Library Rock's Backpages

Ian Birch

Ian Birch

Ian Birch wrote for Melody Maker, Smash Hits and other magazines before becoming Editorial Director at EMAP and editing TV Guide in America. He is currently Director of Editorial Development & Special Projects at Hearst Magazines.

81 articles

List of articles in the library

By date | By artist | Most recently added

J.J. Cale: J.J. Acts Naturally

Profile and Interview by Ian Birch, Sounds, 17 April 1976

Which means he doesn't talk much. But Ian Birch gives us the full low-down on the low-key Mr. Cale. ...

Nils Lofgren: New Victoria, London

Live Review by Ian Birch, Sounds, 15 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 ...

Daryl Hall & John Oates: Hall & Oates: A Mutant Romance

Interview by Ian Birch, Sounds, 12 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 ...

Earth Quake, Greg Kihn, Jonathan Richman, The Rubinoos: Beserkley Records: The Fabled Label

Overview by Ian Birch, Sounds, 16 October 1976

SOME PLACES become legendary. Mystical meccas for the besotted. That is usually until you sample them first hand. ...

Jefferson Starship's Paul Kantner

Interview by Ian Birch, ZigZag, November 1976

LIKE A KANTNER COMPOSITION, this interview was virtually plucked out of the air. I was all set to leave San Francisco but, knowing the Jefferson ...

The Adverts: Reading The Adverts

Profile and Interview by Ian Birch, Melody Maker, 6 August 1977

THE NEW WAVE scythe has brought about a dual personality in programming for a lot of the more established clubs. ...

The Only Ones: Ones-off

Interview by Ian Birch, Melody Maker, 3 September 1977

SOMETIMES you feel so...er, hypocritical. Let me explain. The project in hand was an interview with The Only Ones, who over the last couple of ...

Jonathan Richman: In Love With The Modern World

Profile by Ian Birch, Melody Maker, 17 September 1977

On the eve of Jonathan Richman's first British tour, Ian Birch traces his career ...

Jonathan Richman & the Modern Lovers: Hammersmith Odeon, London

Live Review by Ian Birch, Melody Maker, 24 September 1977

IT CONFOUNDED all expectations. Cross a children's pantomime with a Charlie Chaplin movie and filter it through a gawky highschool kid who mimes awful ...

Johnny Thunders & the Heartbreakers: L.A.M.F. (Track 2409 218)

Review by Ian Birch, Melody Maker, 15 October 1977

LET'S DISPENSE with some inevitables. One. Heartbreakers Johnny Thunders and Jerry Nolan were originally part of, the New York Dolls and, of course, we all ...

Wire: Men Behind the Wire

Interview by Ian Birch, Melody Maker, 10 December 1977

HAVE YOU noticed how a new category is being synthesised in the press? It had to happen, now that disillusion with new wave/punk mark one ...

Blue Öyster Cult: R.U. ready 2 rock?

Interview by Ian Birch, Melody Maker, 4 February 1978

Blue Oyster Cult's ALLEN LANIER talks to Ian Birch in New York ...

Roogalator: Play It By Ear (Do It)

Review by Ian Birch, Melody Maker, 25 February 1978

A JINX HAS to hang over Roogalator, despite their having one of the great names. ...

Kansas: Wayward Sons in Slot Machine City: Kansas

Report and Interview by Ian Birch, Melody Maker, 25 February 1978

TWO DAYS in Las Vegas and your grip on sanity begins to slip. You can even buy a T-shirt there emblazoned with the gem: "I've ...

Devo: We Are Devo. We Are The Next Thing

Interview by Ian Birch, Melody Maker, 25 February 1978

Ian Birch talks to an American band with heavy friends – like Eno and David Bowie ...

Willie Alexander and the Boom Boom Band: Willie Alexander and the Boom Boom Band (MCA — Import from Virgin)

Review by Ian Birch, Melody Maker, 25 February 1978

BOSTON (OR should I say Bosstown?) Massachusetts is also undergoing a Modern World Revival. Former inmates like Aerosmith, J. Geils and even the Modern Lovers ...

