Think that Stevie Nicks is all about flowing skirts and ethereal vocals? Think again… She was the all-American middle-class girl who became a watchword for narcotic hedonism and rock’n’roll excess;…
Reissue review: Stephen Duffy – I Love My Friends
Stephen Duffy, former Duran Duran vocalist’s much underrated 1996 album debuts on vinyl. You need to own this… Named after a 1996 single by Stephen Duffy, Needle Mythology is a…
Album review: Howard Jones – Transform
The keyboard wizard’s 11th album, Transform, may not convert sceptics, but long-term fans will definitely find that things just got better… Back in 1984, Howard Jones told us he’d like…
Reissue review: Prince – Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic
Credited with piloting the success of Bruce Springsteen and Whitney Houston, legendary US label head Clive Davis also reignited the career of Santana in 1999 when he persuaded the fading…
Reissue review: Kate Bush – The Other Sides
After the fanfare of the reissue of two CD and four vinyl Kate Bush Remastered boxsets last November, as well as separate remastered versions of every album, Kate Bush now…
Reissue review: New Order – Movement (Definitive Edition)
It’s oddly moving to see a slick, ‘definitive’ version of an album that was so raw, so ragged and unready. When Movement was released in November 1981 it was greeted…
Album review: Bananarama – In Stereo
No one expected Bananarama to reinvent themselves. Most likely, no one wanted them to either. One thing’s for sure, though: Sara Dallin and Keren Woodward aren’t going to mess with…
Review: Maggie Rogers – Heard In A Past Life
Who doesn’t love a good rags to riches story? America’s Maggie Rogers was ‘discovered’ by Pharrell Williams in 2016, and by the world when video of his reaction to her…
Review: China Crisis – Thekla, Bristol live
Gary Daly could easily have had a career in stand-up had he not fronted China Crisis for the last four decades. “We’re only on a fookin’ boat!” he exclaims of…
Review: Massive Attack – Mezzanine
There was a period just before the turn of the millennium when every soirée you attended appeared to be soundtracked by Mezzanine. To be described as dinner-party music is customarily…