Melody Maker Magazine 4 April 1998 Divine Comedy Catatonia Travis Stereophonics NP003

Original Melody Maker music magazine/newspaper dated 4 April 1998, Issue 13, Volume 75, from a particularly strong period for late-1990s British alternative, indie and rock music.

The front cover is dominated by The Divine Comedy, with frontman Neil Hannon photographed in formal evening wear holding a cocktail glass and stirring stick. The main headline reads “The Divine Comedy – The champagne Casanova’s guide to being top of the pops!”, giving the cover the witty, irreverent style associated with Melody Maker during this era.

The upper-left cover also promotes an “On The Road Rage!” feature with Catatonia and Travis, while other cover teasers include South Park, Ian Brown, The Jesus & Mary Chain, Therapy?, John Vaughan, Morcheeba, Bernard Butler, Make-Up, Group Dogdrill and a competition for Spice Girls tickets.

The photographed contents page gives a particularly useful look at what is actually inside this issue. Featured material includes:

• The Jesus & Mary Chain – a feature discussing the Scottish band and their influences.
• Therapy? – looking at records that inspired the band.
• Morcheeba – coverage spanning rock, hip-hop and other musical influences.
• Group Dogdrill.
• Catatonia and Travis – joint feature connected with their touring activities.
• Breakdancing – Melody Maker investigates the revival of the dance style.
• John Vaughan – profile/interview feature.
• Stereophonics – Kelly and Stuart discussing their musical tastes.
• The Divine Comedy – a substantial multi-page feature centred around Neil Hannon.
• Ian Brown – singles reviews.
• Extensive news, reviews, charts, live music and album coverage.
• Live listings/reviews referencing artists including Lo-Fidelity Allstars, Group Dogdrill, Etienne Daho, The Delgados, Arab Strap, Dust Junkys and others.
• Album coverage including artists such as Frankfurt Music Fair, Holly’s Demo Hell, Studio Eye and more.

The issue also contains period advertising, letters, charts, reviews and contemporary music-industry material, making it a strong snapshot of the UK music scene in spring 1998. It should particularly appeal to collectors of Britpop, indie rock, alternative music and 1990s music journalism.

Condition

Pre-owned vintage condition with noticeable age and handling wear.

The front cover remains complete and colourful, although there are visible creases, fold lines and surface handling marks, particularly through the outer white border and around the lower portion. The newspaper-style paper has developed some age-related toning/discolouration, especially around the outer margins.

There is visible edge wear and slight roughness along the sides, with the right-hand fore-edge showing typical uneven newspaper-style wear. Corners show some softening, bending and minor creasing. The lower-left area of the front cover also shows folding/creasing from previous storage.

Internally, the photographed pages remain readable and reasonably clean for their age, but there is further creasing, slight waviness, edge wear and paper toning. The contents page has visible wear around its lower and outer margins, consistent with a publication now over 25 years old.

The binding appears to be holding together in the photographs, and the photographed pages remain clearly legible. Please examine all supplied photographs carefully, as they provide the best representation of the exact condition of this copy.

Item Details

Publication: Melody Maker
Full Date: 4 April 1998
Issue: 13
Volume: 75
Format: Music Magazine / Newspaper
Main Cover Feature: The Divine Comedy / Neil Hannon
Other Featured Artists: Catatonia, Travis, Stereophonics, The Jesus & Mary Chain, Morcheeba, Therapy?, Ian Brown and more
Genre: Indie / Alternative / Britpop / Rock / Music Journalism
Language: English
Era: 1990s
Condition: Pre-owned / vintage
SKU: NP003