Dire Straits

Report and Interview by Ian Birch, Melody Maker, 11 March 1978

THEY SEEMED to come out of nowhere: Dire Straits, that is. Suddenly last year London's bitter-and-Number-Six grapevine was buzzing with the name. Everyone wanted to ...

The Only Ones, Television: Television, The Only Ones: City Hall, Newcastle

Live Review by Ian Birch, Melody Maker, 15 April 1978

Chilling Verlaine ...

Pere Ubu: The Pere Tree

Profile and Interview by Ian Birch, Melody Maker, 13 May 1978

Ian Birch introduces Ohio's latest 'overnight sensation', Pere Ubu ...

La Düsseldorf: La Düsseldorf (Radar RAD 7)

Review by Ian Birch, Melody Maker, 15 July 1978

The Kraft of Düsseldorf ...

Brian Eno, Talking Heads: Talking Heads: More Songs About Buildings And Food (Sire)

Review by Ian Birch, Melody Maker, 15 July 1978

David Byrne (singing, guitars, synthesized percussion); Chris Frantz (drums, percussion); Jerry Harrison (piano, organs, synthesizer, guitar, background vocals); Tina Weymouth (bass) and Brian Eno (synthesizers, ...

Brian Eno, Talking Heads: Talking Heads: More words about Eno and art

Interview by Ian Birch, Melody Maker, 29 July 1978

Ian Birch meets Talking Heads ...

The Clash, Suicide: Music Machine, London

Live Review by Ian Birch, Melody Maker, 29 July 1978

NO TWO ways about it. All I can do is echo and re-emphasise Chris Brazier's sentiments in MM of two issues ago: the Clash are ...

Punishment Of Luxury: Dishing out Punishment

Interview by Ian Birch, Melody Maker, 9 September 1978

"It's really crazy to think you've got to get crazy to be happy. I don't think you can be so logical as to estimate your ...

Doll By Doll: Entropy Is Just Another Word For Nothing Left To Lose

Interview by Ian Birch, Melody Maker, 16 September 1978

"If you go walking in the street today/be sure and listen what the young boys say/they know the colour of speed is red/you don't become ...

The Ramones: Ulster Hall, Belfast

Live Review by Ian Birch, Melody Maker, 30 September 1978

IT WAS A TRICKY confrontation. John Ramone stepped out of the hotel lift and after a brief moptop nod of recognition dived into the obvious ...

The Sex Pistols: Sex Pistols Bootlegs

Review by Ian Birch, Melody Maker, 28 October 1978

Sex Pistols: Indecent Exposure (It's A Dirty Business) (Rotten Records – bootleg album)'Anarchy In The U.S.A.'/'Belsen Was A Gas' (Rotten Role – bootleg single). ...

James Chance & the Contortions, DNA, Mars, Teenage Jesus & the Jerks: Contortions, Teenage Jesus And The Jerks, Mars, D.N.A.: No New York (Antilles AN 7067 — US import).

Review by Ian Birch, Melody Maker, 11 November 1978

Manhattan cocktail ...

Pere Ubu: Five Alive in Ohio

Interview by Ian Birch, Melody Maker, 11 November 1978

LAST Saturday in Cleveland, Ohio, the bona fide booji were out in force on the street. In America, any event (however minor) is invariably heralded ...

The Rezillos: Cold Wars

Report and Interview by Ian Birch, Melody Maker, 9 December 1978

"Because Fay and I are going out together, when you have a group argument it invariably gets personal. Things that you dislike about people become ...

The Only Ones: Even Serpents Shine (CBS)

Review by Ian Birch, Melody Maker, 1979

SINGLES can often be deceptive signposts for forthcoming albums. When ‘You've Got To Pay’ slipped out a few weeks back, it didn't augur well for ...

The Damned, Ducks Deluxe, Rockpile: The Damned, Rockpile, Ducks Deluxe: Venue, London

Live Review by Ian Birch, Melody Maker, 13 January 1979

DESPITE THE eleventh hour location change, the Venue was packed. ...

