simmons, Sounds, February 1980
LITTLE RIVER Band, Livvy Newton-John, Sherbet. Is it really any wonder people think that Australian rock is something kangaroos jump over (or in the case ...
Mo-dettes, The: The Mo-dettes: The Bridge House, Canning Town, London
Live Review by Garry Bushell, Sounds, February 1980
THE TYPE of people who write about The Mo-Dettes in the music mess (and wrap them up in their own self-conscious hypes and silly self-deceits) ...
Expressos: Hope And Anchor, London
Live Review by Betty Page, Sounds, February 1980
FIRST IMPRESSIONS are sometimes lasting impressions: first look at Roz Rayner, leading Expresso, would suggest an appearance not unadjacent to one Chrissie Hynde – second ...
Mekons, The: The Mekons: Manchester Polytechnic, Manchester
Live Review by Mick Middles, Sounds, February 1980
I COULDN'T believe my eyes. ...
Psychedelic Furs, The, Iggy Pop: Iggy Pop/Psychedelic Furs: Friars, Aylesbury
Live Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, February 1980
THREE BANDS shaped up as good value but that wasn't all. There was an unannounced surprise star guest – all the way from Vegas let's ...
Linda Ronstadt: Mad Love (Asylum) *
Review by Peter Silverton, Sounds, February 1980
ROBERTSON DIDN'T want to do it. He'd reviewed the last eighty-five Linda Ronstadt albums or some such totally dubious excuse he made up on the ...
Alex Chilton: Like Flies On Sherbert (Aura) ****
Review by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, February 1980
ABSOLUTELY ONE of a kind, because, while archivists insist they wish that Jimbo was still here or that Syd would make another album, Alex Chilton ...
UK Subs: Live Kicks (Stiff) **
Review by Garry Bushell, Sounds, February 1980
POGO? I thought I'd never start. ...
Iggy Pop: I Can't Stand to be Alone
Interview by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, February 1980
TO OPEN A DOOR and find Iggy Pop behind it is like opening a well shaken-up can of lager unawares. ...
Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark: Who Was That Masked Man?
Interview by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, February 1980
SOMETHING GARDENS the place was called. Gardens? At a conservative estimate not so much as a blade of grass had dared to peep above ground ...
Rick Derringer: The Roxy, Los Angeles
Live Review by Sylvie Simmons, Sounds, February 1980
RICK DERRINGER, walking away with both the Alvin Lee Memorial Award and the Suzi Quatro lookalike rosette, played a set at The Roxy that shook ...
Pink Floyd: Memorial Sports Arena, Los Angeles
Live Review by Sylvie Simmons, Sounds, February 1980
WELL IT figures, doesn't it? ...
Profile and Interview by Garry Bushell, Sounds, February 1980
HEAVY METAL has been around for as long as I can remember. It grew from the blues and just never died despite years of cold ...
Madness: When The Screaming Had To Start
Report and Interview by Peter Silverton, Sounds, February 1980
"'ERE, SUGGSY...'Ere, Suggs." ...
Stiff Little Fingers: Nobody's Heroes (Chrysalis) ***
Review by Garry Bushell, Sounds, March 1980
ONCE YOU adjust to the crappy cover and the initial sense of anti-climax you realise this is mostly an alright album, although it's frustrating and ...
Prince Buster: Fabulous Greatest Hits (Melodisc) ****
Review by Peter Silverton, Sounds, March 1980
1966 BEING 1966, a couple of light and bitters in the Sussex (a good two years underage) was the strongest refreshment to hand. Weed was ...
Cockney Rejects: Greatest Hits Vol 1
Review by Garry Bushell, Sounds, March 1980
WHEN I first met Micky Geggus and Stinky Turner and heard their tape I knew there was something about it and them that said they ...
Stiff Little Fingers: The Voice Squad
Interview by Mick Middles, Sounds, March 1980
'WE'RE GONNA BLOW UP IN THEIR FACE' ...
Martha and The Muffins: Greetings From Echo Beach
Interview by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, March 1980
THE TECHNIQUE is worn but fairly efficient. A pop music group assembles, shapes up, plays gigs, acquires some sort of following, signs with a record ...
Bodysnatchers, The, Ruts, The, Selecter, The: The Selecter/The Bodysnatchers: Live Injection
Report by Garry Bushell, Sounds, March 1980
ROCK HAD started to get very boring again. Very self-important and pompous. Old concepts were rearing up on young shoulders with bands raiding Pink Floyd ...
Specials, The: The Specials: The Whisky, Los Angeles
Live Review by Sylvie Simmons, Sounds, March 1980
WE GOT to hear the second – the best – half of the show twice. The first time sardined in the long line outside the ...
Martha and The Muffins: Martha and the Muffins: The Marquee, London
Live Review by Betty Page, Sounds, March 1980
ON THE strength of just one single, Martha And The Muffins have had the usual, obvious names thrown at them as influences: B52s, XTC, Blondie, ...
Joy Division: Osbourne Club, Manchester
Live Review by Mick Middles, Sounds, March 1980
TO THE centre of the city in the night waiting for Joy Division. ...
Warren Zevon: Bad Luck Streak In Dancing School (Asylum) and Wanted Dead Or Alive (Pickwick)
Review by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, March 1980
IF YOU'VE been scanning this paper long enough you'll know that Warren Zevon's last album, Excitable Boy, got a snazzola review in same. That was ...
Knack, The: The Knack: …But The Little Girls Understand
Review by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, March 1980
IT'D ALMOST be a relief to be able to say that this second Knack album is a stinker and a sure-fire failure, because then I ...
Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, March 1980
IT'S HARD to know what to make of little Eric. I'm glad he's there but I'm not sure why. I keep getting this tantalising feeling ...
Fabulous Thunderbirds: Thunderbirds Are Go!
Interview by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, March 1980
"I'M REALLY good at this kind of thing." said Kim Wilson. "Broken hearts or broken legs, they're all the same to me." He jabbed a ...
ZZ Top: Long Beach Arena, California
Live Review by Sylvie Simmons, Sounds, March 1980
ALMOST THREE years ago ZZ Top became ZZ Stop, pensioned off the steers and circus animals Texas-style that went with their live performances and went ...
Specials, The: The Specials: Rude Boys Can't Fail
Report by Garry Bushell, Sounds, March 1980
THEY DON'T muck about, the Yanks. These buildings go all the way up like the architect was getting paid by the cubic foot although exactly ...
Lynyrd Skynyrd, Rossington Collins Band, The: Lynyrd Skynyrd: If I Leave Here Tomorrow
Retrospective by Pete Makowski, Sounds, March 1980
Dear Everyone,I would like to say how shocked and sorry I am at the deaths of Steve, Cassie and Ronnie. I know how it must ...
Interview by Peter Silverton, Sounds, March 1980
NAPA HOSPITAL, Californian mental institution, the half-way ward. Lux Interior is reminiscing. ...
Elvis Costello: The Elvis Enigma
Profile by Peter Silverton, Sounds, March 1980
WHEN I HEARD the first Elvis Costello single, 'Less Than Zero', I figured it was Stiff's mainstay of the time, Nick Lowe, having a bit ...
Kevin Coyne: Bursting Bubbles (Virgin)
Review by Peter Silverton, Sounds, April 1980
WHATEVER ELSE it might be, Kevin Coyne's universe is not a comfortable one. ...
Van Halen: Women And Children First (Warners) *****
Review by Pete Makowski, Sounds, April 1980
VAM! BLAM! KAPOW! SPLAT! ...
Bad Manners: Bad Manners (Magnet) *****
Review by Garry Bushell, Sounds, April 1980
OH DOCTOR I'm in trouble (well goodness gracious me), not only have I forgotten the rest of the words to the Peter Sellers/Sophia Loren teen ...
UK Subs: Brand New Age (GEM)*****
Review by Garry Bushell, Sounds, April 1980
WHEN I was at school we used to have a big fat Scottish Geography teacher who was forever clotting you round the head and saying ...
Penetration: Going Underground
Interview by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, April 1980
SO YOU'RE learning to write music, Pauline – how's it done then? ...
Rush: The Moustache That Conquered The World
Interview by Sylvie Simmons, Sounds, April 1980
SOMEWHERE in America in that black hole known as the Midwest, little bands are slogging their balls off to become big bands, and big bands ...
Jam, The: The Jam: Civic Theater, Santa Monica
Live Review by Sylvie Simmons, Sounds, April 1980
HERE IN peanut butter land they call jam jelly and it's transparent, slick and insubstantial, easily assimilated sweetness. Maybe that's why The Jam are having ...
Madness: The Whisky, Los Angeles
Live Review by Sylvie Simmons, Sounds, April 1980
Prince Buster cracks LA at last ...
Report and Interview by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, April 1980
THIS ONE can talk. He'll talk abut anything you care to mention or that wanders into his apres-gig mind, be it his bisexual pedigree dog, ...
Slaughter and the Dogs: Slaughter: Get Ready To Do Ruck Steady
Report and Interview by Garry Bushell, Sounds, April 1980
THREE MONTHS into the weighty Eighties and pop paper medics decide it's time for Slaughter's funeral. ...
Q Tips, Paul Young: Q Tips: Soul Survivors
Report and Interview by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, April 1980
Q-TIPS, THE masterly new soul band now warming the airwaves with Joe Tex's 'SYSLJFM', were found on the wreckage of success - and you do ...
Go-Go's, The: The Go-Go's: Ready Steady Go-Go's
Profile and Interview by Sylvie Simmons, Sounds, April 1980
GO-GO'S: 1. Bouncing entertainment; choreographed Happy Pill; females showing a hell of a lot for little reward. 2. Hollywood pink-punk band; all of the above ...
Sledgehammer: The Marquee, London
Live Review by Garry Bushell, Sounds, April 1980
SUGAR RAY Leonard, undefeated welterweight champion of the world, would seem to be the perfect metaphorical embodiment of the music I like best. As no-nonsense ...
Members, The: The Members: 1980 — The Choice Is Yours (Virgin)****
Review by Garry Bushell, Sounds, April 1980
Members 'not has-beens' debate ...
Review by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, April 1980
Four horsemen of the apocalypse ...
Fatal Microbes, Honey Bane: Fatal Microbes: Femme Fatale
Interview by Garry Bushell, Sounds, April 1980
A BOOZER IN beautiful down-town Stepney is the rendezvous and despite London Transport I manage to arrive at the right time on the right day ...
Beat, The (U.S.): The Beat (US): Beating For Pleasure
Interview by Sylvie Simmons, Sounds, April 1980
THE KNACK without the goofball, Tom Petty without the peroxide and angst, the Beatles without the suffix. ...
UB40: The Russell Club, Manchester
Live Review by Mick Middles, Sounds, April 1980
HOPEFULLY, UB40 will help English reggae slip sneakily back into its true direction. The effects of the past 12 months of 2 Toned overkill are ...
B.B. King: B B King: Hammersmith Odeon, London
Live Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, April 1980
THE QUALITY of B. B. King is not strained, it droppeth as the gentle dew from heaven...and I only wish Bill Shakespeare (what a fine ...
Beach Boys, The: The Beach Boys: The Life of Brian
Report and Interview by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, April 1980
'Strange Gods arrive in fast enemy poses' – Jim Morrison ...
Lou Reed: Growing Up In Public (Arista)***
Review by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, May 1980
THIS BUGGER don't give up, and, like poseurs of antiquity, rumours of his death have been greatly exaggerated. ...
Paul McCartney: McCartney II (Parlophone)****
Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, May 1980
MUCH AS I bless and honour the name of Paul McCartney, I haven't wholly enjoyed an album he's been involved with since McCartney and Ram ...
Bram Tchaikovsky: The Russians Are Coming (Radar)
Review by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, May 1980
SOMETIMES YOU open your mouth, but not a word emerges. Sometimes there's very little to talk about anyway. ...
Devo: Freedom Of Choice (Virgin)
Review by Betty Page, Sounds, May 1980
BACK IN the heady days of late '78, when the UK was brimming over with Devo-tees, Gerald V Casale, lead Devo, suggested that certain elitist ...
Joan Armatrading: Me Myself I (A&M)
Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, May 1980
JUST TO put new readers of my ongoing review of Joan Armatrading's work in the picture I should mention that I rather like this lady. ...
Cure, The: The Cure: Seventeen Seconds (Fiction) ****½
Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, May 1980
REALLY HANDY for you isn't it, reviewing an album a month after release when it's already up to 20 in the charts? Sorry. Don't blame ...
Beat, The: The Beat: I Just Can't Stop It (Go Feet)****
Review by Peter Silverton, Sounds, May 1980
A JOURNALIST of this periodical on being asked if he fancied interviewing the Beat remarked that, although he'd nothing against the idea in principle, he'd ...
Orchids, The (US): The Orchids: The Orchids (MCA)****
Review by Betty Page, Sounds, May 1980
SO YOU thought The Orchids were a blooming figment of Sandy Fowley's imagination, huh? Perish the idea. They're not just cheesecake; they don't pursue the ...
Eddie Cochran: 20th Anniversary Album (Liberty)**
Review by Peter Silverton, Sounds, May 1980
PHIL SPECTOR, for one, is of the opinion that Colonel Parker used to hypnotise Elvis into singing rhinoceros shit like 'Viva Las Vegas' and 'Girls ...
New Musik: Doom Disguised as Jollity
Interview by Betty Page, Sounds, May 1980
NEW MUSIK are not avant garde, Mancunian, Liverpudlian, hip or trendy. What they currently are and what many of those Mancunians and Liverpudlians must desire ...
Spectres, The: The Spectres: Ghosts Of Sex Pistols In New Groups
Interview by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, May 1980
SINCE THE powers behind The Sex Pistols admitted it was all a wind-up anyway, the components of the group have had little success at coming ...
