Magazine albums - ranked & reviewed
by emptysquares 
On paper is should never have worked. A punk guitarist, a prog keyboardist, a funky bassist, all backing a singer with a very limited vocal style. But by some strange chemistry, the disperate ingredients somehow combine and interact until something strangely coherent emerges. In my book, their first 3 albums are all masterpieces and as such the order they appear in this chart is chronological. Sadly, Magazine were simply too quirky to have any chance in achieving any significant commercial success. On paper is should never have worked - and maybe it never did. But to some, this music has a unique quality and deserves to be rememberred as something special.
- Chart updated: 12/17/2021 23:15
- (Created: 12/17/2021 23:13).
- Chart size: 5 albums.
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A lot of fine music emerged from the embers of 70s punk - none finer than Magazine. This debut still retained some real punk aftershock in a few songs, but the band simply can't help but effortlessly branch out into all sorts of unexpected areas. 'Shot by Both Sides' has a great Pete Shelley guitar riff and would be the nearest they ever got to having a hit whilst the brilliant 'Definitive Glaze' is a proggy/punky masterpiece of the type that Radiohead would come up with years later.
v:Devoto; g&sx:McGeoch; k:Formula; b:Adamson; d:Jackson; Produced by John Leckie
v:Devoto; g&sx:McGeoch; k:Formula; b:Adamson; d:Jackson; Produced by John Leckie
Year of Release:
1978
Appears in:
Rank Score:
1,591
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Comments:
Dismissed by critics in 1979 and being 'prog' (for many musically illiterate hacks of the time, an unforgivable crime that did not comply with their 3-chord beliefs), I've always believed that 'Secondhand Daylight' to be a largely unrecognised masterpiece. From the slow build of the opener 'Feed the Enemy' to the sheet metal guitar of the final track 'Permafrost' Magazine give us a unique soundscape which is compelling from start to finish.
v:Devoto; g,k&sx:McGeoch; k:Formula; b:Adamson; d:Doyle; Produced by Colin Thurston
v:Devoto; g,k&sx:McGeoch; k:Formula; b:Adamson; d:Doyle; Produced by Colin Thurston
Following poor sales of their previous albums, 'The Correct Use of Soap' was the bands attempt to come up with something more commercially appealing. But this was a band that was incapable of dumbing-down and although the album contains some gorgeous bass tones from Barry Adamson, it was still way too enigmatic to have any chance of mainstream success - although this time around they did receive a fair amount of critical acclaim. Sadly, guitarist John McGeoch was unhappy with the direction and left for Siouxsie and the Banshees as soon as recording completed and Magazine would never be quite the same again.
v:Devoto; g&sx:McGeoch; k:Formula; b:Adamson; d:Doyle; Produced by Martin Hannett
v:Devoto; g&sx:McGeoch; k:Formula; b:Adamson; d:Doyle; Produced by Martin Hannett
Year of Release:
1980
Appears in:
Rank Score:
494
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Unexpectedly, in 2011 this turned up almost as if the band had never been away. Although the lineup has inevitably changed as sadly John McGeoch is no longer with us and Barry Adamson was 'unavailable', their replacements do an impressive job of adopting their predecessors playing style helping to make things sound nice and familiar. Devoto seems to easily get back into the swing and the opener 'Do The Meaning' and the excellent 'Hello Mister Curtis (with apologies)' are both excellent
v:Devoto; g:Noko; k:Formula; b:White; d:Doyle; Produced by Magazine
v:Devoto; g:Noko; k:Formula; b:White; d:Doyle; Produced by Magazine
It's difficult to pinpoint exactly what went wrong with this final effort from Magazine back in the day. Certainly, the absence of guitarist John McGeoch is a big issue as his aggressive but icy tones were always key to the band sound as they contrasted so well with Adamsons warm bass. But here, as if to over-compensate, the whole mix seems to be doused in an 80's style icy wash which gives the album a thin and unnatural sound. It's not that bad - just not as good as the previous three.
v:Devoto; g&vl:Mandelson; k:Formula; b:Adamson; d:Doyle; Produced by Magazine
v:Devoto; g&vl:Mandelson; k:Formula; b:Adamson; d:Doyle; Produced by Magazine
Total albums: 5. Page 1 of 1
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Magazine albums - ranked & reviewed composition
| Decade | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1930s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1940s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1950s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1960s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1970s | 2 | 40% | |
| 1980s | 2 | 40% | |
| 1990s | 0 | 0% | |
| 2000s | 0 | 0% | |
| 2010s | 1 | 20% | |
| 2020s | 0 | 0% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|||
| Magazine | 5 | 100% |
Magazine albums - ranked & reviewed similarity to your chart(s)
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