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137 articles

Bill Haley Hits Britain

Report by Tony Brown, Melody Maker, 9 February 1957

AT 2.55PM on Tuesday, the organised and highly publicised reception for Bill Haley looked like being a flop. A few couples, exhorted by precariously perched ...

Kenny Ball, Acker Bilk, Maureen Evans, Adam Faith, Clinton Ford, Bob Miller & the Millermen, Matt Monro, Bert Weedon: Adam Faith, Acker Bilk, Matt Monro et al: Beat Show, Royal Albert Hall, London

Live Review by Norman Jopling, Record Mirror, 29 April 1961

Bad Manners At Beat Show ...

The Beatles: Part III Of 'The Year Of The Beatles': It's Like Living It Up With Four Marx Brothers

Profile and Interview by Maureen Cleave, The Evening Standard, 19 October 1963

EACH BEATLE differs so much from the other Beatles that it's odd they get on so well together. They like each other best. "We are ...

The Beatles: Beatles look at New York — from behind barricades

Report by Maureen Cleave, The Evening Standard, 8 February 1964

AND THEY'RE JUST POTTY WITH JOY ...

The Beatles: Beatles' Wisecracks Win the Day

Report by Maureen Cleave, The Evening Standard, 11 February 1964

NEW YORK, Tuesday. — The American Press had a go at the Beatles yesterday. They stayed with them from ten in the morning until seven ...

The Beatles: I Love Them All, Says Ringo

Report and Interview by Maureen Cleave, The Evening Standard, 22 February 1964

THERE WERE 8000 on the roof. A thousand running through the building. And police galore. ...

The Beatles, Cilla Black, The Rolling Stones, Dusty Springfield, Tommy Steele, Marty Wilde: Should A Pop Star Marry?

Report by Peter Jones, Norman Jopling, Record Mirror, 16 May 1964

Norman Jopling and Peter Jones take a look at the pros and cons of pop star marriages ...

The Beatles: Beatles' Triumphant Return Home

Report by Bill Harry, Mersey Beat, 16 July 1964

Liverpool Airport — 5pm ...

The Beatles on Wax

Report by Sylvia Stephens, Fabulous, 3 October 1964

I FOUGHT my way past the body of Napoleon lying in state, having already paid my respects to Nelson dying at Trafalgar, turned my head ...

The Beatles, Georgie Fame, The Honeycombs, The Kinks, The Rolling Stones: The No.1 Boys

Interview by Sylvia Stephens, Fabulous, 15 May 1965

Who are the girls in the lives of the chart topping boys? Who are the girls who know them, who have encouraged them, who have ...

The Animals, The Beatles, Wayne Fontana & The Mindbenders, Herman's Hermits, Paul Jones, The Rolling Stones: A Touch of Magic

Comment by Dawn James, Rave, August 1965

WARMTH, TINGLE, love. Eyes that penetrate to the farthest seats in the theatre. Magnetism by a fragile body. A person, just like any other, only ...

The Beatles, The Dave Clark Five, Marianne Faithfull, Gerry & The Pacemakers, Jonathan King, Lulu, Manfred Mann, The Moody Blues, The Walker Brothers: How To Get Our Autograph — And Live!

Interview by uncredited writer, Disc, 14 August 1965

* stage door routine * butter-up compere * through fan club ...

The Rolling Stones: When Irish Fans Are Punching

Report by Alan Walsh, Melody Maker, 11 September 1965

ALAN WALSH, MM MAN-ON-THE-SPOT, REPORTS THE STONES' IRISH TOUR ...

The Rolling Stones: Rolling Stones Tour: WILD! that's the scene for the next four weeks, says MICK JAGGER

Interview by Alan Smith, New Musical Express, 24 September 1965

IN THE SPACE of four weeks 100,000 people will sit, and stand, and scream. More than 90,000 ice-creams and hysteria-cooling drinks will be sold. Hot, ...

The Beatles: What Causes Beatlemania?

Report by Eden, KRLA Beat, 9 October 1965

YOU'VE SEEN it hundreds of times before — in mob scenes at airports, in screaming crowds of fans at concerts, even in one's and two's ...

Manfred Mann: Manfreds Bounce Czechs

Interview by Nick Jones, Melody Maker, 23 October 1965

BEAT GOES EAST AND FINDS NO RED SQUARES ...

The Beatles: London Turns On The Beatlemania

Report by Alan Smith, New Musical Express, 17 December 1965

Another tour special by ALAN SMITH ...

The Beatles, Paul McCartney: Now Only Beatle Left — What Will Happen To Paul?

