MOR and Easy Listening
302 articles
Rosemary Clooney: Max Jones interviews the 'Come On-A My House' girl
Interview by Max Jones, Melody Maker, 2 February 1957
ROSEMARY CLOONEY sprang the first question when the MM Invaded her flower-laden, aromatic suite at Claridge's, where she is staying this week. ...
Sammy Davis Jr.: Sammy Davis Jnr.: No Hits For Two Years
Profile by June Harris, Disc, 7 March 1959
But he's still on top with the fans ...
Bobby Darin: This Is Darin (London)
Review by uncredited writer, Disc, 26 March 1960
DARIN DOES IT AGAIN ...
Perry Como: Como Show May Be Filmed In Paris, Milan,
Interview by June Harris, Disc, 23 April 1960
PERRY COMO arrived at London Airport on Saturday, and within minutes of landing he was filming his first scene for the London edition of his ...
Johnny Mathis: "Sometimes I feel I earn too much," says Mr. Mathis
Interview by Maureen Cleave, The Evening Standard, 15 July 1961
"YOU'D BE amazed how many people have an awful lot of money," said Johnny Mathis easily, thinking no doubt what an awful lot of mugs ...
Shirley Bassey: Can Shirley Bassey Make It Three Show Hits In A Row?
Report and Interview by Alan Smith, New Musical Express, 23 February 1962
NO DOUBT about it, show tunes seem to have hit written all over them for Shirley Bassey! Her latest is 'Tonight', now in its second ...
Pat Boone: Why I Became A Beatnik
Report and Interview by Alan Smith, New Musical Express, 9 March 1962
PAT BOONE fans who saw last week's NME pictures of him at the Royal Film show won't see him looking so clean-cut in his latest ...
Live Review by Alan Smith, New Musical Express, 23 March 1962
PLENTY OF TALENT IN THIS SHOW ...
Anthony Newley: I'm Worried About My Discs: I Still Need Hits admits Tony Newley
Interview by Alan Smith, New Musical Express, 13 July 1962
ANTHONY NEWLEY smoothed out a crease in the trousers of his tuxedo suit, sipped from a large mug of Shepperton film studio tea and looked ...
Bobby Darin: Take It Easier, Mr. Darin
Profile by Peter Jones, Record Mirror, 28 July 1962
IT WENT on, and on, and on, and on... for months Rumour, counter-rumour, denial, counter-denial... and finally the bouncy young man, who just can't help ...
Profile and Interview by Alan Smith, New Musical Express, 14 September 1962
ANTHONY NEWLEY had every reason to look a little worried as he boarded a Philadelphia-bound airliner at London Airport on Sunday morning. And no wonder. ...
Bobby Vinton Replies To Ronnie Carroll
Interview by Alan Smith, New Musical Express, 21 September 1962
...and reveals a secret to ALAN SMITH ...
Bobby Vinton: I Wanted To Record 'Lonely' But Buddy Greco Got In First
Interview by June Harris, Disc, 22 September 1962
WHAT'S IT feel like to write a number you think is great, be allowed to record it on an LP after much argument, and then, ...
Interview by Alan Smith, New Musical Express, 16 November 1962
WE WERE sitting in Frank Ifield's dressing room at Liverpool Empire on Sunday — the last night of his triumphant tour with the Phil Everly ...
Nat King Cole: Not Even Nat Cole Can Afford To Be Without A Hit
Interview by June Harris, Disc, 15 December 1962
AFTER 25 years in show business, with TV, radio and cabaret success his for the asking, you might think that Nat King Cole would count ...
Johnny Mathis: Comment — The Mathis Chart Mystery...
Profile by Keith Matthews, Record Mirror, 16 February 1963
DID JOHNNY Mathis burn his boats when he appeared on Juke Box Jury? A question which arises because of his recent lack of hits in ...
The Bachelors: 'Don't Call Us Paddy' Begged The Bachelors
Interview by Norman Jopling, Record Mirror, 16 February 1963
"WHENEVER we talk to anyone they call us 'Paddy'," complained the three Bachelors. "We've got names you know." ...
Judy Garland: Judy Cried At Herself
Report and Interview by Alan Smith, New Musical Express, 1 March 1963
"BRITAIN IS A home from home to me," said Judy Garland recently. "I remember my career was at a low ebb back in 1950 and ...
Andy Williams: Picasso Originals!
Profile by Peter Jones, Record Mirror, 20 April 1963
ANDY WILLIAMS DOESN'T HOARD RECORDS — HE COLLECTS ...
Andy Williams Explains Why He Didn't Do A Palladium TV
Interview by Alan Smith, New Musical Express, 10 May 1963
ANDY WILLIAMS settled back into a deep armchair at London's Dorchester Hotel. "I couldn't appear on Sunday Night At The Palladium," he said, "because of ...
Nat King Cole: Welcome Back to Nat 'King' Cole
Profile by Ian Dove, New Musical Express, 5 July 1963
INCREDIBLE — but in December, 1940, in a Hollywood recording studio, Nat "King" Cole made the first of many hit discs, 'Sweet Lorraine'. It is ...
Profile and Interview by David Griffiths, Record Mirror, 24 August 1963
Frank Ifield had all the Star Qualities – Good Looks, Good Voice, Charm, etc., but it took him three years to hit the top, because ...
Nat King Cole: The Lesson I Learned When They Told Me The Truth
Interview by Ivor Davis, Daily Express, 12 February 1965
TALKING FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE HIS GRAVE ILLNESS TO IVOR DAVIS, HOLLYWOOD, THURSDAY. ...
Obituary by Ivor Davis, Daily Express, 16 February 1965
Nat King Cole dies and an era comes to an end ...
Nat King Cole: Nat "King" Cole, Loss To World
Obituary by uncredited writer, New Musical Express, 19 February 1965
WHEN NAT "King" Cole died of lung cancer on Monday, aged 45, the world lost a great artist. Those who saw his stage shows knew ...
Val Doonican: Relaxation: it's a way of life for the housewife's choice...
Profile and Interview by Maureen Cleave, The Evening Standard, 20 March 1965
VAL DOONICAN Is a friendly, easy-going man of 36 who makes his living — it would be but slight exaggeration to say — by looking ...
Report and Interview by Ivor Davis, Daily Express, 24 July 1965
IVOR DAVIS, BOULDER, COLORADO. FRIDAY. With fishing, horse racing, work, and a family there's plenty in life to keep a man busy ...
Judy Garland: Circle Star Theater, San Carlos CA
Live Review by Philip Elwood, The San Francisco Examiner, 2 September 1965
Judy's Electric, but Searching Evening ...
The Beatles, Ken Dodd: Ken Dodd Champions The Beat Groups
Interview by Alan Smith, New Musical Express, 10 September 1965
"YES!" CACKLED Ken Dodd as he stood there in his dressing room at the London Palladium, wearing big boots, baggy trousers, a yellow daisy and ...
Petula Clark Goes Midtown And Captivates Copa Patrons
Profile by Robert Shelton, The New York Times, 16 October 1965
Petite Performer With Big Voice Demonstrates Why She's So Popular ...
Andy Williams: Delighted Andy Williams Says Proudly Now I'm a British Pop Star!
Interview by Tracy Thomas, New Musical Express, 22 October 1965
NMExclusive interview in Hollywood byTRACY THOMAS ...
Report by Alan Smith, New Musical Express, 3 December 1965
PROBABLY the oddest chart story of the year lies behind 'I Left My Heart In San Francisco' — the silky, sophisticated Tony Bennett disc which ...
Frank Sinatra: A Man And His Music (Reprise R 1016); My Kind Of Broadway (Reprise R 1015)
Review by Peter Jones, Record Mirror, 15 January 1966
3 from Frank ...
Mel Carter: Swingin' Mel Carter Setting New Goals
Interview by Louise Criscione, KRLA Beat, 15 January 1966
WHEN HIS heart sings it really sings. His name is Mel Carter and he is one of the few remaining ballad singers who continues to ...
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 — ...
Barbra Streisand: No Second Hand Roses
Profile by Carol Deck, KRLA Beat, 19 February 1966
A LOT OF words have been used to describe Barbra Streisand but the one that pops up most often is unique. ...
