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Barbara Charone

Barbara Charone

Barbara grew up in Chicago on a steady diet of Rolling Stones and Bob Dylan. She wrote a high school column and then starting freelancing for Chicago Sun Times. She freelanced for NME while at University as Chicago correspondent.

She moved to UK after graduating and joined Sounds. She also freelanced for Rolling Stone, Creem and Crawdaddy in the golden mid-seventies.

She quit when punk started to happen (no correlation) to write an authorised biography on Keith Richards (Life As A Rolling Stone) that came out in the early '80s in UK,US, Germany and Japan.

Barbara joined Warners UK writing press releases in the early '80s and eventually started to do press running their press office for 8 years. She left in 2000 to set up MBC PR with Moira Bellas. Clients include Madonna, Primal Scream, REM and Rufus Wainwright.

She has supported Chelsea religiously since 1979.

 

BC on the RBP podcast

190 articles

List of articles in the library

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Fleetwood Mac: The Fleetwood Mac of Today

Interview by Barbara Charone, New Musical Express, 16 June 1973

FLEETWOOD MAC have been through a lot of changes since the club days. What began as a straight blues band has progressed into new musical ...

Junior Campbell, Marmalade: Junior Campbell: Hallelujah Campbell

Interview by Barbara Charone, New Musical Express, 23 June 1973

JUNIOR CAMPBELL is one artist with a hit single who you won't find on stage. After 10 years with Marmalade, he's content to take things ...

Allen Toussaint, Producing the New Orleans Feel

Interview by Barbara Charone, New Musical Express, 14 July 1973

QUESTION: What could Alvin Lee, Frankie Miller, Mac 'Dr. John' Rebennack, Robbie Robertson and Lee Dorsey possibly have in common? Answer: Allen Toussaint. ...

Brinsley Schwarz: Beware of the Rock Machine: Brinsley Schwarz

Interview by Barbara Charone, New Musical Express, 14 July 1973

BRINSLEY SCHWARZ are playing nice clean rock 'n' roll these days – but they're wary of getting caught up in that rock 'n' roll machine. ...

The Who: Bang A Gong The Who Get It On

Report by Barbara Charone, New Musical Express, 11 August 1973

THE MAN across the road didn't really understand why Keith Moon was standing in the pouring rain, beating on a Paiste gong outside the Who's ...

Stackridge: Lummy Days Are Over, Stackridge Move On…

Interview by Barbara Charone, New Musical Express, 18 August 1973

ONCE BILLED as the Almost Greatest Show On Earth, those remarkable young men from the West Country known collectively as Stackridge are currently at work ...

Genesis: The Man Behind The Mask

Interview by Barbara Charone, New Musical Express, 25 August 1973

THE MUSIC world rarely awakens before noon, but I met Peter Gabriel at the unlikely hour of 9.30 a.m. Genesis, having finished their Selling England ...

Genesis: No Exodus Yet for Genesis

Interview by Barbara Charone, New Musical Express, 25 August 1973

"OBVIOUSLY we're out of the public's attention – but we come back that much stronger; some bands seem afraid to take time off; they feel ...

Babe Ruth: Oh Babe

Report and Interview by Barbara Charone, New Musical Express, 1 September 1973

BARBARA CHARONE TAKES THE HIGH ROAD WITH BABE RUTH. ALL THE WAY TO WICK, CAITHNESS – A MERE CABER-TOSS FROM JOHN O' GROATS. AND DISCOVERS ...

Genesis: Selling England By the Pound (Charisma)

Review by Barbara Charone, New Musical Express, 29 September 1973

GENESIS FANS unite, stand proud and be counted; get ready to say 'I told you so' to all those people who have been doubting your ...

Genesis: Peter Gabriel Talks

Interview by Barbara Charone, New Musical Express, 13 October 1973

THE MUSIC world rarely awakens before noon, but I met Peter Gabriel at the unlikely hour of 9.30 a.m. Genesis, having finished their 'Selling England ...

Stephen Stills: Behind The Malicious Rumours

Interview by Barbara Charone, New Musical Express, 27 October 1973

EVER SINCE he wrote 'For What It's Worth' Stephen Stills has had his share of criticism. And oddly enough it's often been more personal than ...

Slade's Better Class Of Kidz

Report and Interview by Barbara Charone, New Musical Express, 10 November 1973

THIS TIME around, Slade are making a dent in the American market. Armed with a new record company and determined to knock 'em dead, the ...

Aretha Franklin: With Everything I Feel In Me (Atlantic)

Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 1974

IT'S A sorry state of affairs when you put a new Aretha Franklin album on the turntable and it blends into the woodwork with the ...

The Band, Bob Dylan: Bob Dylan & The Band: Night of the Zimmerman

Report by Barbara Charone, New Musical Express, 19 January 1974

CHICAGO, ILLINIOS – land of Lincoln, booming metropolis of the Mid-West, heart of Middle America. Not as sophisticated as New York, nor as small as ...

Joni Mitchell, Tom Scott: Joni Mitchell and Tom Scott: Lost Innocence with a Rock and Roll Band

Report and Interview by Barbara Charone, New Musical Express, 9 February 1974

JONI MITCHELL, no longer an innocent folkie, has turned her back on the garden for rockier pastures. Yep the times certainly are changing. ...

Linda Ronstadt: Ronstadt Country

Interview by Barbara Charone, New Musical Express, 16 February 1974

TIME WAS when being a country music fan was difficult going. You could secretly dig people like Dolly Parton or Charlie Rich but it wasn't ...

