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Born in the Scottish borders, Len escaped from the head-banging hairy-backed rock scene of Newcastle in the ‘70s. He sub-edited and wrote for NME and Vox in the ‘80s and early ‘90s – chiefly chasing and championing the Smiths, Gil-Scott Heron and myriad World Music masters such as Youssou N'Dour – before stumbling into an ongoing television career.
His patchy history of TV music documentary credits (as producer, director or executive producer) includes the My Generation series for Channel Four (The Animals, The Kinks, The Troggs, The Yardbirds, The Small Faces and Herman's Hermits), The Brit Girls for Channel Four (Cilla, Sandie, Marianne and Lulu), It's Slade, Wild Boys: Duran Duran, A Fine Romance: The New Romantics, Rod Stewart & The Faces: Wine Women & Song (all for BBC1) plus Close To You: The Carpenters for ITV. Len also produced the definitive television documentary about Marc Bolan – T.Rex: Dandy In The Underworld.
Married with two daughters and marooned in the Midlands, he's now trying to re-invent himself as a screenwriter but still dreams of making documentaries about Kate Bush and Sandy Denny. (Whatever happened to The Weather Prophets?) Len's new Meetings With Morrissey (2008) is published by Omnibus Press.
Len Brown's Rock's Backpages blog
List of articles in the library by artist
Band of Holy Joy, The : "Bertolt Brecht, my arse!"
Interview by Len Brown, NME, June 1987
Band of Holy Joy, The : Band of Holy Joy, James: Manc Magic Majestic
Live Review by Len Brown, NME, December 1989
Bhundu Boys, The : The Bhundu Boys Take Up Whistle-Blowing
Interview by Len Brown, The Independent, November 1991
Billy Bragg's record collection
Interview by Len Brown, NME, February 1987
Billy Bragg : Is Billy Bragg Pissing In The Wind Or What?
Interview by Len Brown, NME, November 1989
Kate Bush: Positive Female Energy
Interview by Len Brown, CD Review, December 1989
Kate Bush: Down At The Old Bul and Bush
Interview by Len Brown, NME, November 1988
Kate Bush: In The Realm Of The Senses
Interview by Len Brown, NME, October 1989
David Byrne: Rei Momo (Sire-WEA)
Review by Len Brown, NME, October 1989
Tracy Chapman: Tracy Chapman (Elektra)
Review by Len Brown, NME, April 1988
Christians, The : Rock On Commie: The Christians In East Berlin
Report and Interview by Len Brown, NME, August 1987
Leonard Cohen : Jennifer Warnes: Famous Blue Raincoat (RCA)
Review by Len Brown, NME, June 1987
Phil Collins : Well Chuffed
Interview by Len Brown, NME, November 1988
Julian Cope: Saint Julian (Island)
Review by Len Brown, NME, March 1987
Elvis Costello And The Attractions at the Royal Albert Hall
Live Review by Len Brown, NME, January 1987
Cowboy Junkies : Saddled With The Blues: Cowboy Junkies
Interview by Len Brown, NME, 1988
Cradle, The : The Cradle: The Hand That Rocks The Cradle
Interview by Len Brown, NME, May 1987
Darling Buds, The : The House of Love, The Darling Buds and The Wonder Stuff: Tomorrow Belongs To Us
Interview by Len Brown, NME, January 1989
Dinner Ladies, The : The Oyster Band and The Dinner Ladies: A Total Oyster Time?
Interview by Len Brown, NME, July 1988
Donovan: Wordy Gurdy Man
Interview by Len Brown, NME, November 1990
Nick Drake : Deja Vu: Nick Drake
Retrospective by Len Brown, NME, March 1989
Nick Drake : Drake's Progress
Review and Interview by Len Brown, NME, August 1986
Easterhouse : The Cradle: The Hand That Rocks The Cradle
Interview by Len Brown, NME, May 1987
Fall, The : The Fall: I Am Kurious Oranj (Beggars Banquet)
Review by Len Brown, NME, October 1988
Peter Gabriel : An Alien In The Real World
Interview by Len Brown, NME, June 1989
Peter Gabriel : Black Steel In The Hour Of Chaos
Report and Interview by Len Brown, NME, June 1989
Peter Gabriel, Youssou N'Dour: Earls Court, London
Live Review by Len Brown, NME, July 1987
Nanci Griffith: Little Love Affairs
Review by Len Brown, NME, March 1988
Woody Guthrie: Columbia River Collection
Review by Len Brown, NME, February 1988
Woody Guthrie: Glory Days
Retrospective by Len Brown, Record Hunter, January 1991
Roy Harper : Peace, Love and a Punchup with Ginger Baker: The Saga of Roy Harper
Interview by Len Brown, NME, June 1990
Housemartins, The : The Housemartins: If You Love Jesus
Interview by Len Brown, NME, December 1986
House Of Love, The : The House of Love, The Darling Buds and The Wonder Stuff: Tomorrow Belongs To Us
Interview by Len Brown, NME, January 1989
James : Band of Holy Joy, James: Manc Magic Majestic
Live Review by Len Brown, NME, December 1989
Joy Division : Division On: Joy Division
Interview by Len Brown, NME, May 1990
Joy Division : She’s Got Control
Interview by Len Brown, Q, 1995
Fela Kuti : The Great Pretender: Fela Kuti
Interview by Len Brown, NME, October 1986
Lindisfarne: Dance Your Life Away
Review by Len Brown, NME, December 1986
Johnny Marr : What Is Johnny Marr Playing At?
