Breaking News

Inside This Months Copy Of Q



















And, as 2008 begins, for the first time Q’s opening issue of the year previews the next 12 months in music. It seemed as good a time as any to do so.

We were all assailed throughout 2007 with dire figures for, and even worse predictions about the future of the music business, and certainly no one in their right mind would claim the year just gone to have been a vintage one. But, at the risk of seeming hopelessly optimistic, what’s immediately ahead inspires more than a degree of confidence that 2008 may, by contrast, be a year to excite. Hence, the preview of the year.

Personally speaking, the current point reminds me very much of 2004, my second year on Q. 2003 had been, quite frankly, a stinker for music. Beyonce, Justin Timberlake and a whole fleet of seemingly pre-packaged, entirely interchangeable pop muppets were in the ascendancy. Almost to a man, the type of artists Q is happy to endorse were putting their feet up and pondering their next move. Come 2004, many of them returned, and happy days ensued all round. Plus ca change.

When we first began compiling details of the releases and events that would shape 2008, it felt very familiar. On the horizon, then, are new albums from such established acts as Coldplay, U2, Oasis R.E.M., The Verve, Green Day, Madonna, Metallica and more. In the case of Coldplay and U2, at least, the scent of re-invention is in the air. As for R.E.M., whose forthcoming album I’ve heard, it looks like very much being a case of a renewed sense of focus and a return to former glories.

Source: www.q4music.com

Click here for information on how to win a rare Oasis vinyl...

No comments