"Rock's Backpages" is an online archives warehousing articles dating from the begining of time, but mostly from the 70s and 80s, and featuring famous reviews, interviews, and purviews by 500 of the best music critics ever. Including me. Some mistake there, you say? It's a short story… I am a fan of the Editor Barney Hoskyns since his days in the 1980s at New Musical Express, and the only book of his i've read, 1996's "Waiting For The Sun: Strange Days, Weird Scenes & The Sound Of Los Angeles" remains an all time favorite of mine.
A week ago I had only heard of " Rock's Backpages" in passing, but when Facebook offered Barney as somebody I might know, I ignored not knowing him in the slightest and sent a friend request. Next thing I know, Barney is asking if I would care to contribute to the archive. More sucker, Barney but it's to late to stop now, so before he can change his mind, I forwarded the former Vogue contributing Editor some of my stuff and next thing I know I am behind "Rock Backpages" pay wall. It has been a thrill reading all these reviews -more than a few after only reading them when first published.
I am a huge fan of both English and American rock critics and both are all over Backpages. This is a concept that's a little difficult to grasp maybe, I am a bigger fan of some rock critics than I am of the musicians they write about. Folks like Danny Baker, Lester Bangs and Ken Barnes -and that's just in the BA's, so a website that preserves this writing is already aces in my book. Plus one that invites me in, even if Barney is kinda regreting my ragged typo proned extremism joining the ranks of the greats -for me it is like being asked to join the Beatles, or at least Blind Faith.
The site is essentially the most fun reference book you've ever seen. And it is indeed used as such. Not just Barney's alma mata Oxford University, but US infirmary of the standards like Harvard and NYU also subscribe.
It is, in fact, a bit on the pricey side, $200 a year. But really, if you are into this sorta stuff, it is nearly indispensible. Much more fun than, say Rolling Stones archives.
The line up of brains behind the enterprise is really quite impressive. Not just former Mojo editor Barney, but Chief Archivist and co-founder Mark Pringle -who used to play in a "Retro soul outfit" called Hot House, plus Art Directors, Content Managers, and all the other stuff that goes with being a big deal! They have been at it since 2000.
Rock''s Back Pages won Libraryjournal.com's Best database of 2011 and as Barney said to me as I explained that I know no longer had the vast majority of my 1980s work, "Today's reviews are tomorrows backpages", so this could go on way after we've joined the choir invisible. It really is god's work, preserving so many great writers and making an indepensible research tool. Plus some stuff can be searched around for free…
As I wrote a couple of years ago, the difference between being a writer and being a musician is that anybody can never learn an instrumental and have a long and happy life. But try never learning how to read and write… The result is that even more than punk at its most democratic, music writing is a democracy, any one can do it, just do it, art form. Having made that claim, some of the writers at work here are astounding. Christ, there's Paolo Hewitt!!!