NME was the go to resource for me in the 80s and 90s. The only place to find out about new record releases and read interviews with bands I liked. The only place to find out about gigs and tours. Killed by the internet
At their height in the early noughties they would regularly make and then break up-and-coming bands. Hype them til they got a record deal and then rubbish them as soon as they released anything and destroyed their careers.
At their height in the early noughties they would regularly make and then break up-and-coming bands. Hype them til they got a record deal and then rubbish them as soon as they released anything and destroyed their careers.
Got a few of the freebies, but basically only bought it late teens, early twenties when I wanted to be seen as ahead of the curve in music taste. Heard about quite a few decent bands through it though. Moved onto Q magazine not long after...
preferred The Fly mag personally but i did used to read NME often as a teen during the early 00s. they seemed to have so much influence in making and breaking artists.
Bad printing and predictable reviews turned me off what had been a weekly purchase religiously obeserved. I bought music based on some of those reviews in addition to recommendations made by John Peel and David Jensen .In the 80s they definitely had their favourites word against whom would never be tolerated and would be deemed heresy : The Fall, Lou Reed , The Jesus and Mary Chain , The Smiths , Billy Bragg , Joy Division and The Cure all championed earnestly .It all became simply too serious and dull to plough through week in week out .
The sort of music the NME likes isn't in great shape either. ..
What did it champion in its later years?
I bought it a fair bit in the early 2000s & it was centered around the Libertines/Strokes/White Stripes Tec scene. Shame to see it cease but can't see why any younger music fans in the modern age would buy printed magazines
At their height in the early noughties they would regularly make and then break up-and-coming bands. Hype them til they got a record deal and then rubbish them as soon as they released anything and destroyed their careers.
No sympathy from me
Who have you got in mind?
I remember a band called brother who they lauded as the “next oasis” and then as soon as they released anything they were called fakes etc and obliterated their careers. They were the guys who decided who was cool, and if you weren’t cool, then you may as well just cease to exist.
Got a few editions from the 90’s stashed away in the loft still. I walked past someone giving it away on the way to work recently and made me remember buying it and reading it in my lunch hour. Always handy for the club listings too.
Used to buy the NME every week back in the 80s and 90s. I still have the legendary C86 cassette tape!
I tried the free version a few times but it really was awful. Like it was written for ADHD teenagers with zero attention span.
It's a shame it's gone, but it got left behind by the internet and the UK indie music scene that it used to thrive on is a shadow of what it used to be.
Friends and I used to buy one each of NME, Sounds, Melody Maker and even Record Mirror and Disc and Music Echo if there was anything interesting on the cover. These were great music news sources in those days and the first you'd hear about Mick Taylor leaving the Stones, Coverdale joining Deep Purple or, the one that I remember, being a huge fan, Gabriel quitting Genesis, would be on the front cover of these publications. Millennials won't realise how important these were to music fans of the time. You'd also get the gig news and I'd scour the pages looking to see who was at the Marquee, the Croydon Greyhound or even the Cricketers at the Oval.
Their real relevance was lost when the internet took off and, in all honesty, I probably didn't buy a copy after 1980!
At their height in the early noughties they would regularly make and then break up-and-coming bands. Hype them til they got a record deal and then rubbish them as soon as they released anything and destroyed their careers.
No sympathy from me
At their height? It was certainly not at its height then. Long since in fact.
For me the best thing was that you could pick it up a day earlier in the west end than anywhere else in the country. I’d make a big effort in the mid nineties after work to head to Oxford circus and grab that early copy so I could see what gigs were announced then straight over to stargreen for the tickets.
I finally gave up buying it when they put Westlife on the cover.
Used to buy the NME every week back in the 80s and 90s. I still have the legendary C86 cassette tape!
I tried the free version a few times but it really was awful. Like it was written for ADHD teenagers with zero attention span.
It's a shame it's gone, but it got left behind by the internet and the UK indie music scene that it used to thrive on is a shadow of what it used to be.
I have the complete collection of tapes that they gave away during the eighties. Some brilliant ones, including the Billy Holliday compilation, jazz, bluegrass, and out-takes from more famous bands.
For me the heyday of the NME was in the 70's, with Nick Logan as editor and writers of the calibre of Nick Kent, Charles Shaar Murray and Ian Macdonald. Cynical, irreverent and never less than entertaining, they knocked the staid Melody Maker into the history bin. I often disagreed with them and the disrespect they showed for artists they didn't like, but the articles and reviews were always compelling and often brilliant and they had their finger on the pulse. I lost interest in NME during the late 80's and 90's when I felt the better writers migrated to new publications like Q and Mojo.