Comment by Louise Criscione, KRLA Beat, 12 March 1966

AND NOW there is only one — unmarried Beatle, that is. What will become of Paul McCartney now that he is the sole eligible (?) ...

The Walker Brothers: Walker Brothers: Does John Maus miss the cream?

Report and Interview by Penny Valentine, Disc and Music Echo, 23 July 1966

THIS WEEK, into Disc and Music Echo's offices, appeared the following tome: "We have all had enough of Scott Engel. Even Gary gets more attention ...

The Beatles, The Rolling Stones: Beatle Fans Defecting To Stone-Side Of Fence?

Report by Eden, KRLA Beat, 30 July 1966

WE BUILD THEM UP — we idolize them — we lay the physical manifestations of adulation, worship, and success at their feet. ...

The Clancy Brothers, Shirley Collins, The Lovin' Spoonful, Phil Ochs, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Pete Seeger: Newport Festival: Teenage Takeover In Millionaires' Playground

Report by Lillian Roxon, Sydney Morning Herald, the, 31 July 1966

Once again rebellious young rock 'n' rollers have turned exclusive Newport into a riot city of jazz and festival From LILLIAN ROXON, who visited Newport, U.S., ...

The Beatles, The Cyrkle, Bobby Hebb, The Remains, The Ronettes: The Beatles, the Ronettes et al: Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles CA

Live Review by Pete Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 29 August 1966

40,000 Yell, Weep as Beatles Belt Out 10 Hits at Stadium ...

Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich, The Troggs, The Walker Brothers: The Walker Brothers, the Troggs, Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich: Granada, East Ham, London

Live Review by Penny Valentine, Disc and Music Echo, 8 October 1966

They're Off! Walkers, Troggs, Dave Dee ...

Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Tich, The Hollies, The Mindbenders: Scrubbers – The Facts

Report by Alan Walsh, Melody Maker, 10 December 1966

ALAN WALSH investigates the WORLD OF THE FEMALE POP FAN ...

The Monkees: Monkees a Target on Stage — 'Please Don't Throw Things'

Report by Loraine Alterman, Detroit Free Press, 20 January 1967

SCREAMING. Jumping up on seats. Flashbulbs popping and then whizzing by onto the stage. Sobbing and hysteria. Police dragging kicking, clawing insanely crying girls out. ...

Madeline Bell, Dusty Springfield: Madeline Bell: Demon Phone Calls Drive Dusty Crazy

Interview by uncredited writer, Disc and Music Echo, 18 March 1967

DUSTY SPRINGFIELD and flatmate Madeline Bell are, unhappily, on the move again. ...

The Beatles, Chuck Berry: Boos, Jeers Greet Two Beatles At Berry Show

Report by uncredited writer, KRLA Beat, 25 March 1967

LONDON — JOHN Lennon, Ringo Starr and their manager, Brian Epstein, were the object of booing and jeering from the audience at the Epstein owned ...

The Beatles, The Monkees, Elvis Presley, The Rolling Stones, The Small Faces, The Walker Brothers: The Worshippers

Interview by Dawn James, Rave, June 1967

Fans make success for a pop star — more than money, more than influence, more than talent. But what are fans? Why do they remain ...

The Who: The Zombie Cometh!

Comment by Nick Jones, Melody Maker, 7 October 1967

NICK JONES is worried about British pop audiences. Here he explains why. ...

The Who: Hippodrome, Bristol

Live Review by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 13 December 1969

Smoke bombs and a bare bottom at the Hippodrome Richard Williams reports on the Who's incident-packed concert in Bristol ...

Simon & Garfunkel: Simon and Garfunkel's Amazing Reaction to London Concert

Comment by Miranda Ward, New Musical Express, 2 May 1970

AUDIENCE HYSTERIA DISMAYED THEM ...

Jimi Hendrix Experience: Berkeley Community Theater, Berkeley CA

Live Review by Philip Elwood, The San Francisco Examiner, 1 June 1970

Musical Trips With Hendrix ...

Bob Dylan: They Won't Invite Bob

Report by Lillian Roxon, Sydney Morning Herald, the, 18 April 1971

BOB DYLAN is having a birthday party the day he turns 30 — May 23 — and everyone's invited except him. ...

Sounds Of The Seventies: Characters Find Oldies Shop

Interview by Mike Jahn, Baltimore Sun, 27 June 1971

GO INTO YOUR average record store — the one with the Emerson, Lake and Palmer and Tom Jones covers all over the walls — and ...