John Cooper Clarke: The Bard Of Beasley Street At The Seat Of Learning
Interview by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, May 1980
THE OXFORD University Union porter peered at us fish-eyed. "Are you members?" he said. "Er, no - we're with the poet." ...
Public Image Ltd.: PiL in Hollywood
Report and Interview by Sylvie Simmons, Sounds, May 1980
HUDDLED ROUND the side with a crowd of disco dancers waiting for their fifteen minutes of fame, watching a fake Doobie Brothers run through their ...
Report and Interview by Geoff Barton, Sounds, May 1980
...AND WATCH THE SEASIDE PIER SHAKING. GEOFF BARTON REPORTS AS SAXON STORM THE DISNEYLAND SHOWBAR, COLWYN BAY (YES, REALLY). ...
Surf Punks, The: The Surf Punks: Just When You Thought It Was Safe To Go Back In The Water
Profile and Interview by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, May 1980
"Girls under 15 are not ready for me...over 18 they're looking to move in with a guy." ...
Girlschool, Black Sabbath: Black Sabbath/Girlschool: Hammersmith Odeon, London
Live Review by Pete Makowski, Sounds, May 1980
THE SABS are back. And after a series of false starts to their British tour due to drummer Bill Ward contracting viral pneumonia they are ...
Bauhaus: University of Surrey, Guildford
Live Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, May 1980
TAKE RISKS and you win some and you lose more than you would if you didn't. Bauhaus declared their intentions with the title of their ...
Plasmatics, The: Beat To The Meat: The Plasmatics
Interview by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, May 1980
"You loved the Huns. You raved over the Vandals. You marveled at the Goths. You will SHIT when you see the Plasmatics." ...
Graham Parker And The Rumour: The Up Escalator
Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, June 1980
THIS IS one of the best albums I've ever heard. It's so good that professional priorities went out the window and before I sat down ...
Toyah Wilcox: Toyah Willcox: The Blue Meaning (Safari)***1/2
Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, June 1980
IN TERMS of energy input and output Toyah Willcox probably gives and takes more before breakfast on a slow morning than you or I in ...
Report and Interview by Garry Bushell, Sounds, June 1980
NO DISRESPECT to Dave 'half-a-shandy' McCullough but, myself, I get no pleasure from records that sound like tin baths falling down coal chutes. Witless soul ...
UK Subs: The Masters Of Pure Pogomatic Power Pound On (Part 86).
Report and Interview by Garry Bushell, Sounds, June 1980
NO DISRESPECT to Dave 'half-a-shandy' McCullough but, myself, I get no pleasure from records that sound like tin baths falling down coal chutes. Witless soul ...
Peter Gabriel: Mr. Clean: Peter Gabriel
Interview by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, June 1980
PETER GABRIEL was a little flustered. He is both a well-mannered and considerate man. He doesn't like to keep you waiting and possibly give the ...
Rolling Stones, The: The Rolling Stones: Emotional Rescue (Rolling Stones)****
Review by Peter Silverton, Sounds, June 1980
"IMAGE IS so important to rock stars. Mick Jagger is the rock star with the longest running image. He's the one all the young white ...
Police, The: The Police: Crisis of Identity
Interview by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, June 1980
SOMETHING CAUGHT the corner of my vision, I spun round and there was Superman bounding straight towards the window and alighting on the sill with ...
Willie Nile: What Would You Do If You Got Rich?
Profile and Interview by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, June 1980
NEW YORK. The Bowery is a Hell's Angel being shot in the ass by an off-duty cop he's just tried to strangle. The Bowery is ...
Report by Garry Bushell, Sounds, June 1980
THUNDER SPREADS across the weathered visage of Selecter's dumpling coach driver Tennessee Roman Reynolds. He thumps the breakfast table like he's an SPG man working ...
Romantics, The: The Romantics: Detroit's Answer To The Ramones
Report and Interview by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, June 1980
SANDY ROBERTSON distills the essence of THE ROMANTICS and avoids dodgy boilers ...
X: Beyond the Valley of the Doors
Profile and Interview by Sylvie Simmons, Sounds, June 1980
HOLLYWOOD PUNK. Sounds about as real and desirable as cocktail-lounge muzak. If there's anything genuine or worthwhile in there it certainly isn't easy to find. ...
Fleetwood Mac: Wembley Arena, London
Live Review by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, June 1980
CROWDS, HOWEVER passive, make me unhappy. As Eli Wallach said on TV (The Magnificent Seven) last Sunday afternoon, "If God didn't want them to be ...
Motels, The: The Motels: Careful (Capitol) ***
Review by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, July 1980
IF YOU'RE a Motels fan don't get mad at me, just take it as an indication of the way interest has rapidly curved away from ...
Suicide: Suicide As A Way Of Life
Interview by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, July 1980
"I THINK," breathes the camp dwarf in the sweatshirt and stubble, "that people should only write songs about economics and sex, because that's all everybody's ...
Vic Godard, Subway Sect, The: Vic Godard: Young Existentialist
Interview by Mick Middles, Sounds, July 1980
VIC GODARD makes Feargal Sharkey look like Gene Simmons. His normality is outrageous. When Vic Godard sits in his bedroom listening to Peter Skellern on ...
Joe Perry, Aerosmith: Joe Perry: I've Done It All
Interview by Sylvie Simmons, Sounds, July 1980
'I've been through millions of dollars I've wrecked expensive cars. I've done it all!' ...
Interview by Sylvie Simmons, Sounds, July 1980
THE CLOSE QUARTERS in Nashville Tennessee claims to be America's only rock and roll hotel. Bar's open day and night, drugs no problem, you can ...
Mink DeVille: The Venue, London
Live Review by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, July 1980
"FROM THE streets of New York City..." went the opening announcement, and Willy DeVille's new crew kicked off their late-starting second show of the evening ...
Cockney Rejects: Have They Bitten Off More Than They Can Chew?
Report and Interview by Garry Bushell, Sounds, July 1980
"THIS IS A once in a generation band. The sort of band who'll either be massive in eighteen months or dead or both." ...
Jam, The: The Making of The Jam: The Men Behind The Scenes
Retrospective and Interview by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, July 1980
THE JAM: it's a family affair. A family of blood and/or loyalty, stick-together adhesion and sense of common purpose you might expect to come ...
Report and Interview by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, July 1980
IN THE STRANGE WAY it has at certain phases of your life, time is running backwards for Joan Armatrading. She's growing younger. To prove it ...
Delta 5: The Delta Of Venus: Delta 5
Report and Interview by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, August 1980
"DEL-TA-5! DEL-TA-5!" is good to chant. It feels as good as "Up-Starts! Up-starts!" or "A-C-D-C! A-C-D-C!" What might surprise you is that Delta 5 — ...
Split Enz: True Colours (A&M) ***½
Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, August 1980
THE NAME might just ring a bell. Split Enz, the most unlikely musical product of the Antipodes (taking it that Duffo has nothing to do ...
Stooges, The: The Stooges: No Fun (Elektra)
Review by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, August 1980
POINTLESS, PERHAPS so late as to be irrelevant, maybe. An opportunity missed, certainly. No Fun is all these things, I guess, but it does provide ...
Split Enz: True Colours (A&M) ***½
Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, August 1980
THE NAME might just ring a bell. Split Enz, the most unlikely musical product of the Antipodes (taking it that Duffo has nothing to do ...
Girlschool: Back to Schooldays
Interview by Pete Makowski, Sounds, August 1980
Pete Makowski deciphers the scrawl in his exercise book. Mike Laye makes with the paints, crayons and Box Brownie ...
Killing Joke: That Primitive Feeling: Killing Joke
Interview by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, August 1980
I MET KILLING Joke in one of the hellhole dressing-rooms at the Music Machine. I introduced myself to various people who weren't in the band ...
American Spring, Surf Punks, The: The Surf Punks; American Spring: The Starwood, Los Angeles
Live Review by Sylvie Simmons, Sounds, August 1980
AMERICAN SPRING – Brian Wilson's wife Marilyn and various in-laws – came out from under a pebble after five years of seclusion, threatening to become ...
Exploited, The: The Exploited: I Still Believe In Anarchy
Profile and Interview by Garry Bushell, Sounds, August 1980
SOMETIMES I wish my mind and body were under the same management. Anyone with half an eye on the dictates of fashion and media double-think ...
Kinks, The: The Kinks: One For The Road (Arista)
Review by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, August 1980
THE KINKS' dilemma is one I'll take in preference to the one that concerns the Who, if only because leader Ray Davies isn't given to ...
Profile and Interview by Garry Bushell, Sounds, August 1980
AT THE risk of getting into a this week's big thing situation, I've got this feeling in my bones that Tenpole Tudor are gonna be ...
Professionals, The: The Professionals: Diary Of A Man Who Likes To Stay In
Profile and Interview by Garry Bushell, Sounds, August 1980
THE PROFESSIONALS' debut single 'Just Another Dream' is about twenty bus stops down the road from 'Anarchy In The UK' if you're using words like ...
Kate Bush: Passion Always Wins
Interview by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, August 1980
WHAT THEY say about Kate Bush is that she’s a lisping innocent, a born-with-a-silver-spoon, a too-good-to-be-true, a safe and uncontroversial, soppy, record industry banker. ...
Spandau Ballet and The New Romantics
Interview by Betty Page, Sounds, September 1980
"INITIALLY 'mod' meant a very small group of young working class boys who, at the height of the trad boom formed a small, totally committed ...
Piranhas, The: The Piranhas: The Piranhas (Sire)****
Review by Garry Bushell, Sounds, September 1980
I HATE to say I told you so but I TOLD YOU SO, you sick toerags. The Piranhas are dead, they said. They've missed the ...
Specials, The: The Specials: More Specials (2-Tone)*****
Review by Garry Bushell, Sounds, September 1980
TO BET or not to bet, that is the question. Whether it be nobler to sit pretty with a winning formula or take a gamble ...
Live Review by Sylvie Simmons, Sounds, September 1980
I'M HERE to testify they've done it! Gone back, right along the de-evolutionary scale, down to the Bill and Ben stage. What an achievement! Five ...
UB40: Smiling Faces, Angry Words: The UB40 Paradox
Interview by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, September 1980
THE UB40 TEAM met in a caff, the Wimpy opposite their office in central Brimingham. In fact Ali, Robin and Brian had arrived ...
Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, October 1980
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN once said simply this: "I want it all." I've taken it out of context but, judging by the recent Dave Marsh biography, it ...
Talking Heads: Remain In Light
Review by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, October 1980
WELL ALRIGHT, I may never be going back to my old school, but I remember a saying they had out in the yard that's one ...
Motorhead: Ace Of Spades (Bronze)*****
Review by Garry Bushell, Sounds, October 1980
BUZZARDS CIRCLE high above the heads of the three outlaws standing silently waiting far out in the arid badlands of New Mexico. Suddenly, the tranquility ...
Beat, The, Talking Heads: Talking Heads and The Beat at the Greek Theater Los Angeles
Live Review by Sylvie Simmons, Sounds, November 1980
THIS WAS no mere toe-tapper. We're talking worn shoe-leather tonight, holes in the soles and corns on the toes, sore feet in a venue more ...
Report and Interview by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, November 1980
A meal on wheels... and it's finger-lickin' good, sez PHIL SUTCLIFFE ...
Aretha Franklin: At the Victoria Apollo
Live Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, November 1980
PREJUDICES ON THE TABLE: I think Aretha Franklin has the most stirring, moving voice I've every heard, but I'm much less sure about the use ...
Stranglers, The: The Stranglers
Profile and Interview by Sylvie Simmons, Sounds, December 1980
THIRD OF FOUR nights at the Whisky and the audience is still dribbling during the opening act. The Humans are on IRS and could just ...
Interview by Betty Page, Sounds, December 1980
THE MINUTE I walked in the joint, I could see he was a man of distinction, a real big spender...king of the nighttime jungle, burner ...
XTC: Slaving For The Yankee Dollar
Report and Interview by Betty Page, Sounds, December 1980
FUNNY HOW life is. Guess who Elvis Presley, Bonzo and Ian Curtis are expecting for Christmas? You know the answer. Yet he and the other ...
Fall, The: The Fall: Hex Enduction Hour; Live In London, 1980
Review by Edwin Pouncey, Sounds, 1981
IN A CONSTANTLY flowing stream of creativity, through each consecutive fad, fantasy and fashion The Fall have always striven to go against the grain to ...
Tygers of Pan Tang: Tygers, Tygers, Burning Bright
Report and Interview by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, January 1981
The TOPT are even better with new singer JOHN DEVERIL, claims PHIL SUTCLIFFE ...
Depeche Mode: This Year's Mode(l)
Profile and Interview by Betty Page, Sounds, January 1981
DISPEL FROM your minds the untenable notion that Futurists are either bored Mummy's boys tinkering with expensive gadgets or desperately earnest avant-garde merchants trying to ...
Human League, The: Human League: Half A League Onward
Interview by Betty Page, Sounds, March 1981
NEVER BEFORE in the annals of male/female relations, in the ongoing man/woman battleground, has there been such a spicy love/hate scenario as in the new ...
Brian Eno, Talking Heads: Eno: The Life of Brian in the Bush of Ghosts
Interview by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, March 1981
BRIAN ENO, currently working on two new albums, is many things to a lot of men. ...
Interview by Betty Page, Sounds, March 1981
MARC ALMOND has never quite been able to live down our scathing pic caption which accompanied the review of the landmark Some Bizzare Album. ...
Pretenders, The: The Pretenders: Pretending To Be Different
Interview by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, March 1981
I'VE LONGED to say it in print: The Pretenders are, for me, the virtual embodiment of the ideal popular music group. ...
