Change – very much in the headlines here in the UK at the moment – is something of a recurring theme in this month’s issue of Uncut. We have Alan Sparhawk reflecting on his first new music since the death of Mimi Parker, his wife and creative partner in Low; Sturgill Simpson expressing his desire to move forward creatively from one project to the next; Beachwood Sparks on the way that change can sometimes only be achieved through an incremental refinement of familiar processes and shared histories.
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For our cover star, change came at a cost. Released 40 years ago in June, Born In The USA catapulted Bruce Springsteen into arenas – but the album was also among his most deeply misunderstood, from the title track down to the other, increasingly anxious laments for disappearing youth, misinterpreted by his new fans as good-time floor-fillers, primed for MTV. You’ll hear about the different shades of the album – its politics, Springsteen’s songwriting, his characters and more – from admirers including Kurt Vile, Lucinda Williams and Tom Morello.
There’s more, of course! The Police recording their best-selling album just in time to fall apart (and props here to Stewart Copeland, who is massively good value as an interviewee), plus the sagas of Little Feat’s Lowell George and The Sound’s Adrian Borland, who both left us too young. It’s perhaps astonishing, but this is the first time we’ve run a proper Lowell piece in Uncut – and the first time we’ve revisited The Sound since 2002. You’ll also find new interviews with Steve Diggle, Laurie Anderson, Nick Lowe, The Flirtations, The Jesus Lizard, John Murry and X, among others, as well as a free 15-track CD showcasing the month’s best new music.
As ever, let us know what you think…