Music
Record Collector
33⅓ minutes with... Toyah Willcox
Toyah Ann Willcox was born in Kings Heath, Birmingham and came to prominence as an actor starring in the 1978 film Jubilee.
4 min |
January 2026
Record Collector
45 DUBLIN 45s
Continuing our series celebrating 45 years of Record Collector, we salute the 7\" output of Ireland's capital, from the 60s to the present. This is your Jeremy Liffey
1 min |
January 2026
Record Collector
"I DIDN'T HAVE ANYONE TO BOUNCE OFF, LIKE MICK HAD KEITH"
Rolling Stones bassist for 31 years, solo artist, restaurateur, metal detector, good friend of acting royalty and self-described \"world's oldest living rock star\" - not to mention long-time Record Collector subscriber - Bill Wyman has been there or thereabouts since around the paleolithic era.
10+ min |
January 2026
Record Collector
Bob Stanley carries pop's baggage everywhere
Bob Stanley carries pop’s baggage everywhere Must like Eddie
4 min |
January 2026
Record Collector
Ever Changing Mods
Divisive debut expanded to tell the full story of Weller's post-Jam reinvention, in some style....
3 min |
January 2026
Record Collector
Unchained Melanie
Although she passed away two years ago this month, Melanie Safka, an artist forever known by her Christian name, best known for her 1972 global hit, Brand New Key, still entrances fans of the late 60s/early 70s West Coast singer-songwriter scene. A new compilation unearths rarities and neglected material – much of it the casualty of bad record deals and unresolved creative wranglings – that further enrich our appreciation of a highly underrated talent. Dave Thompson, who knew her well, tells her story.
9 min |
January 2026
Record Collector
BOOM BOOM!
Bob Geldof leads The Boomtown Rats through 50th anniversary celebration
10 min |
January 2026
Record Collector
1956 ROCK 'N' ROLL HERO
Seventy years ago, a mighty wave was about to wash over these isles.
3 min |
January 2026
Record Collector
UNDER THE RADAR
Artists, bands, and labels meriting more attention
4 min |
January 2026
Record Collector
THE ENGINE ROOM
The unsung heroes who helped forge modern music
4 min |
January 2026
Record Collector
STAR FAKER
How did a Long Island teenager persuade the cream of UK/US talent to appear on his private press albums? Welcome to the strange world of Steve Kaczorowski, where nothing is as it seems.
6 min |
January 2026
Record Collector
LABEL OF LOVE IN A SPIN VINYL
We are based in Devon; we release rare and obscure mod/psych/garage tracks from the 60s in 7” vinyl format, giving them a new lease of life and the exposure they deserve.
2 min |
January 2026
Record Collector
Heard Ya Missed Us WELL WE'RE BACK!
Formed in 1976 from the ashes of two great protopunk groups, London-based The Boys rode the first wave of the new musical revolution, recording four albums before disappearing only to rise again.
4 min |
January 2026
Record Collector
THIS WAS THE MODERN WORLD
In the late 70s, as punk’s blast of insurrectionary fire began to flame out, many of those inspired to get up onstage began to look further back for inspiration – to the mods of the previous decade, all sharp sense of style and gritty R’n’B pop.
10+ min |
January 2026
Record Collector
THE ODD TROUPLE
Thompson Twins came together on the London squat scene as a six-piece collective.
10 min |
January 2026
Record Collector
The Collector
This month: DJ Nevio Bencivenni
6 min |
January 2026
Record Collector
Not Forgotten
Gary ‘Mani’ Mounfield, died 20 November, age 63. The bassist was a member of The Stone Roses and Primal Scream. Joining the Roses in 1987 – replacing bass player Pete Garner – Mani’s presence proved a galvanising force as the group became kingpins of the emergent Madchester scene.
8 min |
January 2026
Record Collector
ALL HAIL "THE CABS
Key movers in the growth of electronic music in the north of England in the 70s, Cabaret Voltaire influenced a host of nascent electronic bands who would take those sounds into the mainstream: neighbours The Human League, Mancunian friends New Order and US industrial behemoths like Nine Inch Nails to name but three.
10+ min |
January 2026
Record Collector
UNDER THE RADAR
Artists, bands, and labels meriting more attention
4 min |
Christmas 2025 - Issue 578
Record Collector
LOOKIN' AFTER No 1s THE XMAS FACTOR
Does your granny always tell ya that the old songs are the best? The truth might be more curious and complex, as Chris Roberts finds, tearing off the wrapping paper to discover the full history of the Christmas No 1
10+ min |
Christmas 2025 - Issue 578
Record Collector
Behold The Man Friday, The Leader Of The Virgin Prunes
Since the late 70s, Gavin Friday has trod a singular path, whether as part of influential post-punks The Virgin Prunes, soundtracking Hollywood blockbusters.
10 min |
Christmas 2025 - Issue 578
Record Collector
THE ENGINE ROOM
The unsung heroes who helped forge modern music
4 min |
Christmas 2025 - Issue 578
Record Collector
ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACKERS
In 1975, 10cc and Queen reigned supreme with I'm Not In Love and that also happened to be the Christmas No 1. But how did both Bohemian Rhapsody. The former was the chart-topping sound of the game-changing singles happen that year, and which, wonders Paul summer and a production landmark, the latter a multi-part song-suite McNulty, remains the most revolutionary example of 70s songcraft?
10+ min |
Christmas 2025 - Issue 578
Record Collector
'WE'D JUST WALLOW IN HOW FUCKING BRILLIANT WE WERE'
Graham Gouldman on I'm Not In Love, The Original Soundtrack and 10cc's next-level pop.
8 min |
Christmas 2025 - Issue 578
Record Collector
The Collector
Warren Kurtz began collecting records in the 60s and has written about music since the 70s.
6 min |
Christmas 2025 - Issue 578
Record Collector
Heaven From Hell
An exhilarating masterpiece wrung from a period of turmoil and unease, all done up for its 50th birthday.
5 min |
Christmas 2025 - Issue 578
Record Collector
33½ minutes with...Brinsley Schwarz
It's 60 years since Brinsley Schwarz made his recording bow, a handful of singles with the semi-psychedelic pop band Kippington Lodge, but he became a more visible presence later in the decade when he lent his name to the pub rock figureheads who also included Nick Lowe in their number.
4 min |
Christmas 2025 - Issue 578
Record Collector
TEEN SPIRIT
Of all the first-wave punk bands, Eater were arguably the truest to form.
9 min |
Christmas 2025 - Issue 578
Record Collector
BLACK AND WHITE MISFITS
Arty oddities on the late-70s punk scene, The Monochrome Set did things their way, alienating some. Generations that followed have been more appreciative, which is why they have intermittently regrouped and have a new album and book in the pipeline, as they tell Rob Hughes
10 min |
Christmas 2025 - Issue 578
Record Collector
I AM A LASER
Laser-etched and hologram discs had their day in the sun. Joe Geesin focuses on some of the landmark innovations that haven't entirely faded away
4 min |