Magazine (band)
Magazine were an English rock band formed in 1977 in Manchester in England by singer Howard Devoto and guitarist John McGeoch. After leaving the punk group Buzzcocks in early 1977, Devoto decided to create a more progressive and less "traditional" rock band. The original lineup of Magazine was composed of Devoto, McGeoch, Barry Adamson on bass, Bob Dickinson on keyboards and Martin Jackson on drums.
Magazine
Manchester, England
1977–1981, 2009–2011
Howard Devoto
John McGeoch
Barry Adamson
Martin Jackson
Bob Dickinson
Dave Formula
Paul Spencer
John Doyle
Robin Simon
Ben Mandelson
Noko
Jonathan "Stan" White
Their debut album, Real Life (1978), was critically acclaimed and was one of the first post-punk albums. After releasing two other albums, Secondhand Daylight and The Correct Use of Soap, McGeoch left the band in 1980 to join Siouxsie and the Banshees. Magazine released another studio album and disbanded in 1981. All four of their albums reached the top 40 on the UK Albums Chart.
They reunited in 2009 for a UK tour with Noko on guitar. Magazine released an album of new material, No Thyself, in October 2011, followed by a short UK tour.
Magazine have been cited as an influence by bands and musicians such as Simple Minds, the Smiths, Radiohead, Pulp and John Frusciante.
Legacy[edit]
Magazine was an influence on the fledgling Simple Minds, who supported them on a 1979 tour and much later covered "A Song from Under the Floorboards".[11][12] The Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood named McGeoch his biggest guitar influence, and said that Magazine's songwriting "informs so much of what we do".[13] Radiohead performed a cover of "Shot By Both Sides" in 2000.[14]
Johnny Marr of the Smiths cited Magazine as an influence, particularly McGeoch's guitar work.[15][16] The Smiths singer, Morrissey, covered "A Song from Under the Floorboards" as a B-side to his 2006 single "The Youngest Was the Most Loved". "Floorboards" was also covered by My Friend the Chocolate Cake on their 1994 album Brood. MGMT played a version of "Burst" on tour in 2011.[17]
Jarvis Cocker of Pulp praised Real Life saying: "this was such an important record for the time because it showed that you could still do something that had attack to it combined with a real intelligence, without going into ponce territory".[18] The band and their singer/lyricist Howard Devoto has also been cited as an influence on several 1980s bands, such as China Crisis[19] and Fiction Factory.[20]
Lolita Pop recorded a cover of "A Song from under the Floorboards" on 1989's Love Poison. Half Man Half Biscuit have performed live covers of a number of Magazine songs. "The Light Pours Out of Me" was covered by several acts including Peter Murphy, Ministry, the Mission, Sleep Chamber and Zero Boys. The band No Fun at All did a cover of "Shot by Both Sides" on their record And Now for Something Completely Different. Mansun covered "Shot by Both Sides" for John Peel sessions. Duff McKagan cited Real Life as an influence, particularly on tracks where a chorus effect is used.[21]
Magazine discography
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4
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2
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