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Adam Blake

Adam Blake

Adam Blake was born in Lincoln, England in July 1960 and immediately given a copy of ‘Rocking Goose’ by Johnny and the Hurricanes. What chance did he have? At the age of 18 months his parents moved to London without asking his permission or consulting him in any way and, around this time, it was noted that young Adam was unusually interested in records and had learned how to operate the record player. At four years old, he was taken to see the movie A Hard Day's Night and exposed to the Rolling Stones first album. At eight he bought his own record player. At eleven he started to learn guitar. At seventeen he dropped out of school to become a musician. It's been that way ever since.

Chastened but unrepentant, at the grand old age of 43 Blake divides his time between teaching guitar and bass at various schools that don't know he has no formal qualifications, doing gigs with Errol Linton's Blues Vibe, playing sitar with Cornershop from time to time, playing old records, watching movies, reading and writing. Over the years he has been a pro music journalist - writing for Music Week the UK Music Industry trade paper - and a session bassist for Natacha Atlas, the pseudo-Arabic diva. Just recently he has returned from a successful jaunt to Japan with Errol Linton. He is interested in politics, acting, literature, cartoons but above all music, any music, so long as it's truthful, with heart and humanity. Oh, and a bit of humour helps too...

13 articles

List of articles in the library

By date | By artist | Most recently added

Heaven 17 (1988)

Interview by Adam Blake, Rock's Backpages audio, 1 September 1988

Martyn Ware does most of the talking about Heaven 17's new album Teddy Bear, Duke & Psycho: about the process of recording and their use of samples; their attempts to recreate a '60s R&B sound; the problems with marketing themselves; their the European view of art; their influences; Frank Zappa and associated artists; the current appalling state of pop, especially Stock Aitken Waterman, and their dislike of hip hop and House...

File format: mp3; file size: 29.4mb, interview length: 30' 36" sound quality: ***

The Eagles, Glenn Frey: Glenn Frey (1988)

Interview by Adam Blake, Rock's Backpages audio, 12 September 1988

The former Eagle talks about his latest solo album Soul Searchin': using the Muscle Shoals rhythm section; writing songs on keyboards rather than guitar; modern mixing technology. Glenn also talks about his audience and how his songs sound best in the car. He also talks about putting his movie career on hold.

File format: mp3; file size: 16.6mb, interview length: 16' 15" sound quality: ***

Simon Frith (1988)

Interview by Adam Blake, Rock's Backpages audio, 29 September 1988

The leading pop culture commentator on his latest book, Music for Pleasure: the book as clarification, and academic life vs. rock'n'roll; showbiz vs. pop; where pop is at now; the effects of globalisation; the declining importance of rock; music and capitalism; the space for idiosyncrasy; the impact of sampling; packaging vs. product, and what constitutes bourgeois culture.

File format: mp3; file size: 20.7mb, interview length: 21' 33" sound quality: **

Alice Cooper (1989)

Interview by Adam Blake, Rock's Backpages audio, 18 July 1989

Interviewed at London's Mayfair Hotel, Vincent Furnier's alias talks about his new album Trash and about performing his older material; planning his stage shows; music coming first and theatrics second; the evolution of his theatricality; his current audience; the 'Elected' video and videos today; Alice Cooper vs. Vince Furnier, and being "the ultimate rock villain"; drinking with Jim Morrison and Janis Joplin; his Minister father... and such non-rock influences as John Barry.

File format: mp3; file size: 22.4meg, interview length: 23' 20" sound quality: ***

Adam & The Ants: Adam Ant (1989)

Interview by Adam Blake, Rock's Backpages audio, 12 December 1989

The foremost Antperson talks about how his time at art school informed his musical life; his changes of style and concept; the realtionship between songs and videos; getting into acting, and acting vs. music; new album Manners & Physique and his interest in the Regency era; working with Kevin Rowland; his punk days, indie label rip-offs, and Derek Jarman's Jubilee movie; and writing with the Ants' Marco Pirroni.

File format: mp3; file size: 30mb, interview length: 31' 18" sound quality: **

The Detroit Cobras: In Church with the Detroit Cobras

Comment by Adam Blake, Cosmik Debris, 2004

FOR ME, IT happened like this. In April 2003 I was getting a lift back from a session gig courtesy of Ben out of Cornershop, ...

Free: The Ballad of Free

Retrospective by Adam Blake, Cosmik Debris, February 2004

IT'S HARD TO imagine nowadays, but in the strict context of the then-emerging British blues boom, Free were a punk band, and Tons Of Sobs ...

Eric Clapton, Howlin' Wolf, Hubert Sumlin: Talkin' 'Bout A Spoonful: Hubert Sumlin, Eric Clapton and the evolution of blues guitar

Essay by Adam Blake, Cosmik Debris, 22 February 2004

FOR THE RECORD, I would like to state that my favourite bluesmen are Sonny Boy (Aleck 'Rice' Miller) Williamson and Professor Longhair, neither of whom ...

Elvis Presley: Tryin' To Get To Elvis

Essay by Adam Blake, Cosmik Debris, 4 April 2004

IN THE LIBRARY today I put on the Sun Sessions to cheer me up while I was working. When it came around to the bridge ...

The Faces Underrated

Essay by Adam Blake, Cosmik Debris, 25 April 2004

I DECIDED TO make a compilation of The Faces for the usual reason: an anally retentive desire to put all my favourite tracks in one ...

The Slits: Memories Of Ari Up

Memoir by Adam Blake, Rock's Backpages, February 2011

AT THE START OF September 2005 I moved into a new place: a rather Agatha Christie-esque 1930s apartment block at the posh end of Ladbroke ...

The Pretenders: Chrissie Hynde and the Mystery Achievement

Memoir by Adam Blake, Sound of the World (Charlie Gillett Forum), February 2013

WHAT DID YOU do when you were 18? Me, I played in a rock'n'roll band. As I type that, I'm aware of what an arch ...

Hawkwind: In Search Of Hawkwind

Retrospective by Adam Blake, Rock's Backpages, October 2022

SO, IN A FIT of nostalgia for my old Ladbroke Grove stomping ground, I spent rather more money than I anticipated picking up a first ...

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