Melody Maker
Melody Maker was for many years one of the leading UK weekly pop and rock music newspapers. It was founded in 1926, largely as a magazine for dance band musicians, and in the 1950s and 1960s gradually switched its focus from jazz to popular music. A serious decline in sales in the 1990s led to its absorption in 2000 by New Musical Express, one of its competitors which shared the same publisher – IPC Media.
4,385 articles
List of articles in the library
Hoagy Carmichael: The 'Old Music Master' says "I've no patience at all with the Narrow Jazz Boys"
Interview by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 14 August 1948
A first-hand character impression of HOAGY CARMICHAEL ...
Interview by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 5 July 1952
"HOW LONG have you had that Gibson electric guitar?" I asked Lonnie Johnson when he came round to my flat to hear some of his ...
Ken Colyer, Lonnie Donegan, Alexis Korner: Skiffle or Piffle?
Interview by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 28 July 1956
ALEXIS KORNER tells Max Jones ...
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 ...
Frankie Lymon: Headache for the £9-a-Week Teenager
Report and Interview by Tony Brown, Melody Maker, 23 March 1957
THE RELATIONS of 14-year-old Frankie Lymon with the Teenagers are very much dependent on the ability of Frankie to drink in his personal success without ...
Chris Barber, Otis Spann, Muddy Waters: Muddy Waters, Chris Barber: St. Pancras Town Hall, London
Live Review by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 25 October 1958
I WAS surprised to read that Muddy Waters was coolly received in Leeds. At his London appearance on Monday the applause was hot and strong. ...
Muddy Waters: This World of Jazz: Muddy Waters
Interview by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 8 November 1958
MUDDY WATERS, that astonishing blues artist from Lake Park Avenue, Chicago, departed for home on Monday night without too many regrets. ...
Billie Holiday: "They won't let me work in New York, so I'm settling in London"
Interview by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 28 February 1959
Billie Holiday was in London this week for a TV date. She returned to the States on Wednesday ...
Billie Holiday: She was original, honest — unique says Max Jones
Obituary by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 8 August 1959
WHAT A sad, bad year it has been for jazz. The deaths of Baby Dodds, Lester Young and Sidney Bechet have been followed with tragic ...
Interview by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 10 February 1962
QUINCY JONES — in London for a flying visit — grabs a word with MAX JONES ...
Aretha Franklin: Aretha (UK Fontana TFL 5173)
Review by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 3 March 1962
'Won't be Long'; 'Over The Rainbow'; 'Love Is The Only Thing'; 'Sweet Lover'; 'All Night Long'; 'Who Needs You?'; 'Right Now'; 'Maybe I'm A Fool'; ...
Lesley Gore, Quincy Jones: Lesley Gore is Set For Stardom
Profile by uncredited writer, Melody Maker, 21 September 1963
WHO IS the young pop artist most like to hit the highest spots this year? ...
Sarah Vaughan: Madame Butterfly
Interview by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 21 September 1963
MAX JONES talks to a new-look SARAH VAUGHAN ...
Stevie Wonder: Tribute to Uncle Ray; The 12-year-old Genius Recorded Live (both Oriole)
Review by uncredited writer, Melody Maker, 21 September 1963
LITTLE STEVIE Wonder is largely unknown in Britain. The main fact about him is that he's a 12-year-old American blind Negro who has just had ...
Jimmy Smith: Hobo Flats (Verve VLP9039)
Review by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 12 October 1963
Big band backing lifts organ tracks ...
Quincy Jones, Sarah Vaughan: Music In The Making: Quincy Jones — Sarah Makes It All Worth While
Interview by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 12 October 1963
Quincy Jones, who spent last week in London enjoying the sights and sounds by day and night, is one of music's all-rounders. Bandleader, composer, arranger, publisher, ...
Report by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 12 October 1963
BLUES IN Croydon may strike a funny note to enthusiasts steeped in the lore of Mississippi and Chicago's South Side. ...
Duke Ellington: "They're trying to make me a piano player. I'll have to start practising..."
Interview by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 1 February 1964
MELODY MAKER'S MAX JONES PHONES DUKE ELLINGTON IN THE STATES ON THE EVE OF HIS BRITISH TOUR. ...
Bob Dylan: If You Want To Do It — Then Do It
Interview by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 23 May 1964
It's the rules that cause the trouble ...
John Lee Hooker: Your kids dig the blues...
Interview by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 10 October 1964
IT IS hardly three months since John Lee Hooker was last in Britain, but even in that short time he's noticed a change in the ...
Live Review by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 24 October 1964
BLUES FALL ON CROYDON ...
Ben Webster: Talking of love...
Interview by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 2 January 1965
EVERYBODY TALKS about Ben Webster's big sound, but I don't remember about when, where and why he began to cultivate it. Between sets at Scott's, ...
Inez Andrews, The Five Blind Boys of Alabama, Bishop Samuel Kelsey: From Church To Concert Hall
Report by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 2 January 1965
MAX JONES PREVIEWS THE SPIRITUAL AND GOSPEL PACKAGE ...
The Moody Blues: Moody Blues: Marquee Club, London
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 2 January 1965
LONDON'S MARQUEE Club shook with the excitement of New York's Apollo Theatre when the Moody Blues struck at a Monday night session. They have an ...
Live Review by Nick Jones, Melody Maker, 9 January 1965
"THE WHO", appearing each Tuesday at London's Marquee Club, should be billed not only as "Maximum R&B" but as "Far-out R&B." ...
The T-Bones (U.K.): The T-Bones: Marquee Club, London
Live Review by Nick Jones, Melody Maker, 23 January 1965
THEM BONES ...
John Mayall, T-Bone Walker: T-Bone Walker, John Mayall's Bluesbreakers: Flamingo, London
Live Review by Nick Jones, Melody Maker, 13 March 1965
THE GREAT T-Bone Walker opened at London's Flamingo on Friday with an hour of beefy blues. ...
Cilla Black: "I was terrified at first but the fans are just the same"
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 20 March 1965
CILLA BLACK — calling from Australia — tells Chris Welch ...
Donovan, Bob Dylan: Dylan v. Donovan
Interview by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 20 March 1965
DOUBLE EXPOSURE ON THE FOLK SCENE ...
Bob Dylan: Fastest sell-out yet
Report and Interview by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 27 March 1965
When Bob Dylan first came to Britain some three years ago, his visit passed virtually unnoticed outside the folk music field. Now, on the strength ...
The Searchers: Searchers success story
Interview by Nick Jones, Melody Maker, 27 March 1965
THE ORGAN and the saxophone are the accepted instrumentation in the '65 Sound. But this week we find, among many others the Searchers — number ...
The Yardbirds: How to be an overnight success... in three years
Interview by Nick Jones, Melody Maker, 27 March 1965
SINCE THEY started at Richmond's Crawdaddy Club three years ago, THE YARDBIRDS have had more than their share of bad luck. ...
Live Review by Nick Jones, Melody Maker, 17 April 1965
The Who must be seen ...
Donovan, Bob Dylan: Screams for Dylan
Report and Interview by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 1 May 1965
BOB DYLAN got the full star treatment at London Airport on Monday night. A mainly young crowd of about 150 created chaos as the 24-year-old ...
Bob Dylan: Royal Albert Hall, London
Live Review by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 15 May 1965
Different Dylan ...
Profile and Interview by Nick Jones, Melody Maker, 5 June 1965
THEY THINK THE MOD THING IS DYING... ...BUT THEY DON'T INTEND TO GO DOWN WITH IT ...
The Yardbirds: After two hit records... Yardbirds — Why We Went "Commercial"
Interview by Nick Jones, Melody Maker, 17 July 1965
PAUL SAMWELL-SMITH, bass with the Yardbirds, explains why they decided on a change of group policy ...
The Byrds: Strictly for The Byrds!
Report by Derek Taylor, Melody Maker, 17 July 1965
THE BYRDS happened. Suddenly, with little enough warning for any of us. For me, it started a couple of days after I arrived in Hollywood ...
Live Review by Nick Jones, Melody Maker, 17 July 1965
LONDON'S MANOR HOUSE club held their first pop inn Wednesday session last week — and an all time record audience turned out to watch the ...
The Animals: A Few Roars from the Newest Animal
Interview by Nick Jones, Melody Maker, 24 July 1965
'Get Dave' said Eric — and I was in! ...
Live Review by Nick Jones, Melody Maker, 24 July 1965
RAVE NIGHT FOR MARK'S BENEFIT Animals surprise ...
Marianne Faithfull: "I'm A Pop Singer!" — Says Marianne Faithfull
Interview by uncredited writer, Melody Maker, 31 July 1965
MOST PEOPLE will agree, they were surprised when they heard Marianne Faithfull's latest single, 'Summer Nights'. ...
Live Review by Nick Jones, Melody Maker, 7 August 1965
Jagger drowned in a sea of noise ...
The Byrds: Flamingo Club, London
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 14 August 1965
FANS GO COOL OVER TOO-COOL BYRDS ...
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 21 August 1965
CHRIS WELCH meets the pair who give a new look to the old showbiz man-and-wife singing duo ...
Chris Farlowe & the Thunderbirds, The Manor House, London
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 28 August 1965
CHRIS FARLOWE and the Thunderbirds blew up Bluesville at the Manor House, London, last Friday. Chris kept numbers short and punchy, and sang powerfully 'Mr. ...
Herman's Hermits, Elvis Presley: Herman's Hermits: The Day Herman Met Elvis
Interview by Nick Jones, Melody Maker, 28 August 1965
"He was so nice... just sort of walked in and said: Hello Herman" ...
Bert Jansch: Jansch — 'Don't Ask What My Message Is'
Interview by uncredited writer, Melody Maker, 28 August 1965
BERT JANSCH is one of the newer crop of folk singers who have spurned the more traditional forms for something approaching a pop-folk style. ...
Steampacket: The How and When of the Steampacket
Interview by uncredited writer, Melody Maker, 28 August 1965
IN A SOMEWHAT loud striped suit, blues singer Long John Baldry, with the help of organist Brian Auger, told the story of the formation of ...
The Who: The Price of Pop Art — The Who Count the Cost
Report by Nick Jones, Melody Maker, 28 August 1965
THE WHO stand firmly for pop art. By their terms, pop art means how they behave and dress both on and off stage. On stage, ...
Lulu & the Luvvers: Marquee Club, London
Live Review by Nick Jones, Melody Maker, 4 September 1965
LULU KNOCKS THEM OVER AT THE MARQUEE ...
Chris Barber: Now They Can Tell The Difference
Interview by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 11 September 1965
CHRIS BARBER, who has been leading bands off and on for sixteen years, still approaches the business with youthful enthusiasm. In spite of beat booms, ...
Cilla Black: Cilla Wants A Song...
Interview by Alan Walsh, Melody Maker, 11 September 1965
WANTED: one new song. It must be up-tempo, happy yet simple, and with a good melody and lyric. Anyone with a number fitting the above ...
Herman's Hermits: Herman Hits Out!
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 11 September 1965
SOME OF the gun-fighting mentality of America seems to have brushed off on Herman during his wildly successful trip there. ...
Ken Dodd: It's Tattifalarious! Ken Dodd's The New 'In' Name!
Interview by Alan Walsh, Melody Maker, 11 September 1965
The Diddy People march on the Pop 50 ...
Sleepy John Estes: Brownsville Blues (Delmark DL613)
Review by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 11 September 1965
Estes (voc. gtr), acc. on some tracks by Hammie Nixon (harmonica) or Yank Rachel (gtr), Ed Wilkenson or Ransom Knowling (bass) on three tracks. 1964/5. ...
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 ...
Live Review by Alan Walsh, Melody Maker, 11 September 1965
UNIT FOUR Plus Two, resplendent in new stage gear, stepped into the breach at the Marquee when the Moody Blues were unable to appear. Moody ...
Manfred Mann: You Won't See Paul Jones Crying When The Pop TV Shows Stop
Interview by Nick Jones, Melody Maker, 25 September 1965
MANFRED'S MAN IN THE MIDDLE WEIGHS IN ...
The Supremes: Supreme Supreme: Will Diana Ross Go Solo?
Interview by Nick Jones, Melody Maker, 16 October 1965
"NO COMMENT," said Diana Ross of the Supremes, to the perennial question: "Will you be going solo?" "I've just never thought about it. We're too ...
Cilla Black, The Everly Brothers: The Everly Brothers, Cilla Black: Finsbury Park Astoria, London
Live Review by Nick Jones, Melody Maker, 16 October 1965
THAT GREAT US duo, the Everly Brothers, made their first London appearance last Saturday, at the Finsbury Park Astoria. In black evening dress the Everlys ...
Manfred Mann: Manfreds Bounce Czechs
Interview by Nick Jones, Melody Maker, 23 October 1965
BEAT GOES EAST AND FINDS NO RED SQUARES ...
Carolyn Hester: Problems of the Pop/Folknik
Interview by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 4 December 1965
WHEN A FOLK singer hits the big time, he or she often has to look at records in a different way from the strictly album-type ...
Albert Ayler, Ornette Coleman, Dizzy Gillespie: Dizzy Gillespie: in from the storm
Interview by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 4 December 1965
DIZZY GILLESPIE was in benevolent mood when he met the press at his Mayfair hotel. Smiling amiably between mouthfuls of Worthington, he gave the impression ...
Fontella Bass: It started in a Church Choir
Profile by Nick Jones, Melody Maker, 4 December 1965
Welcome to England with her big Stateside chart hit on Chess ...
Live Review by Nick Jones, Melody Maker, 4 December 1965
ONE of Britain's most talented and underrated groups, the Birds, packed 'em in at the Trade, Watford, last Saturday to present an hour of high-flying ...
Chris Farlowe: The Strange Case of Chris Farlowe
Interview by uncredited writer, Melody Maker, 4 December 1965
COLLIDE WITH a deb at a showbiz party and she'll probably say: "Have you heard Chris Farlowe yet? He's simply ripping." ...
Review by uncredited writer, Melody Maker, 15 January 1966
CILLA BLACK: 'Love's Just A Broken Heart' (Parlophone). It's Cilia — she's great, but this is one of those things that need a second listen. ...
Review by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 15 January 1966
HOOKER RECORDS abound, but the latest from Chess, John Lee Hooker Plays And Sings The Blues (CRL4500) is a more than usually satisfying set. ...
The Beatles, John Lennon: Pop think in: John Lennon
Interview by uncredited writer, Melody Maker, 15 January 1966
John Lennon knew all about the MM's Pop Think-in when he was approached to sit in the "hot seat". "Yeah, it'll be a laugh," he ...
Interview by uncredited writer, Melody Maker, 15 January 1966
And does it prove that what Manchester is today, London can be tomorrow? ...
Mahavishnu Orchestra, Sonny Rollins: Rick Laird: Musicians Over Here Sound As If They're Stuck
Interview by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 15 January 1966
LONDON — LATEST in a long line of British jazz musicians to trek to the United States is twenty-four-year-old Rick Laird, resident bassist at London's ...
Tom Paxton, The Watersons: Cecil Sharp House, London
Live Review by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 15 January 1966
THERE WAS one solitary "boo" — when he sang an anti-LBJ song about Vietnam — but apart from that Tom Paxton was greeted with tumultuous ...
Bert Kaempfert: 'Bye Bye Blues' Man Kaempfert Was First To Record Beatles
Profile and Interview by Alan Walsh, Melody Maker, 29 January 1966
BERT KAEMPFERT is something of a musical paradox. This German musician/arranger/composer is thought of in Britain — even among sections of show business itself — ...
Mose Allison: A Chunk Of Indian Music In 'I Got Rhythm' Isn't A Jazz Influence
Interview by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 29 January 1966
LONDON — MOSE ALLISON, Mississippi piano player now ending a two-week cabaret season at Annie's Room in London, is not quite the figure you expect ...
Son House: Father Of Folk Blues (CBS BPC62604)
Review by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 29 January 1966
'Death Letter'; 'Pearline'; 'Louise McGhee'; 'John The Revelator'; 'Empire State Express'; 'Preachin' Blues'; 'Grinning In Your Face'; 'Sundown'; 'Levee Camp Moan'. ...
Stevie Wonder: Mr Harmonica Man
Interview by Nick Jones, Melody Maker, 29 January 1966
"STEVIE'S GOT A Monster," scream the adverts in American papers. They are referring, of course, to his hit record, 'Uptight (Everything's Alright)' which looks like ...
Stevie Wonder: The In Place, London
Live Review by Nick Jones, Melody Maker, 29 January 1966
FIFTEEN-YEAR-OLD Stevie Wonder is already a mature performer, and no mean raver. He has a far from diminutive voice, great charm, and a lot of ...
TV Pop: When will the raving have to stop?
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 29 January 1966
The men (and woman) behind the cameras answer back ...
The Small Faces: Small Faces get hung up — on sounds
Interview by Nick Jones, Melody Maker, 12 February 1966
Have the Small Faces gone commercial? "We've gotta make some bread" says Steve Marriott. "If we can score two or three big hits, then we'll ...
Live Review by Nick Jones, Melody Maker, 12 February 1966
THE THREE-day test run tour of the Who Show, started on Friday at London's Finsbury Park Astoria, to two well-filled houses. ...
Bob Dylan: Robert Shelton of the New York Times talks to Max Jones about his friend Bob Dylan
Interview by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 19 February 1966
BOB DYLAN remains a fascinating subject of conversation for four good reasons. Because he has talent and originality; because, in spite of brushes with the ...
David Bowie: Meeting the Bromley Boy
Interview by Nick Jones, Melody Maker, 26 February 1966
WITHOUT DOUBT David Bowie has talent. And also without doubt it will be exploited. For, Mr. Bowie, a 19-year-old Bromley boy, not only writes and ...
Band of Angels: Public school blues... that's a Band Of Angels' problem
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 12 March 1966
'I say, you chaps, who's for a wizard wheeze? Let's cut some groovy sounds and enjoy some of the loot these ghastly pop chaps seem ...
Ramsey Lewis: Music for Anywhere from The In Crowd
Interview by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 12 March 1966
CHESS Records VP MARSHALL CHESS in Britain to bang the drum for the RAMSEY LEWIS TRIO, talks to the MM's Max Jones ...
Alexis Korner: Back to Square 1 With 'R&B' Korner
Interview by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 19 March 1966
ALEXIS KORNER, once regarded as the founding father of British R&B, is to be seen weekly on TV's Five O'Clock Club. He also works with ...
James Brown: Four days that shook the British pop world: The Brown Bomb!
Report and Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 19 March 1966
James Brown brought something that has been missing... ...
Paul Butterfield Blues Band: The Paul Butterfield Blues Band: A band with a new tradition of blues
Interview by Tracy Thomas, Melody Maker, 19 March 1966
TO A FIVE-year-old child, the blues are several colours, one for the sky, one for his eyes, one for Daddy's new car. To a forsaken ...
The Yardbirds: Birds' Brain — the man they call Sam
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 19 March 1966
"YOU'RE LOOKING for Paul Samwell-Smith? He's the shy chap with the Yardbirds isn't he?" Thus aptly described was the bass-playing brain behind the Yardbirds, by ...
Don Covay: Blaises Club, London
Live Review by Nick Jones, Melody Maker, 9 April 1966
DON COVAY is another of the American soul singers at present on our shores. ...
The Action, Arthur Alexander: Arthur Alexander, London; The Action, Sussex
Live Review by Nick Jones, Melody Maker, 16 April 1966
Arthur Alexander: Marquee Club, London ...
Martha Reeves & The Vandellas: Martha & the Vandellas: Town Hall, Farnborough
Live Review by Alan Walsh, Melody Maker, 16 April 1966
MARTHA AND the Vandellas performed a minor miracle last week. They almost — but not quite — evoked a big response from a dead audience ...
Bonzo Dog Band: Musical Mayhem: Chris Welch on the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band
Profile and Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 16 April 1966
"WE'RE NOT doing a Temperance Seven — we're murdering the Temperance Seven!" insisted a defiant member of Britain's most incredible new rhythm ensemble — the ...
The Rolling Stones: Aftermath (Decca)
Review by uncredited writer, Melody Maker, 16 April 1966
SPANKING NEW fourteen-track Rolling Stones LP. Undoubtedly this is the best they have made and should be their biggest British seller to date. ...
Brian Jones, The Rolling Stones: Brian Jones: Pop Think-in
Interview by uncredited writer, Melody Maker, 23 April 1966
CHELTENHAM: A place of many memories. But it's a drag. ...
Bukka White: Sky Songs (Fontana 688804ZL)
Review by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 23 April 1966
BUKKA WHITE is one of the important Mississippi blues artists, an old-school singer and guitar player admired by just about every blues collector and performer ...
Cilla Black: There's more to a song than just singing about love
Interview by Alan Walsh, Melody Maker, 23 April 1966
ARE THE days of moon-and-June in pop songs gone forever? Has the escapist love song been finally swallowed by fans pumped full of protest, and ...
Dusty Springfield: I Just Look For A Song That Suits Me
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 23 April 1966
"YOU PUT a smell on me!" sang Dusty Springfield and Madeline Bell to an audience consisting of a monkey in a box. ...
The Rolling Stones, Spontaneous Music Ensemble: Oldham: Stones man digs into avant garde
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 23 April 1966
ROLLING STONES manager Andrew Oldham has moved into the jazz scene — the British avant garde jazz scene to boot! He plans to release an ...
"Spider" John Koerner: Spider John and the 7-string itch
Interview by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 23 April 1966
ONE OF the first things to strike you when you hear Spider John Koerner on records, is the odd double-string flavour of the guitar work ...
The Lovin' Spoonful: Spoonful — The Most On The Coast...
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 23 April 1966
TEAM O' genuine hillbillies flew into London last week and if the Lovin' Spoonful didn't actually tote 12-bore shot guns, they looked as if they'd ...
Georgie Fame with the Harry South Orchestra: Marquee Club, London
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 30 April 1966
Fame and South — what a marvellous swinging mixture ...
Jimmy Witherspoon: Ramjam Club, Brixton, London
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 30 April 1966
JIMMY WITHERSPOON'S appearances at R & B clubs like Brixton's Ramjam might seem out of place. But he cuts across the music barriers with his ...
The Lovin' Spoonful: Knocking Down a Myth
Report and Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 30 April 1966
QUESTION Will Folk Rock be the next big influence on the pop world? ...
Allen Toussaint, Lee Dorsey: Lee Dorsey: Lee's Back — Thanks To The Talented Mister Toussaint
Interview by uncredited writer, Melody Maker, 30 April 1966
YOU PROBABLY first heard of Lee Dorsey after you asked the DJ what that record was he just played with the gun banging in it. ...
Lee Hazlewood, Nancy Sinatra: Nancy Sinatra: Boots! Boots! Boots!
Report and Interview by uncredited writer, Melody Maker, 30 April 1966
NANCY SINATRA, newly-famous daughter of a famous father, descended on Britain last week in the biggest blaze of publicity since the third of the Beatles ...
Paul Simon, Simon & Garfunkel: Paul Simon: Pop think-in
Interview by uncredited writer, Melody Maker, 30 April 1966
The biggest thing Dylan has got going for him is his mystique ...
Bob Dylan: Will The Real Bob Dylan Please Stand Up?
Report and Interview by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 14 May 1966
Max Jones meets the mystical mister Dylan ...
Interview by Nick Jones, Melody Maker, 21 May 1966
The New-Look duo make it in their own right ...
Report by Nick Jones, Melody Maker, 28 May 1966
NOW YOU'RE NEVER ALONE — WITH A SITAR ...
The Move: Marquee Club, London
Live Review by Nick Jones, Melody Maker, 2 July 1966
A GROUP who don't pull their punches, the Move, from Birmingham, are a stark, loud, flashy, hard bunch whose music smashes you right in the ...
Mahalia Jackson: I Believe (GGL0367)
Review by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 9 July 1966
SEVERAL OF Mahalia Jackson's earliest Apollo recordings — and that means some of her most impressive singing — are included in the new Golden Guinea ...
Bert Jansch: Jansch digs back into tradition
Interview by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 16 July 1966
THE BALLAD the young man sang was long but the audience hung on every word. In his own individual way he managed to project some ...
Sandy Bull: Les Cousins, London
Live Review by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 16 July 1966
IT'S STRANGE that while British guitar experimentalists abound, America doesn't have much in this line to offer — apart, that is, from Sandy Bull, who ...
Simon & Garfunkel: Marquee, London
Live Review by Alan Walsh, Melody Maker, 16 July 1966
SIMON AND Garfunkel's only London appearance at the Marquee on Sunday was, from an artist-audience point of view, a major success. ...
Judy Collins, The Lovin' Spoonful: "All Folk Music Now" at Newport
Report and Interview by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 30 July 1966
THIS YEAR'S Newport Folk Festival was more like a blues show or a pop show, with traditional folk music supported by a very small hard ...
Cream: Sweet 'N Sour Rock 'N Roll
Report and Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 30 July 1966
A THUNDER of blues in a church hall complete with Brownies and caretakers was the bizarre setting for the first tentative creations of the Cream ...
Johnny Mathis: Talk Of The Town, London
Live Review by Alan Walsh, Melody Maker, 30 July 1966
JOHNNY MATHIS' European cabaret debut at London's Talk Of The Town on Monday, confirmed that he's a superb song stylist though some of his nervous ...
The Beach Boys: Verdict On Pet Sounds
Interview by uncredited writer, Melody Maker, 30 July 1966
The most progressive pop album ever? Or as sickly as peanut butter? Pop people reply. ...
The Beatles: Revolver (Parlophone)
Review by uncredited writer, Melody Maker, 30 July 1966
BEATLES BREAK BOUNDS OF POP ...
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 6 August 1966
IT WAS AN historic evening at London's Marquee on Monday night when Alexis Korner's Blues Incorporated made their first appearance there for nearly four years. ...
Review by Nick Jones, uncredited writer, Melody Maker, 6 August 1966
Single minded blues men ...
Review by uncredited writer, Melody Maker, 6 August 1966
CUTE & POTTY RINGO ...
Live Review by uncredited writer, Melody Maker, 6 August 1966
A washout, but still swinging ...
Live Review by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 13 August 1966
Beaulieu — a real triumph thanks to the downpour ...
Review by uncredited writer, Melody Maker, 13 August 1966
Dylan rocks through 4 great sides ...
Davey Graham: Midnight Man (Decca LK 4780)
Review by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 13 August 1966
DON'T JUDGE Davey Graham's latest LP, Midnight Man (Decca LK 4780) on the basis of one hearing alone or, like me, you'll decide it's not up to ...
Live Review by Alan Walsh, Melody Maker, 13 August 1966
THE COUNTRY is due for one of the most powerful package shows ever staged this Autumn, judging by the "pilot run" of the Fame-Farlowe concert ...
It's All Smiles at the Two-Week Old Cavern Again
Report by Alan Walsh, Melody Maker, 13 August 1966
TWO WEEKS after the barrage of publicity at the opening, it's all smiles at Liverpool's Cavern Club again. ...
Graham Bond Organisation: Marquee Club, London
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 20 August 1966
"GO JOHNNY GO!" is the cry echoing round the club circuit as new face Jon Hiseman blows up a storm on drums with the Graham ...
Phil Ochs: Phil Ochs In Concert (Elektra EKL 310)
Review by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 20 August 1966
Vicious, brilliant dynamite from Phil ...
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 20 August 1966
ANY CONNOISSEUR of bad pop package shows would have been delighted by Radio England's "Swinging '66" opening at Lewisham Odeon on Friday, starring the Small ...
The Mindbenders: Mindbenders: The Texas Police ran some guy in and cut his hair
Interview by Nick Jones, Melody Maker, 3 September 1966
"CONSIDERING IT was the home of pop music the scene in America is pretty poor! ...
The Walker Brothers, Scott Walker: Scott Walker: A Lot Of Pressures And A Personal Problem
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 3 September 1966
SCOTT WALKER, for the first time, talks about the incident that ended in hospital ...
Live Review by Alan Walsh, Melody Maker, 3 September 1966
Sonny and Cher fail to communicate ...
The Action: Shoreline Club, Bognor Regis
Live Review by Nick Jones, Melody Maker, 3 September 1966
PLAYING TWO jumping sets at Bognor's Shoreline Club — one of the most switched-on scenes on the South Coast — the Action again proved that ...
The Artwoods: Marquee Club, London
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 3 September 1966
IT WAS AN exciting but nerve-racking night for the Artwoods, one of London's finest groups, when they made their Marquee Club debut last week. ...
Davey Graham: Les Cousins, London
Live Review by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 10 September 1966
THE big question is: why isn't Davy Graham booked into Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club? He has as much to say as his fellow guitarist and ...
The Who: Sound sense Studio time
Report and Interview by Nick Jones, Melody Maker, 10 September 1966
What Are The Who Going To Do Now? ...
Bert Jansch: Jack Orion (Transatlantic TRA 143)
Review by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 17 September 1966
BERT JANSCH has always been an interesting performer, and he has been the nearest thing Britain has had to offer to compare with the crop ...
Otis Redding: Mr Cool and The Clique From Memphis
Interview by uncredited writer, Melody Maker, 17 September 1966
OTIS REDDING is unbelievably cool. Or is it just travel-weariness. Who knows? When he landed on English soil last week to introduce himself and prepare ...
Phil Ochs: America's Fieriest Songwriter
Interview by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 17 September 1966
LAST TIME American singer/songwriter Phil Ochs was here he stormed around from gig to gig, ending up in a four-letter-worded altercation with a St Pancras ...
Ronnie Lane, The Small Faces: Pop Think In: Plonk Lane of the Small Faces
Interview by uncredited writer, Melody Maker, 17 September 1966
STEVE CROPPER: Oh yeah! He's a sort of idol — somebody I admire very much. Actually I'm past the idolising stage. When you first start ...
Spencer Davis Group, Steve Winwood: Spencer Davis Group: Winwood 66
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 17 September 1966
Frustrated or happy? Both, reveals Chris Welch ...
Horace Silver: Ronnie Scott's club, London
Live Review by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 24 September 1966
Extension of the earlier quintet ...
The Modern Jazz Quartet, Swingle Singers, Les: Modern Jazz Quartet: Sitting Tight On The Format
Interview by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 24 September 1966
JOHN LEWIS, amiable but reticent leader of the Modern Jazz Quartet, is that rare bird in jazz, a musician who doesn't like talking about himself. ...
Robert Johnson: King Of The Delta Blues Singers
Review by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 24 September 1966
'Crossroads Blues'; 'Terraplane Blues'; 'Come On In My Kitchen'; 'Waltzing Blues'; 'Last Fair Deal Come Down'; '32-20 Blues'; 'Kindhearted Woman Blues'; 'If I Had Possession ...
Sandie Shaw: Sandie keeps her mouth shut
Interview by Alan Walsh, Melody Maker, 24 September 1966
"OF COURSE I've changed. Who doesn't change in two years," said Miss Sandie Shaw at her Middlesbrough hotel, with a slight trace of annoyance in ...
The Supremes: Tamla Blueprints
Interview by Nick Jones, Melody Maker, 24 September 1966
WITH THE Supremes at No 6 in the Pop 50 after a rapid climb, all the signs are that we're in for a sustained attack from ...
The Rolling Stones: A Great Face Job!
Interview by uncredited writer, Melody Maker, 24 September 1966
That well respected song-writing team of Jagger and Richard take time out to look back over their shoulders into the Stones' past and compare it ...
Lonnie Johnson, Memphis Slim: Albums from Memphis Slim and Lonnie Johnson
Review by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 1 October 1966
Memphis leads a bunch of blues ...
Horace Silver: Just Quit While You're Ahead
Interview by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 1 October 1966
ALREADY, AND in spite of the excessively rough luck of having his place of employment burned down on the opening night of his first British ...
Ike & Tina Turner: Ike and Tina Show Comes To Town — All Nineteen Of Them
Interview by Nick Jones, Melody Maker, 1 October 1966
CARRYING a valet, two secretaries, the Ikettes — their three girl backing singers — two male singers Jimmy Thomas and Prince Albert, plus the Kings ...
Report by Alan Walsh, Melody Maker, 1 October 1966
MM MAN-ON-TOUR with the Rolling Stones and Ike and Tina Turner, ALAN WALSH ...
Live Review by Nick Jones, Melody Maker, 8 October 1966
THE DUSTY Springfield tour opened last Tuesday at London's Finsbury Park Astoria with Dave Berry and the Fortunes filling the large gap vacated by the ...
Lightnin' Hopkins: Bluebird Blues (Fontana 688803 ZL)
Review by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 8 October 1966
Lightnin' strikes again ...
Robert Parker: Hit Making Tenor Man
Interview by Nick Jones, Melody Maker, 8 October 1966
'COLTRANE MY INFLUENCE' SAYS ROBERT PARKER ...
Live Review by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 8 October 1966
Blues by three in the worst possible setting ...
Sippie Wallace: Very Much Alive And Singing...
Interview by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 8 October 1966
MEETING SIPPIE Wallace suddenly, after all these years of gazing at her name on ancient Okeh records, is an experience roughly comparable with running into ...
Dr. Ross, Lightnin' Hopkins, Howlin' Wolf: Albums from Howlin' Wolf, Dr. Ross and Lightnin' Hopkins
Review by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 15 October 1966
RARE ITEMS FROM HOWLIN' WOLF ...
Review by uncredited writer, Melody Maker, 15 October 1966
Temptations have got a big seller ...
Carolyn Hester: Not Ashamed To Do Some Folk Rock
Interview by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 15 October 1966
INTO BRITAIN last weekend flew Carolyn Hester, the American folk singer with the fantastic range, for a tight schedule of ten TV dates and two ...
Cream: Clapton Revs Into A New Gear
Interview by Nick Jones, Melody Maker, 15 October 1966
NICK JONES talks to the loner who came in from the cold. ...
Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass: Royal Albert Hall, London
Live Review by Alan Walsh, Melody Maker, 15 October 1966
SEVENTY minutes of Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass captivated a capacity 7,000 audience at London's Royal Albert Hall on Friday. Herb and his superb ...
Pink Floyd: All Saints Church Hall, London
Live Review by Nick Jones, Melody Maker, 20 October 1966
LAST FRIDAY the Pink Floyd, a new London group, embarked upon their first "happening" — a pop dance incorporating psychedelic effects and mixed media — ...
Bert Jansch: St. Pancras Town Hall, London
Live Review by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 22 October 1966
TAKE ONE of our most introspective folk singers and put him alone on a stage for nearly three hours. It sounds like madness, but when ...
Paul Butterfield Blues Band: Butterfield's Blues Men Aim To Spread Their Gospel In Britain
Interview by uncredited writer, Melody Maker, 22 October 1966
THE PAUL Butterfield Blues Band, in London this week for an extensive tour with Georgie Fame and Chris Farlowe, aims to spread its blues gospel ...
Charles Keil: Urban Blues (The University Of Chicago Press)
Book Review by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 22 October 1966
THE BLUES AS AN URBAN NEGRO CULTURE ...
Ike & Tina Turner: Town Hall, High Wycombe
Live Review by Alan Walsh, Melody Maker, 22 October 1966
A SECOND, longer look at the Ike and Tina Turner rhythm and excitement band show at their first appearance off the Rolling Stones tour at ...
Live Review by Nick Jones, Melody Maker, 22 October 1966
FIRST DISAPPOINTMENT to tour-goers on Saturday evening was the tell-tale notice board in the foyer of Aldershot ABC. It stated the Small Faces were unable ...
Dr. Ross, John Lee Hooker, Big Joe Williams: Blues Bargains from Hooker, Dr Ross, Big Joe
Review by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 29 October 1966
SOME good rocking samples of Hooker R&B are found on Driftin' Thru The Blues (Ember EMB3371) 17s 9d, from John Lee's early recording days. A few tracks ...
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 29 October 1966
A GREAT SHOW and a puzzling audience reaction. That was the net result of the first night of the Georgie Fame package tour at Finsbury ...
Jerry Lee Lewis: It's Shakespeare and All That Rock for Jerry
Interview by uncredited writer, Melody Maker, 29 October 1966
CAN YOU imagine Jerry Lee Lewis swinging his way through a musical version of Shakespeare's play Othello? You can't? Then get ready for a shock ...
Mark Spoelstra: Jeanetta Cochrane Theatre, London
Live Review by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 29 October 1966
THERE IS a soft centre at the heart of much of contemporary American songwriting in the folk or near-folk idiom which makes it difficult ever ...
Paul Butterfield Blues Band: Mike Bloomfield: The Sad Chicago Blues Scene
Interview by uncredited writer, Melody Maker, 29 October 1966
NODDING A shock of dark curly hair, and gesticulating madly as he puts a point over, Mike Bloomfield, young lead guitarist with Chicago's Paul Butterfield ...
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 29 October 1966
SEDATE Fairfield Hall, Croydon, blew up with a wild pop package show featuring the Move, Jimmy James, VIPS, the Herd and Spencer Davis on Friday ...
The Move: Marquee Club, London
Live Review by Nick Jones, Melody Maker, 29 October 1966
PSYCHEDELIC sounds came to London in a new — and explosive — dimension, as the Move continued their Thursday night residency at the Marquee Club ...
Cream: Bruce Finds Himself via the Cream
Interview by Nick Jones, Melody Maker, 5 November 1966
WELL THEY finally made it. The much publicised, talked-about, raved about, and listened to group — the Cream — are in the chart. ...
Jerry Lee Lewis: Marimba, Middlesbrough
Live Review by Alan Walsh, Melody Maker, 5 November 1966
HE'S 31 AND, off stage just what you would imagine a Southern gentleman to be. But on stage, you'd better watch out because Jerry Lee ...
The Action, Bluesology: Shoreline Club, Bognor Regis
Live Review by Nick Jones, Melody Maker, 5 November 1966
BOGNOR REGIS' Shoreline Club offered sweet refuge from lashing seas and freezing winds last Saturday, as it reopened under the watchful eye and new musical ...
Cilla Black: Prince of Wales Theatre, London
Live Review by Alan Walsh, Melody Maker, 12 November 1966
FRANKLY, although Cilla Black is one of the stars, Way Out In Piccadilly just isn't a show for the pop fans. It's really the Frankie Howerd Show, ...
Judy Collins: Collins: A Singer, Period
Interview by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 12 November 1966
"I AM FINALLY beginning to see what my direction is. I'm a singer and songs like these are what I want to sing." Lovely Judy ...
The Easybeats: Easybeats for long stay?
Interview by Nick Jones, Melody Maker, 12 November 1966
WHEN 'FRIDAY On My Mind' initially imposed itself upon my auditory passages I think it's only true to say I was knocked out. Verdict: a ...
Ewan MacColl: Manchester Angel (Topic 12T147)
Review by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 12 November 1966
IT IS UNFORTUNATE that while Ewan MacColl has continued to develop as a singer, many of the available recordings were made long before he had ...
Tom Paxton: Paxton: Singing First
Interview by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 12 November 1966
AS HANK Locklin's recording of 'The Last Thing On My Mind' climbs into the charts, the man who wrote it, folksinger-writer Tom Paxton, is back ...
Pete Seeger: Folk Music Live At The Village Gate (Verve VLP 5016)
Review by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 12 November 1966
PETE SEEGER is a man who could sing practically anywhere and give a good account of him self. On Folk Music Live At The Village ...
Rahsaan Roland Kirk: Roland Kirk: Doesn't Fit Into The Avant Garde
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 12 November 1966
JAZZ snobs have been hit hard by the arrival of Roland Kirk the Magnificent. Roland's music lurches crazily, but creatively from the humorous to the ...
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 12 November 1966
Beach Boys get lads going! ...
Live Review by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 12 November 1966
A TRIUMPH — there is no other word for the reception Judy Collins and Tom Paxton received at the Royal Albert Hall on Friday. The ...
Review by uncredited writer, Melody Maker, 19 November 1966
The stars single out the new singles ...
Buddy Rich, Dusty Springfield: Dusty Slams U.S. Star
Interview by uncredited writer, Melody Maker, 19 November 1966
DUSTY SPRINGFIELD this week slammed back at star American drummer-bandleader Buddy Rich who kept her waiting 2½ hours at her debut at New York's Basin ...
Pete Seeger: Royal Festival Hall, London
Live Review by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 19 November 1966
HE DID it again! Every time Pete Seeger puts on a solo concert in Britain I wonder if he can pull it off, the unique ...
The Four Tops: Saville Theatre, London
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 19 November 1966
TREMENDOUS TOPS SCORE AT SAVILLE ...
Paul Butterfield Blues Band: The Paul Butterfield Blues Band: Marquee Club, London
Live Review by Nick Jones, Melody Maker, 19 November 1966
THE PAVEMENT outside and the hallway inside were deserted. London's Marquee Club appeared dead and empty. The attraction was the Paul Butterfield Blues Band from ...
Why did Ready Steady have to... Go!
Interview by Alan Walsh, Melody Maker, 19 November 1966
ALAN WALSH CARRIES OUT THE POST-MORTEM ON THE DEATH OF ANOTHER POP TV SHOW ...
Jacques Brel: Brel, The Man Who Wrote The Hard-To-Get Rule Book
Interview by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 26 November 1966
CONCERT promoter Roy Guest rubbed his chin dubiously when I asked for an interview with Jacques Brel. the legendary French singer-songwriter whose Albert Hall concert ...
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 26 November 1966
ANY DOUBTS ABOUT the Cream's ability to perform as a group and not just three star soloists were dispelled by their sensational set at London's ...
Jacques Brel: Royal Albert Hall, London
Live Review by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 26 November 1966
THE ALL-PERVADING perfume of Gauloises and an audience that went hysterical at the beginning, climax and end of each song reminded me of the atmosphere ...
Jean Ritchie: Jeanette Cochrane Theatre, London
Live Review by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 3 December 1966
JEAN — PERFECT AT LETTING THE SONG TELL THE STORY ...
Arlo Guthrie: One Of America's Most Interesting Young Folk Singers For Some Time
Interview by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 10 December 1966
PEOPLE WHO go along to hear Woody Guthrie's son, Arlo, during his three week tour of Britain expecting to hear a carbon copy of the ...
The Rascals: Note the name well — the Young Rascals
Interview by Nick Jones, Melody Maker, 10 December 1966
LAST WEEK an American group, the Young Rascals, visited England. ...
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 Who: A Quick One (Reaction)
Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 10 December 1966
The Who fulfilled and a mini-opera, yet! ...
Arlo Guthrie: Cochrane Theatre, London
Live Review by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 17 December 1966
HIS hair is a lot longer — just about as bushy as dad's used to be in his heyday — and he's an inch or ...
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 17 December 1966
A MARATHON four-hour show in aid of Oxfam was held at London's Royal Albert Hall on Monday and featured an all-star cast. ...
The Small Faces: Small Faces in a Tight Green Circle
Report by Nick Jones, Melody Maker, 17 December 1966
NICK JONES at a Small Faces recording session ...
T-Bone Walker: Thorny Problem Of Mixing The Blues With Modern Jazz
Interview by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 17 December 1966
I HAVE always looked on T-Bone Walker as being more of a jazz-blues singer than a folk or country-type artist. In other words, as a ...
Review by uncredited writer, Melody Maker, 24 December 1966
Cream working to produce a great album ...
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 24 December 1966
GENO WASHINGTON'S triumph is not so much a musical one, as a victory over the minds of elderly mods, who have seized upon the Ram ...
The Attack: Hammersmith College, London
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 24 December 1966
HOLY SENSATION! It's Richard's Attack, a new group who had fans fighting with excitement at Hammersmith College on Friday last week. ...
The Move: The Speakeasy, London
Live Review by Nick Jones, Melody Maker, 24 December 1966
MIDST OF A smog of smoke bombs, smashed TV sets, smashed people, and the psychedelic decor — well, who would settle for anything else — ...
Billie Holiday: Billie Holiday (World Record Club TS30)
Review by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 31 December 1966
THERE ARE FEW singers in and around jazz who continue to excite our wonder long after their death. Bessie Smith is one, and Mildred Bailey ...
Duke Ellington: Concert Of Sacred Music (RCA)
Review by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 31 December 1966
Hot jazz and religion in a ducal mixture ...
Jimi Hendrix Experience: Blaises, London
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 31 December 1966
JIMI HENDRIX, a fantastic American guitarist, blew the minds of the star-packed crowd who went to see him at Blaises Club, London on Wednesday. ...
Spencer Davis Group: The Spencer Davis Group: Marquee Club, London
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 31 December 1966
IT WAS A night of comedy and merry making when the Spencer Davis Group held their Christmas party at London's Marquee Club last week. ...
The Who: The Upper Cut, Forest Gate, London
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 31 December 1966
AN INCREDIBLE new club called the Upper Cut under the auspices of famous boxer Billy Walker opened at Forest Gate, London, with the grand clamour ...
Profile and Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 7 January 1967
CHRIS WELCH ANALYSES THE WORK OF BAKER, BRUCE AND CLAPTON ...
Cream: Pop Think-In with Ginger Baker
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 7 January 1967
MODERN ART: I still paint occasionally, and I've got a big sculpture I've been working on for 18 months. It's got a steel frame with ...
Lee Dorsey: The New Lee Dorsey (Stateside)
Review by uncredited writer, Melody Maker, 7 January 1967
IN CASE you were wondering, the old Lee Dorsey was a boxer. There's nothing new about his music — it's groovy, no messing American pop ...
Reverend Gary Davis: Say No To The Devil (Xtra 5014)
Review by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 7 January 1967
THERE CAN be no doubting the emotional force of Gary Davis's music or the variety and strength of his guitar playing. He is among the ...
Review by uncredited writer, Melody Maker, 7 January 1967
A lack of new ideas but another Tops success ...
The Rolling Stones: Jagger and The Shape Of Things To Come
Interview by Alan Walsh, Melody Maker, 7 January 1967
HOW DO YOU foresee the progress of the Stones in 1967? ...
The Move, Pink Floyd, The Who: The Who, The Move, Pink Floyd: The Roundhouse, Chalk Farm, London
Live Review by Nick Jones, Melody Maker, 7 January 1967
Psychedelicamania at Roundhouse ...
Review by uncredited writer, Melody Maker, 14 January 1967
NOW IT'S psychedelic Blind Date. At least, that's what Paul Jones' session in the hot seat seemed like at the time. First of all, the ...
Review by uncredited writer, Melody Maker, 14 January 1967
Stones old firm back in strength ...
The Move, Pink Floyd: Who's Psychedelic Now? MM Inquiry by Chris Welch and Nick Jones
Interview by Nick Jones, Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 14 January 1967
SPOTLIGHT ON THE PINK FLOYD AND THE MOVE ...
Review by uncredited writer, Melody Maker, 21 January 1967
PAUL JONES: 'I've Been A Bad Bad Boy' (HMV). Sounds a bit like Paul Jones. Great — I like this one. I like that 'bad, ...
Donovan: Royal Albert Hall, London
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 21 January 1967
THAT THERE is still room for audacious youth in 1967 is a good sign. Donovan is an audacious youth, and in the vast monument to ...
Jimi Hendrix: Hendrix — on the Crest of a Fave Rave
Profile by Nick Jones, Melody Maker, 21 January 1967
ALTHOUGH things are happening all around Jimi Hendrix — he doesn't choose to see them. It's all down to being cool. No pre-hatch counting of ...
The Rolling Stones: Between The Buttons (Decca)
Review by uncredited writer, Melody Maker, 21 January 1967
FUN, EXCITEMENT, great ballads, and the full unveiling of Mick Jagger's voice after being cloaked in some secrecy for several years are among the rewards ...
The Monkees: Why All This Hoo-Ha About The Monkees?
Report and Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 21 January 1967
OH, THE bitchiness! Oh, the arguments! Oh, the rows! It's amazing how pop can still cause furore and uproar from one side of the Atlantic ...
Cat Stevens: A Rather Cool Cat
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 28 January 1967
CAT STEVENS won't purr if you poor him a saucer of milk. But if, as a reward for his sensational leap up the chart with ...
Interview by uncredited writer, Melody Maker, 28 January 1967
HOLLAND-DOZIER-Holland may sound like a firm of solicitors, but they must rank among the most prolific songwriting teams in history. ...
Jimi Hendrix at the Pop Think-In
Interview by uncredited writer, Melody Maker, 28 January 1967
FREAK OUT: Well, whatever the word means to you, add a few musical notes to that. Each to his own. I think for a new ...
The Lovin' Spoonful: Hums Of The Lovin' Spoonful (Kama Sutra)
Review by uncredited writer, Melody Maker, 28 January 1967
Country blues from the Lovin' Spoonful ...
The Watersons: 'Entertainment' Isn't Enough For The Watersons
Interview by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 4 February 1967
BIGGEST bombshell to hit the folk scene since Dave Swarbrick left Ian Campbell was my news in last week's MM, that the Watersons are to ...
The Four Tops: Four Tops Plan a Motown Choir
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 4 February 1967
SWINGING London was practically rocked off its hinges the first time the famous Four Tops descended among us last year – the year of 'Reach ...
Jimi Hendrix, The Who: Saville Theatre, London
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 4 February 1967
Jimi Hendrix-Who battle at Saville ...
Profile by Nick Jones, Melody Maker, 4 February 1967
NICK JONES GETS BEHIND THE TV-SMASHING MOVE IMAGE ...
The Rolling Stones: The Pop Think-In: Charlie Watts
Interview by uncredited writer, Melody Maker, 4 February 1967
Charlie Watts has been called "The Silent Stone", who prefers to sit about looking rather mournful and unwilling to communicate. In fact, Charlie has a ...
Cream, Edwin Starr: Saville Theatre, London
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 11 February 1967
GINGER BAKER played one of the finest solos in his career at London's Saville Theatre on Sunday night. ...
Duke Ellington: Guildhall, Portsmouth
Live Review by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 11 February 1967
DUKE ALWAYS HAS A TRICK UP HIS SLEEVE ...
Mose Allison: Down Home Piano (Transatlantic PR7423)
Review by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 11 February 1967
MOSE ALLISON and his work are both pretty well known by now to jazz and blues lovers over here. This album, to set down first ...
Nat King Cole: You're Listening To The Nat King Cole Trio (Music For Pleasure)
Review by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 11 February 1967
WE ALL SUFFER from blind spots, I guess, so I'll confess one of mine at once and admit that I'm almost totally proof against the ...
Psychedelic Pop — When The Freaking Out Has To Stop...
Report and Interview by Nick Jones, Melody Maker, 11 February 1967
AN ATTEMPT AT AN EXPLANATION BY NICK JONES ...
Duke Ellington: Suites in a Hotel Suite
Interview by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 18 February 1967
DUKE ELLINGTON is a musician who composes tirelessly in his own way and in his own time — which means according to the circumstances he ...
Spontaneous Music Ensemble: John Stevens: A Sadder But Wiser Avant Gardist
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 18 February 1967
JOHN STEVENS has come back a sadder but wiser man from the so-called "avant garde scene" in Copenhagen. Stevens, drummer-organiser of the Spontaneous Music Ensemble, ...
Review by uncredited writer, Melody Maker, 25 February 1967
LEE DORSEY: 'Rain Rain Go Away' (Stateside) Lee Dorsey. It's in the same old vein and it'll be a hit. Sometimes I wonder if he ...
Chuck Berry, Del Shannon: Saville Theatre, London
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 25 February 1967
FREAK OUTS forget — it's rock riots yet! Those smashing days of the fifties are back, and for evidence see the pile of broken seats ...
Gene Pitney, the Troggs: Finsbury Park Astoria, London
Live Review by Alan Walsh, Melody Maker, 25 February 1967
GENE PITNEY strolled on stage on the first night of his last British tour last Friday at the Astoria, Finsbury Park and proved once again ...
Chuck Berry: Saville Theatre, London
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 4 March 1967
NO RIOTS, but plenty of good music were provided at London's Saville Theatre on Sunday night when Chuck Berry made a return appearance. ...
The Mothers Of Invention, Frank Zappa: Mothers Of Invention: Freak Out! (Verve)
Review by Nick Jones, Melody Maker, 4 March 1967
Freak Out with the Mothers ...
Spencer Davis Group, Steve Winwood, Traffic: Stevie Winwood: Why I Quit
Report and Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 4 March 1967
MM EXCLUSIVE: CHRIS WELCH probes the Great Break Up and finds the Spencer Davis-Stevie Winwood split inevitable ...
The Hollies, Graham Nash: The Hollies: All Things Bright and Beautiful
Interview by Nick Jones, Melody Maker, 4 March 1967
HOLLIE GRAHAM NASH OUTLINES A POP STAR'S PHILOSOPHY... ...
Roy Orbison: Orbison — Friendly American With A Soft Spot For Britain
Interview by Alan Walsh, Melody Maker, 11 March 1967
ROY ORBISON is one of the unfathomable elements in British pop. He weathered the turbulent years of the beat boom singing dramatic ballads in the ...
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 11 March 1967
A RIGHT phantasmagorical experience was created by the combined powers of the Small Faces and Roy Orbison at the opening of their tour at Finsbury ...
Alan Price: Klooks Kleek, London
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 18 March 1967
ALAN PRICE and his amazing dancing band blew up a storm at Klooks Kleek on Tuesday last week, and an all-star turn-out joined in for ...
Duane Eddy: Saville Theatre, London
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 18 March 1967
DUANE EDDY and a band of faithful followers generated 'Some Kinda Earthquake' at the Saville London on Sunday. Not quite the enormous earthquake that was ...
Roy Harper: Sophisticated Beggar (Strike JHL 105)
Review by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 18 March 1967
THE TROUBLE with real innovators is that they make life very difficult for anyone who tries to emulate them. Bert Jansch and John Renbourn have ...
Jeff Beck: When The 'Big Break' Leads To Disaster...
Report and Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 25 March 1967
CHRIS WELCH GOES BEHIND THE GLAMOUR AND GLITTER OF THE POP WORLD TO FIND TRAGEDY ...
Review by Nick Jones, Melody Maker, 25 March 1967
ONCE AGAIN LOVE PROVE THEIR GREAT ORIGINALITY ...
Live Review by Nick Jones, Melody Maker, 25 March 1967
STAX — THE RAVE SHOW TO END 'EM ALL ...
Simon & Garfunkel: Royal Albert Hall, London
Live Review by Nick Jones, Melody Maker, 25 March 1967
TWO people, one guitar, gave a concert of overwhelming beauty, compassion, and entertainment at London's vast Royal Albert Hall, last Saturday, where enormous crowds flocked ...
Live Review by Nick Jones, Melody Maker, 25 March 1967
A SUSPICIOUS audience confronted the Byrds when they played their only gig, an informal affair at London's Speakeasy Club, last Tuesday — no doubt recollecting ...
Fats Domino, Gerry & the Pacemakers: Saville Theatre, London
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 1 April 1967
FATS HAS 'EM JIVING IN THE AISLES! ...
Pink Floyd: Freaking Out with the Pink Floyd
Report and Interview by Nick Jones, Melody Maker, 1 April 1967
BEING ASKED to interview the Pink Floyd is an ordeal I would have wished only on my worst enemies. I was shaking like a leaf ...
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 8 April 1967
A show which proves pop still has something up its sleeve ...
Fats Domino: Fats: Man From New Orleans
Interview by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 8 April 1967
DOMINO BRINGS A MISSISSIPPI TANG TO BRITAIN ...
The Move: Cadillac Club, Brighton
Live Review by Nick Jones, Melody Maker, 15 April 1967
A LOT OF people moan because they don't see a TV being axed into dust when they go to see the Move. There is a ...
Jimi Hendrix: Who Says Jimi Hendrix Can't Sing? (He Does!)
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 15 April 1967
JIMI HENDRIX can't sing! "Oo sez so?" outraged Hendrix fans will demand, at this startling statement. But before MM readers who dig the sounds of ...
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 22 April 1967
THE AUDIENCE stole the show at London's Saville Theatre on Sunday, presenting their polished performance of Mass Idiocy — the new art form. ...
Review by uncredited writer, Melody Maker, 22 April 1967
WHO MOVE INTO A CLASS OF THEIR OWN ...
Donovan: Saville Theatre, London
Live Review by Nick Jones, Melody Maker, 29 April 1967
EXPERIENCE BUT NO SATISFACTION FOR DONOVAN ...
Interview by Nick Jones, Melody Maker, 29 April 1967
THERE SEEMS to be three distinct phases in the life of a pop group. Each is important, and mainly they are controlled by you the ...
The Small Faces: The Many Faces of Steve Marriott
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 29 April 1967
POP STARS and the Establishment seem to be ever at loggerheads. Cliff Richard and Elvis Presley used to be accused of corrupting teenage morals. Quite ...
P.P. Arnold: P.P. can bridge that soul gap
Interview by Nick Jones, Melody Maker, 6 May 1967
IS THERE room for another little female barrel of dynamite on the English pop scene? ...
Live Review by Nick Jones, Melody Maker, 6 May 1967
TECHNICOLOUR DREAM STIRS UNDERGROUND ...
Review by uncredited writer, Melody Maker, 6 May 1967
SUBTLE KINKS HEADING FOR CHART SUCCESS ...
Jimi Hendrix Experience: Saville Theatre, London
Live Review by Nick Jones, Melody Maker, 13 May 1967
THE JIMI Hendrix Experience is the kind of group you never tire of watching or listening to. ...
Lou Rawls: Carryin' On (Capitol T2632)
Review by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 13 May 1967
LOU RAWLS is an energetic singer with a fairly rich voice and a hip sort of style influenced by blues, gospel and old and modern ...
The Beach Boys: Hammersmith Odeon, London
Live Review by Nick Jones, Melody Maker, 13 May 1967
ONCE AGAIN in their striped shirts the five Beach Boys opened the English part of their tour at London's Hammersmith Odeon last Thursday. ...
The Byrds: Younger Than Yesterday (CBS)
Review by Nick Jones, Melody Maker, 13 May 1967
No other word for the Byrds but beautiful ...
The Doors: The Doors (Elektra)
Review by Nick Jones, Melody Maker, 13 May 1967
THE RAVING R&B musical content of their first single, 'Break On Through To The Other Side', falls well short of the high standard the Doors ...
The Walker Brothers, Scott Walker: The Walker Brothers: Walker Plans
Interview by Nick Jones, Melody Maker, 13 May 1967
AFTER THE SPLIT: NICK JONES PINPOINTS THREE NEW CAREERS ...
