MOJO 276 / November 2016
MOJO 276 is a Lou Reed Tribute Special, with a covermount CD that cherry-picks 15 incredible tracks from the late Bard Of New York’s RCA & Arista Albums Collection, including Lisa Says, Andy’s Chest, White Light/White Heat, Kill Your Sons and more. An in-depth cover feature includes the inside story of his glam masterpiece, Transformer, and asks Laurie Anderson the big question: what was Lou Reed REALLY like? Also in the issue: The Byrds ignite the psychedelic era with Eight Miles High; we explore Nick Cave’s brave new album; a celebration of ska master Prince Buster; checking in with troubled soul-folk superstar Michael Kiwanuka; how The Human League invented modern pop; punch-ups and Pornography with The Cure. Plus: Ward Thomas; Todd Rundgren on Laura Nyro; Hugh Cornwell on Mussolini; PiL; Leonard Cohen; Ray Charles; Springsteen’s memoir and Meat Loaf’s rubber duckies.
CONTENTS MOJO 276
FREE CD LOU REED: A LIFE IN MUSIC 15 top quality tracks cherry-picked from Reed’s RCA & Arista Albums Collection, including Lisa Says, Andy’s Chest, White Light/White Heat, Kill Your Sons and more. One of our BEST CDs EVER!
COVER STORY: LOU REED We celebrate Transformer, the glam masterpiece that saved his life. Plus, life partner Laurie Anderson and producer Hal Willner on the warmth, wisdom and weapon collection of a legend.
PRINCE BUSTER The late King Of Ska was recruited by soundsystem supremo Coxsone Dodd after seeing him threaten gangsters with a knife. David Katz salutes a genius for record-making with a talent for survival.
EIGHT MILES HIGH Chasing the coat-tails of The Beatles, The Byrds flew to Britain, into a hail of brickbats. Out of it came a song of unease, stoked by sitars and jazz, that kicked off ’66’s sonic revolution.
MICHAEL KIWANUKA Britain’s new soul-folk superstar on how self-doubt and label stand-offs fuelled one of the albums of the year, and how singing about his “brokenness” put him back together.
THE HUMAN LEAGUE When Sheffield’s avant-synth aliens went pop, conquered the globe and fell from grace. And where a defunct vet’s practice, the Emanuelle movies and Heaven 17 fit in.
HUGH CORNWELL The ex-Strangler on ingratitude and bio-chemistry, Johnny Sox and John Cooper Clarke, prison and life beyond black. “Mussolini wasn’t all bad,” he volunteers in The MOJO Interview.
REVIEWED Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds / PiL / David Bowie / Leonard Cohen / Ray Charles / The Pretenders / Bon Iver / Frank Ocean / Syd Arthur / Green Day / Norah Jones / Willie Nelson / Drive-By Truckers / Yello / Oasis / Dan Penn / Randy Newman
PLUS Bruce Springsteen’s 5-star memoir / punch-ups and Pornography with The Cure / Ward Thomas storm the charts / Farewell, Gilli Smyth and Rudy Van Gelder / PJ Harvey live / Wayne Hussey gets hissy with Sisters Of Mercy / Jack White on the drums / Grandaddy return / Todd Rundgren on Laura Nyro / How To Buy Alice Cooper / Belle & Sebastian rock Green Man / All Back To Regina Spektor’s / Shabaka Hutchings / Momus’s wigs and Meat Loaf’s rubber duck collection!