Report by Len Brown, NME, May 1989
Microdisney: Crooked Mile (Virgin)
Review by Len Brown, NME, January 1987
Momus: Lusts of a Moron
Interview by Len Brown, NME, August 1987
Van Morrison: Hammersmith Odeon, London
Live Review by Len Brown, NME, January 1987
Morrissey : Bona Contention
Interview by Len Brown, Vox, November 1990
Morrissey : Hate Male
Interview by Len Brown, NME, July 1988
Morrissey: Viva Hate
Review and Interview by Len Brown, Spin, June 1988
Morrissey: Born to be Wilde - interview part 2
Interview by Len Brown, NME, February 1988
Morrissey: Borne To Be Wilde - interview part 1
Interview by Len Brown, NME, February 1988
Morrissey: Desecrating Wildly
Report and Interview by Len Brown, NME, February 1988
Morrissey: Gmex, Manchester
Live Review by Len Brown, Rock's Backpages, December 2006
Morrissey: I'll Astonish You
Interview by Len Brown, Details, March 1991
Morrissey: Wolverhampton
Live Review by Len Brown, The Guardian, December 1988
Youssou N'Dour : Black Steel In The Hour Of Chaos
Report and Interview by Len Brown, NME, June 1989
Youssou N'Dour : Peter Gabriel, Youssou N'Dour: Earls Court, London
Live Review by Len Brown, NME, July 1987
New Order: Substance (Factory)
Review by Len Brown, NME, August 1987
Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark : Orchestral Manouevres In The Dark: The Pacific Age
Review by Len Brown, NME, October 1986
Oyster Band, The : The Oyster Band and The Dinner Ladies: A Total Oyster Time?
Interview by Len Brown, NME, July 1988
Oyster Band, The : The Oyster Band: Wide Blue Yonder (Cooking Vinyl)
Review by Len Brown, NME, September 1987
Prefab Sprout: From Langley Park To Memphis
Review by Len Brown, NME, March 1988
Tom Robinson Band : Tom Robinson: Rising Cramp
Report and Interview by Len Brown, NME, September 1986
Santana : Carlos Santana
Profile and Interview by Len Brown, unpublished, 1989
Gil Scott-Heron: Word War Fighter
Report by Len Brown, NME, July 1986
Simply Red
Interview by Len Brown, NME, February 1986
Smiths, The : Hate Male
Interview by Len Brown, NME, July 1988
Smiths, The : The Smiths: Strangeways, Here We Come
Review by Len Brown, NME, September 1987
Smiths, The : The Smiths: Newcastle Mayfair
Live Review by Len Brown, NME, August 1986
Dusty Springfield: Scandal In The Wind
Interview by Len Brown, NME, February 1989
Dusty Springfield : Scandal In The Wind: Dusty Springfield
Report and Interview by Len Brown, NME, 1989
Style Council, The : Style Council: The Cost Of Loving (Polydor)
Review by Len Brown, NME, February 1987
Sundays, The : They Do Like Sundays
Interview by Len Brown, Vox, January 1991
Jennifer Warnes: Famous Blue Raincoat (RCA)
Review by Len Brown, NME, June 1987
Weather Prophets, The : Singing In The Rain: The Weather Prophets
Interview by Len Brown, NME, March 1987
Weather Prophets, The : The Weather Prophets: Diesel River
Review by Len Brown, NME, November 1986
Weather Prophets, The : The Weather Prophets: Judges Juries & Horsemen (Creation)
Review by Len Brown, NME, May 1988
Wet Wet Wet: Scream! Scream! Scream!
Interview by Len Brown, NME, August 1987
Tony Wilson : Division On: Joy Division
Interview by Len Brown, NME, May 1990
Wonder Stuff, The : The House of Love, The Darling Buds and The Wonder Stuff: Tomorrow Belongs To Us
Interview by Len Brown, NME, January 1989
Woodentops, The : The Woodentops: Walk Tall List of genre pieces "I Know Where Syd Barrett Lives"
Interview by Len Brown, NME, July 1986
Interview by Len Brown,
Joe Boyd: Elephant Man
Profile and Interview by Len Brown, unpublished, March 1989
Never Mind The Balkans: The New Bulgaria
Report by Len Brown, NME, March 1988
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