Welcome to the library
- Search all 50,000+ articles using Quick Search or the drop-down menus below, clicking on article titles to read them.
- Individual subscribers will be asked for username and password (unless already entered). All other articles are then available for reading.
- All content on the site is the property of Backpages and protected by copyright laws.
Quick search
Search by ARTIST
Click for the full A-Z list of artists
Search by AUDIO INTERVIEW
Search by WRITER
Click for the full A-Z list of writers
Search by SUBJECTS & GENRES
Click for the full A-Z list of subjects
Search by PUBLICATION
Click for the full A-Z list of publications
Detailed search of the library
Click for the advanced search
(using the advanced search you can filter results by artist, subject/genre, writer, publication and date, in addition to your keyword search)
New for Subscribers
Audio Interview
Mike Quigley discusses harmonies and the Maharishi with the Beach Boys (Rock's Backpages audio, 1969)
See all audio interviews
Features and interviews
Ian Dove reports on the "little miss dynamite" that is Brenda Lee (Record Mirror, 1962)
Alan Walsh obtains straight answers from the zany Freddie Garrity of Freddie & the Dreamers (Disc, 1964)
Strangers to the States: Paul Nelson profiles the Kinks (Circus, 1969)
John Mendelsohn's sleevenotes for Joe Cocker's classic live album ('Mad Dogs and Englishmen' (A&M Records), 1970)
Val Mabbs grabs a chat with Yes guitarist Steve Howe (Record Mirror, 1971)
Gary Lucas plays token rock guitar in a Viennese performance of Leonard Bernstein's Mass (Zoo World, 1973)
Paul Gambaccini gets the lowdown on Hotlegs and Neil Sedaka from 10cc (Rolling Stone, 1975)
An obituary for agit-folk hero Phil Ochs (New Musical Express, 1976)
Vivien Goldman grabs a New York chat with Television's Tom Verlaine (Sounds, 1977)
Brian Case imbibes highballs with the Art Ensemble of Chicago's Joseph Jarman (Melody Maker, 1979)
Dave McCullough survives a tricky encounter with the Au Pairs (Sounds, 1981)
Roy Carr pays tribute to the brilliant designer Barney Bubbles (New Musical Express, 1983)
Edwin Pouncey puts his questions to Rain Parade's Matt Piucci (Sounds, 1984)
Paul Sexton checks in with soul's husband-and-wife duo Womack & Womack (Record Mirror, 1985)
Gene Santoro administers the blindfold test to jazz guitarist Bill Frisell (Downbeat, 1987)
Damon Wise on the blower to hot rap act EPMD (Sounds, 1989)
Siân Pattenden puts her questions to Cathy Dennis (Smash Hits, 1991)
Alan Light reports on the fall-out from Ice-T's 'Cop Killer' (Rolling Stone, 1993)
Sylvia Patterson staggers around Soho pretending to be a pal of Blur's Alex James (New Musical Express, 1995)
Craig McLean hangs out in Akron and Cincinnati with Beck (The Face, 1997)
Max Bell meets ageing smoothie Andy Williams (The Evening Standard, 1999)
Sylvia Patterson interrogates David Gray in Paris (The Word, 2003)
Amy Linden discusses the influences of hip-hop with No Doubt's Gwen Stefani (XXL, 2005)
Alfred Soto ruminates on Daryl Hall's arrogance (Humanizing the Vacuum, 2007)
Scott McLennan has a chat with Wolfmother's Andrew Stockdale (Rip It Up (Australia), 2009)
The late Neil Slaven's sleevenotes for Mississippi Fred McDowell's Down Home Blues 1959 (JSP Records, 2011)
Ned Raggett converses with the Church's Peter Koppes (The Quietus, 2011)
Lisa Verrico hears from The Voice runner-up Bo Bruce (The Sunday Times Culture, 2013)
Michael A. Gonzales re-evaluates Terence Trent D'Arby's Neither Fish Nor Flesh (soulhead, 2015)
Mitchell Cohen considers the "ultimate rock anthem" that is the Troggs' much-covered 'Wild Thing' (Music Aficionado, 2017)
Kirk Silsbee welcomes the arrival of the Cory Beers Cimbalom Band, live at L.A.'s Union Station (Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles, 2017)
Paul Sexton chats with prolific songwriter Charlie Dore (The Independent, 2021)
Album & Live Reviews
Pete Johnson passes judgement on Donovan's Sunshine Superman (Los Angeles Times, 1966)
Philip Elwood prefers Vanilla Fudge to Jimi Hendrix, live at the Oakland Coliseum (The San Francisco Examiner, 1968)
Dave Marsh is transported by new albums by John McLaughlin and the Tony Williams Lifetime (Creem, 1970)
Roy Hollingworth is puzzled by Rick Nelson, live at London's Albert Hall (Melody Maker, 1972)
Nick Tosches takes George Jones' Grand Tour (Country Music, 1974)
Tom Vickers disapproves of Earth, Wind and Fire, live in Oakland (Rolling Stone, 1976)
Ariel Swartley deconstructs Jackson Browne's Running on Empty (The Village Voice, 1978)
Richard Harrington catches Randy VanWarmer, live at D.C.'s Cellar Door (The Washington Post, 1980)
Mick Sinclair isn't quite prepared for Bucks Fizz's Are You Ready (Sounds, 1982)
Sam Sutherland believes in Bob Dylan's Infidels (High Fidelity, 1984)
Richard C. Walls walks this way with Run-D.M.C.'s Raising Hell (Creem, 1986)
Neil Perry is astonished by Jane's Addiction, live at London's Brixton Academy (Sounds, 1988)
Andy Gill listens to En Vogue's Born To Sing (The Independent, 1990)
Paul Lester is mesmerized by Spiritualized, live at Reading University (Melody Maker, 1992)
Angus Batey bows down before Queen Latifah's Black Reign (New Musical Express, 1994)
Steffan Chirazi is blasted by Ministry, live at San Francisco's Warfield (Kerrang!, 1996)
Genuine chemistry: Calvin Bush delights in Deep Dish's Junk Science (Muzik, 1998)
Ben Myers sees Smashing Pumpkins, live at London's Dominion Theatre (Kerrang!, 2000)
John L. Walters listens to Pink Floyd legend David Gilmour's On An Island (The Guardian, 2006)
Stephen Dalton hails a politically-charged performance by Massive Attack, live at London's Meltdown festival (The Times, 2008)
Julian Marszalek dismantles the cover songs on Phil Collins' Going Back (Yahoo! Music, 2010)
Stuart Maconie explores the connections between pop music and art schools (New Statesman, 2019)
Daryl Easlea gets down to the discodelia of Say She She's Prism (unpublished, 2022)