For me the heyday of the NME was in the 70's, with Nick Logan as editor and writers of the calibre of Nick Kent, Charles Shaar Murray and Ian Macdonald. Cynical, irreverent and never less than entertaining, they knocked the staid Melody Maker into the history bin. I often disagreed with them and the disrespect they showed for artists they didn't like, but the articles and reviews were always compelling and often brilliant and they had their finger on the pulse. I lost interest in NME during the late 80's and 90's when I felt the better writers migrated to new publications like Q and Mojo.
Indeed; Nick was a great editor, and when he left the paper stood still a bit with reggae loving Neil Spencer who stepped up from deputy. The biggest issue came in the mid-80's when sales started to drop off due to two factors IMO. Firstly, the News section (which announced tours etc, and was written by old-hand Derek Johnson) was moved from the front (pages 3-5) to adjacent to the Live Ads section two-thirds of the way into the paper. Secondly, the cover started to feature a lot of rap artists; I didn't see an issue reporting on rap, but the inordinant number of cover stars that people had never heard of did hit sales. When Ian Pye replaced Spencer, all hell broke loose, not only because he had come from Melody Maker, but because he was married to the Production Editor of that time (which was a senior position on the paper). Pye had a well-known run in with Penny Reel where abusive graffiti appeared outside the offices. Reel was sacked. When they moved the editorial offices out of Carnaby Street (first to New Oxford Street, then Kings Reach Tower), many "artists" refused to visit/pop by, as they had done frequently at Carnaby Street.
A change of publisher never helped, nor did the merging of NME with other (failed) IPC publications. Alan Lewis came in as editor, and was a very nice bloke, but too corporate for my liking, and the edge fell away in the late eighties.
NME was always meant to be for gig-lovers, while MM was for musicians. Sounds nailed their mast to Garry Bushell and Oi-music, which is why they failed, even with ex-NME Tony Stewart coming in as editor too late.
I've never bought a copy of NME since I left, but I am still in touch with some of the old gang, and have mostly very fond memories of the time I worked there.
Back in the day I never really read the NME, it just never featured the bands I was into. Sounds was ok but in the 80s I was a Kerrang and Metal Hammer boy, then in the 90s I moved onto to Blues & Soul and Hip Hop Connection. Its demise won’t cause me to shed any nostalgic tears.
Used to buy the NME every week back in the 80s and 90s. I still have the legendary C86 cassette tape!
I tried the free version a few times but it really was awful. Like it was written for ADHD teenagers with zero attention span.
It's a shame it's gone, but it got left behind by the internet and the UK indie music scene that it used to thrive on is a shadow of what it used to be.
I have the complete collection of tapes that they gave away during the eighties. Some brilliant ones, including the Billy Holliday compilation, jazz, bluegrass, and out-takes from more famous bands.
The creation records tape they put out (late 93 early 94 maybe) was the first most people had heard of Oasis with the demo version of cigarettes and alcohol
I used to get NME most weeks through the 70s but I was mainly a ‘Sounds’ man.
Same here, although Melody Maker was excellent for a time, but 'Sounds' had a better coverage of the blues\guitar bands that I preferred. Over the past couple of years I have joined a few on line groups with the likes of Chris Charlesworth, Keith Altham, and Chris Welch, remember going into Spotlight publications off New Oxford Street, with a few stories. There used to be a well known music 'hack' on this site, and posted on the other one' that shall not be named' ....... you there Nigel?....... or are you writing about cricket these days like Richard Williams
For me the heyday of the NME was in the 70's, with Nick Logan as editor and writers of the calibre of Nick Kent, Charles Shaar Murray and Ian Macdonald. Cynical, irreverent and never less than entertaining, they knocked the staid Melody Maker into the history bin. I often disagreed with them and the disrespect they showed for artists they didn't like, but the articles and reviews were always compelling and often brilliant and they had their finger on the pulse. I lost interest in NME during the late 80's and 90's when I felt the better writers migrated to new publications like Q and Mojo.