Grand Funk Railroad, John Sebastian: Is this the end of the festival?

Report by Lillian Roxon, Sydney Morning Herald, the, 17 July 1971

LAST WEEK was not a very nice week for rock music. ...

Mott The Hoople: This Group Means T-R-O-U-B-L-E

Interview by Roy Carr, New Musical Express, 11 September 1971

...or that's what some promoters think as Mott The Hoople face the same hang-ups that the Rolling Stones once experienced It's unfair, as any fan knows, ...

Black Sabbath, Stoneground, Sweathog: Long Beach Arena, Long Beach CA

Live Review by John Mendelssohn, Los Angeles Times, 27 September 1971

CONSIDERING THAT Black Sabbath's popularity seems to be increasing almost logarithmically, as was suggested by its filling to capacity the enormous Long Beach Arena Saturday ...

The Osmonds: Madison Square Garden, New York NY

Live Review by Lillian Roxon, New York Sunday News, 5 December 1971

Don't Knock Cradle Rock ...

There is Chaos at the Concert

Comment by Philip Elwood, The San Francisco Examiner, 19 December 1971

AUDIENCE BEHAVIOR at rock concerts has deteriorated in recent months. Near anarchy exists in many portions of the concert halls. ...

T. Rex: Gliderdrome, Boston, Lincs.

Live Review by James Johnson, New Musical Express, 22 January 1972

REXMANIA At the Boston Gliderdrome on Saturday, T. Rex turned the musical dock back to the early sixties. In scenes of hysteria and confusion unparalleled since ...

David Bowie: The Elvis Of the Seventies

Comment by Lillian Roxon, New York Sunday News, 18 June 1972

IT WAS just after the Elvis concert and David Bowie and I were sitting in his suite at the Park Lane Hotel (that's where record ...

The Jackson 5: Jackson 5: Black and Talented

Report by Lillian Roxon, New York Sunday News, 9 July 1972

I THOUGHT I was going; to die. There was just me, them — and him. Not a soul over 16 in sight, just me entirely ...

Leon Russell, Loudon Wainwright III: The Perils of a Rock and Roll Reporter

Report by Lillian Roxon, New York Sunday News, 1 October 1972

WITH INFINITE sadness and deep sorrow, I would like to announce I won't be covering any more events at the Nassau Coliseum, unless I am ...

The Jackson 5: On Tour With The Jackson 5

Report by Robin Katz, Record Mirror, 11 November 1972

Robin Katz goes behind the scenes to report on America's top soul group. ...

The Jackson 5, Jermaine Jackson: Let's Hear a Scream For the Jackson Five

Profile by Lillian Roxon, New York Sunday News, 17 June 1973

"Hey, Jackson Five fan! Look at all this outasight J-5 groovy good stuff you can order! Hurry! Send away today! Fast delivery! Money-back guarantee" ...

Donny Osmond, The Osmonds: The Osmonds Fan Club

Interview by Tony Stewart, New Musical Express, 13 October 1973

TONY STEWART meets a mother to 60,000 gymslips ...

Hollywood Special: Elements Of Style

Report by Dave Marsh, Creem, August 1974

I Was Afraid They'd All Be California Girls ...

Dr. Demento's Record Mementos

Interview by Judith Sims, Rolling Stone, 8 May 1975

LOS ANGELES — 'Shaving Cream', a 1947 song by Paul Wynn, was an unlikely candidate for the Number One rating on the nation's most popular ...

The Osmonds: Mass Masochism In Belgravia — The Story of O

Report by Pete Makowski, Sounds, 7 June 1975

Young girls spend hours queuing in Eaton Square in the hope of catching a glimpse of the Osmond Brothers pop group. Some of them get ...

Average White Band: Crisis At Cobo Hall

Interview by Frank Bach, The Ann Arbor Sun, 3 September 1976

Alan Gorrie Talks to The Sun ...

Golden Oldies: Vintage Vinyl Treasures

Report and Interview by Ed Jones, New Society, 28 April 1977

PSST! WANNA beat inflation? Here's how. Go up to the attic, and dust off those scratchy rock'n'roll singles you so heartlessly discarded in the late ...

Slaughter and the Dogs: Slaughter & the Dogs: Stop spitting, punks

Report by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 21 January 1978

SLAUGHTER AND the Dogs are not one of the great groups of our time, even by the light of punk rock. But they deserve better ...

The Michael Ochs Archives: An Obsession that Grew Into a Business

Interview by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 11 April 1980

MICHAEL OCHS was caught red-handed in 1958 stealing a copy of the Five Shillings' 'Letter to an Angel' single from a Columbus, Ohio, department store. ...