Interview by Betty Page, Sounds, June 1981
LIFE WITHIN buildings: being shut in a dimly-lit, secluded studio with David Sylvian. Sounds like a scenario straight out of a Nipponese schoolgirl's fantasy, but ...
Ozzy Osbourne: Insanities In Ten Cities
Report and Interview by Garry Bushell, Sounds, June 1981
NEW YORK'S Plaza Hotel is so posh you wouldn't be at all surprised to turn round and catch the Queen Mum sliding down the bannisters ...
Report and Interview by Garry Bushell, Sounds, June 1981
TWO LUVLY black eyes, oh what a surprise. Or more to the point, OWWW! what a surprise. I know it's traditional for hacks to liken ...
Siouxsie & The Banshees: Juju ****1/2
Review by Betty Page, Sounds, June 1981
WITHOUT WISHING to sound demeaning or sexist, I have observed that the most popular women in the r'n'r world are fond of playing character-roles within ...
Nico: Drama Of Exile (Aura)*****
Review by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, July 1981
TANGLED UP in myth, perspective gets shot all to hell. Even the official biographical sheet accompanying this album repeats the old chestnut that John Cale ...
Interview by Betty Page, Sounds, August 1981
"COMING!" SHREIKS a familiar voice, as we knock on the door of the flat that appears to have been built on a slag heap in ...
Interview by Sylvie Simmons, Sounds, August 1981
FIRST THINGS FIRST. When X get to England (sometime in September hopefully) see them. They're good. ...
Interview by Betty Page, Sounds, October 1981
IN THE MANNER of any smooth operation worth its nuts and bolts, the British Electric Foundation chose to discuss the prospective publicity of one of ...
Lone Ranger: Rose Marie (Black Joy)****
Review by Edwin Pouncey, Sounds, January 1982
THIS BRAND new selection without objection is the first released album in this country from the Lone Ranger since he last bared fangs on the ...
Poison Girls: Total Exposure (xntrix)***½
Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, January 1982
POISON GIRLS' music doesn't tell you anything new. Barely evolved from the ugly end of punk it grinds or charges along with an oppressive grimness ...
Sammy Hagar: Standing Hampton (Geffen) ***½
Review by Phil Bell, Sounds, January 1982
Sammy gets his Hampton caught ...
Wipers: Youth Of America (Park Avenue)***½
Review by Ralph Traitor, Sounds, January 1982
THE WIPERS come from Seattle Washington, deep in the great American Northwest, home previously to the likes of The Sonics and Paul Revere and the ...
Method Actors: Little Figures (Armageddon)***¾
Review by Betty Page, Sounds, January 1982
STRANGE AS it may seem, I find myself in the possession of Vic Varney's old boots. Thus it would be possible to expedite the dread ...
Blue Oyster Cult: Country Club, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Sylvie Simmons, Sounds, January 1982
FIRST TIME I've seen Blue Oyster Cult in ages. Actually seen them. Last time HM's Santas-little-helpers played in the neighbourhood was one of those monstrous ...
Alan Vega: Collision Drive (Celluloid)
Review by Ralph Traitor, Sounds, January 1982
ALAN VEGA'S recent departure into ersatz neo-rockabilly will elicit a variety of responses from his admirers. Some will call it a sell-out, but that's a ...
Fad Gadget: I'm A Born Again Pagan
Interview by Betty Page, Sounds, January 1982
SEEDY CITY, sleazy films... creeping up a back staircase by the stage door of Paul Raymond's Windmill Theatre... tiptoeing up more stairs past stacks of ...
Ozzy Osbourne: LA Sports Arena, Los Angeles
Live Review by Sylvie Simmons, Sounds, January 1982
ACT ONE Scene One: Outside, on the coldest night of the year, the wind is howling. But a noise more unearthly still emanates from the ...
Live Review by Garry Bushell, Sounds, January 1982
A MASSIVE clenched fist clutching a spanner makes an imposing backdrop for the new UFO show and inspires hopes that the band are belatedly rallying ...
Black Flag: Damaged (SST Import)
Review by Garry Bushell, Sounds, January 1982
"THE RUNAWAYS on angel dust," was how my pal Jimmy 'Bubbles' Skinner summed up this awesome Yank Punk broadside. The Stooges on bad sulphate is ...
Waitresses, The: The Waitresses: Wasn't Tomorrow Wonderful? (Polydor)
Review by Edwin Pouncey, Sounds, January 1982
FOR STARTERS, The Waitresses first came into being through one Chris Butler, who created the group as a spillover for musical ideas that were incompatible ...
Yellow Magic Orchestra: Live in Tokyo
Live Review by Betty Page, Sounds, January 1982
THE PROSPECT of The Orch being pruned down to its three component parts was initially somewhat alarming for the quivering foreign journalists, who sat in ...
Orange Juice: The Venue, London
Live Review by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, January 1982
SOMETHING IS happening with Orange Juice. I'm not sure what it is, but I'm certain I don't like it. ...
J. Geils Band: J Geils Band: Freeze Frame (EMI America)
Review by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, February 1982
THESE GUYS have moved over the last decade from being celebrated white R&B critical fave raves on Atlantic (hardworking moderate successes), to a recent megachart ...
The Gun Club: Fire Of Love (New Rose Records)
Review by Ralph Traitor, Sounds, February 1982
FIRST THERE was The Flesheaters, carving Americana with a lurid libido and off-colour arcana. Now the same frame of mind and music has thrown up ...
Yellow Magic Orchestra: No More Hiros
Interview by Betty Page, Sounds, February 1982
BEFORE MAKING the obvious comments on such an album title as Neuromantic and collapsing into sarcastic guffaws, consider for a moment the man who coined ...
Def Leppard: The Leppard Doesn't Sleep Tonight
Report and Interview by Pete Makowski, Sounds, February 1982
ROUGH NOTES/ROUGH NOTES (Prelude) ...
Black Uhuru: Tear It Up (Island)
Review by Edwin Pouncey, Sounds, February 1982
BLACK UHURU'S tour of English provinces last year took place at a time when the streets were torn with riot, ironically the perfect setting for ...
B-52s, The: The B-52s: Mesopotamia (Island)****1/2
Review by Betty Page, Sounds, February 1982
OOOOH, C'MON, hey, wow, yeah, party, watusi, fandango, pistachio...Nuts. ...
Interview by Pete Makowski, Sounds, February 1982
"What Alice Cooper was to dead babies and corpses, Kiss became to fire breathing and sadomasochism. With Kabuki-whitened faces, they leap on stage puking blood, ...
Orange Juice: You Can't Hide Your Love Forever (Polydor)**
Review by Betty Page, Sounds, February 1982
AHH, ST Valentine's Day! Dingle-dongle Meepy Goblin loves Fluffy Bunny Wunny, Rickiepoos wants Leggy Plumplet-Puds to be his Potato Dumpling and Owange Juiciepies expect their ...
Anvil: Hard 'N' Heavy (Attic Records)****½
Review by Geoff Barton, Sounds, February 1982
Hammer and tongues ...
Gina X Performance: Gina X: Deutscher Girl
Interview by Betty Page, Sounds, February 1982
1978 WAS a good year for the poses, for nascent pre-Romantic Bowieisms and embryonic electro-disco; halcyon pre-Blitzian days when everyone dressed up like toy soldiers ...
Mötley Crüe: Crüesin' and Blüesin'
Interview by Sylvie Simmons, Sounds, February 1982
"FIRST YOU got to cut it real jaggedy. And you need this stuff." ...
Iron Maiden: Run For The Pils!
Report and Interview by Phil Bell, Sounds, February 1982
The flanning of Iron Maiden: report by PHILIP BELL ...
Profile and Interview by Garry Bushell, Sounds, February 1982
'Five years on and you've still got nothing' ...
dBs, The: The dBs: Repercussion (Albion)
Review by Ralph Traitor, Sounds, February 1982
THE dB's PANDER to no-one, patronise no single style, are interdependent on each other and independent of just about everyone else. Repercussion is better than ...
Planning By Numbers: Catch The Beat (Beggars Banquet)
Review by Betty Page, Sounds, February 1982
PBN is not just a band, but also a system developed by one Stephen Milford to classify information concerning band and album completely in numerals. ...
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts: I Love Rock 'n' Roll (Boardwalk)****
Review by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, February 1982
FORGIVE ME for dragging the old reprobate's moniker into such lively proceedings, but Kim Fowley has at last been vindicated in his endless trumpeting of ...
Business, The: The Business: Minding Their Own
Interview by Garry Bushell, Sounds, February 1982
'The winter of discontent is nearing/Thatcher's got trouble with her hearing/The voices of millions are going unheard/I'd try to laugh if it wasn't so absurd/This ...
Tank: Filth Hounds Of Hades (Kamaflage)
Review by Garry Bushell, Sounds, March 1982
IMAGES OF destruction – of a solid steel stallion smashing through barbed wire, ploughing through miles of muck and wire to mutilate your mind. Visions ...
Fall, The: The Fall: Hex Enduction Hour and Live At Acklam Hall, London 1980
Review by Edwin Pouncey, Sounds, March 1982
IN A constantly flowing stream of creativity, through each consecutive fad, fantasy and fashion The Fall have always strived to go against the grain to ...
Live Review by Garry Bushell, Sounds, March 1982
RIGHT TO Work Marchers, like punks, skins and soccer herberts, are apparently fair game for any Old Bill trying to keep his 'nick-nick' quota up ...
Interview by Garry Bushell, Sounds, March 1982
WHAT'S SIX to eight yards long, gets tucked and tied, gathered up, taken round and pleated not less than seven times? Clue: it often takes ...
Interview by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, March 1982
More Tales From The Bean Factory from the hottest young fart at play. ...
Rossington Collins Band, The: The Rossington Collins Band: Born Again
Profile and Interview by Pete Makowski, Sounds, March 1982
AFTER SO much tragedy and so much pain the Skynyrd people are back on their feet again...almost. ...
Graham Parker: Another Grey Area (RCA)
Review by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, March 1982
WHILE IT'S oft been said that The Rumour couldn't do without Graham Parker, here's a slab of evidence that the reverse is also true. Another ...
Viceroys, The: The Viceroys: We Must Unite (Trojan)
Review by Edwin Pouncey, Sounds, March 1982
THE CULT phenomenon, as with other realms of popular music, is also almost predominantly featured in the world of reggae. The Viceroys, a mysterious trio ...
Interview by Garry Bushell, Sounds, March 1982
"Oi has spoilt punk. I really hate the idea of the Oi thing even if some of the music's alright...if Oi and punk are the ...
Private Lives: Whose Lives Are They Anyway?
Profile and Interview by Betty Page, Sounds, March 1982
WHEN BANDWAGONS grind to a halt, the only means by which to save face, to swim above the surface with grace, is quality. ...
Visage: The Anvil (Polydor)***
Review by Betty Page, Sounds, March 1982
SO WHAT can I tell you that's new? As I write, Steven is welcoming guests to his super new Sunday Tea Dance club in Kensington. ...
Iron Maiden: The Number Of The Beast (EMI)****1/2
Review by Garry Bushell, Sounds, March 1982
DREAMS DON'T come true too often so when they do it's worth making a song and dance about them. The Steve Harris story is a ...
Scorpions, The: The Scorpions: Boom! Boom! Out Go The Lights
Report and Interview by Pete Makowski, Sounds, March 1982
HERE WE are in Spain – San Sebastian to be precise. Poli de Portivo is the name of the venue and the Scorpions have just ...
B-Movie: Go Wild In The Country
Profile and Interview by Betty Page, Sounds, March 1982
IT'S TAKEN longer than an elephant's pregnancy, but B-Movie have finally dragged themselves into the '80s – visually, musically and verbally. The hicks from Mansfield ...
Blue Rondo A La Turk: The Royalty, Southgate
Live Review by Betty Page, Sounds, March 1982
WITH ONE bombed single under their finely coutured belts and another progressing painfully slowly, Blue Rondo have had little choice but to come out. This ...
Lou Reed: Blue Reedo A La Talk
Interview by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, April 1982
LOU REED has a song on his new album about the day President Kennedy was shot. His manager looks like the kind of guy who ...
Ozzy Osbourne, Quiet Riot: Randy Rhoads: Requiem For Randy
Interview by Garry Bushell, Sounds, April 1982
The last interview by GARRY BUSHELL ...
Birthday Party, The: After The Pope's Blood: Gatecrashing The Birthday Party
Interview by Ralph Traitor, Sounds, April 1982
THE BIRTHDAY PARTY? Well, yeah, like in blowing out candles on a cake. This party is a crashed party and anyone with a part of ...
Motorhead, Tank: Motorhead/Tank: Hammersmith Odeon, London
Live Review by Garry Bushell, Sounds, April 1982
HOLY MIGRAINE, Batman, howcomes my brain feels like Ardiles just borrowed it for a kickabout and put it back upside down? And who the hell ...
Anvil: What Heavy Metal Dreams Are Made Of
Interview by Pete Makowski, Sounds, April 1982
LET ME tell you about Canada's number one secret weapon. It's called Anvil and when they finally decide to unleash themselves on this poor unsuspecting ...
Christian Death: Only Theatre Of Pain (Frontier)
Review by Ralph Traitor, Sounds, April 1982
HERE I sit, twiddling my thumbs, meanwhile – "Incurable disease on the day of rest/Walking on the water in a sea of incest/I've got the ...
Robyn Hitchcock: Groovy Decay (Albion)
Review by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, April 1982
WITH THIS new label and second album Robyn Hitchcock looks to be attempting a runner from the substitute Syd Barrett image previously imposed on him ...
Interview by Betty Page, Sounds, April 1982
AFTER CLOSE encounters with most of the Mute bands, you'd think Uncle Dan had ordered them to live up to their oft-lively label's name. But ...
