Rock's Backpages – Details, episodes & analysis

Joining us all the way from Santa Barbara for this episode is Darrell M. McNeill, director of operations at the Black Rock Coalition and author of a new 33 1/3 study of the Isley Brothers' mighty 1973 album 3 + 3. We start by asking our guest about his '90s contributions to the Village Voice and his involvement with the B.R.C.. Crediting his dad for his own childhood love of the Isleys, Darrell tells us how he came to write about the band. We discuss their unique history across six-plus decades, arriving at the dramatic game-changer that was 3 + 3. Inevitably referencing Jimi Hendrix — an Isleys sideman in the mid-'60s — we ask Darrell about the group's pioneering hybrid of R&B and rock and their covers of classic songs by Carole King, James Taylor et al. A special nod, of course, to Jimi's incalculable influence on kid brother and budding guitar genius Ernie. From the Isleys to Isaac Hayes: following two clips from Ira Robbins' 1995 audio interview with the sometime Stax superstar, we discuss such radical milestones as 'Theme from Shaft' and Hot Buttered Soul's version of Bacharach & David's 'Walk On By'. After a brief digression to salute the 50th anniversary of long-time RBP contributor John Broven's seminal 1974 book Walking to New Orleans, Mark talks us out with quotes from newly-added interviews with Janis Joplin (1969) and Beatles session guitarist David Spinozza (1971). Jasper then wraps up the episode with remarks on Destiny's Child (2003) and The Comet is Coming (2019). Many thanks to special guest Darrell M. McNeill. His book on the Isley Brother's 3 + 3 is published by Bloomsbury and available now. Pieces discussed: The Isleys: first time winners again!, The Isley Brothers: 3 + 3, The Isley Brothers: 3 + 3 = Super Success, Ernie Isley: Pride of the Isleys, Isaac Hayes audio, Fats Domino & His Orchestra: Saville Theatre, Behind The Sun: New Orleans, 'See You Later Alligator': Bobby Charles, Janis Joplin: Janis Superhypermost!, Paul McCartney: Working with Paul — A Session Musician Speaks, Kelly Rowland: Real Girl Talk, Michie Mee is the First Lady of Toronto Hip-Hop and The Comet is Coming: Interstellar Apocalypse.

In this episode we're joined by the esteemed Joe "Mr. C" McEwen, who Zooms in from L.A. to reminisce about his storied career as a writer, DJ and A&R man. We begin in our guest's native Philadelphia, where his teenage mind was blown by a James Brown show in 1966, and follow him up to his adopted Boston. He recalls his early reviews for The Boston Phoenix and revisits his 1975 homage to Sam Cooke for The Real Paper. His 1977 encounter with a 19-year-old Michael Jackson prompts discussion of a comparatively low point in the future superstar's career. From the same year, Joe's profile of Joe Tex leads into clips from the late Cliff White's glorious audio interview with the country-soul legend who'd just scored a hit with the discofied 'Ain't Gonna Bump No More (With No Big Fat Woman)'. We discuss Tex's place in the southern soul pantheon before moving on to the marvellous Lost Soul compilations "Mr. C" assembled in 1982. We hear about Joe's A&R years at Columbia and then Sire/Reprise, taking in reminiscences of British bands Ride, Primal Scream and My Bloody Valentine. He also revisits his working friendships with Sire founder Seymour Stein and with previous RBP podcast guests Geoff Travis, Alan McGee and Rob Dickins. We hear about his role in the '90s "alt.country" phenomenon via the signing of Uncle Tupelo and his subsequent association with spinoff bands Wilco and Son Volt. We conclude with the Sire signing of Muscle Shoals legend Dan Penn for 1994's Do Right Man album. Mark talks us out with quotes from newly-added library pieces about sometime Ikette P.P. Arnold (1967), the Stones' Keith Richard(s) (1969), doomed dub poet Mikey Smith (1983) and the deeply druggy Alice in Chains (1993)... after which Jasper wraps up the episode with his thoughts on pieces about laptop pop (2001) and Kendrick Lamar (2012). Many thanks to special guest Joe McEwen. Pieces discussed: Sam Cooke, Michael Jackson, Joe Tex: The Soul Of An Underdog, Joe Tex audio, Lost Soul, Vols. 1-3, Uncle Tupelo live, Uncle Tupelo: Are you ready for the alt. country?, Wilco: Last Twang in Town, Dan Penn: Once More With Feeling, P.P. Arnold, Keith Richard(s), Mikey Smith: Poet and His Roots, Alice in Chains: Misery loves company, Laptop punk and the powerbook pop and Kendrick Lamar: Inside the Year's Best Album.

