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Articles by Michael Stuart

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About Michael Stuart

After university, Michael spent twelve years working for MELODY MAKER before going freelance. He claims to keep doing it because it is all he knows. More Posts

Barely leaving the pier

Although as the Rust’s ‘music man’ I am entrusted with commenting upon all kinds of music and performer, like any human being I have my heroes. A personal favourite of mine is Brian Wilson, the mastermind behind the Beach Boys, whom I regard as one of the greats of the past seventy five [...]

May 25, 2015 // 0 Comments

Trucking into town

From time to time, as part of a bonding process with our North American cousins and their descendants, the Stuart men-folk on both sides of the Atlantic swap suggestions for rock/pop gigs that might be worth attending. About ten years ago we in Blighty received a strong recommendation from our [...]

March 1, 2015 // 0 Comments

A man who ploughed his own furrow

Joe Cocker, the Sheffield-born rock and blues singer died yesterday in America, where he had lived for most of the past forty years. His distinctive rasping, soulful voice earned him many plaudits and fans, not least amongst journalists and major rock artistes around the world. Having always sung [...]

December 23, 2014 // 0 Comments

The slippery slope

It is in the spirit of the urgings of our esteemed editor that – in amongst anything else we might offer – we should shed light upon our descent into senility by noting aspects of our decline whenever we come across them that I begin my post today. The past 36 hours have not been amongst my [...]

December 9, 2014 // 0 Comments

Acker Bilk

I was sad to hear that Acker Bilk had passed away. Known for his bowler hat, striped waistcoat and goatee beard, he had a huge hit both sides of the Atlantic  with Stranger on the Shore. Indirectly he was responsible for one of the funniest put downs I have heard. I asked a musician friend if x [...]

November 4, 2014 // 0 Comments

Debating points

Having reported upon my trek to Islington to see Friday night’s concert featuring Dave and Phil Alvin yesterday, I subsequently reminded myself of a fascinating discussion that my little group had whilst consuming its pre-match meal. Amongst his many attributes, a couple of years ago my [...]

October 26, 2014 // 0 Comments

Roots are what music is all about

Last night (Friday 24th October) I crossed town to the Islington Assembly Hall in order to join my brother and a pal on a pilgrimage to see Dave and Phil Alvin, sibling kernels of cult American rockabilly/R & B/Americana band The Blasters, on their latest (‘and The Guilty Ones’) UK [...]

October 25, 2014 // 0 Comments

Another slice of Bob Dylan

As I have mentioned previously, there’s a certain irony to holding down a post as music correspondent when I’m of advanced years, set in my ways, effectively tone deaf, regard classical music as just a posh form of muzak (aka ‘elevator music’) that is played in supermarkets, public toilets [...]

September 27, 2014 // 0 Comments

An opportunity missed

There is a particular track on the 1986 Van Morrison album No Guru, No Method, No Teacher that resonates with me for entirely personal and sentimental reasons. A couple of months ago I was talking to a lady of about my own age who works in the local travel agents’ shop. Over the course of some [...]

September 20, 2014 // 0 Comments

Keeping in touch

There are reports in the media this week that sales of music magazines may be in terminal decline – see here for an example, published today on the website of – THE GUARDIAN The question is asked ‘Who reads them these days?’ I do, for one. Whenever I travel by train or Tube into central [...]

August 15, 2014 // 0 Comments

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