The Clash, Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five, The Mo-dettes: The Clash: The Foul-Up

Report and Interview by Julie Panebianco, Boston Rock, 25 June 1981

THE LIGHTS dimmed. Dramatic Spanish bolero music from Clint Eastwood's For a Few Dollars More came on over the speakers, and the spotlights roamed from ...

The Bay City Rollers: Androgynous Heartthrobs

Essay by Sheryl Garratt, Collusion, June 1982

Rifling through her mid-70s scrapbooks, Sheryl Garratt reassesses a formative obsession and finds that the standard socio-rock explanations just don't add up. Blanded-out pop music ...

Wanted: a Rock Valhalla for the Golden Oldies

Comment by Mick Brown, The Guardian, 4 August 1983

Up and down the country sweet little sixteens have just about half a million signed autographs. In fact, all the best rock 'n' roll memorabilia ...

Bruce Springsteen... More Than Just Words?

Report by Richard Cromelin, Los Angeles Times, 30 September 1985

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN closes his 15-month world tour tonight and Wednesday at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum as more than just the biggest star in rock. ...

Ozzy Osbourne: A Mad Man in Japan

Report and Interview by Tom Hibbert, Smash Hits, 30 July 1986

"They're great, the Japs... they do everything I do. Stick my hand in the air and a thousand hands go up. If I got me ...

The Beatles: Four Who Dared : Backstage With the Beatles on Their Last Tour

Retrospective by Judith Sims, Los Angeles Times, 3 August 1986

Twenty years ago this month, the Beatles, on their third American tour, staged 18 concerts in 14 cities and played to more than 450,000 screaming ...

The Blow Monkeys, Marianne Faithfull, Elvis Presley, U2: Elvis: The Million Dollar Bonanza

Report by Mat Snow, Sounds, 15 August 1987

On the tenth anniversary of ELVIS PRESLEY's death, MAT SNOW makes a pilgrimage to Graceland and reports on the thriving industry at rock 'n' roll's ...

Def Leppard: Rock's New Gift of Garb

Report and Interview by Michael Goldberg, Rolling Stone, 3 November 1988

Once maligned, concert merchandising is now rock's hottest business ...

Scalped: Why you can't get good concert seats

Report by Michael Goldberg, Rolling Stone, 17 November 1988

WHEN RHONDA Stofko and June Iacovello entered the New Rochelle Mall, in the suburbs of New York, at 7:30 one morning in August to purchase ...

New Kids On The Block, Tommy Page, Tiffany: New Kids on the Block, Tiffany, Tommy Page: Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia MD

Live Review by Geoffrey Himes, Evening Sun (Baltimore), The , 31 July 1989

5 Kids, 5,000 screamers produce A YYYEEEEEYEYEOHOOOWWWW!!! ...

Cleveland Affirms Rock Hall of Fame Deal

Report by Michael Goldberg, Rolling Stone, 10 August 1989

City must raise funds by mid-November ...

Jimi Hendrix, Paul McCartney, Ozzy Osbourne, Prince, Sex Pistols: Do I hear £180,000?

Report by Adrian Deevoy, Q, July 1990

Indeed you do... for the guitar Hendrix played at Woodstock. But it's considerably less for a life-size oil painting of Ozzy Osbourne. Adrian Deevoy examines ...

Michael Jackson: The Day I Went To Michael Jackson's House…

Report by William Shaw, Smash Hits, 3 October 1990

Imagine… you go to Michael Jackson's house, he introduces you to all his animals, you have a cosy chat, a spot of luncheon, go for ...

Grateful Dead: Bring Out Your Dead

Report and Interview by Max Bell, Vox, November 1990

Hey, man. Whatever happened to the summer of love? It’s taking dedication a bit far when in a year, three fans die at Grateful Dead ...

The Birthday Party, Nick Cave, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds: Nick Cave: Worshipping The Son

Interview by Cathi Unsworth, Sounds, 24 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 ...

Guns N' Roses, KISS, Megadeth, Mötley Crüe, Ted Nugent, Ozzy Osbourne, Slaughter, Slayer: Heavy Metal Mania: It's More Than Music

Overview by Deanne Stillman, The New York Times, 12 May 1991

With myriad clubs, fanzines and hair salons, rude dudeness (tattoos included) is a way of life. ...

Record Collections of Shame

Essay by Danny Baker, Q, December 1991

EVER SINCE the Medved Brothers published their Fifty Worst Movies Of All Time, it's been a cinch that a similar, meatier job has been going ...