Roger McGuinn: Spacemen in my garden

Interview by Barbara Charone, New Musical Express, 23 February 1974

ROGER McGUINN has been around a long time. Way before the Byrds, he was with the Chad Mitchell trio – superstars of the Peter, Paul ...

Crosby Stills Nash & Young, Stephen Stills: CSN&Y: Euphoric Acoustic Good Guys Hit The Dylan Trail

Interview by Barbara Charone, New Musical Express, 16 March 1974

"WELCOME AMERICAN Dairymen" read the hotel display-board and beneath it, in smaller letters, "Welcome Stephen Stills Group". Upstairs, overlooking Chicago in just another hotel room, ...

Genesis Is The Start Of Something?

Report by Barbara Charone, New Musical Express, 16 March 1974

ARRIVING AT THE seedy looking Capitol Theatre, New Jersey's lower middle-class palace of rock, you could tell something good was going on inside. With even ...

Crosby Stills Nash & Young: CSN&Y Reunion

Report and Interview by Barbara Charone, Zoo World, 25 April 1974

CHICAGO – "Welcome American Dairymen" reads the hotel lobby marquee and beneath it in smaller letters, "Welcome Stephen Stills Group." Upstairs overlooking the city in ...

Lynyrd Skynyrd

Interview by Barbara Charone, Zoo World, 25 April 1974

LYNYRD SKYNYRD are an alcohol band. Steeped in southern blooze, they create that perfect sleazy barroom atmosphere both in concert and on record. ...

Carly Simon, James Taylor: James Taylor: Milwaukee Auditorium, Milwaukee

Live Review by Barbara Charone, Rolling Stone, 6 June 1974

Magic in Milwaukee ...

War: A Street Rod on the Boulevard of Soul

Report and Interview by Barbara Charone, Rolling Stone, 4 July 1974

"SOMETIMES I TELL myself: I'm B.B. Dickerson and I'm in War so I'm going to pull up in front of the Continental Hyatt House in ...

Kiki Dee: Kooky Over Kiki

Interview by Barbara Charone, New Musical Express, 6 July 1974

ALL THE New York City rockers had come down to the Bottom Line to check out Rocket Records' latest entry, Kiki Dee. Elton John and ...

Crosby Stills Nash & Young: A Stadium Fulla People An' Neil Young's Dog An' No Fist Fights

Report and Interview by Barbara Charone, New Musical Express, 3 August 1974

TIME DOES indeed fade away. Four years and lots of solo albums later, 52,000 fans are sitting in the Milwaukee baseball stadium on a Sunday ...

Ray Manzarek Opens a New Door: Jazz

Interview by Barbara Charone, Rolling Stone, 15 August 1974

CHICAGO – "See that guy," Jim Morrison once remarked, pointing to Ray Manzarek: "He is the Doors." Although Morrison received all the attention, it was ...

Eric Clapton, Yvonne Elliman: Yvonne Elliman

Interview by Barbara Charone, New Musical Express, 17 August 1974

How come a lady who'd never played rock music in her life has recently been doing so with RSO record star Eric Clapton? ...

Crosby Stills Nash & Young: CSN&Y: By The Time We Got Through Neasden...

Live Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 21 September 1974

EVERYONE had their doubts. Throughout the daylong musical orgy of all 72,000 paying customers sat in nervous anticipation, enjoying the exceptionally fine music and the ...

Joni Mitchell: Wembley Stadium, London

Live Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 21 September 1974

IN CONCERT, Joni Mitchell is one of those rare performers whose sophisticated charisma and fairy-tale personality reach the inner emotions of her audience. ...

Stephen Stills: An American in Paris

Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 12 October 1974

CROSBY, STILLS, NASH AND YOUNG had only ended their reunion tour three weeks back, and already Stephen Stills was working again. The locale had ...

Pete Brown's Piblokto, Jack Bruce, Cream, West, Bruce & Laing: Jack Bruce: Jack Through The Looking Glass

Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 2 November 1974

THE DARK clouds were playing hide and seek with the sky, ominously threatening rain all the way to Colchester. The wind rustled through the trees ...

The Eagles, The James Gang, Wishbone Ash: Szymczyk's the name, producing's the game

Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 2 November 1974

If you've got albums by the Eagles, Joe Walsh, James Gang, J. Geils Band, Wishbone Ash or B.B. King then you should know who Barbara ...

Kiki Dee: Rocketing Along With Elton

Interview by Barbara Charone, Rolling Stone, 7 November 1974

CHICAGO – The crowds gathering in 32 American cities over 44 dates between September 25th and December 3rd are there to see Elton John – ...

Maria Muldaur: The Muldaur Mystique

Interview by Barbara Charone, Hit Parader, December 1974

MARIA MULDAUR is a tease. That sexy helplessness she exudes by asking 'Won't You Feel My Leg' is only half the story. She'll turn the ...

The Eagles

Interview by Barbara Charone, Hit Parader, January 1975

IF YOU thought blue jeans and sneakers went out with the sixties, better check out the Eagles. Raised on a steady diet of wonder bread ...

Genesis: To Them, It's Only Rock & Role

Interview by Barbara Charone, Rolling Stone, 2 January 1975

LONDON – Having recently sold England by the pound, Genesis and Atlantic Records now turn their attention to the United States, where the esteemed buck ...

Alvin Lee's Long Road To Freedom

Interview by Barbara Charone, Rolling Stone, 13 February 1975

LONDON – Alvin Lee is on the road again, and this time he's not going home. ...

The Faces: Raunchy Faces Back on Tour

Report and Interview by Barbara Charone, Rolling Stone, 27 February 1975

LONDON – "We're playing as one now like our life depended on it," Rod Stewart announced, looking down eagerly at his game pie in a ...