Anti-Nowhere League: We Are…The League (WXYZ)*****
Review by Garry Bushell, Sounds, May 1982
ALRIGHT, ALRIGHT, I give in. Let's face it, this just ain't the sort of music (?) to lend itself to sensitive in-depth philosophical probings. ...
Interview by Sylvie Simmons, Sounds, May 1982
"IT'S THE QUIET ones", as dear departed Ian McDonald once said, "that you shouldn't underestimate". Listening back to my tape after an hour at L'Ermitage ...
Interview by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, May 1982
Sandy Robertson finds out what's eating Christine McVie of FLEETWOOD MAC ...
Altered Images: Pinky Blue (Epic)***
Review by Betty Page, Sounds, May 1982
DA DOO doo doo, da da da da, is all I have to say to you. Da da da da, do doo doo doo, that's ...
Vice Squad: Stand Strong, Stand Proud (EMI/Riot City ZEM 104)****
Review by Garry Bushell, Sounds, May 1982
THIS ISN'T a great album but it is a very good one. For Vice Squad it's a crucial show of strength because their first album ...
Blasters, The: Blasters: The Blasters
Review by Ralph Traitor, Sounds, May 1982
PLAY IT on mono and it could be 1956, just play it once and you could find yourself buying a gross of Brylcreem, a shipment ...
Fall, The: The Fall: Hex Education
Interview by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, May 1982
COINCIDENCE AND surprise save the world from going flat! Like, the same issue of Artforum which boasts that superb Laurie Anderson flexidisc also has an ...
Interview by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, May 1982
"GET THE GUYS in the picture," drawls Joan Jett, "I mean, this isn't Kim Wilde you know!" ...
Clerical Error: Expresso Bongo
Interview by Garry Bushell, Sounds, May 1982
VIEWERS OF LWT'S London Programme were recently treated to a sneak preview of a band I'd wager we'll be seeing a lot more of on ...
UFO: Object, Refuse, Rejects Abuse
Report and Interview by Garry Bushell, Sounds, May 1982
"JOIN SHOUNDS, hic, and shee the world," Big Al Lewis (Ed Rtd; now Mega-Ed) had shlurred on that historic day in 1978 when I conned ...
Blue Oyster Cult: Extraterrestrial Live
Review by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, May 1982
ANGLE OF VIEW, that's the ticket, the key to the mystery of this one! BOC, y'see, have made two previous excursions into the highly dubious ...
Blondie: The Hunter (Chrysalis)**½
Review by Betty Page, Sounds, May 1982
The lumber of the beast ...
Roxy Music: Avalon (Polydor)***1/2
Review by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, May 1982
ROXY MUSIC must surely represent the greatest 'might have been' episode in the murky catalogue of rock's squandered riches. ...
Burning Spear: Farover (Radio)***
Review by Edwin Pouncey, Sounds, May 1982
TWO YEARS on from his last collection finds Winston Rodney, the African teacher, aka Burning Spear, relating the same universal message of cultural education through ...
Duran Duran: From Brags To Riches
Interview by Betty Page, Sounds, May 1982
ONCE UPON a time, five fresh-faced boys based in Brum summoned a cynical hackette to witness the emergence of a certain indefinable sort of big-bam-glam-electro-rock ...
Interview by Sylvie Simmons, Sounds, May 1982
SEATTLE'S SPACE Needle is the architectural equivalent of the male nipple. Just sticks up there, totally redundant except as an amusing thing to play with ...
UFO: Tonka, Wailer, Snowman, Sailor
Report and Interview by Garry Bushell, Sounds, May 1982
REGULAR READERS of my exciting adventures may recall that two weeks back your humble scribe was snowed under with top rock band UFO in the ...
Sonic Youth: Sonic Youth (Neutral Records Import)***1/2
Review by Ralph Traitor, Sounds, June 1982
SONIC YOUTH, the first release on avant-garde missionary Glenn Branca's Neutral Records, is an EP in LP's clothing, and in many ways the music it ...
Interview by Ralph Traitor, Sounds, June 1982
TRY NOT TO laugh...Curt, one of The Marines currently on manoeuvres with Mari Wilson, is telling me wryly straight-faced that when the name game that ...
Black Uhuru: Chill Out (Island)****1/2
Review by Edwin Pouncey, Sounds, June 1982
AFTER THE blistering scorch that came out as Red, things in the Uhuru camp just had to cool off before the next major assault could ...
Interview by Betty Page, Sounds, June 1982
"PEOPLE THAT plan interviews are really boring. I just say what I want when it comes into my head. People in Scunthorpe don't care what ...
Cockney Rejects: The Wild Ones (NEMS pre-release)****
Review by Garry Bushell, Sounds, June 1982
Flairs and riffers ...
Skids, The: The Skids: Fanfare (Virgin)*****
Review by Garry Bushell, Sounds, July 1982
Skids to a halt ...
X: Under The Big Black Sun (Elektra)*****
Review by Edwin Pouncey, Sounds, July 1982
NO LESS a person than Slash magazine's very own Kickboy Face once told me that X were most popular among the inhabitants of LA's Mexican ...
Review by Edwin Pouncey, Sounds, July 1982
IT HAS ALREADY been wisely stated elsewhere that any thoughts of tribal ceremony soundtracks brought direct from the bush by intrepid white David Fanshawe types ...
Lurkers, The: The Lurkers: The Lurk Of Love
Interview by Garry Bushell, Sounds, July 1982
THE BLOKE who spends his life writing things like 'Let's Lurk' and 'Lewisham Lurkers' over every available wall on my estate, and who's probably single-handedly ...
Profile and Interview by Garry Bushell, Sounds, July 1982
AHA AHA AHA...Video didn't kill any radio star who wasn't already tottering dodo-like on the edge of extinction anyway. The best and brightest radio stars ...
Review by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, July 1982
FORMULA, BEATS-per-minute, ahhh. Fleetwood Mac really do have a lot of honour for folks with such a pile of cash. Coming after this line-up's eponymous ...
The Church: The Blurred Crusade
Review by Ralph Traitor, Sounds, July 1982
THE CHURCH, by christening their second album The Blurred Crusade, provide us with an emblematic image of their music which, like so many churches throughout ...
Review by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, August 1982
ASYLUM RECORDS really should get rid of Warren Zevon; he's so good he shows up just how dire everybody else on the label really is. ...
Profile and Interview by Sylvie Simmons, Sounds, August 1982
WIMP ROCK. Every time you turn on the radio out here, there it is, hitting your ears with all the strength and power of a ...
Motels, The: The Motels: Hell In A Handbag
Interview by Sylvie Simmons, Sounds, August 1982
STUCK IN a jam on the Hollywood Freeway, staring for five miles at a yellow Smiley bumper sticker telling me to have a nice day, ...
King Sunny Ade: Sunny Side Of The Beat
Interview by Edwin Pouncey, Sounds, August 1982
Edwin Pouncey meets the 'Minister Of Enjoyment' and monarch of juju music KING SUNNY ADE ...
Iron Maiden: Unleashed With The Beast
Report by Garry Bushell, Sounds, August 1982
CORPUS CHRISTI lies humid and unhurried under a scorching Texas sun. The shining orb's efforts to reduce the populus to mobile blobs of molten jelly ...
Twisted Sister: Under The Blade (Secret) *****
Review by Garry Bushell, Sounds, September 1982
THERE'S A body of opinion that holds that Pete Way couldn't produce a rabbit out of a hat. There's a similar one holding that Twisted ...
Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band: Ice Cream For Crow (Virgin V2237)*****
Review by Edwin Pouncey, Sounds, September 1982
TO THE casual observer, Captain Beefheart's vibe must appear to be similar to the window blind painting he has created to adorn his latest batch ...
Peter Gabriel: Peter Gabriel (Charisma)
Review by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, September 1982
SHORTLY BEFORE the release of the Genesis album The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway, the entire band was replaced by superior alien intelligences, physical duplicates ...
Duran Duran: World Domination By 1984
Interview by Sylvie Simmons, Sounds, September 1982
THEIR AMBITION – Simon's least, and in all probability the rest of them – is to one day become Bryan Ferry. They didn't say that ...
The Gun Club: Gun Club: Miami (Animal) *****
Review by Edwin Pouncey, Sounds, September 1982
IN A MUSICAL world that is forever being bedevilled and picked at by the bland spirits of so called 'new pop', the emergence of a ...
Review by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, September 1982
THE INTENTION of the artwork on the cover of the latest Gillan opus seems to be an evocation of something merging images of David Nixon, ...
Interview by Garry Bushell, Sounds, September 1982
THE VERY concept of a band like Coming Blood is about as shock-horror near-the-knuckle punky as you can get. Their name alone is a verbal ...
Motorhead, Plasmatics, The: Motorhead & The Plasmatics: Tammy Can You Hear Me?
Report and Interview by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, September 1982
A DREAM or a nightmare, in retrospect it still sounds like the kind of project so daft that both parties involved would, by virtue of ...
Iggy Pop: Zombie Birdhouse (Animal Records/Chrysalis) ***
Review by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, September 1982
IGGY POP is a man of honour. Not for him the Lou Reed path of self-mockery; the one time he tried it for money's sake ...
Tank: Power Of The Hunter (Kamaflage)
Review by Garry Bushell, Sounds, October 1982
MENTION TANK to yer average cloth-eared critic and these thoughts will run on autocue through his lazy mind: Tank are a three-piece with a bassist ...
Runaways, The: The Runaways: The Best Of (Mercury) *1/2
Review by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, October 1982
RARELY HAS a 'Best Of' collection been so totally at odds with its title. ...
Jam, The: The Jam: Brighton Centre, Brighton
Live Review by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, October 1982
I WASN'T exactly willing to be converted but I was willing to be entertained. ...
Interview by Garry Bushell, Sounds, October 1982
SLOPING OFF the Inter-City at Manchester Piccadilly, I was suddenly overcome by a torrid tinge of terror. ...
Billy Squier: The Man Who Hides In His Apartment
Interview by Sylvie Simmons, Sounds, October 1982
DALLAS, TEXAS: How to pull a rock star. Go to the front of the stage, reach up for a leg and grab. ...
Blitz: Voice Of A Generation (No Future) *****
Review by Garry Bushell, Sounds, October 1982
THIS REALLY is the big one, final proof if any were needed that the punk renewal of the last two years is more than just ...
Interview by Garry Bushell, Sounds, October 1982
Garry Bushell comes to the Orange-aid of Peak District punksters The Violators ...
Dennis Brown: Hornsey Town Hall, London
Live Review by Jack Barron, Sounds, October 1982
THE PARANOID inside can't help wonder if there is some kind of conspiracy going on... ...
Wall of Voodoo: Wall Of Voodoo: Call Of The West (Illegal)
Review by Edwin Pouncey, Sounds, October 1982
THE LIGHTED office door on the cover of the second Wall Of Voodoo album is sealed shut while the tumbleweed haunted mists of Western legend ...
Kim Carnes: Here's Looking At You
Interview by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, October 1982
SANDY ROBERTSON'S voyeuristic tendencies encouraged by KIM CARNES ...
The Gun Club: Gun Club: Calling On Thunder
Interview by Edwin Pouncey, Sounds, October 1982
IN THE beginning Jeffrey Lee Pierce was born in Texas and raised in Los Angeles. ...
Psychic TV: The Sound of 32 Human Thighbone Trumpets from Tibet
Interview by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, November 1982
IT WAS only last December when I concluded the debut PTV feature by suggesting that those involved might just be crazy/inspired enough to freeze-frame all ...
Angelic Upstarts, Cockney Rejects, Splodgenessabounds, UK Subs: Oi and Skinheads: Coming a Cropper
Comment by Garry Bushell, Sounds, November 1982
A passionate defence of skinhead culture by GARRY BUSHELL ...
Michael (Mikey) Smith: Michael Smith: Mi Cyaan Believe It (Island)
Review by Jack Barron, Sounds, November 1982
Keep on believing ...
UK Subs, Urban Dogs, Vibrators, The: Urban Dogs: Doggie Doings
Interview by Garry Bushell, Sounds, November 1982
CHARLIE HARPER is late, Charlie's always late. Me and Knox sit in the office cracking the usual jokes about it being his pension day. Not ...
Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five: Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five: Live in Los Angeles
Live Review by Sylvie Simmons, Sounds, November 1982
FLASH – AAAAH! Saviour of the Universe. Saviour of my sanity, anyway. "The Message" shines out from amongst the New Musik murk they play out ...
Report and Interview by Garry Bushell, Sounds, November 1982
The permanent new wave of HM rolls on with Tank reports GARRY BUSHELL ...
Ozzy Osbourne: Talk Of The Devil (Jet) *****
Review by Garry Bushell, Sounds, November 1982
EXACTLY HOW and why this extraordinary album came about is a mystery on a par with the Turin Shroud. I personally fancy it's Ozzy's way ...
Venom: Black Metal (Neat) *****
Review by Garry Bushell, Sounds, November 1982
OH LORD forgive them for they know not what they do. ...
Psychic TV: Force The Hand Of Chance (Some Bizzarre)***
Review by Ralph Traitor, Sounds, November 1982
IMITATING COUNTLESS gurus before him, Genesis P-Orridge embarks here and now on a cynical and puerile journey to the heart of pantomime profundity, stopping at ...
Cock Sparrer: Strictly For The Birds
Interview by Garry Bushell, Sounds, November 1982
COCK SPARRER'S come-back couldn't have been better timed. Just as the street rock scene was getting staler than a Marie Celeste bread roll, the original ...
