MOJO Issue 209 / April 2011
FREE CD! PANIC: 15 tracks of riotous ‘80s indie insurrection by Orange Juice, Madness, Robert Wyatt, Billy Bragg, Felt, Redskins, Half Man Half Biscuit, Wah! and more! THE SMITHS: Recorded 25 years ago, The Queen Is Dead is Morrissey and Marr’s masterpiece, its power and arrogance forged on the road in 1985. Martin Aston tells the story of a legendary tour, Jon Savage salutes a band in its prime and a cast of stars praise the album, track by track.
PJ HARVEY: Her life went from Beefheart and lamb’s testicles to breakdowns, brilliance and dating Nick Cave. John Harris talks to wilful genius Peej about Les Dawson, modern conflict and her jaw-dropping new album.
CAT’S EYES: Not every band debuts in The Vatican. The Horrors’ Faris Badwan and Canadian soprano Rachel Zeffira talk to Andrew Perry about their Italio girl-group romanticism. Jonny Trunk primes us all to their Italian sounds.
JOHN BARRY: His life was 50 times more exciting than the films he scored, and this was the man who soundtracked James Bond. Bob Stanley, David Arnold and Jonny Trunk pay tribute to a great British composer.
JOSH PEARSON: How Lift To Experience’s ill-fated holy preacher refound his voice and his faith and got his groove back. Stevie Chick finds him in Tehuacana, Texas (pop. 307), healing his wounds.
DUSTY SPRINGFIELD: For a great white soul singer, working at a legendary American studio, it should have been a match made in heaven. But Dusty In Memphis was the end of something, a farewell, not an arrival. Lois Wilson goes behind the making of a masterpiece.
33-PAGES OF REVIEWS: Including Elbow / Marianne Faithfull / The Strokes / R.E.M. / The Unthanks / The Vaccines / Akron/Family / Van Der Graaf Generator / Traffic / Michael Chapman / Primal Scream / Tim Buckley / Miles Davis / Dan Penn & Spooner Oldham / Etta James / The Saints and many more
PLUS!: The Strokes speak / Big Audio Dynamite are back / Jack White and Wanda Jackson live / in the studio with Robbie Robertson / Beth Ditto’s Self Portrait / Welcome back The Left Banke / In Australia with Primal Scream…
AND FINALLY…”We had a relationship with those guys”. So says R.E.M.’s Peter Buck. But who is he referring to? MOJO has the answer…