Articles by Chris Roberts

Chris Roberts has written about music, films, and art for innumerable outlets. His new book The Velvet Underground is out April 4. He has also published books on Lou Reed, Elton John, the Gothic arts, Talk Talk, Kate Moss, Scarlett Johansson, Abba, Tom Jones and others. Among his interviewees over the years have been David Bowie, Iggy Pop, Patti Smith, Debbie Harry, Bryan Ferry, Al Green, Tom Waits & Lou Reed. Born in North Wales, he lives in London.

Articles by: Chris Roberts

"The energy and buoyancy never sacrifice Elbow's innate knack for emotional impact": Elbow sound reinvigorated on Audio Vertigo

By Chris Roberts published 22 March 24

Ten albums in, Elbow continue to surprise

Mickey Finn and Marc Bolan of T. Rex in 1972

“Marc felt this imposition of having to come up with another hit album. And fame fuelled that fire”: how Marc Bolan and T. Rex made a glam rock masterpiece with The Slider

By Chris Roberts published 16 March 24

The story behind T. Rex’s The Slider and underrated follow-up Tanx – two albums that sealed Marc Bolan as the king of glam rock

"Mercurial, contradictory, vaulting from throwaway garage-candy to high art concepts and back again": The 20 best solo songs by Lou Reed

By Chris Roberts published 27 February 24

Lou Reed's body of work grew from uncertain beginnings through a prolific and wildly diverse 70s surge and a late 80s revival

“As boldly baroque as anything The Moody Blues or The Nice had at that point constructed… but perhaps it hasn’t aged gracefully”: Procul Harum’s vinyl reissue of Shine On Brightly is still fascinating

By Chris Roberts published 23 February 24

Robin Trower’s dazzling contributions feel like they’re coming from another room on their second album, as they try to work out who they are

“A unique, sometimes unsettling experience… His baritone gives the songs a shade of unorthodoxy which goes beyond typical English hippie eccentricity”: Kevin Ayers’ Joy Of A Toy (Remastered Gatefold Vinyl Edition)

By Chris Roberts published 3 February 24

Syd Barrett’s contribution is absent in an edition that sticks religiously to 1969 template

Nektar - Remember the Future 50th Anniversary Edition

“An underprized classic… with new mixes enhancing rather than simply fiddling with the original”: 50th anniversary version of Nektar’s Remember The Future

By Chris Roberts published 27 December 23

Fourth album features a bonkers storyline told through a single piece of music that ebbs and flows

“His advocacy for artificial intelligence is compelling… human, emotive and reassuring”: Mariusz Duda’s instrumental AFR AI D

By Chris Roberts published 1 December 23

Riverside man returns with solo album that opens channels with a potentially bright future

“Rock’n’roll is dead. It’s a toothless old woman. It’s really embarrassing”: how David Bowie turned his back on glam rock to make his ‘plastic soul’ masterpiece Young Americans

By Chris Roberts published 10 November 23

Drugs, madness and an ex-Beatle – the crazed story of David Bowie’s 1975 album Young Americans

Yes onstage at Madison Square Garden in 1978

“The world of music was going through some serious changes and we were not embracing them”: how Yes’s Going For The One and Tormato almost ended things for good

By Chris Roberts published 5 November 23

Punk rock, flying fruit and rollerskating accidents – how Yes went from triumph to disaster at the end of the 1970s

Yes in 1980 with new singer Trevor Horn and keyboard player Geoff Downes

“With British crowds, it was: ‘We want Jon! Get Jon back!’ People were aggressive about it”: how Yes faced down the haters and made the classic Drama album

By Chris Roberts published 29 October 23

Replacing Jon Anderson and Rick Wakemen with Buggles duo Trevor Horn and Geoff Downes was controversial – but it resulted in one of their most underrated albums, Drama

“Polished so slickly it denies the friction which draws your ears in… once that fine film of funk is discerned, it can’t be undiscerned”: Steely Dan’s Aja remastered

By Chris Roberts published 27 October 23

1977 album’s new vinyl version illustrates duo’s obsessive perfectionism - and producer Gary Katz’s patience

Yes in 1974 with an inset of the Relayer album sleeve

“Keith Emerson said, ‘Why do I need to join Yes when I have ELP?’”: the story behind Yes’ delirious Relayer album

By Chris Roberts published 21 October 23

Rick Wakeman was out, new boy Patrick Moraz was in, and Yes were about to make their most underrated album of the 70s

“Chris and Jon often didn’t get on… I didn’t want to be the leader, but to be a strong voice on the team, brave enough to speak up”: Steve Howe learned to play peacemaker in Yes

By Chris Roberts published 19 October 23

Guitarist aimed “to be useful” in a band he believed had something to say

Steven Wilson: The Harmony Codex cover art

"It would be an obtuse listener who didn't grasp how splendid this record is": Steven Wilson's The Harmony Codex is a high-wire act that few artists could pull off

By Chris Roberts published 29 September 23

Solo album number seven The Harmony Codex finds Steven Wilson triumphing by not trying too hard

“I wouldn’t say I was angry, but I was definitely prone to ‘anger moments’… I would explode. The gear-trashing was the real thing”: How Muse took on the world and won

By Chris Roberts published 19 September 23

From the moment they started taking themselves seriously, the trio were convinced success would come their way – even as they became more out-there and ludicrous

Assault accusations, tax evasion charges: All this sits uncomfortably with our view of Sigur Rós as magic moon-faced elves. You can understand why they'd want to escape from reality

By Chris Roberts published 25 August 23

Sigur Rós's Átta: an album that quivers along a thin line between boring and beautiful

Jean Michel Jarre in shadows on a red sofa

“I remember Nick Mason saying, ‘Pink Floyd is stopping… we’ll leave him to do the big outdoor concerts now!’” But Jean-Michel Jarre argues: “I want to contribute to tomorrow, not yesterday”

By Chris Roberts published 24 August 23

Pioneer’s life and times include predicting that electronic music would change the world by thinking “not in terms of notes, but as music that you do with sounds and noise”

“I just didn’t feel I could pull off the things Peter Gabriel did. I said: ‘I’ll give it a go but don’t expect me to wear costumes!’” Phil Collins’ first show as Genesis frontman

By Chris Roberts published 17 August 23

It took the revamped band months of worry off stage but just half an hour of fun on stage to secure their future in 1976

Segments of various Krautrock and Krautrock-influenced album sleeves

A beginner’s guide to Krautrock in five essential albums

By Chris Roberts published 7 June 23

The genre with the joke name that stuck: With a sonic imprint still discernible in all corners of music, these are five albums that tell the story of Krautrock

Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe: Album Of The Week Club review

By Classic Rock Magazine published 9 May 23

The self-titled Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe is the album from the version of Yes that wasn’t technically Yes at all

"I do like a good yarn!" Rick Wakeman and Journey To The Centre Of The Earth

By Chris Roberts published 3 May 23

As he prepared to bring a live version of his classic solo album to the stage 40 years later, Rick Wakeman looked back on the epic Journey To The Centre Of Earth

"I was never a show off!" - Tony Banks in The Prog Interview

By Chris Roberts published 23 February 23

Prog sat down with Genesis keyboard player Tony Banks upon the release of his classical album Five to discuss his shift into classical music and his career in general