Interview by Jack Barron, Sounds, November 1982
CONTRAST: "Biddy-biddy bong-bong, biddy bong-bong, biddy bong-bong, biddy men. Bong bong, biddy bong-bong, biddy bong-gong, biddy geng, biddah-men ahwooy biddy-men. Ehyaaah!" (Rough translation of intro ...
Report by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, November 1982
KENNY LAGUNA and Joan Jett are a real double-act for the funnybone. It's no empty coincidence that their names fit together: JETT-LAG. Like Little and ...
Profile and Interview by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, December 1982
A PERSISTING feeling about this lot, an initial notion akin to hurt and confused indifference that just won't say goodbye, is my proof that I'm ...
Rainbow: Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow: Seeing is Believing
Report and Interview by Garry Bushell, Sounds, December 1982
MOST PEOPLE reckon Ritchie Blackmore's a miserable bastard. Mean, moody, mysterious, macabre and, by implication, Mandraxed to the gills, the Blackmore of popular imigination has ...
Velvet Underground: Everything You've Ever Heard About… (VU Records)
Review by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, December 1982
THE LEGEND rolls on and on, the more it grows the more it encourages. In the context of the semi-legal this was the one we'd ...
Slade: Slade On Stage (RCA) *****
Review by Garry Bushell, Sounds, December 1982
"'TWAS CHRISTMAS Day in the Workhouse, the radio was at full blast, when up jumped an old age pensioner with a face like a lump ...
Interview by Sylvie Simmons, Sounds, December 1982
BACK IN the days before Asteroids took over, Kiss was the pagan religion for America's pimpled adolescents. ...
Report and Interview by Pete Makowski, Sounds, December 1982
PETE MAKOWSKI finally delivers the goods on RUSH ...
Review by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, December 1982
GIVEN THE Warhol crowd's former wailing buddy's penchant for affixing (ahem!) her name to contracts wherever she finds them without regard to previous moves, 'tis ...
Fleshtones, The: The Fleshtones: Hexrated
Interview by Sylvie Simmons, Sounds, 1983
ACCORDING TO my copy of the Weekly World News, the end of the world is due precisely on the 30th October. That's just around the ...
Report and Interview by Ralph Traitor, Sounds, April 1983
ONE DAY soon the borough fathers of Brixton will unveil a plaque outside the Garage, Friday night fixture at The Frontline Theatre. A dignified crowd, ...
New Order: Confusion Reigns as New Order Corrupt the USA
Report and Interview by Mick Middles, Sounds, July 1983
THE WEEK THE image cracked. It's two days before New Order arrive in New York - and you can feel it. ...
Elvis Costello: Punch The Clock (F.Beat)****
Review by Edwin Pouncey, Sounds, July 1983
ELVIS COSTELLO, the self-confessed Invisible Man, returns. Off come the dark glasses, the bandages are unwound and drop to the floor to reveal his latest ...
Report by Mick Middles, Sounds, July 1983
"How I wish you were here with me now." – New Order, 'In A Lonely Place' ...
Strawberry Switchblade: Pipsqueak Parade: Strawberry Switchblade
Interview by Bill Black, Sounds, August 1983
IT'S LIKE A scene from Roeg's Don't Look Now. Between the grim, grey tombstones that populate a Glasgow cemetery like so many broken teeth, fleeting ...
Fall, The: The Fall: I Don't Know What's In There
Interview by Jack Barron, Sounds, August 1983
"AS A kid I used to be obsessed that like I was reincarnated from the trenches of the First World War. I used to think ...
Live Review by Jack Barron, Sounds, August 1983
DATELINE DUBLIN: 3.30am Monday. There will no doubt be some measured reports of U2's home-coming gig. But I really hate measured reports. ...
Report and Interview by Jack Barron, Sounds, September 1983
I WAS STILL trying to figure out what UB40 had done with all the money they'd earned – there just had to be an interesting ...
Linton Kwesi Johnson: Making History
Review by Edwin Pouncey, Sounds, October 1983
A LOT OF polluted water has flowed under the bridge since Bass Culture, Linton Kwesi Johnson's last album of poems, was released to rave critical ...
Tom Waits: Swordfish Out of Water: Tom Waits
Interview by Edwin Pouncey, Sounds, November 1983
"WHEN YOU drive from Los Angeles to Northern California... Leaving Los Angeles is like you’re being put upon and then it gets simpler and simpler, ...
Smiths, The: The Smiths: Keep Young and Beautiful
Interview by Bill Black, Sounds, November 1983
BEFITTING A BAND verging on greatness, the Smiths have a keen sense of their own history. ...
The Gun Club: Gun Club: Guns For Hire
Interview by Lindsay Hutton, Sounds, December 1983
IT'S ALMOST three years to the day since I encountered the Gun Club. After the Cramps' 1980 Lyceum Show, Lux Interior introduced me to the ...
Textones, The: The Textones: Dingwalls, London
Live Review by Ralph Traitor, Sounds, 1984
THE WORLD'S just one big bar room to The Textones, a very American band whose shortcomings in content are made up for by the zeal ...
Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers: Jonathan Sings
Review by Bill Black, Sounds, 1984
IT'S BEEN a long time since Jonathan Richman's last album, Back In Your Life, and apart from the release of some interesting Kim Fowley produced ...
Cyndi Lauper: She's So Unusual (Portrait)****
Review by Lindsay Hutton, Sounds, January 1984
CYNDI LAUPER's old group Blue Angel made an album for Polydor Records in 1980. Given half a chance it could've put them in the Fleetwood ...
Blue Nile, The: The Blue Nile: Acquamarines
Interview by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, May 1984
NILS LOFGREN, John Cage, Tim Buckley, Peter Skellern. Peter Skellern?! Is this a leg-pull or what? Nobody could sound like John Cale and Peter Skellern, ...
Jason & the Scorchers: Jason and the Scorchers: Meanwhile, Back at the Raunch
Interview by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, May 1984
ON MY TRAVELS through the murk of our crapulous rock underworld (good start, eh?), several unconnected geezers have name-dropped Jason and The Nashville Scorchers to ...
Bruce Springsteen: Born in The USA (CBS)*****
Review by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, June 1984
IT TOOK me a long time to get to feel comfortable with Bruce Springsteen's music and then, an album or so after I'd overcome the ...
Skatalites, The: The Skatalites: Return Of The Big Guns (Island White Label)****.5
Review by Jack Barron, Sounds, June 1984
KA-BOOM. KA-BOOM. Ka-boom. This is where it all began and has now returned to, more or less. ...
New Model Army: Re-Make Re*Model
Interview by Jack Barron, Sounds, June 1984
"IT'S STRANGE, pop music, isn't it? You've got men dressing up as women and women dressing up as men. Don't you think there's something sinister ...
Thompson Twins, The: The Thompson Twins: Double Trouble
Report by Sylvie Simmons, Sounds, June 1984
I'VE BEEN figuring out ways to break this to you; best to just take a deep breath and hope they print it. There was absolutely, ...
Tina Turner: Private Dancer (Capitol)
Review by Jack Barron, Sounds, June 1984
AM I the only person who thinks Tina Turner looks, um, more sensual when she's fully clothed rather than parading acres of well preserved flesh? ...
Associates, The: The Associates: First Impressions
Interview by Bill Black, Sounds, June 1984
HE'S BACK. And although it's been two years, an aborted LP and a thousand rumors since we last heard the Associates' flighty, feisty pop, listening ...
Chic: Believer (Atlantic Records) *½
Review by Jack Barron, Sounds, July 1984
ANYONE FOR aural necrophilia? Like all dead boring musical activities, there is little mutual satisfaction to be gained here. ...
Love: Forever Changes (Elektra)
Retrospective by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, July 1984
NO SOONER are the words out of my typewriter than the contradictions set in, like cement. The Doors and VU have been bastardised and overexposed, ...
Black Uhuru: International Anthem
Interview by Jack Barron, Sounds, July 1984
SO...WHAT is life? A location and time? Hardly. We could be almost anywhere, but... ...
Interview by Jack Barron, Sounds, July 1984
"THIS IS really embarrassing, we've come thousands of miles and now this happens," sighed Hugh Masekela looking at the vast blue tent-balloon Espace Balard venue ...
Dream Syndicate, The: Medicine Men: The Dream Syndicate
Interview by Edwin Pouncey, Sounds, July 1984
INSIDE THE Mission Theatre in sunny Santa Barbara we’ve got trouble. With less than an hour to go before The Dreams Syndicate take the stage, ...
Interview by Jack Barron, Sounds, August 1984
"WE'RE ABOUT as gothic as goldfishes," pin-points bassist Pete, pulling on his can of Special Brew, deep within the bowels of Blackwing Studios. ...
Interview by Bill Black, Sounds, September 1984
MAYBE IT'S THE lamentably low profile Factory's finest otherwise adopt, but it's as if New Order chose August to explode onto a slumbering music scene. ...
Interview by Bill Black, Sounds, October 1984
"MY UNCLE CHARLIE read somewhere that we were a cult band so he thought we were playing for the Moonies. He even confronted me with ...
Fuzztones, The: The Fuzztones: Leave Your Mind Behind
Profile and Interview by Lindsay Hutton, Sounds, October 1984
THE FUZZTONES mission is simple. Rudi Protrudi, Deb O'Nair, Elan Portnoy, Michael Jay and Ira Elliot must spread their psychedelic snarl to the docile minds ...
Aswad: Rebel Souls (Island)****
Review by Jack Barron, Sounds, October 1984
GETTING A sense of perspective on Aswad is difficult at the best of times, and it's even worse with the release of this elpee because ...
Interview by Sylvie Simmons, Sounds, November 1984
"WE ALL CAME IN at different times. Paicey and I walked in – we'd booked a conference room in Greenwich, Connecticut overlooking the harbour, and ...
The Gun Club: Hoochie Coochie Club, Edinburgh
Live Review by Lindsay Hutton, Sounds, November 1984
PRACTICALLY A FULL year after coming down hard on the Batcave quotient at the Lyceum, the Gun Club finally rolled into Scotland to prove that ...
Nomads, The: The Nomads: Outburst (What Goes On)*****
Review by Lindsay Hutton, Sounds, November 1984
BROTHERS AND sisters, to witness the Nomads in action is to believe! And hearing them on record is quite an experience as this, their very ...
Interview by Jack Barron, Sounds, December 1984
HIS BOTTOM lip trembles as he bites his fingernails. Beneath the familiar lazy flop of a frizzy blond fringe, his eyes are filmed with liquid. ...
Review by Bill Black, Sounds, December 1984
"RICHARD HELL HAS been the most emotionally compelling, brilliant, innovative and influential rock 'n' roll performer of the past ten years. Unfortunately, these qualities are ...
Jesus & Mary Chain, The: The Jesus And Mary Chain: ICA, London
Live Review by Ralph Traitor, Sounds, December 1984
THE MUSIC of the Jesus And Mary Chain as a subject for intellection and rationale is a total non sequitur. There isn't any. However, as ...
Fleshtones, The: The Fleshtones: Fleshdance At Le Gibus
Live Review by Lindsay Hutton, Sounds, 1985
THE PLAYBOYS warmed up the crowd just right despite the fact that I felt their set was a touch too long. That's not to say ...
Review by Edwin Pouncey, Sounds, 1985
With my head full of violent thoughts, swirling with the alcohol I've poured down myself to accomplish the task at hand, I'm just in the ...
Interview by Jack Barron, Sounds, January 1985
HOT TOWN, it's summer in the city. Basing Street, West London to be exact, the pleasure dome of ZTT records. The Art Of Noise have ...
Smiley Culture & Bobby Boom: Dingwalls, London
Live Review by Jack Barron, Sounds, January 1985
THE INTERPRETER of reggae mirth who says he MCs not for treasure but for pleasure inverted frowns to dental crowns, sore feet to blue beat, ...
Interview by Bill Black, Sounds, January 1985
ONE TWO THREE FOUR! Six, eight, ten? Is it really ten years since the Ramones turned a slum bar on the Bowery into the birthplace ...
Special AKA, The: The Special AKA: Jerry Can
Interview by Jack Barron, Sounds, January 1985
JERRY DAMMERS cut himself with a razor this morning. A short tear of paper covers the wound just below his equally brief right sideburn. ...
Kid Creole & The Coconuts: Kid Creole: Paradise Lost
Interview by Chris Roberts, Sounds, January 1985
"I'm Kid Creole, the half-breed hero. Add me up, I come to zero" ...
X-Mal Deutschland: Mal Function
Interview by Chris Roberts, Sounds, January 1985
X-Mal Deutschland: the new wave of Germanic white gospel blues pop rock, or just a "really funny band" from Hamburg? Chris Roberts cuts through the ...
Profile and Interview by Jack Barron, Sounds, January 1985
"LAYDEEZ AND gentlemen, will you please take your seats for Dick Whittington now, the show starts in five minutes," wheezes a voice from the Tannoy ...
Bangles, The: The Bangles: Yesterday and Today
Interview by Edwin Pouncey, Sounds, February 1985
THE 'HOUSE full' sign was proudly on display outside Boston's Paradise Theatre, a local haunt that had, so I was informed, fallen from favour by ...
Jesus & Mary Chain, The: The Jesus & Mary Chain: Bawl and Chain
Interview by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, February 1985
THRASH! IS that the sound of the music business frantically searching in the debris of past trends for something new? Or is it The Jesus ...
Velvet Underground: VU (Polydor)***.5
Review by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, February 1985
CONFUSION REIGNS. The deliberately-leaked rumours of the last few months maintained that Polydor had uncovered 'The Great Lost Velvet Underground Album', a disc that never ...
John Fogerty: Centerfield (Warner Bros.) *****
Review by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, February 1985
IN TERMS of influence, rather than current hitmaking potential, John Fogerty can't be overestimated. Forget that Bonnie Tyler did 'Have You Ever Seen The Rain', ...