Herb Alpert: The Million Dollar Trumpet
Profile and Interview by Louise Criscione, KRLA Beat, 19 March 1966
THEY SAY that in order to make a lasting name for yourself in the music business you've got to come up with something which is ...
Petula Clark: BEAT Exclusive: Petula Clark Wants To Stay
Interview by Louise Criscione, KRLA Beat, 7 May 1966
PETULA CLARK has been called The First Lady of Pop and she must be because ever since 'Downtown' she has had only hit after hit, ...
Petula Clark: Cocoanut Grove, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Louise Criscione, KRLA Beat, 28 May 1966
KRLA Night At The Cocoanut Grove!!! ...
Neil Diamond: A Look Inside A Rather 'Solitary Man'
Interview by Louise Criscione, KRLA Beat, 18 June 1966
NEIL DIAMOND is real. And in the record business, that's unusual. In a world of phonies and "yes" men, a real person stands out like ...
Clifton Chenier, Bob Dylan, Bert Kaempfert: Bob Dylan: Blonde on Blonde (Columbia C2L 41 028 841)
Review by Pete Johnson, Los Angeles Times, 3 July 1966
Playboy Hops on Dylan Bandwagon ...
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 ...
Review by uncredited writer, Melody Maker, 13 August 1966
Dylan rocks through 4 great sides ...
Chris Montez: Last Beatle Tour Believes Montez
Interview by Rochelle Reed, KRLA Beat, 10 September 1966
CHRIS MONTEZ dropped by the office this week to say 'hello' and fill us in on where he's been keeping himself lately. ...
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 ...
Neil Diamond's Searching for Tone
Interview by Louise Criscione, KRLA Beat, 5 November 1966
THOSE WHO start young are more apt to make it since they've more time to profit from their errors. Such a person is Neil Diamond. ...
The Sandpipers Are Following Herb Alpert's Good Example
Profile and Interview by Carol Deck, KRLA Beat, 31 December 1966
1966 WAS A big year for three young men who are a rarity in the entertainment world, particularly the pop portion of that world. ...
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 ...
Tom Jones: One Hit A Year Will Suit Me says Tom Jones
Interview by Alan Smith, New Musical Express, 26 February 1967
"'ANG ON a minute," cried Tom Jones briskly, "telephone call." He and his skintight houndstooth trousers fought a valiant battle for survival as he bounded ...
Petula Clark, Julie Felix, the Fortunes, Helen Shapiro: Palladium, London
Live Review by Alan Smith, New Musical Express, 11 March 1967
PET SMASH HIT ...
Kathy Kirby: Kathy And The Problems Of Being A Girl Singer
Interview by David Griffiths, Record Mirror, 18 March 1967
KATHY KIRBY loves her work but it happens to be one of the commercial facts of life that a highly paid entertainer sometimes gets in ...
Harry Secombe: Hearty Harry Talks Of His First Big Hit...
Interview by David Griffiths, Record Mirror, 1 April 1967
POOR OLD Harry Secombe! ...
Review by Peter Jones, Norman Jopling, Record Mirror, 15 April 1967
Remarkable sincerity on El's How Great Thou Art album. ...
James Last: Top Band Man ISN'T Saying 'Big Bands are Coming Back'
Interview by Peter Jones, Record Mirror, 6 May 1967
JAMES LAST sounds rather a British name. In fact, this talented musician, composer, arranger and orchestra-leader is German and it shows through in his struggles ...
Frank Sinatra, Nancy Sinatra: Nancy Sinatra: Nancy Sets The Record Straight About Frank
Interview by Alan Smith, New Musical Express, 20 May 1967
"I had to drag dad bodily into the studios to record 'Stupid'." ...
Lou Rawls: Suddenly in the Big Time: Lou Rawls' Exciting Year
Interview by Loraine Alterman, Detroit Free Press, 30 May 1967
ASK LOU Rawls, who performed to a full house at Masonic Auditorium Sunday night, to tell you the most exciting point in his career and ...
Tom Jones: The Champagne World of Tom Jones
Profile and Interview by David Hughes, Disc and Music Echo, 5 August 1967
'The doctor says champagne is good for the throat' ...
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. ...
Neil Diamond: Writer First, Singer Second
Profile and Interview by Mike Gormley, The Ottawa Journal, 25 August 1967
HE'S RATHER quiet. ...
Frankie Vaughan: I'll Never Change Now Says Frankie
Interview by Alan Smith, New Musical Express, 30 September 1967
It's top hat and cane for ever ...
Live Review by Alan Walsh, Melody Maker, 4 November 1967
Engelbert replaces Ken Dodd as idol of the mums ...
Bobby Darin: Hate to Ruin His Image, but He's Nice
Interview by Loraine Alterman, Detroit Free Press, 13 November 1967
I REALLY hate to ruin anyone's reputation, but Bobby Darin just doesn't live up to his: During his years in show business, Bobby has often ...
Frank Sinatra: Sinatra's Anger
Report by Ivor Davis, Daily Express, 24 November 1967
'COME FILM WITH ME' ROW From IVOR DAVIS, HOLLYWOOD, Thursday ...
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 ...
Bert Kaempfert: Massive Kaempfert LP Release
Review by Peter Jones, Norman Jopling, Record Mirror, 17 February 1968
ONE BATCH of LP's which, altogether, may slightly be beyond the reach of your pocket — no less than FIVE LP's by BERT KAEMPFERT and ...
Tom Jones: Copacabana, New York NY
Live Review by June Harris, New Musical Express, 24 February 1968
Tom Jones took my advice! ...
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 ...
Andy Williams: The Andy Williams Cult
Profile by Peter Jones, Record Mirror, 20 April 1968
AND SUDDENLY, or so it seems to me, there is Andy Williams. Always rated in the top handful of ballad-sellers at international, there is now ...
Bobby Goldsboro: Before 'Honey' I Had Almost Given Up Hope, Says Bobby Goldsboro
Interview by Richard Green, New Musical Express, 4 May 1968
HIT AFTER HIT has been written by Bobby Goldsboro, but for other people as far as Britain is concerned. His own songs have taken him ...
Henry Mancini, Andy Williams: Andy Williams, Henry Mancini: Royal Albert Hall, London
Live Review by Lon Goddard, Record Mirror, 25 May 1968
ONE OF America's true men of song, Henry Mancini lays proud claim to a remarkable list of musical credits, sprinkled with the occasional academy award. ...
Gene Pitney: Variety Club, Batley
Live Review by uncredited writer, New Musical Express, 6 July 1968
VERSATILE PITNEY ...
Herb Alpert: My 'Guy' Called For No Great Vocal Pipes!
Interview by Alan Smith, New Musical Express, 3 August 1968
Says Herb Alpert to Alan Smith ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
Tom Jones: Help Yourself (Decca Stereo SKL 4982)
Review by Peter Jones, Record Mirror, 7 December 1968
"HELP YOURSELF" to the EXUBERANCE OF A GENIUS... TOM JONES ...
Richard Harris: The Yard Went On Forever (Stateside SS 5001)
Review by uncredited writer, Record Mirror, 14 December 1968
'The Yard Went On Forever'; 'Watermark'; 'Interim'; 'Gayla'; 'The Hymns From Grand Terrace'; 'The Hive'; 'Lucky Me'; 'That's The Way It Was' ...
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 ...
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. ...
Tom Jones: Tom's the talk of the town — New York, that is
Interview by Royston Eldridge, Melody Maker, 7 June 1969
"HE'S THE hottest artist in the world and Wales should be proud of him," said a jubilant Gordon Mills about Tom Jones, the man who's ...
Interview by David Griffiths, Record Mirror, 5 July 1969
MORE THAN twenty years ago, when he was 19, Vic Damone was one of the top hitmakers. He had four or five massive sellers in ...
Tony Bennett: Mr. D's, San Francisco CA
Live Review by Philip Elwood, The San Francisco Examiner, 19 July 1969
Tony's Lasting Spell ...
Review by Peter Jones, Record Mirror, 26 July 1969
New Sly & Family Stone LP begins where other R&B LP's leave off ...