Jack Bruce: Back on Harmony Row

Interview by Barbara Charone, Crawdaddy!, March 1975

COMBINE CREAM, the Stones, and some avant-garde jazz and you've got this year's talk of the town. ...

The Who: The Celluloid Passion Of Roger Daltrey

Interview by Barbara Charone, Crawdaddy!, April 1975

LONDON – "They just don't make records like they used to," the mini-cab driver complained, battling the mid-day London traffic, edging the car towards Battersea. ...

Ian Hunter: Not the Hoople

Interview by Barbara Charone, Rolling Stone, 8 May 1975

LONDON – "Fucking tremendous," Ian Hunter mumbled into Mick Ronson's right ear as his first solo album blasted out of the speakers. The former leader ...

Average White Band: The Spirit is High as The Average White Band Go Out to Haunt the Strip

Report and Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 10 May 1975

Success to these guys means getting better, smoking Rothmans and a few extra patches on their denims. Barbara Charone reports from Los Angeles ...

Joan Armatrading: Reluctant Singer Returns

Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 31 May 1975

"I'M THE most boring person in the whole world," Joan Armatrading announces, sticking her head out the window of A&M's Oxford Street offices, breathing in ...

Leo Sayer: Star Gazing With Leo Sayer

Interview by Barbara Charone, Crawdaddy!, June 1975

THE MATRONLY ladies selling ice creams and chocolates have fled the lobby. The theatre grows dark. A four-piece band ambles out from the wings, barely ...

Ace Strong on ‘How Long’

Report and Interview by Barbara Charone, Rolling Stone, 5 June 1975

THOUGH IT SOUNDS like a song about a stale love affair, ‘How Long’ is the story of an English band struggling to stay together. ...

The Bay City Rollers: Bay City Rollers: Hammersmith Odeon, London

Live Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 7 June 1975

Love and kisses with a drone ...

Frank Sinatra: Royal Albert Hall, London

Live Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 7 June 1975

Charming Frank ...

Bobby Womack, Ronnie Wood: Now Look Here! This is Bobby Womack

Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 14 June 1975

BOBBY WOMACK is confused. Suffering from an overdose of in-the-studio-excitement and jet lag, he sits on the bed of his hotel room cubicle at Blake's, ...

The Rolling Stones: Madison Square Garden, New York NY

Live Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 5 July 1975

Frenetic, laid back Stones ...

Carla Bley, Jack Bruce, Mick Taylor: Bruce and Taylor's Band of Misfits

Interview by Barbara Charone, Rolling Stone, 17 July 1975

LONDON – "I had three choices: give up completely, find a backing group to play my songs mechanically, or become a sideman playing bass in ...

Yvonne Elliman: Eric's Backup Lady

Interview by Barbara Charone, Rolling Stone, 17 July 1975

LONDON – The driver was growing impatient. He had little over an hour to squeeze through rush-hour traffic and deposit Yvonne Elliman on a plane ...

Stephen Stills: Steve Stills A Man Of Magic

Live Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 19 July 1975

Stephen Stills: Lennox, Massachusetts ...

The Faces, The Rolling Stones, Ronnie Wood: 'Now Read' Ronnie Wood

Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 26 July 1975

"HEY MICKIE BAAABY," a disc jockey screams loudly after playing 'Get Off Of My Cloud' for the third time that afternoon for the greater metropolis ...

The Rolling Stones: Keith Richards: The Weasel Walks In

Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 2 August 1975

Barbara Charone talks to Keith Richard, the man who Mick Jagger introduces as 'the guy on sort of vocals' ...

Eric Clapton: EC Was Here (RSO)

Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 16 August 1975

"THE LIVE album," said long time Clapton producer Tom Dowd, "is the answer to everyone saying 'why doesn't Eric play more'?" ...

Stephen Stills: Stills – From Fish Bowl To Pleasure Dome

Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 16 August 1975

THE KANSAS City Holiday Inn is not the kind of place you would want to call home. Situated right off an interstate highway, the rooms ...

Roger Daltrey, The Who: Roger Daltrey: What the Who's Been Doing

Interview by Barbara Charone, Rolling Stone, 11 September 1975

LONDON – "I don't think Tommy held the band back – it's just that nobody wanted to listen to what [else] we were doing. Who's ...

Genesis: The Lamb Lies Down But Genesis Carries On

Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 13 September 1975

THE GATHERING was far from morose. No black clothes or sombre faces. No mourning music or dirge-like drones. No sullen postures, despondent looks or vehement ...

Jethro Tull: Minstrel In The Gallery

Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 13 September 1975

A NEW Jethro Tull album is not the most exciting release in the world these days: not the type of record to force its way ...

David Essex: Roll On For The Main Attraction

Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 20 September 1975

JUST OFF the Fulham Road, round the corner from an old cinema that Manticore have converted into a hollow rehearsal hall, David Essex sits in ...

Dr. Feelgood Is On The Case

Profile and Interview by Barbara Charone, Crawdaddy!, October 1975

LONDON – "Where did they come from?" demanded a rock 'n roll lifer, pointing towards Dr. Feelgood who were entertaining at a star-studded and overstuffed ...

Genesis

Profile and Interview by Barbara Charone, ZigZag, October 1975

"I THINK SOME PEOPLE have a rip-off concept of us," Peter Gabriel remarked with a touch of cynicism as if he'd just had a revelation. ...

Stephen Stills: A Sympathetic Self-Portrait

Report and Interview by Barbara Charone, Crawdaddy!, October 1975

"I'M DRUNK," Stephen Stills is screaming at his manager, Michael John Bowen, standing on the second floor balcony of a seedy Holiday Inn motel, high ...