Al Green: Trust In God (Demon/Hi)****
Review by Chris Roberts, Sounds, February 1985
F*** GOD (Brando's first two words in Last Tango, actually), we're talking AL GREEN here. Quite simply, the best voice ever to co-exist with anything ...
Smiths, The: The Smiths: Meat Is Murder (Rough Trade)****1/2
Review by Bill Black, Sounds, February 1985
STEAK YOUR CLAIM ...
Interview by Chris Roberts, Sounds, February 1985
KILLING JOKE go for the funny bone. Chris Roberts gets the gag ...
Kane Gang, The: The Kane Gang: Gang Bang
Interview by Antonella Black, Sounds, March 1985
SHOOT OUT at the Kitchenware exhibition. The Kane Gang take time off from filming their latest video to show Antonella Black how to enforce the ...
Pogues, The: Me No Pop Eye: The Pogues
Interview by Antonella Black, Sounds, April 1985
SOMEBODY'S sprawled on the lime-green and purple carpet of the Hotel International in Birmingham town; legs a-kimbo, boots a-muddied, eyes a-crossed. Another victim of an ...
Fuzztones, The: Fuzztones: Lysergic Emanations
Review by Lindsay Hutton, Sounds, April 1985
HEY HEY hey everybody. You were stunned by their debut 45 and transfixed by the live mini album. Here, with the advent of the group's ...
Smiths, The, Morrissey: An Infamous Interview With Stephen Patrick Morrissey
Interview by Antonella Black, Sounds, April 1985
You have stars in your bath. They just fall off me... ...
New Model Army: Between the Wars
Interview by Jack Barron, Sounds, April 1985
Are New Model Army really as ugly as they say? Jack Barron flutters his eyes and confesses. ...
Interview by Chris Roberts, Sounds, May 1985
"I DON'T KNOW exactly what a pop theorist is," says Green. "I think everybody has their own ideas on what pop music's about and what ...
Interview by Jack Barron, Sounds, May 1985
"HEY! LOOK at this weird architecture," enthuses Peter Principle, surveying the sight he's just stumbled across by opening the curtain in my hotel bedroom. I ...
Dire Straits: Brothers In Arms (Vertigo)
Review by Jack Barron, Sounds, May 1985
ON TWO consecutive nights last week, I sat in a park in Tel Aviv and sometimes winced as I watched Dire Straits play. What amazed ...
Propaganda: There Is No Information, Only Disinformation And Propaganda
Interview by Chris Roberts, Sounds, May 1985
Chris Roberts goes in search of the truth ...
Green On Red: Gas Food Lodging
Review by Edwin Pouncey, Sounds, May 1985
ALL OF a sudden, it’s a-happening. Seems like every LA outfit that you ever read about in these pages moons ago is over here with ...
Interview by Edwin Pouncey, Sounds, June 1985
DUE TO an allergy to cats, Martin Rev is forced to huddle next to an open window in manager/producer/believer Marty Thau's feline thronged apartment. ...
Ashford & Simpson: Hammersmith Odeon, London
Live Review by Chris Roberts, Sounds, June 1985
REVELATION ONE. Ashford (Mr) gets down on his knees, and tells us the meaning: "Grrr nga nga nga huh witness!" Revelation Two. Ashford: "When I ...
Fat Boys, The: The Fat Boys: Lean On Me
Interview by Chris Roberts, Sounds, June 1985
Chris Roberts gets sandwiched by the Fat Boys, and discovers fat is a faminist issue ...
Bruce Springsteen, Nils Lofgren: Nils Lofgren: Nils Desperandum
Interview by Ralph Traitor, Sounds, July 1985
On the eve of Springsteen’s London dates Ralph Traitor tracks down Nils Lofgren, the latest resident on E street. ...
Jonathan Richman: Modern Romancer: Jonathan Richman
Report by Bill Black, Sounds, July 1985
Richman, you’re a Baby! Bill Black takes a rare opportunity to explore the eccentric psychology of a modern lover. ...
Fleshtones, The: The Fleshtones: Speed Connection (IRS)****
Review by Lindsay Hutton, Sounds, July 1985
THERE'S SOMETHING about the concept of recording and releasing records within a week that really stinks. The emphasis on how quickly these things are turned ...
Blasters, The: The Blasters: Blaster Charge
Interview by Jack Barron, Sounds, July 1985
All aboard The Blasters' American Express, en route to the heartland of rock 'n' roll '85 style. "That'll do nicely," exclaims an impressed Jack Barron ...
Review by Edwin Pouncey, Sounds, August 1985
ARE YOU ready for the country yet? If bands like the Long Ryders and Jason And The Scorchers (both of whom owe an enormous musical ...
Interview by Jack Barron, Sounds, September 1985
SATAN IN a shitlake, I'm here on serious medical business and I've left the pliers on the anvil at home after cuffing the slave-girls. ...
International Submarine Band: Missing Parsons: The International Submarine Band
Retrospective by Sid Griffin, Sounds, September 1985
THE INTERNATIONAL Submarine Band is a classic example of a popular music act whose real worth was only revealed with the passing of time ...
Alan Vega: Just a Million Dreams
Review by Lindsay Hutton, Sounds, September 1985
OVER THE years, many lesser talents have taken chapter and verse out of the Vega book, and who can blame them? Not me. ...
Dexy's Midnight Runners: The Midnight's Hour
Interview by Chris Roberts, Sounds, October 1985
Kevin Rowland and co change their image and sharpen up their act. CHRIS ROBERTS puts on a tie to discover whether DEXY'S MIDNIGHT RUNNERS have ...
Long Ryders, The: The Long Ryders: Happy Trails
Interview by Ralph Traitor, Sounds, October 1985
THE LONG RYDERS might be all things to all men. An article of faith to those who have waited, unrequited but unbowed, for the advent ...
Tom Waits: Subterranean Low-Life Blues
Interview by Chris Roberts, Sounds, October 1985
"THE COOLEST PERSON I ever met was definitely Shaw. It was a bleak autumn afternoon when Shaw thumped me in the 12-years-old ribcage and said, ...
Review by Jack Barron, Sounds, November 1985
CHRIST! THE crucifixion of preconceptions on the Calvary of pop. ...
Interview by Chris Roberts, Sounds, November 1985
Chris Roberts asks Felt, are you lonesome tonight? ...
Replacements, The: The Replacements Drink and Drive
Interview by Edwin Pouncey, Sounds, November 1985
Drunk on fame? Not yet or probably ever. Paul Westerberg pours out the history of THE REPLACEMENTS to EDWIN POUNCEY in Minneapolis. ...
Crime & The City Solution: Crime and Punishment
Interview by Jack Barron, Sounds, November 1985
"I KNOW THE worst joke I've heard all week," begins Harry Howard, cheerfully. Crime's bass player is about to provide me with a solution to ...
Review by Edwin Pouncey, Sounds, December 1985
HEAVY METAL groups come and go but the Cult apparently to on forever. It kinda makes you feel warm inside — at least you can ...
Cocteau Twins: Cocteau Cabinet
Interview by Chris Roberts, Sounds, January 1986
A new year and a new starter for THE COCTEAU TWINS who team up with CHRIS ROBERTS for talk, turkey and all the trimmings. ...
Redskins, The: The Redskins: Acne In The UK
Interview by Jack Barron, Sounds, January 1986
Kicking and screaming into '86 against injustices to the oppressed and themselves come THE REDSKINS. JACK BARRON explores the left side of their collective brain ...
Cramps, The: The Cramps: The Curse Of Elvis
Interview by Edwin Pouncey, Sounds, February 1986
It's exploitation-a-go-go as THE CRAMPS surf back from the dead to keep a date with EDWIN POUNCEY in downtown Los Angeles. ...
Madonna: 'Bruce Springsteen Was Born To Run, I Was Born To Flirt...'
Essay by Richard Cook, Sounds, February 1986
RICHARD COOK takes a manly look at the pop tart goddess, MADONNA, who has put sleaze and safety back into pop stardom ...
Propaganda: The Pop Machinery Cranks On
Interview by Chris Roberts, Sounds, February 1986
In the frozen musical wastes of '86, Claudia Brucken-Morley thinks of PROPAGANDA as "being a life long thing". CHRIS ROBERTS is thinking more along the ...
Elvis Costello: The Costello Show And Tell
Interview by Richard Cook, Sounds, March 1986
The self-proclaimed 'King of America' talks to RICHARD COOK about his new LP, his uncomfortable relationship with the music press, and the mediocrity of today's ...
Interview by Sandy Robertson, Sounds, March 1986
It seems that the Violent Femmes, American outer-limits oddballs of note, are getting heavily into fish and wah-wah pedals. Sandy Robertson went along to find ...
Interview by Chris Roberts, Sounds, April 1986
"You don't have to watch Dynasty to have an attitude" – Prince "I have no attitude without a cigarette" – Lou Reed "I wouldn't mind ...
Live Review by Jack Barron, Sounds, April 1986
THE IMPERFECT kiss. Tonight I should have stayed at home and played with my pleasure zone. ...
Interview by Richard Cook, Sounds, April 1986
It's payola time for country's latest lone star Rosanne Cash. Richard Cook tries to separate the hit from the myth. ...
Queen: A Kind Of Magic (EMI) **½
Review by Jack Barron, Sounds, June 1986
TO DISMISS this out of hand would be as thoughtless as giving a cigarette to a man dying of cancer. There must be something to ...
Review by Richard Cook, Sounds, June 1986
HAVE THEY paid enough? Have their sins been atoned for? Are the misdemeanors of that Genesis far enough past for the big-chap sophistipop of this ...
Interview by Neil Perry, Sounds, July 1986
Meet AC/DC, terror monarch Stephen King's favourite band and the bane of America's moral majority. NEIL PERRY takes his hat off to them ...
Review by Chris Roberts, Sounds, July 1986
I AM TRYING to think of a group other than The Housemartins who look more boring than James. I am having big trouble in this ...
George Clinton: Electric Spankatizer Yeah
Interview by Jack Barron, Sounds, August 1986
SPACE: THE FINAL FRONTIER OR THE GAP BETWEEN GREEN POINTY EARS? ...
R.E.M.: R.E.M: Life's Rich Pageant
Review by Edwin Pouncey, Sounds, August 1986
NOW WHERE did this panther spring from? Seems like only a minute ago I was hacking my way through a jungle of ugly pop fever ...
Interview by Chris Roberts, Sounds, August 1986
Listen up! Ambition may be the result of having a possessive, overbearing mother, but just eat a big avocado salad and you'll be solid. And ...
Paul Simon: Graceland (Warner Brothers)***
Review by Jack Barron, Sounds, September 1986
GRACE UNDER PRESSURE ...
New Order: All Aboard The Brothership
Interview by Roy Wilkinson, Sounds, September 1986
Not baited and not bearlike, NEW ORDER emerge from the shadow of past misunderstandings and smile benificently upon ROY WILKINSON. They manage to convey their ...
Interview by Neil Perry, Sounds, September 1986
From his bizarre explanation of tattoos to his obsessive faith in causes, PSYCHIC TV's Genesis P-Orridge is the very definition of complexity. As willing disciple ...
Interview by Jack Barron, Sounds, September 1986
As the RUN DMC tidal wave breaks over the British coastline and the country reels to its knees, it's maybe time to ponder the principles ...
David Sylvian: The Man Who Fell To Earth
Interview by Chris Roberts, Sounds, September 1986
As DAVID SYLVIAN settles into the quiet life of solo status, CHRIS ROBERTS appraises the significant stature of his post-Japan harmonics and post-mascara beauty. ...
Cameo: Word Up! (Phonogram/Club Records)***2/3
Review by Jack Barron, Sounds, October 1986
WORDS UPSIDEDOWN: Because you're not the only one whose heart has been broken and Blackmon's approach will serve to remind you of this – and ...
XTC: Andy Partridge, Pop's Dan Archer
Interview by Roy Wilkinson, Sounds, October 1986
An everyday story of pop music folk. Nine years on and XTC are still waiting to break it big in the USA. Their noise used ...
Metallica: At The Mercy Of The Master
Report and Interview by Neil Perry, Sounds, October 1986
Something sad and inexplicable has happened to METALLICA, a band who were in full flight until bassist Cliff Burton was tragically killed in a road ...
Iggy Pop: Iggy Stardust – His Lust For Life
Interview by Chris Roberts, Sounds, October 1986
"I think I am a little different upstairs, yeah. But so are a lot of people," admits the former King Stooge to one of his ...
R.E.M.: Deconstructing The Fables
Interview by Edwin Pouncey, Sounds, October 1986
Their sight fully restored with the release of their latest creation, R.E.M. are looking straight ahead once more and enjoying Life’s Rich Pageant. EDWIN POUNCEY ...
Iron Maiden: Apollo Theatre, Oxford
Live Review by Jack Barron, Sounds, October 1986
ON THE opening night of the British leg of their world tour to promote an album called Somewhere In Time, Iron Maiden play like pirates, ...
Pretenders, The: The Pretenders: Get Close (WEA)***
Review by Jack Barron, Sounds, October 1986
JUST LIKE nectar poured over old scars, one of rock's most distinctive vocalists, Chrissie Hynde, comes out of hibernation with a miasma of sentimentality, cynicism ...
Whitney Houston: Wembley Arena, London
Live Review by Chris Roberts, Sounds, October 1986
I WAS there. ...
Review by Roy Wilkinson, Sounds, November 1986
HE USED to be a deep sea trawlerman, used to manage the Bunnymen and the Teardrops, and had the dubious honour of playing with Holly ...
Review by Jack Barron, Sounds, November 1986
IF SUCCESS in the pop game is partly dependent on timing, then Furniture must be one of the unluckiest groups I've come across. After years ...