Engelbert Humperdinck: Engelbert Humperdinck (Decca SKL 5030)
Review by Peter Jones, Record Mirror, 6 December 1969
Warmth sells Engels voice ...
The 5th Dimension: Love Keeps Us 5th Dimensions Together says Marilyn
Interview by Ann Moses, New Musical Express, 14 February 1970
AT A PERIOD when groups come and go and musical moods change quickly, the lasting power and dependable good vibration sounds of the 5th Dimensions ...
Liberace: Waldorf Astoria, New York City
Live Review by Ian Dove, Billboard, 28 March 1970
ANYBODY WANDERING in midway through Liberace's performance would probably think they were into a remake of Hellzapoppin. Liberace (about three costume changes through his act, ...
Dionne Warwick: Royal Albert Hall, London
Live Review by Alan Smith, New Musical Express, 18 April 1970
DIONNE DAZZLES ...
Frank Sinatra: Watertown (Reprise 1031 American copy)
Review by Lon Goddard, Record Mirror, 9 May 1970
Bloodshot emotion and cool nonchalance ...
Sacha Distel: Recognized At Last
Interview by Val Mabbs, Record Mirror, 16 May 1970
MUCH OF Sacha Distel's early publicity was based on speculation over his relationship with Brigitte Bardot. But as Sacha says, he never wanted to become ...
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 ...
The Carpenters: Right Song Saved The Carpenters
Interview by Ann Moses, New Musical Express, 3 October 1970
TODAY THE Carpenters are soaring from requests to make in-person concerts and television appearances, and record fans are buying their discs like crazy! ...
Profile and Interview by Penny Valentine, Sounds, 10 October 1970
IT HAS taken the amazing Bread over a year to 'break nationwide' – or for that matter to break anywhere on a really large scale. ...
Interview by Roy Carr, New Musical Express, 10 October 1970
AS WITH the legendary knights of old, reputations or a fair damsel's heart were either won in the lists or on the field of honour. ...
Bread: Revolution Club, London
Live Review by Penny Valentine, Sounds, 17 October 1970
AT THE end of Bread's London appearance at the Revolution club on Thursday night they were called back to do two encores and treated to ...
Neil Diamond: A Boy Who Outgrew His Hits
Interview by Phil Symes, Disc and Music Echo, 20 March 1971
IT TOOK a long while but the U.K. public woke up one day and discovered Neil Diamond. And with 'Sweet Caroline' providing a quick follow-up ...
Shirley Bassey: Colston Hall, Bristol
Live Review by Phil Symes, Disc and Music Echo, 8 May 1971
HOW PEOPLE love Shirley Bassey! There's not another female singer in Britain, nay, probably the world who gets from her audiences so much love. ...
Tom Jones: Madison Square Garden, New York NY
Live Review by Mike Jahn, The New York Times, 15 June 1971
TOM JONES EXCELS IN GARDEN RECITAL ...
The Carpenters, Mac Davis: Civic Auditorium, San Francisco CA
Live Review by Philip Elwood, The San Francisco Examiner, 8 July 1971
An Off Night For the Carpenters ...
Shirley Bassey: State Of The World Means 'Kids' Can Now Relate To Me Says Shirley Bassey
Interview by Tony Stewart, New Musical Express, 18 September 1971
UNEXPECTED, but marvellous – and Shirley Bassey puts down her latest recording success, 'For All We Know' down to a change of style, which she ...
The Carpenters: "I've Got a Problem Here"
Profile and Interview by Peter Jones, Record Mirror, 18 September 1971
THE CARPENTERS were into jazz for a while — Richard and Karen and a bassist. Then they went into rock — Richard and Karen and ...
The Carpenters, Labi Siffre: Royal Albert Hall, London
Live Review by Richard Green, New Musical Express, 2 October 1971
MUSICALLY THE Carpenters are a very pleasing group and the selection of numbers they played at their Royal Albert Hall concert on Friday were well ...
Neil Diamond: Stones (UNI 93106)
Review by Paul Gambaccini, Rolling Stone, 20 January 1972
REMEMBER HOW embarrassed you felt on first listening to Neil Diamond destroy 'He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother' only to decide on the tenth hearing ...
Interview by Tony Norman, New Musical Express, 6 May 1972
THE MUSIC MAN sits there sipping tea and talking music. Although he has always been a bit of a loner, he is certainly not an ...
John Denver: Rocky Mountain High
Review by Bud Scoppa, Rolling Stone, 26 October 1972
THERE HE IS on the screen of your color TV: blond, bespectacled, and peach-faced – the sight of him makes you want to adjust the ...
Liberace: Magic Moments In Showbiz Schmaltzville
Report by Nick Kent, New Musical Express, 11 November 1972
Mean teen NICK KENT (along with Abe and Ruby from Wisconsin and Tom and Ethel from Phoenix) meets LIBERACE ...
Blue Mink: Out of Preaching Bag
Profile and Interview by Keith Altham, New Musical Express, 20 January 1973
UNTIL THE advent of Blue Mink and hits like the current 'Stay With Me' and 'Melting Pot' — which established them a couple of years ...
Johnny Mathis: Superstar Johnny Mathis Still Thinks About Jazz
Interview by Joel Selvin, San Francisco Chronicle, 4 February 1973
WHEN JOHNNY Mathis takes the Circle Star Theater stage next Friday, it will be the George Washington High star athlete's first appearance here in over ...
Olivia Newton-John: Olivia Newton John: Nights in White Satin
Interview by Ray Fox-Cumming, Disc, 10 February 1973
SOME INTERVIEWEES need only to be given their head with a single question before sounding off about their whole life history and psyche, while the ...
Neil Diamond: Hot August Night (MCA)
Review by Gene Sculatti, Creem, March 1973
YEAH, IT IS pretty dismal. Yeah, there's a dearth of R&R and a wealth of vacuous pap for the most part. Yep, old ND has ...
Profile and Interview by John Tobler, ZigZag, April 1973
How Neil Sedaka Added An Extra Chin And Sang His Own Songs Again ...
Liza Minnelli: Rainbow Theatre, London
Live Review by Jonh Ingham, New Musical Express, 26 May 1973
LUREX 'N ADULATION — OR, WHAT HAPPENED WHEN FLAME TORSO (with a T) REVIEWED LIZA MINNELLI'S RAINBOW GIG ...
Anne Murray: Canada's Sweetheart Stays Put
Interview by Judith Sims, Rolling Stone, 7 June 1973
LOS ANGELES — "Canada has never had a star in the real sense of the word. They've had people big in Canada and nowhere else, ...
Jimmy Helms: Helms In Need Of A Direction
Report and Interview by Roger St. Pierre, New Musical Express, 30 June 1973
JIMMY HELMS is at a cornerstone of his career. 'I'm Gonna Make You An Offer (You Can't Refuse)' wasn't just a hit record — it ...
Peters and Lee: Lennie's not just a flash guy in dark glasses
Interview by Peter Jones, Record Mirror, 7 July 1973
ROLLING STONES' drummer Charlie Watts is quite a talent spotter. His prediction that his uncle would make it one day in pop music has finally ...
Review by Loraine Alterman, The New York Times, 5 August 1973
Harry? He's Lost in the Woodwinds ...
The Carpenters: My little sister, the big star
Interview by Peter Jones, Record Mirror, 19 December 1973
RICHARD CARPENTER SPILLS THE BEANS ON HIS SISTER KAREN ...
Barry Manilow, Bette Midler: Barry Manilow
Profile and Interview by Arthur Levy, Zoo World, 20 December 1973
BARRY MANILOW sits at the piano flanked by Sharon, Robin, and Charlotte, affectionately known as the Harlettes onstage, and it looks like a scene out ...
Interview by Tom Graves, Rock's Backpages audio, 1974
Interviewed by Kini Kedigh and Tom Graves just as he's starting to hit big, Manilow talks about his background in music, backing Bette Midler at the Continental Baths, and gives his opinions on just about everything under the sun.
File format: mp3; file size: 45.1mb, interview length: 49' 16" sound quality: *
Frank Sinatra: Palladium, London
Live Review by Philip Norman, The Sunday Times, 1974
THE EMERGENCE of Frank Sinatra from retirement has become as regular a ceremony as when Lloyd George or Churchill used to be wheeled out on ...