America: St George To The Rescue

Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 4 October 1975

DEWEY BUNNELL stood in the middle of his Manchester hotel suite, scratched his beard, and grinned. An hour before, Dewey and a couple of his ...

Emmylou Harris Still Loves Her Dolly

Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 4 October 1975

"TACKY ISN'T IT?" Emmylou Harris grinned, pointing to a rainbow coloured T-shirt, the words Palamino Club emblazoned across the chest while a genuine chestnut mare ...

The Who: The Who By Numbers (Polydor) (37.50)

Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 4 October 1975

THE WHO are alright kids. They are back with a vengeance. The first opening attack on 'Slip Kid' quells doubts and settles apprehensions about the ...

Linda Ronstadt: Prisoner In Disguise

Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 11 October 1975

MAYBE IT'S the singer not the song but in the particular case of Linda Ronstadt it is both. Plagued by an unsympathetic selection of material ...

The Who's Bingley Bang

Report by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 11 October 1975

I WAS in a pretty blasphemous mood when I left for Stafford. But the thought of seeing the Who cheered me up. It had been ...

David Essex: Hammersmith Odeon, London

Live Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 25 October 1975

I DONT know how he does it. Five weeks later David Essex ended his British tour with a five night run at the Hammersmith Odeon ...

Eric Clapton: Please Take This Badge Off Of Me

Report and Interview by Barbara Charone, Crawdaddy!, November 1975

Trying to transcend the past, Eric Clapton puts reggae on the laidback burner and rediscovers electricity ...

The Faces, Rod Stewart: Rod Stewart: Rod Jumps Teams

Interview by Barbara Charone, Creem, November 1975

CAN HE CUT IT IN THE AMERICAN LEAGUE? ...

Ace: Time For Another (Anchor) 40 mins****

Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 29 November 1975

FOLLOWING THEIR debut vinyl effort Five A Side and the immense success of 'How Long', both here and in America, it certainly is "Time For Another". Yet ...

Neil Young: Zuma (Warner Brothers)*****

Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 29 November 1975

YOUNG'S NEWLY gained independence, following his split with his old lady, actress Carrie Snodgrass, seems to have had quite a positive effect on his work. ...

The Faces, Rod Stewart: The Faces: Vocalist Wanted for Pro Band

Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 29 November 1975

IT SEEMED like a good idea. After Rod Stewart's predictably flamboyant statements over the Faces future, the band deserved equal time. Would Ian McLagen turn ...

Leo Sayer

Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 6 December 1975

ALTHOUGH the jumper says "Happy Little Leo", the artiste is in a reflective mood this cold day in November despite comic overtures. Black leather jacket, ...

Cockney Rebel, The Kinks: The Kinks, Cockney Rebel: Beacon Theatre, New York

Live Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 13 December 1975

"45 MINUTES of something light and bouncy," Steve Harley promises the audience at the Beacon Theatre one brisk Friday night. Cockney Rebel launch into 'Mr ...

Bob Dylan: Million Dollar Bash

Live Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 20 December 1975

Bob Dylan and The Rolling Thunder Review: Madison Square Garden, NYC ...

Wings: Have Guts Will Travel

Report and Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 20 December 1975

MADELINE HAS come a long way to be here in Manchester at the Midland Hotel. She has come all the way from New Jersey to ...

Emmylou Harris: Emmylou's Four Star Hotel

Review by Barbara Charone, New Musical Express, January 1976

THE ELITE HOTEL is a swell place. It's best to travel there by car on a hot, sunny day with the windows rolled down, a ...

The Faces, The Rolling Stones, Ronnie Wood: Ron Wood: Cast Your Fate To The Wind, The Faces, Or The Rolling Stones

Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 24 January 1976

THE MINI-CAB DRIVER was confused. "Ron Wood," he kept repeating all the way to Richmond. The name was familiar but it's origin was a mystery. ...

Dolly Parton is to Linda Ronstadt and Emmylou Harris what Chuck Berry was to the Rolling Stones and the Who

Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 21 February 1976

IT'S HARD to pick up an article on modern day country music without a reverent mention of Dolly Parton, an influential singer and songwriter who ...

Emmylou Harris: Sweetheart Of The Rodeo

Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 21 February 1976

EXACTLY EIGHT years ago a very uncertain singer stood in the centre of a New York recording studio singing demos to an audience of muzak ...

Emmylou Harris: The Dome, Brighton

Live Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 21 February 1976

"FLOWERS?" Emmylou Harris grinned, staring down at a lovely bouquet hurled onstage as an appreciative thank-you from an ecstatic Brighton crowd. "Hey boys they're not ...

Maria Muldaur: Sweet Harmony (Reprise) *****

Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 28 February 1976

SALVATION HAS come down from the heaven's in the shape of Maria Muldaur's third album which finds the artist growing in leaps and bounds, moving ...

Sweet: Give Us A Wink (RCA) ***

Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 28 February 1976

THE SWEET have changed. That's what everyone kept telling me. No longer the offensive pop group they once were, Sweet now rock'n'roll. So it was ...

The Eagles: Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975 (Asylum) ****

Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 28 February 1976

MORE THAN other greatest hits collections, this album signifies the end of an era for the Eagles. With the departure of Bernie Leadon and the ...

Bill Wyman: Stone Alone (Rolling Stones Records) 40mins***

Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 6 March 1976

WHAT CAN you say about an album that contains contributions from Joe Walsh, Van Morrison, Nicky Hopkins, Ron Wood, Al Kooper, and Dr. John to ...

The Rolling Stones, Bill Wyman: Bill Wyman: Lone Stone

Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 6 March 1976

BILL WYMAN could not stop smiling. He's just received several cassettes full of classic singles by Gary And The US Bonds. Large KLH speakers spread ...

