Select Magazine Issue 1 June 1990: Prince, Tons of Music Reviews and No Britpop

 

In July 1990, Issue One of Select magazine featured Prince (7 June 1958 – 21 April 2016) on the cover. Launched by United Consumer Magazines as a rival to Q magazine, that first issue sold 100,000 copies. That was the peak. Between July and December 1990, circulation for the monthly music mag was around 75,000. n April 1991, EMAP Metro bought the title and found a new direction by covering Madchester and Britpop, a move epitomised by the April 1993 “Yanks Go Home” edition, featuring UK bands The Auteurs, Denim, Saint Etienne, Pulp and Suede’s Brett Anderson on the cover in front of a Union Flag.

Inside, an article by journalist Stuart Maconie entitled “Who Do You Think You Are Kidding Mr. Cobain?” In it Maconie made a very convincing case for abandoning the influence of the American grunge music, epitomised by Nirvana and the band’s lead singer Kurt Cobain, and taking up with the “crimplene, glamour, wit, and irony” of local British talent.

 

 

Tied to a musical trend the magazine risked going down with Britpop. So the mag returned to features aimed at “a wide range of music fans”. It could not last. The editor explained at its demise in 2001: “No matter how many features we did on Destiny’s Child, people still thought we were a magazine about Oasis. We were forever associated with a music [genre] in decline.”  Its final cover featured Coldplay.

Monkeon has scanned the magazine’s entire print run.

So here is Issue 1 of Select magazine from June 1991:

Prince – Shrine of the Times

 

 

Films – July 90

 

Albums

The reviews of albums by: Alan Vega, White Glove Test, Thee Hypnotics, Jane Wiedlin, The Hypnotics, The Silent Blue, Tommy Smith, The Ruthless Rap Assassins, Talk Talks, Song of Angeles, Tell Tales and True, The Mock Turtles, Revolting Cocks, Glenn Phillips, The Hummingbirds, Lies Damned Lies, The Right Stuff, The Lilac Time, Rob ‘n’ Raz Featuring Leila K, Ritual Tension, The Pursuit of Happiness, Mike Lindup, The Heartthrobs, The Jazz Butcher, Jellyfish Kiss, The Jazz Devils. Hothouse Flowers, The Katydids, Leatherface, The Chimes, Fairground Attraction, Rory Gallagher, The Electric Boys, Cabaret Voltaire, Dirty White Boy, The Buckley Don’t Mean Maybe, Doro, Double Trouble, Cameo, Snap, Gang Green, The Small Faces, The Kings, Nazareth, X-Clan, Wilson Phillips, Kim Wilde, Victoria Williams, Steve Wynn, Paul Young, Sonic Youth, Thrill Kill Kult, The Trash Can Sinatras, Tony! Toni! Tone!, The Trudy, Horse, Goodby Mr MacKenzie, Kv Hopper, The Jeff Healey Band, David J, It’s Immaterial, Big Country The Badgeman, The Brand New Heavies, Chickasaw Mudd Puppies, Buckwheat Zydeco, The Blow Monkeys, The B52’s, The Beach Boys, MC Mell ‘O’, Meat Beat Manifesto, Mazzy Star, Dead Can Dance, Steve Earle, Jean Loves Jezebel, The Guo Brothers, Taylor Dane, The Breeders, The Jeff Dahl Group and Craig Davies.

 

 

Music Videos – July 90

 

Re-Releases including Cabaret Voltaire

 

Albums including X-Clan

 

Albums including Snap

 

 

Albums including Goodbye Mr Mackenzie

Albums including The Bangles

 

 

Films inc Vincent and Theo

 

Re-Releases including The Beach Boys and The B52s

 

Albums inc Mazzy Star

 

 

Albums including Steve Earle

 

 

Albums including The Breeders

 

James – The Mancs that like to say, Yes

 

Gallery – Faces in focus

 

 

S’Express – The art of s’exual intercourse

 

 

New Album Reviews – July 1990

 

 

The End

 

Select Issue 1 Albums  Review

Select Issue 1 featued a huge number of single and album reviews. All these bands were reviewed:

The reviews of albums by: Alan Vega, White Glove Test, Thee Hypnotics, Jane Wiedlin, The Hypnotics, The Silent Blue, Tommy Smith, The Ruthless Rap Assassins, Talk Talks, Song of Angeles, Tell Tales and True, The Mock Turtles, Revolting Cocks, Glenn Phillips, The Hummingbirds, Lies Damned Lies, The Right Stuff, The Lilac Time, Rob ‘n’ Raz Featuring Leila K, Ritual Tension, The Pursuit of Happiness, Mike Lindup, The Heartthrobs, The Jazz Butcher, Jellyfish Kiss, The Jazz Devils. Hothouse Flowers, The Katydids, Leatherface, The Chimes, Fairground Attraction, Rory Gallagher, The Electric Boys, Cabaret Voltaire, Dirty White Boy, The Buckley Don’t Mean Maybe, Doro, Double Trouble, Cameo, Snap, Gang Green, The Small Faces, The Kings, Nazareth, X-Clan, Wilson Phillips, Kim Wilde, Victoria Williams, Steve Wynn, Paul Young, Sonic Youth, Thrill Kill Kult, The Trash Can Sinatras, Tony! Toni! Tone!, The Trudy, Horse, Goodby Mr MacKenzie, Kv Hopper, The Jeff Healey Band, David J, It’s Immaterial, Big Country The Badgeman, The Brand New Heavies, Chickasaw Mudd Puppies, Buckwheat Zydeco, The Blow Monkeys, The B52’s, The Beach Boys, MC Mell ‘O’, Meat Beat Manifesto, Mazzy Star, Dead Can Dance, Steve Earle, Jean Loves Jezebel, The Guo Brothers, Taylor Dane, The Breeders, The Jeff Dahl Group and Craig Davies.