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Geoff Barton

Geoff Barton

Geoff Barton is a British journalist who founded the heavy metal mag Kerrang! and was an editor of Sounds. He joined Sounds at the age of nineteen after completing a journalism course at the London College of Printing. He specialised in covering rock music and helped popularise the New Wave of British Heavy Metal after using the term for the first time (after editor Alan Lewis coined it) in the May 1979 issue of Sounds. In 1981 he edited the first issue of Kerrang!, which was published as a one-off. This was successful so it became a fortnightly magazine. He left the magazine in 1995.

Barton's articles for Sounds which covered the NWOBHM helped to create the sense that an actual movement was taking place, and in a sense helped to create one in the process. He currently works for Classic Rock magazine. Whether or not the NWOBHM was a media-manufactured phenomenon centered around the Kingsbury Bandwagon Pub scene, one cannot underestimate the importance of Barton in popularising the term and the genre.

Rockcritics.com interview with Geoff

List of articles in the library by artist

Anvil: Hard 'N' Heavy (Attic Records)****½

Review by Geoff Barton, Sounds, February 1982

Hammer and tongues ...

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 ...

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' ...

Kraftwerk: 2 a.m. Newcastle Hotel

Interview by Geoff Barton, Sounds, September 1976

'We not only try to brainwash people... we succeed' ...

Rush: This Man Has Nightmares

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 ...

Saxon: See The Light Shining

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). ...

Styx: A Bang and a Wimp-er

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 ...

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