Killing Joke: Brighter Than A Thousand Suns (EG)***
Review by Richard Cook, Sounds, November 1986
THEY USED to be real hard men once. Now, though, Killing Joke sound as noble and sterling as St George. The gigantic mug shots that ...
Killing Joke: The Fatal Curse of Killing Joke
Interview by Neil Perry, Sounds, November 1986
With the release of KILLING JOKE'S new LP, NEIL PERRY finally gets the chance to do what no sane person would volunteer for — that ...
Schoolly D: Brixton Academy, London
Live Review by Roy Wilkinson, Sounds, November 1986
"ROCK 'N' roll living's a thing of the past, so all you longhaired faggots can kiss my ass. Say it loud, I love rap and ...
Killing Joke: Hammersmith Odeon, London
Live Review by Roy Wilkinson, Sounds, November 1986
WHO IS this man with the glistening curly locks? ...
Elvis Costello: The Royalty Theatre, London
Live Review by Jack Barron, Sounds, November 1986
CROCODILE SMILES ...
Pop Will Eat Itself: Would You Let Your Sister Date One Of These Guys?
Interview by Jack Barron, Sounds, December 1986
Brash, wild and loudmouthed, POP WILL EAT ITSELF may be the rock noise of 1986 but are they ideologically sound? JACK BARRON looks behind their ...
Review by Roy Wilkinson, Sounds, December 1986
TWO WEEKS after David Byrne's True Stories opened in Britain, Mark E Smith weighs in with his own medium expansion, Hey! Luciani, a play based ...
Live Review by Roy Wilkinson, Sounds, December 1986
STROLLING ON with all the visual impact of a bar mitzvah band from the Depression, Pulp are getting over a dormant interlude based around singer ...
Sound Of Silence: The Rise Of The Compact Disc
Report by Jack Barron, Sounds, December 1986
You don't have to be a classical fanatic or yuppie stadium rock lover to appreciate compact disc – the quiet revolution has hit the indie ...
Interview by Jack Barron, Sounds, January 1987
No other group creates such extreme reactions as SWANS. For some, they are a bunch of American charlatans making the worst noise in the world; ...
Fall, The, Adult Net, The : Brix Smith: A Spider's Web
Interview by Richard Cook, Sounds, February 1987
BRIX SMITH is the girl who can't really help it: she has rich-baby eyes, heavy blonde hair, a voice that comes in giggles. It's the ...
Tony Wilson: One Man and a Music Factory
Interview by James Brown, Sounds, February 1987
In the first of a special series on the men and women behind the scenes of the music business JAMES BROWN talks to TONY WILSON, ...
My Bloody Valentine: The Bleedin' Heart Club Band
Interview by James Brown, Sounds, March 1987
MY BLOODY VALENTINE are bloody brilliant. But are they bloody incestuous or true champions of pure bloody pop? Bloody JAMES BROWN gets so high on ...
Happy Mondays, Fall, The, Bodines,The: The Fall/The Bodines/Happy Mondays: International, Manchester
Live Review by John Robb, Sounds, May 1987
STRANGE HOW, these days, any gathering of vaguely well known groups always makes you think of charity and polished consciences. But tonight seemed to be ...
Justified Ancients Of Mu Mu, The: The Justified Ancients Of Mu Mu: Feeling The Pinch
Interview by James Brown, Sounds, May 1987
Who the hell has ever illegally sampled and mixed James Brown with AC/DC, Dave Brubeck with Led Zeppelin, Abba with The Fall, Samantha Fox with ...
Beastie Boys, The: The Beastie Boys: Keep Taking The Tabloids
Report and Interview by Jack Barron, James Brown, Sounds, May 1987
Must they keep flinging this filth at our pop kids? No, not the brilliant BEASTIE BOYS but the British national press attempting to stir up ...
Schoolly D: Schoolly-D: Slap Happy
Interview by Mat Snow, Sounds, May 1987
Reformed gangster and self-made record tycoon, SCHOOLLY-D is in town to promote his new album Saturday Night. MAT SNOW admires his jewellery ...
Stump: Chelsea College, London
Live Review by Roy Wilkinson, Sounds, May 1987
WE'VE BEEN waiting all week for the Stump-O-Ware party, waiting all week for Stump-O-Man. ...
Schoolly D: University Of Essex, Colchester
Live Review by Jack Barron, Sounds, May 1987
ANOTHER SATURDAY night. The Cookie Crew have already pushed sensuality into the cause of women MCs, Three Wise Men have re-freshed us with the politics ...
Interview by Jack Barron, Sounds, June 1987
Or timeless as ever? Only time will tell, say WIRE, back with An Ideal Copy and not a hint of retrogression anywhere. Seconds clocked by ...
Interview by Jack Barron, Sounds, June 1987
Ten years down the road and thousands of gigs on, BAD BRAINS are still chasing the goal of a mass audience. JACK BARRON measures their ...
Steve Earle: Highway Patrolman
Interview by Ralph Traitor, Sounds, June 1987
STEVE EARLE is the outlaw who's going to give Bruce Springsteen a run for his money. On the eve of his UK tour and the ...
Replacements, The: The Replacements/Rose Of Avalanche: Town And Country Club, London
Live Review by Mat Snow, Sounds, June 1987
AS THE strains of Zep's 'Kashmir' fade into the gloom, I am confronted by an appalling sight. It is Rose Of Avalanche and, in particular, ...
My Bloody Valentine: ICA, London
Live Review by Roy Wilkinson, Sounds, July 1987
NOT BLOODY BUT BLAND ...
Hüsker Dü: Town And Country Club, Kentish Town, London
Live Review by Mat Snow, Sounds, July 1987
EVER A man of the people, singer-guitarist Bob Mould was observed wandering through a jam-packed crowd, pint in hand and looking a good two stone ...
Interview by Jack Barron, Sounds, July 1987
More than merely another hip hop outfit, Manhattan's MANTRONIX are breaking new ground with their brand of hardcore confusion. JACK BARRON meets CURTIS "MANTRONIK" KAHLEEL ...
Stone Roses, The: The Stone Roses: International, Manchester
Live Review by John Robb, Sounds, July 1987
KING ROCK is still flailing his sweaty head around the world. And Stone Roses are four hip dudes close to his heart, guitars slung low, ...
Luther Vandross: Wembley Arena, London
Live Review by Mat Snow, Sounds, July 1987
YOU CAN'T fake this kind of excitement. There can be no more exquisite thrill in live entertainment than a summery, scantily-clad soul crowd climaxing as ...
Interview by Paul Elliott, Sounds, August 1987
Who would have believed six months ago that New York speed metal bruisers ANTHRAX would have had not one but two UK chart to their ...
Madonna: Houston Astrodome, Texas
Live Review by Mat Snow, Sounds, August 1987
So who is that girl! MAT SNOW travels to Texas and discovers a MADONNA who owes little to the soft vulnerability of Marilyn Monroe and ...
Tom Waits: Franks Wild Years (Island) *****
Review by Mat Snow, Sounds, August 1987
ONE FOR THE ROAD ...
Depeche Mode: The Dire Straits Of The Synth Generation?
Interview by Jack Barron, Sounds, September 1987
THE SUN RISES just after five in the morning. As a freshly finished glitter-mix booms, "Everyone's looking for a reason to live/If you're looking for ...
Metallica: Battle Hymns Of The Metal Warriors
Interview by Neil Perry, Sounds, September 1987
They've stomped on the rotting corpse of heavy metal and moved from cult status to world acclaim, and now METALLICA have crashed into the singles ...
Mission, Sisters of Mercy: Sisters Of Mercy: The Man Who Told The World
Interview by Neil Perry, Sounds, September 1987
Two years in the twilight world, ANDREW ELDRITCH hits back with the 1987 SISTERS OF MERCY. In this interview with NEIL PERRY he discusses his acrimonious split ...
Guns N' Roses: Guns N'Roses: Hammersmith Odeon, London
Live Review by Jack Barron, Sounds, October 1987
"THIS SONG is my favourite," screams part-man-mostly-dog guitarist Slash, Guns N'Roses' mascot pimple. "It's for all you thrashers out there and it's dedicated to BLOW-jobs ...
Pink Fairies, The: The Pink Fairies: Kill ’Em And Eat ’Em
Review by Penny Reel, Sounds, November 1987
A FURTHER DOSE of flash trash from the Pink Fairies, who plough a relentless psychedelic grunge underpinned by the double drum onslaught of Russell Hunter ...
Human League, The: The Human League: Leisure Centre, Crawley
Live Review by Roy Wilkinson, Sounds, December 1987
A VAGUELY remembered pop song once listed the things that dreams are made of: "London, New York, Paris, Munich, good times." ...
These Immortal Souls: Lost Souls
Interview by Ralph Traitor, Sounds, December 1987
Rowland S. Howard turns singer and leads his cohorts from crime and the city to become These Immortal Souls. Then he meets... Ralph Traitor ...
Sinead O'Connor: Skinhead And Scum-Stampers; A Short Sharp Shock
Interview by Neil Perry, Sounds, January 1988
That's how emancipated Irish singer SINEAD O'CONNOR dealt with a record company suggestion that she should 'tart herself up'. NEIL PERRY comes to terms with ...
Alex Chilton: Wildman On The Edge
Interview by Ralph Traitor, Sounds, January 1988
In spite of his reputation as a cult artist, ALEX CHILTON likes to see himself in terms of a hit singles factory. Here he discusses ...
American Music Club: Ace of Clubs: American Music Club
Interview by Ralph Traitor, Sounds, January 1988
IF YOU’VE EVER walked down a big city street and narrowed your vision to exclude everything except the garbage, savouring the contradiction between wealth and ...
Stone Roses, The: The Stone Roses: Trunk Call — Romancing The Stone
Interview by John Robb, Sounds, January 1988
Are THE STONE ROSES the likeliest lads in Manchester to step into the huge void left by the implosion of The Smiths? JOHN ROBB reports ...
Ennio Morricone: Film Music 1966-1987 (Virgin)****
Review by Richard Cook, Sounds, February 1988
FILM SOUNDTRACKS are wretched records to keep because there's only a couple of minutes you want to remember on each one – the lavish sweep ...
Stump: University Of London Union, London
Live Review by Keith Cameron, Sounds, February 1988
WHAT A weird and wonderful beast the Stump is! ...
Microdisney: Mean Fiddler, Harlesden, London
Live Review by Keith Cameron, Sounds, March 1988
A CONTROLLED, tactical performance from an outfit carefully building up to an all out frontal assault. I give you warning: Microdisney are out to get ...
Mantronix: In Full Effect (10 Records) ****1/2
Review by Richard Cook, Sounds, March 1988
THE WAY Mantronix put their music together, you'd think this sort of thing was easy. It just falls into place, fluent, fresh, each lick set ...
Pixies, The, Throwing Muses: Throwing Muses, The Pixies: Mean Fiddler, Harlesden, London
Live Review by Keith Cameron, Sounds, April 1988
"WHAT ABOUT those Pixies – motherf***ers, huh?" enquired a grinning Kristin Hersh of Throwing Muses. She referred to the previous band and no one in ...
Interview by Roy Wilkinson, Sounds, May 1988
Even as MEGADETH have ploughed a smooth trajectory towards the megabuck realms of big league megametal, leader DAVE MUSTAINE has grown ever more muddled in ...
Skinny Puppy: Fulham Greyhound, London
Live Review by Roy Wilkinson, Sounds, June 1988
AS SKINNY PUPPY'S frontman Kevin Ogilvie – a man known to friends as Nivek Ogre – hoists a hideously pathetic dog dummy over his shoulder ...
Public Enemy: It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back (Def Jam) ****1/2
Review by Mat Snow, Sounds, July 1988
RICK RUBIN is white, Jewish and, on Public Enemy's second album here under scrutiny, steel-reinforces his reputation as today's greatest producer of rebel rock. ...
Was (Not Was): Brothers of Invention
Interview by Mat Snow, Sounds, July 1988
WAS (NOT WAS) still people their songs freaks, but compassion now nestles satire. MAT SNOW helps The Was Brothers find the heartbeat of their absurd ...
Michael Jackson: Wembley Stadium, London
Live Review by Mat Snow, Sounds, July 1988
A GIANT STEP FOR EVENT-KIND: Bringing his spectacular live show to the UK, MICHAEL JACKSON proves he can moonwalk and walk on water. MAT SNOW witnesses the Second Coming. ...
Savage Pencil: With Lead In His Pencil
Interview by Cathi Unsworth, Sounds, September 1988
SAVAGE PENCIL has turned his art to original biker movies. CATHI UNSWORTH savours his hellraising Angel Dust ...
Tipper Gore and the PMRC: Not In Front Of The Parents
Report and Interview by Ralph Traitor, Sounds, September 1988
The PMRC scored major brownie points recently when its chief, Tipper Gore, appeared on MTV. RALPH TRAITOR hears the woman who Guns N' Roses' Slash ...
Interview by John Robb, Sounds, September 1988
Steve Albini, the legendary guitar-abuser and manic singer of Big Black, returns with another fearsome noise – Rapeman. John Robb ventures into their Chicago dungeon ...
Public Image Ltd: PiL: Holidays in Estonia
Interview by Mat Snow, Sounds, September 1988
"I LOVE MOANING. That's what I live for!" cackles John Lydon as he surveys a pickled herring with an even fishier eye. "I'm going to ...
Live Review by Ralph Traitor, Sounds, September 1988
SUICIDE, ALAN Vega more than Marty Rev, have drawn some flak for looking/being old. Vega, his black, tightly-curled pompadour resembling a cheap hooker's wig, lets ...