In this episode we welcome long-time RBP contributor Ira Robbins as he celebrates the 50th anniversary of the launch of his beloved Trouser Press. Ira tells us about the musical Anglophilia that began for him with the Beatles but surged with the 1968 release of The Who Sell Out.  He then recounts the beginning of his friendship with schoolmate Dave Schulps and explains how it led to a shared obsession with the British music press. The story of the 1974 launch of Anglophile fanzine Trans-Oceanic Trouser Press, in partnership with the late Karen Rose, is accompanied by quotes from a 2001 interview Ira gave to RockCritics.com. He talks about the years that followed the dropping of the "Trans-Oceanic" prefix, and about some of the contributors – more than a few female – who made Trouser Press such essential '70s reading. After playing a clip from a 1975 audio interview Ira did with Cockney Rebel's late frontman Steve Harley – who died after this episode was recorded – we turn our attention to his more recent encounter with the rather more genial Nick Lowe. Clips from this 2007 conversation prompt a general appreciation of the Jesus of Cool's career from Kippington Lodge to Little Village via Elvis Costello and Johnny Cash. After we've paid tribute to the departed Eric Carmen – with our guest disputing that (the) Raspberries were authentically "power pop" – Mark talks us out with quotes from the pieces he's most enjoyed adding to the RBP library over the preceding fortnight. Many thanks to special guest Ira Robbins. Zip It Up! The Best of Trouser Press Magazine 1974–1984 is published by Trouser Press Books and available now via trouserpressbooks.com.  Pieces discussed: Ira Robbins articles, The Story behind Trouser Press, Ira interviewed on RockCritics.com, Steve Harley audio, The New Wave Washes Out, Nick Lowe audio, Eric Carmen: Rock's Rejuvenated Raspberry, World Party, Charlie Watts, Was (Not Was), Rhythm and Blues and Kiss.

In this week's episode, we invite cult meta-comedian and out-there-music connoisseur Stewart Lee to discuss the new documentary he's made about Prefects/Nightingales legend Robert Lloyd. Stewart also pitches in on RBP's new audio interview, a 1991 conversation 'twixt the late Andy Gill and everyone's favourite choirboy-voiced Commie Robert Wyatt. In addition we consider the week's featured RBP writer Caitlin Moran, with especial attention to her hair-raising 1994 encounter with Courtney Love. Plus we bid a fond farewell to Kool & the Gang co-founder Ronald "Khalis" Bell and to Simeon Coxe of pioneering '60s oscillators Silver Apples... Finally, with intermittent interjections from Mr. Lee, Mark picks highlights from the week's trove of new additions to the RBP library, including top pieces on Jimi Hendrix (1967), Rodney "Mayor of Sunset Strip" Bingenheimer (1979), Spandau Ballet (1981) and inimitable drag superstar RuPaul (1993). With Stewart's tastes in mind, Jasper M-B spotlights Wire classics on Laurie Anderson (2001) and Japanese free-music extremist Keiji Haino (2002). Many thanks to special guest Stewart Lee. Find out more about King Rocker at kingrockerfilm.com. Pieces discussed: Robert Lloyd, Nightingales, The Prefects, The Chameleons, Robert Wyatt audio, Courtney Love, Kylie Minogue, Spice Girls, Silver Apples, Kool & the Gang, Jimi Hendrix, Johnny Thunders & the Heartbreakers, Rodney Bingenheimer, Spandau Ballet, Brothers Johnson, Sinéad O'Connor, RuPaul, Keiji Haino and Laurie Anderson. The Rock's Backpages podcast is proud to be part of the Pantheon podcast network.