Generation X: Valley Of The Dolls (Chrysalis CHR 1193)

Review by Ian Birch, Melody Maker, 3 February 1979

Style into junk ...

Rough Trade Records: The Humane Sell

Report and Interview by Ian Birch, Melody Maker, 10 February 1979

Rough Trade aim to break down the barrier between the consumers and the consumed. ...

Siouxsie & The Banshees: The Giraffe Looked At Siouxsie

Report by Ian Birch, Melody Maker, 17 February 1979

"WHAT DO you think of it, then?" sneered Siouxsie Sioux as we slipped into the Kurfurstendamm, Berlin's notorious main strip, which is like Oxford Street ...

The Human League: The Cyclic And Random Lyric Organisation System

Profile and Interview by Ian Birch, Melody Maker, 24 February 1979

CARLOS for short. IAN BIRCH talks to the Human League, Sheffield Novorockers with a weakness for torch ballads. ...

The Skids: Scared To Dance (Virgin)

Review by Ian Birch, Melody Maker, 24 February 1979

PREPARE yourselves for a thorny contender. The Skids are a relatively new four-piece from Scotland who, apart from their current single 'Into The Valley', have ...

Alternative TV: Vibing Up The Senile Man (Deptford Fun City Records)

Review by Ian Birch, Melody Maker, 3 March 1979

WHEN MARK Perry gave up editing Sniffin' Glue, he started a band that has turned out to be a logical extension of the famous punkzine. ...

Doll By Doll: Remember (Automatic Record Co.)

Review by Ian Birch, Melody Maker, 24 March 1979

AS OFTEN happens, the rock 'n' roll romance blows hot and then cold before it settles down to a realistic affair. ...

The Cure: Practical Poprock

Profile and Interview by Ian Birch, Melody Maker, 24 March 1979

That's the Cure, the no-image band who do more with less to charismatic effect. IAN BIRCH probed the mystery. ...

Dusty Springfield: Theatre Royal, London

Live Review by Ian Birch, Melody Maker, 28 April 1979

IT WAS a significant week for Mary O'Brien. Not only did she turn 40 but, after endless cancellations of provincial dates due to sparse ticket ...

The Jam: Invasion of the Riff Snatchers

Report and Interview by Ian Birch, Melody Maker, 28 April 1979

Can a bunch of ordinary guys repeat the British Invasion? IAN BIRCH watches the Jam take on America. ...

Village People: Go West (Mercury)

Review by Ian Birch, Melody Maker, 28 April 1979

FRONTIER experiments rise and fall, but showbiz pop goes on forever. It's always been that way, and there's nothing to suggest that the Eighties will ...

Nina Hagen: Nina Hagen Band (CBS)

Review by Ian Birch, Melody Maker, 26 May 1979

SAY HELLO to the next Euro cult sensation. ...

Van Morrison: Into The Music (Mercury)

Review by Ian Birch, Melody Maker, 25 August 1979

NOWADAYS, PEOPLE don't so much discover Van Morrison as grow old with him. ...

Talking Heads: De Montfort Hall, Leicester

Live Review by Ian Birch, Melody Maker, 1 December 1979

THE apres-gig lig is, as usual, gruesome. ...

Kate Bush: 'What I Did On My Holidays' by Kate Bush, As Told To Ian Birch

Interview by Ian Birch, Melody Maker, June 1981

LATE LAST year not even jump leads would have revitalized the Kate Bush batteries. She was so exhausted that she took the only sensible course ...

Coati Mundi, August Darnell, Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band, Kid Creole & The Coconuts: Kid Creole & the Coconuts

Profile by Ian Birch, Smash Hits, 11 June 1981

AUGUST DARNELL sounds like one of those mysterious names that invariably appear in the final credits of a movie or TV series. Could it be ...

Kirsty MacColl: A Chip Off The Old Block

Interview by Ian Birch, Smash Hits, 25 June 1981

"DON'T ASK A lot of questions about me Dad!" pleads Kirsty MacColl, flicking back the glorious swathe of hair dotted with tell-tale Red Indian braids. ...