Phoebe Snow: Second Childhood (CBS) 39 mins****

Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 6 March 1976

BEST KNOWN to British audiences for her sing-along duet with Paul Simon on 'Gone At Last', Phoebe Snow is a very talented singer-songwriter who deserves ...

Adam Faith: City Boy

Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 13 March 1976

"ACT LIKE a real shit," the assistant director is coaching Adam Faith on the eve of the West End debut of City Sugar. As disc ...

Nils Lofgren: Cry Tough (A&M) 37 min. *****

Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 27 March 1976

RELAX. THIS kid is hot stuff. Nils Lofgren has not let us down. Cry Tough is the best rock 'n roll album since Nils Lofgren. ...

The Eagles: Desperados in Blue Jeans and Sneakers

Profile and Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 27 March 1976

EXACTLY TWO years ago a very hazy Los Angeles sun shone dimly through the polluted clouds onto the suburban racetrack that housed the California Jam. ...

Wings: Wings At The Speed Of Sound (Parlophone)***

Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 27 March 1976

THERE'S NO other way to say it. Wings At The Speed Of Sound is a major disappointment. ...

Al Green: Full Of Fire (London) ****

Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 3 April 1976

AL GREEN stands in the middle of the ring, caught in combat between an elastic rhythm section and a resilient horn section. Producer/engineer Willie Mitchell ...

Dory Previn: Children Of Coincidence And Harpo Marx (Warner Bros.) ****

Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 3 April 1976

OF THE RANDY Newman/Harry Nilsson school of absurdist, black comedy, Dory Previn unleashes her cryptic wit and dry tongue once again. Hallelujah! Dory Previn albums ...

Joe Walsh: You Can't Argue With A Sick Mind

Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 3 April 1976

LIVE ALBUMS are by rule deadweight, redundant renditions of songs better performed and recorded in the studio. Only the Who with their essential Live at ...

Paul McCartney, Wings: Linda McCartney: Silly Love Songs

Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 3 April 1976

ON A GREY and overcast winter afternoon, two men stand in the foyer of EMI Abbey Road Studios discussing plans for renovation. They are surrounded ...

Neil Young: Young And In Love

Live Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 3 April 1976

Neil Young: Hammersmith Odeon, London ...

Steve Gibbons Band: Steve Gibbons: The Biggest Names In Rock

Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 24 April 1976

THE STEVE Gibbons Band are unique. A seventies rock 'n' roll band with roots firmly embedded in the sixties, they rekindle a fading magical musical ...

The Rolling Stones: Black And Blue (Rolling Stones Records)

Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 24 April 1976

'THE SEVENTIES has witnessed the arrival of several major talents. Singer-songwriters and MOR disco muzak have dominated the charts. Now it looks like Atlantic Records ...

The Rolling Stones: The Gospel According To The Glimmer Twins

Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 24 April 1976

KEITH RICHARD hasn't slept for three days. It's all part of his four day on the road life cycle. He celebrates the occasion with a ...

Nils Lofgren

Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 1 May 1976

"I'M A ROMANTICIST for life," Lofgren says, sprawled on the bed of his third floor room at Swingo's Celebrity Motel. "Three years ago I wanted ...

Emmylou Harris: Bluegrass and Fiddle Festival, Long Beach, California

Live Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 15 May 1976

EMMYLOU HARRIS and her excellent Hot Band just keep getting better. Their headline performance at the fourth annual Bluegrass and Fiddle Festival in Long Beach, ...

Genesis: Supper Is Definitely Ready

Report and Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 15 May 1976

Thursday April 8 ...

Ian Hunter: All American Alien Boy

Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 15 May 1976

AMERICA HAS been good for Ian Hunter. The self portrait he paints on his second solo album All American Alien Boy retains his distinctly British ...

Little Feat: The Roxy, Los Angeles

Live Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 15 May 1976

EVERYBODY WHO is anybody caught Little Feat during their recent three-night stand at the Roxy. That includes Lowell George's mother, Bonnie Raitt, Peter Frampton, Tommy ...

Stephen Stills: Illegal Stills

Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 15 May 1976

THERE'S NOTHING dishonest about Illegal Stills. This is the album guaranteed to enhance Stephen Stills' artistic reputation and regain the sophisticated rock 'n' roll credibility ...

Average White Band: Edinburgh, Scotland

Live Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 22 May 1976

"I'VE GOT an announcement to make," Alan Gorrie told a sold out Edinburgh audience the night after Scotland had beaten England. "If there's any dodgy ...

Crosby Stills Nash & Young, Stephen Stills: Four Way Street Revisited... CSNY Revisited

Report and Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 22 May 1976

How Steve Stills learned to stop worrying about his own solo career and appreciate Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young. A case of deja vu for ...

Average White Band: Young Rascals Searching For Your Soul

Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 29 May 1976

Barbara Charone talks to Scotland's most famous sons, the Average White Band'I'm sure people will put us down...I hope they don't put us down but ...

Little Feat: Presenting The Open Crotch, Maximum Uplift Little Feat

Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 29 May 1976

IF YOU walk down Hollywood Boulevard you really can see all the stars. Marilyn Monroe, Marlon Brando, Cary Grant, James Dean, all imbedded in a ...

Ian Hunter

Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 5 June 1976

THE SHADES remain. Just barely. Relics of some bygone era, those menacing dark glasses throw faint traces of the past around the present. Behind this ...

J. D. Souther: JD Souther: Black Rose (Asylum)****

Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 12 June 1976

THE FIRST time JD Souther toured America it was almost a disaster. Just like LA crony Jackson Browne, JD was microphone shy and mumbled his ...