Book Review by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 20 May 1967
IT ALL started with the Lomaxes — at least it often seems that way. Though there have been other American folksong collectors, before and since, ...
Jimi Hendrix Experience: Are You Experienced? (Track Records)
Review by Nick Jones, Melody Maker, 20 May 1967
Yes — this is the real Jimi Hendrix ...
Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane: California Dreamin'
Report by Nick Jones, Melody Maker, 27 May 1967
AMERICA'S WEST COAST — ESPECIALLY SAN FRANCISCO — IS WHERE IT'S ALL AT NOW. WHAT LESSON CAN WE LEARN FROM IT? NICK JONES EXPLAINS ...
Procol Harum: The Procol Harum — A Sound To Remember
Interview by Nick Jones, Melody Maker, 3 June 1967
NICK JONES charts a meteoric chart rise ...
The Turtles: Enter The Turtles — Part Of The... Flower Power Generation!
Interview by Nick Jones, Melody Maker, 10 June 1967
WHETHER THERE is a slight lack of introspection among the British pop groups is a point that always arises after meeting "an average American group." ...
Arthur Brown, Pink Floyd, Procol Harum, Soft Machine: Love, Beauty, the Fuzz and the UFO
Report and Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 17 June 1967
THE IN CLUBS: CHRIS WELCH takes in the London club scene — beginning with UFO ...
Roy Harper: Is Roy the man to succeed Dylan?
Interview by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 17 June 1967
MAKE A note of this name: Roy Harper. The international folk scene is going to hear a lot of this talented 25-year-old singer-songwriter with drooping ...
The Incredible String Band: Now It's Folk Flower Power
Profile and Interview by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 24 June 1967
THE TWO young Scots who call themselves the Incredible String Band, Mike Heron and Robin Williamson, are going to set both the folk and pop ...
The Who: Second thoughts on Monterey
Interview by Nick Jones, Melody Maker, 1 July 1967
Pete Townshend talks to Nick Jones ...
Live Review by Nick Jones, Melody Maker, 8 July 1967
IT'S THE CREAM ALL THE WAY AT THE SAVILLE ...
Denny Laine & The Electric String Band: Blaises, UFO, London
Live Review by Nick Jones, Melody Maker, 15 July 1967
CLEARLY IN the Electric String Band, crystal clearly in its founder member Denny Laine, the pop scene is to witness yet another exciting and creative ...
Traffic: No jams in sight for Stevie and Traffic
Interview by Nick Jones, Melody Maker, 15 July 1967
THE PAPER sun begins to sink below the chart horizon but as each day is born queues of fans await the happy, happy day when ...
Procol Harum: Procol Probe: how the break-up came to pass
Report and Interview by Nick Jones, Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 15 July 1967
CHRIS WELCH AND NICK JONES FILL IN THE SPLIT BACKGROUND ...
Pink Floyd: The Great Pink Floyd Mystery
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 5 August 1967
AS THOUSANDS IN ballrooms and assorted hell-holes across the country are deafened and blinded nightly by the Pink Floyd, the well-known psychedelic group, thousands might ...
Dave Davies, The Kinks: Dave Davies: "I'm Not Good Enough To Go Solo"
Interview by Alan Walsh, Melody Maker, 12 August 1967
DAVE DAVIES tells Alan Walsh ...
The Beach Boys: No More Beach Boy Gaps — Says Bruce
Interview by Nick Jones, Melody Maker, 12 August 1967
'GOOD VIBRATIONS' took light years to complete — 'Heroes And Villains' is the Beach Boys' new single and it took a long time too. But ...
Desmond Dekker: On The Trail Of Desmond Dekker
Report and Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 12 August 1967
A FEW years ago Bluebeat, that simple jogging West Indian pop, was all the rage among the mods of Britain. ...
Ronnie Scott, Scott Walker: Scott Walker: Fiesta Club, Stockton
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 12 August 1967
SCOTT SHEDS HIS POP WINGS IN STOCKTON... ...
Review by Nick Jones, Melody Maker, 12 August 1967
Fresh Beach Boys for the summer months ...
Review by uncredited writer, Melody Maker, 19 August 1967
VANILLA FUDGE: 'You Keep Me Hanging On' (Atlantic). Oh! I love it. Oh it's great. I didn't recognise the beginning at first. Yeah, Vanilla Fudge. ...
Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 19 August 1967
STONES — CONSIDERABLY TOO MUCH ...
Procol Harum: Procol Harum (Regal Zonophone)
Review by Nick Jones, Melody Maker, 19 August 1967
Worried about Procol Harum? Just wait till you hear this! ...
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 19 August 1967
I've got those Seventh National Jazz And Blues Festival blues ...
Live Review by Nick Jones, Melody Maker, 26 August 1967
LONDON'S SPEAKEASY CLUB has been, as the fashionable columns would say, "in" for some time now. ...
The Mothers Of Invention, Frank Zappa: Frank Zappa: Meet the Boss Mother, Sussing Out Britain...
Interview by Nick Jones, Melody Maker, 26 August 1967
IF AFFLUENCE and power is the Great American Dream, Frank Zappa is the Great American Nightmare. ...
Review by uncredited writer, Melody Maker, 26 August 1967
TRIUMPH FOR SCOTT ...
The Rolling Stones: Mick Decides To Play It Cool
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 26 August 1967
"STONES CASH IN on psychedelic craze! Read all about it!" This was the dramatic headline that swam into Mick Jagger's vision as he answered newspaper ...
The Beatles, George Harrison: The George Harrison Interview
Interview by Alan Walsh, Melody Maker, 2 September 1967
"You may think this interview is of no importance to me," said George Harrison across a table in NEM's Enterprises Mayfair offices. "But you'd be ...
The Incredible String Band: The 5000 Spirits or the Layers of the Onion (Elektra EUK 257)
Review by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 2 September 1967
STRING BAND — NO LONGER FOLK SINGERS ...
Cilla Black: Brian Epstein: It's Impossible To Put My Feelings Into Words — Cilla
Interview by Alan Walsh, Melody Maker, 9 September 1967
"WHEN I HEARD the news of Brian's death I just felt utterly alone. There was no consolation from anyone." Cilla Black, at her parents' new ...
Jimi Hendrix: Mitch Mitchell: 'We're Only Friendly Little Gnomes After All'
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 9 September 1967
MITCH MITCHELL TALKS ABOUT HIS IMPRESSIONS OF AMERICA ...
Dave Brubeck: Teo Macero: 'It May Be What Jazz Needs, The Psychedelic Touch'
Interview by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 9 September 1967
TEO MACERO, American Columbia A&R man, arranger, and composer of experimental music, is becoming a regular visitor to Britain. Last week he was with us ...
The Beatles, George Harrison: The George Harrison Interview (part 2)
Interview by Alan Walsh, Melody Maker, 9 September 1967
George Harrison, Beatle, human being and musical innovator, spoke of God, LSD, the Hippies and Haight Ashbury last week in the first of these two ...
Profile and Interview by Nick Jones, Melody Maker, 9 September 1967
"QUICKLY BECOMING the latest rave" is the kind of statement most groups, especially the unknown ones, would dearly like to hear echoing in their egos. ...
Nina Simone: Nina Simone Sings the Blues (RCA Victor RD7S33)
Review by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 23 September 1967
NINA SIMONE'S singing is very much an acquired taste, and I have to confess that it is not my favourite brand. I recognise, though, the ...
The Beatles: Two Magical Mystery Tours
Report by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 23 September 1967
'Ringo stood on my foot,' said one girl helpfully. 'But I don't know where they've gone!' ...
Live Review by Nick Jones, Melody Maker, 30 September 1967
MOTHERS — ALMOST A FREAK OUT, NOT A LOVE IN, DEFINITELY A SEND-UP! ...
The Incredible String Band: Incredible String Band: Incredible Incredibles
Profile and Interview by Nick Jones, Melody Maker, 30 September 1967
AS THE beautiful, unrelenting success of their second album so justly affirms the Incredible String Band are something incredible. ...
Traffic: Saville Theatre, London
Live Review by Nick Jones, Melody Maker, 30 September 1967
AFTER CENTURIES in hibernation Traffic left their country womb last Sunday to make their debut at London's Saville Theatre, and certainly in potentiality they must ...
Traffic's Life of Isolation Ends in London
Interview by Alan Walsh, Melody Maker, 30 September 1967
THE TRAFFIC'S splendid isolation in the wilds of Berkshire has temporarily ended. Pressure of success has forced the group into town and now they share ...
John Mayall, Mike Vernon: True Blues?
Interview by Alan Walsh, Melody Maker, 7 October 1967
ALAN WALSH investigates the plight of the British bluesman ...
Live Review by Nick Jones, Melody Maker, 7 October 1967
SUNDAY'S SAVILLE bill was most groovy, opening with the Fairport Convention who are beginning to find their way, followed by American Tim Rose who was ...
Comment by Nick Jones, Melody Maker, 7 October 1967
NICK JONES is worried about British pop audiences. Here he explains why. ...
Jimi Hendrix: Saville Theatre, London
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 14 October 1967
THE OTHER (WRESTLING) SIDE OF JIMI HENDRIX ...
Stevie Wonder: It's Not Such a Drag Being Blind
Interview by Nick Jones, Melody Maker, 14 October 1967
STEVIE WONDER, here for a tour of Britain, talks to NICK JONES ...
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 14 October 1967
IT WAS AN explosive opening night For the Traffic-Tomorrow-Fudge tour at London's Finsbury Park Astoria on Wednesday of last week. The Fudge came off the ...
Vanilla Fudge: Fudge Slow Down To Hang On To Success
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 14 October 1967
JIMI HENDRIX slowed down 'Hey Joe', previously always recorded as an all-out tear-up, and came up with a giant hit. Then Vanilla Fudge slowed down ...
John Lennon: How I Won The War (Dir. Dick Lester, starring John Lennon)
Film/DVD/TV Review by Alan Walsh, Melody Maker, 21 October 1967
BEATLE JOHN Lennon reveals a talent for acting and a sense of bitter irony in the part of Private Gripweed in Dick Lester's How I ...
Bobbie Gentry: Bobbie — On The Tallahatchee Bridge To Fame
Interview by Alan Walsh, Melody Maker, 21 October 1967
ALAN WALSH meets the 'Ode to Billie Joe' girl ...
Judy White, Josh White: Josh & Judy White: Josh and his Singing Family
Interview by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 21 October 1967
SOMETIMES IT seems as though Josh White brings a different member of his family every time he visits us, and every one is a singer. ...
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 21 October 1967
GREAT THUNDERING jackanapes! An all-round good show at the Saville: No goofs, no curtains falling down, great music, a nice audience and even, wonder of ...
Ten Years After: Marquee Club, London
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 21 October 1967
TEN YEARS AFTER are currently drawing huge applause and crowds at London's Marquee Club on Friday nights, and it is not difficult to see why. ...
Live Review by Nick Jones, Melody Maker, 21 October 1967
THEIR TRUTHS may shriek, whisper, caress or stab at the thread from which we hang, and scorch our fallen bodies in hot sun, dry them ...
John Mayall: O, Come And Join All Ye The Blues Faithful Crusade
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 28 October 1967
ROLL UP! Get your Bluesbreakers masks here. Peter Green 2s 6d, Eric Clapton five bob... ...
Vanilla Fudge, The Who: The Who, Vanilla Fudge: Saville Theatre, London
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 28 October 1967
Who, minus freak outs and smash ups ...
Tomorrow: U.F.O.: Who Killed Flower Power?
Report and Interview by Nick Jones, Melody Maker, 28 October 1967
U.F.O. the Flower power mecca has closed. Did it die a natural death — or was it murdered? And if it was... ...
Review by Nick Jones, Melody Maker, 4 November 1967
Exclusive! Nick Jones listens to seven secret tapes ...
Bonzo Dog Band, Cream: Cream, Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band: Saville Theatre, London
Live Review by Nick Jones, Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 4 November 1967
IT WAS A night of great music and brilliant comedy, approaching genius in both departments, when the Cream and Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band starred ...
Live Review by Alan Walsh, Melody Maker, 4 November 1967
Engelbert replaces Ken Dodd as idol of the mums ...
Gary Burton, Larry Coryell: Larry Coryell: Breaking Through The Barriers
Interview by Nick Jones, Melody Maker, 4 November 1967
MM pop writer Nick Jones on the Gary Burton quartet in general — and guitarist Larry Coryell in particular — finds new hope for jazz ...
Live Review by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 4 November 1967
THE BLUES roll on, as we're often told, and last Thursday they rolled up to the shores of Hammersmith in the form of the 1967 ...
"Brother" Jack McDuff: Silk and Soul (Transatlantic PR 7404)
Review by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 11 November 1967
BENNY GOLSON arranged some of the eight tracks on Brother Jack McDuff's SILK AND SOUL (Transatlantic PR 7404) for organ and big band, complete with ...
Cream: Disraeli Gears (Reaction)
Review by uncredited writer, Melody Maker, 11 November 1967
THE CREATION OF PURE ENERGY FROM THE CREAM ...
Interview by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 11 November 1967
FOLK FIDDLE virtuoso Dave Swarbrick will accompany guitarist-singer Martin Carthy when he returns to Britain in the New Year. But at the end of a ...
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 11 November 1967
FANS WENT wild for both houses of the Who-Herd-Traffic-Tremeloes tour when it hit Walthamstow Granada on Saturday. ...
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 18 November 1967
A STRANGELY mixed bag of performers at London's Saville Theatre on Sunday. There was Irish folk, psychedelia, a few lights, a bit of hip wiggling ...
Review by Nick Jones, Melody Maker, 18 November 1967
STILL THE BEATLES OLD SOUL AND FEELING ...
Al Stewart: Bedsitter Images (CBS 63087)
Review by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 25 November 1967
AL LEAVES THE RANKS OF FOLK FOR IMAGES ...
Brian Auger, Julie Driscoll: Brian Auger & Julie Driscoll: Open (Marmalade)
Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 25 November 1967
ONE OF THE album events of the year featuring two of Britain's more talented artists, organist Brian Auger and singer Julie Driscoll. Everything about it ...
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 25 November 1967
HUBBLE, BUBBLE, toil and trouble, and wowee Jimi Hendrix! The Hendrix-Move tour thundered off on its trip round Britain with a deafening start at London's ...
Martin Carthy, Dave Swarbrick: Martin Carthy & Dave Swarbrick: Byker Hill (Fontana TL 5434)
Review by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 25 November 1967
MARTIN CARTHY and Dave Swarbrick's third album together, Byker Hill really marks a peak in the development of their partnership which is underlined by Dave's ...
Report by Nick Jones, Melody Maker, 25 November 1967
NICK JONES SORTS OUT THE NEW U.S. SOUNDS ...
Ten Years After: Ten Years After (Deram).
Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 25 November 1967
A BRILLIANT debut album by the blues group that has been building up a huge name for itself at London's Marquee Club. ...
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 25 November 1967
THE MOST remarkable show ever held at London's Saville Theatre on Sunday — the Bee Gees with awe inspiring 30-piece orchestra, combining advanced pop with ...
The Dubliners: More of the Hard Stuff (Major Minor MMLP5)
Review by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 25 November 1967
QUESTION: HAS chart success spoiled the Dubliners? Answer: judging by their new album, More of the Hard Stuff (MMLP5) for Phil Solomons' Major Minor label, ...
Eddie Floyd: Knocking On The Wrong Wood
Profile and Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 2 December 1967
EDDIE FLOYD IN A CASE OF MISTAKEN IDENTITY ...
The Electric Prunes: Putting Electricity into the Electric Prunes
Interview by Nick Jones, Melody Maker, 2 December 1967
THE Electric Prunes landed in Britain from the States last week to recharge the British club circuit with electricity — from natural sources. ...
Bonzo Dog Band: Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band: Dedicated Idiocy
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 9 December 1967
THE BONZOS' POLICY PAYS OFF ...
Pink Floyd: Hits? The Floyd Couldn't Care Less
Interview by Alan Walsh, Melody Maker, 9 December 1967
GIVING POP journalists a hard time is the blood sports of groups. It's one of the occupational hazards of the job, as anyone who's ever ...
Jimi Hendrix: With Jimi, The Music Is 3-D! The Jimi Hendrix Experience: Axis: Bold As Love (Track)
Review and Interview by Nick Jones, Melody Maker, 9 December 1967
NICK JONES ON THE NEW HENDRIX LP ...
The Beatles, George Harrison: Beatle George And Where He's At
Interview by Nick Jones, Melody Maker, 16 December 1967
For many people, the Beatles have long passed the stage where they are merely a pop group. The first indication of this development was probably ...
Otis Redding: Otis, The King Of Soul
Report by uncredited writer, Melody Maker, 16 December 1967
OTIS REDDING, voted as the worlds number one male vocalist in this year's MM Pop Poll, died in an air crash on Sunday night. A ...
Dave Mason, Traffic: Traffic: Dave Quits, But Traffic Keeps Moving
Report and Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 16 December 1967
DESPITE THE INTENDED departure of songwriter and sitarist Dave Mason, Traffic wheels are turning with renewed vigour. ...
Duke Ellington: When Duke Shared the Bill with the Cheeky Chappie
Retrospective by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 23 December 1967
THE JAZZ ARCHIVES: ELLINGTON AT THE PALLADIUM BY MAX JONES ...
The Beatles, George Harrison: Beatle George And Where He's At (Part 2)
Interview by Nick Jones, Melody Maker, 30 December 1967
WE WERE talking about how meditation and yoga leads to self realization. ...
Cream: In The Kingdom of Freakdom
Interview by Nick Jones, Melody Maker, 30 December 1967
THEY ARE THE Cream. Baker, Bruce and Clapton and there's not many desperados who would hitch up their breeches and roll down the dusty main ...
The Who: Who Needs To Take Pop Seriously? Asks Pete Townshend
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 30 December 1967
PETE TOWNSHEND is as unpredictable as a badly made Roman candle. He fizzes and spurts, showers light and occasionally explodes. ...
Judy Collins, Julie Felix, Phil Ochs, Tom Paxton, Al Stewart: No strings attached...
Comment by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 6 January 1968
DEAR JUDY, Julie, Phil, Tom and Al: Girls! Fellows! What's got into you? It's getting so a folksinger isn't a folksinger any more. ...
Procol Harum "At An All-Time Low", says Organist Fisher
Report and Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 6 January 1968
"I THINK the group position is at an all-time low. People are saying: 'Okay, they've had two hits. Now what else can they do?' " ...
The Beatles: Magical Mystery Tour (Apple Corps/BBC)
Film/DVD/TV Review by Alan Walsh, Melody Maker, 6 January 1968
WE HEAR a lot in the pop world about that magical mystery word "communication." ...
Traffic: Stevie's Back On The Beer Again
Report and Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 6 January 1968
ALL IS not lost! Stevie Winwood is drinking beer again! It is pleasing to report the Traffic boss was observed entering a London ale house ...
Fleetwood Mac, John Mayall: Beyond the Blues Horizon
Profile and Interview by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 13 January 1968
THE EVER-growing acceptance of blues during the Sixties has decisively affected the direction in which the popular music business has travelled in country. On the ...
Miriam Makeba: Miriam Makeba In Concert (Reprise RLP6253)
Review by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 13 January 1968
TODAY MIRIAM Makeba is a polished concert, cabaret and TV artist working on the fringe of folk song and popular music. ...
The Small Faces: Small Faces: Is All Still Well With The Faces?
Report and Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 13 January 1968
"MAC LEAVING? No — of course not!" groaned Stevie Marriott and Ronnie Lane in unison. ...
Tom Rush: Rush Reaches For The Pop Audience
Interview by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 13 January 1968
TOM RUSH walked into my office shortly after he had arrived to record a BBC-2 colour TV show with Julie Felix and John Renbourn last ...
The Monkees: What Makes a Monkee Fan?
Interview by Alan Walsh, Melody Maker, 13 January 1968
IT WAS hard to tell Peter Tork from the mutter of a fierce press of journalists. ...
Love Affair: A Love Affair To Remember…
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 20 January 1968
IT'S EXCITING, it's fun, it's new – it's the Love Affair! ...
Dusty Springfield, Mickie Most, P.J. Proby, Spencer Davis Group: Right Then, Who's Backing Britain?
Comment by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 20 January 1968
IF BRITAIN is going to the dogs, it is obvious a large section of the (older) community are convinced that sinful pop stars are prime ...
Manfred Mann: Manfred Still Has That Chart Touch
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 27 January 1968
BOB DYLAN and Manfred Mann have never met. Yet there is a bond between them. Manfred gets hits with Dylan songs, and the songwriter approves ...
Jimmy McGriff: McGriff An Organ Player For All Ears
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 27 January 1968
WILD — THAT was the reaction to U.S. organ star Jimmy McGriff when he played his first-ever appearances in London this week. ...
Simon Dupree and the Big Sound: Simon Dupree Doesn't Want To Be A One Hit Wonder
Report and Interview by uncredited writer, Melody Maker, 27 January 1968
"THE MAIN THING is to get the next record off the ground," said Simon Dupree. "We've got to make sure we aren't one-hit wonders. ...
Brenton Wood: Brenton, Fastest Man in the Chart
Interview by Alan Walsh, Melody Maker, 3 February 1968
BRENTON WOOD must be one of the few singers to dance for hours at his own press reception. He outlasted all the journalists and was ...
Humphrey Lyttelton: Humph, 20 years after
Interview by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 3 February 1968
"NO, IT can't be true," people can often be heard muttering when their eyes fall on a picture of the mature Shirley Temple or Jackie ...
Amen Corner: Rock 'N' Roll Is On The Way Back! — Say Amen Corner
Interview by Alan Walsh, Melody Maker, 3 February 1968
ANDY FAIRWEATHER LOW, lead singer of the Amen Corner is a placid sort of bloke. But he blows his cool if you ask him about ...
The Herd, Love Affair, The Tremeloes: The Tremeloes: War Of The Groups
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 3 February 1968
Pop, crackle, snap – there's friction in the air! ...
The Beatles, Paul McCartney: Beatles by Barrow: Paul — the Cute Beatle Boy
Profile by Tony Barrow, Melody Maker, 10 February 1968
PROBING NEW BEATLES SERIES BY THE MAN WHO'S KEPT SILENT FOR FIVE YEARS ...
Manfred Mann: Mighty Mike Of The Manfreds
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 10 February 1968
MEETING MICHAEL D'ABO is to slip back through the years to a long since shattered age of grace and reason. ...
The Beatles, George Harrison: Beatles by Barrow: Beatle Who's Changed The Most
Profile by Tony Barrow, Melody Maker, 17 February 1968
TONY BARROW, the Beatles press representative, writes about the Beatles for the first time in five years. Naturally, he chose Melody Maker. Barrow has been ...
Brenton Wood: Brenton — Jazz Fan
Interview by Alan Walsh, Melody Maker, 17 February 1968
BRENTON WOOD digs jazz. Back home in Hollywood, the singer whose 'Gimme Little Sign' has crept steadily higher and higher in its slow journey to ...
Engelbert Humperdinck: Engelbert: from dawn till dusk
Report by Alan Walsh, Melody Maker, 17 February 1968
ONE SLEEPY eye topped by tousled black hair raised itself from under the bedclothes and a voice said: " Ho, lads, we sail on the ...
Françoise Hardy: "I can't sing, but I act worse than I sing"
Interview by uncredited writer, Melody Maker, 17 February 1968
"I CANNOT sing very well, but I act worse than I sing," says Françoise Hardy. ...
Leonard Cohen: Songwriter Who Got Into Folk By Accident
Interview by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 17 February 1968
WHEN THE new album by the uncrowned queen of the non-folk, Judy Collins, is issued this month a lot of people will start talking again ...
T-Bone Walker: Stormy Monday Blues (Stateside Bluesway SL10223)
Review by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 17 February 1968
FIVE T-BONE originals, including his new version of the title song, are to be heard on Stormy Monday Blues (Stateside Bluesway SL10223), latest album from guitarist-singer T-Bone ...
The Move: Disgusting, That's Our Stage Act
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 17 February 1968
"IS OUR stage act sexy? It's disgusting! There's no doubt about it, it's vulgar and obscene, and if I was a father I wouldn't let ...
The Beatles, Ringo Starr: Beatles by Barrow: Beatle at the Back
Profile by Tony Barrow, Melody Maker, 24 February 1968
TONY BARROW, the Beatles press representative, writes about the Beatles for the first time in five years, Naturally, he chose Melody Maker. Barrow has been ...
Eddie Boyd Names Europe's Best Blues Guitar
Interview by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 24 February 1968
WHEN EDDIE Boyd, American blues pianist and singer, first came to Britain with the Folk Blues Festival in 1965 he was surprised to find such a ...
Review by uncredited writer, Melody Maker, 24 February 1968
PETER GREEN'S FLEETWOOD MAC: Fleetwood Mac (Blue Horizon). One of the group events of last year for blues fans was the formation of the ex-Mayall guitarist Peter Green's ...
Status Quo: In Search Of A Concrete Image
Interview by Alan Walsh, Melody Maker, 24 February 1968
STATUS QUO are worried men. Their problem: a follow-up to their first chart hit 'Pictures Of Matchstick Men'. ...
Esther and Abi Ofarim: Esther and Abi's Audience — from Seven to Ninety
Interview by Alan Walsh, Melody Maker, 2 March 1968
IN THE summer of 1966, Munich's Circus Krone seethed with excitement as three thousand fans eagerly awaited the appearance on stage of the Beatles, making ...
The Beatles, John Lennon: Lennon the Outrageous Beatle
Profile by Tony Barrow, Melody Maker, 2 March 1968
TONY BARROW, the Beatles' press representative, concludes his four part series with this article on John Lennon. Barrow has been associated with the Beatles since ...
Little Walter: King Of The Blues Harmonica
Obituary by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 9 March 1968
IT IS A sad work indeed to have to write of the death of Little Walter, outstanding harmonica player and fair blues singer, who came ...
Nancy Wilson: Nancy, Bread and Butter Singer
Interview by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 9 March 1968
IT SEEMS as though Nancy Wilson is always making flying visits to this country in order to appear in television programmes. Once she came here ...
The Move: Five Really Nice Guys
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 9 March 1968
Despite what you may think, the Move are really five nice guys – or so they say... ...
Fleetwood Mac: How to Upset the Blues Purists
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 16 March 1968
AMONG BRITAIN'S young blues fans Eric Clapton was once hailed as a god, then discarded by the ethnics when he left John Mayall's Bluesbreakers for ...
The Incredible String Band: Once Again, Is It Folk?
Profile and Interview by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 16 March 1968
WHEN poet Pete Brown, lyric-writer for the Cream, heard the new Incredible String Band LP, The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter, he said: "That's what the Rolling ...
Carolyn Hester: Les Cousins, London
Live Review by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 23 March 1968
SUCCESS USUALLY means that singers quit the folk club circuit and restrict appearances to concerts. Which is a pity, since often the club scene which ...
Live Review by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 6 April 1968
TIM BUCKLEY made a guest appearance at the Incredible String Band's packed Royal Festival Hall concert last Saturday and amply illustrated the difference in approach ...
Report and Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 6 April 1968
When the Stones were rollin' – for £10 a gig ...
The Beach Boys: A Brave New World – Through Pop
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 6 April 1968
IT'S GOING to be a Brave New World through pop. That's the hope of men like George Harrison, Donovan and Mike Love, bearded, humourous hell-raiser ...
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 6 April 1968
WE HAVE seen group wars and feuds before, but nothing like the battle for fans between the Bee Gees and Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick ...
The Herd: Move 'Em Out It's The Real Herd
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 6 April 1968
A POACHED egg is many things to many people. To advertising copy writers, it is a symbol of health and efficiency. To the savages of ...
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 13 April 1968
BOREDOM, HIGH JINKS AND CHAOS ...
Lambert, Hendricks & Ross: Hendricks and Ross now Seek Fame...
Interview by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 13 April 1968
JON HENDRICKS, indelibly associated with the Lambert, Hendricks and Ross trio and the creation of a new form of jazz singing, has been experimenting with ...
Live Review by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 13 April 1968
LONDON'S Speakeasy must be the most difficult gig for any folk-type artist, and when Roy Harper sang there on Sunday, sandwiched between an old Mae ...
Scott Walker: Scott 2 (Philips)
Review by uncredited writer, Melody Maker, 13 April 1968
SOME PEOPLE have the power to control the emotions of others — to bring them up, or bring them down, just by a word, gesture ...
Louis Armstrong: Tell Them Satchmo Is Feeling Great, Looking Pretty And Blowin' Great!
Profile and Interview by Alan Walsh, Melody Maker, 13 April 1968
LOUIS ARMSTRONG, ON HIS PERSONAL HOTLINE FROM MIAMI BEACH, TALKS TO ALAN WALSH ...
Andy Williams: I Owe This Hit To Frankie Valli
Interview by Alan Walsh, Melody Maker, 20 April 1968
ASK THE average pop fan about politics, and he'll recoil in horror. Lots of people in pop, and outside it, believe that politics and pop ...
Reparata & the Delrons: "We're Getting Fat on Cakes and Sweets!"
Interview by uncredited writer, Melody Maker, 20 April 1968
REPARATA AND THE DELRONS EAT THEIR WAY ROUND BRITAIN ...
The Move: Move's Ace Kefford: If I Hadn't Left
Report and Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 27 April 1968
ONE OF THE older clichés in pop, exercised whenever a star cracks up, is "it was too much, too soon." ...
Ike & Tina Turner: Race Riots Drive Ike & Tina to Britain
Interview by Alan Walsh, Melody Maker, 27 April 1968
THERE'S A good chance the Ike and Tina Turner band and the Ikettes will be spending some time in Europe this summer... because of America's ...
Aretha Franklin: Aretha — the True Professional
Interview by uncredited writer, Melody Maker, 4 May 1968
IN ONE of the attractive middle-class homes which line the long streets of north west Detroit, passers-by often notice an attractive young woman dusting and ...
Cream: Eric Clapton: Back To The Blues
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 4 May 1968
CHRIS WELCH picks his way through the chicken feathers in darkest Chelsea to chat up the guitar star of the Cream ...
Ike & Tina Turner: Hatchett's, London
Live Review by Alan Walsh, Melody Maker, 4 May 1968
WITH NO hesitation at all I report that the Ike and Tina Turner revue with the Ikettes is the most exciting R&B act to visit ...
The Small Faces: 'Lazy Sunday' The Hit Stevie Didn't Want
Interview by Royston Eldridge, Melody Maker, 4 May 1968
WHAM! — It's the Small Faces screaming back up the chart with one of their best-ever singles, the fun-packed, all-action 'Lazy Sunday', now at number ...
The Who: Would You Let Your Daughter Marry A Venusion?
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 4 May 1968
TYPICAL WHO sound blasted in stereo from a battery of speakers – screaming guitar, vocals, bass and drums. But Roger Daltrey, John Entwhistle and Keith ...
Gary Puckett & The Union Gap: Union Gap
Interview by Alan Walsh, Melody Maker, 11 May 1968
"WE WEAR American Civil War uniforms to give the group an identity," said Union Gap lead singer Gary Puckett. The conversation took place over the ...
Aretha Franklin: Hammersmith Odeon, London
Live Review by Alan Walsh, Melody Maker, 18 May 1968
America's soul sister Aretha conquers Britain ...
Brian Auger, Julie Driscoll: Brian Auger: DANGER: All Our Groups are Going Abroad
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 18 May 1968
GREAT NEWS for all diggers of Britain's most power packed duo this week, as Brian Auger and Julie Driscoll finally crack the chart problem. ...
Little Walter: Little Walter (Marble Arch)
Review by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 18 May 1968
Walter — guv'nor of the harp ...
Scott Walker: I'm Going To Japan By Train
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 18 May 1968
IS SCOTT Walker a monster? This is his image among some of the pop fraternity. Is he a helpless innocent, buffeted by pitiless probings of ...
Pentangle: The Many Talents Of The Pentangle
Profile and Interview by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 18 May 1968
ANSWER THE following questions to win five points: Which group is playing at the Cambridge Jazz Festival one weekend in July, and at the Cambridge ...
Cilla Black: Work... Is A Four Letter Word starring Cilla Black (Dir. Peter Hall)
Film/DVD/TV Review by Alan Walsh, Melody Maker, 25 May 1968
CILLA BLACK is a lovely bird. She's warm, loyal to old friends, vivacious and charming in her own way. She may even make a competent ...
Aretha Franklin, After Her Hammersmith Odeon Clambake — What Do You Want To Tell Me About That?
Interview by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 25 May 1968
MELODY MAKER EXCLUSIVE BY MAX JONES ...
Tyrannosaurus Rex: Marc Bolan: The Man Behind Tyrannosaurus Rex
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 25 May 1968
AGE AND world wearyness are the enemies of pop. Marc Bolan has youth and enthusiasm. His are the qualities which must be the saviours of ...
Shirley Collins: Shirley is a bit of a Good Fairy
Interview by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 25 May 1968
THE YOUNG man fitted together what looked like a short walking stick with holes and showed it to folksinger Shirley Collins. "That's what we call ...
The Spinners (UK): Spinners: Queen Elizabeth Hall, London
Live Review by Alan Walsh, Melody Maker, 25 May 1968
THE SECRET of the success of the Spinners is hard to define, but a lot must lie in their ability to create a sort of ...
The Byrds: The Changing Face of the Byrds
Interview by uncredited writer, Melody Maker, 25 May 1968
"THE BYRDS have changed. In looks, line-up and partly in repertoire. Gone is the long hair, which, back in 1965, earned them the description of ...
The Beach Boys: After The Maharishi What Next For The Beach Boys?
Interview by Alan Walsh, Melody Maker, 1 June 1968
AN UNEXPECTED bonus came out of the collapse of the Beach Boys' abortive tour with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. After the Indian mystic split the trek, ...
The Animals, Eric Burdon, Zoot Money: Eric Burdon and Zoot Money
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 1 June 1968
ERIC BURDON belongs to a fast vanishing breed. He is the last of the outspoken men of Pop, and the Animals are the last of ...
The Beatles: Revolution: That's What The Beatles Are Planning With This (picture of an apple)
Report and Interview by Alan Walsh, Melody Maker, 1 June 1968
APPLE, THE Beatles' artistic mindchild, is a feeling, an effort and a purpose. ...
Interview by Alan Walsh, Melody Maker, 1 June 1968
MICKEY DOLENZ reveals their plans for a change of image in the future ...
Albert King: Born Under A Bad Sign (Stax)
Review by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 8 June 1968
'Born Under A Bad Sign'; 'Crosscut Saw'; 'Kansas City'; 'Oh, Pretty Woman'; 'Down Don't Bother Me'; 'The Hunter'; 'I Almost Lost My Mind'; 'Personal Manager'; ...
The Beatles: Paul McCartney: 'We Have a Handful of Songs and a Band Called the Beatles'
Interview by Alan Walsh, Melody Maker, 8 June 1968
PAUL McCARTNEY, new-style businessman of Apple, took time off from creative planning last week and talked about the Beatles recording plans. Paul spoke to the MM the ...
The Rolling Stones: UFOs Are Landing In My Garden Says Keith Richard
Interview by Alan Walsh, Melody Maker, 15 June 1968
KEITH RICHARD, Rolling Stones guitarist and co-writer of songs with Mick Jagger, believes that he lives on a UFO landing site. ...
The Rolling Stones: Will Charlie Watts Wake Up The World?
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 22 June 1968
BEACH BOYS, Beatles and Donovan chased round the world after the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in search of spiritual peace. ...
Marmalade: No Peel For Marmalade
Report and Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 29 June 1968
THEY DON'T like Peel in Marmalade. The well-known voice of hippery has frequently expressed opinions that the Scots lads once known as Dean Ford and ...
Louis Armstrong: The Wonderful World of Louis Armstrong, Part 1
Report and Interview by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 29 June 1968
MAX JONES reports from Batley ...
Johnny Shines, Sunnyland Slim: Chicago Blues are Dying
Interview by Alan Walsh, Melody Maker, 6 July 1968
and Britain's Mike Vernon tries resuscitation ...
Manfred Mann: Manfred Michael Say's — 'It's Like Selling Fish And Chips'
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 6 July 1968
IS THE era of the pop idol dead? Are the days when Mick Jagger's face could launch a thousand screams over? ...
O.C. Smith Fights For Poor People
Interview by Alan Walsh, Melody Maker, 6 July 1968
THERE was a familiar face at the head of last week's Poor People's March in Washington, USA,the protest on behalf of America's underprivileged classes led ...
The Incredible String Band: Royal Albert Hall, London
Live Review by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 6 July 1968
Time to get off the Incredible String Band's mystery tour ...
Louis Armstrong: The Wonderful World of Louis Armstrong, Part 2
Interview by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 6 July 1968
"I'VE BEEN trying to follow you for 20 years," a trumpet player was saying to Louis Armstrong in Batley the other day. Louis raised his ...
The Nice: 1968 The Year Of The Nice
Profile and Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 13 July 1968
NICE ARE now one of Britain's top groups, ranking with Cream and Jimi Hendrix's Experience. And as Cream aren't working and are on the edge ...
Cream: Background to a Break-Up
Report and Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 13 July 1968
CREAM ARE breaking up. The world-famous trio that features Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker and Jack Bruce are to go separate ways in the autumn. Said ...
Report and Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 13 July 1968
JOHN MAYALL HAS taken a great leap forward with his Bare Wires suite which takes up one side of his latest Decca album. ...
John Mayall: Mayall's Bare Wires = a progression in attitude
Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 13 July 1968
JOHN MAYALL has taken a great leap forward with his Bare Wires suite which takes up one side of his latest Decca album. ...
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 13 July 1968
Bonzo's brilliance steals the show ...
Louis Armstrong: The Wonderful World of Louis Armstrong, Part 3
Report and Interview by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 13 July 1968
SATCH SAYS THANKS FOR THE THRILL ...
Junior Wells: It's My Life, Baby (Fontana TFL6084)
Review by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 17 July 1968
'It's My Life Baby'; 'It's So Sad To Be Lonely'; 'Country Girl'; 'You Lied To Me'; 'Stormy Monday'; 'Shake It Baby'; 'Checking On My Baby'; ...
Jimi Hendrix: "I Felt We Were In Danger Of Becoming The U.S. Dave Dee" — Jimi Hendrix
Interview by Alan Walsh, Melody Maker, 20 July 1968
THE ELECTRIFIED hair has been shortened somewhat, but it was unmistakably still Jimi Hendrix. He loped into his manager's Gerrard Street office, grinned slyly, shook ...
Arthur Brown: I Am The God Of Hell Fire
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 20 July 1968
"WHO ARE you then?" inquired the pretty young barmaid, as she served the fifth pint of foaming beer, to the customer with shoulder-length hair, clutching ...
Phil Ochs: The War Isn't Over for Phil Ochs Yet
Interview by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 27 July 1968
WHEN PHIL OCHS arrived in England on his recent visit the immigration people almost didn't let him in. "They asked me did I want to ...
Report and Interview by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 3 August 1968
BUBBLEGUM music is making a lot of money for New York record producers Jeffrey Katz and Jerry Kasenatz. Yes, that's right, bubblegum music. That's what ...
Electric Flag: A Long Time Comin' (CBS)
Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 3 August 1968
'Killing Floor'; 'Groovin' Is Easy'; 'Over-Lovin' You'; 'She Should Have Just'; 'Wine'; 'Texas'; 'Sittin' In Circles'; 'You Don't Realise'; 'Another Country'; 'Easy Rider'. ...
The Doors: Jim Morrison: Is He The American Mick Jagger?
Profile by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 3 August 1968
LOOK OUT, England! Jim Morrison is coming to get you! ...
The Small Faces: Steve Marriott: Putting A Brave Face On Things
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 3 August 1968
STEVIE MARRIOTT is not too horrified by the slow progress of 'Universal', the Small Faces' latest vital waxing. ...
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 3 August 1968
"ALL THIS needs is for John Peel to appear with three loaves and five fishes and he could feed the ten thousand," said an observer ...
Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 10 August 1968
'White Room', 'Sitting on Top of the World', 'Passing the Time', 'As You Said', 'Pressed Rat and Warthog', 'Politician', 'Those Were The Days', 'Born Under ...
Family: Music In A Doll's House (Reprise)
Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 10 August 1968
LOATHE TO put their music into any category, the men of Family make it difficult for anybody else to adequately describe what they are attempting. ...
The Moody Blues: Moody Blues: In Search Of The Lost Chord (Deram)
Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 10 August 1968
AFTER YEARS of singing 'Jump Back Baby, Jump Back', it all gets a bit difficult when stalwart veterans of the Beat Era have to start ...
The Four Tops, The Supremes: No Mo' Motown?
Comment by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 10 August 1968
CHRIS WELCH records the demise of a chart influence ...
Pink Floyd: A Saucerful of Secrets (Columbia)
Review by uncredited writer, Melody Maker, 10 August 1968
Hear the Floyd — it's not so painful ...
Amen Corner's Shopping List: 14 steaks, 28 Cokes, 10 bottles of Squeezy and 14 of orange juice
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 17 August 1968
AFTER TWO glasses of orange juice, Mr Andrew Fairweather-Low, of the Amen Corner, was observed staggering, shuffling and reeling in a dingy London alleyway this ...
Bob Dylan: We May Never See Him Perform Again
Report and Interview by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 17 August 1968
BOB DYLAN is unlikely ever to appear in concerts again. This is my considered opinion after two weeks talking with his friends and business associates ...
Canned Heat: Coming from the States in September — A Hard Blues and Rock Group
Profile by Alan Walsh, Melody Maker, 17 August 1968
CANNED HEAT, who crept into the bottom of the chart last week at 28 with 'On The Road Again' are a hard blues and rock ...
Jerry Lee Lewis: Country, Cabaret, and Rock — It's The New Look Jerry Lee Lewis
Interview by Alan Walsh, Melody Maker, 17 August 1968
THE MAN who rivals Little Richard as rock and roll's King of Excitement arrived back in London last week for a fleeting visit. Jerry Lee ...
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 17 August 1968
Music triumphs, despite rain, accidents and the rockers ...
Review by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 17 August 1968
ALAN LOMAX, assisted by Shirley Collins, made a recording expedition in the South during '59 which produced 80 hours of taped folksong and instrumental music. ...
Cream, Ginger Baker: Ginger Baker: The Ginger Man
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 17 August 1968
PETER "GINGER" BAKER will be 29 soon, and after 13 years of beating drum kits into submission, he is at last able to relax and ...
Report by Alan Walsh, Melody Maker, 17 August 1968
THE LATEST episode in the Mama's and Papa's will-they-split-or-won't-they saga is a single by mammoth Mama Cass which seems certain to be a monster hit. ...
Big Brother & The Holding Company, Janis Joplin: Janis Joplin: Lock Up Your Sons
Interview by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 17 August 1968
SHE WEARS a micro-length dress with a neckline plunging down to the navel. She swoops around the stage like some kind of female bat about ...
John Lee Hooker: I'm John Lee Hooker (Joy 101)
Review by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 17 August 1968
JOHN LEE Hooker is a fairly basic artist, and a collection of his songs from the Vee Jay label titled I'm John Lee Hooker (Joy ...
O.C. Smith: The Revolution, London
Live Review by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 17 August 1968
And he triumphs, despite all, at the Revolution ...
Judy Collins: Stand by for the "electric" Judy Collins
Report by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 17 August 1968
WHEN JUDY Collins makes a brief visit to Britain at the beginning of November, some of her fans are going to get a bit of ...
O.C. Smith: What does O.C. care about? Feeling for other Negroes and gunfire in Watts for a start...
Interview by Alan Walsh, Melody Maker, 17 August 1968
O.C. SMITH peered over a metal balcony 60 feet from the ground. A steady penetrating drizzle dropped non-stop from a wicked grey sky as he ...
The Beatles: Why does nobody loves the Beatles?
Comment by Alan Walsh, Melody Maker, 17 August 1968
THE KNIVES are out in force. Fleet Street is gunning for the Beatles. ...
Canned Heat — Putting Blues Back on its Feet Again
Interview by Alan Walsh, Melody Maker, 31 August 1968
"WE ARE a country blues band. That's our main bag," said Bob "The Bear" Hite, lead singer of Canned Heat, the West Coast blues band ...
Jefferson Airplane: The Isle of Wight Pop Festival
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 7 September 1968
A SMALL bronze medal should be struck and presented to all the survivors of the Isle of Wight Pop Festival. They are the brave men ...
Cream: Pop LP of the Month — Cream: Wheels of Fire (Polydor)
Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 7 September 1968
AN EXCITING AND REWARDING SET ...
Canned Heat, The Group That Refused To Be A Juke Box And Got Fired
Interview by Alan Walsh, Melody Maker, 14 September 1968
AFTER THE tensions and hatred of America, Canned Heat, who claim they are the only white country blues group in the world, have found London ...
Johnny Nash and the Need for a New Image
Interview by Alan Walsh, Melody Maker, 14 September 1968
AMERICAN SINGER Johnny Nash flew into London last week with a problem: his act. "For a start, I've got no charts (arrangements) with me," he ...
Sly & the Family Stone: BANNED! Top Of The Pops Drop Sly & The Family Stone
Report and Interview by Alan Walsh, Melody Maker, 21 September 1968
SLY AND The Family Stone, still a chart force with 'Dance To The Music', were supposed to appear on BBC-TV's Top Of The Pops last ...
The Rolling Stones: Oh, What? Own Up! Just Groove!
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 21 September 1968
MICK JAGGER, vintage 1968. ...
The Who: Bus Ride Back To Pop 30 For Who
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 21 September 1968
THE STATES are where the Who now have their biggest hits, most fan fever, and excitement. Pete Townsend, Keith Moon, Roger Daltrey and John Entwistle ...
Jimmy Witherspoon: Live (Stateside SL10232)
Review by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 28 September 1968
ON LIVE (Stateside SL10232), the rich-voiced Jimmy Witherspoon is heard in a typical club show accompanied by the Ben Webster quartet. ...
Joni Mitchell: Joni, The Seagull From Saskatoon
Interview by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 28 September 1968
TALKING TO Joni Mitchell about her songs is rather like talking to someone you just met about the most intimate secrets of her life. Like ...
Lightnin' Hopkins: Earth Blues (Minit MLL40006E.)
Review by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 28 September 1968
SAM HOPKINS, one of the great Texas bluesmen, is well represented on records but this new release of some of his early titles is an ...
Ray Charles: Backstage With Ray, 'The Genius'
Interview by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 28 September 1968
RAY CHARLES, singer and pianist among other things, and his team of 16 musicians, four Raelets, manager Joe Adams and sundry helpers, flew into London ...
Skip James: Skip James Today! (Vanguard SVRLI9001.)
Review by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 28 September 1968
IN BLUES and other Negro folksong, as in jazz, judgments are much a matter of individual taste, though certain aspects of an artist's work are ...
David Ackles: Travelling Man with a Difference
Interview by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 5 October 1968
FIRST THING Illinois-born singer-songwriter David Ackles did when he arrived in Britain last week was to arrange to hear Julie Driscoll's next single, 'Road To ...
Frank Zappa, The Mothers Of Invention: Frank Zappa: Reviled, Revered Mother Superior
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 5 October 1968
FEAR OF THE abnormal isn't a trait confined to Americans, but they do seem to express their fears more vociferously than most. ...
Al Stewart, Joni Mitchell: Joni Mitchell, Al Stewart, The Johnstons: Royal Festival Hall, London
Live Review by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 5 October 1968
OPENERS AT Roy Guest's "Festival of Contemporary Song" at the Royal Festival Hall on Saturday, the Johnstons, finished their set with Joni Mitchell's 'Both Sides ...
Tom Jones: The Truth About Tom Jones: Part One
Interview by Alan Walsh, Melody Maker, 5 October 1968
FOUR YEARS ago, Tom Jones was working in a sawmill in Pontypridd, South Wales, and picking up extra cash singing with his group in the ...
Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 5 October 1968
The latest in an exciting series ...
Tom Jones: The Truth About Tom Jones: Part Two
Interview by Alan Walsh, Melody Maker, 12 October 1968
Tom Jones is a rare person. Adulation, money, fame — all these he has, yet they don't seem to have touched him fundamentally. He's still ...
Led Zeppelin, Jimmy Page, The Yardbirds: The Yardbirds: Only Jimmy Left To Form The New Yardbirds
Report and Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 12 October 1968
WHATEVER HAPPENED to the Yardbirds? One of the great mysteries of our time, ranking with the Devil's footprints, the Marie Celeste and the Five Penny ...
Tom Jones: The Truth About Tom Jones: Part Three
Report by Alan Walsh, Melody Maker, 19 October 1968
For millions of Tom Jones' fans, the moment they feel closest to him is when he is on tour and they can actually watch his ...
Blue Cheer: Meet the Loudest Group in the World
Interview by uncredited writer, Melody Maker, 26 October 1968
BLUE CHEER have been called the world's loudest group. This American trio first hit the American chart headlines some months ago with their version of ...
Della Reese and her Mean Uncle
Interview by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 26 October 1968
DELLA REESE, halfway through her stint as special guest artist on the Tom Jones tour, rested in London on Monday and looked forward to a ...
Report and Interview by Alan Walsh, Melody Maker, 26 October 1968
"I LOVE England but I'm never coming there again," said blind singer/guitarist Jose Feliciano. ...
Joe Cocker: Soul Sheffield Style
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 26 October 1968
WHICH pop star uses the Mario Lanzo method? You're wrong – it's not Tiny Tim, it's our old blues shouting, Beatle bellowing mate Joe Cocker! ...
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 26 October 1968
ALL HAIL Arthur Brown! How high the Who! In a curtain-raiser for their forthcoming tour, taking the form of an all-night rave at London's Lyceum, ...
Live Review by Alan Walsh, Melody Maker, 2 November 1968
Swinging down the aisles ...
The Mothers Of Invention, Frank Zappa: The Mothers of Invention: Royal Festival Hall, London
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 2 November 1968
WHO WOULD HAVE THOUGHT THE MOTHERS COULD BE BORING? ...
Tiny Tim: When Tiny Tim Started To Sing In A High Voice, Even Dear Father Said 'Cissy'
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 2 November 1968
Chris Welch comes face to face with Tiny Tim ...
Interview by Alan Walsh, Melody Maker, 9 November 1968
BOB DYLAN'S John Wesley Harding album was probably the most eagerly awaited record of the year. ...
The Isley Brothers: For The Isley Brothers Better Late Than Never
Profile by Alan Walsh, Melody Maker, 9 November 1968
AFTER A tortoise-like two-and-a-half-year journey, the Isley Brothers' 'This Old Heart of Mine' has put the Tamla Motown insignia in the Pop 30 again. ...
Jimi Hendrix Experience: Electric Ladyland (Track)
Review by uncredited writer, Melody Maker, 9 November 1968
...
The Beatles: The Beatles (White Album) (Apple)
Review by Alan Walsh, Melody Maker, 9 November 1968
Are the Beatles going backwards? ALAN WALSH PREVIEWS THE NEW BEATLES DOUBLE ALBUM ...
The Nice: Ars Longa Vita Brevis (Immediate)
Review by uncredited writer, Melody Maker, 9 November 1968
THIS SECOND Immediate album by the Nice, is not only a vast improvement on their first, but a major breakthrough in pop group experimentation. In ...
The Who: Tackling The Most Serious Project Of Their Lives
Report and Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 9 November 1968
"THAT'S A nasty letter. What's all that about?" inquired a menacing, dramatically dressed Roger Daltrey, clutching a copy of the MM and noting a communication ...
Bob Dylan: Don't Look Back (Dir. D.A. Pennebaker)
Film/DVD/TV Review by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 16 November 1968
TELLING THE TRUTH ABOUT DYLAN ...
Captain Beefheart: Strictly Personal (Blue Thumb S1)
Review by uncredited writer, Melody Maker, 16 November 1968
(From One Stop Records, 40 South Moulton St., London W.1, or other import speciality shops) ...
Fred Neil: Bleeker And McDougal (Elektra EKS 7293)
Review by uncredited writer, Melody Maker, 16 November 1968
FRED NEIL is a name that won't be too familiar to British folk enthusiasts but his album Bleeker And McDougal (Elektra EKS 7293) should help. ...
The Incredible String Band: Incredible String Band: Wee Tam And The Big Huge (Elektra)
Review by uncredited writer, Melody Maker, 16 November 1968
THE INCREDIBLES' third album, The Hangman's Beautiful Daughter was rather subdued and introspective with Mike Heron leaning towards Robin Williamson's elegiac style. ...
Joan Baez: Baptism (Vanguard SVRL19000)
Review by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 16 November 1968
Lovers of Baez folksong will be disappointed ...
John Fahey: The Transfiguration Of Blind Joe Death (Transatlantic TRA 173)
Review by uncredited writer, Melody Maker, 16 November 1968
WHAT IS A guitarist's guitarist? Listen to John Fahey on The Transfiguration Of Blind Joe Death to find out. Originally recorded back in the early ...
Pentangle: Sweet Child (Transatlantic TRA 178)
Review by uncredited writer, Melody Maker, 16 November 1968
A BRILLIANT second album from the Pentangle and, being a two-record package, gives full rein to the group's tremendous ability, fine musicianship and remarkable flexibility. ...
Horace Silver: Eyes for the Writing Scene
Interview by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 23 November 1968
"I'D like to mention a new direction in my career." This was Horace Silver, talking at a Blue Note reception given for him at Ronnie ...
Johnny Johnson & the Bandwagon: Johnny Johnson: No Heartache for Rolling Bandwagon
Interview by Alan Walsh, Melody Maker, 23 November 1968
WHAT HAVE the Bandwagon got in common with their soul sisters the Supremes? ...
Nina Simone: Nina Hits With Hair
Profile by Alan Walsh, Melody Maker, 23 November 1968
NINA SIMONE provokes mixed reactions from the music critics of the world. Some hail her as a giant of the blues, while others, though grudgingly ...
Roy Harper: St Pancras Town Hall, London
Live Review by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 23 November 1968
A first solo flight to remember ...
The Nice: Whitla Hall, Belfast
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 23 November 1968
BELFAST'S annual music festival, organised by Michael Emmerson of Queens University, was opened by the Nice in a highly successful "pop" concert at the Whitla ...
Diana Ross, The Supremes: Diana Ross: A Talking Instead Of Just A Walking Doll
Report and Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 30 November 1968
DIANA ROSS is a living doll. But as an all-talking living doll, her new image came as quite a surprise to the pop scene last ...
John Mayall: Blues From Laurel Canyon (Decca)
Review by uncredited writer, Melody Maker, 30 November 1968
THIS IS John's least interesting album for a long time, and the reason is quite simple, and explained best in his own words on the ...
The Beatles: The Beatles (White Album) (Apple)
Review by uncredited writer, Melody Maker, 30 November 1968
WITH OVER a million quid already in the coffers for this latest two-LP set handed down from the Liverpudlian heights, it is difficult to put ...
The Deviants: Disposable (Stable)
Review by uncredited writer, Melody Maker, 30 November 1968
ONE IS with the Deviants in spirit and one applauds the efforts of Mick Farren and Steve Sparkes who produced this second "underground" album, but ...
The Rolling Stones: Beggars Banquet (Decca)
Review by uncredited writer, Melody Maker, 30 November 1968
THE STONES, like the Beatles, have the same, problems, i.e. surpassing their original inspirations. But as the Stones have always set their sights on the ...
Aynsley Dunbar Retaliation: Doctor Dunbar's Prescription (Liberty LBL93177E)
Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 7 December 1968
SADLY BRITISH blues groups seem to have reached the end of their creative ability, and a short road it has proved to be. Recording quality ...
Report and Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 7 December 1968
A FANTASTIC and highly emotional send-off for the Cream almost gave the group second thoughts about breaking up after their brilliant final performance at London's ...
The Beatles, Mary Hopkin, Jackie Lomax: Has Apple Gone Rotten?
Interview by Alan Walsh, Melody Maker, 7 December 1968
HAS APPLE GONE SOUR? That's a question people are starting to ask as directors quit, and the film division virtually closes down. There are also ...
Lulu: Learning New Things About Life
Interview by Alan Walsh, Melody Maker, 7 December 1968
'AM I A TIGER?' ...
Otis Spann, Muddy Waters: Muddy Waters and Otis Spann: End of the Soul Half-Brothers
Interview by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 7 December 1968
I WAS playing some records with Otis Spann and S.P. Leary in their hotel on London's Cromwell Road last week. ...
The Beatles: Album of the Month — The Beatles: The Beatles (White Album) (Apple)
Review by Alan Walsh, Melody Maker, 14 December 1968
'Back In The USSR', 'Dear Prudence', 'Glass Onion', Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da', 'Wild Honey Pie', 'The Continuing Story Of Bungalow Bill', 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps', 'Happiness ...
Billy Cobham, Horace Silver: Billy Cobham: The Pulse Behind the Horace Silver 5
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 14 December 1968
IT'S BEEN a very good year for drummers. ...
Family, Alexis Korner: College of Commerce, Manchester
Live Review by uncredited writer, Melody Maker, 14 December 1968
MANCHESTER'S College of Commerce was packed out on December 4 for Family and Alexis Korner — along with a light show, two scantily-clad maidens, who ...
Blossom Toes, Muddy Waters: Muddy Waters, Blossom Toes: Revolution Club, London
Live Review by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 14 December 1968
MUDDY WATERS and his Blues Band may not have been at their magic best at London's Revolution before they left — they weren't playing for ...
The Groundhogs, John Lee Hooker: Out of the Groundswell the New Groundhogs
Interview by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 14 December 1968
IF IT'S doing nothing else, the present blues boom is drawing attention to a number of singers and players who have been around the country's ...
The Rolling Stones: How I Survived Beggar's Banquet
Report by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 14 December 1968
THAT custard pies would one day be hurled by the Rolling Stones at the gentlemen of the press was fairly inevitable. ...
Bonzo Dog Band: Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band: The Doughnut In Granny's Greenhouse (Liberty)
Review by uncredited writer, Melody Maker, 21 December 1968
Bonzo's latest piece of art ...