Liza Minnelli: Winter Garden, New York NY
Live Review by Chris Charlesworth, Melody Maker, 19 January 1974
Sweet Liza ...
Report and Interview by Andrew Tyler, New Musical Express, 16 February 1974
PEOPLE ARE always saying that the real modern age miracle is how you can fly London to Furt-frank and stand a penny on a table, ...
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 ...
Terry Jacks: Listening To AM Radio Is Money To His Ears
Interview by Gene Sculatti, The Sacramento Bee, 27 April 1974
"TOP FORTY radio is what I'm into. I love it; there's so much good music to listen to on it. I put in four or ...
Interview by Rob Partridge, Melody Maker, 18 May 1974
Producer Richard Perry talks to Robert Partridge ...
The Carpenters: Up From Downey
Profile and Interview by Tom Nolan, Rolling Stone, 4 July 1974
KAREN CARPENTER, the solo singing half of a brother and sister musical duo that has sold over 25 million records world-wide, has classic "good looks" ...
Frank Sinatra: Nassau Coliseum, Long Island NY
Live Review by Wayne Robins, Creem, August 1974
FOR A MOMENT, it seemed that the entire white population of Carle Place, Uniondale and environs had migrated across the parkway green en masse to ...
Olivia Newton-John: If You Love Me, Let Me Know (MCA-411)
Review by Ken Barnes, Rolling Stone, 29 August 1974
FORMULA FOR success: Take a pleasantly colorless female singer, and give her a catchy ditty bland enough for the easy-listening stations, slightly countrified for C&W ...
John Denver: Madison Square Garden, New York NY
Live Review by Wayne Robins, The Village Voice, 26 September 1974
John Denver? How about John Terre Haute? ...
Neil Diamond: Gold Diamond Vol. 2
Review by Chris Salewicz, New Musical Express, 28 September 1974
ALTHOUGH IT'LL never get to the situation where the ramifications of his use of Room 109 are being discussed, the time is probably just about ...
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. ...
Peggy Lee: Let's Love (Atlantic)
Review by Tony Stewart, New Musical Express, 18 January 1975
"The landing lights of the jetliners flickered in the night sky. The smell of hashish wafted across from the hippy section." ...
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 ...
Barry Manilow: Troubadour, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Harvey Kubernik, Melody Maker, 5 April 1975
Barry becomes a star ...
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 ...
Review by Max Bell, New Musical Express, 3 May 1975
THE GRAPEVINE WHISPERS Billy Joel is going to be a superstar. ...
Bread: Gates' Philosophical Process
Profile and Interview by Dave Laing, Sounds, 10 May 1975
ONE IMPORTANT fact about the geography of American rock which often gets overlooked is the importance of Oklahoma in the scheme of things. Not the ...
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 ...
Frank Sinatra: Royal Albert Hall, London
Live Review by Barbara Charone, Sounds, 7 June 1975
Charming Frank ...
Frank Sinatra: Royal Albert Hall, London
Live Review by Max Bell, New Musical Express, 7 June 1975
Forever doobeedoobee beedoobeedoo ...
Olivia Newton-John: Have You Never Been Mellow (EMI EMC 3069) (36.00)
Review by Geoff Barton, Sounds, 7 June 1975
Olivia — mellow and pleasant ...
Cher, Tammy Wynette: Cher: Stars/Cher's Greatest Hits; Tammy Wynette: The Best Of Tammy Wynette
Review by Mick Farren, New Musical Express, 21 June 1975
IN MANY WAYS Cher and Tammy Wynette make up the two facets of the Cosmopolitan philosophy, that candy coated version of feminism that seems to ...
Manhattan Transfer, Paul Anka: Paul Anka: Feelings/Manhattan Transfer: Manhattan Transfer
Review by Simon Frith, Let It Rock, September 1975
FIRST OF ALL there was that punky Canadian kid with the big voice and the tremor that even got to me ("Put your head on ...
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 ...
Art Garfunkel: Breakaway (CBS 86002) 37 mins.
Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, 18 October 1975
HAVE S AND/or G ever produced a real bummer? Of course not and Art's latest could never be anything but one of the loveliest LPs ...
Elton John: Rock Of The Westies
Review by Charles Shaar Murray, New Musical Express, 25 October 1975
FACT: ELTON JOHN is one of the nicest people ever to touch ground while walking. ...
Captain and Tennille: Sahara Tahoe, Stateline NV
Live Review by Joel Selvin, San Francisco Chronicle, 26 October 1975
Gushy Tennille, Deadpan Captain ...
Frank Sinatra: Palladium, London
Live Review by Chris Salewicz, New Musical Express, 29 November 1975
ENFORCED AUDIENCE IDENTIFICATION – that's what this "black tie" demand on the ticket is. Imagine reading "gauche gaucho" on Roxy tickets or "sequined jockstrap" on ...
James Last: Last of the MORicans
Report and Interview by Tony Stewart, New Musical Express, 21 February 1976
Forget that Kaspar Hauser. JAMES LAST – or "Hansi" if you prefer – is the real Enigma of modern Germany. TONY STEWART investigates. ...
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 ...
John Denver: What's The Poor Guy Ever Done?
Comment by Mick Houghton, Sounds, 3 April 1976
IT SEEMS as if you can't be complimentary about John Denver without adding some kickback remark to cover yourself. Take Grace Slick's reported comment a ...
John Denver: Palladium, London
Live Review by Chris Salewicz, New Musical Express, 17 April 1976
WILL JOHN SWOOP down to the stage on the back of a pantomime Golden Eagle? Will his teeth be clean in time for the new ...
Tony Bennett: Return of the singer's singer
Interview by Ivor Davis, Daily Express, 21 April 1976
Ivor Davis finding what put Tony Bennett into that elusive big league ...
Shirley Bassey: Royal Albert Hall, London
Live Review by Tony Stewart, New Musical Express, 15 May 1976
SLIDE UNDER the floating haze of perfume, cigar and flower fumes. Duck from the champagne bottle corks bulleting through the air, and join me in ...
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 ...
The 5th Dimension: The Times They Are A Changin'
Profile and Interview by David Nathan, Blues & Soul, 29 June 1976
ALMOST SINCE their inception a decade ago, The Fifth Dimension have become almost a musical institution. Not necessarily one to everyone's taste because for the ...
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 ...
Cliff Richard: Old Greasers, Read This And Weep!
Interview by Susan Whitall, Creem, October 1976
DETROIT — Think of someone you know who's within five years of 40. Got it in your mind? The old geezer next door with the ...
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 ...
Demis Roussos: Royal Albert Hall, London
Live Review by Brian Case, New Musical Express, 23 October 1976
MUZAK OF THE GODS ...
Cliff Richard: Royal Albert Hall, London
Live Review by Harry Doherty, Melody Maker, 27 November 1976
Cliff: he's nearly rocking ...
Review by Cliff White, New Musical Express, 4 December 1976
ALTHOUGH A lot of recorded music is impersonal (not necessarily a bad thing, it's quite possible to enjoy a record for its own sake without ...
The Carpenters: Palladium, London
Live Review by Tim Lott, Sounds, 4 December 1976
THE CARPENTERS: A PLAY IN TWO ACTS BY TIM LOTT ...
The Carpenters: Palladium, London
Live Review by Peter Jones, Billboard, 18 December 1976
COMPARED WITH the almost clinical and perfectionist act provided by the duo on a previous visit, the Carpenters went all out Nov. 22 to pull ...
Glen Campbell, Jimmy Webb: Royal Festival Hall, London
Live Review by Michael Watts, Melody Maker, 9 April 1977
The Standard Jim Webb ...
Bing Crosby: A legend takes up where he left off
Interview by Philip Elwood, The San Francisco Examiner, 11 August 1977
IT USED to be said that Bing Crosby's was the best-known voice in the world, and that his films and wartime appearances in the 1940s ...