Rod Stewart: A Night On The Town

Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 12 June 1976

ROD STEWART is back in prime form. Gone are those sterile sounds that plagued Atlantic Crossing and robbed Stewart of his true vocal excellence, replaced ...

The Byrds, Chris Hillman, Firefall: Roger McGuinn: Cardiff Rose, Chris Hillman: Slippin' Away, Firefall: Firefall

Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 12 June 1976

WHAT THESE three soft rock American releases have in common is the Byrds. That's the connection plain and simple. Staunch Byrd-man Roger McGuinn returns from ...

The Who: The Real Thing – Accept No Substitute

Report by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 12 June 1976

"CHARLTON ain't gonna be any better than this," Mick Jagger had flatly declared to a dubious John Entwistle during the first night the Rolling Stones ...

Genesis: Hammersmith Odeon, London

Live Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 19 June 1976

Genesisteria sweeps city – hundreds injured in trick of the tail overdose – five night musical orgy destroys London – thousands converted to Genesis religious ...

The Outlaws: Dixie Chickens

Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 19 June 1976

CHARLIE WHITNEY sat on the Outlaws football club dressing room incessantly raving about their guitarist Hughie Thomason. "It ain't fair," Whitney said slightly intoxicated and ...

Rod Stewart: Never Too Rich To Rock

Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 26 June 1976

"I'M GOING to be evasive," Rod Stewart warned. "More evasive than usual. You evil bitch." ...

The Kinks: The Kinks Greatest – Celluloid Heroes (RCA)

Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 26 June 1976

THE RCA Years. The Seventies Kinks complete with horns and female singers. Part 1 – Fat Flabby Annie versus Mr. Black and the Starmaker. The ...

Warren Zevon: Warren Zevon (Ayslum) ****

Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 26 June 1976

THIS ALBUM is a surprise. With a recent spate of LA flavoured albums released simultaneously I was suffering from a bad case of West Coast ...

The Rolling Stones: Mick Jagger: I Want To Go Out On A Limb

Interview by Barbara Charone, Crawdaddy!, August 1976

PHOTOGRAPHERS ARE hovering around the sedate Scottish hotel lobby like desperate fireflies. They have been buzzing about all afternoon, nervously checking shutter speeds and light ...

Emmylou Harris: Honky Tonk Woman

Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 14 August 1976

Emmylou Harris pleads guilty to not being a genius, but she sure can sing country. BARBARA CHARONE reports. ...

Grateful Dead, New Riders of the Purple Sage, Santana: Grateful Dead: Dead Slay Wembley

Live Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 14 August 1976

JUST LIKE Woodstock. Even before the New Riders of the Purple Sage kicked off Bill Graham's imported California Jam, bad acid circulated the main stand ...

Linda Ronstadt: Hasten Down The Wind (Asylum) ****

Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 21 August 1976

I GREETED the release of this album with the same kind of anticipation one would associate with a new album from the Who or the ...

Rod Stewart

Profile and Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 21 August 1976

ROD STEWART has never been predictable. As a songwriter he thrives on controversial topics. Sandwiched between more conventional songs like 'Maggie May' or 'You Wear ...

The Rolling Stones, Ronnie Wood: Rolling Stones: We're Nearly Famous

Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 21 August 1976

"WHEN bands have been around this long they should be dead and buried," Keith Richard mused. "But we're still here and you have to live ...

Rod Stewart: Lean And Hungry Rod

Interview by Barbara Charone, Crawdaddy!, September 1976

YESTERDAY ROD STEWART wanted his picture taken. Today he's not so sure. Flaunting a carefully arranged scruffy look, the singer strolls into a rented London ...

Linda Ronstadt: Hand Sewn Home Grown

Profile and Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 4 September 1976

THE FIRST I heard of Linda Ronstadt was on the radio. Not that I knew who owned those strong vocal chords. All I knew was ...

The Rolling Stones: Keith Richards: The Pusher Behind The Stones

Interview by Barbara Charone, Creem, October 1976

AT FIVE O'CLOCK in the morning, Keith Richards sits sipping Jack Daniel's in his hotel room 50 miles west of Glasgow on Scotland's coast. ...

Emmylou Harris: My Father's Place, Long Island

Live Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 2 October 1976

NEW ARTISTS consistently better their own past performances. Onstage progression and maturity all too often comes a back seat to the big buck commercialism of ...

Peter Gabriel: Toronto Tales Of The Overkill Kid

Report and Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 2 October 1976

FOR OVER an hour now, some of the world's finest musicians have been rehearsing 16 very complicated bars of music. Several unorthodox time changes present ...

The Who: The Story of the Who

Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 2 October 1976

IT'S NO accident that the most successful Punk Rock bands include at least one Who song in their act. Eddie And The Hot Rods do ...

Eric Clapton: Farther On Up The Road

Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 9 October 1976

DROUGHT? What drought? The green green grass of Surrey looks so healthy you'd think the local farmers had been secretly pumping chlorophyl injections into the ...

David Essex: Out On The Street (CBS) ****

Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 16 October 1976

DAVID ESSEX has arrived at a most interesting junction in his career. Standing at the crossroads, his fourth studio album paints a versatile self-portrait of ...

Aerosmith: Hammersmith Odeon, London

Live Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 23 October 1976

ONE GIRL standing in the ladies queue typified audience expectations. Have you ever seen Aerosmith? "No. I don't think I've even heard them." Then why ...

Deaf School: London School of Economics, London

Live Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 23 October 1976

THE WEEKEND starts here. Right here at the LSE on a Friday night where a bunch of enthusiastic supporters are crammed into the main theatre ...

Wishbone Ash: Return Of The Kings

Report and Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 23 October 1976

Inside this otherwise quiet house in sleepy Connecticut WISHBONE ASH toil to produce the album that will return them to favour with the critics and ...