Eire Apparent: Revolution Club, London
Live Review by Royston Eldridge, Melody Maker, 21 December 1968
EIRE APPARENT were in trouble from their opening number at London's Revolution last week. First they were told to turn the volume down and then ...
Elmore James: Something Inside Of Me (Bell MBLL104)
Review by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 21 December 1968
A LOT HAS been written of late about Elmore James, one of the big men of post-war blues, who died in May of '63. His ...
Interview by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 21 December 1968
ORGANIST JIMMY SMITH TELLS MAX JONES ABOUT HIS FIRST LOVE ...
John Lennon, Yoko Ono: John Lennon and Yoko Ono: Two Virgins (Track)
Review by uncredited writer, Melody Maker, 21 December 1968
MOST AMUSING part of this entertaining family album is the line on the label which states all the "compositions" are published by Northern Songs Ltd. ...
Review by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 21 December 1968
"LEADBELLY is a hard name" says Woody Guthrie, "and the hard name of a harder man." The late Woody is quoted (from the book, American ...
Marmalade, winners of 'Ob-La-Di' chart race
Interview by Royston Eldridge, Melody Maker, 21 December 1968
MARMALADE WOULD have covered 'Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da', moving up the MM Pop 30 this week, even if it had been taken off a double album by ...
Kasenetz-Katz Singing Orchestral Circus: Meet the Kasenetz-Katz Singing Orchestral Circus
Interview by Alan Walsh, Melody Maker, 21 December 1968
"SINGALONG, DANCE-along music with no deep meaning — that's what the Singing Orchestral Circus is all about," said one of the two men who created ...
Nina Simone: The Fantasy World of Nina Simone
Interview by Alan Walsh, Melody Maker, 21 December 1968
"YES, I'M happy that I've got a hit record. I'm happy because I like the song and because in the future I'll get some time ...
Review by uncredited writer, Melody Maker, 21 December 1968
ALVIN LEE, guitarist-leader of Ten Years After, recently returned from a successful Stateside tour, lent an ear to this week's selection of albums and singles ...
Eric Clapton, Jethro Tull, The Rolling Stones: The Rolling Stones: Rock and Roll Circus
Report by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 21 December 1968
IT WAS a group fan's dream, when the giants of pop held a three hour jam session, while rehearsing for the Rolling Stones' Rock And ...
Bonzo Dog Band: Viv Stanshall, Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band, at the Pop Think-In
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 21 December 1968
FISH: I'm trying to become a pisceculturist. I'm less interested in fish than I am in turtles really. I like evil fish of archaelogical interest ...
Dusty Springfield: Why Dusty Must Leave Britain
Interview by Alan Walsh, Melody Maker, 21 December 1968
DUSTY SPRINGFIELD phoned to talk about her new hit record — by our reckoning, her 17th chart record since she became a solo artist five ...
Ben Webster: Reminiscing with Big Ben
Interview by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 28 December 1968
"DID YOU ever hear about my film? It's a half-hour thing made by Johan van der Keuken for Dutch TV last year. It would be ...
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 4 January 1969
Chris Welch ventures into deepest Bee Geeland ...
Johnny Johnson & the Bandwagon: "British People Great"
Interview by Royston Eldridge, Melody Maker, 4 January 1969
"THE MOST out-of-sight thing about Britain is the people. They are so warm, they get right down in with you." That's the Bandwagon's reaction to ...
Love Sculpture Write To The Russian Embassy
Interview by Royston Eldridge, Melody Maker, 4 January 1969
THE COMRADES at the Russian Embassy could help three boyos from Cardiff follow up one of the most unusual hits of 1968. ...
The Pretty Things: Pretty Things Kick Off Their Old Image
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 4 January 1969
ONE OF Britain's oldest and most hallowed group relics are the Pretty Things, who must go down in the pageant of pop history as men ...
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 4 January 1969
"FREAKING OUT with volume is over. Everybody seemed to think volume was the revolution of the music. That's okay theatrically, but not musically." ...
The Small Faces: Stevie Marriott is alive and well and living in Essex
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 4 January 1969
"COR — WE haven't even been in the Raver for weeks!" exclaimed Stevie Marriott on the subject of their mystery disappearance from the affairs of ...
B.B. King: The Men Who Make The Blues: B.B. King
Profile by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 4 January 1969
B.B. KING is among the most popular of the newer-generation blues-men; and he has certainly been the most influential. Charles Keil, who devotes a chapter ...
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 4 January 1969
THIS IS the time of year when pop journalists start surveying the scene for groups or singles likely to make an impression in the coming ...
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 11 January 1969
CHRIS WELCH meets the new-look Jimi! ...
The 5th Dimension: 5th Dimension - looking forward to a British tour
Interview by Alan Walsh, Melody Maker, 18 January 1969
"I DON'T know why we haven't done a tour in Britain," said gorgeous Marilyn McCoo of 5th Dimension, "I guess the bookers haven't been able ...
Herman's Hermits, Lulu, Mickie Most: Mickie Most: Making Hit Records for the Government
Interview by Alan Walsh, Melody Maker, 18 January 1969
ALAN WALSH TALKS TO MICKIE MOST, THE MAN BEHIND THE HIT MAKERS ...
Sergio Mendes: Brasil '66 Bring A Taste Of Latin Rock
Interview by Royston Eldridge, Melody Maker, 18 January 1969
WE'VE HAD just about every kind of rock you can imagine — rock and roll, rocksteady, hard-rock... but now there's a new one and it's ...
Sly & The Family Stone: 'Everyday People' (Direction)
Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 18 January 1969
IT WAS A pity their first British visit was such a mess up, for Sly and Co seem like a most unusual and interesting group, ...
Melanie, Tyrannosaurus Rex: Tyrannosaurus Rex/Melanie: Queen Elizabeth Hall, London
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 18 January 1969
A HANDFUL of musical fairydust was thrown into the air at London's Queen Elizabeth Hall on Monday, which baffled some and choked others. ...
Barbra Streisand: Face To Face With The Funny Girl...
Report and Interview by Royston Eldridge, Melody Maker, 25 January 1969
SHE SWEPT into her press reception at London's Dorchester Hotel like a queen. ...
Chicken Shack: O.K. Ken? (Blue Horizon 7-63209)
Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 25 January 1969
SOLID GOOD humour abounds on Chicken Shack's O.K. Ken? (Blue Horizon 7-63209) of a British variety which makes it so more bearable and strangely authentic, compared to ...
Randy Newman: The Man They All Dig Doesn't Dig Himself
Interview by Royston Eldridge, Melody Maker, 25 January 1969
BEATLE PAUL McCartney phoned to say how much he likes his work; Frank Sinatra wants him to write an album but the man himself doesn't ...
Buddy Miles: The Buddy Miles Express: Expressway To Your Skull (Mercury 20137 SMCL)
Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 25 January 1969
EXPRESSWAY TO Your Skull is dramatic, intense music from the ugly hero of the drums, who once powered Electric Flag. His band is more or ...
Jeff Beck: The Jeff Beck Group: Marquee Club, London
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 25 January 1969
JEFF BECK'S band blew a solid set at London's Marquee Club last week to a packed house and proved why they have been so successful ...
Steve Miller: The Steve Miller Band: Sailor (Capitol ST 2984)
Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 25 January 1969
THE LATEST trend among packagers of records is to make absolutely certain the least amount of information is available for the public to glean from ...
Jeff Beck: When Jeff Was Scared To Go On Stage
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 1 February 1969
JEFF BECK is a complicated person. He can appear lazy, sullen and difficult. He has an expressive face that appears to give away his every ...
Savoy Brown Take on a New Identity
Interview by Royston Eldridge, Melody Maker, 1 February 1969
WHEN THE Savoy Brown first started the only other band on the British blues scene was John Mayall... but that was four years ago before ...
Harmony Grass: Speakeasy, London
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 8 February 1969
HARMONY GRASS are a fine band — they always were as Tony Rivers and the Castaways. Although Tony has castaway the surfing image, they still ...
Nina Simone: 'Nuff Said (RCA Victor)
Review by uncredited writer, Melody Maker, 8 February 1969
PROOF TO SILENCE THE CYNICS ...
Pop On The Air: Facelift for the station of the stars
Report by Alan Walsh, Melody Maker, 8 February 1969
MELODY MAKER MEETS THE MEN WHO DECIDE WHAT YOU LISTEN TO ALAN WALSH REPORTS FROM RADIO LUXEMBOURG ...
Fleetwood Mac, Otis Spann: Top of the chart Fleetwood Mac act as a backing group!
Interview by Alan Walsh, Melody Maker, 8 February 1969
WHICH TOP British group acted as a backing group for another artist while their own record was number one? ...
Tamla Motown: Munch, Munch, Munch
Comment by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 15 February 1969
Chris Welch discovers what it's like to eat his own words… ...
Wilson Pickett: Why Wilson dropped the "la-la-la" bit
Interview by Alan Walsh, Melody Maker, 15 February 1969
WHEN WILSON Pickett landed at London's Heath Row airport two hours late last Thursday after flying from Rome, all he wanted to do was sleep. ...
Fleetwood Mac: Sold Out? Gerroff!
Interview by Royston Eldridge, Melody Maker, 1 March 1969
PETER GREEN defends Fleetwood Mac ...
Jimi Hendrix: The Jimi Hendrix Experience: Royal Albert Hall, London
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 1 March 1969
The legend comes to life: Chris Welch catches Hendrix in action ...
Chet Atkins: The Day Elvis Split his Pink Britches
Interview by Alan Walsh, Melody Maker, 8 March 1969
WHEN ELVIS Presley recorded 'Heartbreak Hotel', the record that launched him to adulation level in Great Britain, he really tore the studio apart. ...
The Hollies, Graham Nash: Fingers are crossed for Hollies "stopgap" single
Interview by Royston Eldridge, Melody Maker, 8 March 1969
POP'S MOST consistent hitmakers, the Hollies, are back on the chart trail for the first time without Graham Nash but feeling more of a group ...
Ron Geesin: It can't be long before Ron Geesin takes over the world
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 8 March 1969
"A RAVING bloody loony" he may be, but there is no call for the Scots Jimi Hendrix of the banjo to be accused of being ...
Jerry Lee Lewis: What a Fave Rave in Othello!
Interview by Alan Walsh, Melody Maker, 8 March 1969
JERRY LEE LEWIS, one of the legenary rock names of the past decade, is true to his image. ...
Mississippi Fred McDowell: Church House, Farnham
Live Review by Jerry Gilbert, Melody Maker, 8 March 1969
"I'M NOT a rock and roll singer. The only way you make me rock is by putting me in a rockin' chair. But if you ...
Peter Sarstedt: Girl Dentist Put Peter On The Road To Fame!
Interview by Royston Eldridge, Melody Maker, 8 March 1969
PETER SARSTEDT would probably still be tramping footsore and penniless around Europe if it wasn't for a Danish dental student named Anita who stopped songwriter ...
Brian Auger: Fear Not For The Trinity!
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 15 March 1969
QUESTION – What happened to Brian Auger, Julie Driscoll and the Trinity? Answer – a lot! ...
Glen Campbell: The Wichita Lineman is On The Line
Interview by Alan Walsh, Melody Maker, 15 March 1969
JIM WEBB'S wistful 'Wichita Lineman' has realised an ambition for guitarist-turned-singer Glen Campbell. ...
The Rolling Stones: Jagger In 3-D (part 1): The First Dimension – The Present
Interview by Keith Altham, Melody Maker, 15 March 1969
KEITH ALTHAM begins his three-part series on Mick Jagger by attempting to assess where he is now, the most controversial and greatest Anti-Hero of our ...
Jimmy Reed: Jimmy Reed at Soul City (Joys-127)
Review by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 15 March 1969
IN SPITE of its title, Jimmy Reed At Soul City (JOYS-127), and the sleevenote's proclamation that the LP "is a fine study of the man ...
STEVIE WONDER explains the latest sound from Tamla... FUNKEDELIC!
Interview by Royston Eldridge, Melody Maker, 15 March 1969
AT THE AGE of 19, Stevie Wonder is something of a soul business veteran. But after meeting and seeing him in action, it's easy to ...
Live Review by Royston Eldridge, Melody Maker, 15 March 1969
Stevie's a big star now ...
Taj Mahal: The Natch'l Blues (Direction 8-63397)
Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 15 March 1969
AMERICAN MUSICIANS have always scored over their British musical cousins, in their ability to RELAX, and still show off their mastery of whatever medium they ...
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 15 March 1969
BIG BEN, like the Tymes, swings but doesn't say much. At least George Williams, lead singer with the group which is just ticking over in ...
Freddie King: Freddie Takes a British Cold Back Home
Interview by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 22 March 1969
"I DIDN'T have it tonight," said Freddie King after a hard workout at Art Saunders' Wood Green club on Tuesday last week. ...
Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 22 March 1969
...IS A REASONABLY good programme by Free, a group often dismissed as "just another blues band." ...
The Rolling Stones: Jagger In 3-D (part 2): Second Dimension — Jagger On Stage
Interview by Keith Altham, Melody Maker, 22 March 1969
KEITH ALTHAM looks into the past for the SECOND DIMENSION in his series on Mick Jagger to discover the strengths and weaknesses in the Rolling ...
Junior Wells: Coming At You (Vanguard SVRL 19011)
Review by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 22 March 1969
A GOOD TASTE, if not a feast, of modern Chicago blues is offered by the explosive Junior Wells on his latest from Vanguard (perhaps his ...
Marv Johnson: Part-time Hitmaker from the Grocery Shop
Interview by Royston Eldridge, Melody Maker, 22 March 1969
THE STORY behind the success of Motown man Marv Johnson — one of the host of Tamla invaders in the chart — reads like a ...
Taj Mahal: At Last — A Welcome New Voice
Profile by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 22 March 1969
A NEW VOICE on the music scene and a very welcome one, belongs to Mr Taj Mahal a young blues singer and guitarist from Massachusetts. ...
The Nice: Will Nice Get Lost Among The Commuters?
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 22 March 1969
WILL BRITAIN'S heaviest group, the Nice, conquer America? After the Cream and Jimi Hendrix, the Nice must be our most spectacular band and well in ...
Led Zeppelin: Why Led Zeppelin Took Off in America and not Britain
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 22 March 1969
A REACTIONARY anti-love movement in Britain is the disturbing development noted by guitarist Jimmy Page on his return from a long spell in America with ...
The Foundations: Foundations Aren't Going To Desert The British Public
Interview by Royston Eldridge, Melody Maker, 29 March 1969
THE FOUNDATIONS aren't going to permanently desert these shores for the richer pickings across the Atlantic even though they're only now losing the title of ...
The Rolling Stones: Jagger In 3-D (part 3): Third Dimension — The Future
Interview by Keith Altham, Melody Maker, 29 March 1969
"BUT HE can't go an being a Rolling Stone for ever, can he?" asked Joe Public spitefully. ...
Led Zeppelin: Led Zeppelin (Atlantic)
Review by uncredited writer, Melody Maker, 29 March 1969
Jimmy Page triumphs! Led Zeppelin is a gas ...
Spooky Tooth: Spooky Two (Island)
Review by uncredited writer, Melody Maker, 29 March 1969
HEAVY STONED rock music, typified by intense, dramatic riffs repeated ad infinitum, or at least until the engineer cuts off the electricity. That's the impression ...
Howlin' Wolf: The Men Who Make The Blues: Howlin' Wolf
Profile by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 29 March 1969
HOWLIN' WOLF is, as his name suggests, one of the "heavy" bluesmen. A 6ft 3in singer, weighing 280 lbs or more, he is as tough ...
Marvin Gaye, Tammi Terrell: Marvin Gaye: With The Solo Success Comes A Little Sadness
Interview by Royston Eldridge, Melody Maker, 5 April 1969
MARVIN GAYE PHONES FROM DETROIT AS 'GRAPEVINE' HITS No. 1 ...
Blind Faith: Eric, Or Little By Little
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 12 April 1969
IT'S SOUNDING good, the Eric Clapton, Stevie Winwood, Ginger Baker Band. Forget about Cream. This is a new group with a new sound. ...
Jimmy Witherspoon: A New Look For Spoon And Back To Authentic Blues
Interview by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 12 April 1969
IT WAS clear at first glance, when Jimmy Witherspoon and his wife walked into the MM offices last week, that I was confronted by a new-look Spoon. ...
Willie Dixon: The Men Who Make the Blues: Willie Dixon
Profile by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 12 April 1969
...
Melanie's Looking For A Bag Of Her Very Own
Profile by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 19 April 1969
YOU CAN'T BE neutral about Melanie. She's one of those people who comes along and creates new dividing lines in the scene, setting people at ...
Nina Simone: Nina's The Medium For The Message
Interview by Royston Eldridge, Melody Maker, 19 April 1969
NINA SIMONE, the artist, is the High Priestess of Soul, the blues singer and the jazz pianist. Nina Simone, the person, is compelling, formidable, and ...
Pink Floyd: Royal Festival Hall, London
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 19 April 1969
PINK FLOYD'S Festival Hall concert on Monday was artistry in pop technology. ...
Dusty Springfield: Dusty In Memphis (Philips)
Review by uncredited writer, Melody Maker, 26 April 1969
DUSTY'S AMERICAN LP is her best yet! Eleven great tracks most of them beautiful, soulful ballads with Dusty sounding all the better for holding herself ...
Review by uncredited writer, Melody Maker, 26 April 1969
Both sides of the great Elvis Presley, orchestral pop from the Brothers Ryan ...
Howlin' Wolf: The Howlin' Wolf Album (Chess CRLS4543)
Review by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 26 April 1969
ON THE front cover of THE HOWLIN' WOLF ALBUM (Chess CRLS4543) is printed the message: "This is Howlin' Wolf's New Album. He doesn't like it. ...
Johnny Nash: Wise Guy With A Difference
Interview by Royston Eldridge, Melody Maker, 26 April 1969
POP IS A precarious business as so many artists will tell you. The fame and fortune that arrives overnight can disappear at an even faster ...
Lowell Fulson: The Men Who Make The Blues: Lowell Fulson
Profile by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 26 April 1969
LOWELL FULSON is one of the leading post-war blues-men, a trendsetting artist who has made and sold a great many records since he cut his ...
Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, May 1969
A DOUBLE ALBUM can often prove a boring disappointment these days, with the gimmick presentation becoming more important than the quality of the music. Pete ...
Live Review by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 3 May 1969
B.B. KING SPELLS OUT THE BLUES ...
B.B. King: B.B. Brings the Story of Lucille to the Rescue
Interview by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 3 May 1969
EVERYONE KNOWS — everyone, that is, who knows much about the blues of the younger generation — that B.B. King is among the most original ...
Dr. John: Dr John: Babylon (Atco 228 018)
Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 3 May 1969
Compulsive listening ...
The Equals, Eddy Grant: Equals Bring Back "Happy" Music
Interview by Alan Walsh, Melody Maker, 3 May 1969
THE INHABITANTS of the MM's Fleet Street HQ are pretty used by now to witnessing the more bizarre manifestations of Britain's pop scene. ...
Humble Pie: Exclusive! Marriott & Frampton present HUMBLE PIE
Report and Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 3 May 1969
When a new group is born naturally the Melody Maker is the first to know about it ...
Pink Floyd: Now It's Pink Floyd Plus The London Phil
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 3 May 1969
CHRIS WELCH FINDS OUT WHAT BRITAIN'S TOP 'OVERGROUND' GROUP ARE PLANNING ...
Aynsley Dunbar Retaliation: Come what may, Aynsley's keeping the sound heavy
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 10 May 1969
AYNSLEY DUNBAR is a gifted, intelligent and powerful drummer. Yet in the past his albums have been disappointing and his style restricted. ...
Bob & Earl: Bob and Earl Mystery is Solved
Interview by Royston Eldridge, Melody Maker, 10 May 1969
AS THE ancient 'Harlem Shuffle' made pop history by jumping into the top ten six years late, American due Bob and Earl arrived in Britain ...
Mary Wells, Cecil Womack: Mary Wells: Mother-To-Be Mary Comes Back
Interview by Royston Eldridge, Melody Maker, 10 May 1969
MARY WELLS, onetime Beatles' favourite and million-seller singer, is back in Britain to prove she's still one of the world's most talented female vocalists. ...
Jethro Tull: Now Jethro Tull Aim For The Pop Thirty
Interview by Royston Eldridge, Melody Maker, 10 May 1969
UNDERGROUND GROUPS as a rule aren't concerned about the singles charts. ...
The Who: The Renaissance of the Who
Report and Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 10 May 1969
PETE TOWNSHEND'S triumph! ...
Erroll Garner: Mr Garner and his New Brass Bed
Interview by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 17 May 1969
ERROLL GARNER arrived in London on Tuesday, last week, but not to appear in public. ...
Fairport Convention's Martin Lamble: Previous Occupation — Child
Report by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 24 May 1969
THEY WERE playing 'Meet On The Ledge' at London clubs last week. It is a tune people most associate with Fairport Convention. ...
Joe South: A Kaftan and Cups of English Tea
Interview by Royston Eldridge, Melody Maker, 24 May 1969
Royston Eldridge catches up with Joe South over breakfast at the May Fair ...
Lowell Fulson: A Name to be Reckoned With in Blues
Interview by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 24 May 1969
LOWELL FULSON has been a name to be reckoned with in blues circles ever since he began recording some 23 years ago. Oddly, though, people ...
Marsha Hunt Says – I Do What I Dig
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 24 May 1969
MARSHA Hunt's trouble is she made one boob too many on TV recently. In fact two boobs too many. She caused a great outcry by ...
Steppenwolf: Stop the washing up... Steppenwolf are here
Interview by Royston Eldridge, Melody Maker, 24 May 1969
THERE WAS a time when pop music was simply pleasant sounds. It was music to do things by, cheerful little tunes with happy lyrics, but ...
Mahalia Jackson: Why Mahalia's Still In The Book
Interview by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 31 May 1969
AFTER HER extravagantly successful Albert Hall concert the other Sunday, Mahalia Jackson sat back in her dressing-room chair looking pretty flaked. ...
Review by uncredited writer, Melody Maker, 31 May 1969
An extremely tasteful pop opera ...
Report and Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 7 June 1969
Watching With Mothers: Chris Welch survives a week with Frank Zappa ...
Question: what's a company like EMI doing starting an underground label?
Interview by Alan Walsh, Melody Maker, 7 June 1969
ALAN WALSH investigates the new Harvest label ...
The Beach Boys: Funny, they don't look on their uppers
Interview by Alan Walsh, Melody Maker, 7 June 1969
ALAN WALSH meets the optimistic Beach Boy ...
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 14 June 1969
Following Blind Faith to the shores of a lake ...
The Mothers Of Invention, Frank Zappa: The Mothers of Invention: Uncle Meat (Transatlantic)
Review by uncredited writer, Melody Maker, 14 June 1969
A DOUBLE volume set of madness, absurdity, serious music, rock and roll, electronics and sprecht stimme by Frank Zappa. Suzie Creamcheese and the Mothers presents ...
Family: Whatever Happened To...?
Interview by Alan Walsh, Melody Maker, 21 June 1969
Alan Walsh finds out what's been happening with the Family ...
The Rolling Stones, Mick Taylor: Mick Taylor: The Other Mick...
Interview by Royston Eldridge, Melody Maker, 21 June 1969
MICK TAYLOR, 20-year-old ex-Bluesbreaker from Welwyn, and for just over a week the new guitarist with the group that first brought rebellion to pop. ...
The Rolling Stones: The Stones Roll Again
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 21 June 1969
How Mick's facing up to the brave new world of getting the show back on the road: MICK JAGGER talks to Chris Welch about the ...
The Faces, The Small Faces: The Small Faces: At Least Mac Still Has His Sense Of Humour
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 21 June 1969
CHRIS WELCH meets the remnants of the Small Faces ...
Report and Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 28 June 1969
SOME WEEKS ago, I went horse riding with Thunderclap Newman. ...
Led Zeppelin: How They Got Led Zeppelin Off The Ground...
Interview by Royston Eldridge, Melody Maker, 5 July 1969
OUT IN THE wilds of Willesden, a not-so-salubrious part of North London, Britain's heaviest band are cutting tracks for their second album before they return ...
Max Romeo: 'It's Not A Dirty Song At All,' says Max Romeo
Interview by Alan Walsh, Melody Maker, 5 July 1969
THE ENGLISH have got dirty minds, thinks Max Romeo, the young 19-year-old singer from Kingston, Jamaica, whose provocatively-titled single 'Wet Dream' is currently in the ...
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 5 July 1969
A ZEPPELIN attacked the City of Bath on Saturday, and gassed 120,000. Airship Commander Jimmy Page kept the most fearsome dirigible in progressive blues aloft ...
Otis Spann, Muddy Waters: Otis Spann: All Alone Otis Is Feeling No Pain
Interview by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 5 July 1969
ON OTIS Spann's last visit to this country, with Muddy Waters in November, I wrote that the Waters-Spann partnership would soon be ended. ...
Pink Floyd: Royal Albert Hall, London
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 5 July 1969
A SILENT, attentive crowd, joss sticks waving, a huge gong booming, and the Pink Floyd looning. It was strange inside the Royal Albert Hall, London, ...
Buddy Guy: The Men Who Make The Blues: Buddy Guy
Profile and Interview by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 5 July 1969
BUDDY GUY is one of the younger generation of blues-men who is helping to carry the music to the younger generation of listeners. ...
Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 5 July 1969
ROLLING STONES: 'Honky Tonk Women'/'You Can't Always Get What You Want' (Decca). An important single for the Stones, but a disappointment for us . ...
Brian Jones, The Rolling Stones: Brian, the Stone in the Headlines
Obituary by Alan Walsh, Melody Maker, 12 July 1969
BRIAN JONES is dead — and his death in the swimming pool of his Sussex home last week was as dramatic as his last five ...
David Bowie: 'Space Oddity' (Philips)
Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 12 July 1969
DAVID IS A talented young man who has written many fine songs and now concentrates on mime shows. ...
Alexis Korner, Family, King Crimson, The Rolling Stones: The Rolling Stones et al: Hyde Park, London
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 12 July 1969
CHRIS WELCH SAYS: 'Somehow the magic worked' ...
The Rolling Stones: One Plus One (Dir. Jean-Luc Godard)
Film/DVD/TV Review by Royston Eldridge, Melody Maker, 19 July 1969
SYMPATHY For The Devil, re-titled One Plus One, is the Jean-Luc Godard film which features the Stones as they were before Brian's death — enough ...
Desmond Dekker: What is the secret of rock-steady's success?
Interview by Royston Eldridge, Melody Maker, 19 July 1969
THE SUCCESS of the strangely titled 'It Mek', which made a mammoth jump into the higher reaches of the chart last week, means that Desmond ...
Thunderclap Newman: The Crazy World Of Thunderclap Newman
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 19 July 1969
WHO IS THIS strange, Pickwickian character, rumbling and bumbling gaily into the pop scene? ...
Blodwyn Pig: Ahead Rings Out (Island)
Review by uncredited writer, Melody Maker, 26 July 1969
Impressive debut album from Blodwyn Pig ...
Quicksilver Messenger Service: Happy Trails (Capitol)
Review by uncredited writer, Melody Maker, 26 July 1969
INTROSPECTIVE exploration of themes is the general idea on this album from one of America's top underground groups. ...
Ray Charles, Billy Preston: Billy Preston: Forget The Rumours — Billy Will Be Back
Interview by Alan Walsh, Melody Maker, 2 August 1969
ONE OF the few sure things about the music business is that rumours will fly around it. ...
Blind Faith, Bread and Freedom – Now For The Sweet Music
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 2 August 1969
BLIND FAITH have not only gained a fine bass player in Rick Grech, who left Family to complete the super group, they also have an ...
Billie Holiday: Lady Day — the True Sound of Soul
Memoir by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 2 August 1969
MAX JONES writes on the tenth anniversary of Billie Holiday's death ...
Crosby Stills Nash & Young: Messrs Crosby Stills and Nash Enlarge the Company
Interview by Royston Eldridge, Melody Maker, 9 August 1969
CROSBY, STILLS and Nash are no longer just the ex-Byrd, ex-Buffalo Springfield and former Hollie supergroup. They've added new partners to the rock band with ...
Humble Pie: Ronnie Scott Club, London
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 16 August 1969
HUMBLE PIE were viewed with sceptical suspicion by the pop industry before their unveiling at a special press reception last week. However, with three encores ...
Wynonie Harris: Death of a Blues Shouter
Obituary by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 16 August 1969
TITLES LIKE 'Good Mornin' Judge', 'Lovin' Machine', 'Bloodshot Eyes', 'Keep On Churnin'' and 'All She Wants To Do Is Rock' may not ring a bell ...
Led Zeppelin And How They Made 37,000 Dollars In One Night
Interview by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 13 September 1969
LED ZEPPELIN and the adjective "heavy" are practically synonymous. They were made for each other, and it's difficult to think of one without immediately associating ...
John Lennon, Yoko Ono: An Evening with John and Yoko: Institute of Contemporary Arts, London
Film/DVD/TV Review by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 20 September 1969
John Lennon — Genius or Just a Bore ...
The Beatles, John Lennon, Yoko Ono: John Lennon: "The Beatles' Wealth is a Myth"
Interview by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 20 September 1969
JOHN LENNON hasn't had a royalty cheque for two years. And, believe it or not, he's feeling the pinch. ...
Interview by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 20 September 1969
RICHARD WILLIAMS TALKS TO THE DEVIANTS ...
Bo Diddley: The Men Who Make the Blues: Bo Diddley
Profile by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 20 September 1969
BO DIDDLEY was born in Mississippi, in or near McComb, on December 30, 1928. Like many bluesmen from the South, he made the journey up ...
The Beatles: Abbey Road (Apple)
Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 27 September 1969
Natural Born Beatles ...
Erma Franklin, Wilson Pickett: Wilson Pickett/Erma Franklin: Royal Albert Hall, London
Live Review by Royston Eldridge, Melody Maker, 27 September 1969
A Vote For Wilson (Pickett That Is!) ...
Graham Bond: Commissar Bond Is Back In Business
Report and Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 11 October 1969
"WE DON'T want any of that around here," threatened an elderly lady shaking a palsied fist from one of the ancient alleys of Cambridge, as ...
Tyrannosaurus Rex: ...But The Bopping Imp Keeps Bopping
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 11 October 1969
CHRIS WELCH UNCOVERS THE TYRANNOSAURUS SPLIT ...
Profile and Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 18 October 1969
WHEN A TOP musician becomes an unpaid press and public relations man for a group, it can be fairly assumed that the group must have ...
Fairport Convention: Fairfield Hall, Croydon
Live Review by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 18 October 1969
THERE'S only one question in my mind after having heard the Fairport Convention's superlatively excellent performance at the Fairfield Hall last Friday: why the hell ...
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 18 October 1969
Led Zeppelin rock Lyceum ...
Obituary by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 18 October 1969
October 3, 1969 Dear Max, Skip James died this morning after a very long and painful illness. One of his finest memories was going to Europe in ...
Live Review by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 18 October 1969
A NICE WEEKEND BY RICHARD WILLIAMS! ...
Joe Cocker: Why Did Cocker's White Soul Fail?
Interview by Royston Eldridge, Melody Maker, 18 October 1969
ROYSTON ELDRIDGE TALKING TO JOE COCKER ON THE EVE OF AN AMERICAN TOUR ...
Graham Bond, Pete Brown's Piblokto: Graham Bond/Pete Brown's Piblokto: Royal Albert Hall, London
Live Review by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 25 October 1969
BOND NEARLY blew it. The extravagant return of the Great Graham almost turned into a fiasco – but happily everything came out all right. ...
Led Zeppelin: Carnegie Hall, New York NY
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 25 October 1969
THERE IS a sustained excitement about a Led Zeppelin performance I do not recall in any other group — apart from the Who. ...
Family, Steppenwolf: Steppenwolf, Family: Lyceum, London
Live Review by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 25 October 1969
ONE'S ATTITUDE to much of Steppenwolf's current material depends to a great extent on how one reacts to the rather simplistic propaganda and sloganising of ...
Frank Zappa: The Mothers Are Dead, But Zappa's Still Very Much Alive
Report and Interview by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 25 October 1969
THE MOTHERS are dead. Killed by a public apathy towards a style of music which the rest of the world will catch up with maybe ...
The Velvet Underground: It's a Shame that Nobody Listens
Overview by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 25 October 1969
THE VELVET Underground have made just three albums, none of which have sold particularly well in Britain. But that trio of albums constitutes a body ...
Humble Pie: Queen Elizabeth Hall, London
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 1 November 1969
HUMBLE PIE presented a quietly attractive show at Queen Elizabeth Hall, London, last week. There was no flash showmanship or star presentation. The atmosphere was ...
Pink Floyd: Exclusive interview by Richard Williams
Interview by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 1 November 1969
PINK FLOYD are a visionary group of creators. Their music flies so high and wild that it can bring a kaleidoscope of images to your ...
Sarah Vaughan: Why Miss Vaughan Isn't Recording...
Interview by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 1 November 1969
IF SARAH Vaughan never sang another heavenly high note she'd have earned her place, and a top place, among the immortals of jazz singing. ...
Live Review by Jerry Gilbert, Melody Maker, 8 November 1969
JOHN LEE HOOKER'S absence from the American Folk, Blues & Gospel Festival was without the consequence that at first seemed likely when the tour opened ...
Albert King: Talking to the King
Interview by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 8 November 1969
IT HAS taken a long time for Albert King to get to this country. But now he is among us there can be little doubt ...
Aretha Franklin, Arif Mardin: Arif Mardin: The Turkish Tycoon of Soul
Interview by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 8 November 1969
HOW DOES a Turkish bebop pianist become one of the world's leading producers of soul music? ...
Live Review by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 8 November 1969
IT LOOKED on paper like an epic evening of swinging middle-road jazz on Tuesday. It wasn't bad, either, but it wasn't quite the berries that ...
Thelonious Monk, Cecil Taylor: Cecil Taylor, Thelonious Monk: Hammersmith Odeon, London
Live Review by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 8 November 1969
CECIL TAYLOR'S appearance on Friday was reminiscent of nothing as much as Ornette Coleman's Croydon concert four years ago. ...
Cecil Taylor: For Cecil Taylor, It's Just Beginning...
Interview by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 8 November 1969
EMERGING FROM the stage door of the Odeon, Hammersmith after his triumphal Jazz Expo concert on Friday night, the diminutive figure of pianist Cecil Taylor ...
LeRoi Jones: Black Music (MacGibbon and Kee 36 shillings).
Book Review by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 8 November 1969
IN HIS writings for Downbeat and Kulchur magazines, LeRoi Jones — poet, playwright, essayist, critic and revolutionary — provided many of the first signposts to ...
Lionel Hampton: Hammersmith Odeon, London
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 8 November 1969
NOW WE know what has been missing from jazz for the last 14 years — Lionel Hampton! It was a good time and great jazz ...
Harry J All Stars, The Pioneers, Max Romeo and the Upsetters: Reggae — is it a new art form?
Comment by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 8 November 1969
A critical appraisal by Christopher J Welch ...
Captain Beefheart, Frank Zappa: The Beefheart-Zappa Talk-in
Report and Interview by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 8 November 1969
Frank Zappa breezed into London last week in an orange tee-shirt. His aim was to launch the British end of his record label, Straight, who ...
Arthur Conley, Otis Redding: Arthur Conley: Soul's not dead, it's just changed
Interview by Royston Eldridge, Melody Maker, 15 November 1969
OTIS REDDING and Sam Cooke, whose tragic deaths robbed the music world of two of its biggest talents, were both responsible for much of the ...
Captain Beefheart And His Magic Band: Trout Mask Replica (Straight)
Review by uncredited writer, Melody Maker, 15 November 1969
THIS YOU will either love or loathe, and we love it. Beefheart is a true original, and this double-album is testimony to his wayward genius. ...
Report and Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 15 November 1969
FANS OF DAVID Bowie have for years been expecting him to make some proper impact on the music scene. If a reasonable position in the ...
Live Review by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 15 November 1969
TUESDAY OF last week was Big Blues Night at London's 100 Club where a large, good-humoured crowd was afforded almost non-stop entertainment by the Killing ...
Gene Vincent: Vincent, The Great Rock And Roller is Back
Interview by Royston Eldridge, Melody Maker, 15 November 1969
...
The Groundhogs, Howlin' Wolf: Howlin' Wolf, The Groundhogs: Marquee Club, London
Live Review by Jerry Gilbert, Melody Maker, 15 November 1969
THERE WAS nothing new about Chester Burnett's routine at the Marquee Club on Thursday, but the Wolf, nearing the end of his third British tour, ...
Lionel Hampton: If anybody asks, tell them — Lionel is ready!
Interview by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 15 November 1969
LIONEL HAMPTON'S late-night appearance at Jazz Expo in London the other week caused disputation, to put it rather mildly. Some people found him exciting. Others ...
Jimmy Cliff: Respectability to Reggae
Interview by Royston Eldridge, Melody Maker, 22 November 1969
JIMMY CLIFF is the hip young Jamaican who's brought respectability to reggae. His 'Wonderful World, Beautiful People' is a development of the simple ska sound ...
Interview by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 22 November 1969
OXFORD GARDENS, just off Ladbroke Grove in deepest West Eleven, is currently the focal point of a community of artists (musicians, painters, poets) who will ...
T. Rex, Tyrannosaurus Rex: Rex is Reborn
Interview by Jerry Gilbert, Melody Maker, 22 November 1969
TYRANNOSAURUS REX has survived its transplant operation and is already back in circulation. A little heavier for its absence but still breathing fire and breeding ...
Taj Mahal: Giant Step/De Old Folks At Home (CBS Direction S 8-63820, S 8-63821)
Review by Jerry Gilbert, Melody Maker, 22 November 1969
Mixed bag from Taj ...
Area Code 615: Now — Funky Country!
Profile and Interview by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 29 November 1969
That's the sound on Area Code 615, a new album by Nashville musicians who have backed Dylan. It could be as significant as Music From ...
The Nashville Teens, Gene Vincent: Gene Vincent, Nashville Teens: Palladium, London
Live Review by Royston Eldridge, Melody Maker, 29 November 1969
GENE VINCENT COULD DO NO WRONG ...
The Rolling Stones: Jagger in America
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 29 November 1969
ALL'S WELL with the Stones and Mick Jagger is at peace with the world. They have returned to tour America after three years and says ...
Keef Hartley, John Mayall: John Mayall, Keef Hartley: Royal Albert Hall, London
Live Review by Jerry Gilbert, Melody Maker, 29 November 1969
JOHN MAYALL must have fell like the father figure of British blues at the Albert Hall on Thursday as he surveyed Henry Lowther and Keef ...
Interview by Royston Eldridge, Melody Maker, 29 November 1969
...on the current Reggae boom ...
Thelma Houston: Meet Thelma, the 'Jumpin' Jack Flash' girl
Interview by Jerry Gilbert, Melody Maker, 29 November 1969
THIS TIME Thelma Houston did make it. ...
Live Review by Royston Eldridge, Melody Maker, 29 November 1969
THERE AREN'T many groups in Britain who fans will queue in the rain for Taste, a trio of Irishmen formed a little over a year ...
Interview by Royston Eldridge, Melody Maker, 6 December 1969
SELDOM HAS a group caused such a stir with a first album. America's Chicago became the most talked about band in Britain on the strength ...
P.P. Arnold, Delaney & Bonnie: Delaney & Bonnie, P.P. Arnold: Royal Albert Hall, London
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 6 December 1969
Back to rock 'n' soul with Delaney 'n' Bonnie ...
The Beatles, John Lennon, Yoko Ono: John & Yoko (part 1)
Interview by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 6 December 1969
"We had to do a lot of selling out. Taking the MBE was a sell-out for me". Part 1 of a new series by RICHARD ...
Interview by Royston Eldridge, Melody Maker, 6 December 1969
THREE YEARS ago an unknown singer recorded what was to become one of the greatest soul ballads of all time. ...
Yes: Swiss Rolling And Rocking With Yes
Report and Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 6 December 1969
CHRIS WELCH reporting, with a little Alp from his friends ...
John Lennon, Yoko Ono: John & Yoko (part 2)
Interview by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 13 December 1969
"People prefer a dead saint to a living annoyance like John and Yoko. But we don't intend to be dead Saints for people's convenience". Part ...
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 ...
The Action, Mighty Baby: Action Grow Into a Mighty Baby
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 20 December 1969
IS THIS the career for you? Twenty pounds a week, uncertain prospects and no luncheon vouchers. The life of a rock drummer is not necessarily ...
Bonzo Dog Band: Keynsham (Liberty)
Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 20 December 1969
BRAVO BONZOS! Never a band to take the easy course or rest on past successes, they continue to advance their unique musical properties with a ...
Deep Purple: In Live Concert At The Royal Albert Hall (Harvest)
Review by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 20 December 1969
THIS IS A live recording of the widely reported concert which took place recently when Deep Purple joined Malcolm Arnold and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra ...
John Lennon, Yoko Ono: John & Yoko (part 3)
Interview by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 20 December 1969
"We're always together, like 24 hours a day. We're never apart by more than a 100 yards". RICHARD WILLIAMS concludes his exclusive series ...
Yes: Time And A Word (Atlantic)
Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 1970
IT'S NICE to have those great Yes arrangements like ‘Then’, ‘The Prophet’ and ‘Astral Traveller’ on record at last. One of the great playing bands, ...
Scott Walker Comes In From The Cold
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, January 1970
IN 1970 Scott Engel's career appeared to grind to a halt. He practically vanished from the scene. He seemed to be forgotten, discarded, after a ...
Area Code 615: Area Code 615 (Polydor)
Review by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 3 January 1970
AREA CODE 615. 'Southern Comfort'; 'I've Been Loving You Too Long'; 'Hey Jude'; 'Nashville 9-N.Y.1'; 'Lady Madonna'; 'Ruby'; 'Crazy Arms'/'Get Back'; 'Why Ask Why'; 'Li'l ...
Ginger Baker's Airforce: Scramble Here Comes Ginger's Airforce
Report and Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 3 January 1970
"SCRAMBLE!" Ginger Baker, Marshall of the Airforce, rapped out his orders with the cool aplomb of a man in charge of a powerful attacking force, ...
James Brown, Isaac Hayes, Taste: Albums from Isaac Hayes, Taste and James Brown
Review by Royston Eldridge, Melody Maker, 10 January 1970
Isaac Hayes: Hot Buttered Soul (Stax) Tremendously successful in the States, this is the first solo album from Isaac Hayes, better known as the hit songwriter with Dave ...
Joni Mitchell: Joni Still Feels The Pull Of The Country
Report and Interview by Jerry Gilbert, Melody Maker, 10 January 1970
CANADIAN FOLK singer Joni Mitchell this week denied rumours that she would be retiring after her Royal Festival Hall concert on January 17th. ...
Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Nucleus: Ronnie Scott's Club, London
Live Review by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 10 January 1970
Rahsaan Roland Kirk at London's Ronnie Scott's Club ...
Soft Machine: Fairfield Hall, Croydon
Live Review by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 10 January 1970
IT SEEMS to me that this just might be Soft Machine's year. Having done things the unconventional way by finding first fame on the Continent, ...
Crosby Stills Nash & Young, Neil Young: Stills and Young
Interview by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 10 January 1970
"DON'T BUILD me up into a pop star. I'm no different from you or anybody else. It's just that, because I'm a musician, I can ...
Sun Ra and his Solar Arkestra: The Heliocentric Worlds of Sun Ra. Vol. 1. (Fontana)
Review by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 10 January 1970
'Heliocentric'; 'Outer Nothingness'; 'Other Worlds'; 'The Cosmos'; 'Of Heavenly Things'; 'Nebulae'; 'Dancing In The Sun'. ...
Taste: A Taste of Free Form Rock and Roll
Interview by Royston Eldridge, Melody Maker, 17 January 1970
THE ROCK revolution somehow missed France. While neighbours Germany and Scandinavia have followed similar lines to those developing here, the hip French have only recently ...
John McLaughlin, Tony Williams: After Miles comes Tony's Lifetime
Interview by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 17 January 1970
THE IMPORTANCE of the use of rock rhythms by the Miles Davis Quintet is only now beginning to be realised. Like everything Miles does, it ...
Crosby Stills Nash & Young: Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young: Royal Albert Hall, London
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 17 January 1970
CROSBY, STILLS, Nash, Young and Old gave a lengthy and often enjoyable concert at London's Royal Albert Hall last week. The "Old" was the age ...
The Edgar Broughton Band: Edgar Broughton: Meet Edgar The Agitator
Interview by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 17 January 1970
BOUNCERS ARE one of the bad old traditions of pop music, with roots reaching back through the 'Rock Around the Clock' riots to the Sinatra ...
Live Review by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 17 January 1970
Handling the French ...
Joni Mitchell: Royal Festival Hall, London
Live Review by Jerry Gilbert, Melody Maker, 24 January 1970
A triumph for Joni ...
Magna Carta, Pentangle: Pentangle, Magna Carta: Lyceum, London
Live Review by Jerry Gilbert, Melody Maker, 24 January 1970
SUNDAY'S LYCEUM played host to two reputable acoustic groups, Pentangle and Magna Carta. Which is great if you join the hard core of enthusiasts at ...
The Temptations: Temptations...
Interview by Royston Eldridge, Melody Maker, 24 January 1970
...talking to Royston Eldridge ...
Jack Bruce: The Heavy Burdens Of Jack’s Shoulders
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 24 January 1970
HIGH COURT Judges have often been heard to observe that pop stars have "grave responsibilities." However, they are usually referring to suspected powers of influence ...
Chicago ...Moving From Jazz-Rock To Classical-Rock
Interview by Royston Eldridge, Melody Maker, 31 January 1970
STEVIE WINWOOD'S 'I'm A Man', the 1967 hit for the old Spencer Davis group, has brought the jazz-rock combination of Chicago to the puzzling British ...
Live Review by Royston Eldridge, Melody Maker, 31 January 1970
IT'S BEEN three years since a soul tour of such importance has been to Britain. Then, in the spring of 1967, it was Otis Redding ...
Review by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 31 January 1970
IT'S FUNNY, isn't it: this time last year Nico arrived in London, played two quiet gigs at the Roundhouse, and a bare handful of people ...
Richie Havens: Royal Albert Hall, London
Live Review by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 31 January 1970
CHARISMA: a rare kind of animal magnetism, frequently wrongly attributed to popular artists who don't possess it. ...
Roger Whittaker: Roger And The Ten Minute Hit
Interview by Jerry Gilbert, Melody Maker, 31 January 1970
IT IS always rewarding for a British artist to strike a first chart success on home territory, particularly after winning so much acclaim in Europe ...
Syd Barrett: Confusion and Mr Barrett
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 31 January 1970
SYD BARRETT is a happy, creative if somewhat confused young man, who gave the Pink Floyd hits and headaches when still in the group of ...
Live Review by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 7 February 1970
YOU MAY not always be able to wait for a composer to write the music you want to play, to paraphrase the ads for the ...
Simon & Garfunkel: Simon And Garfunkel: Bridge Over Troubled Waters (CBS)
Review by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 7 February 1970
IT'S BEEN 18 months since the release of Simon and Garfunkel's last album, and for much of its length Bridge Over Troubled Waters makes the ...
Interview by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 7 February 1970
SPIRIT IS one of those fine American groups which came to light following the Indian summer of 1967, and which have never really gained the ...
The Band: Civic Auditorium, Pasadena CA
Live Review by Jacoba Atlas, Melody Maker, 7 February 1970
LOS ANGELES, Tuesday: The Band, rapidly reaching the pinnacle of respect enjoyed by only a handful of groups in America, performed two sold-out concerts in ...
Led Zeppelin, Jimmy Page: Jimmy Page: Paganini of the Seventies
Report and Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 14 February 1970
First of a great new series by Chris Welch ...
Mike Cooper and the bottleneck revival
Interview by Jerry Gilbert, Melody Maker, 14 February 1970
MIKE COOPER, who has, in recent years, revived interest in the bottleneck and knifestyle of playing, uses two 1930s National steel guitars, as well as ...
Pink Floyd: Royal Albert Hall, London
Live Review by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 14 February 1970
AT THEIR best, Pink Floyd get as close to anybody I know to playing the Music of the Spheres. They are, through skilful manipulation of ...
Soft Machine: Robert Wyatt: A Child of the Pop Scene
Interview by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 14 February 1970
ROBERT WYATT is the member of the Soft Machine you're most likely to be watching while you listen to their music. Tousle-haired and athletic behind ...
Rod Stewart: An Old Raincoat Won't Ever Let You Down (Vertigo)
Review by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 14 February 1970
AT LAST Rod The Mod has his chance! ...
Smokey Robinson & The Miracles: Smokey Robinson, Proving That Miracles Still Happen
Interview by Royston Eldridge, Melody Maker, 14 February 1970
WILLIAM 'Smokey' Robinson is the lead singer of the Miracles, vice president of Motown Records and the man Dylan has described as "America's greatest living ...
The Nice, Yes: Royal Festival Hall, London
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 14 February 1970
IT WAS an emotional as well as a musical triumph when the Nice took London's Festival Hall by storm on Saturday. A feeling built up ...
Arlo Guthrie: Trying to escape from Alice's Restaurant
Interview by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 21 February 1970
ARLO GUTHRIE is a young man trying to escape from Alice's Restaurant. He says he likes the movie, and he enjoyed seeing it again at ...
Joe Cocker: Cocker and that Boogaloo Sound
Interview by Royston Eldridge, Melody Maker, 21 February 1970
JOHN COCKER stopped fitting pipes for the Gas Board in order to exercise his own somewhat steely vocal tubes that were forged, in those early ...
Steve Cropper: Cropper: The Living Legend from Memphis
Interview by Royston Eldridge, Melody Maker, 21 February 1970
A MELODY MAKER EXCLUSIVE BY ROYSTON ELDRIDGE ...
Led Zeppelin: Jimmy Page Part Two
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 21 February 1970
WHEN A band achieves the Led Zeppelin's kind of success in such a short time, there are bound to be whispered accusations in the corridors ...
The Deviants, Mick Farren, Shagrat: Mick Farren: Fun Is The Key Word
Interview by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 21 February 1970
WATCH OUT, world — Mick Farren is out to accomplish with Shagrat what he couldn't quite get together with the Deviants. ...
The Faces: New Faces In The Old Band
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 21 February 1970
A SOUND not unlike a braying mountain goat echoed across the West End of London this week. The Faces — no longer Small — were ...
Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup: The Angel, Godalming
Live Review by Jerry Gilbert, Melody Maker, 28 February 1970
ARTHUR "BIG BOY" CRUDUP finally made it to the Angel, Godalming, on Sunday, where he was due to appear on the opening night of his ...
Blue Mink, Booker T & The MGs: Booker T. & the MGs, Blue Mink: Hammersmith Odeon, London
Live Review by Royston Eldridge, Melody Maker, 28 February 1970
BOOKER T. JONES and his group of Memphis musicians don't belong in any bag. You have to forget the categories where they are concerned and ...
Crosby Stills Nash & Young, Stephen Stills: Genius, Hard Work and Steve Stills
Interview by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 28 February 1970
GENIUS, SAYS the old adage, is an infinite capacity for taking pains. If that's so, then Stephen Stills must be pretty close to it. ...
John and Beverley Martyn, John Martyn: Is John Martyn Still A Folk Singer Or Not?
Report and Interview by Jerry Gilbert, Melody Maker, 28 February 1970
THIS IS A TOTALLY irrelevant question, and one which I'm glad I didn't bother to ask. For in this age of musical categories, John draws ...
Led Zeppelin: Jimmy Page Part Three
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 28 February 1970
CHRIS WELCH CONCLUDES THIS EXCLUSIVE SERIES ...
Interview by Jerry Gilbert, Melody Maker, 28 February 1970
ARTHUR LEE, mastermind and founder member of American west coast group Love, seemed surprised when I suggested that the band had faded into oblivion after ...
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 28 February 1970
Love is the message from Love ...
Steve Miller Band:Your Saving Grace (Capitol).
Review by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 28 February 1970
SOMEHOW, STEVE Miller manages to touch the pulse of a great number of people, through the kind of subconscious contact which is what rock's all ...
The Faces: First Step (Warner Bros)
Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 28 February 1970
BACK WITH a bang are the Faces with Ronnie Wood (guitar) and Rod Stewart (vocals) added to the old line-up of Ronnie Lane, Ian McLagan ...
Van Der Graaf Generator: The Least We Can Do Is Wave To Each Other (Charisma)
Review by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 28 February 1970
THIS IS one of those rare and precious albums which occasionally arrive to knock you flat on your back and make you think really hard, ...
Doris Troy and the Marriage of Music
Interview by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 7 March 1970
DORIS TROY is ready. After ten months of plotting and planning and working and having a ball in the depths of Apple's Savile Row Studios, ...
Jefferson Airplane: Volunteers (RCA SF 8076)
Review by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 7 March 1970
Up the Volunteers! ...
John and Beverley Martyn: Stormbringer (Island ILPS 9113)
Review by Jerry Gilbert, Melody Maker, 7 March 1970
Are you ready for the stormbringer ...
Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup: The original rock and roller
Profile and Interview by Jerry Gilbert, Melody Maker, 14 March 1970
ARTHUR "BIG Boy" Crudup, the man responsible for firing Elvis Presley into one of the biggest crazes of all time, has been recording for over ...
The Liverpool Scene, Andy Roberts: Back to poetry for Liverpool Scene
Interview by Jerry Gilbert, Melody Maker, 14 March 1970
ONE OF the worst group hang ups is the premonition of having to play on stage according to audience expectations rather than choice. The alternative ...
Profile and Interview by Royston Eldridge, Melody Maker, 14 March 1970
BLACK SABBATH, four unknown rock musicians from Birmingham have emerged from obscurity with what is probably the first true underground success since the days of ...
Grateful Dead: Live Dead (Warner Bros.)
Review by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 14 March 1970
I WASN'T expecting too much from this, having been bored silly by the Dead on their previous three albums. But all the fuss is clarified ...
Tyrannosaurus Rex are in good elf!
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 14 March 1970
TYRANNOSAURUS REX has taken rather a pasting recently. Trevor Brice of Vanity Fare in Blind Date said of their new album: "I think it's horrible. ...
Van Der Graaf Generator: Van Der Graaf... Generating Good Music
Interview by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 14 March 1970
VAN DER Graaf Generator is a name that will probably be familiar to you, even if their music isn't. Through many trials and tribulations, they've ...
Amon Düül (I & II): Amon Duul II: Phallus Dei (Liberty).
Review by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 21 March 1970
JUST TO prove that the Continent is taking some of the initiative, here comes a really interesting German band who appeared with the Nice and ...
Delaney & Bonnie talking to Jacoba Atlas
Interview by Jacoba Atlas, Melody Maker, 21 March 1970
DELANEY, BONNIE and Friends from the southern half of these here United States are home grown and home sown but they had to travel to ...
Sandy Denny, Fotheringay: Fotheringay: Sandy and the New Band
Interview by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 21 March 1970
FOTHERINGAY, the new band which has been formed by Sandy Denny of Fairport Convention and Trevor Lucas of Eclection, with Garry Conway (Eclection) and Pat ...
Frank Zappa: Hot Rats (Reprise)
Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 21 March 1970
Hot Rats is hot stuff! ...
Profile and Interview by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 21 March 1970
THE SLEEVE of the Velvet Underground's first album was dead right when it read "Nico: chanteuse." Not just "singer," because Nico is more than that, ...
Sun Ra And The Arkestra: Sound Of Joy (Delmark DS-414)
Review by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 21 March 1970
'El Is A Sound Of Joy'; 'Overtones Of China'; 'Two Tones'; 'Paradise'; 'Planet Earth'; 'Ankh'; 'Saturn'; 'Reflections In Blue'; 'El Viktor'. ...
The Mothers of Invention: Burnt Weeny Sandwich (Reprise)
Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 21 March 1970
IT WAS ONE of the great tragedies of modern music when the Mothers broke up last year, but they leave behind memories of success and ...
Taste: Trio Gives Taste More Challenge
Report and Interview by Richard Green, Melody Maker, 25 March 1970
TASTE ARE JUST starting to become a very hot property in England and on the continent, already having conquered the Irish fans. All the trappings and ...
Mick Jagger: Performance: A Victory For The Directors
Film/DVD/TV Review by Jacoba Atlas, Melody Maker, 11 April 1970
IT'S DANGEROUS and more than slightly unfair to review a film before its final cut; but Performance is too exceptional to wait. I was fortunate enough to ...
Jimmy Page, Screaming Lord Sutch: Screaming Lord Sutch: Heavy Friends Help The Lord's Comeback
Interview by Royston Eldridge, Melody Maker, 11 April 1970
LORD SUTCH is back! The perennial rocker has come screaming back on the rock scene, after two years of abdication in America, through the help ...
Brinsley Schwarz: From Kippington Lodge to the Empire State
Interview by Royston Eldridge, Melody Maker, 18 April 1970
BRINSLEY SCHWARZ, the band born out of the small time frustrations of Kippington Lodge, are the outfit the whole of the rock media were taken ...
David Ruffin: Feelin' Good (Tamla Motown)
Review by Royston Eldridge, Melody Maker, 18 April 1970
IT WAS expected that David Ruffin would be able to stretch out away from the confines of the Temptations and his first solo single and ...
Kevin Ayers and the Whole World: Country Club, London
Live Review by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 18 April 1970
KEVIN AYERS' new band The Whole World, derives much of its considerable appeal from the disparity of approaches which it encapsulates. ...
Interview by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 25 April 1970
KEVIN AYERS says that he wants to involve people in his music, and to make every gig more of a party than an ordinary job. ...
Burt Bacharach, Dionne Warwick: Dionne Warwick — The Ability to Communicate an Emotion
Profile and Interview by Royston Eldridge, Melody Maker, 25 April 1970
DIONNE WARWICK'S beautiful performance in concert at London's Royal Albert Hall last week was a demonstration of how a rare talent overcomes any sort of ...
Review by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 25 April 1970
IT'S NICE TO see Cat Stevens and Elton John providing the British answer to Neil Young, and Van Morrison. And make no mistake, Elton is ...