In this week's episode, Mark and Jasper are joined by the fabulous Vicki Wickham to chat all things pop and beyond, starting with her experiences as producer of TV show Ready, Steady, Go! in swinging sixties London, when Vicki became good friends with Dusty Springfield, through writing for Fabulous and Melody Maker to managing Labelle in the 70s and much else besides. Vicki talks about how she got her foot in the door of television and reminisces about writing lyrics for Dusty, then tells the story of moving to New York to open a US office for Track Records. We then find out how she masterminded the metamorphosis of Patti Labelle and the Blue Belles into groundbreaking pop trio Labelle, who Mark reckons paved the way for TLC and even the Spice Girls. Vicki, Mark and Jasper then listen to clips from an audio interview with Morrissey, in which the seeds of his later racism are occasionally audible, and Vicki admits that although she was nominally his manager for a short while, he was mostly interested in hearing the stories she had to tell. (In any case, he turned out to be unmanageable.) The trio then pay tribute to the Heartbreakers' Walter Lure, singer-songwriter Justin Townes Earle, Jack Sherman of the Red Hot Chili Peppers and R&B singer D. J. Rogers before Mark and Jasper present some of their highlights from the new pieces going into the RBP library. Mark selects pieces on pop television, Led Zep IV and Patti Smith, and Jasper rounds things out with the Scissor Sisters and Merzbow. Pieces discussed: Vicki Wickham, Ready, Vicki, Go!, Labelle's Nona Hendryx audio, Vicki Wickham's Pop Guide to London, Graham Nash, Ashford & Simpson, Morrissey audio, Jon Savage with the Heartbreakers, Pete Makowski on the Heartbreakers, Justin Townes Earle, Red Hot Chili Peppers, D. J. Rogers, TV pop, Led Zeppelin IV, David Bowie, Patti Smith's Horses, The Germs, Morrissey, Scissor Sisters, Richard Pinhas & Merzbow and Echo & the Bunnymen. Rock's Backpages is proud to be part of the Pantheon Podcast Network.

In this episode, Barney & Jasper welcome the legendary Alan McGee into RBP's virtual cupboard. The Creation Records founder talks us through his storied career, from his school days in Glasgow to the Creation 23 label of the 21st century.  Reminiscing about the early '80s Living Room gigs he put on in London, Alan describes the signings of Oasis, the Jesus and Mary Chain another great Creation acts. He also explains how Primal Scream got from Sonic Flower Groove to Screamadelica; how he almost signed Teenage Fanclub's idol Alex Chilton; how My Bloody Valentine's Loveless did (or didn't) almost bankrupt his & Dick Green's baby; and how appalled Sony were by Kevin Rowland's My Beauty album after the company acquired 49% of Creation's shares in 1992. Slightly cheekily, RBP's co-hosts then force Alan to listen to clips from a 2007 audio interview with Alex James of Oasis's Britpop nemesis Blur — except it turns out he never really hated those soft southern Sassenachs in the first place: it was all the Gallaghers' fault. Quel surprise… After paying their respects to fallen pop heroes Wayne Fontana, Trini Lopez and Seeds guitarist Jan Savage, Barney & Jasper talk through their highlights of the week's new "library load ". These include Lillian Roxon's 1966 report on "Music City USA" (i.e. Nashville); Michael Goldberg's 1983 report on MTV's exclusion of Black music videos; Joni Mitchell bellyaching in 1981 about being "written out of rock history"; a breathless 2002 review of Scandi garage rockers the Hives live at London's Astoria, and a riveting Aphex Twin interview from 2003… Pieces discussed: Creation, Creationer, Creationest, Jesus & Mary Chain, Vile Evil from East Kilbride, Primal Scream, Blur's Alex James audio, Wayne Fontana, Trini Lopez, The Seeds' Jan Savage, Death Discs, Nashville, Wizzard, Patti Smith, MTV, Joni Mitchell, Cleveland punk, Jerry Ragovoy, The Hives, Aphex Twin and Beyoncé.