Barry Manilow: Trying To Get the Feeling
Interview by Bob Spitz, Crawdaddy!, September 1977
IT'S ELEVEN-below-zero on the Avenue, pitch black and hailing glassy bullets the size of golf balls. Empty buses on the suicide run choke back jetstreams ...
Chris De Burgh: At The End Of A Perfect Day
Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, 3 September 1977
YOU'D EXPECT sensitive singer-songwriters to be well-served by the quiet decorum of the studio where every nuance can be polished to perfection. But it doesn't ...
Harry Chapin: Dance Band On The Titanic
Review by Chas de Whalley, Sounds, 1 October 1977
I REALLY can't make my mind up about this guy Harry Chapin. One one level he is totally crass and on another he is totally ...
Leo Sayer: The Palladium, London
Live Review by Tony Stewart, New Musical Express, 22 October 1977
THE VERY idea of Leo Sayer trotting about the hallowed stage of the Palladium is enough to have him executed by any gang of rock ...
Chris De Burgh: The Dome, Brighton
Live Review by Hugh Fielder, Sounds, 25 February 1978
AFTER A couple of years supporting major acts around the country Chris De Burgh has stepped out on his own account for a countrywide tour. ...
Kevin Coyne: Beautiful Extremes 1974-1977
Review by Peter Silverton, Sounds, 25 February 1978
KEVIN COYNE is, make no mistake, a major artist. His 'product' might not 'ship' a million 'units' but in every other way he's the superior ...
Bryn Haworth, Gallagher & Lyle: Gallagher & Lyle, Bryn Haworth: City Hall, Sheffield
Live Review by Andy Gill, New Musical Express, 11 March 1978
We used… to believe… in rock'n'roll ...
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 ...
Randy Edelman, Fairfield Halls, Croydon
Live Review by Paul Sexton, Record Mirror, 22 April 1978
THIS GUY really is the archetypal singer-songwriter. I write that with no malice, because he gives a lot of people a lot of pleasure. But ...
Randy Edelman: People on record: This week Randy Edelman
Interview by Robin Katz, Girl About Town, 2 May 1978
WHEN RANDY Edelman comes to London, he always stays at the same W1 hotel. It seems to bring him good luck. The last time he ...
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 ...
Mel Tormé: Tormé writes about a singer, but not himself
Interview by Philip Elwood, The San Francisco Examiner, 16 June 1978
YOUR ONLY contact with Mel Tormé has been while he was performing (singing, playing piano or drums, joking). So you've really only gotten a sample ...
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 ...
Live Review by Danny Baker, New Musical Express, 28 October 1978
A NIGHT distinguished for me by the worst support set I've ever heard and the most tuchus-licking tolerant audience ever assembled in one Vaudeville room. ...
Dean Martin: Once In A While (Reprise)
Review by Nick Tosches, Creem, March 1979
I HAVE MUCH to say about Dean Martin, and it is all good. Here, first, some facts. ...
Neil Diamond: September Morn (CBS)
Review by Phil Sutcliffe, Sounds, 2 February 1980
THAT SLIGHT tremor in his voice tells you that Neil Diamond is emotional and vulnerable. Those bass notes tell you he's manly and he can ...
Shirley Bassey: Apollo, Victoria, London
Live Review by Mick Brown, The Guardian, 16 September 1980
TWO BOUTS of middle-aged hysteria within the space of seven days is surely almost more than the body can decently stand. Still shell-shocked from religious ...
Cliff Richard: Apollo, Victoria, London
Live Review by Richard Williams, The Times, 2 October 1980
THE LAST time I went to see the principle boy of the British music industry, some pop-crazed teddygirl poked her umbrella in my eye. That ...
Live Review by Richard Williams, The Times, 3 November 1980
SHEENA EASTON'S present success might be seen as reassurance that, even in this post-Sex Pistols age, the British mainstream pop audience refuses to give up ...
The Carpenters: Made In America (A&M)
Review by Laura Fissinger, Creem, October 1981
TOO MUCH TO DREAM LAST NIGHT ...
Barry Manilow: Royal Albert Hall, London
Live Review by Richard Williams, The Times, 12 January 1982
The pink panther ...
Connie Francis: All-American Girl
Profile by Martin Hawkins, The History of Rock, September 1982
LISTENING TODAY to many of the records Connie Francis made for MGM in the late Fifties and early Sixties it is difficult to see their ...
Frank Sinatra: Universal Amphitheatre, Los Angeles CA
Live Review by Don Waller, L.A. Weekly, 30 September 1982
Sinatra at the Amphitheatre: The Voice of America ...
Billy Joel: The Nylon Curtain (Columbia)
Review by Richard Riegel, Creem, January 1983
REVENGE OF THE SUBURBS ...
Barry Manilow: Blenheim Palace, Woodstock, Oxfordshire
Live Review by Max Bell, The Times, 29 August 1983
IN ONE OF the season's most outrageous pieces of theatre Barry Manilow, the boy from Brooklyn, played his weekend concert before forty thousand people at ...
Live Review by Barney Hoskyns, New Musical Express, 10 September 1983
BARNEY HOSKYNS GOES BARMY OVER THE MUSAK MONSTER AT BLENHEIM. ...
Tom Jones: Royal Albert Hall, London
Live Review by Richard Williams, The Times, 27 September 1983
The Cojones Boy ...
Lionel Richie: Join Our Millionaire's Club
Interview by Paul Sexton, Record Mirror, 12 November 1983
"MAN, YOU'RE talking about wonderful!" In the showbiz world of Lionel Richie, that's the kind of remark you hear all the time. And who's saying ...
Barry Manilow: Opium of the Missus
Essay by Barney Hoskyns, Marxism Today, April 1984
IF BARRY Manilow’s career is on the wane, you’d never have guessed it from last summer’s grandiose Concert At Blenheim Palace, when 40,000-odd pilgrims, preponderantly ...
Interview by Tom Hibbert, Smash Hits, 24 May 1984
HE THINKS HIS SONGS ARE LIKE "BABIES", VIDEOS ARE "A CHORE" AND HE'S WORRIED ABOUT GETTING "COMPUTERISED". SOUNDS LIKE TIME BILLY JOEL HAD A CHAT ...
Johnny Mathis: Play Misty For Me
Live Review by Penny Reel, New Musical Express, 20 October 1984
JOHNNY MATHIS stands still long enough to move PENNY REEL at the Hammersmith Odeon. ...
Quincy Jones, Frank Sinatra: Frank Sinatra with Quincy Jones and Orchestra: L.A. Is My Lady (Quest)
Review by Mitchell Cohen, Creem, December 1984
FRANKIE RUNS OVER HOLLYWOOD ...
Barry Manilow: Conan The Pipe Cleaner: Barry Manilow with Anthea From Cheshire: NEC, Birmingham
Live Review by Terry Staunton, New Musical Express, 25 January 1986
A STRANGE BLEND of a thousand perfumes wafts its way across the aisles, but further back by the souvenir stalls there is a much stronger ...
Liza Minnelli: Palladium, London
Live Review by Mary Harron, The Observer, 9 March 1986
Needing to be Loved MARY HARRON assesses Liza Minnelli's comeback ...
Liza Minnelli: Palladium, London
Live Review by David Sinclair, The Times, 10 March 1986
IT WAS OF course a coincidence that Liza Minnelli opened her British season the same week that Frank Sinatra's version of Kander and Ebb's 'Theme ...
The Cult, Barbra Streisand: The Cult: Love (Sire); Barbra Streisand: The Broadway Album (Columbia)
Review by J. Kordosh, Creem, April 1986
STONEY END ...
Live Review by Simon Witter, New Musical Express, 1 November 1986
WHERE IS Tushmobile? On the basis of this show I'd guess it got lost somewhere in the mix. Lord knows I've waited to see ZZ ...
Tony Bennett: "The Best Singer In The Business" — Frank Sinatra
Interview by Mark Rowland, Musician, December 1986
TONY BENNETT has recorded eighty-nine albums in a career spanning more than three decades, all on Columbia records. But his latest effort, The Art Of ...
Tom Jones: Royal Albert Hall, London
Live Review by Adam Sweeting, The Guardian, 21 May 1987
Mock macho ...