It's a Beautiful Day: The Best Kept Secret Is Out At Last
Interview by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 25 April 1970
UNTIL VERY recently, It's A Beautiful Day was one of the best-kept secrets in the music business — on this side of the Atlantic, at ...
The Flock, Johnny Winter, Steamhammer: Johnny Winter, Flock, Steamhammer: Royal Albert Hall, London
Live Review by Royston Eldridge, Melody Maker, 25 April 1970
ANY AMERICAN rock act is guaranteed a standing ovation at London's Royal Albert Hall these days. Johnny Winter deserved one on Friday night at the ...
Screaming Lord Sutch: Lord Sutch: Lord Sutch And Heavy Friends (Atlantic)
Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 25 April 1970
SUTCH IS LIFE... ...
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 25 April 1970
Beautiful Day a beautiful band ...
Soft Machine: Ronnie Scott's, London
Live Review by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 25 April 1970
THOSE WHO imagine that Ronnie Scott is selling out by inviting the Soft Machine to play for a week at his club are in for ...
Taj Mahal: Still One Of The Hardest Rockers
Interview by Jerry Gilbert, Melody Maker, 25 April 1970
A FANFARE of trumpets would have greeted Taj Mahal if the artist's British reception had been judged on his success. Instead he was quietly willing ...
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 9 May 1970
HAS LIBERACE been out-freaked by the hippies? In a word — scarcely. Anti-establishment, anti-materialist acid rock audiences could conceivably view him with distaste — a ...
Ginger Baker's Airforce: Ginger Baker's Airforce (Polydor)
Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 16 May 1970
GINGER BAKER HAS led a long tough career. He has worked hard, stuck to his musical guns at all times. ...
Eric Clapton, Howlin' Wolf: Howlin' Wolf: Wolf Gathers His Flock In London
Report and Interview by Jerry Gilbert, Melody Maker, 16 May 1970
WHEN THE early 1960s gave birth to the R&B boom in Britain, it was artists like Howlin' Wolf, Little Walter, Bo Diddley and Muddy Waters ...
Shuggie Otis: Here Comes Shuggie Otis (CBS)
Review by Jerry Gilbert, Melody Maker, 16 May 1970
IF SHUGGIE Otis is this good midway through his teens, what's he going to mature into? ...
Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 30 May 1970
AFTER SUCH a long gap in recording from this legendary West Coast band, among the first of the new wave American groups which emerged in ...
Can: The Can: Monster Movie (United Artists)
Review by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 30 May 1970
THINGS ARE certainly beginning to happen in Germany. ...
Grateful Dead: The Grateful Dead: Dead on Arrival
Interview by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 30 May 1970
The Grateful Dead fly into Britain ...
Led Zeppelin: Sounds Like Another Platinum!
Report and Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 6 June 1970
Chris Welch flies with Led Zeppelin as they cut their third LP... ...
Overview by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 13 June 1970
Richard Williams takes a Common Market-minded guess at a future trend in pop... ...
Crosby Stills Nash & Young: Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young: Fillmore East, New York NY
Live Review by Vicki Wickham, Melody Maker, 13 June 1970
Flowerpower returns to the Fillmore ...
Miles Davis: What Made Miles Davis Go Pop?
Interview by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 13 June 1970
Richard Williams talks to bassist Dave Holland in New York. ...
Aretha Franklin: International Hotel, Las Vegas
Live Review by Jacoba Atlas, Melody Maker, 20 June 1970
Aretha's great re-birth ...
Booker T & The MGs: McLemore Avenue (Stax)
Review by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 20 June 1970
NICE IDEA – they play all the tunes from Abbey Road, and imitate the sleeve of that album by picturing the four MGs crossing McLemore ...
Interview by Vicki Wickham, Melody Maker, 20 June 1970
CROSBY, STILLS, NASH and YOUNG finished their week-long, triumphant stint at the New York Fillmore and were joined for a huge celebration party at the ...
Jimi Hendrix: Band Of Gypsys (Track)
Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 20 June 1970
ANY ALBUM from Jimi is such a rare event, one can only be pleased to see his name back on the new releases' rack. Here ...
John Phillips: John The Wolfking of L.A. (Stateside)
Review by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 20 June 1970
INSIDE THE Mama's and the Papa's, something better was waiting to get out – and this is it. ...
Joni Mitchell: Let's Make Life More Romantic
Profile and Interview by Jacoba Atlas, Melody Maker, 20 June 1970
JONI MITCHELL is a poet whose time has come. Because she uses the vehicle of music, her words and thoughts reach out to countless minds. ...
The Temptations: Psychedelic Shack (Tamla Motown)
Review by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 20 June 1970
SHAME, SHAME, shame... Motown's sold its soul for a spoonful of wah-wah guitar. Actually that's not quite true, because you can't totally obliterate the true ...
The Who: Metropolitan Opera House, New York NY
Live Review by Vicki Wickham, Melody Maker, 20 June 1970
Ten-dollar seats for The Who! ...
Son House: Blues Is Getting Bigger All The Time, Says Son
Interview by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 27 June 1970
"THIS IS MY last time over here. Yes, sirree. I do this visit and that's it." The speaker was Eddie James (Son) House, a tallish ...
Sandy Denny, Fotheringay: Fotheringay, The Sea and Sandy Denny
Interview by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 27 June 1970
A FEW months ago Fotheringay was a pretty name for a group of musicians who happened to play together. Today it is the name of ...
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 27 June 1970
A band who are slightly embarrassed by that long-awaited hit ...
Dr. John: How Do Voodoo, I'm Doctor John
Interview by Jacoba Atlas, Melody Maker, 27 June 1970
DR. JOHN The Night Tripper is an original. Claiming to be a high priest of voodoo, Mac Rebennack (his given name) is also one of ...
Lonnie Johnson — Bluesman Who Played Jazz
Obituary by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 27 June 1970
LONNIE JOHNSON, who died last week, was a rarity in the blues field — a man who, though a folk artist in certain respects, played ...
Miles Davis: Bitches Brew (CBS 66236)
Review by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 27 June 1970
Bitches Brew an aural acid trip from Miles ...
Sonny Sharrock: Like No Other Guitarist Ever Born
Interview by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 27 June 1970
WARREN "Sonny" Sharrock created one of 1969's most extraordinary musical moments, during a track called 'Chain Of Fools' on Herbie Mann's big-selling Memphis Underground album. ...
Report and Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 4 July 1970
Beatlemania-type Free-fever grips Britain. CHRIS CHARLESWORTH reports from the front line ...
Cat Stevens: Cat's Back With The Cream...
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 11 July 1970
LAST WEEK SAW the return of Cat Stevens to the MM chart after a disappearance act worthy of Houdini. It is 12 months since the ...
Fairport Convention: Full House (Island)
Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 11 July 1970
AYE, GATHER round me bully boys – once there was a time when Fairport albums were as hard to obtain as a Grope O'Shanter at ...
Captain Beefheart, Frank Zappa, Wild Man Fischer: Frank Zappa: Listen With Mothers
Profile and Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 11 July 1970
FRANK ZAPPA has emerged as one of the most interesting, lucid, energetic, entertaining and creative figures in contemporary music. He has frequently complained of being ...
Matthews' Southern Comfort: Second Spring (UNI)
Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 11 July 1970
IAN MATTHEWS' band, slightly changed, steam into their second album, as refreshing and attractive as their first. ...
Quintessence: Quintessence (Island)
Review by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 11 July 1970
A BRILLIANT group in many respects, Quintessence unfortunately manage to alienate many potential enthusiasts through the expression of their religious and spiritual sentiments. ...
Steppenwolf: On Politics and Pop
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 11 July 1970
FOR YEARS popular rhythm artists have expressed often in fairly heated fashion, or occasionally with affected languor, political opinions. ...
Wild Man Fischer: An Evening With Wild Man Fischer (Reprise)
Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 11 July 1970
Frank Zappa's "It had to be done" experiment finally released after some 18 months. Many will already have heard import copies of this two album ...
Noir — and those good black vibrations
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 18 July 1970
THERE ARE few groups around today who can boast that they are a "musicians' group" — a group whom musicians go out of their way ...
Interview by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 18 July 1970
ROY HARPER is a sort of Gerald Scarfe of music. Like the cartoonist, what he does isn't always pretty, it isn't always enjoyable, but by ...
The Rolling Stones: Get Your Ya-Yas Out
Preview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 18 July 1970
Live Stones album — MM exclusive preview ...
Flying Burrito Brothers, Gram Parsons: Gram Parsons, The Burrito Ego Man
Interview by Jacoba Atlas, Melody Maker, 25 July 1970
LOS ANGELES, Tuesday: Gram Parsons, founder of the Flying Burrito Brothers, was a Byrd, a southerner and a Harvard College Drop-out. With the formation of ...
Interview by Andrew Means, Melody Maker, 25 July 1970
FOR SO LONG London has been the undisputed capital of Britain's music industry, that it is almost unthinkable to suggest that its position could be ...
Live Review by Mark Plummer, Melody Maker, 25 July 1970
Good music, bad vibes at free Hyde Park ...
Jo Ann Kelly, T. Rex: T. Rex, Jo Ann Kelly: Lyceum, London
Live Review by Andrew Means, Melody Maker, 25 July 1970
Magical Marc! ...
Black Sabbath, Uriah Heep, Yes: Yes, Black Sabbath, Uriah Heap: Lyceum, London
Live Review by Mark Plummer, Melody Maker, 25 July 1970
YES MADE their comeback at the Lyceum on Friday, but what should have been a great occasion turned out to be rather mediocre. ...
Live Review by Andrew Means, Melody Maker, 1 August 1970
Incredible night of string bands ...
Live Review by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 1 August 1970
RORY GALLAGHER is King, days Mailbag most weeks, and Taste are the new Zeppelin/Cream/Beatles/Shadows. The queue around the Marquee one night last week, where the ...
Aretha Franklin: The Gospel Truth From Aretha
Interview by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 1 August 1970
WHENEVER ARETHA Franklin comes to town, which is not all that often, I try to see her. Partly because she is a genuine unhyped star ...
MC5 — Still The Bad Boys Of Rock
Interview by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 8 August 1970
ONE THING that American rock bands can generally do better than their British counterparts is to channel their energy into the notes. ...
Live Review by Michael Watts, Melody Maker, 8 August 1970
ON THE surface it seemed crazy — 1,500 kids packed into a hot stuffy old engine shed, while outside the temperature was in the seventies. ...
Osibisa: Beat The (African) Drums For Osibisa
Profile by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 22 August 1970
IT MAY BE that, having endured the painfully stilted and emotionally lukewarm playing of most rock drummers for the last decade, audiences are waking up ...
Blodwyn Pig: Blodwyn: It's Blodwyn, Not Piggy Banks!
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 22 August 1970
WHAT HAPPENED when the Pig got up and slowly walked away? A new group emerged simply called Blodwyn, with the added new power of guitarist ...
Creedence Clearwater Revival: Cosmo's Factory (Liberty)
Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 22 August 1970
The flaw in Creedence's brilliance ...
Hot Tuna: Hot Tuna (RCA Victor).
Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 22 August 1970
FIRMLY IMPLANTED in my mind is the image of Hot Tuna as an amazingly good, all electric jam band. This follows their appearance at Bath ...
Mark-Almond: No Drums For Almond And Mark
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 22 August 1970
WHEN JOHN Mayall led the revolt against volume by dispensing with a drummer in his line-up, he also paved the way for what promises to ...
The Voices of East Harlem: The Black Pride Of 13 Hip Kids
Profile and Interview by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 22 August 1970
BLACK PRIDE, as a kind of more inner-directed companion to Black Power, is rapidly becoming a force in our musical world. "Black Is Beautiful" was ...
Joe Cocker, Leon Russell: Leon Russell: King of the Delta Rockers
Interview by Mark Plummer, Melody Maker, 29 August 1970
Top US session man LEON RUSSELL talks to Mark Plummer. ...
Interview by Roy Hollingworth, Melody Maker, 5 September 1970
Rock's most influential guitarist on music, drugs, politics, and his plans for a new big band ...
Interview by Roy Hollingworth, Melody Maker, 5 September 1970
LEONARD COHEN, man or myth, or what? He's a dreamer, but as he says his dreams are only products of real things, and fact. Basically ...
Mac Davis, Elvis Presley: Mac Davis: The man who put Elvis in the ghetto
Interview by uncredited writer, Melody Maker, 5 September 1970
IT'S ONLY a week or two since guitarist-singer-songwriter Jerry Reed hit London Town. And he starred on Lulu's TV show. ...
Stone the Crows: Fire and soul from the Crows' nest
Interview by Roy Hollingworth, Melody Maker, 5 September 1970
AFTER JULIE Driscoll and Christine Perfect, who is going to be the next British female blues singer? Tiresome, boring question? Not anymore because her name ...
Supertramp: Tramp hits the road
Interview by Andrew Means, Melody Maker, 5 September 1970
LIKE A thousand other relatively unknown groups, Supertramp are trying hard to make a name for themselves. But unlike most groups in a similar position, ...
Hawkwind: The Hawk: sailing in the face of the wind
Interview by Mark Plummer, Melody Maker, 5 September 1970
HAWKWIND ARE the progressive band, who, they say, are too progressive for British progressive clubs, and receive few bookings because of that fact. ...
Report by Mark Plummer, Michael Watts, Chris Welch, Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 5 September 1970
MM's Richard Williams, Chris Welch, Michael Watts and Mark Plummer present a five-page report on an amazing weekend of music and other scenes... ...
Soft Machine, Robert Wyatt: The Softs, the Proms and drummer Wyatt
Interview by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 5 September 1970
IT'S NOT long since Robert Wyatt announced that he was vacating the drum stool with Soft Machine in order to pursue a career with Kevin ...
Tony Joe White: This Here, Y'all, Is Tony Joe
Interview by Roy Hollingworth, Melody Maker, 5 September 1970
PEOPLE OFTEN ask what it's like to interview pop stars. Well like most things in life, there are the good times, and the bad times, ...
Jeff Dexter: From Twist Demonstrator... To Dance Band Singer... To High Priest Of Hits...
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 12 September 1970
Chris Welch tells the strange story of DJ Jeff Dexter ...
John Phillips, The Mamas and The Papas: John Phillips: At The Bitter End
Report and Interview by Vicki Wickham, Melody Maker, 12 September 1970
IN THE mid-60s, when lots of weird and strange sounds were filtering across from California and the West Coast of America, one very hip vocal ...
Report by Jacoba Atlas, Melody Maker, 12 September 1970
Jacoba Atlas reports on the street where she lives – Laurel Canyon, Hollywood, home of the rock stars... ...
Led Zeppelin, Robert Plant: Robert Plant: Down To The Roots
Interview by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 12 September 1970
ROBERT PLANT lives in an old, rambling farmhouse near Kidderminster, on the edge of the Black Country, with his wife Maureen, baby daughter Carmen, dog ...
Bread: Central London Polytechnic, London
Live Review by Roy Hollingworth, Melody Maker, 19 September 1970
IT WOULD be totally unfair to deal harsh criticism on Bread's ludicrous first ever British appearance, at the Central London Polytechnic, on Friday night. Ludicrous, yes ...
Free, Mott The Hoople: Fairfield Hall, Croydon
Live Review by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 19 September 1970
FAIRFIELD Hall, Croydon, has seen some amazing scenes since it became South London's home of rock, but I doubt whether the old faithfuls at the ...
Live Review by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 19 September 1970
JOHN SEBASTIAN brought a little sunshine into a gloomy Hyde Park, London, on Saturday. ...
Joni Mitchell: Glimpses of Joni
Report and Interview by Michael Watts, Melody Maker, 19 September 1970
SCENE IN A television studio: a girl in a long pink shift, which catches at her ankles when she walks, picks hesitantly at a few ...
Chris Farlowe, Colosseum: Colosseum: Farlowe That!
Report and Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 26 September 1970
CHRIS FARLOWE and Colosseum – the mind boggles! One of the country's most powerful vocal talents has joined the most explosive force in groups to ...
Deep Purple: The Smashing-Up Bit Is Valid!
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 26 September 1970
WHEN DEEP PURPLE smashed up their equipment on a TV show recently, here were howls of protest throughout the land. A flood of complaints hit ...
Elton John: Elton Storms The States
Interview by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 26 September 1970
AL KOOPER, talking about Elton John's last album: "That album's really got me screwed up. It's just the perfect album, and I carry it around ...
Jethro Tull: Ian Anderson Tulling It Like It Is
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 26 September 1970
"THEY SAY I don't stand on one leg as much as I used to." Ian Anderson stretched out on a sofa and gazed quizzically at ...
Essay by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 26 September 1970
THE IMPORTANCE of Jimi Hendrix as a musician was sometimes forgotten behind the man's sexuality and the flamboyance of his act and appearance. ...
Obituary by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 26 September 1970
"JIMMY HENDRICKS," was the name scribbled on a notepad, when Chas Chandler rang the MM towards the end of 1966. "You must come and see ...
Comment by Mick Farren, Melody Maker, 3 October 1970
WHEN I first brought home Elvis Presley and Chuck Berry albums my parents didn't much like it. They made the mistake of thinking rock was ...
The Rolling Stones: Stones and the Street Fighting Men
Report by Geoffrey Cannon, Melody Maker, 3 October 1970
Update, 2019. The Rolling Stones were never just entertainers. They are the world's leading creators and performers of Dionysian rock theatre. They are flamboyant, perverse, ...
Eric Burdon, War: War: Carrying A Heavy Burdon For Peace
Interview by Roy Hollingworth, Melody Maker, 3 October 1970
EIGHTEEN MONTHS ago in Los Angeles, Eric Burdon, six coloured guys, and a Danish harp player declared war on everything detrimental to mankind, except flesh ...
Led Zeppelin: Led Zeppelin III
Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 10 October 1970
Zeppelin III is pure magic! Track by track review of the new album from the World's Top Group (MM Pop Poll 1970) ...
Blind Faith, Family, Traffic: Ric Grech: Traffic's One Big Happy Family
Interview by Roy Hollingworth, Melody Maker, 10 October 1970
IT WAS good to see Ric again. We talked in melancholic tones of hazy days when gangster Grech, cigarette hanging from his lips, pumped out ...
Janis Joplin: The Agony of Janis
Comment by Geoffrey Cannon, Melody Maker, 10 October 1970
Update, 2020. Yes, the deaths of Brian Jones in July 1969, then of Jimi Hendrix in September 1970, then of Janis Joplin a couple of ...
East of Eden: A Good Time East of Eden
Interview by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 17 October 1970
"IF I HAD a choice of playing a technically perfect set or giving people a good time," says Dave Arbus, "I'd definitely give them a ...
Johnny Winter: Johnny Winter And... (CBS)
Review by Roy Hollingworth, Melody Maker, 17 October 1970
OH YES! Great stuff, funky, pumpy, loud and brash and damned uncouth — which is the way R&B should be played. ...
Juicy Lucy: Lie Back and Enjoy It (Vertigo)
Review by Mark Plummer, Melody Maker, 17 October 1970
JUICY LUCY have come a long way from 'Who Do You Love' and young ladies smothered in fruit. ...
Merle Haggard: The Fightin' Side Of Me (Capitol)
Review by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 17 October 1970
MERLE HAGGARD is a tough ol' boy. While Johnny Cash broods about it, you have the feeling that Haggard might just get it done. ...
Miles Davis: Rock Is A White Man's Word, Says Miles
Report and Interview by Al Aronowitz, Melody Maker, 17 October 1970
NEW YORK — Junior Mance was working the bandstand at New York's Top of the Gate and you had to put your ear to Miles ...
Rab Noakes: Making it down South
Interview by Andrew Means, Melody Maker, 17 October 1970
AT A TIME when complex guitar work is attracting a tide of admirers it's invigorating to hear the contemporary material of Rab Noakes, a young ...
Taste Split: Background To A Bust Up — How Taste Went Sour
Report and Interview by Roy Hollingworth, Melody Maker, 17 October 1970
Exclusive report from Ireland on the break-up of a mighty successful band by Roy Hollingworth ...
Anthony Wedgwood Benn: Listening To The New Generation
Essay by uncredited writer, Melody Maker, 24 October 1970
Former Technology Minister Anthony Wedgwood Benn replies to Mick Farren's analysis of Rock as a political force. ...
Led Zeppelin: Page on Zeppelin III
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 24 October 1970
Jimmy Page gives a track by track background to Zeppelin's new album. ...
Stone The Crows: Maggie Rings The Bell
Interview by Roy Hollingworth, Melody Maker, 24 October 1970
Roy Hollingworth talks to the girl with the hottest new voice in rock... ...
Black Sabbath: Paranoia — As The Fans Go Wild For Sabbath
Report by Mark Plummer, Melody Maker, 31 October 1970
Mark Plummer on a one night stand with the 'Paranoid' hitmakers ...
Crosby Stills Nash & Young, Graham Nash: Graham Nash: Song of a Simple Man
Interview by Geoffrey Cannon, Melody Maker, 9 November 1970
Update, 2020. I paid no attention to Graham Nash or to his band the Hollies, the close-harmony Manchester band formed in 1962 inspired by the ...
Bill Graham: The Man The US Kids Love To Hate
Interview by Roy Hollingworth, Melody Maker, 14 November 1970
BREAKFAST at London's Savoy Hotel with Bill Graham. The man, who has the high cheekbones and thick mouth of an American Indian, and the thundering ...
Review by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 14 November 1970
THIS IS presumably Buckley's last album for Elektra, being recorded (so I'm told) at the same time as Happy/Sad and before his first Straight album, ...
Colosseum: The Secret Of Their Success – Good Music
Profile and Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 21 November 1970
COLOSSEUM are now rated as one of Britain's and Europe's most popular and creative bands. In two years of furious activity and hard work, the ...
McDonald and Giles: McDonald & Giles: Outside The Court Of The Crimson King
Interview by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 21 November 1970
THERE ARE, YOU understand, these two musicians, both having played in one of our very best bands, who're sitting at home doing virtually nothing at ...
The Beach Boys, Brian Wilson: Staying Home: Brian Wilson
Report and Interview by Derek Grant, Melody Maker, 21 November 1970
"IT WAS A MISTAKE but I had to try it. After about half an hour I realised I couldn't go on. My ears hurt, I ...
Buffalo Springfield, Crosby Stills Nash & Young, Stephen Stills: Stills Life
Report and Interview by Geoffrey Cannon, Melody Maker, 28 November 1970
A portrait of a rock giant... at work on his solo LP and at home in his English country house ...
Frank Zappa, The Mothers Of Invention: Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention: The Coliseum, London
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 5 December 1970
PROBABLY only Frank Zappa and his musicians could properly review their concerts at London's Coliseum on Sunday. So much happened in each two-hour segment, one ...
The Mothers Of Invention: Mother's Union
Report and Interview by Michael Watts, Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 5 December 1970
TELL ME, Mr. Zappa, what do you think of the critical reaction to your work over the past five years? ...
Report by uncredited writer, Melody Maker, 12 December 1970
ALBERT AYLER, the revolutionary jazz tenor saxophonist, is dead at the age of 34. ...
Albert Ayler: Beyond This World
Obituary by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 12 December 1970
Richard Williams pays tribute to Albert Ayler ...
Amon Düül: Amon For All Seasons
Interview by Michael Watts, Melody Maker, 12 December 1970
IN THE BEGINNING there was Amon Duul, and A.D. was a musical community of about a dozen people of varied musical backgrounds. Gradually, some of ...
Derek & The Dominos: Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs (Polydor)
Review by Roy Hollingworth, Melody Maker, 12 December 1970
Beauty and boredom from Eric ...
Alan Price, Georgie Fame: Royal Festival Hall, London
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 19 December 1970
An evening of Pricey nostalgia ...
Climax Blues Band: Climax Chicago Blues Band: A Lot of Bottle (Harvest)
Review by Roy Hollingworth, Melody Maker, 19 December 1970
THERE LIES on this album one of the most exciting, imaginative guitar solos I've heard for a long time from Pete Haycock on 'Seventh Son', ...
Emerson Lake & Palmer: ELP in the Alps
Report and Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 19 December 1970
Chris Welch reports on a trip to Switzerland with rock's most controversial trio... ...
Review by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 19 December 1970
ONE OF THE criticisms levelled at Free since their final acceptance earlier this year is that many of their songs sound very much alike. With ...
Monty Python's Flying Circus: Monty Python's Flying Circus (BBC Records)
Review by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 19 December 1970
OF ALL THE comic programmes to arrive on the magic box, Monty Python's Flying Circus seems to be the one that most people talk about afterwards. ...
Ry Cooder: The Name To Watch In 71...
Interview by Jacoba Atlas, Melody Maker, 19 December 1970
Jacoba Atlas talks to the States' hottest new guitarist ...
Review by Roy Hollingworth, Melody Maker, 26 December 1970
T. Rex goes funky ...
The Stooges: Fun House (Elektra).
Review by Roy Hollingworth, Melody Maker, 26 December 1970
NEXT TO GRAND Funk Railroad, this is the worst album I've heard this year. In truth it's a muddy load of sluggish, unimaginative rubbish heavily ...
Judee Sill: Judee Sill (Asylum)
Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 1971
JUDEE SILL IS one of those breed of American girls who’ve taken to singing who one supposes were previously engaged in quietly knitting at home ...
Captain Beefheart: Lick My Decals Off Baby
Review by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 2 January 1971
ALREADY, I'M THINKING that this is the Captain's most satisfying album to date. ...
Graham Bond: Holy Magick (Vertigo)
Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 2 January 1971
ACCORDING TO ancient Druidic and Celtic legend, King Arthur will return in this age of Aquarius to sustain us. And man, he's going to blow ...
Leonard Cohen: Songs Of Love And Hate
Review by Roy Hollingworth, Melody Maker, 2 January 1971
LEONARD COHEN in a deeper emotional trough than he's ever been in, more hypnotic, more melancholic than ever, and without doubt the least musical stuff ...
Black Sabbath: Sabbath, Singles and the States
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 2 January 1971
TALES OF hardship and woe generally follow a group's first trip across the Atlantic. Many bands have returned to inform us that "it's not all ...
Soft Machine, Robert Wyatt: Soft Machine: Inside the Mind of a Machine
Interview by Michael Watts, Melody Maker, 2 January 1971
Michael Watts talks to Soft Machine drummer Robert Wyatt ...
Iron Butterfly: Butterfly Break Out of the Iron Cocoon
Interview by Harold Bronson, Melody Maker, 9 January 1971
LOS ANGELES — It was a nervous experience for Iron Butterfly when, late last year, they found out things weren't quite right. Their music had ...
Mr. Fox, Steeleye Span: Mr. Fox and Steeleye Span: Electric Folk – The Second Generation
Comment by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 9 January 1971
NOW WE'VE had a chance to hear Mr. Fox and Steeleye Span properly, it is clear that we are already into the second generation of ...
Live Review by Roy Hollingworth, Melody Maker, 16 January 1971
PATTO ARE better than most rock bands for two reasons – they play without any sense of snobbery (no boring ego jams), and secondly because ...
Patto: Bitter Patto: Two Years Ahead
Interview by Michael Watts, Melody Maker, 23 January 1971
I FIRST met Mike Patto four months ago. With his agent he walked into the MM office, a gangling figure in high green leather boots ...
Charles Lloyd: Why Lloyd Wants To Play With The Stones
Interview by Jacoba Atlas, Melody Maker, 23 January 1971
CHARLES LLOYD doesn't want to be known as the first jazzman to play the rock halls, Fillmore and Avalon. He says that categorization is demeaning, ...
Grand Funk Railroad: Royal Albert Hall, London
Live Review by Michael Watts, Melody Maker, 23 January 1971
Grand Flunk Railroad ...
Iron Butterfly, Yes: Royal Albert Hall, London
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 23 January 1971
WHAT AN incredible rave-up when Yes and Iron Butterfly took off at the Albert Hall, London, on Monday. Apart from an audience who seemed to ...
Butterscotch Caboose, Rufus Thomas: Memphis
Report by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 23 January 1971
Richard Williams in the Soul capital of America ...
Interview by Michael Watts, Melody Maker, 23 January 1971
"I'M FROM New York, but I don't like the scene. Why? Because there is none. At least, it's nothing to do with the music. It's ...
Stone The Crows: London School of Economics
Live Review by Mark Plummer, Melody Maker, 23 January 1971
MAGGIE BELL, with a lot of help from her friends in Stone The Crows, turned what could have been a disappointing evening at the London ...
The Equals: Black Skin, Blue-Eyed Boys...
Interview by Mark Plummer, Melody Maker, 23 January 1971
Mark Plummer talks to EDDY GRANT ...
Iron Butterfly, Yes: Yes and Iron Butterfly: Allies of Rock
Report and Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 23 January 1971
Chris Welch with Yes and Iron Butterfly in Holland ...
Booker T & The MGs, Steve Cropper: MM in Memphis: Cropper Soul Picker Supreme
Interview by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 30 January 1971
Richard Williams with the first of a series of profiles from America's soul centre... ...
Allman Brothers Band: Idlewild South (Atco)
Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 30 January 1971
A HAPPY and clean sound kicked off with the unison guitars of Duane Allman and Dicky Betts on 'Revival'. ...
Overview by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 30 January 1971
Richard Williams on the European bands who are rejecting the traditions of Anglo-American rock. ...
Caroline Coon: The Underground Angel Of Mercy...
Interview by Michael Watts, Melody Maker, 30 January 1971
Michael Watts talks to CAROLINE COON of Release ...
Donny Hathaway: Everything Is Everything (Atco)
Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 30 January 1971
A USEFUL glossary of soul terms occurs during the title track, a warm, friendly if somewhat meaningless piece of philisophy. ...
Badfinger: Fickle Fate Of Badfinger
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 30 January 1971
"EVERYONE who interviews us wants to talk about the Beatles. Sure, we were influenced by the Beatles, like ten million other groups. ...
Grateful Dead: American Beauty (Warner Bros)
Review by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 30 January 1971
THE BEST adjective I can think of to describe the Grateful Dead is "disarming." They're beautiful because, unlike so many bands, they never overwhelm you. ...
Laura Nyro: Christmas And The Beads of Sweat
Review by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 30 January 1971
EACH OF LAURA Nyro's four albums has had its own distinct personality. ...
Martha Reeves & The Vandellas: No Place Like England Says Martha
Interview by Mark Plummer, Melody Maker, 30 January 1971
"I WANT you to tell everybody what a beautiful audience we had tonight. We haven't been over here in four years. We're professional but I ...
Interview by Michael Watts, Melody Maker, 30 January 1971
NICO USED to be a blonde; you can see it on the cover of the Velvet Underground's first album, on a photograph from which her ...
Stevie Wonder: Stevie Freaks Out
Interview by Mark Plummer, Melody Maker, 30 January 1971
LAST TIME Stevie Wonder was in Britain he promised that his next album would be the new-style him, with a deeper musical and lyrical feeling. ...
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 30 January 1971
MARC BOLAN became a star and T. Rex supergroup on Monday. Over 2,000 jammed London's Lyceum. And they cheered. ...
Van Morrison: His Band And The Street Choir (Warner Bros.)
Review by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 30 January 1971
Has Van Morrison eased up? ...
Jackson Browne, Laura Nyro: Laura Nyro: Laura's London Triumph
Live Review by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 13 February 1971
Laura Nyro/Jackson Browne: Royal Festival Hall, London ...
Live Review by Mark Plummer, Melody Maker, 13 February 1971
LEON: ROCK SHOWMAN ...
Interview by Roy Hollingworth, Melody Maker, 13 February 1971
MARC BOLAN, teased, stimulated and tempted by the midday wine, looned around in the rain and stood in humorous mood viewing the vast hulk of ...
Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 13 February 1971
Yes, yes, yes ...
Interview by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 27 February 1971
SOON after meeting Dee Allen (real name Thomas Sylvester Allen), and comparing him quickly with the rest of War, you are likely to guess why ...
Neil Young: Neil Gave Everything — And They Asked For More
Live Review by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 6 March 1971
Neil Young: Royal Festival Hall, London ...
Alice Coltrane: Ptah, The El Daoud (Impulse AS-9196 — import)
Review by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 13 March 1971
Mrs Coltrane (piano, harp). Joe Henderson, Pharoah Sanders (tenors, alto flutes), Ron Carter (bass), Ben Riley (drums) New York, 26/1/70. ...
Burt Bacharach: Portrait In Music (A&M)
Review by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 13 March 1971
REMEMBER HOW far-out 'Anyone Who Had A Heart' sounded in '63? All those cliff-hanging stops and starts, and that incredible arrangement... almost as weird as ...
Review by Andrew Means, Melody Maker, 13 March 1971
THIS IS A particularly difficult album to come to any firm conclusion on. For one thing the reaction it produced depends very much on the ...
Alexis Korner: REACTION with Alexis Korner
Interview by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 13 March 1971
ALEXIS KORNER — guitarist, singer, blues fancier and scholar, and bandleader with a remarkable record as a nurseryman of young jazz talent — sat for ...
The Rolling Stones: This Could Be The Last Time
Report by Michael Watts, Melody Maker, 13 March 1971
AS STONES BEGIN THEIR LONG-AWAITED — AND POSSIBLY FINAL — TOUR OF BRITAIN, MICHAEL WATTS REPORTS... ...
Velvet Underground: The Velvet Underground: Loaded (Atlantic Super)
Review by Michael Watts, Melody Maker, 13 March 1971
The most important album since Tommy? ...
Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup: Arthur Big Boy Crudup: Roebuck Man (United Artists UAS29092)
Review by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 20 March 1971
Big Boy in Britain ...
Neil Diamond: Diamond Shining Brightly
Interview by Mark Plummer, Melody Maker, 20 March 1971
FOR NEIL Diamond, things are looking good. As a pop singer he has left his mark on both sides of the Atlantic with his sweet ...
James Brown: Royal Albert Hall, London
Live Review by Roy Hollingworth, Melody Maker, 20 March 1971
The clockwork king of soul? ...
Manitas de Plata: Little Hands of Silver...
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 20 March 1971
MANITAS DE PLATA picked up a guitar autographed by Charlie Chaplin and played some flamenco music in his hotel bedroom. It looked a bit like ...
Van Der Graaf Generator: Oh What A Boar!
Report by Roy Hollingworth, Melody Maker, 20 March 1971
SATURDAY morning. The Van der Graaf Generator truck speeds and wobbles along the motorway, northbound. It's a clear day, around lunchtime, and we're beginning to ...
The Groundhogs: Split (Liberty LBG 83401)
Review by Andrew Means, Melody Maker, 20 March 1971
FROM THE stern inhuman, irrational bloodymindedness of war which served as the subject for Thank Christ For The Bomb, Tony McPhee has turned to anarchic, ...
The Rolling Stones: The Roundhouse, London
Live Review by Mark Plummer, Melody Maker, 20 March 1971
THE ROLLING STONES Circus came to town last Sunday, maybe for the last time. At least for their own sakes it should be. The fire ...
Deep Purple, Keef Hartley, Keith Moon: Various, Drum Bash: Bumpers Club, London
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 20 March 1971
DEAFENING fun! That was the all-star drum conversation held at London's Bumpers Club last week. ...
Van Morrison: What's So Special About Van Morrison?
Essay by Geoffrey Cannon, Melody Maker, 20 March 1971
Update, 2019. BELOW THIS update is the first of two pieces on Van's early albums. They were commissioned by Richard Williams as my Melody Maker editor, ...
Interview by Michael Watts, Melody Maker, 27 March 1971
STORIES ABOUT Syd Barrett are legion. That he became overbearingly egotistical, impossible to work with. That he was thrown out of The Pink Floyd. That ...
Van Morrison, Them: Van — Them and now
Discography by Geoffrey Cannon, Melody Maker, 27 March 1971
Update, 2019: This piece continues that on "What's so special about Van Morrison", also here in the RBP archive, commissioned by Richard Williams as my ...
Funkadelic: Lyceum Ban Funkadelic
Report by uncredited writer, Melody Maker, 3 April 1971
FUNKADELIC, THE American group banned by London's Royal Albert Hall, have now been banned from the Strand Lyceum. Promoter John Sullivan — offered Funkadelic by ...
Interview by Michael Watts, Melody Maker, 3 April 1971
Michael Watts talks to sessionman supreme NICKY HOPKINS ...
Alex Taylor, James Taylor: James and Alex Taylor: And He Played Real Good For Free
Report by Al Aronowitz, Melody Maker, 10 April 1971
CHILMARK, MASSACHUSETTS.The Island Children's School gave its first annual benefit concert here last January 12 and if you've read The Vineyard Gazette then you know ...
Alan Price, Georgie Fame: Price and Fame: The Name Game
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 10 April 1971
THERE I WAS sitting interviewing Messrs Fame and Price — or should it be Price and Fame — when this lady walks into the room. ...
David Bowie: Why does David Bowie like dressing up in ladies' clothes?
Report and Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 17 April 1971
A straight answer to Chris Welch ...
Barclay James Harvest, Caravan: Caravan, Barclay James Harvest: The Lyceum, London
Live Review by Mark Plummer, Melody Maker, 24 April 1971
Live and well? ...
Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 24 April 1971
A MASTERFUL album. While it goes without saying this is their best yet, there is a quality in the performance and production here that sets ...
Genesis: In The Beginning There Was... Genesis
Profile and Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 24 April 1971
GENESIS ARE going to cause outrage and chaos in the coming year. Already they are breaking through with a blend of showmanship and original music ...
Jeff Dexter: Dexter's Job — Creating Good Vibes
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 24 April 1971
"WELL, who else could do it? Maybe Jimmy Savile because he's got lots of blond hair as well," replied Jeff Dexter when asked why he ...
Interview by Michael Watts, Melody Maker, 24 April 1971
In the three years since he first won the Top DJ title in the MM Poll, John Peel has been mocked and worshipped. Today he wipes the ...
King Crimson: Zoom Club, Frankfurt
Live Review by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 24 April 1971
AFTER MORE than a year off the road, King Crimson slid quietly back into public performance last week with a hush-hush four-day stint in Germany. ...
Interview by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 24 April 1971
Richard Williams talks to ex-Love drummer Snoopy Pfisterer ...
Interview by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 24 April 1971
PEACE AND brotherhood, truth and happiness. These are words which crop up constantly in conversations with Osibisa, the creeds by which they attempt to live ...
The Faces: Smiling Faces make it at last
Interview by Mark Plummer, Melody Maker, 24 April 1971
STRANGE. PEOPLE keep telling the Faces they've made it at last in this country. Strange because they themselves don't quite know where they stand in ...
The Rolling Stones: Sticky Fingers (Kinney)
Review by Michael Watts, Melody Maker, 24 April 1971
Bands come and go – but the Stones keep rollin' on ...
The Rolling Stones: Stones In Exile
Report and Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 24 April 1971
CANNES is a strange place. It sits on the Cote D'Azur beckoning the rich to part with their dollars, pounds and francs in glorious sunshine. ...
Van Der Graaf Generator: Melody Maker Band Breakdown: Van der Graaf Generator
Report and Interview by Roy Hollingworth, Melody Maker, 1 May 1971
If it's Thursday, it must be Ormskirk. ...
Rita Coolidge: Now The Delta Lady Is Out On Her Own
Interview by Jacoba Atlas, Melody Maker, 1 May 1971
DURING THE Mad Dogs and Englishmen tour, Joe Cocker each night would take the microphone and announce "Here she is, our own Delta Lady, Rita ...
Interview by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 1 May 1971
BACK in 1963, the Ronettes were three highly-coiffeured teenage girls who swept up the charts on a furious wave of Spector sound. Their lead singer, ...
The Champs, Seals and Crofts: Seals and Crofts alias The Champs
Interview by Michael Watts, Melody Maker, 1 May 1971
HALFWAY UP the bill at the Roundhouse the other Sunday there was this band with a decidedly curious instrumentation. ...
Van der Graaf Generator: Not so much a band, more a meeting place
Special Feature by Roy Hollingworth, Melody Maker, 1 May 1971
THERE'S A Sopwith Camel perched on Peter Hammill's piano, or maybe it's an SE5. I can't see too clearly, because Peter's way down in the ...
Dave and Ansell Collins: 'Double Barrel' — A High Calibre Hit?
Interview by Mark Plummer, Melody Maker, 8 May 1971
CRITICS PUT it down, musicians loathe it — and mention reggae to a progressive music fan and a string of abuse will follow. It appears ...
Deep Purple: The Roundhouse, London
Live Review by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 8 May 1971
ALTHOUGH it wasn't one of Deep Purple's best nights on Friday, it was certainly one of the best nights of the Camden Festival with London's ...
Emerson Lake And Palmer, Humble Pie: ELP In America
Report and Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 8 May 1971
BLOOD streaming from his head, a middle-aged man, white, well-dressed, staggered into the headlights of the battered Yellow Cab. The Puerto Rican driver, grinned and ...
Funkadelic: It's Just To Get People's Attention
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 8 May 1971
EVER since Keith Emerson set fire to an American flag on the stage of London's Royal Albert Hall, the banning of groups from that particular ...
The Byrds: Byrd Watching (part 1)
Interview by Roy Hollingworth, Melody Maker, 8 May 1971
Roger McGuinn: into the mystic ...
The Byrds, The Kentucky Colonels: The Byrds: Byrd Watching (part 2)
Interview by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 8 May 1971
THE COUNTRY consonants of Clarence White's guitar have fooled a lot of people — me included — into thinking that the man must have come ...
The Byrds: Colston Hall, Bristol
Live Review by Roy Hollingworth, Melody Maker, 8 May 1971
A PINCH of snuff, the eucalyptus stabs the eye. McGuinn fastens the tin and slips it into his suit pocket. The rest of the guy's ...
The Faces: The Roundhouse, London
Live Review by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 8 May 1971
IF ANYONE still doubts that the Faces haven't yet "made it," talk to one of the 2,000 or so who visited Thursday night's show at ...
The Groundhogs: A Hog For You Baby
Interview by Andrew Means, Melody Maker, 8 May 1971
KEN PUSTELNIK is always ready to point out that Tony McPhee, Pete Cruickshank and he are quite ordinary people, and not so long ago there ...
Bobby Keys, The Rolling Stones: The Rolling Stones: Bobby Keys
Report and Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 8 May 1971
"IT'S BOBBY Keys, the greatest saxophone player in the world," said Mick Jagger. And Bobby smiled modestly towards me. ...
Funkadelic: The Speakeasy/The Roundhouse, London
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 15 May 1971
Fun with Funkadelic ...
Report by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 15 May 1971
"LAURA WANTS the monitor turned up please." ...
Live Review by Andrew Means, Melody Maker, 15 May 1971
THE HARSH, throbbing music of Lindisfarne generates a degree of immediacy that's uncommon. They are professional and yet there is an inherent roughness that never ...
Terry Reid, Santana: Santana, Terry Reid: Hammersmith Odeon, London
Live Review by Mark Plummer, Melody Maker, 15 May 1971
Slick, smooth Santana ...
Cream, Mountain: The Ascent Of Mountain
Interview by Vicki Wickham, Melody Maker, 15 May 1971
MOUNTAIN ARE Felix Pappalardi on bass, Leslie West on guitar, Steve Knight, keyboard, and Corky Laing on drums. ...
The Byrds, The Dixie Flyers, Rita Coolidge: The Byrds, Rita Coolidge: Fairfield Halls, Croydon
Live Review by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 15 May 1971
THE BYRDS are like an institution. They seem to have been around as long as the Houses of Parliament with their own particular style of ...
The Dixie Flyers, Rita Coolidge: The Dixie Flyers
Interview by Roy Hollingworth, Melody Maker, 15 May 1971
THEY'VE BEEN called the best rhythm section in the States — don't ask me who called them that, but I figure the guy who did ...
The Beach Boys: Beach Boys: A Reappraisal
Retrospective by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 22 May 1971
IT'S PROBABLY pouring with rain by now, but the sunny days we were vouchsafed by the Almighty last week prompted me – and almost certainly ...
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 22 May 1971
Chris Welch talks to a strangely unresponsive Buddy Miles. ...
Buddy Miles: Speakeasy, London
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 22 May 1971
BUDDY MILES at London's Speakeasy. All eyes, ears and cheers are on the sweating, grimacing figure stomping his sticks. ...
Chicago: One Date Only For The Chicago Seven
Report and Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 22 May 1971
WITH THE news that Chicago will play just one concert at London's Royal Albert Hall on June 1, instead of two as they planned after ...
Nina Simone: Carnegie Hall, New York NY
Live Review by Vicki Wickham, Melody Maker, 22 May 1971
Nina the leader ...
Review by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 22 May 1971
Mutton dressed as Ram? ...
Dave and Ansell Collins, Desmond Dekker, Alton Ellis: Reggae
Report and Interview by Mark Plummer, Melody Maker, 22 May 1971
"Send a reggae band for my wedding reception" said Mick Jagger. The unpredictable move by a Stone symbolised the final acceptance of the music as ...
Donny Hathaway, Roberta Flack: Roberta Flack: Carnegie Hall, New York NY
Live Review by Vicki Wickham, Melody Maker, 22 May 1971
I KNOW I'VE said it all before, but here we go again: Roberta Flack's concert at Carnegie Hall was so enjoyable. Visually, when she starts ...
Baby Washington, The Intruders, Wilson Pickett: Wilson Pickett: Apollo Theatre, New York NY
Live Review by Vicki Wickham, Melody Maker, 22 May 1971
EX-TEMPTATIONS man, Eddie Kendricks, now solo, was due to open and debut his act at The Apollo but at the eleventh hour he cancelled out saying "the ...
The Band: A Melody Maker Band Breakdown
Profile and Interview by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 29 May 1971
FEW ROCK AND ROLL concerts can have been so eagerly awaited as those which The Band are due to play at London's Royal Albert Hall ...
Report and Interview by Geoffrey Cannon, Melody Maker, 5 June 1971
NO DIFFICULTY KNOWING when you've just finished hearing a great rock concert. Because you'll be in the middle of a great crowd of people standing ...
Louis Armstrong: Armstrong The Man...
Memoir by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 17 July 1971
THE ARMSTRONG STORY has been generously documented, on records and in print, and I'm doing my bit in the latter category. But I won't say ...
The Doors, Jim Morrison: Jim Morrison: This is the End, Beautiful Friend
Obituary by Al Aronowitz, Melody Maker, 17 July 1971
Al Aronowitz on the death of Jim Morrison ...
Live Review by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 17 July 1971
Mott: Britain's Grand Funk? ...
Procol Harum: Band on a Knife-edge
Interview by Michael Watts, Melody Maker, 17 July 1971
IT WAS RICHARD GOLDSTEIN, I think, in The Poetry Of Rock, who described Procol Harum as an intellectual, ever striving to contain the Steppenwolf within ...
The Who: Civic Hall, Dunstable
Live Review by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 17 July 1971
MOUNTAINS MAY tumble and fall, supergroups come and go, but the Who will always be with us. And while they are they continue to wear ...
Carole King, Danny Kortchmar, The Fugs, James Taylor, Jo Mama: Danny Kootch: Danny Boy
Interview by Roy Hollingworth, Melody Maker, 24 July 1971
YOU GET this sweaty little record company office and you're issued with the regulation afternoon tea or coffee. Danny Kootch looks suitably bloated by both ...
Interview by Roy Hollingworth, Melody Maker, 7 August 1971
STEVE UPTON of Wishbone Ash. What sort of audience did he think the band had? ...
Roxy Music: Roxy in the Rock Stakes
Profile by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 7 August 1971
A CURIOUS FEATURE of modern rock music is the way it's taken potential artists away from other spheres. Men who might have become poets, painters, ...
The James Gang: Home James: The James Gang
Report and Interview by Roy Hollingworth, Melody Maker, 14 August 1971
IT'S USUAL procedure to interview Americans as they come into the country – not as they're going out. ...
Obituary by uncredited writer, Melody Maker, 21 August 1971
KING CURTIS, whose wailing tenor sax was heard on many hit records over the past decade, was stabbed to death on New York's West Side ...
Larry Coryell: Long Distance Larry
Interview by Michael Watts, Melody Maker, 21 August 1971
SINCE HE left Gary Burton and after that four-month stint with Herbie Mann — no one has been in much doubt that Larry Coryell has ...
Randy Newman: Lonely at the Top
Interview by Michael Watts, Melody Maker, 21 August 1971
PEOPLE STILL talk of the press reception for Randy Newman. ...
Reverend Gary Davis: Rev. Gary Davis: Song of a Preacher Man
Report and Interview by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 21 August 1971
MANY BLACK SINGERS draw an artificial distinction between holy music — gospel — and sinful music — the blues. ...
Sandy Denny: The North Sea Grassman and the Ravens (Island)
Review by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 21 August 1971
WE ALWAYS knew Sandy Denny had the capacity to make a brilliant record, and we were right. ...
Review by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 21 August 1971
The First Lady Goes Electric ...
The Beatles, George Martin: The Beatles: Produced By George Martin
Interview by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 21 August 1971
GEORGE MARTIN is probably the most shadowy character in rock and roll history. His influence has been immense, yet few people outside the immediate circle ...
Profile and Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 11 September 1971
OFTEN ABUSED BY critics and disc jockeys, Deep Purple have won through during the past two years to become one of this country's top groups. ...
Jack Bruce, King Crimson, Roy Harper: King Crimson/Roy Harper/Jack Bruce: Hyde Park, London
Live Review by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 11 September 1971
JUDGING BY THE weather this week, the title of Saturday's free concert in Hyde Park – "Farewell To Summer" – was a little premature. And ...
Bullet, Deep Purple: Deep Purple, Bullet: Guildhall, Portsmouth
Live Review by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 18 September 1971
Purple patch ...
Ike & Tina Turner: What You Hear is What You Get (United Artists)
Review by Roy Hollingworth, Melody Maker, 18 September 1971
Torrid Tina ...
Crosby Stills Nash & Young, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young: Joni and the Laurel Canyon Mob
Comment by Michael Watts, Melody Maker, 18 September 1971
SO YOU wanna be a rock and roll star, right? Well, our advice is to head out Laurel Canyon way. Take a tip from one ...
Interview by Loraine Alterman, Melody Maker, 18 September 1971
THE AMERICAN media has been hammering into people's heads that the solo singer/guitarist/songwriter is "in" and loud, exuberant rock is "out." But, the media forgot ...
Shirley Bassey: The Soul Of Showbiz
Interview by Michael Watts, Melody Maker, 18 September 1971
EVEN BEFORE she stuck out her bottom and waggled it provocatively at the crucial moments on 'Big Spender', yes, even before she and Eartha Kitt ...
Stan Getz: Ronnie Scott's, London
Live Review by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 18 September 1971
THERE CAN'T be anything disastrous in the state of jazz while Stan Getz can still be heard in Soho spinning fine-steel threads of melody from ...
Terry Reid: Queen Elizabeth Hall, London
Live Review by Mark Plummer, Melody Maker, 18 September 1971
IF YOU think rock and roll died the minute Stephen Stills decided to inflict us with his pains, you better believe that it's alive and ...
Allman Brothers Band: The Allman Brothers Band: Allman Brothers at the Fillmore East (Atlantic)
Review by Roy Hollingworth, Melody Maker, 18 September 1971
QUESTION: GIVEN 76 minutes 26 seconds of the day to do sweet flaming all, what would you do (a) attend one and a bit funerals ...
John Lennon, Yoko Ono: John and Yoko: A Press Conference at Apple
Interview by Michael Watts, Melody Maker, 2 October 1971
THERE'S A GLINT of spectacles. Gathering recognition as the sandy hair, short and unfamiliar registers. Take in the smart grey trousers and the conventional shirt. ...
Review by Roy Hollingworth, Melody Maker, 2 October 1971
WELL, AS you may have guessed, a lot of us have fallen in love with this little band, and there are a load of reasons ...
Review by Roy Hollingworth, Melody Maker, 9 October 1971
All we need is Lennon ...
Gilbert O'Sullivan: Working Class Hero: Gilbert O'Sullivan
Profile and Interview by Michael Watts, Melody Maker, 9 October 1971
WHOEVER WOULD have thought it? Gordon Mills, manager of Tom and Engel, those popular, polished professionals, taking a shine to an odd young Irishman whose ...
Jethro Tull: Rocking In The USA
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 16 October 1971
This week, Jethro Tull flew out to start their eleventh tour of America. Like other top British Rock acts, they are reaping the rich rewards ...
Bo Diddley, Chuck Berry: What Have They Done To My Roots, Ma? Chuck Berry and Bo Diddley
Comment by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 30 October 1971
WHEN JOHN LENNON ended a recent epistle to Mailbag with a line saying "LP Winner: I’d like Chuck Berry, please," he wasn’t joking. Modern rock ...
Report and Interview by Jerry Gilbert, Melody Maker, 18 December 1971
"No, we'll never work as hard as this again. It's killing the magic. And it's not doing us much good either" - Si Cowe, guitarist, ...
The Kinks: Muswell Hillbillies
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 25 December 1971
SUPERSTARS may come and go but the Kinks keep marching on. They don't change as much as musical styles change around them; not for them ...
Wishbone Ash: Lucky Breaks For Wishbone
Interview by Roy Hollingworth, Melody Maker, 13 Fall 1971
JOHN PEEL: "I heard Wishbone Ash for the first time, and haven't been so impressed with a relatively new band for a long time. Their ...
Review by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 1972
HERE'S ONE that won't disappoint anybody at all. Suddenly the Beach Boys are back in fashionable favour, and they've produced an album which fully backs ...
George Harrison: The Concert For Bangla Desh
Review by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 1 January 1972
If you buy only one LP in 1972, make it this one ...
Smokey Robinson: The Way You Do The Things You Do
Essay by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 1 January 1972
THERE’s a new Smokey Robinson album out in the States, called One Dozen Roses. The natural reaction is to ring E.M.I. and ask them when ...
Steve Peregrin Took: Down in Ladbroke Grove: Steve Took
Interview by Mark Plummer, Melody Maker, 8 January 1972
"You live high in your apartmentSee people turn to machines,I'm scratching hard to pay my rent,I hope to God I die naturally." ...
Rory Gallagher: Music For Belfast: Rory Gallagher
Report and Interview by Roy Hollingworth, Melody Maker, 8 January 1972
BELFAST GOT A rock'n'roll concert on New Year's Day in the City's notorious Ulster Hall. Heading the bill was Rory Gallagher. It was the first ...
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 15 January 1972
"AH SO, Jim lad." The concept of a Japanese Robert Newton is hard to envisage. Yet UFO will assure you, "Long John Silver has hit ...
David Bowie: Oh, You Pretty Thing: David Bowie
Profile and Interview by Michael Watts, Melody Maker, 22 January 1972
DAVID BOWIE, rock's swishiest outrage; a self-confessed lover of effeminate clothes, Bowie, who has hardly performed in public since his 'Space Oddity' hit of three ...
Can: Tago Mago (United Artists)
Review by Michael Watts, Melody Maker, 29 January 1972
AS DUNCAN Fallowell says in his sleevenotes, Can could not be anything but German. ...
Captain Beefheart: The Spotlight Kid (Reprise)
Review by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 29 January 1972
THE FURTHER adventures or the Captain, Zoot Horn Rollo, Rockette Morton, Drumbo, and their new friends Ed Marimba and Winged Eel Fingerling are, somewhat surprisingly, ...
Interview by Michael Watts, Melody Maker, 29 January 1972
SHE USED to be Dionne Warwick, and before that Dionne Warrick. The extra letter is important. The rules of numerology dictate it. Just as it ...
Isaac Hayes: Black Moses (Stax — 2 LPs)
Review by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 29 January 1972
Hayes: Doggone Good ...
Review by Geoffrey Cannon, Melody Maker, 29 January 1972
Harvest is surely come: Geoffrey Cannon previews NEIL YOUNG's new album Harvest, released next month ...
Pink Floyd: The Dome, Brighton
Live Review by Andrew Means, Melody Maker, 29 January 1972
NOBODY WHO'S involved in present day music is going to deny that the Pink Floyd have contributed some classics. But having become accustomed to them ...
Velvet Underground: Gerard Malanga: Screen Test
Interview by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 12 February 1972
Interview with poet GERARD MALANGA, former associate of Andy Warhol and the Velvet Underground ...
Interview by Jacoba Atlas, Melody Maker, 12 February 1972
"I STARTED singing my own songs because no one else was saying what I wanted to say," explains Helen Reddy, the Australian born singer who ...
Jerry Garcia: Garcia (Warner Bros.)
Review by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 12 February 1972
I HAD, I CONFESS, expected something different. Two sides of 'Dark Star Revisited' would have perhaps been a predictable dosage. Instead, we get several very ...
Profile and Interview by Tony Russell, Melody Maker, 12 February 1972
A FAMILIAR blues story is the one of the musician who held his first guitar almost before he clambered out of the cradle. As the ...
Iggy Pop, The Stooges: Night of the Iggy
Report and Interview by Michael Watts, Melody Maker, 12 February 1972
WHO IS IT who smashes a microphone in his teeth, tears flesh from his bare chest, leaps into the audience busting bones in all directions, ...
Emerson Lake And Palmer, Yes: Ready, Eddie? An Interview with Eddie Offord
Interview by Mark Plummer, Melody Maker, 12 February 1972
EDDIE OFFORD SITS in his penthouse flat, way above the traffic that thunders down the Vauxhall Bridge Road past Victoria. ...
Interview by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 12 February 1972
BINGO IS THE SCENE most nights at the Granada, Wandsworth Road, London SW8. Fruit machines line the foyer and there's a big sign with lots ...
Ry Cooder: Into The Purple Valley (Reprise)
Review by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 12 February 1972
THE COVER of Ry Cooder's second album features the guitarist and his lady posed in and out of a mid-Forties model Dodge convertible. It's straight ...
Interview by Mark Plummer, Melody Maker, 12 February 1972
THE MC5 don't want to be stars, if you can dig that. They reason that they are there with you to fill the air with ...
Slade: Melody Maker Band Breakdown: Slade
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 4 March 1972
UNLIKE MANY of the groups currently enjoying chart success with hit singles, Slade have been in the game a long time. ...
Colin Blunstone: Like a choirboy with soul
Interview by Roy Hollingworth, Melody Maker, 4 March 1972
COLIN BLUNSTONE is possibly the best singer around. There are reasons. There have to be. ...
