#masterbag

Nick Cave (from Masterbag, issue #15, 1982)

Masterbag (issue #15) YEAR: 1982 CREATED BY: Ian Cranna and a host of others.... LOCATION: London SIZE: A4 WHAT'S INSIDE.... I'm not sure if Masterbag ("the news magazine of the independent wholesalers") counts as a fanzine, but it was one of a number of alternatives to the mainstream music press in the early 1980s (which also included ZigZag and Collusion). I bought this issue mainly for the Birthday Party flexi disc (featuring an alternative version of “Dead Joe”) that came with it. Cover star Nick Cave and the rest of the band are also interviewed inside.... Masterbag #15 also features Paul Roland, The Del-Byzanteens, Weekend, a short piece about music biz/football connections, some song lyrics, lots of charts, a column by Mick Mercer of Panache fanzine, regional news (eg the Wessex Festival & Alternative World Cup was taking place in Bridgewater that month) and more.... The singles reviewed are pretty unremarkable, with the notable exception of “Lev Bronstein” by The Redskins, which is described as "what The Clash might have sounded like if they hadn't always been such a bunch of Londoners". Nevertheless, there were plenty of excellent records around in the summer of 1982, as demonstrated by several lists of new and imminent releases and imports. It's interesting to note that a completely different flexi disc was originally scheduled for inclusion with this issue - by Manchester band The Passage - and that the next issue's flexi disc was by The Farmers Boys. Click on the title above to see scans of all the zine's pages.... my box of 1980s fanzines flickr