Billy Joel: Wembley Arena, London
Live Review by Adam Sweeting, The Guardian, 11 July 1987
Bout with an uptown boy: Adam Sweeting on a roistering evening with Billy Joel at Wembley ...
Interview by Adam Sweeting, Rock's Backpages audio, 25 January 1989
With his version of 'Kiss' riding the charts, the kid from Pontypridd looks at where he's got to: changing labels and musical direction; being managed by his son Mark after the death of mentor Gordon Mills; the sexuality of his performance; his slightly tricky love life; getting advice from Elvis, and fighting Jerry Lee Lewis; growing up listening to the BBC; memories of the '60s, and much more.
File format: mp3; file size: 97.6mb, interview length: 1h 41' 41" sound quality: *****
Barry Manilow: A Barry Manilow for The '90s
Interview by Wayne Robins, Newsday, 16 April 1989
He's been up, he's been down, now he's trying to get the feeling again. A humbled but hopeful Barry Manilow opens on Broadway. ...
Live Review by Adam Sweeting, The Guardian, 20 April 1989
Come to the cabaret, old chums. Adam Sweeting gets a kick out of Liza, Sammy and a revitalised Frank Sinatra at the Albert Hall. ...
Tom Jones: Royal Albert Hall, London
Live Review by Adam Sweeting, The Guardian, 11 May 1989
Jones the joker ...
Retrospective by Michael Azerrad, Rolling Stone, 10 August 1989
BREAD VIRTUALLY invented soft rock in the early Seventies, and the group's biggest hits – 'Make It With You', 'If', 'Baby I'm-a Want You' and ...
Liza Minnelli, Pet Shop Boys: Liza Minnelli: Results (Epic)
Review by Terry Staunton, New Musical Express, 14 October 1989
THE LAST time Ms Minnelli did anything of note was at the start of the decade. Her portrayal of shoplifting Linda, the object of Dudley ...
The Carpenters' Richard Carpenter (1989)
Interview by John Tobler, Rock's Backpages audio, November 1989
Richard takes us, in depth, through the Carpenters' career: listening to pop radio as a kid, and learning piano; the family move from Connecticut to California; their first groups; signing to A&M, and first single 'Ticket to Ride'; co-writing first hot 'Close to You' with Burt Bacharach; the family vocal blend; the succession of hits, including 'We’ve Only Just Begun', 'Superstar', 'For All We Know' and 'Rainy Days and Mondays'; 'Goodbye to Love', and Tony Peluso's guitar solo; covering older songs; Karen qualities as a singer and drummer, her solo career, anorexia and death.
File format: mp3; file size: 84.4mb, total interview length: 1h 27' 52" sound quality: *****
Barry Manilow: Palladium, London
Live Review by David Toop, The Times, 1 February 1990
Falling for the master of charm ...
Tony Bennett: Hi-De-Hi-Me To The Moon: Tony Bennett At Butlins
Report by Michael Gray, Daily Telegraph, 30 December 1990
IT WAS AN ADVERT in a tabloid that caught my eye. "Lose Your Heart To Tony Bennett... Butlin's Super Weekend Break." Mesmerised, I read on: ...
Profile and Interview by Jeff Tamarkin, Goldmine, 19 February 1991
LET'S PLAY the numbers game. According to Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1986, Pat Boone is the fifth highest-ranking artist in the history of the ...
Tom Jones: Who The Hell Does Tom Jones Think He Is?
Interview by Tom Hibbert, Q, March 1991
THE BIG-BONED "boyo" stands in the centre of the room engaged in an elaborate mime: he crouches as he runs his clenched fists down along ...
Wayne Newton: South Shore Music Circus, Cohasset
Live Review by Jim Sullivan, The Boston Globe, 30 August 1991
COHASSET – I was on the phone with one of rock's grandest entertainers yesterday and I just had to ask him about one of Las ...
Tony Bennett: Forty Years — The Artistry of Tony Bennett (Columbia/legacy)
Review by Mark Rowland, Musician, September 1991
THERE'S NO ONE so cold as a cold Italian, the saying goes. And as this lovingly crafted, four-CD boxed set demonstrates, there's none so warm ...
Live Review by David Sinclair, The Times, 11 May 1992
Capital of her country ...
Interview by Adam Sweeting, Rock's Backpages audio, 1 May 1993
Anthony Dominick Benedetto on his album of Sinatra covers, Perfectly Frank; on being an interpreter; his passion to sing and paint; being named Bennett by Bob Hope; the influence of Bing Crosby, and the American Songbook; his love of bebop; "concept" albums, and recording with Bill Evans; his friendship with David Hockney, and on painting; the Forty Years box set; the changes in the music business, and his nostalgia for the old Miami and Vegas.
File format: mp3; file size: 60.4mb, interview length: 1h 02' 58" sound quality: ****
Frank Sinatra: Duets (Capitol Records)
Review by Joel Selvin, San Francisco Chronicle, 31 October 1993
Frank Sinatra Does It His Way On Duet Album; Ol' Blue Eyes outshines 13 stars ...
Frank Sinatra/Don Rickles: Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Uniondale, NY
Live Review by Richard Gehr, Spin, January 1994
"HE TOUCHES his dick more than Robin Williams does," mocked my wife as a tuxedoed Don Rickles lumbered around the square, center-court stage like a ...
Kenny G: Royal Albert Hall, London
Live Review by Paul Sexton, The Times, 2 February 1994
Safe and smooth as skimmed milk ...
Billy Joel: Earl's Court, London
Live Review by Caroline Sullivan, The Guardian, 9 May 1994
BILLY JOEL'S break-up with model Christie Brinkley has received more media coverage than anything he has done since he married her, so it was predictable ...
Live Review by Caroline Sullivan, The Guardian, 27 June 1994
Diana Ross returns to celebrate a half-century, and a mysterious 30th anniversary, at Birmingham NEC ...
Interview by David Cavanagh, MOJO, August 1994
For the High Llamas it's simple. Use a sock to muffle the bass. ...
Tony Bennett: Taj Mahal, Atlantic City NJ
Live Review by Paul Lester, Melody Maker, 24 September 1994
IMAGINE GOING to see a man old enough to have been old at the birth or rock'n'roll, singing ballads inside a gigantic hotel with more ...
Esquivel: Space-Age Bachelor Pad (Bar/None Records, $14.9)***
Review by Joel Selvin, San Francisco Chronicle, 11 December 1994
ESQUIVEL A BIT LIKE MANCINI ON SPEED ...
Combustible Edison, Esquivel, Stereolab: Incredibly Strange Music: The Revenge of the Un-Hip
Report and Interview by Simon Reynolds, The New York Times, 5 February 1995
IT'S OFFICIAL: IT'S HIP TO BE square. Collectors are paying top dollar for original albums from such '50s and '60s easy-listening fare as LP's designed ...
Tony Bennett: Take the L Train
Interview by Chris Bourke, New Zealand Listener, April 1995
AUCKLAND HAD TWO music legends in town over Easter Weekend. While the Rolling Stones dazzled the Western Springs ampitheatre with millions of dollars of high ...
Burt Bacharach: Bacharach to the Future
Profile and Interview by Paul Lester, Melody Maker, 21 October 1995
As grey-haired, 67-year-old composers go, Burt Bacharach is pretty f***ing cool. Paul Lester interviews the melodic inspiration behind Oasis, Stereolab and Pulp. ...
Bobby Darin: Beyond the Sea...Beyond the Music
Retrospective by Steve Roeser, Goldmine, 27 October 1995
HE WAS born a year after Elvis, and died four years before Presley breathed his last. ...
The Mike Flowers Pops, Oasis: The Mike Flowers Pops: From Oasis, a golden syrup
Report and Interview by Caitlin Moran, The Times, 22 December 1995
Warning: don't view Mike Flowers's 'Wonderwall' as mere easy-listening Yuletide No 1 fun. He means it, man. ...
The Mike Flowers Pops: Forum, London
Live Review by David Sinclair, The Times, 19 February 1996
In praise of light entertainment ...
The Mike Flowers Pops: Anson Rooms, Bristol University
Live Review by Stephen Dalton, New Musical Express, 24 February 1996
TOUPEE AWAY! ...