Interview by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 4 March 1972
IT'S NOT surprising that there should be more than a trace of Elmore James and Muddy Waters in the playing of J.B. Hutto, described in ...
Interview by Michael Watts, Melody Maker, 4 March 1972
COMPOSER, MYSTIC, visionary, a prophet for the Age of Aquarius. There he sits in the portrait gallery on the front sleeve of the Sgt. Pepper ...
Interview by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 4 March 1972
KEVIN AYERS says that there's only one thing preventing the old Soft Machine, St Tropez-style, getting back together. ...
Leonard Cohen: The Cohen songs you'll never hear
Interview by Roy Hollingworth, Melody Maker, 4 March 1972
A remarkable interview with LEONARD COHEN... by Roy Hollingworth ...
Rita Coolidge: Nice Feelin' (A&M)
Review by Mark Plummer, Melody Maker, 4 March 1972
Lovely Rita ...
Steve Lacy: Moon (BYG Actual 52)
Review by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 4 March 1972
Lacy (soprano), Italo Toni (trombone), Claudio Volente (Clarinet), Irene Aebi (cello), Marcello Melis (bass), Jacques Thollot (drums), Rome, September 1969 ...
Review by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 4 March 1972
Ra's solar myth ...
Syd Barrett, MC5: Syd Barrett: The Madcap returns
Report by Roy Hollingworth, Melody Maker, 4 March 1972
SYD BARRETT'S new band, Stars, made their strange debut at Cambridge Corn Exchange last week. Roy Hollingworth reports... ...
Tim Hardin, Steve Miller: The Steve Miller Band, Tim Hardin: Rainbow Theatre, London
Live Review by Michael Watts, Melody Maker, 4 March 1972
Miller's grinding blues ...
Interview by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 4 March 1972
ONE OF that tiny but slowly-expanding number of albums which points out a genuine new direction for the future is Zero Time, by Tonto's Expanding ...
Badfinger: Finger: Straight Up
Report by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 11 March 1972
BADFINGER may be underrated in Britain — but in the States they're a bill topping band. Chris Charlesworth reports from New York... ...
Jethro Tull: Thick As A Brick (Chrysalis)
Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 11 March 1972
AS THE album is already brilliantly reviewed on the elaborately produced sleeve, there is hardly any point in adding our own comments. ...
Randy Newman: Royal Festival Hall, London
Live Review by Michael Watts, Melody Maker, 11 March 1972
WITH AN awkward shuffle and an embarrassed wave to the adulating audience, Randy Newman left the stage of the Festival Hall, London, on Monday night ...
Manassas, Stephen Stills: Stephen Stills: The Loner
Interview by Michael Watts, Melody Maker, 11 March 1972
Step aside, open wide. It's the loner. ...
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 25 March 1972
SHE HAS JUST been discoursing on her past activities as lerpatologist when her attention was distracted. "That's the same man who was lying on the ...
Iggy Pop, The Stooges: Lock Up Your Daughters, Iggy's Here
Profile and Interview by Michael Watts, Melody Maker, 1 April 1972
AS MARC BOLAN swung his hips for the benefit of Ringo Starr's camerawork, did any of the 9,000 upturned faces notice the auburn-haired American fifth ...
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 22 April 1972
2005 note: As well as being their drummer and resident comedian, Keith Moon was the Who's PR man. Journalists unfamiliar with the group may have ...
Lindisfarne: We Can Swing Together: A Day In The Life Of Lindisfarne
Report by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 26 April 1972
SIMON COWE ordered a pint of cider and told me he hadn't eaten anything for two days. He'd had plenty of cider though. ...
Review by uncredited writer, Melody Maker, 1 May 1972
JOHN MARTYN told me about Nick Drake in ecstatic terms and so it seemed the natural thing to do, bag the album when it came ...
Report and Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 6 May 1972
WISHBONE ASH are one of the nation's better bands. In the search for constant improvement, they have come up with a third album that many ...
Rita Coolidge, Kris Kristofferson: Kris Kristofferson, Rita Coolidge: Royal Albert Hall, London
Live Review by Andrew Means, Melody Maker, 20 May 1972
Kris the casual pro ...
Noel Redding: Redding, Willing And Able
Interview by Mark Plummer, Melody Maker, 20 May 1972
NOEL Redding looks a bit shell-shocked these days. ...
Reverend Gary Davis: Rev. Gary Davis: Farewell to the Holy Bluesman
Obituary by Karl Dallas, Max Jones, Melody Maker, 20 May 1972
THOUGH I'M not what most people would call a religious man, when I heard that at the age of 76 and after several strokes the ...
The Rolling Stones: Stones Special
Interview by Michael Watts, Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 20 May 1972
MICK JAGGER talks to Michael Watts... and MICK TAYLOR talks to Chris Welch ...
Dr. John: The Dr. John Story, Part One: Talking 'bout New Orleans
Retrospective and Interview by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 20 May 1972
DOCTOR JOHN is The Night Tripper, purveyor of Gris-Gris and Voodoo since 1967. ...
Grateful Dead, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Boz Scaggs: Bill Graham: Mister Fillmore
Interview by Loraine Alterman, Melody Maker, 27 May 1972
Loraine Alterman in New York previews Fillmore, the film about America's legendary rock centre... and talks to its star, super-impresario Bill Graham ...
Roxy Music: Roxy Music (Island)
Review by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 24 June 1972
KARI-ANN STARES, with lustful expectancy, teeth bared and surrounded by frosted deep pink lips. She reclines on a counterpane of silvery satin in a halternecked ...
Roxy Music: The Sound Of Surprise
Interview by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 1 July 1972
PAUL THOMPSON's tom-toms ground slowly to a shuddering halt as Eno's synthesiser simulated the sound of Firestone Wide Ovals being pushed past their limit around ...
Rory Gallagher: Rory on the Road
Report and Interview by Mark Plummer, Melody Maker, 8 July 1972
RORY GALLAGHER changes out of his striped tee shirt, folds it neatly and places it in his zipper case, exchanging it for an equally familiar ...
Live Review by Michael Watts, Melody Maker, 15 July 1972
MICHAEL WATTS REPORTS on Friday's sensational — and controversial concert. ...
Profile and Interview by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 29 July 1972
ALMOST a year ago to the week, Bryan Ferry sat in a council flat in Shepherds Bush and explained his timetable for the next year. ...
David Bowie: Rainbow Theatre, London
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 26 August 1972
MUSIC FROM A Clockwork Orange heralded the spectacular performance staged by David Bowie at London's Rainbow Theatre on Sunday night. "At least it makes a ...
Interview by Loraine Alterman, Melody Maker, 23 September 1972
The story of Elektra, one of rock's most influential labels. As told to Loraine Alterman by founder JAC HOLZMAN ...
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 23 September 1972
FRANK ZAPPA is back in Britain for the first time since the attack which nearly ended his career. On the eve of last Saturday's Oval ...
Genesis: The Band Who Want To Be Booed
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 23 September 1972
A PARTICULAR quality of certain successful groups has been their ability to create moods, to take an audience a little further than the surface excitement ...
Stone the Crows: Greens Playhouse, Glasgow
Live Review by Mark Plummer, Melody Maker, 23 September 1972
Crows — home is where the heart is ...
Walter/Wendy Carlos: The Walter Carlos Sonic Boom
Interview by Roy Hollingworth, Melody Maker, 23 September 1972
"There's music in the sighing of a reed; There's music in the gushing of a rill; There's music in all things, if man had ears; The Earth is ...
T. Rex: Will America Learn To Love Marc Bolan?
Report by Roy Hollingworth, Melody Maker, 23 September 1972
T. REX are making another attempt to win the hearts of young America. But it don't come easy, as MM's Roy Hollingworth reports... ...
Bob Marley & the Wailers, Toots & The Maytals: Reggae: Black Gold of Jamaica
Report by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 30 September 1972
Reggae – in its more commercial form – has won the battle for mass acceptance, and has gone on to influence rock and soul musicians ...
Interview by Mark Plummer, Melody Maker, 7 October 1972
We're tired of being dismissed as a teenybop band say the Wig Wam Bam men ...
Duncan Browne, Lou Reed: Broken Reed? Lou Reed, Duncan Browne: Sundown Theatre, Edmonton, London
Live Review by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 7 October 1972
THE FACT is that his association with David Bowie has done Lou Reed no good at all. Despite the adulation from the audience at Edmonton's ...
The Animals, Jimi Hendrix, Slade: Chas Chandler: Slade Driver
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 7 October 1972
Chris Charlesworth talks to CHAS CHANDLER, ex-docker, ex-Animal, ex-manager of Jimi Hendrix and now manager of Britain's hottest band, Slade ...
Return to Forever: Chick Corea: Forever Changes
Interview by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 7 October 1972
...
Dan Hicks and His Hot Licks: Dan Hicks Strikes it Rich
Profile and Interview by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 7 October 1972
ROBERT PLANT was the first Dan Hicks fan I ever knew. A couple of years ago he broke up an interview session by playing a ...
David Bowie: Carnegie Hall, New York NY
Live Review by Roy Hollingworth, Melody Maker, 7 October 1972
Can Bowie save New York from boredom? ...
Frank Barsalona Is Probably Rock's Most Successful Agent. His Wife Says It's Because He Really Cares
Interview by Roy Hollingworth, Melody Maker, 7 October 1972
IT'S SUPER being a rock 'n' roll mogul. ...
Profile and Interview by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 7 October 1972
"JACKIE WILSON said… it was reet petite." Now as it happens, Jackie Wilson doesn't really need Van Morrison's approbation. But he's flattered by it all ...
John Lennon, Yoko Ono: John & Yoko/Plastic Ono Band: Some Time In New York City/Live Jam (Apple)
Review by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 7 October 1972
INEVITABLY, SOME Time is another giant step in the rapid polarisation of opinions concerning the moral and musical stance of John Lennon. ...
John Cale: The Academy In Peril (Reprise)
Review by Mark Williams, Melody Maker, 7 October 1972
WITH THIS album, John Cale continues to present a tantalising artistic persona, defying critical attempts to put his work into any concrete perspective. Vintage Violence ...
Live Review by Andrew Means, Melody Maker, 7 October 1972
FOR ONE reason or another, Johnny Cash has a rather fearsome image. It's been tempered in recent times by some of the songs he's written ...
Genesis, Lindisfarne: Lindisfarne, Genesis: Dublin Stadium, Dublin
Live Review by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 7 October 1972
TO BE CASUAL is to be Lindisfarne, but even the most relaxed of bands have a hard time putting over a set of new numbers ...
Report by Roy Hollingworth, Melody Maker, 7 October 1972
MAX'S KANSAS City stands on Park Avenue South, with 17th Street, New York City, downtown enough to be not so bright, and far less peopled. ...
Report by Roy Hollingworth, Melody Maker, 21 October 1972
New York Report by Roy Hollingworth ...
Interview by Loraine Alterman, Melody Maker, 21 October 1972
LORAINE ALTERMAN talks to the group that's bringing 'smartness' back to rock ...
Tim Buckley: Greetings From L.A. (Warner Bros/Straight)
Review by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 21 October 1972
AFTER THE gradual progression through Lorca, Blue Afternoon, and Starsailor, one might have expected Buckley to continue with such a startlingly fresh line of development ...
Interview by Mark Plummer, Melody Maker, 4 November 1972
NOW YOU'D EXPECT Mike Patto to be sardonic, and embittered after five years in various guises and never really making it. ...
Alice Cooper: Alice Is Still Swinging — By The Neck!
Report and Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 18 November 1972
THE KIDS AT GREEN'S PLAYHOUSE, GLASGOW, were yelling "Alice, Alice, Alice" at the top of their voices in deafening unison as the object of their ...
Island Records: Reggae to Riches
Interview by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 25 November 1972
IF YOU WORK for Island Records, nobody minds if you take your dog into the office every day – or even if it misbehaves on ...
Interview by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 25 November 1972
KIM FOWLEY'S looking for love. "Well," he says, snuffling into a wad of Kleenex, "I'm real entertaining and I have some nice human qualities...and I'm ...
Bill Evans: Living Time With Evans
Interview by Michael Watts, Melody Maker, 9 December 1972
NONE OF THE other diners appeared to recognise the pianist, but to anyone with jazz inklings he was unmistakable. The long, thick hair, cut page-boy ...
Cat Stevens: Royal Albert Hall, London
Live Review by Mark Plummer, Melody Maker, 9 December 1972
Bad nerves dog Cat ...
Review by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 9 December 1972
MORE SONGS OF transient euphoria and stabbing loss, played out against an ambiguous background of relentless fatalism and constant hope, mingled in approximately equal proportions, ...
Led Zeppelin: City Hall, Newcastle
Live Review by Roy Hollingworth, Melody Maker, 9 December 1972
ROY HOLLINGWORTH reports as Led Zeppelin open their giant British tour... ...
Millie Jackson: Millie Jackson (Mojo)
Review by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 9 December 1972
NO 45 HAS hit me with more power in the last year than Miss Jackson's 'A Child Of God'. An unambiguous exposé of everyday immorality, ...
Vinegar Joe: Rock 'n' Roll Gypsies (Island)
Review by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 9 December 1972
THERE AREN'T many British groups I'd rather go and see live than Vinegar Joe. That's because they're one of the very few non-cerebral club bands, ...
Ten Years After: Recorded Live
Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 1973
WHERE IN 1973 will you still hear a band blowing over a chord structure that sounds not unlike 'Cat Squirrel' and song lyrics that refer ...
The Beach Boys: Holland (Brother/Reprise)
Review by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 1973
YOU HAVE JUST a fortnight to save up before this record hits the stores – and buy it you should, for it contains more fun ...
Tim Buckley: Digging Deeper to the Roots
Report and Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 1973
IN A WORLD that seems grossly over-populated with singer/songwriters whose crotchets and quavers reflect their personal attitudes and experiences, Tim Buckley stands out like the ...
Retrospective by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 13 January 1973
Richard Williams reviews the Cameo recordings, recently reissued on two double albums, which made Philadelphia the 'Crap Capital of America' ...
Jerry Lee Lewis: "You laughing at me, boy?"
Report by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 20 January 1973
GOSFIELD STREET, LONDON, W1: Advision Studios is where Yes create their music and put it on record. ...
Film/DVD/TV Review by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 10 February 1973
ISAAC HAYES, ROD STEWART and assorted FACES were at the preview of a new soul film. So was MM's RICHARD WILLIAMS... ...
Mahavishnu Orchestra: Birds of Fire (America Columbia — import)
Review by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 10 February 1973
McLaughlin: the inner flame leaps higher ...
Profile and Interview by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 10 February 1973
A GROUP like the O'Jays is, to be honest, only as good as the producers and writers it works with. It may have a lead ...
Stevie Wonder: "Hah-the boy is getting MILITANT! You get back to 'Fingertips' now!"
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 10 February 1973
Talking Book is already tipped as one of 73's best albums. Here Chris Welch talks to its creator ...
Billy Paul: The Jazz Soul of Billy Paul
Interview by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 10 February 1973
IT'S ODD to hear a black singer from North Philadelphia, who topped the US soul and pop charts a few weeks ago, admit that it ...
Wizzard: The Wonderful Wizzard of Wood
Profile and Interview by Andrew Means, Melody Maker, 10 February 1973
ROY WOOD is one of those rare musicians who has never lost sight of the excitement and imagination that make rock worthwhile. ...
Bette Midler: The Shape (40-22-36) Of Things To Come
Interview by Roy Hollingworth, Melody Maker, 17 February 1973
Roy Hollingworth meets the divine Miss Midler ...
Martha Reeves & The Vandellas: Martha Reeves: Martha's Moving On
Interview by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 17 February 1973
A FEW WEEKS AGO Martha Reeves cleared out her apartment in Detroit, piled her possessions into a U-Haul trailer, and set off along Route 66 ...
Stevie Wonder: Carnegie Hall, New York
Live Review by Vicki Wickham, Melody Maker, 17 February 1973
GODAMN IT! You would think the President of a record company would know better — especially the President of Motown Records. ...
Bert Jansch: Moonshine (Reprise)
Review by Andrew Means, Melody Maker, 24 February 1973
BERT JANSCH'S music has matured into predictable shapes. The combination of traditional and self-composed songs which makes up the major proportion of his repertoire, the ...
Bob Marley & the Wailers: Bob Marley: The First Genius of Reggae?
Profile and Interview by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 24 February 1973
BOB MARLEY, slightly-built and quiet to the point of diffidence, is a leader. He's the master of Reggae, the man who's about to give it ...
Leonard Cohen: Cohen, Cohen, Gone: Leonard Cohen
Interview by Roy Hollingworth, Melody Maker, 24 February 1973
"LET'S sing a song, boys. . . . This one has grown old and bitter"– fragment from Songs of Love and Hate ...
David Bowie: Stranger in a Strange Land
Report and Interview by Michael Watts, Melody Maker, 24 February 1973
Aladdin Sane is the punning title of David Bowie's next album. It's more remote, more spacey, than anything he's done before says MICHAEL WATTS, who ...
Donny Hathaway: Donny's Return
Interview by Vicki Wickham, Melody Maker, 24 February 1973
NEW YORK — DONNY HATHAWAY hasn't been around for several months, so it was nice to see him back in New York, looking good and recording ...
Timmy Thomas: Tomorrow's Golden Oldie
Profile and Interview by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 24 February 1973
IT REMINDED me of hearing Booker T's 'Green Onions' for the first time, all those years ago. You know: that fantastic feeling of listening to ...
Profile and Interview by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, March 1973
IT IS TWELVE noon, and in the smoky sunshine of a London afternoon a group of German longhairs are unloading a huge Mercedes truck full ...
John Martyn: Solid Air (Island)
Review by Andrew Means, Melody Maker, 3 March 1973
HOW DO you begin to describe a guitarist as sensitive and accomplished as John Martyn? Every new album expands one's appreciation of his ability. ...
Alice Cooper: Spectrum, Philadelphia
Live Review by Michael Watts, Melody Maker, 17 March 1973
THE ROCK WORLD today mourns the death of Alice Cooper, who was accidently killed last night when the safety screws failed on the guillotine he ...
Interview by Roy Hollingworth, Melody Maker, 17 March 1973
...is the title of Roxy Music's sensational second album. Roy Hollingworth presents an exclusive preview with comments from Roxy's Bryan Ferry. ...
Emmylou Harris, Gram Parsons: Gram Parsons: Parsons Knows...
Interview by Loraine Alterman, Melody Maker, 7 April 1973
Gram Parsons, former member of the Byrds and Burritos and now the proud owner of a solo album, talks to Loraine Alterman in New York ...
Live Review by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 7 April 1973
GEE, YOU GUYS from Roxy sure do have style. Mmmmmmm, yummy yummy. what I couldn't do to that Bryan Ferry if he dropped around my ...
David Bowie: Cha...Cha...Cha...Changes — A Journey with Aladdin
Report and Interview by Roy Hollingworth, Melody Maker, 12 May 1973
CHARING CROSS STATION, London, 9.10 pm: And when he arrived they screamed and they cried, and they rushed, and gushed forth and beat their feverish ...
Paul Simon: Here Comes Rhymin' Simon
Interview by Loraine Alterman, Melody Maker, 12 May 1973
MM EXCLUSIVE! Paul Simons — due to play British dates next month — talks to LORAINE ALTERMAN in New York ...
Report by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 12 May 1973
STAYING AT THE George V is one of life's great experiences, at least to a traveller who savours his changing environments. ...
King Crimson, Pete Sinfield: Pete Sinfield Has A Nose For Success
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 13 May 1973
PETE SINFIELD is a poet, and such men do not abound on the music scene. There is Pete Brown of course, and many a lyricist ...
Steve Winwood: 'I'm Gonna Do an Album a Week!'
Report and Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 17 May 1973
IT'S BEEN MANY a long year since Steve Winwood has made impact as an individual on the English rock scene. ...
Steve Winwood, Traffic: Stevie Winwood: 'I'm Gonna Do An Album A Week!'
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 17 May 1973
IT'S BEEN many a long year since Stevie Winwood has made impact as an individual on the English rock scene. ...
Faust: Rainbow Theatre, London
Live Review by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, June 1973
LONDON'S RAINBOW looked like a Berliner Ensemble production of a rock musical version of Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse 5. The stage backdrop had been raised, revealing ...
Michael Des Barres, Silverhead: Silverhead Savage
Interview by Mark Plummer, Melody Maker, 9 June 1973
MICHAEL DES BARRES, the ultimate rock and roll star sits drinking decaffeinated coffee in the health food-come-curio shop on the Portobello Road, London. He's swamped ...
Interview by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 23 June 1973
UNTIL a year ago, Graham Gouldman was going through what he calls his "why not?" period. ...
Bob Marley & the Wailers: Bob Marley: In The Studio With The Wailers
Report by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 23 June 1973
THE ROLLING STONES are upstairs in Studio 1, where they've been for the past five weeks. ...
Humble Pie, Steve Marriott: Humble Pie: Pulling In The Soul Audience
Report and Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 23 June 1973
THE STORY SO FAR: Steve Marriott, one time leader of pop idols the Small Faces and now boss of "progressive" rock and rollers Humble Pie, ...
Jefferson Airplane: Plane Sailing
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 23 June 1973
A LITTLE GIRL on a bicycle, who couldn't have been older than 12, overheard me asking the way to Olympic Studios last Wednesday night. I'd ...
Mahavishnu Orchestra: Music Of The Gods
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 23 June 1973
Mahavishnu Orchestra: Free Trade Hall, Manchester ...
Ten Years After: Ten Year Itch
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 23 June 1973
WHEN DOES a band become a juke-box? And when does it cease to be a creative musical force? These are the questions that have been ...
Boz Scaggs: Big Boz Man: Boz Scaggs
Interview by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 30 June 1973
BOZ SCAGGS is the cult hero with the strongest claim to wider fame. He’s in Britain all summer to play and record...he talks to MM’s ...
John McLaughlin, Santana: Carlos Santana & Mahavishnu John McLaughlin: Love Devotion Surrender
Review by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 30 June 1973
Jamming in the spirit of Coltrane ...
Deep Purple: Who'll Be Purple's New Voice?
Report by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 30 June 1973
THE NEWS that Ian Gillan is to leave Deep Purple comes at a time when the group are on the crest of world-wide acclaim. Yet ...
Edgar Winter: How Winter Went Glam and Created A Frankenstein Monster
Report and Interview by Loraine Alterman, Melody Maker, 30 June 1973
EDGAR WINTER, his wife and his band live in a 13-bedroom white clapboard mansion at Sands Point, overlooking Long Island Sound. 30,000 dollars a year ...
Fairport Convention: The Banana Convention
Interview by Rob Partridge, Melody Maker, 30 June 1973
THE WAY DAVE PEGG sees it, what America needs is Fairport Convention's High Banana Content Programme. ...
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 30 June 1973
IT BEGAN TO OCCUR to me that this was very poor music indeed. ...
Mahavishnu Orchestra: John McLaughlin: Natural High…
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 30 June 1973
WITH A BAND playing music as tense and demanding as the Mahavishnu Orchestra's, one might be forgiven for expecting them to be (a) nerve wracked ...
Sly & The Family Stone: Fresh (Epic)
Review by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 30 June 1973
I LIKE A little mystery, don't you? 'Course you do. So here's one: the finished version of Sly's new album, in the shops at last, ...
Profile and Interview by Michael Watts, Melody Maker, 7 July 1973
The name's unpromising, but Andy Pratt could be the next cult hero. He used to play with Edgar Winter, has cut a couple of solo ...
Jack Bruce, West, Bruce & Laing: Jack Bruce
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 7 July 1973
JACK BRUCE has turned full circle. The best bass guitarist Britain has produced, whose career has merged jazz and rock to the extent where he ...
Peter Frampton's Camel: A Galloping Success In The States
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 7 July 1973
PETER FRAMPTON made a flying visit to London last week. But the boss of Frampton's Camel couldn't stay long – too much excitement is happening ...
Slade, Sensational Alex Harvey Band: Earls Court, London
Live Review by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 7 July 1973
IT'S MONDAY morning and my ears are still ringing. The night before, I'd been among the 20,000 fans who packed London's Earls Court to prove ...
Review by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 7 July 1973
The Os come of age ...
Weather Report: Sweetnighter (CBS 65532)
Review by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 7 July 1973
WEATHER REPORT seems simply to represent a rather elegant waste of the well-known talents of Wayne Shorter. ...
Deep Purple: A New Bassman — But Still No Singer
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 14 July 1973
"PAUL RODGERS was asked to join us, but there were just too many things in the way. Apart from just the contractual side of it, ...
Dr. John: Doctor John: Doctor Feelgood!
Interview by Rob Partridge, Melody Maker, 14 July 1973
COULD THAT possibly be Mac Rebennack peeping through the Dr. John persona? Just like, say, Sly Stone and Sylvester Stewart. ...
Profile by Mark Plummer, Melody Maker, 14 July 1973
LITTLE FEAT'S Dixie Chicken is possibly the finest rock record to have come from the other side of the Atlantic since the Allman Brothers were unleashed on ...
Allen Toussaint: Everything I Do Gonna Be Funky
Profile and Interview by Rob Partridge, Melody Maker, 21 July 1973
THEY KNOW, of course, which one is Dr John. The Swiss photographers huddle around the stage, clicking their Nikons like American tourists determined to capture ...
Chet Baker: The Man Who Came Back From The Dead
Report and Interview by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 21 July 1973
The Return of Chet Baker ...
J. Geils Band: The Boston wranglers
Interview by Michael Watts, Melody Maker, 21 July 1973
THEY HAD said the J. Geils Band was a democracy, and they were right. All six of them are ranged around three sides of this ...
Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 21 July 1973
IT GIVES ME NO pleasure to report upon this recording. In fact I cannot recall an album by a British rock band that has given ...
Report by Rob Partridge, Melody Maker, 21 July 1973
Scores of reggae records sell enough copies to qualify as pop hits. But you won't see them on the charts and you won't hear them ...
Profile and Interview by Mark Plummer, Melody Maker, 21 July 1973
"WE LIKE TO think of every song as a composition in itself, a composition in the more orthodox meaning. ...
Live Review by Michael Watts, Melody Maker, 21 July 1973
War declared at Shea Stadium. ...
Report by Rob Partridge, Melody Maker, 21 July 1973
LIKE THE WEATHER, the music at London’s White City on Sunday was a mixture of fair and foul. ...
Review by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 28 July 1973
There's a rumour going round Death Row... ...
Big Youth: Screaming Target (Trojan).
Review by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 28 July 1973
BIG YOUTH is the latest sensation in the Jamaican market for disc-jockeys who improvise spoken lyrics (rhymes, exhortations, etc) over backings tracks. Taking over from ...
Carole King: King Is The Queen
Live Review by Rob Partridge, Melody Maker, 28 July 1973
Carole King: Hammersmith Odeon, London ...
Diana Ross: Touch Me In The Morning (Motown — import)
Review by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 28 July 1973
Diana and that touch of drama ...
The Everly Brothers: Everly Brothers: Bye Bye Love
Report by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 28 July 1973
IT'S ALMOST eleven years since the first serious rumours suggesting the breakup of the Everly Brothers appeared. What with that, and a much-noted coolness between ...
Genesis: What Genesis Did On Their 'Holidays'
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 28 July 1973
NOT MANY groups conduct their rehearsals squashed together in a Morris Mini. But if you are in the habit of strolling around the backwaters of ...
Gil Evans: The Vision of Evans
Report and Interview by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 28 July 1973
NO, SAID Gil Evans, he didn't really want to be interviewed. Not until his new album was ready. But why not come round anyway, just ...
Judee Sill: Heart Food (Asylum)
Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 28 July 1973
JUDEE WRITES and sings beautiful songs, and they are well represented on this second album, which features among its many tracks, 'The Kiss', where her ...
Brian Eno, Roxy Music: Roxy Split...
Interview by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 28 July 1973
"I was cramping Eno's style. Two non-musicians in a band is one too many. I think he'll do very well by himself" — BRYAN FERRY ...
Smokey Robinson: Smokey (Tamla import)
Review by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 28 July 1973
Smokey: a solo set to cherish ...
Van Morrison: Gonna Rock Your Gypsy Soul
Report and Interview by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 28 July 1973
"IT'S SHOWTIME, ladies and gentlemen! And here's the one you've been waiting for – the Caledonia Soul Orchestra with ... VAN MORRISON!" ...
Gryphon: The 13th Century Slade
Profile and Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 4 August 1973
"EARLY ENGLISH music? Gah – give us Slade and T. Rex!" Thus one can imagine the reactions of lads and maidens today as they dance, ...
Jethro Tull: Can 72,000 Fans Be Wrong?
Report by Loraine Alterman, Melody Maker, 4 August 1973
I DON'T KNOW how it is in England, but in this country the minute you get too big, too powerful, people start gunning for you. ...
The Rolling Stones Hit The Road…
Report and Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 4 August 1973
...and at every date the promoter is expected to provide 50 security men, five limousines, a doctor, ten dozen roses, two bottles each of whisky, ...
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 4 August 1973
"YES ARE LIKE an amoeba. Now an amoeba works on the principle of..do you know, I've no idea how it f***** works!" Jon Anderson grinned, ...
Live Review by Michael Watts, Melody Maker, 11 August 1973
Wailers fail to catch afire ...
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 11 August 1973
THE 'PHONE DOESN'T stop ringing in Eric Burden's room at the Holiday Inn at Swiss Cottage. So many people, explains Katie from Island Records, are ...
Nicky Hopkins: Sixth Stone Rolls Alone
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 11 August 1973
THE NEWS THAT the Rolling Stones are to tour next month without their long serving pianist Nicky Hopkins will come as a surprise to those ...
Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 11 August 1973
WHEN APPRAISING an artist of the stature of Stevie Wonder, there seems nothing worse than to hark back to previous triumphs and make comparisons. ...
Electric Light Orchestra: The Electric Light Orchestra: In The Hall Of The Mountain Lynne
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 11 August 1973
"WHEN I LISTENED to Greig's 'In The Hall Of The Mountain King', I thought our version was much heavier." Jeff Lynn wasn't boasting. He was ...
Waylon Jennings: You Gotta Be A Man First, 'Fore You Can Be Anything...
Interview by Michael Watts, Melody Maker, 11 August 1973
Waylon Jennings, the cowboy who finally hit that golden trail. By MICHAEL WATTS in New York ...
Blood Sweat & Tears: New Sweat
Report and Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 18 August 1973
THE WIND of change that spread through Blood Sweat and Tears a year ago is beginning to make itself felt at last. Their forthcoming album ...
King Crimson: Robert Fripp…Super Stud?
Interview by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 18 August 1973
"I AM," MUSES Robert Fripp, "already a living legend."The light breeze ruffles his curly locks. He settles back in the plastic garden chair, sips his ...
Steely Dan: Countdown To Ecstasy (Probe)
Review by Mark Plummer, Melody Maker, 18 August 1973
STEELY DAN'S first album was completely ignored in Britain. Yet it was a masterpiece. Can't Buy A Thrill contained conceptual songs that told stories with ...
New York Dolls: The New York Dolls: The New York Dolls (Mercury — import)
Review by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 18 August 1973
Dolls: Junior Stones ...
The Rolling Stones: Goat’s Head Soup?
Report and Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 18 August 1973
"GOAT'S HEAD SOUP," said Mick Jagger pacing about the room. "I might change it. A lot of people don't like it. Too bad." A typically ...
Frank Zappa: Past Flops And Future Shocks
Interview by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 25 August 1973
HIS ARMS AROUND a red-haired girl whose ample chest was covered with a Mighty Thor t-shirt, debonair Frank Zappa (32) sank deeper into the couch, ...
The Faces, Rod Stewart: Rod Stewart
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 25 August 1973
"GOOD LUCK Rod!" People like Rod Stewart. And he likes the people. As he stood forming a queue outside ye old Marquee Club (home of ...
Allman Brothers Band: The Allmans are to America now what the Grateful Dead were in '67
Interview by Michael Watts, Melody Maker, 25 August 1973
NOBODY TALKS at all about the deaths. Gregg seems too spacey, anyway, detached and oblivious behind his shades; maybe a few brief nods of acknowledgement ...
Billy Preston, The Rolling Stones: Billy Preston: The Way Billy Planned It
Interview by Michael Watts, Melody Maker, 1 September 1973
When The Stones hit the road this month BILLY PRESTON goes with them. Here, he talks to MM's MICHAEL WATTS in Los Angeles ...
Interview by Rob Partridge, Melody Maker, 1 September 1973
"Hey, shout summertime bluesJump up and down in blue suede shoes" ...
Jethro Tull: Why Tull Called It A Day
Report by Rob Partridge, Melody Maker, 1 September 1973
JETHRO TULL's manager Terry Ellis this week accused rock critics of "taking advantage of their unassailable position to be abusive." ...
Interview by Loraine Alterman, Melody Maker, 1 September 1973
THE FIRST word out about Jo Jo Gunne raved about their looks – "gorgeous" said those into masculine beauty. An emphasis on appearance always makes ...
Joe Walsh: The Smoker You Drink, The Player You Get
Review by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 1 September 1973
MAY I TAKE just a couple of seconds to make my position clear? I thought, and still do, that the James Gang were a very ...
Judy Collins: Judy In Disguise
Interview by Loraine Alterman, Melody Maker, 1 September 1973
Judy Collins film director? The singer – songwriter has taken a year out of her life to make a movie with a strong Womens' Lib ...
Marc Bolan: Why Marc Won't Be Giving Up
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 1 September 1973
DESPITE the critical savaging that Marc Bolan regularly receives – he ain't gonna do a Jethro Tull and give up. Marc was accused of being ...
Interview by Michael Watts, Melody Maker, 8 September 1973
It's a long way from San Diego street corners to gold records. But War are still street people playing street music. MICHAEL WATTS reports... ...
Review by Rob Partridge, Melody Maker, 8 September 1973
THREE PLAYS and this record assumes the kind of easy familiarity usually expected from greatest hits albums. Eleven good cuts, and most of them potential ...
Essra Mohawk: Just Baiting for Laura Nyro
Interview by Michael Watts, Melody Maker, 8 September 1973
THIS IS a slightly strange situation to be in. Over there, in the corner of the room, Sherry Bo Berry, a member of the Cockettes-derived ...
Mott The Hoople: The Ballad Of Mott
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 8 September 1973
IAN HUNTER is a great romantic, torn by doubts and secure only in the knowledge that the will to succeed usually bears fruit. ...
New York Dolls: Whisky a Go Go, Los Angeles
Live Review by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 8 September 1973
Living Dolls ...
Professor Longhair: The Professor of Rock
Interview by Rob Partridge, Melody Maker, 8 September 1973
THE PROFESSOR, THEY SAY, influenced just about every musician in New Orleans. And it’s not a claim he’s about to deny. "I taught most of ...
Live Review by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 8 September 1973
SANDY, FROM HERE on you can do no wrong as far as I am concerned. On Monday at London's Howff you did what I've always ...
Elton John: Elton's Finest Hour!
Live Review by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 15 September 1973
Elton John: The Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles ...
Interview by Jacoba Atlas, Melody Maker, 15 September 1973
Ex-Miracles leader, brilliant songwriter, Motown boss — Smokey Robinson is that rare thing in music: a legend in his own lifetime. He talks to MM's ...
Interview by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 15 September 1973
ALL IN ALL, it's been a funny sort of year for Sandy Denny. She hadn't performed in this country before last Christmas though she's worked ...
Dave Mason: Why Dave Mason Is Trying To Go The Paul Simon Route
Report and Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 15 September 1973
THE VERY fat man with a pony tail who sat himself down next to me twitched almost uncontrollably as the Englishman with the red Stratocaster ...
John Lennon, Yoko Ono: Yoko: How I Rescued John from Chauvinism
Interview by Loraine Alterman, Melody Maker, 22 September 1973
DATELINE NEW YORK: A rare interview with a much maligned singer with a fine new album... ...
Beck, Bogert and Appice: Heavyweight Champions Of The World
Report and Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 29 September 1973
TAKE A LONG guitar lead. Sit as far far away from the studio as possible. And record some of the funkiest sounds ever laid down ...
Ben Webster: Big Ben: Max Jones remembers Ben Webster, who died last week
Obituary by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 29 September 1973
SHORTLY AFTER Johnny Hodges died in 1970, Ben Webster said to me that so many of the great saxophone names had passed. He recited them: ...
Diana Ross: Royal Albert Hall, London
Live Review by Michael Watts, Melody Maker, 29 September 1973
DIANA ROSS may be a real superstar, as critics like Derek Jewell assert, but there's altogether too much of the "sooper" in her act for ...
Elton John: Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 29 September 1973
AND HELLO Elton John all set to smash a path to the top of the album chart with this superb new collecion of songs. He ...
Art Garfunkel: Garfunkel: Angel Clare (CBS)
Review by Michael Watts, Melody Maker, 29 September 1973
No Art, no heart ...
Joe Walsh: Barnstorming the USA
Profile and Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 29 September 1973
THINGS ARE starting to happen for Joe Walsh. In the corridors of rock and roll where informed people discuss what, where and when, elbows are ...
Live Review by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 29 September 1973
Neil joins Roxy music! ...
Allman Brothers Band: The Allman Brothers Band: Forum, Inglewood CA
Live Review by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 29 September 1973
Allmans: hot rockers ...
The Carpenters: It's Plane Sailing!
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 29 September 1973
HEAD DOWN THE Santa Ana freeway, turn off on San Gabriel, make a couple of rights and you're in Downey, a right-wing, unpretentious suberb of ...
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 29 September 1973
FLUSHED from their success in the MM Pop Poll, the all-star musicians of Yes held a remarkable summit conference this week. Gathered round the board ...
Doug Sahm: Arise, Sir Douglas is Blowing Up A Storm
Report and Interview by Loraine Alterman, Melody Maker, 6 October 1973
THE FUNKY SOUNDS of 'Texas Tornado', Doug Sahm's latest single, blasted out of the stereo in the office of Atlantic Records' co-ordinator of A&R, Mark ...
Duane Eddy: The Guitar Man Twangs Back
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 6 October 1973
THE FIRST REAL guitar superstar of the rock and roll age sits in an office no larger than a bathroom on North Vine off the ...
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 6 October 1973
GENESIS have lain dormant throughout the summer, at least as far as the public was concerned. Then came the sensational appearance at Reading Festival, when ...
Iggy Pop, The Stooges: Iggy Pop: Iggy Breaks Out Of His Cage
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 6 October 1973
IGGY POP swam out to sea, his wiry frame floating over the waves of Manhattan Beach, his dyed blonde head bobbing along the ripples, his ...
Eric Clapton: King Of The Blues Guitar
Profile by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 13 October 1973
WHO IS THIS man Eric Clapton, of whom they speak so highly? Is he the world's greatest guitarist? Is he now a victim of rock ...
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 13 October 1973
"I'M TELLING ye mon, there was this bird in 'ere and she can't 'ave been more than fifteen mon, and she's telling me she's wearing ...
The Doors, Ray Manzarek: The Doors: When The Music's Over
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 13 October 1973
HELPING HIMSELF to one of my British cigarettes and inhaling deeply, Ray Manzarek coldly and without emotion spoke about why The Doors finally decided to ...
David Bowie: Bowie's Free For All
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 27 October 1973
Chris Welch describes the weird and wonderful scenes when Ziggy returned to London's Marquee Club ...
Profile and Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 27 October 1973
Los Angeles Report by Chris Charlesworth ...
Billy Preston: Rainbow Theatre, London
Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 3 November 1973
AFTER A shaky start, Billy Preston tore London's Rainbow Theatre apart on Thursday last week, with a little help from his friends. ...
Interview by Max Jones, Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 3 November 1973
Giorgio Gomelsky was a pioneer of British rock in the sixties. In the second part of an interview with MM he talks about managing Brian Auger and Julie Driscoll and his ...
The Stooges: Iggy & The Stooges: Pop Loses Sparkle: Whisky a Go Go, Los Angeles
Live Review by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 3 November 1973
LOS ANGELES: How low can rock and roll sink? This is a question that can never be answered as new depths will always be found ...
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 3 November 1973
WHERE DOHENY DRIVE cuts Sunset at the edge of the Beverly Hills estate, there's a tobacconist shop that carries all makes and brands. It's called ...
Slade: America Feels The Noize
Report and Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 3 November 1973
NO COMPROMISE says Noddy. No compromise at all. America will just have to go crazee, feel the noize and get their boots off Just like ...
Interview by Loraine Alterman, Melody Maker, 3 November 1973
EVEN THOUGH everyone involved is tremendously excited about the Band/Dylan tour (reported on page one), 1973 still has some time left and The Band have ...
Yoko Ono: Yoko's A No-No: Yoko Ono: Kenny's Castaways, New York
Live Review by Vicki Wickham, Melody Maker, 3 November 1973
NEW YORK: I still haven't figured out what is "inside" everyone that makes them not only want to sing, but to so firmly believe they ...
Overview by Rob Partridge, Melody Maker, 10 November 1973
"You just can't live in Texas if you don't have a lotta soul" – 'At The Crossroads' by the Sir Douglas Quintet, 1969. ...
Grand Funk Railroad: Isn't Life Grand!
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 10 November 1973
THEY said it would never happen. ...
Linda Ronstadt: Don't Cry Now (Asylum)
Review by Michael Watts, Melody Maker, 10 November 1973
LOOKING AS she does, an impossibly cuddly chicklet, it's easy to forgive Linda Ronstadt any musical deficiencies. But this album, in fact her first on ...
Pink Floyd, Soft Machine: Pink Floyd/Soft Machine: Rainbow Theatre, London
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 10 November 1973
PINK FLOYD and Soft Machine stunned fans with two sensational shows at London's Rainbow Theatre on Sunday night. It was a splendid evening of rock-co-operation, ...
Review by Michael Watts, Melody Maker, 10 November 1973
Roxy: an air of lush decay ...
Sly & The Family Stone: The Palladium, Los Angeles
Live Review by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 10 November 1973
HOLLYWOOD: Will he? Won't he? Will he? Won't he? Sly Stone's reputation is too firmly etched for these questions not to be asked when he's ...
The Everly Brothers: Creators Of Country Pop
Retrospective by Michael Gray, Melody Maker, 10 November 1973
THE EVERLY BROTHERS – Don and Phil – first emerged in the rock 'n' roll market in 1957, with a unique harmony-vocal sound, a modern ...
Jackson Browne, Phillip Goodhand-Tait: Roxy, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 17 November 1973
LOS ANGELES: It would be nice to be able to report in true nationalistic spirit that Phillip Goodhand-Tait swept the audience off their feet in ...
Jackson Browne: Jackson's Song For Everyman
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 17 November 1973
JACKSON Browne arrived half an hour late. He'd been figuring out how to repair the plumbing at his house, and had finally succeeded in getting ...
Jimmy Cliff: From Reggae To Riches
Interview by Rob Partridge, Melody Maker, 17 November 1973
IT MUST BE almost three years since the last hit record. God, that's an artistic lifespan for many people, but somehow he manages to suggest ...
Sarah Vaughan: Searching For That Natural Soul Sound
Interview by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 17 November 1973
MARSHALL FISHER, Sarah Vaughan's husband and personal manager, indicated that if I were to call round at the Mayfair Hotel an hour or so before ...
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 17 November 1973
Carlos Santana is in Britain this week with a new vocalist, a new name and a new energy – thanks to the divine intervention of ...
Sutherland Brothers and Quiver: Conquering Quiverlands
Profile and Interview by Rob Partridge, Melody Maker, 17 November 1973
FOR NINE WEEKS now, the Sutherland Brothers and Quiver have toured America with Elton John. Their single, '(I Don't Want To Love You But) You ...
Review by Rob Partridge, Melody Maker, 17 November 1973
TRAFFIC, ON OCCASIONS, have the ability to sound like the most demanding and mature rock band in the world. Trouble is, each time they've reached ...
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 24 November 1973
I OWN TWO albums by Chet Atkins, both of which are old and scratched. One features country picking and the other is titled Chet Picks ...
Elton John Steps Into Christmas
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 24 November 1973
ELTON JOHN is a happy man as 1973 draws to a close. He has established himself not merely as an elitist's delight and king of ...
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 24 November 1973
"I SUPPOSE I've sold-out, because I do cabaret. Isn't that what they say?" Alan Price said that recently in his dry, laconic way, understanding full ...
Linda Ronstadt: Linda's Liberation
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 24 November 1973
WHEN THE film industry was at its peak and the Hollywood Hills beamed down on the Babylon city in its celluloid wrapper, someone decided that ...
Miles Davis: Rainbow Theatre, London
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 24 November 1973
WATCHING MILES Davis and his band perform is a fascinating exercise that provides much food for thought. One goes willing to cast out old ideas ...
The Band: Moondog Matinee (Capitol)
Review by Michael Watts, Melody Maker, 24 November 1973
Band of hope and glory ...
New York Dolls: The New York Dolls: Music in a Doll's House
Report by Roy Hollingworth, Melody Maker, 24 November 1973
From America MM previews the New York Dolls, who start a British tour this week ...
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 1 December 1973
NOTHING IS more satisfying for a successful artist than helping the less fortunate. Elton John has had his chance to set matters aright for at ...
Dawn, Glen Campbell: Live in Las Vegas: Dawn and Glen Campbell
Report by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 1 December 1973
"HANG ON tight," said the man in the next seat on the Western Airlines jet. "Landings in Las Vegas are the roughest in the world." ...
Paul McCartney, Wings: Paul McCartney
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 1 December 1973
WHEN THE Prime Minister, Royalty or a Rear Admiral makes a tour of inspection of a naval establishment, there is a flurry of activity among ...
Plastic, paper and petrol famine shakes the whole music scene — ROCK CRISIS!
Report by Colin Irwin, Rob Partridge, Melody Maker, 1 December 1973
ROCK MUSIC is reaching a crisis point. The worldwide energy shortage threatens the future of the entire music industry while rock itself faces a ban ...
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 1 December 1973
SOME POP stars like to rock. Some pop stars like to roll. But little Ronnie Lane has got the gypsy in his soul. ...
Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 1 December 1973
"IT'S NOT A concept," says Paul McCartney, but there is a thread to Wings' newie Band On The Run. The feeling expressed throughout is one ...
Yes: Tales From Topographic Oceans (Atlantic)
Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 1 December 1973
CHANTING VOICES lead us into 'The Revealing Science Of God', and the marathon Yes epic that has occupied so much of their time throughout the ...
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 1 December 1973
A DISTURBING night for a Yes fan at London's Rainbow, when the group unveiled their new work Tales From Topographic Oceans. For despite, the applause ...
Elton John: Belle Vue, Manchester
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 8 December 1973
FOR THE first time since Bill Haley's motion picture triumph Rock Around The Clock, played at the now-demolished Queen's Cinema, Catford, in 1956, the urge ...
New York Dolls: Band They Love To Hate
Comment by Michael Watts, Melody Maker, 8 December 1973
I'VE SEEN the New York Dolls five times in New York, and London's Biba's last week made it six. ...
The Beach Boys: Good Vibrations In The Rain
Live Review by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 8 December 1973
The Beach Boys: Convention Centre, Anaheim, California ...
Alice Cooper: A Christmas Chiller
Report by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 22 December 1973
The great Sherlock Holmes, cleverly disguised as MM investigator Chris Charlesworth, pulls his deerstalker over his eyes and sets forth on his most dangerous adventure. ...
Clarence "Frogman" Henry: Henry's Back For A Hit
Profile and Interview by John Broven, Melody Maker, 22 December 1973
CLARENCE (Frogman) Henry hasn't had a top-selling record for more than 12 years, but he is still managing to pull the crowds in to hear ...
Jimi Hendrix: Wild Man Of The Guitar
Retrospective by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 22 December 1973
AS A ROCK HERO Jimi was one of the best, one of the greatest. Lying on his back playing flaming guitar with his teeth. Fanitastic! ...
Arthur Lee, Love: Arthur Lee: Forever Changes
Interview by John Tobler, Melody Maker, 29 December 1973
REMEMBER Arthur Lee and Love? Love was the first rock band to sign with Elektra Records, which they did in late 1965. In approximately their ...
Electric Light Orchestra: ELO: Live in Philadelphia
Live Review by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 5 January 1974
WE ARE gathered together, ladies and gentlemen, for a recital by that promising septet of young British musicians who call themselves the Electric Light Orchestra. ...
Reverend Gary Davis, Stefan Grossman, Scott Joplin, David Laibman, Joshua Rifkin: Rag, Mama, Rag
Overview by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 5 January 1974
IT IS 1974. A young man in patched blue jeans walks to the front of the folk club, a guitar in his hand. He sits ...
Stealers Wheel: Wheel Of Fortune
Profile and Interview by Rob Partridge, Melody Maker, 5 January 1974
JOE EGAN used to be in a band called the Mavericks. Nothing much, just a young band from Paisley, a tough industrial town on the ...
Alice Cooper: Alice through the looking glass
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 12 January 1974
Shep Gordon worked for firm making clothes for the dead... Now he manages the killer himself, Alice Cooper. Gordon talks to MM New York writer ...
Interview by Michael Watts, Melody Maker, 12 January 1974
AT NIGHT we sit on the verandah, Myrna and I, watching the bobbing lights of the yachts in the harbour below as the fireflies endlessly ...
The Jackson 5: Jacksons: All You Need For A Hit Is The Right Feeling
Report and Interview by Jacoba Atlas, Melody Maker, 12 January 1974
MOWEST STUDIOS, the private recording facilities for Motown artists, are located in the heart of Hollywood, directly across the street from a high school's baseball ...
Jobriath: Superstar or Superhype?
Interview by Rob Partridge, Melody Maker, 12 January 1974
"If hype means projecting your artist, I'm going to produce the biggest hype ever" – Jerry Brandt talking to ROBERT PARTRIDGE about his latest discovery, ...
Bette Midler: Bette Midler (Atlantic)
Review by Michael Watts, Melody Maker, 19 January 1974
THE STATEMENT of Bette Midler's stardom has been pushed so far down our throats now that it's become a truism, yet Bette Midler, her second ...
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 19 January 1974
PETER GABRIEL, man of a thouand faces, is now also a man of several voices. One at least swoops upwards into the stratosphere, gibbers madly, ...
Phil Ochs: Home Thoughts Of Phil Ochs
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 19 January 1974
ALTHOUGH I'M typing this in Greenwich Village, New York City, this story really begins 3,000 miles away in Los Angeles. ...
Liza Minnelli: Winter Garden, New York NY
Live Review by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 19 January 1974
Sweet Liza ...
Rick Wakeman: Sentimental Journey
Report and Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 19 January 1974
After two years' work, RICK WAKEMAN'S Journey to the Centre of the Earth will be premiered in London tomorrow (Friday). Rick talks to CHRIS WELCH ...
The Band, Bob Dylan: Bob Dylan: Planet Waves (Island)
Review by Michael Watts, Melody Maker, 26 January 1974
ANY NEW Bob Dylan album induces a somewhat unnerving emotional response in the reviewer, but the very latest record from Dylan, to be released here ...
Electric Light Orchestra, The Moody Blues, The Move, Spencer Davis Group, Wizzard: Brum Beat
Overview by Rob Partridge, Melody Maker, 26 January 1974
"Liverpool today – Birmingham tomorrow. That's the forecast for the beat business in rock music. Yes, the Brum Beat is all set to take over ...
Genesis: Drury Lane Theatre, London
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 26 January 1974
GENESIS'S WEEK at London's Drury Lane Theatre, proved that rock and theatre can mix and have a validity outside of mere exhibitionism. The band arc ...
Allman Brothers Band, Gregg Allman: Gregg Allman
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 26 January 1974
GREGG ALLMAN picked up an old Gibson acoustic guitar and allowed his nimble fingers to slide over the six new strings. He tuned it and ...
Joni Mitchell: Court and Spark (Asylum)
Review by Michael Watts, Melody Maker, 26 January 1974
OF ALL THE female writers and singers post-dating Joan Baez in pop music, Joni Mitchell seems to me to have arrived at the most complete ...
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 26 January 1974
MARC BOLAN is a star. Still. However much heavy water has passed under the bridge of rock and roll sighs, Mr B. commands respect. And ...
Michael Nesmith: Mike Nesmith: Monkee in the Countryside
Profile and Interview by John Tobler, Melody Maker, 26 January 1974
Do me the gracious favour of not pointing me out as the most talented Monkee ...
Rick Wakeman: Festival Hall, London
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 26 January 1974
SHEER ENTERTAINMENT, that was Rick Wakeman's highly successful solo concert at London's Festival Hall on Friday last week. Rick, the keyboard whizz of Yes, brought ...
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 26 January 1974
MARC BOLAN returned to the British stage on Monday night and it was as if he had never been away. There were the fans, mostly ...
Tim Hardin: The Legend of Tim Hardin
Interview by Colin Irwin, Melody Maker, 26 January 1974
A CHUNKY, muscular figure. Penetrating eyes. Wispy black hair ever so slightly receding. What the hell is a legend supposed to look like anyway? "The ...
Profile and Interview by Colin Irwin, Melody Maker, February 1974
AMERICANS tend to pronounce the word "boogie" with one "u" and a couple of "g's". It comes out sounding "buggie" and it's heard a lot ...
The Staple Singers, Pops Staples: MM Staple Singers special: Top of the Pops!
Interview by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 2 February 1974
THE STAPLE SINGERS, who gave one charging show in London on Friday, are one of America's most justly famed gospel groups. They have come a ...
John McLaughlin, Mahavishnu Orchestra: John McLaughlin: It Was Natural Evolution
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 2 February 1974
NEW YORK: Although John McLaughlin's decision to disband the Mahavishnu Orchestra came as a surprise in the closing weeks of 1973, further reflections point to ...
Billy Cobham, Mahavishnu Orchestra: Mahavishnu Orchestra: Cobham — it ended in total fiasco
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 2 February 1974
LONDON: Love, peace and perfection are difficult enough to attain in society, let alone in music. ...
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 2 February 1974
"HYPE, BILGE, lies, rubbish!" These are the epithets often hurled when a band appears on Top Of The Pops weekly, and soars chartward with a ...
Report and Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 2 February 1974
DOWN ON COTTON Avenue in Macon, Georgia, lie the offices of Capricorn Records, slotted between a funeral parlour and a beauty salon that's anything but ...
The Staple Singers: From Gospel to Protest
Interview by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 2 February 1974
IT'S A LONG, long way in space and time, from Drew, Mississippi to the 23rd Floor of the London Hilton. Fourteen years of singing and ...
The Band, Bob Dylan: Bob Dylan & The Band: Knocking On Heaven's Door
Live Review by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 9 February 1974
THEY CHEERED and clapped and waved for fifteen minutes even though the house lights were up and 'Greensleeves' was playing through the PA system and ...
Bruce Springsteen: Springsteen Turns On The Heat…
Profile by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 9 February 1974
HE STANDS there looking like a cross between Elvis Presley and a reject from Sha Na Na with faint Dylanesque overtones and a battered Fender ...
Humble Pie, Peter Frampton: Dee Anthony: Dee Works!
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 9 February 1974
From doing impersonations of Al Jolson for 20 bucks a night to managing Humble Pie – that's the story of Dee Anthony. He talks to ...
Electric Light Orchestra, The Idle Race: Electric Light Orchestra: Light And Bitter
Interview by Rob Partridge, Melody Maker, 9 February 1974
BRUNEL UNIVERSITY, FRIDAY: The film man wants to know the running order of the show tonight. ...
Harry Chapin: Short Stories (Elektra)
Review by Michael Watts, Melody Maker, 9 February 1974
BY NOW IT should be deemed a case of criminal neglect that Harry Chapin's 'W.O.L.D.' is not in the top ten or even higher, because ...
Allman Brothers Band: Leavell Headed Allman
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 16 February 1974
PIANIST CHUCK Leavell is the least heralded member of the Allman Brothers Band, a musician first and a talker second. ...
Profile and Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 16 February 1974
NEW YORK: They say that heavy rock is on the decline and it's become fashionable to put down bands whose music is based on a ...
David Ackles: Just A Handful Of Songs
Interview by John Tobler, Melody Maker, 16 February 1974
DAVID ACKLES has got a great house in Pacific Palisades, a few miles west of Los Angeles, and thereby close to the ocean, although the ...
Maggie Bell: Queen of the Night
Review by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 16 February 1974
MAGGIE BELL'S first solo album is with us at last. It's been a lengthy wait and there have been countless rumours concerning who would be ...
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 16 February 1974
MUCH LOVED Maggie is back in action, and ringing changes in her career that will reverberate around rock. Miss Bell has been quiet in the ...
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 16 February 1974
HAPPY CHILDREN – maybe. Realistic and dedicated musicians – certainly. For beneath the jolly image of Osibisa, there beat sensitive hearts. ...
Slade: Ambassador Theater, St. Louis, MO
Live Review by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 16 February 1974
ST LOUIS: The wide Missouri River flowed beneath the hotel window and a few paddle steamers, now tourist traps or floating restaurants, were securely tied ...
Status Quo: Whisky A Go Go, Los Angeles
Live Review by Harold Bronson, Melody Maker, 16 February 1974
LOS ANGELES – Emerson, Lake and Palmer, Rory Gallagher, and Manfred Mann's Earthband all graced the Whisky opening night to welcome Status Quo's second Los ...
Profile and Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 16 February 1974
AS YES PLAY one of the most prestigious concerts in their career, at Madison Square Garden, New York, this week both their British and American ...
Profile and Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 23 February 1974
Black Oak Arkansas are UK bound and MM's man in America, Chris Charlesworth, warns: watch out for the sexiest thing since Jim Morrison ...
Black Sabbath: Sabbra Cadabra!
Report by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 23 February 1974
THE GRINDING riff sears through the eardrums, ripping the senses and dulling with monotony. It crashes through the PA system, hurtling itself towards the back ...
Electric Light Orchestra: E.L.O.: Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, London
Live Review by Colin Irwin, Melody Maker, 23 February 1974
AS A ROCK band the Electric Light Orchestra are successful enough. They have built a solid following, play value-for-money concerts, and get hit records. What ...
Elliott Murphy, New York Dolls: New York Dolls, Elliott Murphy: Academy of Music, New York NY
Live Review by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 23 February 1974
NEW YORK: A noticeable aspect of the current rock scene here is the number of artists who are very directly influenced by musicians of the ...
