Magazine: A biography of a Band

Review\n"Chase has a done a fine job here in not only securing interviews with the members, but also in setting out their story in a clear and concise manner." — The Crack Magazine\n"I thoroughly enjoyed immersing myself in the minutiae of perhaps the only band to mix big funky baselines with navel-gazing misery and get away with it." —theartsdesk\n"There were few more respected groups than Magazine . . . provocative image-mongering, a sophisticated sense of what the future might look like, a thrilling metallic power . . . formidable. After songs like these, there really wasn't anything left to prove." —The Guardian\n"Howard Devoto . . . the man who introduced a new literacy not just into punk but into rock as a whole. Remarkable lyrics, traditional, but poisonous to the usual pop-line clichés." —Paul Morley, NME.com\n"Magazine's influence is all over today's music." —Paul Draper, musican, Mansun\n"Refreshingly unfussy for music writing, and [the author] wisely steps back to allow those who were there to tell their own stories." —Daniel Gray, The Skinny\nFormed by Howard Devoto in late 1977, the band brought together some of the finest and most innovative musicians of the era in the core line-up of Devoto, John McGeoch, Barry Adamson, Dave Formula and John Doyle. Independent of prevailing popular styles, Magazine had its roots in punk but had a greater emphasis on lyrical content while combining elements of avant-garde pop, funk and rock.\nThis book sets Magazine in the context of the post-punk music and arts scene in Manchester in the late 1970s. It discusses the prevailing climate of the decentralization of the music industry, growth of independent labels and the DIY attitude born of 'arrogance combined with a good record collection' (Tony Wilson). With unique access to band members past and present, and interviews with managers, record company executives, producers and contemporary musicians, Helen Chase presents a fascinating insight into one of the most important bands to emerge from the ashes of punk rock. Biographical details of individual band members, along with their influences, are discussed. The chronology of the band between 1977-1981 is charted and the dynamics and creative process at work are explored. The book also details the activities of key members since the band's demise in 1981 and follows their subsequent reunion in 2009. The band's iconic artwork is examined with contributions from artist Linder Sterling and designer Malcolm Garrett. Including lyrics by Howard Devoto and exclusive and unseen photographs taken by band members and friends, it provides a valuable source of reference about the influential group.