The Carpenters: Interview with Richard Carpenter
Interview by Chris Ingham, MOJO, April 1996
For the grisly details of pill addiction, anorexia nervosa and blue velvet jackets, try Ray Coleman's book. Today, Richard Carpenter talks to Chris Ingham about ...
Dean Martin: That's Amore — The Best of Dean Martin (Capitol) ****; Sleep Warm (Capitol) ****
Review by Joel Selvin, San Francisco Chronicle, 5 May 1996
Dean Martin's Easy Charm ...
Chris de Burgh: Hampton Court Palace, Surrey
Live Review by Caroline Sullivan, The Guardian, 18 June 1996
Chris de Burgh's banter saves the day at Hampton Court Palace, says Caroline Sullivan ...
The Mike Flowers Pops: A Groovy Place (London 10 tks/35 mins)
Review by Caitlin Moran, Melody Maker, 22 June 1996
MY INSIDER from the world of 'ardkore E-Z Listening informs me that Mike Flowers is "faux", but pleasant enough if you're whammed off your tits ...
Herb Alpert: It's long way to Tijuana
Interview by Paul Sexton, The Times, 10 July 1996
POP MUSIC. The mid-1960s. The era when Britannia apparently ruled the airwaves. Yet consider the American album chart of 30 years ago this week. The ...
Johnny Mathis: Royal Albert Hall, London
Live Review by Caroline Sullivan, The Guardian, 17 September 1996
Play Misty for us again, ole buddy ...
k.d. lang: fi interview: k.d. lang
Interview by Gene Santoro, Fi, September 1997
IN POSTWAR America, pumped with the energy of victory and prosperity and the conflicts of changing social attitudes, pop culture opened up new frontiers. The ...
Barry Manilow: Barry Glitter — Barry Manilow: Wembley Arena, London
Live Review by Caroline Sullivan, The Guardian, 24 January 1998
Could it be magic? When Mr Manilow sings, grannies swoon, moan, even storm the stage. Caroline Sullivan knows just how they feel ...
Sagittarius, The Millennium: Sagittarius: Present Tense; The Millennium: Begin
Review by Max Bell, Uncut, March 1998
TO GET THE full scope of these groundbreaking recordings, released within weeks of each other in the summer of '68, it's vital to know that ...
Gary Barlow: Hammersmith Apollo, London
Live Review by David Sinclair, The Times, 24 March 1998
Ready to Take That and party on ...
Frank Sinatra: Sinatra Crooned, World Swooned
Obituary by Tim Page, The Washington Post, 16 May 1998
HE CALLED himself a mere "saloon singer" from Hoboken, New Jersey. But Frank Sinatra, who died late Thursday at the age of 82, was much ...
Frank Sinatra: The Final Curtain
Obituary by Gavin Martin, New Musical Express, 23 May 1998
FRANK SINATRA has died at the age of 82. The legendary singer and Oscar-winning actor suffered a fatal heart attack on Thursday night (May 14) ...
Shirley Bassey: A Real Big Splendour — Shirley Bassey: Royal Festival Hall, London
Live Review by Caroline Sullivan, The Guardian, 13 June 1998
Only one woman can out-oomph Diana Ross. Caroline Sullivan salutes Shirley Bassey ...
Obituary by David Stubbs, Uncut, July 1998
IN A SENSE, Frank Sinatra represented a lie. Much as beneath Bing Crosby's ambling, indolent persona lay a pointedly less easy-going character, Sinatra was actually ...
Interview by David Stubbs, Rock's Backpages audio, October 1998
The American Great (and daughter Antonia) talk about Radio City Music Hall, the Great American Songbook, his return to the spotlight, his family and Depression upbringing, and a whole lot more, whilst tasting the delights of Teodora's cuisine.
File format: mp3; file size: 57.4mb, interview length: 1h 02' 42" sound quality: ***
Tony Bennett: The Croon Prince
Interview by David Stubbs, New Musical Express, 21 November 1998
He wowed all at Glastonbury and is revered by everyone from Jarvis to Elvis Costello. Here's your ten-point guide to why you young whippersnappers should ...
Report and Interview by David Sinclair, Q, December 1998
Yes, maam! Safety-conscious Celine Dion is the vowel-wobbling queen of candyfloss pop, and for 30 months she's sold one album every 1.2 seconds. David Sinclair ...
Andy Williams: Lounging with Mr Williams
Interview by Max Bell, The Evening Standard, 17 March 1999
The king of easy listening is back in town and still as cool as ever. MAX BELL meets his idol ...
Martine McCutcheon, Barbara Windsor: Albert Square dancing
Interview by Caroline Sullivan, The Guardian, 26 March 1999
EastEnders is having a right old knees-up at the moment. Caroline Sullivan talks to Martine McCutcheon about her million pound record deal and, below, finds ...
Elaine Paige, Cliff Richard: Cliff Richard, Elaine Paige: Hyde Park, London
Live Review by Tom Cox, The Guardian, 19 July 1999
Only for the converted ...
Beth Nielsen Chapman: The Lightness of Being Beth Nielsen Chapman
Interview by Debbie Kruger, Performing Songwriter, September 1999
WHAT STRIKES YOU first about Beth Nielsen Chapman, and then again repeatedly on further meetings, is her lightness. She is a woman who has been ...
The 5th Dimension, Jimmy Webb: Up Up and Away Jimmy Webb and The 5th Dimension
Retrospective and Interview by Bill DeYoung, Goldmine, 10 September 1999
ONE OF the most respected songwriters of the modern era, Jimmy Webb was just 18 years old when he struck up a friendship with Marc ...
Glen Campbell: "I could have gone the same way as Elvis"
Interview by Max Bell, The Evening Standard, 17 September 1999
Cleaned-up and born again, Glen Campbell is back in town. MAX BELL talks to him about the drugs and women... and the music that made ...
Review by Stuart Bailie, New Musical Express, 25 September 1999
DUD ELVIS ...
Jimmy Webb: Pizza on the Park, London ***
Live Review by Keith Cameron, The Guardian, 28 October 1999
WHEN THE Boo Radleys wrote a song called 'Jimmy Webb is God' they presumably weren't gripped by a vision of the Lord playing a gig ...
20 Classic Love Songs: Nuthin' But Love
Guide by Michael A. Gonzales, Amy Linden, Vibe, February 2000
Turn the lights down low, put the champagne on ice, and load your CD player with these modern romance classics ...
The Carpenters: Karen Carpenter
Retrospective by Stephen Dalton, Uncut, August 2000
KAREN CARPENTER possesses such iconic value now — feminist totem, camp death-cult, Prozac Nation suffragette — it is increasingly difficult to assess her unique musical ...
Book Excerpt by Phil Hardy, Dave Laing, Faber Companion to 20th Century Popular Music, 2001
b. Walden Robert Cassotto, 14 May 1936, New York, USA, d. 20 December 1973, Los Angeles, California ...
Book Excerpt by Phil Hardy, Dave Laing, The Faber Companion to 20th-Century Popular Music, 2001
b. Christopher Davison, 15 October 1948, Argentina ...
Book Excerpt by Phil Hardy, Dave Laing, Faber Companion to 20th Century Popular Music, 2001
b. Hans Last, 17 April 1929, Bremen, Germany ...
Book Excerpt by Phil Hardy, Dave Laing, Faber Companion to 20th Century Popular Music, 2001
b. 1 December 1937, Chicago, Illinois, USA ...
Esquivel, Arthur Lyman, Ken Nordine: Adventures in Stereo
Retrospective by Kieron Tyler, MOJO, January 2001
Whatever happened to the days of the Teldec stereophonic systems and orthophonic sound? Kieron Tyler winds up the victrola and trips hack into a world ...
Andy Williams: Andy Williams: Waterfront Hall, Belfast
Live Review by Colin Harper, The Irish Times, 18 January 2001
THOSE SURPRISED by the absence of 'Strawberry Fields Forever' from the recent Beatles 1 compilation should remember or learn that the '60s were not only ...
Review by Bob Stanley, MOJO, April 2001
En route to the Carpenters, "boy" actor gets gorgeously baroque. ...