Stephen Stills: Carnegie Hall, New York City
Live Review by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 23 February 1974
NEW YORK: There's really no substitute for experience in rock music and there are few musicians around with as much experience as Steve Stills who ...
Al Kooper, Lynyrd Skynyrd: Al Kooper: Sweetheart Of The South
Interview by John Tobler, Melody Maker, 2 March 1974
AL KOOPER is presumably in accord with Bob Dylan more often than not, as his playing on some the latter's best albums, like Blonde On ...
Brownsville Station: Smokin' Out America's Slade
Profile and Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 2 March 1974
FIRST PLACE the tip of the digit finger on the first fret of the third string, then place the second finger on the second fret ...
Manu Dibango: Manu: Breaking Out of Africa
Profile and Interview by Rob Partridge, Melody Maker, 2 March 1974
Manu Dibango, No. 1 in Africa, has finally broken through in America. Robert Partridge met him in Paris... ...
New York Dolls: Standing in the Shadow of Rock: Shadow Morton, Pt. 1
Interview by Lenny Kaye, Melody Maker, 2 March 1974
"I don’t consider myself a good producer. I’m one of the best." Shadow Morton, producer of the New York Dolls, talks to Lenny Kaye. ...
Report by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 2 March 1974
Rick Wakeman said it: the MM's Yes concert at Madison Square Garden was the best yet. ...
Electric Light Orchestra, The Move, Roy Wood, The Small Faces, Wizzard: Don Arden: The Hit Man
Interview by Rob Partridge, Melody Maker, 9 March 1974
He's been called the Al Capone of pop, and the reputation's, shall we say, a little heavy. A nervous Robert Partridge talks to Don Arden... ...
Ducks Deluxe: Ducks Deluxe (RCA)
Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 9 March 1974
AT LAST the pub rock bands are getting onto record, after months of being scrutinised by A&R men, publicists and journalists. Was it all worth ...
Elvis Presley: Revolt Into Style
Essay by Michael Gray, Melody Maker, 9 March 1974
ELVIS PRESLEY. The giant among giants, and yet also that strange kind of comic-book hero, Mr Reverso Man. ...
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 9 March 1974
UP ON THE 37th floor of a Park Avenue office block which faces north and thus commands an extensive view of New York's Central Park ...
Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 9 March 1974
Bolan's teenage dream ...
Mick Ronson: Slaughter on 10th Avenue (RCA)
Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 9 March 1974
Ronson: drama and romance ...
Roy Orbison: 1960's Man Of Integrity
Profile by Michael Gray, Melody Maker, 9 March 1974
ROY ORBISON seems fated to be Mr. 1960. That's when he began a cascade of hit singles. That's when he became a star in Britain. ...
Steeleye Span: Now We Are Six (Chrysalis)
Review by Colin Irwin, Melody Maker, 9 March 1974
Span: Six of the best ...
Sandy Denny, The Strawbs: Strawbs featuring Sandy Denny: All Our Own Work (Hallmark)
Review by Colin Irwin, Melody Maker, 9 March 1974
GET THE duster out, mother. Clear those cobwebs away, here's one from the archives. The Strawbs and Sandy Denny together recorded in 1968. The first ...
Interview by Lenny Kaye, Melody Maker, 9 March 1974
Part two of the Shadow Morton story by Lenny Kaye ...
Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show: Hook, Line And Sinker
Profile and Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 16 March 1974
"HEY MAN, that was really great. They really hated us out there. There was a guy at the front who kept shouting 'you suck' all ...
Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 16 March 1974
STEVE MARRIOTT – hair flying, jaw set at an aggressive angle, knees akimbo and arms flailing over his jutting guitar – is one of the ...
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 16 March 1974
From 'Hang On Sloopy' to the Winter Brothers – and now Rick Derringer's got a hit US single and album ...
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 23 March 1974
IN A ROCK world where folk tend to babble nonsense at the drop of a hat, blither platitudes, and indulge in half-baked philosophising, it is ...
Alice Cooper: Fangs Ain't What They Used To Be
Interview by Caroline Coon, Melody Maker, 23 March 1974
AT THE END of the second evening of this three-day trip to London, after a grueling schedule of interviews for the press radio and TV, ...
Jimmy Page, Led Zeppelin: Jimmy Page: The Power And The Glory
Profile by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 23 March 1974
WHEN THEY showed Antonioni's classic film of the 'sixties, Blow Up, on TV last week, apart from evoking the real or imaginary spirit of "Swinging ...
Bobby "Blue" Bland: Bobby Bland: Blue Eyed Soul
Profile and Interview by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 30 March 1974
BOBBY "BLUE" Bland is on stage now, smiling at Mel Jackson as he takes the microphone from him and swings into 'Reconsider Baby'. Then a ...
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 30 March 1974
"OH LORD please don't let me be misunderstood" was the classic line Eric Burdon sang with the Animals. It could almost have been written for ...
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 30 March 1974
FOCUS HAVE been through some changes in recent months, and happily for fans of this Dutch band with an international reputation for fine music – ...
Ella Fitzgerald: Ronnie Scott's, London
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 6 April 1974
'THERE'LL NEVER Be Another A You' sang the star and a ripple of appreciation warmed to her. By the end of her set, the ripple ...
Queen: Rainbow Theatre, London
Live Review by Colin Irwin, Melody Maker, 6 April 1974
FREDDIE MERCURY glares thunderously from beneath the beam of the spotlight. Anger and hostility ooze from his mouth. He pumps his right fist vigorously skywards ...
Stevie Wonder: Madison Square Garden, New York NY
Live Review by Vicki Wickham, Melody Maker, 6 April 1974
Night of Wonder ...
Cliff Richard: Palladium, London
Live Review by Colin Irwin, Melody Maker, 13 April 1974
WELL, WADDYA know? Ol' Cliff's getting a bit nostalgic in his little-corner of comfy respectability. Surrounded by glam girls kicking their legs up, a massive ...
Jefferson Starship: Academy of Music, New York NY
Live Review by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 13 April 1974
Jefferson Starship in orbit ...
Profile and Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 13 April 1974
DESPITE substantial success in the United States, Loggins and Messina have remained an unknown quantity in the U.K. ...
Rick Nelson & the Stone Canyon Band: Bottom Line, New York NY
Live Review by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 13 April 1974
Nostalgic Nelson ...
Rick Wakeman: Journey To The Centre Of The Earth
Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 13 April 1974
IN CLASSICAL music terms, this composition might be described as "lightweight" or of "little consequence." But as far as popular music is concerned, Rick's composition ...
Rick Wakeman, Yes: Rick Wakeman: British Groups Have Gone Over The Top
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 13 April 1974
The American tour was the last of the long ones ...
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 13 April 1974
IT HAD TO BE said. The gentleman with the black, slicked-back hair, Charlie Chaplin moustache and thoroughly English cricket pullover, in no manner resembled a ...
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 13 April 1974
ALTHOUGH IT'S quite incidental to the story that follows, let's begin by explaining the meaning of the term Steely Dan. It has nothing to do ...
Terry Melcher: Confessions of a Byrd Watcher
Profile and Interview by Jacoba Atlas, Melody Maker, 20 April 1974
...or a day in the lives of Terry Melcher, by Jacoba Atlas in LA ...
Eric Clapton at the China Garden
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 20 April 1974
A TURN UP for the books, and as it transpired, a turn up for the stomachs, when Eric Clapton announced his return to active service ...
Gregg Allman: Carnegie Hall, New York City
Live Review by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 20 April 1974
GREGG ALLMAN, the usually shy keyboards wizard, emerges into the limelight at last. Chris Charlesworth was there... ...
Report and Interview by Caroline Coon, Melody Maker, 27 April 1974
Mud. They’re a pure pop band, no pretentions, but a lot of fun. Caroline Coon goes on the road with the boys who bridge the ...
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 27 April 1974
TODD RUNDGREN loped into Bearsville's offices on East 55th Street the other day with a South American raccoon on one arm and a lady dressed ...
Yes, 5,000 Frenchmen Can't Be Wrong!
Report and Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 27 April 1974
"I HEAR we're playing the next gig in My-Rand," said Rick Wakeman, leaning heavily on the bar in the George Cinque Hotel. ...
Andy Williams: Ol' Treacle Voice Is Back
Interview by Caroline Coon, Melody Maker, 4 May 1974
Darling of the soap-opera set, Goliath of the balladeer belt, Andy Williams is so very glad to be back in this wonderful country. Caroline Coon ...
Frank Zappa: Apostrophe(') (Discreet)
Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 4 May 1974
Zappa's touch of genius ...
Grand Funk Railroad: Funk On A Grand Scale
Report and Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 4 May 1974
RINGING EARS are a symptom of excessive listening to loud rock and roll. When the ears tingle after a gig, you know the band in ...
Report and Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 4 May 1974
"JEEZ, I HOPE the sound guy is straight tonight." said Al. "The guy who did it last night didn't have a clue. Might wind up ...
Joni Mitchell, Tom Scott: Tom Scott: Great Scott!
Interview by Michael Watts, Melody Maker, 4 May 1974
Michael Watts talks to the men who put jazz into Joni. ...
Waylon Jennings: Honky Tonk Heroes (RCA)
Review by Michael Watts, Melody Maker, 4 May 1974
INTEREST IN country musicians is currently running high with Charlie Rich in the charts and a whole spate of country albums being released as a ...
Report and Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 11 May 1974
DISNEY WORLD, Orlando, Florida: You wouldn't catch the Rolling Stones gigging here, or anyone else who's even remotely associated with an anti-establishment following for that ...
Review by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 11 May 1974
A NEW album release by David Bowie is today looked on with as much awe as a release by the Beatles in the sixties. Later ...
Harry Chapin: Short Stories of Harry Chapin
Report and Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 11 May 1974
SHORT STORIES is the most apt title for Harry Chapin's new album, for Chapin is not so much a singer as a storyteller, an artist ...
Pete Townshend, The Who: Pete Townshend: March Of The Mod
Profile by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 18 May 1974
IT MAY WELL have been pure chance that produced the most visually exciting guitarist in rock. If Peter Townshend hadn't been born with a big ...
Roxy Music: We're Not Killing Ourselves In America
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 18 May 1974
BRYAN FERRY was exhausted. Utterly. Not much lounging for the lounge lizard this week. All go. Up at dawn to another city. Another round of ...
David Bowie, Mott The Hoople, Lou Reed, Mick Ronson: Tony DeFries: Bowie's MainMan
Profile by Michael Watts, Melody Maker, 18 May 1974
Tony DeFries is Mr Big of today's rock —the 70s' Col. Parker. He deals in STARS, the most glittering of whom is David Bowie. He ...
Steely Dan: Get Dan And Get With It!
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 25 May 1974
Steely Dan: Palace Theatre, Manchester ...
Steely Dan: Band Breakdown: Steely Dan
Profile and Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 1 June 1974
STEELY DAN, in their short time together, have been hailed as one of the best bands to emerge from America in a long time. They ...
Duke Ellington: Jazz's First Great Virtuoso
Obituary by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 1 June 1974
OFTEN, DURING my years of writing on the MM, I have used a phrase such as "there'll always be an Ellington" or "there's always been an ...
Loudon Wainwright III: Loudon Alone
Interview by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 1 June 1974
THE PR MAN in the coffee lounge of the Hotel Russell was anxious about the Loudon Wainwright's appearance. "Is he cleanshaven or bearded." he wanted ...
Maria Muldaur: Sense and Sensuality
Interview by Jacoba Atlas, Melody Maker, 1 June 1974
MARIA MULDAUR sings of the joy of being a woman — and it's propelled her album into the charts. JACOBA ATLAS reports from Los Angeles. ...
Ronnie Lane's Circus Comes To Town
Report by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 8 June 1974
"CHAOS!" said Ronnie Lane, crinkling his expressive face into a smile against the sunshine raining on his caravan. "Courage," I thought, gazing at the Big ...
Sly & the Family Stone: Sly Stone: Super Sly
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 8 June 1974
HE EXTENDED A HAND but looked elsewhere. Who could tell where his eyes focused beneath those silver shades? He gripped and I felt pain through ...
Steve Winwood, Traffic: Stevie Winwood: Sixties Soul Survivor
Profile by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 8 June 1974
"STEVE'S only 25 you know. When people criticise him and say he's not as good as he used to be in the old days, they ...
Brian Wilson: From Surf To Symphony
Profile by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 15 June 1974
BRIAN WILSON was 19 years old when, in 1961, the Beach Boys committed his first song, 'Surfin'', to tape. ...
Joe Cocker: Cocker Dies a Death
Report by Jacoba Atlas, Melody Maker, 15 June 1974
LOS ANGELES — There ought to be some delicate way of putting this, but there really isn't. Joe Cocker opened and closed at the Roxy ...
Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 15 June 1974
IS IT AS GOOD as Yellow Brick Road? That will be the cry, where 'ere Elton John fans congregate and exchange notes. ...
Randy Newman: 'I'd Like to Have a Hit'
Interview by Rob Partridge, Melody Maker, 15 June 1974
Randy Newman may have an image problem — but he's got an impeccable track record. America's great songwriter talks to Robert Partridge ...
Sly & the Family Stone: Sly Weds on Stage
Report by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 15 June 1974
THE EVER-unpredictable Sly Stone married the mother of his nine-month-old son in front of 20,000 fans at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday evening. ...
Interview by Rob Partridge, Melody Maker, 22 June 1974
WE'RE just talking, comparing favourite singers, when Boz Scaggs happens to mention Bobby "Blue" Bland. ...
David Bowie: Birth Of The New Rock Theatre
Live Review by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 22 June 1974
A FEW THOUSAND lucky Canadians witnessed a completely new concept in rock theatre last weekend when David Bowie opened his North American tour in Montreal ...
Maggie Bell, Led Zeppelin: Peter Grant: The Man Who Led Zeppelin
Interview by Michael Watts, Melody Maker, 22 June 1974
With a background in wrestling, it's not surprising that Peter Grant is cast as a heavy. And as manager of Led Zep, the legend has ...
The Who: 'The Least I Could Do Was Smash a Guitar'
Report and Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 22 June 1974
Chris Charlesworth reviews the Who's return to New York — and talks to Pete Townshend ...
Eric Clapton: Danish Blues Power: Eric Clapton
Review and Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 29 June 1974
"WE WANT Buddy Holly!... I AM Buddy Holly!" ...
Rick Wakeman, Yes: Rick Wakeman: Quitting Was An Obvious Move
Report and Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 29 June 1974
A SQUEAL of tyres, a cloud of dust and Rick Wakeman and wife Ros, drew to a halt outside the "Valiant Trooper," an excellent boozer, ...
Rick Wakeman, Yes: Rick Wakeman: Why I Said No To Yes
Report and Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 29 June 1974
RICK WAKEMAN has a grand design afoot that could result in one of the most extraordinary, epic concerts in ye history of popular music. ...
Buffy Sainte-Marie: Buffy St Marie: Buffy Breaks Away
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 6 July 1974
"HI, IT'S Buffy St. Marie here. How are you?" The call came through some 48 hours after it was expected, rousing this writer from a ...
Frank Zappa: Outrage And Invention
Profile by Michael Gray, Melody Maker, 6 July 1974
FRANK ZAPPA is the only West Coast musician who emerged in the 1960s without giving free promotion to the California Tourist Board. ...
The Heavy Metal Kids: Heavy Metal Kids: Kid's Stuff
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 6 July 1974
JUST HOW heavy are the Heavy Metal Kids? They peer at us from advertisements clad in top hats, patched jeans, braces, big boots and flat ...
Report by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 6 July 1974
— that's how the Americans describe those freaky New York bands like Wayne County and Teenage Lust. Chris Charlesworth, guided by photographer Bob Gruen, takes ...
The Band, Eric Clapton: Eric Clapton: A Hero Comes To Town
Report by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 20 July 1974
PITTSBURGH, PA. – The tint on the TV screen gave the newscaster a peculiarly reddish face, almost as if he was genuinely quite excited about ...
Gary Puckett & The Union Gap: Gary Puckett: How We Split The Gap
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 20 July 1974
"YEAH I GUESS you could say I was kinda surprised when I got the news. But the funny thing is that I kinda predicted it ...
George McCrae's Last Chance – A Smash
Profile and Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 20 July 1974
STRANGE how chance plays its part in the record business. If George McCrae hadn't decided to have one last try at making a hit record ...
Olivia Newton-John, Suzi Quatro: Suzi Quatro & Olivia Newton-John: Dolly Mixture
Interview by Caroline Coon, Melody Maker, 20 July 1974
'What's ladylike?' asks Suzi Quatro. Olivia Newton-John should know – she was amazed in America when the audience ignored that she was wearing jeans on ...
Brian Auger: Straight Ahead Again
Interview by Michael Gray, Melody Maker, 27 July 1974
BRIAN AUGER has been stomping round the commercial radio stations as part of his duty in promoting his latest album Straight Ahead by the Brian ...
Edgar Winter: Great White Wonder
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 27 July 1974
EDGAR WINTER shoots pool pretty good considering he's as blind as a bat. The green ball gives him trouble because that's the same colour as ...
Emerson Lake and Palmer: England's Robbing Us!
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 27 July 1974
WHEN THE alarm bells ring at "Whyte Eagles," it's not a warning of imminent fire or pestilence, just a reminder to Carl Palmer to turn ...
Profile and Interview by Mick Gold, Melody Maker, 27 July 1974
JOHN CALE is sitting in a preview theatre, cowering in the shadow of the London Hilton to see a screening of this movie hes scored ...
Georgie Fame: Fanning the Flames
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 3 August 1974
TEN YEARS HAVE elapsed since Georgie Fame and the Blue Flames pioneered a brand of funky jazz in the sweating cellars of Soho and fought ...
Emerson Lake And Palmer: Greg Lake: Rock Will Go Back To Its Roots
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 3 August 1974
GREG LAKE'S London home is a rare and impressive sight. A light glows outside a town house in a quiet street that takes you back ...
Report and Interview by Michael Watts, Melody Maker, 3 August 1974
Long before Beatlemania hit Britain, JOHNNIE RAY was the idol of the screamers and fainters. His highly emotional stage act included breaking down in tears ...
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 10 August 1974
Bad Company's formation has been a shot in the arm for Paul Rodgers – and he's raving over the band's tour of the States as ...
Crosby Stills Nash & Young: Love The One You're With!
Report and Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 10 August 1974
MILE HIGH STADIUM, as the name implies, is 1,760 yards high. That's a mile above sea level, but even so it sits at the foot ...
The Rolling Stones: Rolling Stones: Jagger – It's Time For A Change
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 10 August 1974
"SORRY I'm late." "It's all right Mick." "No – it's not all right." ...
The Jackson 5: Madison Square Garden, NYC
Live Review by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 10 August 1974
NEW YORK: There's something about Michael Jackson that is almost frightening to behold. How can it be possible for a kid that age to be ...
Johnny Mercer: Hey, Mr Tangerine Man!
Interview by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 17 August 1974
The name should be familiar — lyricist Johnny Mercer has written hundreds of hits — 'Moon River', 'Black Magic', 'Fools Rush In' among them. He ...
Yes: I'm Not Jumping Into Wakeman's Boots…It Will Be Different
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 17 August 1974
"THE TEXTURES are so rich...and they work so fast..." Patrick Moraz slipped a sidelong glance across the top of an amphitheatre of keyboards, a mixture ...
Mike Oldfield: High On The Ridge
Report and Interview by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 24 August 1974
Toy gliders, house-hunting and a jam with a harpsichordist in a restaurant. It's all happening on the Welsh Marches where Karl Dallas meets Mike Oldfield. ...
Rod Stewart: I Dream Of A Solo Concert
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 31 August 1974
"ANYTHING I say is not meant to be a blot on anyone's character...or trousers." ...
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 7 September 1974
From the Turtles via the Mothers and T. Rex to their own radio show. Chris Charlesworth meets Flo and Eddie in New York ...
Led Zeppelin: INSIDE PAGE — Exclusive! Zeppelin star opens up to Michael Watts
Interview by Michael Watts, Melody Maker, 7 September 1974
Jimmy Page is working hard on a new Zeppelin album and a film of the band shot mostly in the States. But he takes time ...
New York Dolls: The New York Dolls: Broken Dolls
Report by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 7 September 1974
NEW YORK: The many critics of the New York Dolls will doubtless be pleased to hear that their fortunes recently have spiralled downwards. Unless a ...
KC & the Sunshine Band: KC & Sunshine Band: Let The Sunshine In
Profile and Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 14 September 1974
ALTHOUGH it has yet to register in the US Top 100, 'Queen Of Clubs' by K. C. and the Sunshine Band represents the second big ...
Loudon Wainwright III: Loudon Wainwright: I Like To Be Laughed At
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 14 September 1974
...which is as good a reason as any for Loudon Wainwright to play a role in the weekly comedy TV series, Mash. He spoke to ...
Overview by Rob Partridge, Melody Maker, 28 September 1974
In his latest examination of a major record company, Robert Partridge visits Atlantic — the company that moved from R&B and Otis to rock and ...
Bad Company's Rodgers: No Compromises
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 28 September 1974
"MOOOOOVIN' ONNNN." Paul Rodgers stabs forward towards the microphone to deliver the lines pirouetting as he reaches the front of the stage and grabbing the ...
Black Oak Arkansas, Medicine Head: Rainbow Theatre, London
Live Review by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 28 September 1974
Pure hokum — but damn fine! ...
Black Oak Arkansas: "I don't need no thirty tons of drums to play heavy..."
Interview by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 28 September 1974
Tommy Aldridge, drummer with Black Oak Arkansas, talks to Karl Dallas ...
Hawkwind: How Hawkwind fell foul of the revenue men
Report and Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 28 September 1974
Chris Charlesworth, exclusively covering Hawkwind's American tour for MM, reports on a major setback for the sonic assassins ...
Leonard Cohen: New Skin For The Old Ceremony (CBS)
Review by Michael Watts, Melody Maker, 28 September 1974
LEONARD COHEN is an artist who worries a great many people. Dismissed on the one hand as pretentious, on the other as a plain old ...
Profile and Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 28 September 1974
IT WOULD be difficult to count the number of musicians who have eulogised about Little Feat over the past year. This little known band from ...
Mike Oldfield: I Can't Stand People Who Play Things Blandly...
Interview by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 28 September 1974
MIKE OLDFIELD and David Bedford looked worried as they started morosely into their glasses of orange juice. It was a measure of their anxiety that, ...
Sparks: Russell — I Hate Kids And Animals!
Interview by uncredited writer, Melody Maker, 28 September 1974
"HI", SAID dapper Ron Mael, rummaging in his shoulder bag. "Here — a present we brought back from Hamburg. It's a marzipan ham." ...
Lindisfarne, Traffic: Traffic, Lindisfarne: Academy of Music, New York NY
Live Review by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 28 September 1974
Terrible Traffic ...
Mabel Greer's Toyshop, The Syn, Yes: Yes: Quick Draw Chris
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 28 September 1974
CHRIS SQUIRE is like one of those old time marshals who casually patrol the toughest towns in the West. He's ten feet tall, slow movin', ...
Alvin Stardust: Devil in Disguise
Interview by Caroline Coon, Melody Maker, 5 October 1974
Alvin Stardust hasn't looked back since he returned to the charts a year ago. But as Caroline Coon finds out, his 'untouchable' image isn't the ...
Luther Grosvenor aka Ariel Bender: Ariel Bender: Hot Ariel
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 5 October 1974
Chris Welch meets ex-Mott guitarist Ariel Bender, now going solo ...
Robert Fripp, King Crimson: Robert Fripp: Why I Killed the King
Interview by Rob Partridge, Melody Maker, 5 October 1974
KING CRIMSON finally abdicated last week. But the end came with a whimper, an official statement merely commented that the band had "ceased to exist". ...
David Essex, Adam Faith: Stardust (Dir. Michael Apted)
Film/DVD/TV Review by Colin Irwin, Melody Maker, 12 October 1974
Stardust: the heavy side of pop ...
Report and Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 12 October 1974
Chris Charlesworth has a round – of golf, that is – with Alice Cooper in New York and finds the ghoul of rock is a ...
Bruce Springsteen: Avery Fisher Hall, New York NY
Live Review by Michael Watts, Melody Maker, 12 October 1974
Hail to the new genius! ...
Herbie Hancock, Minnie Riperton: Carnegie Hall, New York NY
Live Review by Michael Watts, Melody Maker, 12 October 1974
Coarse Hancock ...
Interview by Colin Irwin, Melody Maker, 19 October 1974
THE MAN once dubbed the "Face Of '68" sat in the cafe, quietly reflecting on his home country. He was once the most screamed at ...
The Bay City Rollers: Rollin' with the Rollers
Interview by Colin Irwin, Melody Maker, 19 October 1974
HELLO AND welcome to the BBC Television Centre at Shepherd's Bush. There's a lot of excitement... and chaos... here today, as always when they're making ...
Slade: Your Public Is Your Judge
Interview by Colin Irwin, Melody Maker, 19 October 1974
THEY CAME out of Wolverhampton. Failed skinheads who became the loudest, most aggressive stomping band in the land. A year ago nobody questioned it – ...
Bad Company: Kings Of The Castle!
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 26 October 1974
CLEARWELL CASTLE, Gloucestershire, Thursday – Mick Ralphs, clad in blue jeans, tee-shirts with Texas written on the front and dirty white fur-lined coat, hovers around ...
Genesis: The New Face Of Gabriel
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 26 October 1974
Don't lose hope, Genesis fans! Their tour may be cancelled, but there's a new album on the way. And the new-look Peter Gabriel has given ...
Steeleye Span: How a Goon Came To Play Ukelele
Report and Interview by Colin Irwin, Melody Maker, 26 October 1974
IT WAS like the coming of a new Messiah. Everyone sat around nervously awaiting the arrival of HIM, the man who was gonna make this ...
Deep Purple: Stormbringer (Purple Records)
Review by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 2 November 1974
'Stormbringer'; 'Love Don't Mean A Thing'; 'Holy Man'; 'Hold On'; 'Lady Double Dealer'; 'You Can't Do It Right'; 'High Ball Shooter'; 'The Gypsy'; 'Soldiers of ...
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 2 November 1974
THE FORTUNES of Deep Purple have taken strange paths over the past 12 months. But changes in line-up and strange stories about their antics in ...
Retrospective by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 2 November 1974
ABOUT ONE year ago this week Dick Clark, in his infinite wisdom, decided to host a ten year anniversary edition of his TV rock show ...
Sparks: Hometown Heroes At Last
Interview by Harvey Kubernik, Melody Maker, 2 November 1974
IT WAS a typical day in Los Angeles, hot and smoggy. 18-year-old Jeff exclaimed with glee clutching his autographed Sparks album, "They went to my ...
Labelle: Dinner and cards with Reggie
Profile and Interview by Michael Watts, Melody Maker, 9 November 1974
"I REMEMBER the time," says Sarah, "when we toured in England and Bluesology backed us. And Patti used to play cards with Reggie — Elton ...
Report by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 9 November 1974
"WELL, we are here and you are here so let's get started," announced a slightly apprehensive but essentially laid back Roger Waters from the stage ...
Pink Floyd: Usher Hall, Edinburgh
Live Review by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 9 November 1974
"WELL, WE ARE here and you are here so let's get started," announced a slightly apprehensive but essentially laid back Roger Waters from the stage ...
Report and Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 9 November 1974
"PEOPLE THINK I'm an ogre at times. Some girls hissed at me in the street...'You devil.' They think we're really nasty. But that's only on ...
Stevie Wonder: Further Fulfillingness
Interview by Wayne Robins, Melody Maker, 9 November 1974
STEVIE WONDER had to know: should he, could he, release part two of Fulfillingness' First Finale at the end of November? ...
The Bay City Rollers: Kings Of Pop!
Report by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 9 November 1974
IN THE same week that Muhammad Ali regained his heavyweight boxing title, the featherweight crown of pop, too, has changed hands. ...
Alvin Lee & Co: In Flight (Chrysalis)
Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 16 November 1974
CLAP YO' hands and stomp those feet, here's some funky music, you can't beat. ...
Greenslade: Greenslade Warming Up
Profile and Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 16 November 1974
THERE'S DEVIL'S work afoot in the world of rock (and indeed roll). Wot wiv the price of petrol and motorway chips it's a wonder there ...
Jethro Tull: Usher Hall, Edinburgh
Live Review by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 16 November 1974
RISE SIR Ian of Flute, for thou hast indeed redeemed thyself. The critics have had their way, the Passion Play has been forgotten and Jethro ...
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 16 November 1974
IN THE current era, when groups and artists come and go with alarming regularity, the continuing success of the Pink Floyd is a peculiar state ...
Dana Gillespie: Big Girls Don’t Cry…
Interview by Caroline Coon, Melody Maker, 23 November 1974
Dana Gillespie talks to Caroline Coon ...
Genesis: The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway (Charisma)
Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 23 November 1974
I WISH that rock musicians would learn the importance of self-editing. A few golden, miraculous notes, and some choice pithy words are worth all the ...
Baker-Gurvitz Army, Ginger Baker: Ginger Baker: Ginger Recruits An Army
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 23 November 1974
...and they're going into battle shortly with a new album and tour. Ginger Baker, ace drummer and member of the Lagos Polo Club, explains his ...
The Faces: Lewisham Odeon, London
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 23 November 1974
"NOW THIS is serious," said the dazzling figure of Rod Stewart, calling for order. "Me brother and sister are here and I'd like you to ...
The Miracles: Miracles Never Cease…
Interview by Harvey Kubernik, Melody Maker, 23 November 1974
LOS ANGELES: "I really loved touring with the English groups, back in 1963 and 1964. We used to tour with the Rolling Stones and people ...
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 30 November 1974
ROD ARGENT is a nice chap. Not one of your violent illiterates of rock prone to throwing pints of Guinness over the heads of passers-by, ...
Report and Interview by Michael Watts, Melody Maker, 30 November 1974
He laughed when critics called him "the new Dylan". But he stuck to his guns and he's now playing to ecstatic audiences. MICHAEL WATTS in ...
Report and Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 30 November 1974
A MYSTERIOIUS lack of bubble seems to be affecting Master Marc Bolan's latest offering, the Zip Gun Boogie, as it is known to those who ...
Johnny Mathis: Mathis: Wearing Sinatra's crown
Interview by Jacoba Atlas, Melody Maker, 30 November 1974
BACK IN the fifties, before some of today's most fervent rockers were talking, Johnny Mathis was making million-selling hits. He was, in fact, an institution. ...
Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 7 December 1974
Tex Comer (bass guitar), Fran Byrne (drums). Bam King (rhythm guitar), Phil Harris (lead guitar), Paul Carrack (organ, piano). Producer John Anthony. ...
Bad Company: City Hall, Newcastle
Live Review by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 7 December 1974
BAD COMPANY were big before they were born. Any band that included Paul Rodgers in its ranks and a bassist with the talents of Boz ...
Profile and Interview by Michael Watts, Melody Maker, 7 December 1974
When Billy Swan cut a solo single, things started to happen — and they kept on happening until he reached the American No 1 spot... ...
Larry Graham, The Isley Brothers: Isley Brothers, Graham Central Station: Felt Forum, New York NY
Live Review by Vicki Wickham, Melody Maker, 7 December 1974
NEW YORK: Graham Central Station kicked off the show at the Felt Forum last Sunday with their brand of Sly funk They aren't really like ...
The Temptations: Uris Theatre, New York NY
Live Review by Vicki Wickham, Melody Maker, 7 December 1974
NEW YORK: The Temptations at The Uris on Broadway should have been an event — but instead it was a backwards step, just like going ...
Report by Ed Jones, Melody Maker, 7 December 1974
REMEMBER HOW it was last year? Heathrow Airport swamped by thousands of fans welcoming the Osmonds flying in for a tour of Britain? Hordes of ...
Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 7 December 1974
Chris Squire (bass guitar), Jon Anderson (vocals), Patrick Moraz (keyboards), Steve Howe (guitar), Alan White (drums), Produced by Yes and Eddie Offord. Recorded on Eddie ...
Nosmo King: Disco Demand: Smashes — by demand
Interview by Rob Partridge, Melody Maker, 14 December 1974
MM looks at a new label that's notching up an impressive track record ...
Electric Light Orchestra: Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Harvey Kubernik, Melody Maker, 14 December 1974
LOS ANGELES: Playing their largest venue in Southern California, the Electric Light Orchestra thrilled a packed Shrine auditorium with its own brand of rock and ...
Eric Clapton: Hammersmith Odeon, London
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 14 December 1974
Clapton duels with Wood ...
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 14 December 1974
"I TELL YOU... England is the most exciting and beautiful country I have ever seen," says George McCrae, now two and a half weeks into ...
Gregg Allman: Felt Forum, New York NY
Live Review by Michael Watts, Melody Maker, 14 December 1974
Greg — mining the blues ...
Harry Chapin: Avery Fisher Hall, New York NY
Live Review by Michael Watts, Melody Maker, 14 December 1974
NEW YORK: The trouble with Harry is that he's such a goddam regular guy. The way he handles himself onstage, for instance. Like a scoutmaster, ...
Stevie Wonder: Forum, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Harvey Kubernik, Melody Maker, 14 December 1974
Stevie Wonder: painting in rock ...
Queen: Freddie Mercury: Queen Bee
Interview by Caroline Coon, Melody Maker, 21 December 1974
THERE'S NOTHING like a dearth of hero-stars to make a media industry writhe with despondency. Film moguls, unable to find successors to Monroe and Gable, ...
Lynyrd Skynyrd: Rainbow Theatre, London
Live Review by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 21 December 1974
I DOUBT very much whether Lynyrd Skynyrd, those Southern rock and rollers who take the stage to the strains of a tape of 'Dixie', could ...
The Beach Boys: Stepping Out Of The Surf
Interview by Harvey Kubernik, Melody Maker, 21 December 1974
LOS ANGELES; "Last week in Vancouver we sold out the Canadian National Exhibition Hall twice. We had 17,500 for each show and over 5,000 additional ...
The Guess Who: Guess Who's a smash!
Profile and Interview by Harvey Kubernik, Melody Maker, 28 December 1974
"I WANTED to buy some records, so I went collecting for UNICEF on Halloween and took the money," recalls the 26-year-old lead singer for the ...
Rory Gallagher: Play For Today, Tomorrow You Die
Report and Interview by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 1975
Rory rocks back to a supersonic reception in California. Harry Doherty is there... ...
Elton John: Hammersmith Odeon, London
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 4 January 1975
MAYBE IT WAS the pre-Christmas spirit or the entire packet of chocolate I had just consumed, but a lump rase in my throat during the ...
Lynsey De Paul: Pop’s Leading Lady
Interview by Caroline Coon, Melody Maker, 4 January 1975
After only three years in the music business, Lynsey De Paul is already a hit. And she’s not yet reached the peak of her talent. ...
The Faces, Strider: Kilburn State, London
Live Review by Ed Jones, Melody Maker, 4 January 1975
THE FAILURE of a headlining group to earn the expected encore from its partisan fans must be almost unheard-of these days, but Rod Stewart and ...
The Pasadena Roof Orchestra: Up On The Roof
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 4 January 1975
MAYBE it's a sign of the times, as the Seventies increasingly take on the atmosphere of gloom and uncertainty that pervaded the late twenties and ...
Baker-Gurvitz Army: Baker-Gurvitz Army (Vertigo)
Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 11 January 1975
WHAT BETTER WAY to start a new year than with an album that truly evokes a sense of occasion and excitement. ...
Doobie Brothers: Doobies — With Added Skunk
Report and Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 11 January 1975
KALAMAZOO: Over thirty guitars, mostly Gibsons, sit on racks in one dressing room and a wooden packing case in another contains suits of clothing that ...
Elton John: "It's Not All Down To Elton..."
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 11 January 1975
...he's just part of a band'. And that's the way Elton John's always wanted it, drummer Nigel Olsson tells CHRIS WELCH, in a rare behind-the-scenes ...
Larry Graham, Sly & the Family Stone: Larry Graham: Platform For Station
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 11 January 1975
OAKLAND: Few people can ever have listened to a Sly Stone record without experiencing a gut feeling as the bass guitar runs through its paces, ...
Little Feat: Real Dixie Chickens
Profile and Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 11 January 1975
LITTLE FEAT come to Europe with a high reputation to live up to. While the Doobie Brothers headline one of the two nights at each ...
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 11 January 1975
LOS ANGELES: For Montrose this is their second visit to the UK having played here as support act on a Status Quo tour earlier this ...
Profile by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 11 January 1975
BY FAR THE biggest ensemble to be visiting Europe on the Warners tour is Tower of Power, the Oakland based blues and soul outfit whose ...
Bob Dylan: Blood On The Tracks (CBS)
Review by Michael Watts, Melody Maker, 25 January 1975
DYLAN: Seeking gentler ground Special preview of Blood On The Tracks by MICHAEL WATTS ...
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 25 January 1975
A CURIOUS MARRIAGE of convenience. That is how the link between American lead guitarist Tommy Bolin and British speed rock band Deep Purple might appear ...
Doobie Brothers, Little Feat: Doobie Brothers/Little Feat: Rainbow Theatre, London
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 25 January 1975
CURIOUSER and curiouser. There was no denying the deserving nature of the ovation that greeted Little Feat the boogie band that plays more music than ...
The Ohio Players: Ohio Players: Ohio Fire
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 25 January 1975
With an album racing up the US charts, the Ohio Players are big timers. CHRIS CHARLESWORTH in New York meets the tour de force behind ...
Overview by Ed Jones, Melody Maker, 25 January 1975
How dying can be a good career move. ...
Chris Spedding: Spedding to a Goal
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 25 January 1975
LIFE CAN GO speeding by as any rock and roller will tell you. When you are as good a musician as Chris Spedding, there is ...
Suzi Quatro: Your Momma Won't Like It
Interview by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 25 January 1975
...but black leather isn't all there is to Suzi Quatro explains KARL DALLAS ...
The Winkies: Kings Road Theatre, London
Live Review by Ed Jones, Melody Maker, February 1975
BY FAR THE MOST SUCCESSFUL MOMENTS of The Winkies' concert at the King's Road Theatre, London, on Sunday night came during the performances of two ...
David Bowie: Cracked Actor (BBC 1)
Film/DVD/TV Review by Michael Watts, Melody Maker, 1 February 1975
I WOULDN'T care to examine the merits and de-merits of David Bowie on the strength of last Sunday's Omnibus programme on him. Titled Cracked Actor ...
Led Zeppelin: Whole Lotta Zeppelin!
Report by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 1 February 1975
Chris Charlesworth reports from Chicago ...
Barry Manilow: From a Jingle to a Scream
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 8 February 1975
Chris Charlesworth in New York meets Barry Manilow, who made Number One in the States with 'Mandy' — and looks set for a hit in ...
Bobby "Blue" Bland: Bobby Bland: Whisky A Go Go, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Harvey Kubernik, Melody Maker, 8 February 1975
LOS ANGELES: At a time when today's music seems to be suffering from forced theatrics, and a lack of talent disguised in glitter and gold, ...
Review by Rob Partridge, Melody Maker, 8 February 1975
IT'S CURIOUS that Maggie Bell still hasn't got her name up there in lights. ...
Manhattan Transfer: Cafe Carlyle, New York NY
Live Review by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 8 February 1975
NEW YORK: While nostalgia for the 'fifties seems to have run its course, nostalgia for the 'thirties has taken a jolt in New York with ...
Led Zeppelin: Robert Plant: Recording's No Race For Us
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 8 February 1975
WITH WEEKS of the current Led Zeppelin tour under his belt, Robert Plant is feeling the strain. One show has been cancelled because he caught ...
Interview by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 8 February 1975
STOMU YAMASHTA was looking pretty chipper for someone who's been getting just two hours sleep a night for the past month. For a man who ...
Syl Johnson: Johnson — A Rough Gem
Interview by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 8 February 1975
AFTER HIS first visit to Britain, guitarist-singer-songwriter Syl Johnson returned last weekend to his home, outside Chicago. His final gigs were at Barbarella's in Birmingham ...
Alexis Korner: Why Alexis Won't Join The Stones
Interview by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 15 February 1975
ALEXIS KORNER laughed, his suntanned face creasing up into laughter lines, his body rocking very gently back and forth. "Oh," he said. "No way." ...
Interview by Colin Irwin, Melody Maker, 15 February 1975
SHE CAME down to London from fields afar, a cute little northern lass who was gonna be Britain's new first lady of rock. They all ...
Review by Rob Partridge, Melody Maker, 15 February 1975
DON COVAY'S resurrection as an artist was one of the brightest events of last year. His 'It's Better To Have' made number 21 in the ...
Interview by Caroline Coon, Melody Maker, 15 February 1975
Kiki Dee, sitting in the ritzy bar of the Hotel Metropol in Monte Carlo, is looking thoughtfully at the clinking ice cubes which she is ...
Report and Interview by Harvey Kubernik, Melody Maker, 15 February 1975
LOS ANGELES: "We sold out two houses in Detroit at 12,000 each and were the biggest thing to hit the city since the Beatles. People ...
Leo Sayer: One Man Band No Longer
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 15 February 1975
WHEN LITTLE Leo Sayer does his Michael Crawford impersonation and becomes disaster prone Frank, protective instincts are aroused, and folk cluster around to prevent him ...
Louis Jordan: A First Class Original
Obituary by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 15 February 1975
MAX JONES pays tribute to a fine blues singer/alto player ...
Marlene Dietrich: Wimbledon Theatre, London
Live Review by Michael Watts, Melody Maker, 15 February 1975
MARLENE DIETRICH: what is there left to say about her, except that the Blue Angel is now bluing a little around the edges? But even ...
The Age of Atlantic: Making Tracks, Charlie Gillett (W.H. Allen)
Book Review by Rob Partridge, Melody Maker, 15 February 1975
Robert Partridge reviews a major new book about one of America's most important record labels. ...
Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin: The Age of Atlantic: Jerry Wexler
Interview by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 15 February 1975
Max Jones talks to Jerry Wexler, famed producer of Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles and Maggie Bell, among others — and a vice-chairman of Atlantic ...
Geoff Muldaur: Blues Is The Basis
Interview by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 22 February 1975
You're probably more familiar with Maria — but Geoff Muldaur has an impressive track record of his own, taking in the legendary Blues Project, the ...
Disco-Tex and his Sex-O-Lettes: How Disco-Tex Got Dancin'
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 22 February 1975
"MY FIRST single? Ha... ha... ha... that was about ten years ago. Wes Farrell wrote it in his car on the way to the recording ...
Ewan MacColl: MacColl — a true Critic
Interview by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 22 February 1975
AS LONG as I can remember, there hasn't been a time when Ewan MacColl hasn't had a major project in the offing, which has influenced ...
Martin Carthy: Shearwater (Mooncrest)
Review by Colin Irwin, Melody Maker, 22 February 1975
MORE RE-RELEASING of supposed folk classics from Mooncrest, although this one doesn't have quite the same aura as the others that have emerged from the ...
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 22 February 1975
"I'M SORRY, sir, you can't smoke in here." A matronly figure approached a table, where the MM was partaking of sugar-free fruit cake and unsweetened tea, and ...
The Charlie Daniels Band: The South Rises Again
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 22 February 1975
Southern bands like the Allmans, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Wet Willie have smashed their way to the top of American rock. Now add a new name ...
Elton John: Baileys Club, Watford
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 1 March 1975
THEY DON'T strike medals for rock stars — do they? A pity, because E. John, singer and songwriter of this parish, deserved some kind of ...
Ewan MacColl, Peggy Seeger: Ewan MacColl: Acoustic is best!
Interview by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 1 March 1975
Karl Dallas concludes his interview with Ewan MacColl ...
Leonard Cohen: Cohen's New Skin
Interview by Harvey Kubernik, Melody Maker, 1 March 1975
LOS ANGELES: "For a while, I didn't think there was going to be another album. I pretty well felt that I was washed up as ...
Queen: Avery Fisher Hall, New York NY
Live Review by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 1 March 1975
Queen steam to new success ...
Review by Colin Irwin, Melody Maker, 1 March 1975
Elton gets lost ...
Profile and Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 8 March 1975
AIN'T IT just like the February sunshine to play tricks with the mind? Here I am, sat aboard the Long Island Railroad Express, rattling out ...
Bruce Springsteen: Westbury Music Fair, Jericho NY
Live Review by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 8 March 1975
NEW YORK: Bruce Springsteen, an artist whose talent has inspired respected critics to fawn like teenage groupies, took over the revolving stage of the Westbury ...
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 8 March 1975
It's a busy time for JOHN LENNON – hit singles, a new album of oldies and recording with Elton John and and David Bowie. Plus ...
Report and Interview by Harvey Kubernik, Melody Maker, 8 March 1975
LOS ANGELES: In the last six months, he's jammed with Ray Manzarek at the Whiskey, played with John Sebastian at the Troubadour and recently, at ...
Roxy Music: Academy of Music, New York NY
Live Review by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 8 March 1975
NEW YORK: Roxy Music's apparent inability to register any real commercial success in the USA can, I feel, be blamed on their refusal to attempt ...
Blue Öyster Cult, The Faces: The Faces, Blue Oyster Cult: Madison Square Garden, New York NY
Live Review by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 8 March 1975
Faces bring back the fun ...
Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 8 March 1975
Recordings between 1969-1971 including material from Yes and Time And A Word. ...
Caravan, Renaissance: Caravan and Renaissance: Rainbow Theatre, London
Live Review by Ed Jones, Melody Maker, 9 March 1975
NO DOUBT YOU WILL NOTICED the double page ads in the music press extolling the virtues of Caravan and Renaissance, and pointing to their enthusiastic ...
The Who: Tommy the Movie: Hype-Hype-Hype-Hooray?
Report and Interview by Ed Jones, Melody Maker, 22 March 1975
"TOMMY IS THE GREATEST WORK OF ART the 20th century has produced." So says Ken Russell. He should know: he's just directed the film of ...
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 22 March 1975
ALVIN LEE is getting into self-sufficiency. Along with many fellow Britons, alarmed at the daily news, he is determined to make full use of the ...
Don McLean: How A Hobo Could Save McLean From Endless Pie
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 22 March 1975
THE BIZARRE tale of a black hobo with one leg who fell from a Dallas bound train in the early part of this century and ...
Report and Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 22 March 1975
HARRY CHAPIN, the singer who tells stories rather than sings songs, has recently moved his craft a giant leap forward with the opening of The ...
Jackson C. Frank: Frankly Speaking
Retrospective by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 22 March 1975
MM's series on the underrated musicians of yesterday. This week: JACKSON C. FRANK ...
Soft Machine: Parc des Expositions, Paris
Live Review by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 22 March 1975
PARIS. DEAR Comrade. Here is my report on the delegation of British musicians to the rally of French Communist youth in the Parc des Expositions ...
The Chambers Brothers, Kokomo: Bottom Line, New York NY
Live Review by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 22 March 1975
Kokomo keep the faith ...
Bad Company: Straight Shooter (Island)
Review by Rob Partridge, Melody Maker, 29 March 1975
BAD COMPANY were the most remarkable success story of 1974. The band hit number one in the American charts with their first album, became headliners ...
Profile and Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 29 March 1975
NO QUESTION about it. Styx were stuck. Their second album had lain on the record warehouse shelves for two years doing nothing but gather dust. ...
Barry Manilow: Troubadour, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Harvey Kubernik, Melody Maker, 5 April 1975
Barry becomes a star ...
Gloria Gaynor, Labelle, Barry White: Disco: "Kids Want Something Different — This Is It!"
Report and Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 5 April 1975
...so says Billy Smith, an expert on New York's booming discos. In a country where radio rules, it's an amazing phenomenon. CHRIS CHARLESWORTH reports... ...
Live Review by Colin Irwin, Rob Partridge, Melody Maker, 5 April 1975
Yee-hah for the cowboys! Colin Irwin and Robert Partridge review Wembley's giant country festival ...
Profile and Interview by Harvey Kubernik, Melody Maker, 5 April 1975
GLEN CAMPBELL, due in Britain next week for a major tour, and with a new album, Reunion, recorded with Jim Webb, talks to Harvey Kubernik ...
Rick Wakeman: Next Stop – The Gods
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 5 April 1975
RICK WAKEMAN on ice! It takes a cool nerve to launch a rock extravaganza in an area normally the preserve of pantomimes and hockey, but ...
T-Bone Walker: T-Bone — Showman and Guitar Pioneer
Obituary by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 5 April 1975
Max Jones pays tribute to T-Bone Walker ...
Alice Cooper: Alice's Tasteful Nightmare
Live Review by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 12 April 1975
THE NEW Alice Cooper Revue, which opened in Chicago last week and moved on to Detroit and Cincinnati, is yet another step forward in the ...
Allen Toussaint: Southern Nights (Reprise K 54021)
Review by Rob Partridge, Melody Maker, 12 April 1975
Testimony to Toussaint ...
Love Unlimited, Barry White: Barry White, Love Unlimited: Shubert Theatre, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Harvey Kubernik, Melody Maker, 12 April 1975
Too much love! ...
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 12 April 1975
Top-rated guitarist JOE WALSH – due in Britain in June – talks to Chris Charlesworth in Iowa ...
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 12 April 1975
MINNIE RIPERTON is as fizzy as a soda bottle shaken on a hot summer day. Life, it is reassuring to know, can be enjoyed even ...
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 12 April 1975
HOLLYWOOD: On a clear day Glenn Frey can see from his living room right out to sea, right across the Pacific to Catalina, the island ...
Live Review by Idris Walters, Melody Maker, 12 April 1975
ATLANTIC'S Supersoul On-Tour '75 (direct descendant from the sixties' Stax/Volt Review) hit the Manchester Opera House after a successful opening night at the Liverpool Empire. ...
Tom Paxton: Something In My Life (Mam)
Review by Colin Irwin, Melody Maker, 12 April 1975
THIS IS PROBABLY the most undistinguished album Paxton has ever made. Maybe it's no coincidence, but his first album on the same label as Gilbert ...
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 19 April 1975
Stylistics, Sweet Sensation, Chi-Lites — all top names in the world of sweet soul music. But there's only one boss — AL GREEN. And no ...
Carly Simon: Carly — playing possum
Interview by Jacoba Atlas, Melody Maker, 19 April 1975
A FEW months ago, with surprisingly little fanfare, Carly Simon, husband James Taylor and daughter Sarah slipped into Los Angeles for what has become an ...
Report and Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 19 April 1975
Three years ago German rock bands like Can and Amon Duul took Britain by storm. Now Kraftwerk are spearheading an assault of new Kraut-Rock groups ...
Tammy Wynette: Truckers' Choice
Interview by Rob Partridge, Melody Maker, 19 April 1975
No-one captures the ideals of Middle America quite like Tammy Wynette. And she's got the hits to prove it — an astounding 24 Number Ones. ...
Cado Belle, Slik: Slik and Cado Belle: Scotland The Rave!
Report by Ed Jones, Melody Maker, 26 April 1975
GLASGOW'S GLAMOROUS art deco pleasure palace, the Apollo Discotheque, seethes with expectant energy, awaiting Slik, a flash four-piece of unashamedly commercial pop ambitions. ...
Allen Toussaint: Southern Nights
Profile and Interview by Rob Partridge, Melody Maker, 3 May 1975
Way down yonder in New Orleans, ALLEN TOUSSAINT is an ace hitmaker. He's had a hand in such classics as 'Mother-In-Law', 'Land of 1,000 Dances' ...
Bill Monroe: Grand Ole Opry, Newmarket, Suffolk
Live Review by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 3 May 1975
EVERYONE SAID we'd gone to the wrong concert. The second of Monroe's two bluegrass concerts at Newmarket's Grand Ole Opry on Sunday was the one ...
Drums of Rasta: Roundhouse, London
Live Review by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 3 May 1975
THEY START with a simple, slow double beat on the drums. There are between 20 and 30 of them spread across London's Roundhouse stage, all ...
Ella Fitzgerald: Queen of Song
Interview by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 3 May 1975
Ella Fitzgerald — who has just completed a week at London's Ronnie Scott club — talks to MAX JONES ...
Little Feat: Philosophy of the Feat
Interview by Rob Partridge, Melody Maker, 3 May 1975
"LITTLE FEAT are flukes," says Lowell George, "and the flukes just can't be stopped. In the end they balance out the monstrosities of 'formula' music." ...
Richard and Linda Thompson: Queen Elizabeth Hall, London
Live Review by Colin Irwin, Melody Maker, 3 May 1975
IT WAS a night steeped in nostalgia. One of those occasions when the event was more important and ultimately more memorable than the music. Lots ...
Elton John: Elton's Bitter Sweet Album
Report and Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 10 May 1975
Chris Charlesworth in New York previews Elton John's new album Captain Fantastic And The Brown Dirt Cowboy – and talks to the man himself... ...
Joe Walsh: Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Harvey Kubernik, Melody Maker, 10 May 1975
LOS ANGELES: Through his work with the James Gang, Barnstorm and more recently with his solo endeavours, Joe Walsh has earned the respect and recognition ...
Leo Sayer: Leo Raises His Glasses
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 10 May 1975
LITTLE Leo Sayer leaned across and asked with his usual charm and courtesy: "Have you got any matches?" A surprising request from a non-smoker, but ...
Jeff Beck, Mahavishnu Orchestra: Mahavishnu Orchestra, Jeff Beck: Avery Fisher Hall, New York NY
Live Review by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 10 May 1975
NEW YORK: The pairing of John McLaughlin and Jeff Beck proved to be a guitarist's delight at the Avery Fisher Hall on Wednesday and Thursday ...
Maria Muldaur: Maria's Magic Moment
Profile and Interview by Rob Partridge, Melody Maker, 10 May 1975
ENCORE time at Stony Brook, Long Island. Maria Muldaur had just finished an impressive set and the kids were yelling out for more of the ...
Interview by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 17 May 1975
SEVEN YEARS ago, Desmond Dekker was a raw, gangling boy from St Thomas, Jamaica. ...
Gil Scott-Heron: Black Interpreter
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 17 May 1975
NEW YORK: "I hear they're asking Rockefeller to investigate the CIA. Well now, in my opinion that's stupid. Asking Rockefeller what's wrong with the CIA ...
Nils Lofgren: Training To Do A Guitar Flip!
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 17 May 1975
NEW YORK: "It's not that I don't like playing with Neil Young," said Nils Lofgren between shots on the pool table in A&M's office last ...
Seals and Crofts: Two's Company
Interview by Colin Irwin, Melody Maker, 17 May 1975
JIMMY SEALS is wearing an extremely smart tweedy outfit like he's an advert for Hardy Amies. He's got those granny spectacles and he leans back ...
Herbie Mann: Discotheque (Atlantic)
Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 31 May 1975
THE STANDARD of musicianship in New York is really quite frightening at times. This is an Atlantic studios session in which Herbie, the flute playing ...
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 31 May 1975
Judy Collins – back in the MM chart with a hit single, 'Send In The Clowns' – talks to Chris Charlesworth in New York ...
Wings: Paul McCartney: Abbey Road Revisited
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 31 May 1975
WINGS flew over Soho this week. But these were of musical origin and did not belong to the rather grubby pigeons that haunt London's home ...
Dion, Phil Spector: Phil Spector: He's A Rebel
Report and Interview by Harvey Kubernik, Melody Maker, 31 May 1975
THE OCCASION is Professor Phil Spector's guest lecture at the Sherwood Oaks Experimental College record-producing seminar. Last time Phil talked at the school was in ...
Wings: Venus And Mars (EMI PCTC 254)
Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 31 May 1975
Wings: shooting stars! ...
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 7 June 1975
THE TWO guitarists, one long and lean and the other short and cuddly, twizzle forth in a grinding motion that reminds me of a curious ...
Hunter-Ronson, Ian Hunter, Mick Ronson: Hunter-Ronson: Till Death Us Do Part
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 14 June 1975
Forget all the rumours, Hunter-Ronson are still happily married, as they tell Chris Charlesworth ...
Tammy Wynette: Going UP Country
Report by Rob Partridge, Melody Maker, 14 June 1975
How come a seven-year-old single, re-issued for the fifth time, made it to number one? Robert Partridge gets the full story behind Tammy Wynette's 'Stand ...
Tammy Wynette: Hammersmith Odeon, London
Live Review by Rob Partridge, Melody Maker, 14 June 1975
THREE MONTHS ago Tammy Wynette was little more than cowboy fodder in Britain, appealing only to a small body of country freaks. But, one smasheroo ...
The Beach Boys, Chicago: Beachago: The Beach Boys meet Chicago
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 21 June 1975
PERHAPS THE MOST the most interesting side-effect of the depression in the United States has been the decision of two potential headliners to go out ...
Elton John: I Want To Chug, Not Race
Interview by Caroline Coon, Melody Maker, 21 June 1975
IN AMSTERDAM LAST WEEK, while canals evaporated in the heat wave, eight musicians and three singers were stirring the sluggish air with an electric sound ...
Led Zeppelin: John Bonham: Over The Hills And Far Away…
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 21 June 1975
GOSSIP IN THE village was running riot. John up at the farm was going to buy The Chequers. The American in the bar of another ...
Overview by Dave Laing, Melody Maker, 21 June 1975
In this exclusive extract from a major new rock book, The Electric Muse, Dave Laing investigates the post-Woodstock singer/songwriter syndrome, and charts the rise in ...
Ritchie Blackmore, Deep Purple: Blackmore: I Was Getting Lazy
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 28 June 1975
RITCHIE BLACKMORE'S DEPARTURE from Deep Purple comes as no surprise to followers of Deep Purple who have watched their activities closely over the years. For ...
Profile by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 28 June 1975
AMERICAN BANDS USUALLY fall into one of two categories. They are either denim-clad cowpokes, bearded, laidback to the point of collapse, drinking corn liquor from ...
Little Richard's Big Troubles, Part 1
Live Review by Ed Jones, Melody Maker, 28 June 1975
Part 1: Lewisham "TURN THE BAND DOWN!" bawls a lady who may have been a teenager in the '50s. "Turn the bloody band down!" This, and ...