Ultravox: Ultrafile!

Profile and Interview by Ian Birch, Smash Hits, 3 September 1981

Ian Birch previews the new Ultravox album with the help of Midge Ure + Chris Cross. ...

British Electric Foundation, Heaven 17: Heaven 17… Or Music For Business And Pleasure

Report and Interview by Ian Birch, Smash Hits, 17 September 1981

BACK IN THE middle '70s, when punk snapped out of the woodwork, everyone wanted "complete control". It was a Robin Hood policy — steal from ...

The Human League: The Big League

Interview by Ian Birch, Smash Hits, 14 October 1981

1977 ― progressive, poverty-stricken, "hip". 1981 ― accepted, bankable... (and still "hip"!). Ian Birch charts the past and plots the present with The Human League. ...

Laurie Anderson: Ian Birch Investigates Wonderwoman

Profile and Interview by Ian Birch, Smash Hits, 15 October 1981

EVERY SO often a single snaps out of nowhere and startles everyone. You've probably never heard of the singer before (and few of them survive ...

Scritti Politti

Profile and Interview by Ian Birch, Smash Hits, 12 November 1981

From the underground...To the charts? We want hits, say the former cult heroes. Quite right, says Ian Birch. ...

Modern Romance: So This Is Romance?

Profile and Interview by Ian Birch, Smash Hits, 26 November 1981

Modern Romance start up a conga. Ian Birch mooseys on down to take a look. ...

Bananarama, Fun Boy Three: Fun Boy Three & Bananarama

Interview by Ian Birch, Smash Hits, 21 January 1982

CAST YOUR eyes to the right. You know the gents. That's a walkover. It's the Fun Boy Three. ...

Japan: Say Hello, Wave Goodbye?

Interview by Ian Birch, Smash Hits, 4 February 1982

"I don't know how long the break's going to be," says David Sylvian. "Maybe three months or four or longer." Japan make plans. Ian Birch ...

Bucks Fizz: Let's Get Fizzical

Interview by Ian Birch, Smash Hits, 13 May 1982

Few groups ever survive thee Eurovision Song Contest. Bucks Fizz haven't justsurvived, they've flourished. Their UK record sales are topped only by The Human League. Ian Birch ...

Dollar: Give Me Back My Art

Profile and Interview by Ian Birch, Smash Hits, 24 June 1982

There's two sides to Dollar: light and dead serious. They both makes cents to Ian Birch. ...

Duran Duran: On A Wing And A Prayer

Report and Interview by Ian Birch, Smash Hits, 19 August 1982

Duran Duran stop over in California and find they have to get out and push. Words: Ian Birch. ...

Kajagoogoo

Interview by Ian Birch, Smash Hits, 3 February 1983

"It's the sound of primal life," according to these five chaps from Leighton Buzzard. "That's just what I was going to say," replies Ian Birch. ...

Duran Duran Q&A

Interview by Ian Birch, Smash Hits, 17 March 1983

They came by the lorryload.Thanks to you, we got the biggest response ever to a Question and Answer feature. We plucked out the best and ...

Daryl Hall & John Oates: Hall & Oates: This One's Daryl & This One's John

Profile and Interview by Ian Birch, Smash Hits, 17 March 1983

And this is Ian Birch reporting from the American headquarters of Hall & Oates, the most successful double act in recording history ...

Altered Images: "We Were Running When We Could Only Walk"

Interview by Ian Birch, Smash Hits, 31 March 1983

One moment Altered Images were everyone's heroes; the next they hadn't got a friend in the world. What happened? Ian Birch finds out. ...

Robert Palmer: The Palmer's Boy

Report and Interview by Ian Birch, Smash Hits, 14 April 1983

... Robert Palmer, that is. A maker of tasteful dance records for well over ten years. Big everywhere from Guatemala to the Costa Del Sol. ...