Robbie Williams: Royal Albert Hall, London
Live Review by Sheryl Garratt, The Observer, 14 October 2001
WHAT A SWELL party it was. Not being an opera fan, I don't often see 3,500 people in black tie and evening gowns. It's a ...
Sammy Davis Jr., Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Robbie Williams: The Rat Pack: Boys Keep Swinging
Retrospective by Dorian Lynskey, Q, February 2002
They were a gang of hard-drinking, soft-crooning, middle-aged smart alecs, and they were the walking, talking, wise-cracking definition of cool. Now, half a century later, ...
Pat Boone: Should Pat Boone be Inducted Into the R'n'R Hall of Fame?
Comment by Gary Pig Gold, Cosmik Debris, April 2002
SEEMS A simple, even innocent enough little inquiry, doesn't it? But I swear, seldom in all my quarter-century-plus of Piggery has one topic – one ...
Pat Boone: My Breakfast with Boone
Memoir by Gary Pig Gold, Cosmik Debris, June 2002
AS BIZARRE as even I still consider this lil' factoid to be, Yours Truly honestly did spend the majority of the Reagan administration touring Canada's ...
Essay by Gary Pig Gold, Cosmik Debris, November 2002
[What follows is the concluding portion of our Pat Boone trifecta, part one being the infamous RnR Hall Of Fame Poll, which somehow led straight ...
Burt Bacharach: Little Big Things: Burt Bacharach's What the World Needs Now
Review by James Hunter, L.A. Weekly, 28 April 2003
IN THE LATE '80s, I sat with the great Japanese pop artist and composer Ryuichi Sakamoto on a hotel rooftop in L.A. talking about Burt ...
Harmony Grass: Buried Treasure: Harmony Grass' This Is Us (RCA)
Retrospective and Interview by Kieron Tyler, MOJO, May 2003
This month, Tony Rivers and the making of the great lost UK sunshine pop album. ...
Book Review by David Stubbs, Jockey Slut, May 2004
THIS IS A revised edition of a volume first published almost a decade ago. ...
Review by Jim Irvin, MOJO, June 2004
Soft, sunshine, orch-pop, whatever you call it, this is a proper overlooked classic of the genre from 1970. No, really. Promise. ...
Review and Interview by Paul Lester, Uncut, June 2004
Lost soft-pop masterpiece from Nashville arranger and former Elvis cohort. ...
MOR's Adventures in the Lands of Pop and Rock
Overview by Gene Sculatti, Scram, 2005
STAN CORNYN'S liner notes to Buddy's in a Brand New Bag, middle-of-the-road singer Buddy Greco's 1967 LP, tell it all: "Now the hip Mr. Greco ...
Retrospective by Kieron Tyler, MOJO, March 2005
FROM '50S TEEN idol to '60s folk singer, Bobby Darin never stopped packing a handful of startling singing careers into 15 short, debauched years. Not ...
Tony Christie: Royal Albert Hall, London
Live Review by Robert Sandall, Daily Telegraph, 7 December 2005
ON THE FACE of it, the '70s power crooner Tony Christie is presently enjoying a second coming. ...
The 5th Dimension: Up, Up and Away/Magic Garden
Sleeve notes by Gene Sculatti, Collector's Choice Records, 2006
IT'S NO SECRET that time has a way of erasing details and leaving our memories with only the broadest contours of our shared experience. Most ...
Cabaret bands: Working Man's Soul
Retrospective and Interview by Bill Brewster, djhistory.com, November 2006
You can almost smell the crushed velvet. While Led Zeppelin were doing unspeakable things with sharks and glam rock was ubiquitous, thousands of musicians plied ...
Herb Alpert: Legends Of Songwriting: Herb Alpert...
Profile and Interview by Bill DeMain, Performing Songwriter, July 2007
...plus an interview with Dolores Erickson, the lady beneath the Whipped Cream ...
Gilbert O'Sullivan: "The equal of any songwriter"
Retrospective and Interview by John Lewis, Financial Times, 28 September 2007
WORLD-WEARY songs about death. Waggish wordplay. A scruffy urchin persona. When Morrissey performed Gilbert O'Sullivan's 1970 hit 'Nothing Rhymed' at a gig in Dublin last ...
Glen Campbell, Tom Jones, Tony Christie: Crooners: The Second Coming
Overview by Jude Rogers, New Statesman, 23 October 2008
Inspired by Johnny Cash with his ring of fire, a slew of ageing crooners are pursuing their desires ...
Report and Interview by Johnny Black, Music Week, February 2011
IN HIS 50TH YEAR in the music business, Tony Christie is at the top of his game. ...
Tony Bennett: "Legalise drugs!"
Interview by Jude Rogers, The Word, September 2011
Reformed doper, WW2 footsoldier, gilt-tonsilled balladeer — Tony Bennett takes a cable car to the top of Mount Wisdom ...
Tony Bennett: Palladium, London *****
Live Review by Jude Rogers, The Guardian, 4 October 2011
THIS IS HOW to do it. At 85, Tony Bennett scampers on to the Palladium stage in a perfectly pressed suit, a folded red hankie ...
Burt Bacharach: Royal Festival Hall, London
Live Review by Andy Gill, The Independent, 27 June 2013
BURT BACHARACH strolls onto the Festival Hall stage like he's stepping on board a yacht, the brass buttons on his blazer gleaming in the spotlight. ...
Burt Bacharach: Royal Festival Hall, London SE1; Anyone Who Had a Heart (Alcourt)
Review by Kate Mossman, New Statesman, 18 July 2013
The effect of seeing Bacharach live at the Royal Festival hall was to be hit by more top-40 songs that you'd think a single act ...
Retrospective by Gary Pig Gold, PopDiggers, 9 November 2013
I FIRST BECAME aware of the man in 1970, as composer of what to this very day remains my absolute favourite Three Dog Night tune, ...
Obituary by Dave Laing, The Guardian, 2 October 2014
Singer, composer and the first female musician to win an Ivor Novello award. ...
The 5th Dimension: Elegant Pop Crooners Who Wowed The Mainstream
Retrospective by Caroline Sullivan, The Guardian, 21 June 2016
MY PARENTS owned only two albums that weren't folk or opera. One was the original Broadway cast recording of the musical Hair, which was famous ...
Celine Dion, Barbra Streisand: Barbra Streisand: ENCORE/Celine Dion: Encore un Soir
Review by Jim Farber, Entertainment Weekly, 26 August 2016
DIVAS DEMAND encores – Barbra Streisand and Celine Dion know that. On new albums, both released the same day, two of the biggest voices in ...
Tony Bennett: Swinging with the stars
Interview by Robin Eggar, The Sunday Times, 18 December 2016
From Basie, Bill Evans and all that jazz to duets with Amy and Gaga, Tony Bennett has lived a life in song. Take a bow, ...
Interview by Maureen Paton, Rock's Backpages audio, 17 November 2017
The former Arnold George Dorsey talks about his voice; his rivavlry with Tom Jones; his new album The Man I Want to Be, and its dedication to his wife, Patricia, and her struggle with Alzheimer's; riding his Harley down the PCH; doing Bruno Mars and Ed Sheeran songs; his chilren, and duetting with his granddaughter; his signature song 'Release Me', and his wish to have duetted with Elvis.
File format: mp3; file size: 30.4mb, interview length: 31' 38" sound quality: ****
Eric Carmen, Raspberries: Why (the) Raspberries Mattered
Retrospective by Mitchell Cohen, Music Aficionado, 2018
THEY HAD TO be kidding, right? "Raspberries"? That's only a few degrees removed from "1910 Fruitgum Company." And then there were the poufy hair, the ...
Michael Bublé: O2 Arena, London
Live Review by Rick Pearson, The Evening Standard, 1 October 2018
OF ALL THE job descriptions in music, the one for the family-friendly crooner is surely the most attractive: "Singer wanted for arena tours and Christmas ...
Phil Collins: Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane — life-affirming MOR ballads delivered against all odds
Live Review by Andrew Stafford, The Observer, 20 January 2019
A notable hobble and diminished vocal range don't detract from an enjoyable night of nostalgia backed by a crowd that have been waiting for this ...
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