Pacific Eardrum, Big Jim Sullivan: Big Jim Sullivan: Mister Guitar
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 5 July 1975
From Eddie Cochran to the Bay City Rollers, taking in Tom Jones, the Kinks, the Small Faces and hundreds of others. The career of BIG ...
Captain Beefheart — Pre-Knebworth Interview
Interview by Ed Jones, Melody Maker, 5 July 1975
"SO THAT band is called Mallard, eh? Well, they'd better duck! Just a bunch of quacks!" So quips Captain Beefheart, briefly in town for his ...
Little Richard's Big Troubles, Part 2
Report and Interview by Ed Jones, Melody Maker, 5 July 1975
Part 2: Dunstable & the European Saga "IT'S NICE TO LET THEM KNOW that you are not IN THE WAY, that you ARE THE WAY, that ...
Aerosmith: Toys In The Attic (CBS 80773)
Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 12 July 1975
AEROSMITH BRING hope from America. They're not a new Steely Dan, or even yet another variation on the Doobie Brothers. Yet they are most people's ...
Bryan Ferry, Roxy Music: Bryan Ferry: Putting On The Style
Interview by Caroline Coon, Melody Maker, 12 July 1975
The elusive Bryan Ferry, reviver of oldies and singer with Roxy Music, talks to Caroline Coon In 1971, when Bryan Ferry flew into the ...
Rufus: Chaka: I Feel Sexless on Stage
Interview by Colin Irwin, Melody Maker, 12 July 1975
CHAKA KHAN is a bit like a furry golly. She flops in front of the telly, cheering for Connors at Wimbledon, giggling and proudly displaying ...
Interview by Ed Jones, Melody Maker, 12 July 1975
March 2020 Note: At the time, I took his final comments as being just a rough Glaswegian joke. Unfortunately, it seems it was no more ...
Average White Band: Cut The Cake (Atlantic)
Review by Rob Partridge, Melody Maker, 19 July 1975
Hamish Stuart (guitar, vocals), Alan Gorrie (bass, vocals), Onnie Mclntyre (guitar), Roger Ball (keyboards, alto and baritone saxophones), Malcolm Duncan (tenor saxophone), Stephen Ferrone (drums, ...
Colosseum: Jon Hiseman: Why I've Re-formed Colosseum
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 19 July 1975
DRUMS HAVE BEEN rumbling down in darkest South London, underneath the railway arches. Drums and guitars competing with the rumble of trains overhead, and grim ...
Rory Gallagher: Rory Gets The Acoustic Bug
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 19 July 1975
RORY GALLAGHER made two startling discoveries during his week at the Montreux Festival. One was that Swiss beer has remarkably potent characteristics, despite its deceptively ...
Review by Caroline Coon, Melody Maker, 19 July 1975
I'M SATISFIED with this album, but I wish I could be more enthusiastic as Stephen Stills has both created and had a hand in creating ...
The Chieftains: Montreux Music Festival, Switzerland
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 19 July 1975
THE CHIEFTAINS MADE much of contemporary rock music sound a shallow fraud, when they took the stage of the Montreux Music Festival in Switzerland last ...
Bob Marley & the Wailers: Bob Marley: Wailin'
Report and Interview by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 26 July 1975
After two amazing gigs last week in London, Bob Marley is being universally hailed as reggae's first superstar. Karl Dallas watches the Wailers in action ...
Captain and Tennille: Captain Fantastic
Profile and Interview by Harvey Kubernik, Melody Maker, 26 July 1975
IN SEPTEMBER 1973, two Chatsworth residents recorded a song, 'The Way I Want To Touch You'. Subscribing to the Phil Spector school of self-distribution, they ...
Live Review by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 26 July 1975
IF ANYONE wants to know where the underground is, from which British rock is to get its next and much-needed injection of musical energy, they ...
Interview by Colin Irwin, Melody Maker, 26 July 1975
A CLUTCH of nubile girls are usefully spending their school holidays hanging around outside the Bell Record Company offices in the hope of a glimpse ...
Maria Muldaur: Ronnie Scott's, London
Live Review by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 26 July 1975
THE TROUBLE with Maria Muldaur is that she is so Goddamn talented it could make you sick. At Ronnie Scott's London, she was all the ...
Live Review by Ed Jones, Melody Maker, 26 July 1975
HOLES IN THE MOTÖRHEAD ...
Pete Wingfield: Breakfast Special (Island)
Review by Rob Partridge, Melody Maker, 26 July 1975
THE ONLY question this album leaves unresolved is why no one thought of recording Pete Wingfield before. ...
Interview by Harvey Kubernik, Melody Maker, 26 July 1975
Drummer Ed Cassidy talks about the new-look Spirit – and explains why a band of '67 is still hunting the big-time ...
Freda Payne, The Stylistics: The Stylistics, Freda Payne: Cunard International Hotel, London
Live Review by Rob Partridge, Melody Maker, 26 July 1975
THE STYLISTICS came onstage around midnight and, judging by the yawns on many people's faces, it wasn't a moment too soon. London's Cunard International Hotel ...
Billy Preston, The Rolling Stones: Billy Preston: Like a Rolling Stone
Interview by Harvey Kubernik, Melody Maker, 2 August 1975
"We're a family," says Billy Preston of his current tour of the U.S. with the Stones. And in addition to that, he's just released a ...
Duane Eddy: New Victoria, London
Live Review by Ed Jones, Melody Maker, 2 August 1975
THE DOG WAS GREAT! Well, it wasn't actually a dog, it was a man. The one who used to do all the yelps and howls ...
Interview by Colin Irwin, Melody Maker, 2 August 1975
IT'S A BIT disconcerting when you're having a perfectly innocent conversation and the guy you're talking to suddenly brandishes a knife beneath your nose. Not ...
Maria Muldaur: Maria Hangs Loose
Interview by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 2 August 1975
Maria Muldaur, the American singer who has just completed a highly-successful week at London's Ronnie Scott Club, talks to KARL DALLAS ...
Rod Stewart: Atlantic Crossing (Warner Bros.)
Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 2 August 1975
Producer: Tom Dowd. Musicians include Barry Beckett (keyboards), Steve Cropper (guitar), Duck Dunn (bass), Al Jackson and Nigel Olsson (drums), and Memphis Horns (brass). ...
The Faces, Rod Stewart: Rod Stewart: Sorely Taxed
Report and Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 2 August 1975
The Faces may split ...
Smokie: Smokey: No Smokey Without Fire…
Profile and Interview by Colin Irwin, Melody Maker, 2 August 1975
THE NEWS that Chinn and Chapman had signed a new band was predictably greeted by the music business with one big yawn. What would this ...
The Stylistics: Sing, Baby, Sing!
Profile and Interview by Colin Irwin, Melody Maker, 2 August 1975
ABUSE COMES too easily. The Stylistics are the masters of sweet soul, the kings of lush sentiment, and the lords of overstated romance. Even their ...
Cannonball Adderley: Cannonball — Sax Supremo
Obituary by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 16 August 1975
Chris Welch remembers Julian Adderley, who died on Friday ...
Cecil Taylor: A Piano is an Orchestra
Interview by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 16 August 1975
...says CECIL TAYLOR, a controversial figure ever since he erupted at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1957 with his quartet, but even those who dislike ...
James Taylor: Universal Amphitheatre, LA
Live Review by Harvey Kubernik, Melody Maker, 16 August 1975
JAMES TAYLOR'S UNIVERSAL Amphitheatre gig, though predictable at times, established new beginnings for the folkster as he returned to the Southland for the first time ...
Interview by Harvey Kubernik, Melody Maker, 16 August 1975
ANAHEIM: Forty miles from Los Angeles, Johnny Cash sits in the Royal Inn Hotel. Cash is in town to promote his autobiography, Man In Black, ...
Procol Harum: Palladum, London
Live Review by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 16 August 1975
IT COULD WELL have been two different bands appearing at the London Palladium on Sunday. The first was a shambling, incohesive bunch whose dull, plodding ...
Rick Wakeman: Liszten To Rick!
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 16 August 1975
Lisztomania is quite a movie, says Rick Wakeman. He plays Thor in the film, as well as producing the music, and he tells Chris Welch ...
The Meters: Fire On The Bayou (Reprise K45044)
Review by Rob Partridge, Melody Maker, 16 August 1975
Meters set the bayou afire ...
Biddu, Carl Douglas: Biddu's Indian Summer
Profile and Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 23 August 1975
INDIA CONJURES up a variety of images in the mind of the British; steaming curries, turbans and saris, travel by elephant, and an accent superbly ...
Demis Roussos: It's all Greek to Britain
Interview by Colin Irwin, Melody Maker, 23 August 1975
COLIN IRWIN talks to Demis Roussos ...
Dr. Feelgood: 1975 Orange Festival, France
Live Review by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 23 August 1975
ON PAPER, Saturday evening looked to be the least attractive evening of the festival but it was, in fact, a triumph for Dr Feelgood, who ...
Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 23 August 1975
HOWEVER ERIC CLAPTON spent his couple of years in isolation from the world, he returned to active performing refreshed and revitalised. ...
Genesis, Peter Gabriel: Genesis to Revelation
Obituary by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 23 August 1975
AS PETER GABRIEL QUITS GENESIS, CHRIS WELCH RECALLS A GREAT BRITISH BAND ...
Genesis, Peter Gabriel: Peter Gabriel Quits Genesis
Report and Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 23 August 1975
THE MELODY MAKER last week front-paged the growing doubts about Gabriel's future in the band. Reports, denied by the management of Genesis, indicated that Gabriel ...
Buddy Holly: The Legend Lives On
Retrospective by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 11 September 1975
"DEAR BUDDY, I have several records of yours and my favourite is 'Oh Boy'. Please send me a picture with your autograph." With the constant ...
The Bay City Rollers: Inside the Bay City Rollers' Camp
Interview by Caroline Coon, Melody Maker, 13 September 1975
"WHEN ANYONE slates us, you can bet they’ve never heard our own stuff – Derek is a brilliant drummer" ...
Interview by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 20 September 1975
A HATCHET-wielding psychopath was on the loose in the next room. In the circumstances, it was beyond comprehension how Lol Creme could present a gleaming ...
Santana: Guitarists Bore Me To Tears
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 20 September 1975
OF ALL the great groups to have emerged out of San Francisco since the mid-sixties, Santana have retained a musical credibility that surpasses their home ...
Leo Sayer: Sayer: “L.A. is Music's Capital, New York second, London Only Third”
Profile and Interview by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 20 September 1975
"I FEEL I’m at my peak, I’m doing my best work ever now." Little Leo Sayer is back. The location is London’s Cunard International Hotel ...
Jon Anderson, Yes: Yes: When We're Perfect, We'll Stop
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 20 September 1975
"IT'S BEEN a marvellous year for us, and hopefully it will get even better in 1976, but although we aim for perfection, I hope we ...
Wanda Jackson, George Jones: George Jones, Wanda Jackson: Hammersmith Odeon, London
Live Review by Rob Partridge, Melody Maker, 27 September 1975
GEORGE JONES is one of the major stars of American country music but, without the help of a chart single to attract the MOR audience, ...
The Carter Family, Johnny Cash: Johnny Cash: Royal Festival Hall, London
Live Review by Colin Irwin, Melody Maker, 27 September 1975
Cash — the legend lives on ...
Interview by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 27 September 1975
Kraftwerk are happiest when surrounded with technology and artificial items. Karl Dallas reports ...
Jethro Tull: The Jethro Tull Story
Interview by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 27 September 1975
"I want to justify the place on my passport where it says 'Occupation: musician'. I feel that I've not yet really justified that" Harry Doherty ...
The Hollies: Fairfield Hall, Croydon
Live Review by Ed Jones, Melody Maker, October 1975
THE HOLLIES COULD EASILY BE DREADFUL. If they were even a quarter-tone out of tune, those three-part harmony choruses, supported by the Sixties pop instrumentation, ...
Art Garfunkel: Art For Art's Sake
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 11 October 1975
ART GARFUNKEL cut an odd dash at the Top of the Pops rehearsals last week. Slotted between Pan's People and Mud and closely followed by ...
The Faces, Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, The Who: Bands On The Run From The Taxman?
Report by Ed Jones, Melody Maker, 11 October 1975
THE PIONEER of psychoanalysis, Sigmund Freud, defined the artist's aims as "fame, wealth, power, and the love of women." Though no one has yet found ...
Interview by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 11 October 1975
IT'S NO MERE coincidence that an Ozzie Osbourne song on the new Black Sabbath album is called 'Am I Going Insane?' Ozzie, who professes that ...
The Isley Brothers: Isley Brothers: Heat's Still On Isleys
Interview by Harvey Kubernik, Melody Maker, 11 October 1975
LOS ANGELES: The Isleys' latest album, The Heat Is On, recently hit number one in America, but for as long as there's been rock and ...
Leo Sayer: Winter Gardens, Bournemouth
Live Review by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 11 October 1975
LEO SAYER IS in danger of losing fans if he persists in forcing his personality on audiences, as he did when his British tour opened ...
Supertramp: 'Tramp On The March
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 11 October 1975
FOR ALL THAT has been heard of Supertramp during the past six months, you could be forgiven for doubting their very existence. ...
The Who: Bingley Hall, Stafford
Live Review by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 11 October 1975
LIKE MOUNTAINEERS tottering on the brink of some huge ravine, the Who crashed into their first tour in over two years at the weekend and, ...
Ike & Tina Turner: Tina Turner: Acid Queen
Interview by Harvey Kubernik, Melody Maker, 11 October 1975
"WE TOURED FOR years with all the English groups and I always liked what they were singing about. ...
Black Sabbath: Hammersmith Odeon, London
Live Review by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 1 November 1975
FOR SOME bizarre reason, 3,000 kids got off on Black Sabbath's antics at Hammersmith Odeon last Wednesday night. Ozzie Osbourne and cohorts had the fans ...
Lynyrd Skynyrd, Sutherland Brothers and Quiver: Hammersmith Odeon, London
Live Review by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 1 November 1975
IF PROOF was needed that Lynyrd Skynyrd have broken Britain's back, then a visit to Hammersmith Odeon on Monday night would have persuaded the harshest ...
Profile and Interview by Rob Partridge, Melody Maker, 1 November 1975
THE CHOCOLATE-smothered Rice Krispies cup cake lay half-eaten on the plate, neglected after the first bite. Tanya, it seemed, was not in the best of ...
David Bowie: Back With 'Oddity'
Report by Ed Jones, Melody Maker, 8 November 1975
BASICALLY A high-class novelty record, 'Space Oddity', now topping the chart, was first released on 11 July 1969. At the time, the Main Man himself ...
Little Feat: The Last Record Album (Warner Brothers K56156)
Review by Rob Partridge, Melody Maker, 8 November 1975
Feat on their knees... ...
Roy Wood Entertains At Don Arden's Gaff
Interview by Ed Jones, Melody Maker, 8 November 1975
"I'VE ALWAYS WANTED TO DO A DRUM SOLO, but I can't really play them, so I did a John Bonham special instead." (Never mind, Bonzo, ...
Steeleye Span: Steeleye Sold Out?
Interview by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 8 November 1975
WHEREFORE art thou, Span? The cry persists: "They've sold out." The denials continue. But Steeleye Span's drift towards "commercialism," especially on the new album, All ...
Interview by Caroline Coon, Melody Maker, 15 November 1975
Cat Stevens, after a long personality crisis, has bounced back with a new album and tour. Caroline Coon meets him in Frankfurt ...
The Walker Brothers: Walk Right Back
Report and Interview by Ed Jones, Melody Maker, 15 November 1975
IT'S BEEN A hard day in the plush penthouse suite of the Westbury Hotel in Mayfair. The chandeliers in the mirrored hallway have seen a ...
Interview by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 22 November 1975
I'M P---- OFF listening to the bloody album," mutters a weary Roger Taylor, confronted once more with hearing a new Queen album, four months ...
John Cale: New Victoria, London
Live Review by Ed Jones, Melody Maker, 29 November 1975
THERE IS MUCH FASHIONABLE TALK of John Cale as a significant artist. So far ahead of the herd is he, it is said, that terms ...
Joni Mitchell: The Hissing of Summer Lawns
Review by Michael Watts, Melody Maker, 29 November 1975
ON THE INSIDE sleeve of this album, Joni has a short, cryptic liner note stating that the record is "graphically, musically, lyrically and accidentally" a ...
Profile and Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 29 November 1975
LAST MONTH they caught Patti Hearst — and so ended the biggest man (or woman) hunt in the history of the US. ...
The Rolling Stones: So You Wanna Be A Label Boss? Start Your Own Record Label
Guide by Ed Jones, Melody Maker, 29 November 1975
"As anybody knows who has read Karl Marx, it is distribution which is important if there is to be any kind of revolution. I'm not ...
Queen: Brian May – The Power Behind Queen's Throne
Interview by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 6 December 1975
FREDDIE MERCURY steps out of the spotlight, Brian May moves in to seize the opportunity to deliver the most sizzling guitar solo. ...
The Bay City Rollers: Can the Rollers crack America?
Report and Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 6 December 1975
CHRIS CHARLESWORTH IN NEW YORK ANSWERS THE 64,000 DOLLAR QUESTION ...
Hot Chocolate: Hot on the Trail
Profile and Interview by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 6 December 1975
HOT CHOCOLATE, the faceless men of British pop, leave soon for the real land of hope and glory, America, confident that they will be a ...
Bob Dylan, Aretha Franklin, Billie Holiday, Bruce Springsteen: John Hammond: From Billie to Bruce
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 6 December 1975
John Hammond recalls his 40 years atthe forefront of popular music recording ...
Genesis, Peter Gabriel: Peter Gabriel: Behind Peter Gabriel's Mask
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 6 December 1975
PETER GABRIEL'S departure from Genesis was one of the biggest shocks of 1975 for those who admired, nay loved, the combination of perverse talent they ...
Rufus: Rufus Featuring Chaka Khan (ABC)
Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 6 December 1975
NO DANGER of conveyor-belt soul setting in here, with the incredible Chaka Khan proving that blood and electricity are flowing through her sensual frame. ...
Wayne Shorter, Weather Report: Wayne Shorter: The Sunny Weatherman
Interview by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 6 December 1975
TO SAY that Wayne Shorter looked happy would be the understatement of the year. ...
Interview by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 13 December 1975
PHIL HARRIS, OF Ace, suddenly perked to attention on the edge of his chair and made a compassionate plea. "We love Britain, 'onest," he craved. ...
Elkie Brooks: Has Elkie Souled Out?
Interview by Caroline Coon, Melody Maker, 13 December 1975
WHEN VINEGAR JOE broke up two years ago, another brilliant British vocalist retired from the road. Elkie Brooks never actually wore the Queen of Rock ...
Geoff Bradford: Jeff Bradford: Bradford Boogies Again
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 13 December 1975
ROCK MUSIC has taken its toll both of lives and careers, the victims either unable or unwilling to cope with the demands and temptations of ...
The Pasadena Roof Orchestra: Pasadena Uber Alles!
Report and Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 13 December 1975
"ALL OVER Germany the people are freaking out...it's their cool English sense of humour...they have to beat off the groupies with sticks." ...
B.B. King: Lucille Talks Back (ABC ABCL 5149)
Review by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 20 December 1975
B.B. KING IS back on the lists with an album of his own production on which he plays sophisticated blues, near-blues and one religioso. ...
Live Review by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 20 December 1975
Dylan's damp squib ...
The Brecker Brothers: Breckers Blow Into The Discos
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 20 December 1975
New York's top sessioneers tell Chris Charlesworth of their personal bid for fame ...
Kraftwerk: Radio-Activity (Capitol)
Review by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 20 December 1975
Kraftwerk: too mechanical ...
The Band: Northern Lights — Southern Cross (Capitol St— 11440)
Review by Michael Watts, Melody Maker, 20 December 1975
The Band is back — almost ...
The Glitter Band: Listen To The Band (Bell)
Review by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 20 December 1975
DEFINITELY THE surprise of 1975, the album to earn the Glitter Band critical credibility, and deservedly so. If Listen To The Band is an indication ...
Thin Lizzy: The Irish Question
Report and Interview by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 20 December 1975
DESPITE the homely sentiments echoed in Philip Lynott's 'Dublin' a few years back, Thin Lizzy did leave Dublin, and Ireland. But the fond memories of ...
Report and Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 27 December 1975
"YES," SAID Graham Gouldman without any hesitation, "we are deadly serious to break over here." ...
Alberto Y Lost Trios Paranoias: Nashville Rooms, London
Live Review by Ed Jones, Melody Maker, 27 December 1975
"I LEARNED this one off this old Dutch geezer wot was deaf, dumb, blind and crippled, called Truck Van Rental. It's called 'I Been Down ...
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 27 December 1975
BOBBY WOMACK is the kind of guy who lights up a room when he enters, and this suite in the Plaza Hotel is no exception. ...
Live Review by Ed Jones, Melody Maker, 27 December 1975
BRUNEL UNIVERSITY, Uxbridge, is not usually thought of as a centre of aesthetic excellence, but last Wednesday it took on that most difficult of artistic ...
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 1976
Ry Cooder, cult figure and esoteric guitarist, tells CHRIS CHARLESWORTH in New York why he's now into Tex-Mex music ...
Review by Michael Watts, Melody Maker, 3 January 1976
THE LINK between these two artists is by no means absolute, but the somewhat eccentric tastes of each have produced intriguing and offbeat albums. ...
The Band's Robbie Robertson: "The Struggle Has Gone"
Interview by Harvey Kubernik, Melody Maker, 3 January 1976
ROBBIE ROBERTSON: "We'd been around so long that we couldn't take a name seriously. So we made the first album and we called ourselves the ...
Brand X, Genesis: Collins cleans up with Brand X
Interview by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 10 January 1976
LET'S GET two things very clear at the outset: one, Brand X is a serious, full-time band, not a spare-time excuse for jamming or having ...
Hound Dog Taylor: a goodtime "rocker"
Obituary by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 10 January 1976
ALTHOUGH he was not a major figure of postwar blues, Theodore Roosevelt Taylor — known professionally as Hound Dog Taylor — was a good representative ...
Bonnie Raitt: Raitt place, Raitt time
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 10 January 1976
BONNIE RAITT juggled happily between the various lines on the desk telephone in an office at Warner Brothers' New York headquarters. She seemed to be ...
Status Quo: 'We're Not Musicians — We're Players!'
Interview by Caroline Coon, Melody Maker, 10 January 1976
STRIDING into his road-manager's sitting room, Francis Rossi quips, "no comment " and then spins on his heel as if a fast retreat is on ...
The Glitter Band: Farewell Glitter!
Interview by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 10 January 1976
The Glitter Band's New Year resolution? No more glam-rock. HARRY DOHERTY investigates ...
The Faces, Humble Pie, The Small Faces: The Small Faces
Retrospective by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 10 January 1976
WELL – WHAT do you make of it lads? There's Rodney, jetting round the world with his blonde bombshell, the very lovely Britt Ekland. ...
Bert Jansch: An Everyday Story of Funky Folk
Interview by Michael Watts, Melody Maker, 17 January 1976
NOW THAT Bert has returned from the Continent, where he has been touring these months and more, he will have to find somewhere else to ...
Retrospective by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 17 January 1976
'SWING IS HERE' was the title of a 1936 recording by Gene Krupa and his All-Stars featuring the molten trumpet of Roy "Little Jazz" Eldridge. ...
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 17 January 1976
From Face to farmer, Ronnie Lane has never been yer typical star. Now he's thinking of quitting rock ...
Sheer Elegance: By Sheer Chance?
Interview by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 17 January 1976
From obscurity to a hit in two moves...just luck? Not true, Sheer Elegance tell HARRY DOHERTY ...
The Osmonds: The Osmonds by Paul H. Dunn (W. H. Allen, £2.95)
Book Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 24 January 1976
Osmonds inside out ...
Charlie Mingus: Charles Mingus: Beneath The Underdog (Penguin paperback 75p)
Book Review by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 24 January 1976
Mingus hits out ...
Interview by Harvey Kubernik, Melody Maker, 24 January 1976
"I WAS NERVOUS but I looked forward to playing overseas because I had this feeling there was an audience for my kind of music, especially ...
Bob Dylan: Jacques Levy: Dylan's Write Hand Man
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 24 January 1976
THOSE WHO have already acquired a copy of Dylan's new album, Desire, will have noticed at least one difference between this and other Dylan records ...
Overview by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 24 January 1976
Richard Williams introduces the Latin sound that comes into London this week ...
Profile and Interview by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 31 January 1976
THINGS WERE so bad in Scandinavia, an MM reader there informed us some months ago, that Abba were regarded as a progressive rock band. ...
Be-Bop Deluxe: Sunburst Deluxe
Review by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 31 January 1976
BILL NELSON, IF popular opinion is to be believed, is destined to become something of a superstar in the coming year. And the new Be-Bop ...
Lynyrd Skynyrd: Gimme Back My Bullets (MCA 2744)
Review by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 31 January 1976
FOR SUCH A great continent, America has given the outside world very few real rock and roll bands. ...
Profile and Interview by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 31 January 1976
IN THE basement of a South London shop, a group rehearses. They're loud, ever so loud. A rat crawls from behind an amplifier, its ears ...
Interview by Michael Watts, Melody Maker, 31 January 1976
TOM WILSON is an elegant, very tall (6ft 4in) black American, a former Harvard man who talks a little like Bill Cosby but whose pencil-thin ...
Review by Michael Watts, Melody Maker, 7 February 1976
Sisters of mercy ...
Interview by Michael Watts, Melody Maker, 7 February 1976
MICHAEL WATTS reports from Connecticut on a long-awaited return... ...
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 7 February 1976
AS AGATHA CHRISTIE discovered to her considerable advantage, everybody loves a mystery. The subject of this mystery is Leon Redbone, a musician whom we can ...
Steve Harley Says It Loud: 'I'm Back And I'm Proud!
Interview by Caroline Coon, Melody Maker, 7 February 1976
SO LONG AS the braggadocio who boasts "I'm the greatest" or "I'm a star" continues to climb up the success ladder, sceptics and critics are ...
Scott Walker, The Walker Brothers: Scott Walker: No Regrets
Interview by Colin Irwin, Melody Maker, 14 February 1976
IT'S ONLY mid-afternoon, but the curtains are drawn and the lights are out. The room is in darkness and at first it looks empty. "Hi, ...
Genesis: The Ghost That Haunts Genesis
Report and Interview by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 14 February 1976
YES, PETER IS PAST, but the legacy remains. And Tony Banks, keyboards' player with Genesis, is finding it difficult to swallow that. Peter Gabriel has ...
10cc, Donna Summer, Jane Birkin, Max Romeo, Serge Gainsbourg: Banned — Why?: What Turns Censors On…
Report by uncredited writer, Melody Maker, 21 February 1976
It's Donna Summer at the moment, but the Beatles, Stones even Lena Horne have all run into radio censorship. So this week, MM examines that ...
C.W. McCall: McCall Keeps On Trucking
Profile and Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 21 February 1976
JUST IMAGINE the scenario: a thousand massive trucks, a petroleum-driven army, hurtling down the highway in a strict convoy formation, all the drivers linked together ...
John Martyn, Danny Thompson: Danny Thompson: Man of Many Parts
Interview by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 21 February 1976
THE NEWS that Danny Thompson is getting back into jazz will please the many who have missed the big, fat tone of his bass during ...
Mahavishnu Orchestra: Inner Worlds (CBS 69216)
Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 21 February 1976
THE NAKED BODY of John McLaughlin, surmounted by a beaming face, hints, on the album cover, of purity, devotion and honesty. ...
Neil Sedaka: Sedaka's Rocket to the States
Profile and Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 21 February 1976
NEIL SEDAKA does not look like a wealthy entertainer, not even when he's surrounded by the splendour of his rented luxury apartment above Fifth Avenue ...
Burning Spear: Ruby's Dub Gems
Interview by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 21 February 1976
REGGAE IS in many ways a producer's music. More than any other ethnic music since Twenties hillbilly, it is a music that has been created ...
David Ruffin: Ruffin Walks Back
Interview by Harvey Kubernik, Melody Maker, 21 February 1976
"I ALWAYS believed and prayed that I could express myself and be understood. By having a hit single, a lot of people are hearing me ...
Sailor: New Victoria Theatre, London
Live Review by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 21 February 1976
ABOUT A year ago, Sailor made their live debut in front of about 50 people at London's little Collegiate Theatre. The reaction was mediocre, and ...
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 21 February 1976
IT IS NOW ten months since Wishbone Ash packed up their troubles and settled in the USA, choosing a spot in Westport, Connecticut, that is ...
Gil Scott-Heron: Manchester University, Manchester
Live Review by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 28 February 1976
Gil's the word! ...
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 6 March 1976
IT IS, I GUESS, the third time around for Dobie Gray who, at the present moment, is stretched out full length on a bed on ...
Interview by Ed Jones, Melody Maker, 6 March 1976
The legendary apostle of laid-back rock, J.J. Cale, is coming to Britain for two London concerts next month and his new album and old material ...
Interview by Harvey Kubernik, Melody Maker, 6 March 1976
LEONARD COHEN'S GREATEST Hits is an interesting album to contemplate when one remembers that Cohen was in his mid-thirties when he began to make records, ...
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 6 March 1976
"I'M SURE YOU were all as surprised as I was to find that Rick wasn't here, when we arrived tonight..." Brian Lane, manager, smiled uneasily ...
Status Quo: Hammersmith Odeon, London
Live Review by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 6 March 1976
THE STURICO security team didn't know what hit them. Lined up, muscles flexed, and ready for the worst, they were swamped by denim as soon ...
Live Review by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 6 March 1976
NEW YORK: A four-act show always runs the risk of dragging, even when the organisation is as meticulous as it was last Saturday at the ...
Toots & the Maytals: Toots Got Soul
Profile and Interview by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 6 March 1976
FIRST BOB Marley and the Wailers. Then, Toots and the Maytals. ...
Bobby Womack: Hammersmith Odeon, London
Live Review by Rob Partridge, Melody Maker, 13 March 1976
Womack: it's all over now ...
David Bowie: Ringing The Changes
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 13 March 1976
"I'M JUST DOING this tour for the money. I never earned any money before, but this time I'm going to make some. I think I ...
Peter Frampton: Frampton Comes Alive
Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 13 March 1976
THIS IS THE best set of live performances heard for some time, and it marks the evolution of Peter Frampton into a major rock figure, ...
Interview by Caroline Coon, Melody Maker, 13 March 1976
"THE THING IS," confides Billy McIsaac, Slik's 26-year-old keyboards player, "we have a positive attitude to everything." He is speaking with the advantage of hindsight. ...
Thin Lizzy: Essex University, Colchester
Live Review by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 13 March 1976
IF THIN LIZZY have spent the past 12 months breaking into first division rock, the next 12 will be spent consolidating their position in that ...
Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 20 March 1976
IT WOULD BE a shame if this album were overlooked because it is ascribed to the drummer in a famous band (Yes) and is one ...
Deep Purple: Empire Pool, Wembley
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 20 March 1976
THIS REVIEW SHOULD have been written in the white heat of anger after seeing Deep Purple play at the Empire Pool, Wembley, on Friday night. ...
Led Zeppelin: Jimmy Page: Past, Presence & Future
Interview by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 20 March 1976
JIMMY ENTERED a whole hour late. But Abe, who was accompanying him, was not in the least embarrassed by the delay. He muttered an obligatory ...
The Pasadena Roof Orchestra: Pasadena Roof Orchestra — Live
Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 20 March 1976
ONE OF MY happiest nights in years was spent in a dark, sweltering and cramped club in Hamburg towards the end of 1975. It was ...
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 27 March 1976
WITH THE SUNSHINE on his shoulders and the mountain water in his veins, John Denver is an enigma surrounded by moonbeams, a v friendly postman ...
Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 27 March 1976
NICE TO SEE Osibisa back in the news and making some chart action after a difficult spell when it seemed they had lost their grip ...
Wings: Paul McCartney: Pressure Cooking
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 27 March 1976
Paul McCartney reveals a new national achievement – the first British cooking on record! – and discusses the proposed Beatles reunion with CHRIS WELCH ...
Toots & the Maytals: Lyceum, London
Live Review by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 27 March 1976
GOD, I JUST can't take it any more! Where is all this incredible music coming from? It's getting more than flesh and blood can stand, ...
Wings: Wings At The Speed Of Sound (Capitol)
Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 27 March 1976
PAUL McCARTNEY HAS a brilliant knack of taking an ordinary, daily statement and imbuing it with intrigue. ...
Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 3 April 1976
IF YOU were haunted by the cry of the Snowgoose last year, and cheered by the success of Camel in the MM's Readers' Poll (they ...
Camel: Fairfield Hall, Croydon
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 3 April 1976
AS BILLY CONNOLLY would say, it was sheer magic, the night Camel broke through into that indefinable sunlit area where a group becomes a supergroup. ...
Interview by uncredited writer, Melody Maker, 3 April 1976
DONNA SUMMER had been asked the question before, but that was no reason why I couldn't ask again. ...
Interview by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 3 April 1976
RESPLENDENT IN sharp chrome yellow suit and diamond-studded rings and things, beaming with the joys of life, and seemingly untired by the series of interviews ...
Maria Muldaur: Bottom Line, New York NY
Live Review by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 3 April 1976
Muldaur flowers ...
Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 3 April 1976
JON HISEMAN produced this album for Ian Carr, and between them they have certainly got the bite and attack of the current Nucleus without losing ...
Profile and Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 3 April 1976
FEW ARTISTS have experienced such a turbulent – yet short – career as Phoebe Snow, whose second album, just released, is already on its way ...
Rick Wakeman: No Earthly Connection(A&M AMLK 64583)
Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 3 April 1976
RICK ORIGINALLY PLANNED an album dedicated to the gods of ancient myth, but shelved that when he became intrigued by the origins of man on ...
Stanley Clarke, Alan White: Stanley Clarke and Alan White: Solo Flights
Interview by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 3 April 1976
Once, when individual members of a band began to make solo albums, it was a sign that the seams were beginning to split a portent ...
Thin Lizzy: Lizzy Break 'Em Up
Report and Interview by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 3 April 1976
THERE WE STOOD. Dumb-founded, we stared in stark amazement at the spectacle. It's Liverpool Stadium and the mashed wood strewn around the floor had earlier ...
The Beach Boys, Dennis Wilson: Wilson Returns!
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 3 April 1976
A NEW studio album is in the works, Brian Wilson is back in business and the Beach Boys are planning to visit England in late ...
Bill Bruford, Genesis: Bill Bruford: 'It's all Ringo's fault!'
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 10 April 1976
THERE HAS been a lot of stunning lately. I was stunned when Peter Gabriel quit Genesis. And stunned once more when Bill Bruford joined Genesis. ...
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 10 April 1976
WHEN CAMEL became the MM's Brightest Hope in last year's Poll, it caused organist Peter Bardens a wry smile because he had become "an overnight ...
Led Zeppelin: Presence (Swan Song)
Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 10 April 1976
THERE IS A MAN I know, a college lecturer, for whom there is only one rock band. ...
Interview by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 10 April 1976
I NEEDED CONVINCING that the legendary Sixties were really the rich, golden colour painted by those lucky enough to have experienced the action. ...
10cc: We Don't Want To Be Superstars…
Interview by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 17 April 1976
IT'S CRAZY, totally unpredictable, this life with 10cc. ...
J.J. Cale: How He Gets His Unique Sound When Playing Live And Recording
Interview by Ed Jones, Melody Maker, 17 April 1976
SO FINALLY J. J. CALE MADE IT TO BRITAIN. The sleepy Okie singer, guitarist and master of the recording studio isn't particularly keen on talking ...
Review by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 17 April 1976
WE SHOULD HAVE KNOWN that the total eccentricity of approach, the gross make-up and the blanket heavy metal music would have eventually ensured that Kiss ...
Kate & Anna McGarrigle: Women in Love
Profile and Interview by Michael Watts, Melody Maker, 17 April 1976
Like Dylan, the Band and Randy Newman, the songs of Kate and Anna McGarrigle recall America in its pioneer days. With a fine debut album ...
Diana Ross: New Victoria, London
Live Review by Caroline Coon, Melody Maker, 24 April 1976
WHEN WILL THE real Diana Ross sing up and be counted? ...
Genesis: Beacon Theatre, New York
Live Review by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 24 April 1976
WITH THE RELEASE of A Trick Of The Tail Genesis demonstrated that, on record at least, they could carry on at the same degree of ...
Peter Frampton: How I Cracked America
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 24 April 1976
"IT'S ALL QUITE unbelievable really. I don't want to think about it too much. I know it's great and it's made me really happy, but ...
Interview by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 24 April 1976
"I'M A ROCKER. I'm a Roller, too, honey..." Did you know that West Hampstead, London, is within spitting distance of the M1? Phil Lynott lives ...
Graham Parker, The Rumour: Graham Parker & The Rumour: Dingwalls, London
Live Review by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 1 May 1976
WITH SOME justification, Graham Parker is being touted as a major new British talent. But, though I witnessed Parker and his fine band, the Rumour, ...
Ian Hunter: There Are More Important Things In Life Than Hit Records
Interview by Harvey Kubernik, Melody Maker, 1 May 1976
LOS ANGELES: In the afternoon I arrived at his hotel, and for a while we drank red wine and watched I Love Lucy reruns on ...
Jethro Tull: Too Old To Rock 'n' Roll: Too Young To Die! (Chrysalis)
Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 1 May 1976
ROMANTICISING THE WORKING LAD as a cult hero is a popular theme with rock musicians. They have oft flirted with, or observed at close hand, ...
Maxine Nightingale: Maxine — Right Back At The Top
Profile and Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 1 May 1976
NEW YORK: Maxine Nightingale, who comes from Wembley, seemed neither over-awed nor surprised that her record 'Right Back Where We Started From' was topping the ...
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 1 May 1976
"THEY'VE gotta name for you people." Eric Bell settled back in a speeding Volkswagen as we wound through the West Cork countryside, and addressed the ...
Gallagher & Lyle, Robert Palmer: Robert Palmer, Gallagher and Lyle: Bottom Line, New York NY
Live Review by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 1 May 1976
NEW YORK: Looking rather like a male model in a smart grey suit, white shirt and stylishly cropped hair, Robert Palmer brought his brand of ...
Willie Nelson, Billy Swan: New Victoria Theatre, London
Live Review by Michael Watts, Melody Maker, 1 May 1976
Good and bad ol' boys ...
AC/DC: Nashville Rooms, London
Live Review by Caroline Coon, Melody Maker, 8 May 1976
AC/DC'S SINGLE 'IT'S A Long Way To The Top', has a lot to answer for. First, since its weird, bagpipe-drone of a break sounded unusually ...
Report and Interview by Caroline Coon, Melody Maker, 8 May 1976
NEVER IN THE history of rock 'n' roll has it been more difficult for bands to get the exposure they need to break big and ...
Elvis Presley: Long Beach Arena, Los Angeles
Live Review by Harvey Kubernik, Melody Maker, 8 May 1976
DESPITE MEDICAL PROBLEMS Elvis Presley's show at the Long Beach Arena proved that he still has the voice and romantic quality that established him as ...
Interview by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 8 May 1976
RETURNING HOME TO England has always been a bit of a comedown for Gentle Giant. ...
Gladys Knight and the Pips: Gladys Knight & the Pips: New Victoria, London
Live Review by Caroline Coon, Melody Maker, 8 May 1976
THE ATTENTION which goes into the fundamentals of Gladys Knight's sound, is the key to the tremendous success she's had on her current tour. Which ...
Little Feat: The Roxy, Los Angeles
Live Review by Harvey Kubernik, Melody Maker, 8 May 1976
In Southern California this year, Little Feat have presented their musical wares opening shows for ELO, the Who and Dave Mason. Consequently, 1976 has seen ...
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 15 May 1976
LOUNGING IN HIS suite at the Pierre Hotel, an opulent home for the wealthy, once owned by Paul Getty, Boz Scaggs completes a picture of ...
Elton John: Here And There (DJM)
Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 15 May 1976
DO NOT FEAR a rip-off, for this is a worthy selection of live performances from two major concerts which will long serve as a reminder ...
Gallagher & Lyle: Gallagher and Lyle: Breakaway Boys
Interview by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 15 May 1976
GALLAGHER AND LYLE: 'Art Garfunkel's version of 'Breakaway' did us a hell of a lot of good. We were preparing to record the album and ...
Jethro Tull: So Who's Too Old To Rock?
Interview by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 15 May 1976
. . . certainly not Tull's Ian Anderson, who tells Harry Doherty that change keeps him going. ...
Profile and Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 15 May 1976
"I DON'T feel I have to defend myself to you, and I won't take your criticism either. I'd take the criticism of a fan, though. ...
Horslips: Rock in Ireland: Rock in the Dark Ages
Report and Interview by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 15 May 1976
IF OXFAM WERE to adopt the same stategy towards rock starvation as they do towards the plight of the world's hungry, then one of the ...
Bob Marley & the Wailers: Bob Marley: Beacon Theatre, New York NY
Live Review by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 22 May 1976
NEW YORK: Bob Marley needs an enthusiastic audience to light his particular fire, but his show at the Beacon Theatre lacked this essential ingredient and ...
David Essex: Earl's Court, London
Live Review by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 22 May 1976
FOUR TIMES AT his Earls Court, London, show on Saturday night, David Essex strikingly fused the electric atmosphere of theatre with rock. The effect was ...
ABBA, Silver Convention: Europe: The Future Of Pop?
Overview by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 22 May 1976
AS IT WAS Stockholm, and as the ever-witty 10cc were playing there, Eric Stewart thought it'd be nice to pay a little tribute to a ...
Kiss: Hammersmith Odeon, London
Live Review by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 22 May 1976
MAN, KISS HAD everything; every single effect in the book. They had a perfect lighting system; dry ice; smoke bombs; a fire-eater; a huge lighted ...
Leonard Cohen: Cohen Down the Road
Interview by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 22 May 1976
GOD'S IN his heaven, all's right with the world. The words, surprisingly enough, came from Leonard Cohen, and he was making the first of several ...
Patti Smith, The Stranglers: Patti Smith: The Roundhouse, London
Live Review by Michael Watts, Melody Maker, 22 May 1976
Patti Smith: poet cornered ...
Live Review by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 22 May 1976
Simon's magical living room ...
Review by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 22 May 1976
Midge Ure (guitar, vocals), Jim McGinlay (bass, vocals), Billy McIsaac (keyboards, vocals), Kenny Hyslop (drums, vocals). Produced by Phil Coulter at Mayfair Studios, London, during ...
Bad Company, Led Zeppelin: Bad Company: Led Zep Join The Company
Report and Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 29 May 1976
It was a night to remember...when Robert Plant and Jimmy Page jammed with Bad Company on stage in Los Angeles. ...
David Essex: Essex Dons The Motley Again
Interview by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 29 May 1976
DAVID ESSEX: 'I'm going to do a kind of rock revue in a West End theatre. It'll be incredible – I've got so many bizarre ...
Jesse Winchester: Winchester '76
Interview by Rob Partridge, Melody Maker, 29 May 1976
JESSE WINCHESTER is diffident, reluctant to elaborate on the bare essentials of his biography. He was born in Louisiana, brought up in Memphis, studied in ...
The Rolling Stones: Scandal of the Stones
Report by Michael Watts, Melody Maker, 29 May 1976
THE ROLLING Stones flopped on the opening night of their six-concert series at London's Earls Court, despite the advantage of a sound system that cost ...
Andrea True Connection: True Story
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 5 June 1976
NEW YORK: After the success of Donna Summer's bump and grind discotheque-orientated single, 'Love To Love You Baby', it seems only natural that a girl ...
The Bellamy Brothers: Bellamy Brothers: Flowing Bellamys
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 5 June 1976
A CHANCE encounter with Larry Williams, one of Neil Diamond's roadies, during a studio session with Diamond's rhythm section led to the Bellamy Brothers recording ...
Canned Heat: Live At Topanga Corral
Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 5 June 1976
WHITE PLAGIARISTS almost killed the blues as a vital force in popular music. The perpetual rip-off of Elmore James' phrases, and the piquant cries of ...
Colosseum II: Strange New Flesh
Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 5 June 1976
THERE COMES a moment during 'Dark Side Of The Moog', when the clamour of the strident arrangement fades away, and Jon Hiseman begins a simple, ...
Profile and Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 5 June 1976
AFTER TEN years of trial and error – with eight of them spent in England drifting in and out of Spooky Tooth – Gary Wright ...
Hall & Oates: Hall and Oates: New Victoria Theatre, London
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 5 June 1976
IT WAS ONE of those historic, electrifying events that punctuate the cavalcade of rock, one of those nights that fans will long recall..."Do you remember ...
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 5 June 1976
A SPACESHIP, perhaps better described as an earth ship, forms the basis of a bizarre and fantastic story that is the central theme of Jon ...
Little Feat, The Outlaws, The Sensational Alex Harvey Band, The Who: The Who: Who-ray!
Report by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 5 June 1976
"Will the people on the lighting tower please get-off because it's very dangerous and we are afraid that tower might go" – Nicky Horne, Capital ...
Interview by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 5 June 1976
TOM WAITS, currently appearing at London's Ronnie Scott Club, talks to Karl Dallas. ...
Baker-Gurvitz Army: Baker Gurvitz Army: Hearts On Fire
Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 12 June 1976
NOW REDUCED to four members as Peter Lemer, the keyboard player, has left, the Baker Gurvitz Army are more economically deployed, and where songs require ...
Fleetwood Mac: Mac Bounce Back
Interview by Harvey Kubernik, Melody Maker, 12 June 1976
THE LAST YEAR has brought Fleetwood Mac a platinum LP – Fleetwood Mac – their eighth album for Reprise records, from which two top ten ...
Janis Ian: Society's Child Grows Up
Interview by Caroline Coon, Melody Maker, 12 June 1976
ONE JOURNALIST WHO knew Janis Ian in 1969 thought she was the snottiest kid he'd ever met, "the cocky, pretentious product of an 'old Lefty' ...
Rod Stewart: A Night On The Town
Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 12 June 1976
IT'S A long way from Gasoline Alley. Young Rodney is up in the world, aye 'appen. He's going out with a classy lady, he's worth ...
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 12 June 1976
TELL US, O beefy cowboy with a stetson drawn over the eyes and a bottle of Jack Daniels old time malt liquor grasped between the ...
Back Street Crawler: Second Street
Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 19 June 1976
A CAPTAIN Midnight character adorns the cover, but he's no way as snobby as a similarly named person who writes in the Sunday Times. ...
Genesis: Hammersmith Odeon, London
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 19 June 1976
SO MUCH was happening on stage during the first sensational concert by Genesis at Odeon Hammersmith on Wednesday last week, that one needed stereoscopic earsight ...
Steely Dan: Art For Art's Sake…
Interview by Michael Watts, Melody Maker, 19 June 1976
In the space of five albums in four years, Steely Dan have created arguably the best rock music, and certainly the most erudite, of the ...
War: California Ballroom, Dunstable
Live Review by Tim Lott, Melody Maker, 19 June 1976
CLICK, WHIRR. This isn't a group, it's a living disco. The Jukebox is War. The dive is the California Ballroom, Dunstable. Burly evening-suited men flanking ...
Demis Roussos: Onassis Of Rock
Interview by Caroline Coon, Melody Maker, 26 June 1976
TWENTY miles east of the Arc de Triomphe, across the Seine as it meanders north, and a fast drive through grimy Paris suburbs, there looms ...
John Sebastian: Welcome Back With A Half Hour Hit
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 26 June 1976
"YES...I can understand that people in England might have felt that I'd given up music or something, but the fact is I haven't at all. ...
Interview by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 26 June 1976
THOUGH SOUND recording celebrates its centenary next year, it is only in the past ten to 16 years that studio techniques have reached the present ...
Ras Michael & The Sons Of Negus With Jazzboe Abubaka: Tribute To The Emperor (Trojan)
Review by Colin Irwin, Melody Maker, 26 June 1976
THIS ALBUM is designed to cash in on the recent mini-tour by the Rastafarian group, and with its colourful sleeve (green, red and gold stripes ...
Report and Interview by Ed Jones, Melody Maker, 26 June 1976
Once the colleges were the bastion of the British rock industry – now they're little more than musical backwaters. As classes close for the summer, ...
Gary Wright, Peter Frampton, Yes: Yes, Peter Frampton, Gary Wright: JFK Stadium, Philadelphia
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 26 June 1976
PHILADELPHIA: As rocket shells burst overhead and mortars roared only feet away, a lone Englishman with a dapper moustache smiled with delight as he stood ...
Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 3 July 1976
SO MANY bands have broken up in the past, or experienced ill-feeling within the ranks because some of the members have felt restricted, tied-down, perhaps, ...
Jon Anderson: Olias Of Sunhillow (Atlantic)
Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 3 July 1976
An unashamedly romantic solo album that combines grace, taste and power ...
Steve Miller: Flying Like An Eagle
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 3 July 1976
STEVE MILLER seems to be the kind of guy who would act first and ask questions afterwards, a tough-looking Texan brought up on bands and ...
Genesis, Phil Collins: The Trick of the Tale: Phil Collins Talks
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 3 July 1976
PHIL COLLINS IS A spry, restless man with seemingly limitless amounts of energy and intense drive. It is this drive that has made him one ...
Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 10 July 1976
AMERICA HAS until now avoided a head-on confrontation with the big British production or stage bands. ...
Babe Ruth, Back Street Crawler: Midnight Court: the Lyceum's walking wounded
Live Review by Ed Jones, Melody Maker, 10 July 1976
MY GOD, it's like dawn on the second day of the Somme. Lying prostrate everywhere are twisted bodies, obviously beyond the ministrations of medicine. The ...
Alan Parsons: Parsons Knows: The Tale of Alan Parsons and Edgar Allan Poe
Report and Interview by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 10 July 1976
THE CONCEPT ALBUM, contemptuously rejected by many critics as the great bore of rock, has returned, and this work of producer Alan Parsons, supported by ...
Peter Frampton: How Frampton Came Alive
Profile and Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 10 July 1976
WHAT WAS it about the Fifties that encouraged the birth of so much talent? Was it the result of H-bomb testing or increased sunspot activity ...
Rick Wakeman: Wakeman On The Attack With His Birotron
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 10 July 1976
RICK WAKEMAN is one of a very exclusive breed – the International Heroes of the Electric Keyboard. For Rick's meteoric career has been bound up ...
Slik: We're Like A Scapegoat For The Rollers
Interview by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 10 July 1976
TEARS TRICKLE down her 12-year-old cheeks. She's speechless, overcome by the emotion of the moment. She has, after a stubborn battle, won the right to ...
Dave Mason, Elton John, John Miles: Elton John, Dave Mason, John Miles: Schaeffer Stadium, Boston
Live Review by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 17 July 1976
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS: The sheer pageantry of Elton John's Stars and Stripes bicentennial show here on Independence Day had the power alone to earn a standing ...
Genesis: Apollo Theatre, Glasgow
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 17 July 1976
HEAT, DUST, smoke, lasers and Genesis combined to turn the Glasgow Apollo into a replica of Dante's Inferno when the band descended on the city ...
Kim Fowley, The Runaways: The Runaways: Runaway Girls
Profile and Interview by Harvey Kubernik, Melody Maker, 17 July 1976
RUNAWAYS: the Natalie Woods, Brigitte Bardots and Ann-Margrets of rock. ...
Thin Lizzy: Hammersmith Odeon, London
Live Review by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 17 July 1976
THE PREVALENT mood that hung over this Hammersmith Odeon gig on Sunday night, that this would be the occasion to herald once and for all ...
Report by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 24 July 1976
PONTIAC Stadium rises out of the Michigan earth like a four-walled town. ...
Blue Oyster Cult: We Copped A Lot From Sabbath
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 24 July 1976
EVEN THE hardest of hearts must soften sometime, and so it is with Blue Oyster Cult, whose fifth album Agents of Fortune offers a degree ...
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 24 July 1976
GENESIS ARE an enigma, an unknown quantity to the rock business and public at large, mainly because they are among the last of that old ...
Jefferson Starship: Starship's Enterprise
Interview by Harvey Kubernik, Melody Maker, 24 July 1976
ONE BY ONE the group drifts into Wally Heider's recording studio for a mixing session. Marty Balin is absent but his presence fills the air. ...
Jethro Tull: Too Old To Rock And Roll, Too Young To Die
Film/DVD/TV Review by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 24 July 1976
Dull Tull's big mistake ...
John Miles: Learning To Be A Star
Profile and Interview by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 24 July 1976
...
Loudon Wainwright III: Whimsical Wainwright
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 24 July 1976
NEW YORK: The smart way to begin a story about Loudon Wainwright III would be to concoct some snappy couplet not unlike those that form ...
Alan Parsons: The Alan Parsons Project: Tales Of Mystery And Imagination: Edgar Allan Poe
Review by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 24 July 1976
FOR THREE weeks I've played this album almost constantly and probably the greatest compliment I can pay it is that it has lost little of ...
Eddie & The Hot Rods: Pier Pavilion, Hastings
Live Review by Caroline Coon, Melody Maker, 31 July 1976
BARRY MASTERS, Eddie And The Hot Rods' front man, drove his band down to Hastings from London himself – a sweaty, draining, three hour bang. ...
Starland Vocal Band: Starry-eyed
Profile and Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 31 July 1976
NEW YORK: As each summer rolls by it brings with it an easily identifiable summer hit which is almost always a catchy vocal treatment of ...
Curved Air, Hawkwind, Status Quo, The Strawbs: Status Quo: Quo Storm The Castle
Live Review by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 31 July 1976
Rock festivals in Wales always tempt providence, as many a Marley or 10cc fan can attest. But at Cardiff Castle last Saturday, the sun shone ...
Thin Lizzy: Unlikely Lads With A Lead For Lizzy
Interview by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 31 July 1976
THE MAN IN Black from the City Of The Angels, Los Angeles, is still dazed by the unbelievably swift rise of Thin Lizzy and chats ...
Weather Report: The True US Art Form
Interview by Harvey Kubernik, Melody Maker, 31 July 1976
"PEOPLE ARE beautiful everywhere," says Josef Zawinul. "I think a real open person, I don't care what music he is playing, is going to be ...
The Sensational Alex Harvey Band: Alex Harvey: Harvey's History Lesson
Interview by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 7 August 1976
ALEX, WHAT would your reaction be, apart from grabing me by the throat, if I said the music and image of the Sensational Alex Harvey ...
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 7 August 1976
IT IS heartening in these disturbing times (as the poet Cedric observed in his massive volume, Away, Dull Cares), to find there are still men ...
Donovan: Flower Child's Second Bloom
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 7 August 1976
FEW ARTISTS evoke memories of the Sixties as much as Donovan who, even in this enlightened age, still clings resolutely to the styles that developed ...
John Lennon Gets His Ticket To Ride
Report by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 7 August 1976
NEW YORK: John Lennon has won his five-year battle against the immigration authorities in the United States. ...
The Sex Pistols: Punk Rock: Rebels Against the System
Report and Interview by Caroline Coon, Melody Maker, 7 August 1976
JOHNNY ROTTEN looks bored. The emphasis is on the word "looks" rather than, as Johnny would have you believe, the word "bored". His clothes, held ...
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 7 August 1976
THERE IS an aura of faded grace and decaying dignity about Crystal Palace, set upon the heights of Norwood in South London. Perhaps it stems ...
Emerson Lake And Palmer: ELP: The Show That Never Ends?
Report by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 14 August 1976
WHATEVER happened to ELP? One of Britain's most successful and popular bands has been surrounded by a wall of silence as impenetrable as the Kremlin ...
Elton John: He's Got The Whole World In His Hands
Report and Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 14 August 1976
THE WHOLE FAMILY was there. Mum, dad and three children all waited patiently by the elevators in the lobby of the Hyatt Regency hotel on ...
Joan Armatrading: Joan Armatrading (A&M)
Review by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 14 August 1976
REPUTABLE SOURCES assure me that this new record album is, in fact, by the same Joan Armatrading who almost died of fright during her London ...
Joan Armatrading: Burning Like Fire
Interview by Caroline Coon, Melody Maker, 14 August 1976
THE SOUTH LONDON side-street is unimposing and still. Neat houses face each other, their windows opaque, like rows of black eyes shielded by the reflecting ...
The Eagles: The Spectrum, Philadelphia
Live Review by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 14 August 1976
SPECTRUM, Philadelphia: You can't get much more Los Angelean than the Eagles. Right down to the faded jeans and slightly wrinkled tee-shirts, the fuzzy moustaches ...
Thin Lizzy: Remembering, Part 1, featuring Eric Bell and Gary Moore (Decca)
Review by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 14 August 1976
Philip Lynott (bass, acoustic guitar, vocals), Brian Downey (drums), Eric Bell (lead guitar and vocals), Gary Moore (lead guitar and vocals). Produced by Nick Tauber. ...
Widowmaker (UK): Widowmaker: Make — Or Break
Interview by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 14 August 1976
WIDOWMAKER almost busted up the other week. ...
Live Review by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 21 August 1976
THOSE PUZZLED by the Status Quo phenomenon should beware. AC/DC, from the same rock family, could wreak similar havoc, but they will only realise their ...
Jess Roden: The Jess Roden Band: Jess Keeps His Hat On
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 21 August 1976
"I JUST couldn't wait to get out of my stage uniform and into a pair of jeans...I may have wasted time, but I sing what ...
Brand X: Band Breakdown : Brand X
Profile and Interview by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 28 August 1976
WHEN YOU consider what a prestige gig of world class it is to play Ronnie Scott's, it may seem surprising, even a touch opportunistic, that ...
Review by Rob Partridge, Melody Maker, 28 August 1976
IT HAS been a remarkable year for reggae, a year which has seen the full flowering of the music as a vehicle for social, political ...
Mighty Diamonds, U-Roy, Delroy Wilson: Mighty Diamonds, U Roy, Delroy Washington: Lyceum, London
Report by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 28 August 1976
THIS SHOULD be a review of the Diamonds' and U. Roy's appearance at London's Lyceum on Wednesday night, but back here in the tiny ghetto ...
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 28 August 1976
WHAT'S A MIDDLE-of-the-road singer like Neil Diamond doing with the Band's Robbie Robertson? Making a hit album, Beautiful Noise, that's what. The two first met ...