Indeed; Nick was a great editor, and when he left the paper stood still a bit with reggae loving Neil Spencer who stepped up from deputy. The biggest issue came in the mid-80's when sales started to drop off due to two factors IMO. Firstly, the News section (which announced tours etc, and was written by old-hand Derek Johnson) was moved from the front (pages 3-5) to adjacent to the Live Ads section two-thirds of the way into the paper. Secondly, the cover started to feature a lot of rap artists; I didn't see an issue reporting on rap, but the inordinant number of cover stars that people had never heard of did hit sales. When Ian Pye replaced Spencer, all hell broke loose, not only because he had come from Melody Maker, but because he was married to the Production Editor of that time (which was a senior position on the paper). Pye had a well-known run in with Penny Reel where abusive graffiti appeared outside the offices. Reel was sacked. When they moved the editorial offices out of Carnaby Street (first to New Oxford Street, then Kings Reach Tower), many "artists" refused to visit/pop by, as they had done frequently at Carnaby Street.
A change of publisher never helped, nor did the merging of NME with other (failed) IPC publications. Alan Lewis came in as editor, and was a very nice bloke, but too corporate for my liking, and the edge fell away in the late eighties.
NME was always meant to be for gig-lovers, while MM was for musicians. Sounds nailed their mast to Garry Bushell and Oi-music, which is why they failed, even with ex-NME Tony Stewart coming in as editor too late.
I've never bought a copy of NME since I left, but I am still in touch with some of the old gang, and have mostly very fond memories of the time I worked there.
Agree with you about Sharr Murray. Best writer on Hendrix, who did not repeat the Les Perrin myth's about jimi. Worked in the next office to the NME advertising at Kings Reach Tower, during the early 80s and they were struggling then for advertising. The designer I worked with when there, did the redesign for NME, he was freelance, Graham Davidson, he had a studio in Archer street. I went onto read 'Q' but when I worked at Emap. I never forgave them for not getting the job as 'art editor' and sulked and rarely bought the magazine.
The NME during the 70’s was a pretty good read, if you were into your music. Lots of good writers, ready willing and able to take the piss out of anyone. And have to say, Danny Baker was right up there with the best. His piece on Michael Jackson was really good and strangely prophetic. They did some good stuff on Bowie ( it got a bit pretentious at times but hey, who wasn’t back then) and a good article on The Police at the height of their game in America. Some of the single reviews were brilliant, and suitably snide when required. I remember a review of a Janet Jackson single being summed pithily as being a song about how she just thinks about her boyfriend. A lot. Sad to see it go, but long time since i’ve read it. Which as HI said above, is prolly as it should be. It feels like it belongs to a different age. Mind you, I often feel like that too!
Comments
Killed by the internet
No sympathy from me
I tried the free version a few times but it really was awful. Like it was written for ADHD teenagers with zero attention span.
It's a shame it's gone, but it got left behind by the internet and the UK indie music scene that it used to thrive on is a shadow of what it used to be.
The whole industry was built on it, not any more. Therefore rags like this are dead.
Their real relevance was lost when the internet took off and, in all honesty, I probably didn't buy a copy after 1980!
RIP NME.
For me the best thing was that you could pick it up a day earlier in the west end than anywhere else in the country. I’d make a big effort in the mid nineties after work to head to Oxford circus and grab that early copy so I could see what gigs were announced then straight over to stargreen for the tickets.
I finally gave up buying it when they put Westlife on the cover.
Cynical, irreverent and never less than entertaining, they knocked the staid Melody Maker into the history bin.
I often disagreed with them and the disrespect they showed for artists they didn't like, but the articles and reviews were always compelling and often brilliant and they had their finger on the pulse.
I lost interest in NME during the late 80's and 90's when I felt the better writers migrated to new publications like Q and Mojo.
A change of publisher never helped, nor did the merging of NME with other (failed) IPC publications. Alan Lewis came in as editor, and was a very nice bloke, but too corporate for my liking, and the edge fell away in the late eighties.
NME was always meant to be for gig-lovers, while MM was for musicians. Sounds nailed their mast to Garry Bushell and Oi-music, which is why they failed, even with ex-NME Tony Stewart coming in as editor too late.
I've never bought a copy of NME since I left, but I am still in touch with some of the old gang, and have mostly very fond memories of the time I worked there.
And have to say, Danny Baker was right up there with the best. His piece on Michael Jackson was really good and strangely prophetic.
They did some good stuff on Bowie ( it got a bit pretentious at times but hey, who wasn’t back then) and a good article on The Police at the height of their game in America.
Some of the single reviews were brilliant, and suitably snide when required.
I remember a review of a Janet Jackson single being summed pithily as being a song about how she just thinks about her boyfriend. A lot.
Sad to see it go, but long time since i’ve read it. Which as HI said above, is prolly as it should be. It feels like it belongs to a different age. Mind you, I often feel like that too!
I want anarchy.
http://justbackdated.blogspot.co.uk/2018/03/rip-nme-and-end-of-culture.html