TAYLOR SWIFT: The long read

She has 11 Grammys, nine major-label albums, university courses studying her work and an unstoppable fandom… so how did Taylor Swift conquer the music industry? Ahead of her 10th record, ‘Midnights’, Zoya Raza-Sheikh explores how Swift’s songwriting is the secret to her success “Haters gonna hate…” but Taylor Swift’s influence over pop is undeniable. From […]

Read More

KARAJAN: News

A classic Gramophone article, by HC Robbins Landon, March 1964 Herbert von Karajan in 1969 (Reinhard Friedrich / Archiv Berliner Philharmoniker) SCENE I. A warm summer’s day in Salzburg. The square in front of the Festspielhaus is the scene of subdued activity; from within come sounds of rehearsing. Chorus members are lounging about, waiting for […]

Read More

SPOTIFY: Former streaming service subscribers on why they have ditched mod cons for MP3s, CDs and other DIY music formats

Meg Lethem was working at her bakery job one morning in Boston when she had an epiphany. Tasked with choosing the day’s soundtrack, she opened Spotify, then flicked and flicked, endlessly searching for something to play. Nothing was perfect for the moment. She looked some more, through playlist after playlist. An uncomfortably familiar loop, it […]

Read More

MAHLER: Podcast

Edward Seckerson discusses the greatest performers and recordings of the composer’s works This week’s Gramophone Podcast is a special longer edition focusing on the music of Mahler. It coincides with the publication of the latest in our series of our souvenir publications drawing together our century-long coverage of major composers, ‘Gramophone Presents Mahler’. For this […]

Read More

BOB DYLAN: His 20 greatest albums … the long read

THE INDEPENDENT It’s a tantalising thought that even at 80, Dylan may still have great work left in him, writes Graeme Ross Bob Dylan, the rock era’s greatest and most influential poet, celebrates his 80th birthday on 24 May. It is also 60 years since Dylan recorded his debut album and began a career that […]

Read More

FRAN: News

TIMOTHY MONGER / allmusic.com On their second outing as Fran, Chicago-based singer/songwriter Maria Jacobson and her small cadre of collaborators create intimate indie pop that is smart, poignant, and deeply reflective. Much has changed in the three years since their debut, 2019’s A Private Picture. That album introduced Jacobson’s literate, confessional style, which, when sung […]

Read More

TOM VERLAINE: Sad news

JANE CLINTON / THE GUARDIAN Tom Verlaine, the frontman, songwriter and legendary guitar player of the New York City band Television, has died aged 73. His death was announced by Jesse Paris Smith, the daughter of Patti Smith, who said that he died “after a brief illness”. Verlaine, who was born Thomas Miller in Denville, […]

Read More

AMY WINEHOUSE: News – the long read

Roisin O’Connor / THE INDEPENDENT The new Amy Winehouse biopic will focus on her “extraordinary genius, creativity and honesty that infused everything she did”. Or so we were told. But then we saw the pictures. Marisa Abela was pictured outside London jazz bar Ronnie Scott’s, with the singer’s signature beehive in disarray; black eyeliner smeared […]

Read More

GRAMOPHONE: The best new classical albums this week (January 20, 2023)

GRAMOPHONE: New recordings of Bruckner’s Symphony No 7, Mozart’s Violin Concertos Nos 3-5 and more Paavo Järvi has already recorded Bruckner’s Symphony No 7 with the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra for Sony/RCA, an album reviewed by Rob Cowan in September 2009, who wrote: ‘Järvi offers an extremely beautiful performance, responsively played and, most crucially, sensitive […]

Read More

MINGUS: Right Now (Numbered 140g Clear Vinyl LP) by Charles Mingus

With Clifford Jordan on tenor, John Handy on alto, Jane Getz on piano, and Dannie Richmond on drums, Charles Mingus went into San Francisco and whipped up a storm. This LP contains two compositions over 23-minutes each: “New Fables” and “Meditation (For A Pair Of Wire Cutters).” “New Fables” features a ten-minute solo from Jordan, […]

Read More

NEIL YOUNG: Hitchhiker (Limited Edition CD)

The unreleased solo acoustic album recorded in 1976, which includes includes solo, acoustic songs recorded in 1976 at the Indigo Ranch Studios in Malibu, California and featuring 2 previously unreleased songs! More information to follow… 1. Pocahontas 2. Powderfinger 3. Captain Kennedy 4. Hawaii 5. Give Me Strength 6. Ride My Llama 7. Hitchhiker 8. […]

Read More

Farewell Aldebaran (CD) by Judy Henske and Jerry Yester

First ever legitimate reissue of lost classic! “A gorgeous blossom of exotic folk-pop, Farewell Aldebaran was mostly overlooked when it was first released in late 1969. Maybe its snarling rockers, genteel ballads and gothic mood pieces made it too difficult to fit into conventional musical categories, or perhaps it simply fizzled due to lack of […]

Read More

RY COODER: Well worth investigating

They tell us ….. Limited edition 6CD Box Set featuring influences and six FM broadcasts from 1972, 1974, 1989 and 1995. Whether serving as a session musician, solo artist, or soundtrack composer, Ry Cooder’s chameleon-like fretted instrument virtuosity, songwriting, and choices of material encompass an incredibly eclectic range of North American musical styles, including rock […]

Read More

MASSIVE ATTACK: The long read

Misunderstood masterpiece or unmitigated disaster? Massive Attack’s 100th Window at 20 The trip-hop collective’s fourth album left both fans and critics scratching their heads. But, with the project’s themes of digital paranoia, political tumult and anti-war sentiment, Ed Power argues that it’s never been more relevant Twenty years ago, Massive Attack’s golden streak went up […]

Read More
ARROw

PODCAST: One of our picks of the day

GRAMOPHONE: Adam Walker on French music for flute This week’s podcast sees acclaimed flautist Adam Walker join Gramophone Editor Martin Cullingford to talk about his two new albums of French music, both released on Chandos Records. The first, ‘French Works for Flute’, sees him joined by pianist James Baillieu in music by Franck, Widor, Saint‑Saëns […]

Read More