Big gig let-down

Comment by Caitlin Moran, The Times, 7 November 1992

Caitlin Moran explains why intimate venues rule over anonymous 'Enormous-O-Drome' rock-out stadiums ...

Rock Till They Drop

Report and Interview by Caroline Sullivan, The Guardian, 13 November 1992

Most senior citizens hate pop. But a few still thrill to the sound of a synthesiser ...

Elvis Presley: The god of rock, warts and all

Comment by Caitlin Moran, The Times, 13 February 1993

"Dead Elvis is the western world's new Christ figure" — discuss ...

Belly: The Exploding Gastric Inevitable

Interview by John Harris, Melody Maker, 12 June 1993

Indie sex kitten, superstar, classic songwriter, gender traitor, fairy tale princess — these are just some of the inevitable praises and insults levelled at TANYA ...

Bros, East 17, Let Loose, Take That, Worlds Apart: Pop Goes The Bubblegum

Report by Caroline Sullivan, The Guardian, 18 June 1993

Teenybopper bands were once besieged by fans wherever they went. The new generation's tame in comparison. Why? ...

Tony Bennett, Black Sabbath, Heart, KISS, Raging Slab, Sepultura, Sir Mix-a-Lot, Spyro Gyra, Loudon Wainwright III: My Weirdest Gig

Report and Interview by Roy Trakin, Musician, February 1994

Collapsing stages in Japan! Elephant farts in Vegas! Eskimo shows in Alaska! A Survey of Abominable Venues and Disastrous Shows! ...

Morrissey, The Smiths: Morrissey and The Smiths: There's A Place In Hell For Me And My Friends

Retrospective by Dave Thompson, Goldmine, 4 March 1994

IN JUNE 1984, Rolling Stone journalist James Henke asked Britain's latest rising superstar, Smiths vocalist Morrissey, for his opinions on the British Prime Minister, Margaret ...

Grateful Dead: March of the Deadheads

Report by Frank Broughton, i-D, August 1994

The Grateful Dead are the focus for the surviving remnants of America's counterculture: the Deadheads, a colourful bunch of travelling hippies who have created a ...

The Bay City Rollers: Bay City Rollers: About Men, About Women

Book Excerpt by Sheryl Garratt, The Observer, 6 November 1994

Sheryl Garratt blushes to recall the badges, banners and hystericaleuphoria of belonging to a teenybopper gang — but mourns thesense of togetherness lost when real ...

How To Get Backstage

Guide by Caroline Sullivan, The Guardian, 25 November 1994

Feeling brazen? Ready to crawl? Caroline Sullivan offers the definitive guide to bum-rushing the show ...

Kurt Cobain, Manic Street Preachers: Cries that won't go away

Comment by Caitlin Moran, The Times, 21 April 1995

When a pop icon disappears or kills himself, teenagers recognise that their own despair is being mirrored. ...

Dodgy, Menswear, The Prodigy: Glastonbury: "Like Croatia with a bit of music"

Report by Sylvia Patterson, New Musical Express, 1 July 1995

So, apart from ace music, what was it actually like "out there" on the fringes of Glasto's thrilling fields? SYLVIA PATTERSON ventured far to bring ...

Be gentle with me! Reading & Donington — The Kerrang! Survival Guide

Guide by Paul Elliott, Kerrang!, 26 August 1995

Are you a festival virgin? Is it your first time? Don't end up face down in a muddy puddle — read the Big K! survival ...

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Report by Eric Weisbard, Spin, December 1995

THE ROCK and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum opened in Cleveland this past Labor Day weekend, amid vast hype and a thinner layer of ...

Trainspotters: Sad All Over

Report by Bethan Cole, Mixmag, December 1995

Trainspotting, eh? We all do it, to one extent or another. But there are people who go that little bit further. People who take it to extremes. Who let collecting, buying ...

Bob Dylan: He's glum, he's 55 and he sang at Hyde Park. So who listens now?

Comment by Andy Beckett, The Independent, 29 June 1996

"DON'T WRITE that we're all old hippies," said the Dylan fan, short-haired, hatchet-faced and over 40. He walked off across the bookshop, handing out set ...

Bis, Sarah Cracknell, Elastica, Garbage, Shampoo, Sleeper: The Young Pretenders

Report by Susan Corrigan, The Guardian, 17 July 1996

Susan Corrigan talks to the teenagers with stars in their eyes. ...