In this episode we welcome the wonderful Mary Harron, director of cult movies I Shot Andy Warhol and American Psycho. After a brief digression on dating Tony Blair at Oxford, the Canadian relives her memories of the punk rock scene at New York's CBGB club, including her interviews with the Ramones and Talking Heads for John Holmstrom & Legs McNeil's pioneering Punk magazine. Mary also talks about her friendship with ZE's Michael Zilkha and her long fascination with Warhol and the Factory. Along with her hosts, she hears clips from Martin Aston's 1987 audio interview with Tom Verlaine, prompting her recall of his seminal band Television and a general discussion of 1977's classic Marquee Moon album.  Mark & Barney pay heartfelt tribute to tragic blues-guitar hero Peter Green, ruminating on what made the Fleetwood Mac man so much more emotional a player then his UK blues-boom peers. They also say goodbye to the hilarious CP Lee, former frontman with Mancunian satirists Alberto Y Lost Trios Paranoias. After bringing Mary's directorial career up to date – with an aside on the American Psycho soundtrack that affords Jasper a chance to wax lyrical about Huey Lewis & the News – Mark selects his library highlights, including notable pieces about Brian Jones, Labelle, the Bush Tetras and, erm, the Knack. Jasper rounds things up – and brings matters back down to earth – with remarks on pieces about "superstar DJs" and Stock Aitken Waterman teaboy Rick Astley…  Pieces discussed: Mary Harron on the Ramones / on pop art / on Michael Zilkha, Punk Rock, Talking Heads, Shouting Heads, Tom Verlaine audio, Peter Green, Peter Greener, Alberto y Lost Trios Paranoias, Rolling Stones, Labelle, Disco, Bush Tetras, The Knack, Jeff Beck, Superstar DJs, Rizzle Kicks and Rick Astley.

In this episode we are joined by self-professed "failed musician" and pasta-sauce mogul Loyd Grossman, OBE, to wax nostalgic about the most important years of his illustrious career: those he spent as a contributor to Fusion, Rolling Stone and other American music papers. Loyd reminisces very amusingly about seminal late '60s shows at the Boston tea party, before explaining how he moved to London and reinvented himself as a British national treasure on TV and in every kitchen in the country. He also recounts how he came to play guitar, three times a year, with Jethro Tull.  After a digression on the sad passing of Fairport Convention's original singer Judy Dyble, Loyd joins his hosts in hearing clips from a 1982 audio interview with Queen's Brian May in which that poodle-headed plank-spanker describes, among other things , working with David Bowie on the classic 'Under Pressure'. Barney drags Loyd into a discussion of the wrath heaped upon his compatriots the (Dixie) Chicks, whose new album Gaslighter affords the opportunity to examine the close links between country music and hyper-patriotism. Loyd turns out to be a country fan and gives a special thumbs-up to the Chicks' defiant 2006 song 'Not Ready To Make Nice'.  Mark brings the episode to the boil with remarks on new library pieces such as Lillian Roxon's 1966 review of James Brown at Madison Square Garden, Roy Carr's day out in Hyde Park in summer 1970 watching Pink Floyd and Kevin Ayers, and David Keeps meeting Madonna at the Hard Rock Café. Jasper's chosen pieces include Ian Penman on hip hop and John Calvert on OK Go… Many thanks to special guest Loyd Grossman. The Rock's Backpages podcast is proud to be part of the Pantheon podcast network. Pieces discussed: Bonzo Dog Band, Beatles, Pink Floyd, Groundhogs, Queen's Brian May audio, (Dixie) Chicks, (Less Dixie) Chicks, (Least Dixie) Chicks, James Brown, Pink Floyd & Kevin Ayers, Mama Michelle, Archie Bell, Sex Pistols, Madonna, Anthony Wilson, High Llamas, Jackson Browne, Hip hop books and OK Go.