Leo Sayer: Endless Flight (Chrysalis)*****

Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 30 October 1976

I WAS prepared to hate this album. The diminitive song and dance man had begun losing his inimitable glow. Another Year needed stronger polishing while ...

Rod Stewart: The Redeeming Of Roderick

Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 6 November 1976

"WHY DON'T you come up and see me some time," Mae West drawled one recent Sunday evening on BBC2. ...

Wishbone Ash: New England

Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 6 November 1976

EVEN IN their basement studio during the formulative stages of recording New England, this album sounded good. Rough mixes of the album sounded good in ...

Wishbone Ash: Fairfield Halls, Croydon

Live Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 6 November 1976

"I SAW A band today that will give you guys a scare," someone told Andy Powell in the dressing room after a triumphant concert at ...

Jackson Browne: The Pretender

Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 13 November 1976

JACKSON BROWNE's heart lies bleedin' within the grooves and between the lines of this, his fourth album. These aren't the wimpish tales of MOR anguish ...

Linda Ronstadt: Hey, Mister That's Me Up On The Jukebox

Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 20 November 1976

AT ONE O'CLOCK on a foggy Thursday afternoon, Linda Ronstadt sleeps comfortably on the Glasgow/London express. She does not like to fly. Neither does her ...

Linda Ronstadt: New Victoria, London

Live Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 20 November 1976

THE VIEW from the stalls at the New Victoria last Saturday night was great, but seen through the lens of a low budget Kodak Instamatic ...

Rod Stewart: A Night On The Town

Report and Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 27 November 1976

Whole lotta fun – that's the password in this entertainment-packed land of the Emperor's New Clothes and foil wrapped butter as the bright young Oscar ...

The Kinks: Ray Davies & The Kinks at 13

Interview by Barbara Charone, Phonograph Record, December 1976

LONDON – Ray Davies' tired eyes incredulously surveyed the scene before him. The view from the top was a familiar one. The sprawling greenery of ...

Jackson Browne: The Road And The Sky

Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 11 December 1976

An interview with JACKSON BROWNE by BARBARA CHARONE ...

Jackson Browne: Where The Road Meets The Sky

Live Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 11 December 1976

Jackson Brown: Apollo, Glasgow ...

Genesis: Wind & Wuthering (Charisma) *****

Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 18 December 1976

FIRST IMPRESSIONS: Too much to digest on one listening. Overall album sound even better than A Trick Of The Tail. Less immediate but more substantial ...

Warren Zevon: Palace Theatre, Manchester

Live Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 18 December 1976

LOOKING like a university student with a major in English Lit, Warren Zevon walked onstage at the Manchester Palace Theatre, greeted warmly by an audience ...

Linda Ronstadt: Greatest Hits (Asylum)*****

Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 25 December 1976

THIS ALBUM is great. Had it been live, it would have been even greater. The twelve tracks here represent some of the very best Linda ...

The Eagles: Life in the Fast Lane

Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 8 January 1977

"A friend of mine in L.A. said 'talkin' about music is a lot like singing about football'." — Jackson Browne. ...

The Rolling Stones: Keith Richard: One Man's Week OFF THE HOOK

Report and Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 22 January 1977

MONDAY, JANUARY 10th. In Colorado, Claudine Longet, ex-wife of singer Andy Williams, stood trial for allegedly murdering her lover. On America's west coast, kidnap victim/revolutionary ...

Eric Clapton: Any Objections?

Interview by Barbara Charone, Creem, February 1977

If home is where the heart is, then Eric Clapton hides his emotions inside a sprawling countryside retreat aptly named Hurtwood Edge. The name of ...

Peter Gabriel: Peter Gabriel (Charisma) *****

Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 19 February 1977

DEAR PETER, Hangin' round Times Square just the other day when some strange sounds caught my ear. Bundled up my leather jacket, tucked a can ...

Jack Bruce: Tales Of A Brave Ulysses

Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 26 February 1977

"Jack's always been involved with these terrible bloody all-star bands. But now he's in an ideal position. He's older now and can surround himself with ...

Peter Gabriel: Say Goodbye to the Bubble Creature

Report and Interview by Barbara Charone, Circus, 17 March 1977

BOB EZRIN CALLS him the overkill kid. And it's easy to see why. Right now Peter Gabriel wants to sandwich 16 complicated bars of music ...

Genesis, Southern Style

Report and Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 26 March 1977

ON THE ROAD. Again. The Rainbow seems like years ago. Yesterday they had a rare day off in New Orleans, arriving at the Marie Antoinette ...

Peter Gabriel, Television: Peter Gabriel: The Palladium, New York

Live Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 26 March 1977

Gabriel knows what he likes ...

The Eagles: One Of These Nightmares

Interview by Barbara Charone, Crawdaddy!, April 1977

Say a Prayer for the Pretenders... ...

Keith Richards, The Rolling Stones: Keith Richard: Exile On The 32nd Floor

Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 2 April 1977

Take me to the airportAnd put me on a planeI've got no expectationsTo pass through here again ...

Peter Gabriel: The Lamb Stands Up

Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 16 April 1977

'Because Genesis are now part of the English establishment I felt I'd been seen in context with them. But the better the album does the ...

Steve Winwood, Traffic: Steve Winwood: Goodbye Mr Fantasy, Hello Midland Maniac

Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 7 May 1977

THE SIXTIES are very much alive in Ladbroke Grove these days. Tucked away in the back of Island's Basing Street Studios, swinging London gently reverberates ...

Boston: The Biggest Unknown Group On The Planet

Report and Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 14 May 1977

THERE ARE five people in Boston. Barry, Tom, Sib, Brad and Fran. One year ago no one knew who they were. Today no one knows ...

