Plus: Ron Carter, jazz’s most prolific bassist
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Sleeve Notes
Picks of the week
Why Kirsty MacColl’s vivid pop career was no fairytale
‘She never pandered to fashion’  
Why Kirsty MacColl’s vivid pop career was no fairytale
Deemed ‘difficult’ in the 80s music industry, the Pogues’ vocal foil never quite found the audience she deserved. As a box set is released, collaborators gather to recall her wistful, witty songwriting
Ron Carter, jazz’s most prolific bassist  
Our band was a laboratory – and Miles Davis was head chemist
The Beatles  
Now and Then – ‘final’ song is a poignant act of closure
‘My mother’s neurosurgeon loved Berghain’  
Producer Sofia Kourtesis on love, loss and her debut album
Reviews
Alexis Petridis's album of the week  
Jung Kook: Golden – a sexed-up, hook-filled but unremarkable solo debut
Jung Kook: Golden – a sexed-up, hook-filled but unremarkable solo debut
Marnie Stern  
The Comeback Kid – guitar fireworks full of beauty and chaos
Jazz album of the month  
Paul Dunmall: Bright Light a Joyous Celebration – infused with the spirit of Coltrane
Tkay Maidza  
Sweet Justice – an intoxicating album from a chameleonic rapper
 

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Spotlight
Why Madonna, Britney Spears and Taylor Swift are all on a nostalgia trip
Baby, one more time  
Why Madonna, Britney Spears and Taylor Swift are all on a nostalgia trip
With retrospective tours, memoirs and rerecordings, three definitive US pop superstars are reclaiming their legacies. Why now – and is the past a trap?
Classical
A hotbed of English radicalism?  
Auden, Britten and the unsung glory of the Group Theatre
Auden, Britten and the unsung glory of the Group Theatre
Monteverdi  
Tutti I Madrigali – Alessandrini has achieved something truly outstanding
Tutti I Madrigali – Alessandrini has achieved something truly outstanding
Bacewicz  
Symphonies 3 & 4 album – Oramo is a passionate advocate
Symphonies 3 & 4 album – Oramo is a passionate advocate
Add to playlist
Party Dozen, Jamie Marina Lau and Troye  
Australia’s best new music for November
Australia’s best new music for November
‘I used to walk around junior school thinking I was Snoop’  
Allan Mustafa’s honest playlist
You may have missed
The groundbreaking show bringing Ryuichi Sakamoto back to life
‘We put his face back together again’  
The groundbreaking show bringing Ryuichi Sakamoto back to life
Shortly before his death this year, the iconic Japanese composer worked on mixed-reality concert, Kagami – featuring new music, 48 cameras and magic glasses for the audience
‘Sex is bad. Music is the best substitute'  
Lawrence Wright, the mogul who kickstarted London’s pop industry
A Cumbrian mining disaster ended up being the catalyst for the publisher to set up shop in Denmark Street, and make it the home of British songwriting
Livin’ on a Prayer!  
Desmond Child on writing bombastic hits with Bon Jovi, Aerosmith and more
From Dude (Looks Like a Lady) to You Give Love a Bad Name, the great songwriter has racked up 500m sales. As he publishes a star-studded memoir, Child talks about being a gay man at the more macho end of rock
Semisonic’s Dan Wilson on Closing Time and a new album  
I’m just a really earnest person
After writing for the likes of Taylor Swift and Adele, Wilson is back with the US rock band for their first album in 22 years
Live music this week
Wunderhorse  
A band galloping towards even bigger things
A band galloping towards even bigger things
Get in touch
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