In this week's episode, we welcome former Face editor Sheryl Garratt into RBP's Zoomworld to ask her about rave and club culture – and how we got from disco to acid house to 2020's quarantine raves. Sheryl discusses her newly-reissued/revised 1999 classic Adventures in Wonderland and looks back on her journey from the NME to The Observer. Mark, Barney & Jasper ask her about her seminal 1986 Face piece on Chicago's House scene – and about Ecstasy and 1988's "second summer of love".  Clips from the week's new audio interview, a 2005 conversation between DJ History's Bill & Frank and Shoom/Boy's Own legend Terry Farley, provide the perfect springboard for further reminiscence of House music and the UK's ever-fecund club scene. Sheryl also pitches in on the week's Free On RBP feature about fellow Brummie Mike (The Streets) Skinner, whose classic track 'Weak Become Heroes' was arguably the greatest elegy for the rave era. We hear a clip of Skinner speaking to Gavin Martin in 2002 and celebrate that year's splendid Original Pirate Material album.  Among the new RBP library additions considered are Hugh Nolan's Disc report on London's psychedelic temple the UFO club (1967), a slightly unlikely 1989 encounter between David Toop and Bakersfield country icon Buck Owens, and Chris Heath's hilarious 1997 Rolling Stone cover story on the Spice Girls. Jasper takes us out with observations on a pointless Tim Buckley tribute album (2000) and an interview with Public Service Broadcasting's amusingly-monikered J. Willgoose , Esquire …  Many thanks to special guest Sheryl Garratt; buy Adventures in Wonderland on Amazon and visit her website at sherylgarratt.com. Pieces discussed: House sound of Chicago, Blackpool Weekender, 1988 and all that, Terry Farley audio, The Streets audio, The Streetser, The Streetsest, UFO Club, George Harrison, Al Green, Buck Owens, Neil Kulkarni's letter to MM, Spice Girls, Tim Buckley tribute, Tim Buckley live, James Blood Ulmer, Public Service Broadcasting and Britney Spears. The Rock's Backpages podcast is proud to be part of the Pantheon podcast network.

In this week's episode, we welcome legendary Rough Trade founder Geoff Travis into RBP's virtual cupboard. Averse to nostalgia though he is, Geoff looks back on the musical odyssey that took him from suburban north London to San Francisco's City Lights bookstore — and then back to Notting Hill Gate, where the Rough Trade story started in 1976. Mark and Barney ask him about the label's many remarkable artists (from the Fall to the Smiths), the Cartel distribution network he set up, and the company's second coming with the early Noughties signings of the Strokes and the Libertines.  A timely segue takes us into discussion of early Rough Trade postpunks Scritti Politti, whose frontman Green Gartside is heard in clips from a 2006 audio interview by Adam Sweeting. Geoff shares his memories of — and deep respect for — Green, answering questions about the singer's return to Rough Trade after Scritti's major-label successes of the '80s and '90s. After a passing nod to pieces by RBP's featured writer of the week Pat Blashill — author/photographer of the splendid new Texas is the Reason — Mark leads us gently through his highlights of the week's library additions. Most pleasingly, he welcomes the work of the late Lillian Roxon to RBP in the form of her 1967 report on the new creatures dubbed "Hippies". Other pieces picked out include Isaac Hayes talking about Shaft in 1971 and a 1977 live review of Sylvester performing at San Francisco's Old Waldorf club. Jasper brings the episode to a conclusion by quoting from pieces about Corinne Bailey Rae and North Carolina's electronic duo Sylvan Esso before a final clip of Mr Gartside in full flow takes us out… Pieces discussed: Rough Trade, Rougher Trade, Roughest Trade, Scritti Politti's Green Gartside audio, Beastie Boys, America's Rave Scene, Photographs of Texas punks, Hippies, Isaac Hayes on Shaft, Sylvester live, Randy Newman, Corinne Bailey Rae and Sylvan Esso. The Rock's Backpages podcast is proud to be part of the Pantheon podcast network.