Review by Roy Wilkinson, Sounds, September 1988
TALK TALK, OF COURSE, DON'T. Ever since their initial, spurious labelling as a constituent of bosun Le Bon's "New Romantic" master race, the ironically titled ...
Living Colour: Nailing Their Colours To The Mast
Interview by Mat Snow, Sounds, September 1988
Living Colour's world vision may be in glorious technicolour, but they're the first to admit that a black rage sweeps through their music. Mat Snow ...
Michelle Shocked: Shock Tactics
Interview by Ralph Traitor, Sounds, October 1988
With her synthesis of folk and hardcore, Michelle Shocked has successfully created a new vehicle for political pop. Ralph Traitor tunes into the voice of ...
Steve Earle: The Country Outlaw Turns Rock Renegade
Interview by Ralph Traitor, Sounds, October 1988
Not only has Steve Earle recently been on the wrong side of the law, but now he's risking his neck further by turning his back ...
That Petrol Emotion: Inflammable Material: That Petrol Emotion
Interview by John Robb, Sounds, October 1988
SHAGGED OUT after a frenzied bout of road fever, That Petrol Emotion have collapsed into the back of their minibus. ...
Fall, The: The Fall: Monarchy In The UK
Interview by Keith Cameron, Sounds, November 1988
Ballet, national anthems, William Of Orange and Blake's poems are all getting in on The Fall's act. Mark E Smith explains all while discussing their ...
Pussy Galore: Six Ways To Skin A Cat
Interview by John Robb, Sounds, November 1988
Pussy Galore are back and the noise freaks are out in force to greet them. John Robb grills head Pussy Jon Spencer about their new ...
Yngwie Malmsteen, Quireboys, The: Yngwie Malmsteen, The Quireboys: Apollo Theatre, Manchester
Live Review by John Robb, Sounds, November 1988
DRENCHED IN wet dreams, the skeletal framed Quireboys are currently making molehills out of rock mountains. This is a tight pant boogie stuffed into way ...
Sugarcubes, The: The Sugarcubes: Ladies and Gentlemen, The Icecubes from Sugarland
Interview by Mat Snow, Sounds, December 1988
Paying the price of fame and fortune, The Sugarcubes have talked and I smiled themselves through a seemingly endless round of interviews and gigs. Now ...
My Bloody Valentine: This Is My Bloody Valentine
Interview by John Robb, Sounds, December 1988
From Dublin to London via Berlin, My Bloody Valentine have taken the scenic route to success. John Robb retraces their footsteps on the way to ...
Television Personalities: The Television Personalities
Interview by John Robb, Sounds, 1989
As the Berlin Wall tumbled under the weight of New Year celebrations, The TV Personalities were treating the revelers to a three-hour set. John Robb ...
Mekons, The, Jon Langford, Three Johns, The: The Three Jon Langfords
Interview by John Robb, Sounds, January 1989
With The Three Johns and The Mekons, Jon Langford has spent over ten years fighting against the never-ending Top Of The Pops party. John ...
Suicide: A Matter Of Life And Death
Interview by Ralph Traitor, Sounds, January 1989
It’s midweek, midday, underneath Times Square, aboard a filthy express subway train. ...
Profile and Interview by Ralph Traitor, Sounds, January 1989
DAN STUART IS about to take his beat-up '65 Dodge across a Tucson railway crossing when a Southern Pacific freight train begins crawling by. Stuart ...
Review by Richard Cook, Sounds, January 1989
"I THINK IT sounds like me," said Roy Orbison, and it does. The trembling but never quite breaking falsetto of ‘In The Real World’ is ...
Interview by Ralph Traitor, Sounds, March 1989
THE MORNING before my interview with Spacemen 3, as I'm rewinding their new LP, Playing With Fire, my Walkman starts to emit a peculiar pulsing ...
Beastie Boys, The, Slayer, LL Cool J: Rick Rubin: Mental Metal Master
Interview by Paul Elliott, Sounds, March 1989
From rap to metal, LL Cool J to Slayer, producer Rick Rubin has shaped the definitive street beats of the decade. Paul Elliott hears the ...
Cat Stevens: Fundamentally Speaking: Cat Stevens vs. Salman Rushdie
Comment by Penny Reel, Sounds, March 1989
AN ASPECT of the Salman Rushdie episode that particularly intrigues is the way passions have been so readily aroused. It is as if the text ...
American Music Club: Club Class: Fly AMC to California
Interview by Ralph Traitor, Sounds, March 1989
"ELEKTRA WERE GONNA give us a 300,000 dollar distribution deal through Frontier so we had full artistic control. Then they saw a video of an ...
BALL, Bongwater : Kramer Versus Kramer
Interview by Ralph Traitor, Sounds, April 1989
Ex-Butthole Surfer mark Kramer turns both cheeks — BALL and Bongwater — to Ralph Traitor. ...
Pixies, The: The Pixies: Animal Crackers
Interview by Keith Cameron, Sounds, May 1989
Only a year after their first ever UK visit, Pixies are a Top Ten albums band! Keith Cameron joins their tour in Brighton to find ...
Interview by Keith Cameron, Sounds, June 1989
HEWN FROM the living rock of their native Cumbria, It Bites are an archaeologist's nightmare. ...
Lemonheads, The: The Lemonheads: The Big Squeeze
Interview by Ralph Traitor, Sounds, July 1989
LEMONHEADS' RENOWN on the American underground scene originally derived from their tender ages. When Hate Your Friends, their Taang! debut, was released, they were all ...
N.W.A.: Straight Outta Compton (Fourth & Broadway) *****
Review by Roy Wilkinson, Sounds, September 1989
Guns and girls and rap 'n' roll ...
Interview by John Robb, Sounds, September 1989
"EUROPOX!" BELCHES the fat fool on the next table. ...
Interview by John Robb, Sounds, October 1989
Crazed noise guerillas Tackhead are going for mainstream success with their new LP, Friendly As A Hand Grenade. John Robb grabs at the pieces of ...
Review by David Cavanagh, Sounds, October 1989
ISN'T THE SINGLE absolutely without equal? Especially the way the "mmh yes" punctuation gets progressively more urgent as the song unwinds. There is really no ...
Profile and Interview by John Robb, Sounds, October 1989
Watch out! A mean American storm is heading your way in the shape of the shit-stained rock beast, Tad. And teaming up with Nirvana for ...
Profile and Interview by John Robb, Sounds, October 1989
Natural descendants of Mudhoney and Dinosaur Jr, Nirvana are a high energy explosion resulting in a trail of smashed gear and beat anthems. John Robb ...
Tad, Nirvana, Cateran, The: Nirvana/Tad/The Cateran: SOAS, London
Live Review by Roy Wilkinson, Sounds, November 1989
Half the bloated business moguls in Britain have never heard of them. They were not invited to appear at the Smash Hits poll-winners party – ...
Stone Roses, The: Island of Lost Soul: The Stone Roses at Spike Island
Live Review by John Robb, Sounds, 1990
Sun, sea water and cement factories. Not your idea of Ibiza perhaps, but according to our resident mad Manc John Robb, this is the start ...
Interview by John Robb, Sounds, 1990
GETTING OUT of bed is a tough thang, especially for quilt lizard gang My Bloody Valentine. ...
Charlatans, The (UK): The Charlatans
Interview by John Robb, Sounds, 1990
NOTE: This was the band’s first interview in the national music press. ...
Fall, The: Mark E. Smith Extricates Himself
Interview by John Robb, Sounds, February 1990
WHILE THE WORLD WENT MAD FOR MANCHESTER THE FALLKEPT QUIET. NOW THEY’VE RETURNED TO FORM WITH EXTRICATE AND MARK E SMITH’S BACK VENTING HIS SPLEEN ...
Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine
Interview by John Robb, Sounds, February 1990
CARTER (THE Unstoppable Sex Machine) are a belch from the past – recalling a time when bands laced their songs with ‘realism’. ...
Interview by John Robb, Sounds, February 1990
Are The Times just one man and a good scam or is Ed Ball really the "Salman Rushdie of Manchester"? John Robb tries to find ...
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Nick Cave: Nick Cave: The Return of the Prodigal Son
Interview by John Robb, Sounds, April 1990
Throughout the turmoil of the ‘80s, Nick Cave was on some sort of slow development course. From the pithy pop blunders of Boys Next Door ...
Dead Kennedys: Catching Up With Jello Biafra
Interview by John Robb, Sounds, June 1990
HARDCORE, FAST-shit guitar or cranked-up pub rock has glued some fairly diverse personalities onto the cranium over the years, from the cretinous dullard through to ...
Interview by John Robb, Sounds, June 1990
STOMP! STOMP! Stomp! The evil 120 bpm jackbeat clomps across the USA, armed to the rotten teeth with a badass beat, some serious studio talent ...
Ministry: Minister of Carnage: Alain Jourgensen
Interview by John Robb, Sounds, June 1990
PERHAPS THE core dude to all things Waxtrax is the mad fucker retro byker figure of Alain Jourgensen. Careering through Ministry's New Order-styled early ...
Interview by John Robb, Sounds, August 1990
"FUCK, AYE!" The leering Gaelic battle cry is spat out for the twentieth time in a hour by the whippet thin Teenage FC drummer. ...
Deee-Lite: World Clique (Elektra) ****
Review by John Robb, Sounds, September 1990
OUTRAGEOUS, COLOURFUL, Deee-Lite's tacky funky mush is a breathtaking pysche trip at the tail end of a summer that's been disappointing in terms of excess ...
Sonic Youth: A Load Of Tony Baloney
Interview by Roy Wilkinson, Sounds, September 1990
Sonic Youth aren't impressed with Manchester's latest contribution to rock culture. In fact, they think it's a pile of "contrived shit", a real homoerotic, lads-together ...
Jesus & Mary Chain, The: The Jesus & Mary Chain: The Importance Of Being Angry
Interview by John Robb, Sounds, September 1990
Five years ago The Jesus And Mary Chain were the best pop band in the world, but with little mainstream media attention they've been overtaken ...
Lush: Dear Students (Won't You Come Out To Play?)
Interview by John Robb, Sounds, October 1990
Right now, a thousand acne strewn depressives are bustin' pimples to Lush's cool bedsit beat. But are they the ultimate student band or just the ...
Interview by Keith Cameron, Sounds, October 1990
If any of the US underground bands are likely to break through into the mainstream, then it's got to be NIRVANA. Currently being courted by ...
Teenage Fanclub: A Snog On The Rocks
Interview by Keith Cameron, Sounds, November 1990
Are TEENAGE FANCLUB the best pop band to emerge in the UK for years or are they just four pissed up Scots taking the piss? ...
Charlatans, The (UK): The Charlatans: Now for the Big Time
Interview by John Robb, Sounds, November 1990
Stone Roses, Happy Mondays and the Inspirals have all been tipped to break the States, but THE CHARLATANS may have the best chance of all. ...
Nick Cave, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, Birthday Party, The: Nick Cave: Worshipping The Son
Interview by Cathi Unsworth, Sounds, November 1990
For the second of our special Fan Files, we look at Nick Cave, the singer who's so damn slinky and shaggable that even women want ...
Ocean Colour Scene: Ladbroke Grove Subterania
Live Review by Paul Moody, Sounds, November 1990
AT TIMES tonight, Ocean Colour Scene really do make sense. When Stephen Craddock's guitar bursts into 'Yesterday Today' and singer Simon matches it with a ...
La's, The: The La's: Town And Country Club, Kentish Town, London
Live Review by Paul Moody, Sounds, November 1990
Thrills and (s)pills ...
Gumball, Teenage Fanclub: Teenage Fan Club, Gumball: International One, Manchester
Live Review by John Robb, Sounds, November 1990
YOUR DRUMMER looks like some kinda freaked golf player, your bass player looks like an American touring circuit pro, your encore sees half the Fannies ...
Loop: The Feedback of the 5,000 Volts
Interview by Cathi Unsworth, Sounds, December 1990
LOOP have long been associated with a wall of sound that is guaranteed to play havoc with the senses. CATHI UNSWORTH learns exactly what it ...
Spiritualized, Spacemen 3: Spacemen 3: Rock'n'Roll Suicide
Interview by John Robb, Sounds, February 1991
The story of SPACEMEN 3 is a cool, rock'n'roll tale of drugs, revolution and eventual destruction. JOHN ROBB meets up with Sonic and Jason on ...
Dinosaur Jr.: Green Mind (Blanco Y Negro) ****
Review by Ralph Traitor, Sounds, February 1991
J MASCIS' propensity for slothfulness is legendary, so it's reassuring to see that, with the end of the century – and possibly civilisation as we ...
Nine Inch Nails: Pretty Hate Machine (Island) ****
Review by Ralph Traitor, Sounds, February 1991
NINE INCH Nails is Trent Reznor, and it's fitting that his surname borders on 'razor' because Pretty Hate Machine is musical mutilation of the first ...
Interview by John Robb, Sounds, March 1991
808 STATE are one of the few genuine 'pop groups' of the underground scene. Not for them a bunch of hairy '60s riffs or ideologies, ...
N-Joi, 808 State, Björk: 808 State, N-Joi: G-Mex, Manchester
Live Review by John Robb, Sounds, March 1991
THE RETURN to G-Mex, the core combat zone of the Manchester thing, could have been disturbing. Like, is there a thing going on anymore? The ...
Profile and Interview by John Robb, Sounds, April 1991
It's taken three years and a war, but MASSIVE have finally risen to the top of the charts. JOHN ROBB listens to their stunning debut ...
Northside: Chicken Skin Music: Northside
Interview by John Robb, Sounds, May 1991
A bunch of scallies with names like Dermo, Speg, Cliff, Weg, Woz and Giblet, NORTHSIDE are sitting targets for the brewing Manc backlash. ...
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