The Beatles: The Apple Scruffs: "We're waiting for The Beatles"

Retrospective by Cliff Jones, MOJO, October 1996

Spookily present wherever The Beatles went and finally immortalised in song by George, the Apple Scruffs bore a privileged witness to all the highs and ...

Boomtown Rats, The Rolling Stones, Shed Seven: It's an ugly business

Comment by Barbara Ellen, The Observer, 21 June 1998

Pop rant: Why do male rock stars have faces like bags of spanners? ...

Full Circle

Report by Tom Cox, The Guardian, 20 October 1998

In one of the most startling comebacks in music history, Tom Cox is delighted to find that sales of turntables and crackly old vinyl records ...

Bob Dylan: Judas!

Retrospective by Andy Gill, The Independent, 23 January 1999

1966. The night popular music changed for ever. Bob Dylan swapped his acoustic guitar for a Stratocaster and one fan lost his cool. This is ...

The Bay City Rollers: Standing the Butt-Test of Time

Report by Caroline Sullivan, The Guardian, 29 May 1999

The Bay City Rollers were the Boyzone of their day — only bigger. And their fans, including Caroline Sullivan, still pay homage ...

The Bay City Rollers: My tartan heart

Retrospective by Caroline Sullivan, The Guardian, 18 October 1999

Caroline Sullivan reflects on the life and love of a teenage Bay City Rollers fan ...

Oasis: Fan-ish Inquisition, Pt. 1

Interview by Ted Kessler, New Musical Express, 19 February 2000

Go Letter It Out. The New Oasis. Your Questions! Their answers! Oh no, it's…the fan-ish inquisition. In the first of a two-part interview with Oasis, ...

DJ Shadow: King of the Vinyl Junkies

Report and Interview by Chris Campion, Daily Telegraph, 6 June 2002

DJ Shadow revolutionised hip hop with his first album and toured the world with Radiohead, but he is still regarded as a record-collecting nerd, he ...

Grateful Dead: A Long, Staid Trip: How Deadheads ruined the Grateful Dead

Book Review by Marc Weingarten, Slate, 30 August 2002

"THERE IS nothing like a Grateful Dead Concert," the old bumper stickers read. After attending my first 10 Dead shows, I soon realized this wasn't ...

John Otway: All aboard the Otway express

Interview by Adam Sweeting, The Guardian, 3 October 2002

The one-hit wonder behind 'Really Free' is returning to the charts, with a bit of help from Chiltern Railways, Mystic Meg ... and Adam Sweeting ...

The Clash: Vanilla Tapes

Report and Interview by Fred Mills, Harp, November 2004

THE VANILLA material is clearly aimed at Clash collectors who routinely snap up underground recordings of the band. As Simonon himself freely volunteered, he’s not ...

The Fiery Furnaces, Pete Townshend, The Who: The iJamming! interview: Fiery Furnaces' Matt Friedberger

Interview by Tony Fletcher, iJamming.net, January 2005

FOR A Q magazine Special Edition on Icons, published in November 2004, I was commissioned to write profiles on Pete Townshend and Joe Strummer. To ...

Elvis Presley: Elvis Slept Here ... and here and here

Report and Interview by Andria Lisle, Memphis Flyer, 12 August 2005

Keeping house for the King ...

Sinéad O'Connor, Liz Phair: Playing Against Type: When Musicians Change, They Risk Alienating Fans

Report and Interview by Will Hermes, The New York Times, 17 October 2005

WHEN JOHNNY CASH returned to the spotlight in 1994 with American Recordings, the first in a series of records that presented him as a folkie ...

Aphex Twin, Barrabas, Vashti Bunyan, Terry Callier, Prince, Labi Siffre, R. Dean Taylor, Underworld: The 40 Most Collectible Records

Guide by Bill Brewster, Mixmag, 2006

Okay, so it's not really the 40 most collectable records (if it was, it would contain nothing but doo-wop, northern soul and classical music). It's ...

The Beatles, Lonnie Donegan, Johnny Kidd & The Pirates: Hello Me Ol' Mateys: the BBC's Saturday Club

Retrospective by Spencer Leigh, Now Dig This, March 2006

Spencer Leigh returns to the BBC Written Archives for an appraisal of Saturday Club. ...

The Doors: Perception

Review by David Cavanagh, Uncut, January 2007

The Compleat Jimbo and co on six CDs and six DVDs… "No one here gets out alive!" ...

Wear Your Heart on Your Sleeves: The Lost Art of the Mix Tape

Memoir by Sean O'Hagan, The Observer, 28 January 2007

LAST WEEK, while preparing to write this piece, I did something I have not done for a long time. I made a compilation tape. Back ...

