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Via Record Collector:
This month’s issue zeroes in on what The Beatles were doing 60 years ago, in the first two months of 1964: the demos they were recording, the films they were making, the mania they were creating as they began moving around the world. Richie Unterberger focuses on the band’s “virtual takeover of the American music business” and their North American releases while Brian Ward details what happened when they hit Florida. Oh, and a certain Paul McCartney provides the photos, via his recent book of ’64-era images, Eyes Of The Storm. The icing on the Fabs cake is a Beatles ’64 discography by John Coleman – how many do you own?
Elsewhere, Martin Rev of Suicide talks six decades of synth experimentation, we remember power pop supremo Dwight Twilley, ex-members of X-Ray Spex recall their sax-punk heyday, Spencer Leigh explores the weird and wonderful world of Anthony Newley, and Shed Seven celebrate their first No 1 album with an RC interview.
In our News pages, we bring you a guitar signed by Elvis and The Beatles, we chat to Albert Hammond, and we detail all the vinyl release dates you need. RC Investigates trawls through musicians’ favourite record stores, The Collector this month is a pair: a grandfather and grandson currently achieving fame in the vinyl-o-sphere via their The Vinyl Hunters YouTube site. In Value Added Facts we rediscover Megaton and Don Julian & The Larks while in Diggin’ For Gold we unearth an ice-skating soundtrack and meet the people behind Pelagic Records. Most Wanted sees a John Lennon hip flask and a Paul McCartney cartoon up for auction.
In our ‘Opinion’ section former RC editor Ian McCann is somewhat dismissive of stadium rock and live albums, Judie Tzuke and OMD’s Andy McCluskey are among our Talking Heads, and we spend 33 1/3 minutes in the company of 80s synthpopster Howard Jones.
This month’s edition is a veritable reviews-fest, with vaults compendiums from The Waterboys, Linda Smith, Martin Carthy, and Can and new releases from The Jesus & Mary Chain, Liam Gallagher & John Squire, Yard Act and more. We write about new books on Jane Birkin, Teddy Boys, Bobby Darin, The Sound, Elvis Costello, The Mamas & The Papas and George Harrison’s Dark Horse, new films on Queen and the new romantic movement, and new singles by Soft Machine, Aretha Franklin and Arthur Brown. World Of Echo in London is our Shop Of The Month and the gigs under inspection include Eric Clapton, Wolfsbane, Living Colour, Suede, Europe and Death Cult.
At the back of the magazine, we offer a Motorhead box set and soul salsa vinyl via our Crossword & Competitions page, we go Under the Radar with Argentinian Anglophiles Soda Stereo, into the Engine Room with instrumental virtuoso Allan Holdsworth, Baxter Dury picks the records that comprise the soundtrack to his life and we choose 10 Of The Best from the Ed Banger label. Finally, we bid farewell to Aston Barrett of The Wailers, Mary Weiss of The Shangri-Las and Wayne Kramer of MC5 in Not Forgotten.
We’re already hard at work on the fourth issue of 2024. In our cover story, we’ll be taking you back to the halcyon days of Free Festivals, anarcho-hippies and the progressive rock scene of Hawkwind, Pink Fairies, The Deviants and The Edgar Broughton Band. Jim Reid of The Jesus & Mary Chain is in the RC Interview hot seat. There’s a celebration of 60s blues. Plus, interviews with Elbow and US ‘ambient metal’ exponents Earth as well as new ‘discodelic’ soul trio Say She She. There’s even an exclusive chat with NME and broadcasting legend Danny Baker on the occasion of his auctioning off of his multi-thousand record collection. You won’t want to miss it.
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