Music Reviews

Short Cuts

Also released this month...

Earl Scruggs - Classic Bluegrass Live

Cleveland County bluegrass legend and Foggy Mountain Boy wows Newport festival crowd, 1959-66

Various Artists - Fabric Live 7—John Peel

Ace addition to budget soundclash series

Tractor

30th-anniversary reissue for Julian Cope-inspiring prog classic

Artie Shaw - Self Portrait

Five-CD anthology from swing-era rebel

Eddie & Ernie - Lost Friends

First CD compilation of duo known as "the acme of deep soul"

Will Smith - Greatest Hits

Grammy-winners and million-sellers from the once-Fresh Prince

The Zombies - The Decca Stereo Anthology

Their entire studio output 1964-1966, remastered in stereo

They Might Be Giants - Dial-A-Song—20 Years Of TMBG

Wacky Brooklyn combo who defy taste and fashion but can write a song about that, too

Sam Cooke With The Soul Stirrers - The Complete Specialty Recordings

Classic '50s gospel group singing from influential sweet soul man

Various Artists - The Wire 20 1982-2002

Triple box set celebrating independent alternative experimental music

Lou Reed - Take No Prisoners

Lou live'n'loose, on CD for first time

Prince Buster - Fabulous Greatest Hits

Crown Prince of ska's classic collection gets reissued with bonus tracks as a prelude to...

Uneasy Listening

Remastered 24-CD box set of live performances by establishment-baiting avant-noise terrorists

Doom With A View

Full-scale album reissue programme of Sheffield electronicists' 1979-82 output, before they...

U-Roy - Various Artists

Jamaican superstar DJ and his UK peers

Bill Withers

Seminal soul man, best known for "Ain't No Sunshine", "Lean On Me" and "Lovely Day", back in...

Kid Loco - Another Late Night

Inveterate remixer (Pulp, St Etienne, Talvin Singh) chills out with some downtempo classics

Various Artists - Commercial Break

Diverse 49-track, two-CD collection of songs that have been used on TV ads

Badfinger - Head First

Ill-starred, Badfinger's final album before guitarist/vocalist Pete Ham's suicide was designed...

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Editor's Letter

Bruce Springsteen, Tame Impala, Rodriguez, George Clinton, John Fogerty, Prince and George Jones in new Uncut


I would have bought the issue of Melody Maker in which I first read about Bruce Springsteen on my way into the art school in Newport, where in March 1973 I was in my last term, only a few months away from moving to London and not long after that fetching up on MM as a junior reporter/feature...