Desperate Man Blues – Discovering The Roots of American Music

Film/DVD/TV Review by Tony Burke, Blues & Rhythm, March 2007

JOE BUSSARD, "King Of Record Collectors", would be an excellent contributor to the UK television series 'Grumpy Old Men'. ...

Jeff Buckley, Elliott Smith: Elliott Smith et al: It's All Too Beautiful

Report by Graeme Thomson, The Word, June 2007

Pale eulogies on fan sites are giving even obscure dead musicians a career in the afterlife. But does the net build an idealised version of ...

Kate Nash: Singing oh oh on a Friday night

Interview by Scott McLennan, Rip It Up (Australia), January 2008

WHILE TOM MORELLO strums away in his Nightwatchman guise around the corner, British newcomer Kate Nash is sitting backstage in her dressing room at the ...

Mario Panciera: 45 Revolutions

Book Review by Alex Ogg, Rock's Backpages, 20 March 2009

DISCUSSING MUSICAL encyclopaedias recently reminded me of what is probably the ultimate reference work I have ever encountered: Mario Panciera's completely mind-boggling 45 Revolutions. I ...

Undisputed Heavyweight Champions of the Mix Tape: 30 Years of Transatlantic Friendship on Cassette!

Memoir by Mark Leviton, Rock's Backpages, August 2009

MY ENGLISH FRIEND Neil and I have one of the longest, strangest, and most voluminous correspondences in the history of the world – a correspondence ...

Belle And Sebastian: Love, Belle and Sebastian-style

Interview by Laura Barton, Ian Watson, The Guardian, 30 September 2010

A collection of love songs featuring Norah Jones on vocals — have indie's hippest wallflowers gone mainstream? Not for a second, finds Laura Barton ...

Stars and Girls

Comment by Jude Rogers, House, Spring 2010

They may be sneered at by serious music fans, but boy bands have provided a gateway into womanhood for generations of young females… ...

Elton John: The Man Who Loved Records

Interview by Rob Fitzpatrick, The Word, March 2011

No downloads for Sir Elton John, thank you. No miming either. And don't get him started on Simon Cowell. Rob Fitzpatrick meets a passionate purist ...

5 Seconds Of Summer: Smells Like Teen Spirit

Interview by Toby Creswell, Sydney Morning Herald, the, 20 July 2012

IT WAS LIKE A Hard Day's Night writ small. Four young men alight from an aeroplane confronted by screaming teenage girls. ...

Craig David

Interview by John Lewis, Baku, May 2013

WE'RE AT THE O2 in London to see Craig David's first UK tour in four years, and there's a weird buzz of excitement. Just over ...

The Beatles: I Was A Beatlemaniac

Retrospective by Phil Sutcliffe, Q, May 2013

I DIDN'T GET Elvis because I didn't get sex. Well, that was 1956 and I was eight. But The Beatles… ...

One Direction: Crazy About One Direction, Channel 4

Film/DVD/TV Review by Kieron Tyler, The Arts Desk, 16 August 2013

Lazy and shallow look at the fan phenomenon surrounding the world's biggest boy band ...

David Bowie: David Bowie is: V&A, London

Review by Nicky Charlish, Culture Wars, 9 November 2013

Ziggy Stardust, Aladdin Sane, the Thin White Duke, The Man Who Fell to Earth, the man of seemingly endless identity changes. David Bowie has been ...

The rise, fall and rise again of Rough Trade

Report and Interview by Dorian Lynskey, The Observer, 23 November 2013

Vinyl sales are up and many music fans want an experience that click and buy can't match. As London's pioneering shop opens in New York, ...

Wreath Lecture: Braying Crowds & The Accidental Death of Quiet Music

Comment by David Bennun, The Quietus, 12 December 2013

2013 was the year when crowds talking loudly at gigs became a universal aggravation, writes David Bennun. He asks why this is the case, and ...

Is It All Over For The Album?

Comment by Mick Brown, Daily Telegraph, 31 July 2014

Artists were the kings of vinyl. Now, everyone can create their own digital playlist – but Spotify will never be Pet Sounds. ...

Kate Bush: The Continuing Allure of Kate Bush

Comment by Gillian G. Gaar, Wondering Sound, 26 September 2014

IMMIGRATION AGENTS aren't known for their friendliness. But when my plane touched down at Heathrow Airport in early September, I felt I had a pretty ...

