eResource Spotlight – Rock’s Backpages

I've decided to give everyone a little run through on some of the eResources we have on offer at Christchurch City Libraries to help let people know about some of the great databases we have access to.

While I’m not officially in charge of knowing about Rock's Backpages I couldn’t help but promote it! This site collects over 30,000 articles from a huge array of music journalism publications about various rock and roll bands from the last 50+ years.

The archive features:

  • Full-text articles that can be searched by artist, writer, date, genre and keyword;
  • A - Z lists of subjects, artists, writers and publications you can browse;
  • Audio recordings of interviews etc;
  • Previously unpublished pieces about the Beatles, the Doors and many others;
  • Seminal interviews with major artists from Bob Dylan to Radiohead.

Most of the publications the articles are sourced from are from the UK. Over 40 articles a week are added, with contributions from over 600 journalists. The term "Rock" is very loosely applied to all manner of bands, so there will be something here for everybody. Look up your favourite musicians and see how they have been written about throughout history, like a nice wee time capsule. Especially great are album reviews of now quintessential rock music that critics panned at the time, or live show reviews that can give you a sense of just how "out there" Alice Cooper really was in his prime. Well worth a look

Ben
The Library at Te Hāpua: Halswell Centre

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