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Martin Aston
Author & Journalist
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Jimmy Somerville: The Smalltown Boy, Attitude, 2014
I interviewed Jimmy Somerville for Attitude's July 2014 issue, on the 30th anniversary of Bronski Beat's "Smalltown Boy," one of British...
MA
Jun 27, 201811 min read


Iggy Pop: an introduction in ten records, The Vinyl Factory.
The Record Store Day triple-vinyl release of Iggy Pop’s Post Pop Depression – Live at the Royal Albert Hall has inspired an essential...
MA
Jun 10, 20181 min read


David Bowie - Goodbye Spaceboy, The Vinyl Factory, January 2016
The day Bowie died... A tribute. It wasn't intended as such, but The Vinyl Factory considered it a paean to queer revolution ("Now we...
MA
May 4, 20181 min read


Red House Painters: A Retrospective, 4AD Foreword, 2015
"Beds, Rollercoasters, Bridges and Beaches..." My story of the one band I helped sign to 4AD: San Francisco's Red House Painters, led by...
MA
Apr 30, 20181 min read


Cocteau Twins: Searching for Heaven, 4AD Foreword, 20
The trio's final phase of recording for 4AD found them at their peak. Find it here
MA
Apr 30, 20181 min read


Jeff Buckley: How Grace sparked a legend and a problematic legacy
Grace was both his debut and swan song, but, as is often the case with an artist died-too-young, Jeff Buckley’s discography is still...
MA
Apr 30, 20181 min read


"Song To The Siren's irresistible tang," The Guardian, 2011
"Its writer refused to record it. Pat Boone almost killed it. Then it was resurrected as a B-side to an indie prestige project. Martin...
MA
Feb 6, 20181 min read


4AD, The Guardian, 2013
4AD: the 'pure' label behind Pixies and Cocteau Twins When my 4AD biography Facing The Other Way: The Story of 4AD was published, I wrote...
MA
Feb 6, 20181 min read


Miracle Legion, The Guardian, 2016
For the Guardian section Cult Heroes: I interviewed Mark Mulcahy and Ray Neal of Miracle Legion – "the band Thom Yorke loved, who could...
MA
Feb 6, 20181 min read


Art-Rock Adventurism: The complete 4AD story, The Vinyl Factory, 2015
With contributions from key players of past and present including enigmatic founder Ivo Watts-Russell, 4AD biographer Martin Aston...
MA
Feb 6, 20181 min read


Breaking Down The Walls…. 4 star review MOJO, Nov 2016
Lead review in MOJO for Breaking Down The Walls Of Heartache: How Music Came Out, by Victoria Segal. "Mighty...Real" indeed
MA
Feb 5, 20181 min read


Rufus does Judy at Carnegie Hall, Attitude, 2008
My review of Rufus Wainwright’s daring album Rufus Does Judy At Carnegie Hall
MA
Feb 4, 20181 min read


Hercules & Love Affair, Attitude, 2010
When disco collective Hercules & Love Affair released its second album Blue Songs , I interviewed head honcho Andy Butler, who gave the...
MA
Feb 4, 201811 min read


Flying Nun: The untold story of a trailblazing indie label, The Vinyl Factory, 2016
At its peak, Flying Nun was New Zealand’s Rough Trade, Mute, Factory and 4AD all rolled into one; and yet the label remains tragically...
MA
Feb 2, 20181 min read


Dylan at Newport: The Other Side of the Mirror, Radio Times, 2007
I first wrote about Bob Dylan for Radio Times in 2005 when BBC's Arena strand showcased Martin Scorcese's No Direction Home, about, "a...
MA
Feb 1, 201810 min read


An introduction to Tim Buckley in ten records, The Vinyl Factory, 2016
To mark fifty years since his debut album and this week’s release of unearthed demos via Light In The Attic , I told the tale of one of...
MA
Feb 1, 20181 min read


Pulp – live review, Melody Maker, 1986
My ‘Pulp years’ began here, with a live review in 1986, for Melody Maker. It was the first step towards what became a book published in...
MA
Jan 9, 20181 min read


John Grant: Queen Of Denmark MOJO LP of 2010
John Grant’s debut solo album Queen Of Denmark deservedly won MOJO Magazine’s album of 2010. I interviewed him about the MOJO victory...
MA
Jan 9, 20185 min read


Queens Of Country, Radio Times, 2005
Linked to the BBC documentary on the “Queens” of country music, I interviewed country superstar Tanya Tucker, DJ Bob Harris and...
MA
Jan 1, 20188 min read


How Music Came Out, The Vinyl Factory, 2017
15 records by unsung LGBTQ+ pioneers In 2015, I wrote about Jackie Shane for my book, Breaking Down the Walls Of Heartache: How Music...
MA
Oct 26, 20171 min read
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