Robert Wyatt: Soundtrack of my life: Robert Wyatt

Interview by Jude Rogers, The Observer, 26 October 2014

The prog-rock pioneer on his love of jazz, falsetto singing, the thrill of meeting Bulgarian folk singers and why Pharrell Williams is as good as ...

Robert Crumb: Shellac Addict

Interview by Larry Jaffee, Wax Poetics, November 2014

While he's known as a '60s counterculture icon for his raunchy yet brilliant comics, illustrator Robert Crumb's heart lies in the '20s and '30s. His ...

The Vinyl Staircase: Transmissions, Margate

Profile and Interview by John Doran, The Quietus, 6 June 2016

John Doran goes to Margate to visit the newly-opened Transmission. ...

Henry Rollins: Why Vinyl Matters: Henry Rollins

Book Excerpt by Jennifer Otter Bickerdike, 'Why Vinyl Matters' (ACC Editions), 2017

HENRY ROLLINS WAS barely out of his teens when he joined the legendary punk band Black Flag. Since parting with the band in 1986, Rollins ...

Metallica: Why Vinyl Matters: Lars Ulrich

Book Excerpt by Jennifer Otter Bickerdike, 'Why Vinyl Matters' (ACC Editions), 2017

LARS ULRICH WAS born in Denmark in 1963. After seeing his first concert at age 10, he became enamoured with the drums. His family moved ...

NOFX: Why Vinyl Matters: Fat Mike

Book Excerpt by Jennifer Otter Bickerdike, 'Why Vinyl Matters' (ACC Editions), January 2017

FAT MIKE, BORN Mike Burkett, is an American musician and producer. He is the bassist and lead vocalist for the punk rock band NOFX and ...

David Bowie: Meet Chas, he's been mad about Bowie since he was a lad

Report by Tim Cooper, The Evening Standard, 1 December 2017

From diehard to recent fans, Tim Cooper spends the night immersed in Bowie fanatics. ...

The Beatles, Miles Davis, Robert Johnson, Grace Jones, Kraftwerk, Massive Attack, Curtis Mayfield, Malcolm McLaren, Frank Ocean, Richard Russell, Gil Scott-Heron, Scritti Politti, Shut Up And Dance, The Specials, Kanye West, Bobby Womack: Richard Russell: Rich Pickings

Interview by Jamie Atkins, Record Collector, March 2018

As Richard Russell's collaborative album, Everything Is Recorded, is released, RC's Jamie Atkins meets him to talk about the recording and the music that led ...

Garth Cartwright: Going For A Song

Book Review by Tony Burke, Morning Star, 24 March 2018

THE RETURN OF the vinyl album and record fairs teaming with "pre-owned" albums, 45s, CDs and even 78s has generated a new interest in the ...

The Beach Boys, Gaz Coombes, The Cure, Brian Eno, Serge Gainsbourg, Harmonia, Inspiral Carpets, Iggy Pop, Elliott Smith, Patti Smith, Spacemen 3, Scott Walker: Gaz Coombes: The World's Strongest Fan

Interview by Jamie Atkins, Record Collector, July 2018

Ever been curious about what's pumping on Gaz Coombes' stereo? RC's Jamie Atkins was, so he headed to Oxfordshire to find out. ...

Michael Rother: "I Enjoy Silence!": Michael Rother's 13 Favourite Albums

Interview by Patrick Clarke, The Quietus, 27 February 2019

With a show at London's Under The Bridge on 5 April, Michael Rother of Neu!, Harmonia, and a newly-boxsetted solo career takes Patrick Clarke through ...

The Beatles: Why the Beatles' Abbey Road reigns supreme 50 years on

Retrospective by David Hepworth, New Statesman, 9 October 2019

The interesting thing about the 1969 record is that it is bigger now than it was then. ...

Sex Pistols, The Stranglers: The true punk confessions of Stuart Pearce

Retrospective and Interview by Ian Winwood, Daily Telegraph, 6 November 2019

ON THE MORNING of the 23rd of June 1996, Stuart Pearce was the most famous person in the country. The previous afternoon, England had beaten ...

The Flamin' Groovies, Kim Fowley, The Stooges: Farewell to Marc Zermati

Memoir by Nick Kent, unpublished, 15 June 2020

IT'S BEEN FIVE hours now since I received the news that Marc Zermati died in his sleep and — as with all deaths of those ...

The Beatles "Meet the..."

Retrospective by Gary Pig Gold, earcandymag.com, 14 January 2021

BEING EIGHT YEARS old in the Toronto suburbs of 1963, I was at the perfect age – and in the perfect place – to, yes, ...

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