The Creatures: Bamboo Music

Interview by Ian Birch, Smash Hits, 28 April 1983

Deep in the jungle, something stirs. Strange drums beating, the cries of wild animals, a ghostly chanting sound...This, says lan Birch, can only mean one ...

Heaven 17: Another Chapter In "The Rocky Road To The Top"

Interview by Ian Birch, Smash Hits, 12 May 1983

"I KNEW The Human League were about to break. We'll take a lot longer but we'll do it in the end." ...

Irene Cara: Flashdance and Irene Cara

Interview by Ian Birch, Dave Rimmer, Smash Hits, 23 June 1983

THE FILM It's going to be the big box-office smash of the summer. And Dave Rimmer's already seen it. ...

Shakin' Stevens: The Secret Life Of Shaky

Interview by Ian Birch, Smash Hits, 21 July 1983

He never gives interviews and keeps well out of the public eye. In fact, the 'real' Shakin' Stevens is a bit of a mystery. Ian ...

Spandau Ballet Readers' Q&A

Interview by Ian Birch, Smash Hits, 18 August 1983

THE LETTERS ARRIVED IN LARGE QUANTITIES. WE SELECTED THE BEST QUESTIONS, GAVE THEM TO IAN BIRCH, AND SAT BACK AND WAITED FOR THE ANSWERS. AND ...

Wham!: The Sundance Kids

Interview by Ian Birch, Smash Hits, 18 August 1983

A year ago Wham! made records and simply had fun. Now they've got managers, gossip columns and solo careers to worry about. Ian Birch hears ...

The Smiths

Interview by Ian Birch, Smash Hits, 10 November 1983

"IT'S VERY strange the way things happen," muses Morrissey, 23-year-old singer, lyricist and general spokesman for the Smiths — a band with a growing live ...

Michael Jackson: The Biggest Selling Solo Artist Of All Time

Report by Ian Birch, Smash Hits, 1 March 1984

Quiet out there. Michael Jackson's record company is throwing a party and Ian Birch has got an invite. A few famous folk, dancers in top ...

Bananarama: We All Broke Down And Cried

Interview by Ian Birch, Smash Hits, 15 March 1984

The last eight months have been a "nightmare" for Bananarama. Ian Birch finds out what went wrong. ...

David Sylvian: The Art Of Noise: David Sylvian

Profile and Interview by Ian Birch, Smash Hits, May 1984

What's David Sylvian been doing since Japan broke up? Taking Polaroids, traveling, organizing an exhibition – oh, and making a new record. "Art is my ...

Prince: His Royal Badness

Profile by Ian Birch, Smash Hits, 19 July 1984

That's what they call Prince back home in America. And not without reason: he's a huge star and his on-stage antics are just a little ...

Shannon: "I'm The Same Old Shannon"

Interview by Ian Birch, Smash Hits, 2 August 1984

So says the one-time accountant from New York City who's now had three huge hits in Britain in only four months. Life's changed, but she ...

Spinal Tap: This Is Spinal Tap (15)

Film/DVD/TV Review by Ian Birch, Smash Hits, 30 August 1984

Remember The Bad News Tour? How The Comic Strip tore into the ludicrous excesses of heavy metal groups? ...

Wham!: "We're No Con!"

Interview by Ian Birch, Smash Hits, 27 September 1984

... but they used to be. Wham! now think that their whole ''Bad Boys" look is "pathetic" and they "can't believe how many people bought ...

Bruce Springsteen, Patti Scialfa: Patti Scialfa: Red-Headed Woman

Profile and Interview by Ian Birch, Q, August 1993

ABOUT AN HOUR and a half from New York going south down the New Jersey Turnpike and then east on the Garden State Parkway is ...

Dusty Springfield: Goin' Back – The Very Best of Dusty Spingfield; Dusty – The Legend of Dusty Springfield

Review by Ian Birch, MOJO, June 1994

"I love Dusty Springfield. I wanted to name our daughter Dusty but I knew we couldn't because, I mean, Dusty Springsteen...She had a nice big, ...

back to LIBRARY

COPYRIGHT NOTICE