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 28 August 1976
THOUGH Tavares are scoring for the first time in Britain with 'Heaven Must Be Missing An Angel', the quintet of brothers has been together as ...
Profile and Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 28 August 1976
FEW ARTISTS have quite as much faith in themselves as Ted Nugent, the Midwestern rocker and former leader of the Amboy Dukes. He is getting ...
Glenn Swings Out — Now It's Funky Shorts
Report by Colin Irwin, Melody Maker, 4 September 1976
Colin Irwin visits the Lacy Lady in Ilford, where deejay Chris Hill is leading a new disco trend. ...
Interview by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 4 September 1976
"HI. Y'ALL COME in now..." Ronnie Van Zant, two minutes out of the sack, wears a stetson, strengthening the popular theory that he was born ...
Report by Caroline Coon, Melody Maker, 4 September 1976
Special report from the first European Punk Rock Festival in the South of France by CAROLINE COON ...
Guide by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 4 September 1976
WHEN IT comes to buying records, what's a bargain? Probably the best value I ever had was paying a princely 75 pence for a mint ...
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 11 September 1976
OF ALL the guitar heroes to emerge from the British blues boom of the mid-Sixties, Jeff Beck has been the most slippery to follow. There ...
Manfred Mann: Mann Of The Moment…
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 11 September 1976
ARGUMENTATIVE and brittle, Manfred Mann has long been notorious as a man not likely to suffer fools gladly. He has terrorised managers, journalists, publicists and ...
Buddy Holly: Norman Petty: How We Cut the Golden Hits
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 11 September 1976
"I THINK," said Norman Petty, carefully selecting his words, "that if Buddy Holly was alive today, he would be on an equal basis with Elvis ...
Profile and Interview by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 11 September 1976
David Paton: now one-half of Pilot, a band trying to rid itself of teenybop associations ...
The Bay City Rollers: Dedication (Bell)
Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 11 September 1976
Leslie McKeown, (lead vocals and background), Eric Faulkner (lead guitar, rhythm and acoustic guitars, vocals), Stuart Wood (bass and vocals), Derek Longmuir (drums, percussion, vocals), ...
The Bay City Rollers: Rollers' American Civil War
Report and Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 11 September 1976
THE STATE TROOPER, with his tall hat perched firmly on a head with very little hair, seemed to be in control. One hand grasped a ...
The Sex Pistols: Club De Chalet Du Lac, Paris
Live Review by Caroline Coon, Melody Maker, 11 September 1976
PARIS: The Sex Pistols believed the myth that it all happens in Paris. The fans who drove over specially to see the band's first appearance ...
Crosby and Nash: Crosby & Nash: Central Park, New York
Live Review by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 18 September 1976
NEIL YOUNG and Steve Stills may have blown out their tour in a flurry of sore throats and, reportedly, short tempers, but the "other half" ...
Joan Armatrading: Bottom Line, New York
Live Review by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 18 September 1976
PERHAPS IF Joan Armatrading had opened for an artist less popular than Richie Havens, her U.S. debut would have been more fruitful. At the Bottom ...
Profile and Interview by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 18 September 1976
BRIAN MAY remembers Queen's first-ever free gig well. It was in London, five years ago, when the band invited 120 people along to a lecture ...
Profile and Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 18 September 1976
RANDY CALIFORNIA: re-formed Spirit after picking pineapples and advice from a fortune teller ...
The Bay City Rollers: Bay City Rollers: New Victoria Theatre, London
Live Review by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 25 September 1976
SOME TIME ago, David Essex remarked that he was fed up with critics reviewing his audiences when they should have been more concerned with the ...
Eddie & The Hot Rods: Eddie and the Hot Rods: "Punk? — We Just Do It"
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 25 September 1976
ENERGY, LIFE, YOUTH, ROCK 'N' ROLL! What are these strange ingredients that have suddenly injected themselves into the creaking old rock scene? "We're just DOIN' ...
Emmylou Harris Makes Up Leeway
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 25 September 1976
IT CAME as something of a surprise to learn that Emmylou Harris and the Hot Band were in town last week. To be precise, they ...
Kiki Dee, Queen: Queen: Hyde Park, London
Live Review by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 25 September 1976
AT LAST, the Seventies have arrived, and in majestic style, when, at London's Hyde Park on Saturday, Queen, born of this decade's rock generation, played ...
Roger McGuinn: Bottom Line, New York City
Live Review by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 25 September 1976
NEW YORK: Roger McGuinn is an institution in American rock music and, like all institutions, he seems to crop up at least once a year ...
Profile and Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 25 September 1976
Rollers, Quo, Wakeman – just three targets for ace satirists Supercharge ...
Barclay James Harvest: Barclay Bank On The Future
Interview by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 2 October 1976
BARCLAY JAMES HARVEST: 'If you want to be a musician and play the type of music you want – you've gotta cruise.' ...
Manfred Mann's Earth Band: The Roaring Silence
Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 2 October 1976
THERE COMES a point in a band's career when the jig is up, and unless all the pieces fit the puzzle, success will scatter to ...
Report by Caroline Coon, Melody Maker, 2 October 1976
THE 600-STRONG line, which last Monday straggled across two blocks outside London's 100 Club in Oxford Street, waiting for the Punk Rock Festival to start, ...
The Band, Rick Danko: Rick Danko: Solo, But Not Alone
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 2 October 1976
WITH THE possible exception of Robbie Robertson, the individual members of the Band have enjoyed a remarkable anonymity that belies their status as one of ...
Rory Gallagher: Calling Card (Chrysalis)
Review by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 2 October 1976
His first venture into the land of overdub and experimentation – and an unqualified success ...
The Who: The Story Of The Who (Polydor)
Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 2 October 1976
Roger Daltrey (vocals), John Entwistle (bass, brass, vocals), Keith Moon (drums, percussion), Pete Townshend (guitars, keyboards, vocals). Various tracks produced by Kit Lambert Chris Stamp, Peter Kamerson, Glyn Johns and The Who, from 1966-75. ...
Be-Bop Deluxe: Nelson's Column
Interview by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 9 October 1976
"HELLO, I'm the man with two noses....." ...
Aswad, The Cimarons: British Reggae: Prejudiced Vibrations
Comment by Caroline Coon, Melody Maker, 9 October 1976
ON THE SURFACE it looks as though there has been something of a major breakthrough for reggae in Britain. ...
Cliff Richard: Cliff Brings Good News To Belfast
Report and Interview by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 9 October 1976
CLIFF RICHARD wasn't smuggled into Belfast on Saturday night in the back of a furniture van. Nor was his appearance marred by a background of ...
Eddie & The Hot Rods: Eddie and the Hot Rods
Profile by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 9 October 1976
THE STORY of the Hot Rods is one to warm the hearts of those who still believe in the essential simplicity and drive of rock ...
The Runaways: Roundhouse, London
Live Review by Caroline Coon, Melody Maker, 9 October 1976
Runaways — the wild ones ...
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 16 October 1976
HOWARD BUNKER looked down at his instrument panel and spoke softly into the radio. There was no point in looking through the plexiglass canopy, for ...
Penguin Café Orchestra: an English Art Ensemble of Chicago
Profile and Interview by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 16 October 1976
ONE OF the constant pleasures of hearing new music for the first time is the range of emotions it can evoke: surprise, euphoria, disgust, enlightenment, ...
Rory Gallagher: The Rory of the Crowd
Interview by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 16 October 1976
RORY GALLAGHER looked ruffled, most annoyed indeed. He cast a reflective eye across the current mode of pyrotechnical wizardry in rock and was not happy ...
The Runaways: You Sexy Things!
Report and Interview by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 16 October 1976
"AW, C'MON, you guys at the front. Sit down and give the rest of the lads a view of the girls..." And that passionate request, ...
Review by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 16 October 1976
THIN LIZZY: Johnny The Fox (Vertigo 9102 012). Phil Lynott (bass, vocals), Brian Downey (drums, percussion), Scott Gorham (lead guitar), Brian Robertson (lead guitar). Produced ...
Aerosmith: Hammersmith Odeon, London
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 23 October 1976
AFTER MANY years studying the phenomenon of the rock concert, I have made a discovery that might well be hailed as a scientific breakthrough in ...
Profile and Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 23 October 1976
EARLIER this summer, Bob Seger appeared in concert at Pontiac Stadium, a giant indoor arena on the outskirts of Detroit, attracting some 70,000 crazed Michigan ...
Climax Blues Band: Climax Get It Right
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 23 October 1976
COLIN COOPER and PETER HAYCOCK: 'We're playing more of what people call funk today, but it's all rooted in the blues.' ...
David Cassidy, Mick Ronson: David Cassidy & Mick Ronson: Cassidy Lights Up With Ronson
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 23 October 1976
DAVID CASSIDY is to form a band with Mick Ronson, the British guitarist whose services as a freelance player are much in demand these days. ...
Jonathan Richman: Rock Poet Of Lower Middle-Class Suburbia
Live Review by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 23 October 1976
I'm in touch with the modern worldI'm in love with the modern worldI got the radio on(Radio on) ...
Victoria Spivey: Black Queen Spivey
Obituary by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 30 October 1976
Max Jones pays tribute to VICTORIA SPIVEY ...
Dr. Feelgood: Dr Feelgood: Where There's a Wilko…
Report by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 30 October 1976
FEELGOODS' WILKO JOHNSON: 'I work for one hour a day and get paid about £2,000. That's why I want a television in my room.' ...
Led Zeppelin: The Song Remains The Same
Film/DVD/TV Review by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 30 October 1976
THE FOUR members of Led Zeppelin received standing ovations at the premiere in New York last week of their film The Song Remains The Same. ...
Report by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 30 October 1976
HOW DOES it feel to be a pop star?" The Italian journalist eagerly thrust his microphone at the glamorous vision stumbling out of his limo ...
Peter Frampton: Empire Pool, Wembley
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 30 October 1976
"PEDER! Cor what a man," came the strangled gasp from two young chaps in the foremost rows. "Ain't 'ee sexy!" ...
Sailor, Sparks: Sparks: Big Beat (Island);Sailor: The Third Step (Epic)
Review by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 30 October 1976
SPARKS: Big Beat (Island ILPS 9445). Russell Mael (vocals), Ron Mael (keyboards), Jeffrey Salen (guitar), Sal Maida (bass). Billy Boy Michaels (drums). Produced by Rupert ...
The Clash: Institute of Contemporary Arts, London
Live Review by Caroline Coon, Melody Maker, 30 October 1976
THE ICA, that home of lively experiment in London's Mall, is fast becoming the badly needed workshop-cum-watering hole for the growing number of jolly ravers ...
Interview by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 30 October 1976
After deserting their homeland to live in the States, they're back — but they've not been forgotten… ...
Bruce Springsteen: The Palladium, New York
Live Review by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 6 November 1976
IT MAY rain or snow, and the temperature in New York might even drop below freezing-point this weekend, but so long as Bruce Springsteen is ...
Climax Blues Band: Victoria Palace, London
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 6 November 1976
AFTER A succession or strangely dissatisfying gigs in the giant aircraft hangars of rock (ie Empire Pool, Wembley), how sweet it was to hear some ...
Profile and Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 6 November 1976
FOR A band that was formed virtually by accident one night on a European tour four years ago, Orleans have now come a long way, ...
Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes: Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes: Southside Of The Tracks
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 6 November 1976
SOUTHSIDE JOHNNY: Springsteen protege from Asbury, so-named because he sounds like a Chicago Southside blues singer. ...
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 6 November 1976
Steve Stills tells Chris Charlesworth in New York why he's touring solo after all these years... ...
Bruce Springsteen, Steven Van Zandt: Steve Van Zandt: Miami, Bruce, and Roots
Interview by Harvey Kubernik, Melody Maker, 6 November 1976
LOS ANGELES: Miami Steve Van Zandt has been in Bruce Springsteen's band for over a year now, and also finds time these days to guide ...
Thin Lizzy: Lizzy's Cocky Rebel
Interview by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 6 November 1976
"Cocky Rocky's a rock and roll starGot the talent to take him far..." ...
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 13 November 1976
FEW BANDS have enjoyed the stability of Chicago, those rather dull "pioneers of jazz-rock" whose 'If You Leave Me Now' not only tops the charts ...
Climax Blues Band: Gold Plated
Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 13 November 1976
IT IS AN extraordinary fact that even the most diligent rock researcher can develop a blind spot. They get quite paranoiac about it. ...
Profile and Interview by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 13 November 1976
"THE TIMES they are a-changin" ...and David Essex is changing with them. ...
Earth, Wind & Fire: Madison Square Garden, New York NY
Live Review by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 13 November 1976
Fiery ELP of soul ...
Allman Brothers Band: Elected! Rock and US Politics
Report by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 13 November 1976
After Jimmy Carter's victory in the U.S. Presidential elections, Chris Charlesworth in New York investigates the role of rock in American politics... ...
Gordon Giltrap: Visionary (Electric)
Review by Colin Irwin, Melody Maker, 13 November 1976
CYNICS STOP here. Rarely has an album invited scepticism so shamelessly as this, where an acoustic guitarist takes on strings, synthesizer, complex arrangements and the ...
Jackson Browne: The Pretender (Asylum)
Review by Colin Irwin, Melody Maker, 13 November 1976
THE CHOICE of Jackson Browne's classic 'Late For The Sky', with all its mystique and aura, as soundtrack to the movie Taxi Driver, was no ...
Leo Sayer: Endless Flight (Chrysalis)
Review by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 13 November 1976
Leo Sayer (vocals, harmonica). Ed Greene, Steve Gadd, Rick Shlosser, Jeff Porcaro, Nigel Olsson (drums), Andy Muson, Bill Bodine, Willie Weeks, Bob Glaub, Lee Sklar, ...
Andrew Gold, Linda Ronstadt: Linda Ronstadt, Andrew Gold: Odeon, Birmingham
Live Review by Colin Irwin, Melody Maker, 13 November 1976
Linda warms to a Heatwave ...
Lynyrd Skynyrd: One More From The Road (MCA)
Review by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 13 November 1976
LYNYRD SKYNYRD are one those bands who, like Rory Gallagher and Dr. Feelgood, will never be able to create the same excitement in the studio ...
Muddy Waters: Muddy's Blues Power
Interview by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 13 November 1976
AT THE London New Victoria concerts last week, Muddy Mississippi Waters — which is the way McKinley Morganfield announced himself — proved not for the ...
The Clash: Down And Out And Proud
Interview by Caroline Coon, Melody Maker, 13 November 1976
THREE WEEKS AGO at London's ICA, Jane and Shane, regulars on the new-wave punk rock scene, were sprawled at the edge of the stage. Blood ...
Peter Tosh: Tosh Spreads the Message
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 13 November 1976
"REGGAE IS black. It was held back but you can't keep a good man down. It was just a manifestation but it had to happen. ...
Willie Nelson: The Troublemaker (CBS) and Live (RCA)
Review by Rob Partridge, Melody Maker, 13 November 1976
TWO OLDIES, neither of which add significantly to Nelson's reputation as the leading exponent of the new Texan country music: The Troublemaker, recorded in 1973, ...
Wishbone Ash: New England (MCA)
Review by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 13 November 1976
Andy Powell (guitars, mandolin and vocals), Laurie Wisefield (guitars and vocals), Martin Turner (bass and lead vocals), Steve Upton (drums). Recorded at Mart's Place, Laureledge, ...
Barclay James Harvest: Octoberon
Review by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 20 November 1976
I GET the impression from this new BJH album that the band were in a particularly mellow mood when they finally got around to recording ...
Betty Carter: Ronnie Scott's, London
Live Review by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 20 November 1976
A NEW EXPERIENCE awaits the visitors to Ronnie Scott's in London, this week or next, in the extrovert person of Betty Carter, a wholly original ...
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 20 November 1976
A WARM HANDSHAKE, twinkling eyes and black hair grown thicker than he has allowed for some while – Jimmy Page arrived at his London office ...
Live Review by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 20 November 1976
NEW YORK: For better or worse, John Denver has changed people's lives. His concerts, in America if not elsewhere, are gatherings of almost religious intensity, ...
Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 20 November 1976
WHEN I sat upon my mother's knee during the years of austerity, being spoon-fed National Health bubble and squeak, and listening to the Light Programme, ...
Electric Light Orchestra: The Electric Light Orchestra: A New World Record (Jet)
Review by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 20 November 1976
Jeff Lynne (lead vocals, lead, rhythm and slide guitars), Bev Bevan (drums, percussion, backing vocals), Richard Tandy (keyboards, backing vocals), Kelly Groucutt (bass, vocals), Mik ...
Thin Lizzy: Hammersmith Odeon, London
Live Review by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 20 November 1976
THIN LIZZY have reached that dangerous stage where they no longer nave to be good to provoke a maniacal response from their audience. ...
Junior Murvin: Steal Away With Success
Interview by Vivien Goldman, Melody Maker, 22 November 1976
JUNIOR MURVIN’S ‘Police And Thieves’, currently bubbling under the chart and selling up to 1,000 copies a day some five months after its release, a ...
Interview by Harvey Kubernik, Melody Maker, 27 November 1976
AL STEWART, who plays London's New Victoria Theatre on December 2, is now enjoying greater success in America. ...
CBGBs, Max's etc: Underground Overground
Report and Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 27 November 1976
"PUNK ROCK? What's that supposed to mean? The bands that play at my club aren't punks. They might wear leather jackets, chew gum and try ...
Cliff Richard: Royal Albert Hall, London
Live Review by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 27 November 1976
Cliff: he's nearly rocking ...
The Flamin' Groovies: Flamin' Groovies: Brunel University, Uxbridge
Live Review by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 27 November 1976
"WE WERE into punk a long time ago. but we've cleaned up a bit since then." The speaker was John Wilson, singer with the Flamin' ...
Hall & Oates: Hall and Oates: A Bigger Splash
Profile and Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 27 November 1976
JOHN OATES: 'I find the audiences in Europe more intelligent and receptive – music in Europe and England still retains its mystique and excitement.' ...
Profile and Interview by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 27 November 1976
YOU PROBABLY haven't heard of Heart – apart, perhaps, from their excellent 'Magic Man' single – yet they've soared from obscurity in the States to ...
Johnny "Guitar" Watson: Johnny Guitar Watson: Hammersmith Odeon, London
Live Review by Maureen Paton, Melody Maker, 27 November 1976
THE GUITAR HERO stakes is such an overworked concept that it seems almost poetic justice to overact it outrageously to the point of parody. Johnny ...
Interview by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 27 November 1976
THIS MUST MEAN something. Driving home last week-end, I flicked on the radio, to the Alan Freeman Show, and was greeted by a piece of ...
Crazy Horse, Neil Young: Neil Young & Crazy Horse: Palladium Theatre, NYC
Live Review by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 27 November 1976
NEW YORK Only an artist with the charisma and talent of Nell Young could perform with a lacklustre band such as the current Crazy Horse ...
Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 27 November 1976
ROCK LYRICS aren't usually worth printing on the sleeve, but most bands display their adolescent poetry as if Homer played rhythm guitar, and Dostoyevsky was ...
Comment by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 27 November 1976
BY NOW we must all, surely, regard the coming of rock's New Wave as beneficial. Whether the currently fashionable bands prove to be the real ...
The Sex Pistols: Sex Pistols: Rotten To The Core
Interview by Caroline Coon, Melody Maker, 27 November 1976
"I had absolutely no interest in singing. I was more interested in being obnoxious." ...
Overview by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 4 December 1976
SOME come, others go, but the name lives on for ever...10cc set no precedent by splitting in half last week, but the decision by Graham ...
Review by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 4 December 1976
ABBA: Frida Lyngstad and Anna Faltskog (vocals), Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus (guitars, keyboards, backing vocals) with Ola Brunkert and Roger Palm (drums), Janne Schaffer, ...
Jess Roden Band: Drury Lane Theatre, London
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 4 December 1976
IT WAS no use. The smartly attired attendant (he may well have been the manager) just could not get the kids to sit down. ...
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 4 December 1976
YIHAAHS RANG in the ears when the cowpokes came to town on Saturday night. Huge beefy men burst out of their jeans and hammered away ...
Queen: A Day At The Races (EMI)
Review by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 4 December 1976
QUEEN: A Day At The Races (EMI EMTC 104). Freddie Mercury (vocals, piano), Brian May (guitars, vocals), Roger Taylor (drums, vocals), John Deacon (bass). Produced ...
Interview by Colin Irwin, Melody Maker, 4 December 1976
"HAVE WE ever come close to splitting? My God, HAVE we! It's very incestuous, our band, y'see. We're all interdependent and to work out your ...
Tangerine Dream: Twilight of the Dream
Report and Interview by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 4 December 1976
TANGERINE DREAM seem to have strange ideas about off-duty entertainment. ...
The Bee Gees: Nights on Broadway
Report and Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 4 December 1976
BEE GEES: "The Beatles influenced us in the early days and before that Neil Sedaka. Now we let Stevie Wonder influence us." ...
Can: New Victoria Theatre, London
Live Review by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 11 December 1976
VIEWED IN isolation, Can's recent singles seem like some kind of sell-out. What, after all, is a "serious" German rock band, whose members include former ...
The Eagles: Eagles: Where Eagles Dare…
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 11 December 1976
WHAT'S it like, I asked, being an Eagle? Glenn Frey, a perpetual talker, paused to consider the question and the silence lasted almost a minute. ...
Live Review by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 11 December 1976
IT WAS with a little disappointment that I discovered at the weekend that Heart's stage act isn't as impressive as their debut album, Dreamboat Annie. ...
Interview by Colin Irwin, Melody Maker, 11 December 1976
The American singer/songwriter – currently touring Britain – who has made his name by writing constantly demanding, complex and mysterious songs, talks to COLIN IRWIN ...
Jackson Browne, Warren Zevon: Apollo, Glasgow
Live Review by Colin Irwin, Melody Maker, 11 December 1976
Jackson: after the deluge ...
Interview by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 11 December 1976
SILVER DISCS paper the walls of Ralph McTell's new eight-roomed Putney castle. There's going to be a studio upstairs, he says, directly above where the ...
Live Review by Caroline Coon, Melody Maker, 11 December 1976
Punk! On stage! ...
Live Review by Harvey Kubernik, Melody Maker, 11 December 1976
IT WASN'T easy to book a plane from Los Angeles airport on Thanksgiving to fly up to San Francisco for the Band's farewell live concert ...
The Eagles: Hotel California (Asylum)
Review by Colin Irwin, Melody Maker, 11 December 1976
Don Henley (drums, vocals), Glenn Frey (guitar, keyboards, vocals), Don Felder (guitar, slide guitar, vocals), Joe Walsh (guitar, keyboards, vocals). Randy Meisner (bass, vocals). Produced ...
Genesis: Wind And Wuthering (Charisma)
Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 18 December 1976
Phil Collins (voices, drums, percussion), Steve Hackett (electric guitars, nylon classical 12-string, Kalimba, auto-harp), Mike Rutherford (basses, electric and acoustic guitars, bass pedals), Tony Banks ...
Hall & Oates: Hall and Oates: The Palladium, NYC
Live Review by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 18 December 1976
NEW YORK: Like it or not, Hall and Oates are currently running the distinct risk of becoming just too perfect for their own good. At ...
Lou Reed: How Lou Saw The White Light
Interview by Caroline Coon, Melody Maker, 18 December 1976
LOU REED, the crafty old rock 'n' roll fox, is alive and kicking. In fact, he's standing in the lobby of the Los Angeles Hyatt ...
Wings: Wings Over America (EMI)
Review by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 18 December 1976
An exhausting triple set which had the making of an exceptional double album ...
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 25 December 1976
THE PUBLIC has a strange image of rock and roll musicians. Most imagine them to be public school educated, with a passionate dedication to the ...
Choralerna, Andraé Crouch: Andrae Crouch, Choralerna: Hammersmith Odeon, London
Live Review by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 15 January 1977
ANDRAE CROUCH is a smoother character than the gospel stars who turned our heads around in the Forties and Fifties, his music being as rooted ...
Dionne Warwick is never less than perfect... always incapable of awkwardness
Profile by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 15 January 1977
MANY'S THE time that contemporary pop record producers have been compared, in function and power, to film directors. There are, of course, many different kinds ...
Erroll Garner: Musical Magician
Obituary by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 15 January 1977
WRITERS SOMETIMES referred to him as the "Wizard of the Ivories," which is to be expected, and at least one of his EP records bore ...
Freddie King: King of rhythm 'n' blues
Obituary by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 15 January 1977
SOME BLUESMEN are pure country artists, folk musicians really, others are traditional-mixed-with-Chicago, others West Coast, jazz-blues Memphis stylists soul singers and what-have-you. ...
The Carter Family, Johnny Cash: Johnny Cash, The Carter Family: Felt Forum, New York NY
Live Review by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 15 January 1977
VIEW YORK: Johnny Cash is the John Wayne of American music, a gigantic figure who towers above his country contemporaries when it comes down to ...
Little Bob Story, Hooker: Dingwalls, London
Live Review by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 15 January 1977
LITTLE BOB Story is at London's Dingwalls, and the joint is packed to overflowing. They are only letting new people in when and if anyone ...
Patti Smith: Punk Queen of Sheba
Interview by Caroline Coon, Melody Maker, 15 January 1977
On stage, Patti Smith changes personality. One night she's Alexander the Great's daughter, the next the Queen of Sheba. But to Caroline Coon (reporting from ...
Status Quo: New Bingley Hall, Stafford
Live Review by Caroline Coon, Melody Maker, 15 January 1977
BETWEEN SEVEN and eight thousand fans queued for hours in the rain on Sunday, and then were individually frisked before they streamed into the cavernous ...
The Bay City Rollers: Palladium, New York NY
Live Review by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 15 January 1977
Rollers: it's a riot ...
George Benson: Breezin' with Benson
Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 5 February 1977
"HE (MILES Davis) was one of the first smart guys in this industry. I love him a lot and every time I speak to him ...
Lynyrd Skynyrd: Rainbow Theatre, London
Live Review by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 5 February 1977
Skynyrd: all guts and fury ...
"Brother" Jack McDuff, Jimmy McGriff, 'Big' John Patton, Jimmy Smith: Record Shops and Hammond B3s
Memoir by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 5 February 1977
RICHARD WILLIAMS Writing every week in the MM ...
Ry Cooder, Flaco Jimenez: Flaco Jimenez: Viva los Accordion
Interview by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 12 February 1977
THE DIATONIC accordion is basically a fairly rudimentary instrument. Like a mouth organ, it plays one note as you pull it out and another as ...
Steve Reich: Roundhouse, London
Live Review by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 12 February 1977
OSTENSIBLY, the two Steve Reich concerts at London's Roundhouse last Sunday and the Sunday before reversed the natural order of things, starting with a complete ...
Report and Interview by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 12 February 1977
On the eve of Abba's British live debut, Harry Doherty looks at the reasons for their amazing success — and asks the rock biz for ...
Boston: More Than a Sensation...
Profile and Interview by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 19 February 1977
...more like a fairy tale come true, as the band who came from nowhere take off in unprecedented fashion. Chris Charlesworth reports from New Jersey ...
Interview by Colin Irwin, Melody Maker, 19 February 1977
HEATWAVE, whose 'Boogie Nights' single is moving up the chart, talk to Colin Irwin ...
The Damned: Damned Damned Damned (Stiff SEEZ 1)
Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 19 February 1977
Damned with faint praise ...
Queen, Thin Lizzy: The Year Queen Lizzy Shook America
Report and Interview by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 19 February 1977
THE WINTER of 1977 was fierce on the East Coast of the USA, a thick layer of snow engulfing the territory between Boston and New ...
Comment by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 19 February 1977
LOUIS JOHNSON, bass-playing Brother of that ilk, was quoted in a recent Downbeat on the subject of his favourite bassists: "Stanley Clarke... is the baddest ...
Interview by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 5 March 1977
Harry Doherty travels to Cardiff to see how AC/DC are steadily working their way to the top ...
David Bowie, Iggy Pop: Iggy Pop: A new career in a new town
Report and Interview by Michael Watts, Melody Maker, 5 March 1977
Iggy Pop, touring Britain this week, speaks to MICHAEL WATTS from Berlin. David Bowie's saying nothing... ...
Kate & Anna McGarrigle: Kate and Anna McGarrigle: Kate and Anna Face the Music
Interview by Colin Irwin, Melody Maker, 5 March 1977
IT WAS once my considerable misfortune to own a part-time job, forced on me by financial hardship, that required knocking on people's doors inviting them ...
Review by Caroline Coon, Melody Maker, 19 March 1977
The Clash: there's a riot goin' on... ...
Pink Floyd: Empire Pool, London
Report and Interview by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 26 March 1977
GLC fuck-ups at Empire Pool ...
Lou Reed, The Sex Pistols: The Sex Pistols: Lou Reed Joins Pistols Furore
Report and Interview by uncredited writer, Caroline Coon, Melody Maker, 26 March 1977
LOU REED claims he has been banned from the London Palladium because of the continuing controversy surrounding the Sex Pistols and punk rock. ...
Review by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, April 1977
WHEN Isaac Hayes was at the peak of his success, some five or six years ago, he told me of his great ambition to write ...
Electric Light Orchestra: Look At Me Now: The Electric Light Orchestra
Report and Interview by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 2 April 1977
ELO: MORE than a classical gas. "It’s not classical rock. It never has been, but when it started, it needed a name. It had to ...
Glen Campbell, Jimmy Webb: Royal Festival Hall, London
Live Review by Michael Watts, Melody Maker, 9 April 1977
The Standard Jim Webb ...
John Coltrane:The Other Village Vanguard Tapes
Review by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 9 April 1977
The combination of affection, respect and awe in which his fans held the late John Coltrane is given to few people in any walk of ...
Live Review by Caroline Coon, Melody Maker, 9 April 1977
THE GRANDLY-NAMED COLISEUM in Harlesden, London, turned out somewhat grander than most people expected. It's no fleapit, more a small local theatre — complete with ...
Van Morrison: Jamming with George Benson
Report by Harvey Kubernik, Melody Maker, 9 April 1977
LOS ANGELES: VAN MORRISON made a rare TV appearance on the Midnight Special filmed last Monday at the NBC studios in Burbank. The show, which ...
Review by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, May 1977
THIS IS THE ALBUM we have been waiting for since Sandy left Fairport Convention for the second time at the end of 1975. Over six ...
Elton John: Rainbow Theatre, London
Live Review by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 7 May 1977
Elton enthrals ...
Dr. Feelgood: Just What The Dr. Ordered: A New Guitarist To Replace Wilko In The Feelgoods
Report and Interview by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 7 May 1977
IT'S BARDOT'S, Canvey Island, formerly Cloud Nine, former weekly haunt of Dr. Feelgood. It's Thursday, almost midnight, and Wilko Johnson has well and truly joined ...
Interview by Caroline Coon, Melody Maker, 7 May 1977
Television's Tom Verlaine talks to Caroline Coon in Houston ...
Tom Waits: Sound Circus, London
Live Review by Michael Watts, Melody Maker, 7 May 1977
THE OBVIOUS question about Tom Waits — is he, or is he not, a phoney? — ought to be perfectly clear, yet was never quite ...
Dr. Feelgood: Sneakin' Suspicion (United Artists UAS 30075)
Review by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 14 May 1977
Epitaph to Wilko ...
Essra Mohawk: Essra (Private Stock).
Review by Michael Watts, Melody Maker, 14 May 1977
THE LAST album (on Asylum) was simply called Essra Mohawk. Now, by way of Essra, a title whose warmer, more personal implication is complemented by ...
Thomas A Dorsey: The Father Of Gospel: Thomas A. Dorsey
Profile and Interview by Steve Turner, Melody Maker, 14 May 1977
He likes his stories does Thomas A. Dorsey, and with a 77-year-old mind in charge of the telling, they do tend to crop up more ...
Dory Previn: Fairfield Halls, Croydon
Live Review by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 21 May 1977
DORY PREVIN arouses my sympathy, but she doesn't excite my empathy. However much I may agree with what she is telling us about woman's condition ...
Talking Heads: Rock Garden, London
Live Review by Caroline Coon, Melody Maker, 21 May 1977
IN AN unpretentious, un-hyped way, the Talking Heads' UK debut — two warm-up nights at the Rock Garden, Covent Garden, prior to their tour with ...
Talking Heads: Talking Headquarters
Interview by Caroline Coon, Melody Maker, 21 May 1977
Talking Heads, the latest New York new wave band to tour Britain, talk to Caroline Coon ...
Report and Interview by Colin Irwin, Melody Maker, 16 July 1977
SANDY DENNY looked radiant. Yes, one is always supposed to say that about ladies when they're pregnant, but in this case it was true. She ...
Little Feat: In the lap of the gods? "Jeez, I don't know about that"
Interview by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 6 August 1977
FORGIVE ME, Father, for I have sinned. I did not genuflect every time Lowell George spliced Fender guitar with bottleneck last night. ...
The Adverts: Reading The Adverts
Profile and Interview by Ian Birch, Melody Maker, 6 August 1977
THE NEW WAVE scythe has brought about a dual personality in programming for a lot of the more established clubs. ...
Boomtown Rats: The Boomtown Rats (Ensign)
Review by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 27 August 1977
OH CHRIST, what will we label them? Rock 'n' Roll, Rhythm & Blues, Pop/New Wave? All tags apply. But no one alone totally fits the ...
David Bowie, Eddie & The Hot Rods, Generation X, Marc Bolan: Bowie and Bolan Get It On
Report by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, September 1977
"OH THAT'S REALLY Polaroid! You've gotta keep the ending!" David Bowie rocked with laughter and Marc Bolan wiped away the tears that had threatened to ...
Interview by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 3 September 1977
TAPE RECORDER OFF, Roy Wood typically loosens up, revealing a few of his franker thoughts. "I've written something like 30 hit songs, you know," he ...
Interview by Ian Birch, Melody Maker, 3 September 1977
SOMETIMES you feel so...er, hypocritical. Let me explain. The project in hand was an interview with The Only Ones, who over the last couple of ...
Jonathan Richman: In Love With The Modern World
Profile by Ian Birch, Melody Maker, 17 September 1977
On the eve of Jonathan Richman's first British tour, Ian Birch traces his career ...
Pete Townshend, Ronnie Lane: The Return of You Know Who: Pete Townshend and Ronnie Lane
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 17 September 1977
PETE TOWNSHEND is back — with a new album accompanied by his old mate Ronnie Lane, and with trenchant views on punk. ...
Jonathan Richman & the Modern Lovers: Hammersmith Odeon, London
Live Review by Ian Birch, Melody Maker, 24 September 1977
IT CONFOUNDED all expectations. Cross a children's pantomime with a Charlie Chaplin movie and filter it through a gawky highschool kid who mimes awful ...
Bob Seger: Cruisin' with Seger
Interview by Harvey Kubernik, Melody Maker, 15 October 1977
Detroit rocker Bob Seger, who starts his first British tour tomorrow (Friday), talks to Harvey Kubernik in Los Angeles ...
Don Williams: Country Boy (ABC)
Review by Colin Irwin, Melody Maker, 15 October 1977
NOW LET'S get this straight from the outset. I'm a Don Williams fan of considerable ardour, and all the disappointments felt with this album are ...
Johnny Thunders & the Heartbreakers: L.A.M.F. (Track 2409 218)
Review by Ian Birch, Melody Maker, 15 October 1977
LET'S DISPENSE with some inevitables. One. Heartbreakers Johnny Thunders and Jerry Nolan were originally part of, the New York Dolls and, of course, we all ...
Sandy Denny: Sandy Fights Back
Report and Interview by Colin Irwin, Melody Maker, 12 November 1977
"IF I HAVE TO SING 'Matty Groves' one more time, I'll throw myself out of a window... I'll be doing a lot of stuff from ...
Interview by Ian Birch, Melody Maker, 10 December 1977
HAVE YOU noticed how a new category is being synthesised in the press? It had to happen, now that disillusion with new wave/punk mark one ...
Review by Vivien Goldman, Melody Maker, 13 December 1977
LISTEN, going to the movies is cheaper than going to Jamaica. Am I right or am I wrong? As Dillinger used to say before he ...
Tom Robinson Band: The Tom Robinson Band: Lyceum, London
Live Review by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 17 December 1977
IT WAS undoubtedly one of the best gigs I have seen this or any other year. The combination of two excellent bands, the Tom Robinson ...
Review by Chris Bohn, Melody Maker, 1978
PATTI SMITH'S first album, Horses, was a bolt out of the blue, a lightning stab at the very top of the tree, one of the ...
Report and Interview by Harvey Kubernik, Melody Maker, 5 January 1978
STEELY DAN WILL compose and perform the title track for FM, which is scheduled to begin filming this week at Universal Studios. Denny Rosencrantz, vice-president ...
The Prisonaires: Five Beats Behind Bars
Retrospective by Martin Hawkins, Melody Maker, 11 January 1978
With doo-wop increasing in popularity, MARTIN HAWKINS reveals the 'inside' story of the Prisonaires, one of the South's finest vocal harmony groups. ...
Sex Pistols: America Learns to Loathe the Pistols
Report and Interview by Michael Watts, Melody Maker, 21 January 1978
Michael Watts reports on the Memphis hotel set-up (was it the CIA?); the two suspicious cowboys (were they big-time dope dealers?); the sociologists' poll (where ...
The Sex Pistols: Goodbye — and Good Riddance: The Sex Pistols, Winterland, San Francisco
Live Review by Harvey Kubernik, Melody Maker, 21 January 1978
Harvey Kubernik's personal view of the Pistols' last U.S. gig at Winterland in San Francisco ...
The Bee Gees, Andy Gibb: How the Bee Gees captured America
Report and Interview by Harvey Kubernik, Melody Maker, 21 January 1978
"ONE OF the reasons for the Bee Gees' success," explains Robin Gibb at their rented Benedict Canyon home, "is that we've never used music as ...
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 ...
Suicide: Suicide (Red Star RS1, import)
Review by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 21 January 1978
Suicide is a solution ...
Frank Zappa: Carry On Composing
Interview by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 28 January 1978
No Edgar Varèse trip for Frank Zappa, who's just sold out four shows at the Hammersmith Odeon (not bad for a hippie in '78, eh?). ...
Miles Davis: Dark Magus (CBS/Sony 40AP 741-2, 2 LPs, Japanese import)
Review by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 28 January 1978
Dark side of Miles ...
Report and Interview by Penny Valentine, Melody Maker, 28 January 1978
Penny Valentine reports from the Talking Heads tour ...
Live Review by Colin Irwin, Melody Maker, 28 January 1978
"HELLO, WE'RE XTC. You're the audience, and this is 'Radios In Motion'." A violent blast of noise collides with your brain, a few pints of ...
David Bowie: From Brixton To Berlin
Report and Interview by Michael Watts, Melody Maker, February 1978
Michael Watts reports from the German film set where David Bowie is making Just A Gigolo ...
Blue Öyster Cult: R.U. ready 2 rock?
Interview by Ian Birch, Melody Maker, 4 February 1978
Blue Oyster Cult's ALLEN LANIER talks to Ian Birch in New York ...
Frank Zappa: Hammersmith Odeon, London
Live Review by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 4 February 1978
Cynical Zappa ...
The Rich Kids: Rich Kids: Nashville Rooms, London
Live Review by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 4 February 1978
MIDGE URE made the most telling comment of the night just before the Rich Kids played their deserved encore after a rattling set at the ...
Aerosmith, Kansas, Styx: American revolution: Aerosmith, Boston, Kansas and co.
Overview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 25 February 1978
LIKE A FOREST fire, the flames of the new wave roared across the British rock scene, leaving behind a charred and blackened landscape. A few ...
Earth Wind and Fire: Earth, Wind & Fire: Flying Sorcerers
Report and Interview by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 25 February 1978
Earth, Wind & Fire are the biggest soul group in the world – their albums now go platinum. But Britain will have to wait until ...
Roogalator: Play It By Ear (Do It)
Review by Ian Birch, Melody Maker, 25 February 1978
A JINX HAS to hang over Roogalator, despite their having one of the great names. ...
Kansas: Wayward Sons in Slot Machine City: Kansas
Report and Interview by Ian Birch, Melody Maker, 25 February 1978
TWO DAYS in Las Vegas and your grip on sanity begins to slip. You can even buy a T-shirt there emblazoned with the gem: "I've ...
Devo: We Are Devo. We Are The Next Thing
Interview by Ian Birch, Melody Maker, 25 February 1978
Ian Birch talks to an American band with heavy friends – like Eno and David Bowie ...
Review by Ian Birch, Melody Maker, 25 February 1978
BOSTON (OR should I say Bosstown?) Massachusetts is also undergoing a Modern World Revival. Former inmates like Aerosmith, J. Geils and even the Modern Lovers ...
Interview by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 4 March 1978
Harry Doherty reports from West Berlin ...
Interview by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 4 March 1978
2002 Prologue: This interview would have come on the back of an MM editorial conference, Ray Coleman at the helm, sarcastic bastards around the table, ...
Miles Davis, Gil Evans: Gil Evans: Sketches of Gil
Interview by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 4 March 1978
At the end of his first-ever British tour, Gil Evans, jazz arranger extraordinary and mentor of Miles Davis, talks to Richard Williams ...
Ian Dury & the Blockheads: Dingwall's, London
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 4 March 1978
Down Dury Lane ...
Interview by Colin Irwin, Melody Maker, 11 March 1978
Colin Irwin reports on New York's latest cult success: a weird duo called Suicide ...
Live Review by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 11 March 1978
PROOF — IF proof were now needed — of Blondie's vast potential was provided in full during Sunday night's gig at the Roundhouse, London's answer ...
Report and Interview by Ian Birch, Melody Maker, 11 March 1978
THEY SEEMED to come out of nowhere: Dire Straits, that is. Suddenly last year London's bitter-and-Number-Six grapevine was buzzing with the name. Everyone wanted to ...
Professor Longhair: I'm A Little Rowdy With My Playing
Interview by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 1 April 1978
Professor Longhair talks to Max Jones ...
Shirley Bassey: Royal Albert Hall, London
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 1 April 1978
SHE REALLY is something special... Our Shirl. In an age of mediocrity, the spectacle of an artist who can do his or her job with ...
Tangerine Dream: Hammersmith Odeon, London
Live Review by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 1 April 1978
TANGERINE DREAM got what must surely be the greatest ovation of their career when they played at Hammersmith Odeon last Monday. ...
Boomtown Rats: The Boomtown Rats: the Stars And Stripes Club, Yate
Live Review by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 1 April 1978
The new Rats bag ...
Cheap Trick: the Roundhouse, London
Live Review by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 8 April 1978
Cheap and tasty ...
Rita Coolidge, Kris Kristofferson: Kris Kristofferson: Young Blue Eyes is Back
Interview by Colin Irwin, Melody Maker, 8 April 1978
Kris Kristofferson was a hell-raiser. He also grabbed country music by the scruff of its neck and dragged it into the Seventies. Now he's to ...
Professor Longhair: Live On The Queen Mary (EMI Harvest SHSP 4086)
Review by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 15 April 1978
LONGHAIR THE pianist, singer, songwriter and potent entertainer is something of a New Orleans phenomenon. He is (as he said himself in a recent MM ...
The Only Ones, Television: Television, The Only Ones: City Hall, Newcastle
Live Review by Ian Birch, Melody Maker, 15 April 1978
Chilling Verlaine ...
Nico: Return Of The Pagan Exile
Interview by Maureen Paton, Melody Maker, 29 April 1978
Nico, in London for a one-off gig last Monday and to record an album, talks to Maureen Paton. ...
Interview by Colin Irwin, Melody Maker, 29 April 1978
FORGIVE the blasphemy, but I reckon God must have been way out of his little box when he deposited Tom Waits among us. Mr. Waits ...
Profile and Interview by Ian Birch, Melody Maker, 13 May 1978
Ian Birch introduces Ohio's latest 'overnight sensation', Pere Ubu ...
Helen Reddy: Palladium, London
Live Review by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 20 May 1978
THERE IS something about Helen Reddy which just gets up my nose. I didn't know that, mind you, before I went to the first of ...
Queen: Empire Pool, Wembley, London
Live Review by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 20 May 1978
Queen bee ...
Electric Light Orchestra: Themes and Variations on ELO
Profile and Interview by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 27 May 1978
THE ELECTRIC LIGHT ORCHESTRA's forthcoming British tour, which includes a run of eight nights at Wembley Empire Pool, will be the band's last appearances here ...
Interview by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 3 June 1978
2002 Prologue: I remember this interview with massive warmth. I knew me and Kate were obviously getting onside ‘cos this was done at the family ...
Rory Gallagher: Hammersmith Odeon, London
Live Review by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 5 June 1978
RORY GALLAGHER'S return to London, with two shows at the Hammersmith Odeon at the weekend, emphasized the sway the eternally youthful Irish guitarist holds over ...
Bruce Springsteen: Reborn and Running Again
Report by Harvey Kubernik, Melody Maker, 10 June 1978
EVEN BEFORE the two brilliant concerts at the Spectrum earlier in the week, Bruce Springsteen could have been the Mayor of Philadelphia if he had ...
Electric Light Orchestra: Wembley Arena, London
Live Review by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 10 June 1978
HONESTLY, when you find yourself actually applauding the stage at the end of a gig, then you suddenly realise that you've just witnessed a very ...
Interview by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 10 June 1978
IT'S THOSE damned shades that frighten me so much. What goes on behind them? Where are his eyes? Has he got eyes? The imagination runs ...
John Cage: National Theatre, London
Live Review by Karl Dallas, Melody Maker, 24 June 1978
THE LIGHTS went down in London's National Theatre and a bearded, slightly stooped guy in blue denims came on, sat at a lecture table and ...
La Düsseldorf: La Düsseldorf (Radar RAD 7)
Review by Ian Birch, Melody Maker, 15 July 1978
The Kraft of Düsseldorf ...
Brian Eno, Talking Heads: Talking Heads: More Songs About Buildings And Food (Sire)
Review by Ian Birch, Melody Maker, 15 July 1978
David Byrne (singing, guitars, synthesized percussion); Chris Frantz (drums, percussion); Jerry Harrison (piano, organs, synthesizer, guitar, background vocals); Tina Weymouth (bass) and Brian Eno (synthesizers, ...
The Shirts: Dingwall's, London
Live Review by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 22 July 1978
YOU KNOW the feeling. Out comes a new album from a new band and you get so enthusiastic about it that you're falling over yourself ...
Interview by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 23 July 1978
July 2002 intro: Supertramp play at Hyde Park this month, a sure sign they have lost none of the fans who made them huge with ...
Brian Eno, Talking Heads: Talking Heads: More words about Eno and art
Interview by Ian Birch, Melody Maker, 29 July 1978
Ian Birch meets Talking Heads ...
The Clash, Suicide: Music Machine, London
Live Review by Ian Birch, Melody Maker, 29 July 1978
NO TWO ways about it. All I can do is echo and re-emphasise Chris Brazier's sentiments in MM of two issues ago: the Clash are ...
Jessy Dixon, Paul Simon: Dixon Spreading the Gospel with Paul Simon
Profile and Interview by Steve Turner, Melody Maker, 19 August 1978
Jessy Dixon, who plays London's Rainbow on September 2, talks to Steve Turner ...
Discography by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 2 September 1978
Chris Welch examines the legacy of Blue Note, the pioneering label currently being re-promoted ...
Frankie Miller: Dingwall's, London
Live Review by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 2 September 1978
FRANKIE MILLER would have been recognised as a major rock singer with a major rock audience three years ago had it not been for his ...
Allman Brothers Band: Allman Brothers Reform For LP, Tour
Report by Richard Wootton, Melody Maker, 9 September 1978
THE FOUR SURVIVING members of the original Allman Brothers Band – Gregg Allman, Dickie Betts, Butch Trucks and Jai Johanny Johanson – have reformed for ...
Blondie: Parallel Lines (Chrysalis)
Review by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 9 September 1978
BLONDIE'S third album seems designed to cater for two distinct requirements: a) to satisfy the near-hysterical cries for the pure pop of the band's debut ...
Blondie: From Blondie With Love…
Interview by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 9 September 1978
CLEM BURKE offers a rather intriguing analogy about his band: Blondie are now playing the roles patented earlier this decade by Gary Glitter, T. Rex ...
Punishment Of Luxury: Dishing out Punishment
Interview by Ian Birch, Melody Maker, 9 September 1978
"It's really crazy to think you've got to get crazy to be happy. I don't think you can be so logical as to estimate your ...
Bryan Ferry: The Bride Stripped Bare
Review by Penny Valentine, Melody Maker, 16 September 1978
WITH HIS USUAL panache (some may say pretensions), Bryan Ferry has taken his album title from a famous work by the surrealist Marcel Duchamp: The ...
Doll By Doll: Entropy Is Just Another Word For Nothing Left To Lose
Interview by Ian Birch, Melody Maker, 16 September 1978
"If you go walking in the street today/be sure and listen what the young boys say/they know the colour of speed is red/you don't become ...
Emmylou Harris: Profile…Best Of Emmylou Harris
Review by Penny Valentine, Melody Maker, 16 September 1978
UNDOUBTEDLY, Emmylou's success has been to make traditional country music acceptable to a rock audience. She has a lot to answer for, and in a ...
Frank Sinatra: Royal Festival Hall, London
Live Review by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 16 September 1978
"SINATRA IS Sinatra, and this is perfect," someone once wrote about one of his movies. That sentence would, I imagine, sum up the feelings of ...
Keith Moon: Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere
Obituary by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 16 September 1978
SOMETIME IN 1972, when my admiration for the Who was at its most passionate peak, I spent an afternoon at Keith Moon's house in Chertsey. ...
Obituary by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 16 September 1978
ON THE RADIO they were playing a tribute to Keith Moon. They put on 'My Generation' by the Who. We heard the line that now ...
Smokie: Exiles On The Reeperbahn
Report and Interview by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 16 September 1978
LAST NIGHT, IN Hamburg, Smokie played to 6,000 people and tonight they'll repeat the process in the fishing port of Kiel. It brings to an ...
Tammy Wynette: Hammersmith Odeon, London
Live Review by Colin Irwin, Melody Maker, 16 September 1978
SO ENTRENCHED is the tradition of slick showmanship and synthetic sincerity among buxom country goddesses that we should no longer be surprised or nauseated by ...
Tammy Wynette: Stand By Your Record Producer
Interview by Colin Irwin, Melody Maker, 16 September 1978
Tammy Wynette, over here for a short tour, lectures COLIN IRWIN on how to be an Average Superstar... ...
The Rolling Stones: Back Door Men
Interview by John Pidgeon, Melody Maker, 16 September 1978
Charlie Watts and Bill Wyman aren't exactly garrulous types. But behind the... er... stony facade lies a commitment which has kept them pumping up the ...
Yes in New York: Swings And Roundabouts
Report and Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 16 September 1978
"EXCUSE me, but what are you writing?" I'm just making notes about the concert and I'm trying to listen to the piano player. ...
Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 16 September 1978
"RELEASE, Release!" is one of the most significant chants on this happy musical event. It is the hook-line on the fastest, funkiest, piece of rock ...
Bette Midler Just Wants to be Loved. It's the Least a Legend Can Expect
Interview by Harvey Kubernik, Melody Maker, 23 September 1978
LOOKING AFTER Bette Midler's career, says her manager and former lover Aaron Russo, is like being the navigator of a plane en route for California. ...
Profile and Interview by Bill Millar, Melody Maker, 23 September 1978
YOU CAN ENJOY Etta James as a throwback to the rockin' Fifties. You can admire her as the apotheosis of Sixties soul performing ghetto clubs ...
Interview by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 23 September 1978
Fighting their reputation and their record company, Kevin Godley and Lol Creme turn defence into attack. ...
Grateful Dead: Dead on the Nile
Report by Michael Watts, Melody Maker, 23 September 1978
Jerry Garcia, Bob Weir, Phil Lesh, Keith & Donna Godchaux, Mickey Hart, Bill Kreutzmann, Hamza El-Din, Bill Graham, Ken Kesey & The Merry Pranksters, the Sphinx, the ...
Lynyrd Skynyrd: Skynyrd's First And…Last
Review by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 23 September 1978
ROCK 'N' ROLL REQUIEMS usually denigrate rather than enhance the reputation of the deceased, which is as sound a reason as any to approach this ...
Review by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 23 September 1978
RADIO STARS' aspirations are anything but modest. They have visions of themselves as a major (Hammersmith Odeon-Earls Court-Knebworth) band and Holiday Album is the vehicle ...
Live Review by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 23 September 1978
IF NOTHING ELSE, at least the sun shone undisturbed for the duration of the Stranglers' long-awaited London gig on Saturday afternoon ("They're trying to strangle ...
Live Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 30 September 1978
"BRAKES ARE locked. The steering is jammed!" Peter Robinson wrestled with the steering wheel as he drove like a Dalek around Bristol City centre last ...
Jethro Tull: Live – Bursting Out
Review by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 30 September 1978
SECRETIVE lot, Jethro Tull. This "live" double set was NOT recorded at Harold Rumsey's Lighthouse, nor at the Manor, nor on Ronnie Lane's mobile, but ...
Joan Armatrading: Fragile Surfaces And Fast Getaways
Interview by Penny Valentine, Melody Maker, 30 September 1978
IN HER KITCHEN Joan Armatrading washes up the plates from a vegetarian meal we have just eaten. "You wouldn't think," she had said earlier with ...
Linda Ronstadt: Living In The U.S.A.
Review by Penny Valentine, Melody Maker, 30 September 1978
OVER HER PAST few albums and, curiously, ever since she won a wall full of awards, something has been happening to Linda Ronstadt's "interpretative" powers. ...
The Moody Blues, Patrick Moraz: Moody Blues: Yes To The Moodies
Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 30 September 1978
"I THOUGHT I was God. Then I realised I was just the drummer in a rock 'n' roll band." Graeme Edge and Caligula had the ...
Report by Richard Wootton, Melody Maker, 30 September 1978
The latest manifestation of rock & roll collection mania is the picture disc. What it means, as RICHARD WOOTTON explains, is that lots of people ...
Buzzcocks: The Buzzcocks: Pete Shelley is a Sensitive Artist... and Buzzcocks Have no Guilt
Interview by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 30 September 1978
Every successful new wave band experiences a backlash, and Buzzcockes are no exception. HARRY DOHERTY sympathises ...
Buzzcocks: The Buzzcocks: Love Bites
Review by Simon Frith, Melody Maker, 30 September 1978
UMMMMM, ON THE cover of their new album the Buzzcocks look yummy enough to wrap up and take home. Love Bites, it's called, but no ...
The Ramones: Ulster Hall, Belfast
Live Review by Ian Birch, Melody Maker, 30 September 1978
IT WAS A TRICKY confrontation. John Ramone stepped out of the hotel lift and after a brief moptop nod of recognition dived into the obvious ...
Review by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 30 September 1978
SINCE THEIR appearance in 1975, Third World have always seemed the most likely candidates to follow Bob Marley through the gates marked Reggae/Pop Crossover. ...
Richard Thompson: The Guitar Hero as Mystic Recluse
Interview by Colin Irwin, Melody Maker, 7 October 1978
Richard Thompson is one of the world's finest guitarists, but a few years ago he "got cheesed off" and packed it all in. Now he's ...
Report and Interview by Chris Welch, Melody Maker, 14 October 1978
On Monday night, Jethro Tull became the first rock group to appear live from America on British TV. CHRIS WELCH sat in the control booth ...
Pete Townshend, The Who: Pete Townshend: Picking Up The Pieces
Report and Interview by Michael Watts, Melody Maker, 14 October 1978
"ROGER AND I have really got to get together and thrash out... not a compromise, but what is really gonna work. And if we can't ...
Ral Donner: The Great Pretender
Retrospective by Bill Millar, Melody Maker, 14 October 1978
Some say that Ral Donner sang in Elvis's post-army style better than Elvis did himself. BILL MILLAR unveils the man behind rock 'n roll's most ...
Wayne County & the Electric Chairs: Music Machine, London
Live Review by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 14 October 1978
WEIRD IS the word that immediately springs to mind; the detached weirdness of viewing a transvestite play hard rock, of being part of an audience ...
Johnny Thunders: Nothing Is Forever
Interview by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 21 October 1978
Maybe you sneered at the New York Dolls; so maybe you missed a Distant Early Warning of the new wave. Johnny Thunders is back in ...
Cabaret Voltaire, Linton Kwesi Johnson, Nico, The Pop Group: The Pop Group/LKJ/Nico/Cab Voltaire
Live Review by Richard Williams, Melody Maker, 21 October 1978
Disorder by juxtaposition. Subversion by paradox. Nothing is as simple as we're told. New feelings. ...
B.B. King: BB King: The Las Vegas Tax Deductible Blues
Interview by Pete Wingfield, Melody Maker, 28 October 1978
PETE WINGFIELD played with B.B.King seven years ago, on one of the guitarist's less celebrated albums. They met up again last week – only this ...
Bram Tchaikovsky: The Marquee, London
Live Review by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 28 October 1978
FOR THOSE CONFUSED, angered and alienated by the Motors' continuing divergence from their original hard rock base, the movements in the Bram Tchaikovsky camp at ...
Review by Penny Valentine, Melody Maker, 28 October 1978
IT'S RARE FOR any artist to re-emerge successfully from a long period of musical sterility. Harder still, somehow, for black musicians, whose problems – brought ...
The Sex Pistols: Sex Pistols Bootlegs
Review by Ian Birch, Melody Maker, 28 October 1978
Sex Pistols: Indecent Exposure (It's A Dirty Business) (Rotten Records – bootleg album)'Anarchy In The U.S.A.'/'Belsen Was A Gas' (Rotten Role – bootleg single). ...
Simon Frith: The Sociology Of Rock (Constable. £7.50; paperback, £3.50)
Book Review by Michael Watts, Melody Maker, 28 October 1978
FUN OR PROFIT? ...
Interview by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 28 October 1978
UNE NUIT A PARIS...The intention behind visiting France with the Motors seemed a good one: the circumspection of their intriguingly varied curriculum could be more ...
The Rich Kids: Music Machine, London
Live Review by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 28 October 1978
UNTIL THE RICH KIDS get a few things into perspective – the rather misbegotten and amusing attitude, for