Alessi: The Other End, New York NY

Live Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 21 May 1977

A&M DIDN'T want a picture of twin brothers Bobby and Billy Alessi on the cover of their debut album because they wanted the music to ...

Keith Richards: Keith And The Cockroaches Rip This Joint

Report and Interview by Barbara Charone, Creem, June 1977

Take me to the airportAnd put me on a planeI've got no expectationsTo pass through here again('No Expectations', Jagger/Richards) ...

Andrew Gold: Nobody's Fool

Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 11 June 1977

He was born on a summer day 1951And with a slap of a handHe landed as an only sonHis mother and father said,"What a lovely ...

Crosby Stills and Nash: Madison Square Garden, NYC

Live Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, July 1977

AFTER ALL the abortive reunion efforts, Crosby, Stills and Nash have finally delivered the goods. Neil Young was really never part of the group anyway. ...

Emerson Lake And Palmer: The $2m Show That Never Ends: Emerson, Lake & Palmer

Report and Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 2 July 1977

KEITH EMERSON sits in a Detroit French restaurant wearing traditional black leather trousers and a very large grin. He’s telling a reporter from Rolling Stone ...

Deaf School: Putting On The Agony, Putting On The Style

Report and Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 30 July 1977

EVEN LA HAD never seen anything quite like them. Deaf School that is. A very British group who really have nothing to do with punk ...

Alice Cooper: All Right, Son . . .Where's My Big Boy With Extra Sauce?

Interview by Barbara Charone, Creem, August 1977

ALICE COOPER is waiting for the man. He's even got a Coca-Cola in his hand. But where's the burgers? Alice Cooper is waiting. He's waiting ...

Kris Kristofferson, Rita Coolidge: Rita Coolidge, Kris Kristofferson: Radio City Music Hall, New York

Live Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 27 August 1977

Rita: sleek, sultry, sexy… ...

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers: Tom Petty: Whisky A Go Go, Los Angeles

Live Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 10 September 1977

IT'S NO accident that the tinny PA at the tacky Whisky was blasting out the Rolling. Stones' 'All Down The Line' prior to the Saturday ...

Linda Ronstadt Listens To Your Sleep

Interview by Barbara Charone, Circus, 27 October 1977

Simple Dreams Is The Rock Queen's Latest Treasure ...

The Rolling Stones: Jagger Jaw Session: Mannish Boy Gets What He... Needs

Interview by Barbara Charone, Creem, January 1978

MICK JAGGER sat athletically on the floor of the Rolling Stones' New York office listening to The Best of Ray Charles. ...

Linda Ronstadt: All Linda Ronstadt Needs Is The Lurv Of A Good Man

Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 7 January 1978

JUST AFTER midnight a large coach pulls up outside a respectable New York City Hotel, precariously perched on the right side of Central Park. Assorted ...

Emmylou Harris: Royal Albert Hall, London

Live Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 18 February 1978

CONSIDERING the tensions surrounding the start of Emmylou Harris and the Hot Band's current British tour, their SRO concert at the Royal Albert Hall was ...

Warren Zevon: Excitable Boy (Asylum)

Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 18 February 1978

UNDOUBTEDLY, Excitable Boy is one of the finest albums to emerge since Warren Zevon's first album surfaced over a year ago. It transcends California and ...

Mick Taylor: A Portrait Of The Young Man As A Solo Artist

Interview by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 1 April 1978

IT'S STRICTLY a question of roots. Just the other day Capital Radio played 'Wonderful World' by Art Garfunkel supported with tunefully bland vocal assistance from ...

Elvis Costello: The Guildhall, Portsmouth

Live Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 22 April 1978

THE THEATRE manager of the Portsmouth Guildhall stood in the foyer panicking. "This Costello chap hasn't turned up yet," he mumbled nervously to one of ...

Mick Taylor In His Own Write

Interview by Barbara Charone, Creem, May 1978

IT IS NOT presumptuous to wonder where Mick Taylor has been the last three years. The answer is quite simple. In the studio. When he ...

Peter Gabriel: Peter Gabriel (2)

Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 3 June 1978

WITHOUT a doubt Peter Gabriel's second solo album is the very best record to surface from the entire Genesis-Steve Hackett-Anthony Phillips-Brand X-Gabriel vinyl conglomerate. ...

Randy Newman: Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, London

Live Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 10 June 1978

RANDY NEWMAN just might be the only artist in the whole of the music business capable of getting bedsores from live performances. Noted for his ...

Boomtown Rats: The Boomtown Rats: A Tonic For The Troops

Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 17 June 1978

IT'S NO accident that the second Boomtown Rats album has a catalogue number of ENVY 3. Any creative artist or major group has genuine cause ...

The Rolling Stones, Ronnie Wood: The Rolling Stones: Glimmer Twins Held Responsible

Interview by Barbara Charone, Creem, July 1978

"WE CAN DO a lot more with this particular band than any other incarnation of the Rolling Stones," Keith Richard threatened during the Stones' 1975 ...

The Who: Who: Who's Who?

Interview by Barbara Charone, Creem, November 1978

Deep in the back of my mind is an unrealized soundEvery feeling I get from the streets says it soon could be found When I ...

Peter Tosh: He's The Toughest

Interview by Barbara Charone, Creem, March 1979

If anybody can bring reggae music to the rest of the world, especially America, then Peter's the one to do it along with Bob Marley. ...

Talking Heads

Interview by Barbara Charone, Creem, October 1979

BLAME THE AUSTRALIANS for putting them at the top of the charts. Hold all of New Zealand responsible for making More Songs About Buildings and ...

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