Martin C. Strong

Last updated

Martin C. Strong
BornMartin Charles Strong
1960 (age 63–64)
Musselburgh, Midlothian, Scotland
Occupation Music historian
Children3

Martin Charles Strong (born 1960 in Musselburgh) is a Scottish music historian known for compiling discographies of popular music including The Great Rock Discography. Strong has been described in broadsheet newspaper profiles as a "compiler of acclaimed mammoth discographies" [1] and "a man who knows more about rock music than is healthy for one individual". [2]

Contents

Career

Strong has researched music extensively since the early 1980s, dedicating 70 hours per week to his craft as of 2004. [3]

He is perhaps best known for The Great Rock Discography, with the 7th edition being published in 2004; the foreword was penned by disc jockey John Peel. [4] The book has garnered acclaim, [5] with United States music critic Robert Christgau recommending it as one of the three best rock music encyclopaedias, and the one with the "maddest completism". [6] Author Ian Rankin named it as one of the "5 Books Every Man Should Read", calling it "a great book" that "would keep [him] happy on any desert island". [7] It was re-released as The Essential Rock Discography, a condensed version, in 2006. [8]

Strong has also authored The Great Metal Discography (2 editions), The Great Psychedelic, The Great Alternative & Indie (2 volumes) and Lights, Camera, Soundtracks (with Brendon Griffin). Along with The Great/Essential Rock Discography – on which Griffin also worked sporadically [5] – these titles have been published by Canongate Books. [9] Mercat Press published a history of Scottish contemporary music, The Great Scots Musicography, in 2002. [10] Strong's final tomes were two volumes of The Great Folk Discography, published by Birlinn in 2010 and 2011; a third part of the trilogy, The Great Folk Discography: The Celtic Connections, has been shelved. He maintains the online resource, The Great Rock Bible.

Aside from his books, Strong has written for The List , [11] Record Collector , Songlines , HMV Choice and the Rough Guides series. [5] He served as researcher for Jimmy Cliff's 2003 Anthology release. [12]

Personal life

Strong lives in Falkirk [3] and has three daughters. [13]

Related Research Articles

<i>Forever Changes</i> 1967 studio album by Love

Forever Changes is the third studio album by the American rock band Love, released by Elektra Records in November 1967. The album saw the group embrace a subtler folk-oriented sound, acoustic guitar, and orchestration, while primary songwriter Arthur Lee explored darker themes alluding to mortality and his creeping disillusionment with the 1960s counterculture. It was the final album recorded by the original band lineup; after its completion, Bryan MacLean left the group acrimoniously and the other members were dismissed by leader Lee.

<i>Whos Got the 10½?</i> 1986 live album by Black Flag

Who's Got the 10½? is a live album by the American hardcore punk rock band Black Flag. It was released on March 19, 1986 through SST Records. The album was recorded live at Starry Night in Portland, Oregon on August 23, 1985.

<i>Wasted…Again</i> 1987 compilation album by Black Flag

Wasted…Again is an album released by American hardcore punk band Black Flag in 1987 on SST Records. It is a "best-of" compilation released after Black Flag's breakup in 1986. It features various songs about drinking and beer from their discography.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hamish Henderson</span> Scottish writer

(James) Hamish Scott Henderson was a Scottish poet, songwriter, communist, intellectual and soldier. He was a catalyst for the folk revival in Scotland. He was also an accomplished folk song collector and discovered such notable performers as Jeannie Robertson, Flora MacNeil and Calum Johnston. Born in Blairgowrie, Perthshire on the first Armistice Day 11 November 1919, to a single mother, Janet Henderson, a Queen's Nurse who had served in France, and was then working in the war hospital at Blair Castle. His name was recorded at registration as James but he preferred the Scots form Hamish.

<i>New Day Rising</i> 1985 studio album by Hüsker Dü

New Day Rising is the third studio album by American punk rock band Hüsker Dü, released in 1985 on SST Records. The album continued the move away from the fast hardcore punk of the band's earliest releases toward slower, more melodic material.

<i>The Royal Scam</i> 1976 studio album by Steely Dan

The Royal Scam is the fifth studio album by American rock band Steely Dan, released by ABC Records in 1976; reissues have been released by MCA Records since ABC Records was acquired by MCA in 1979. It was produced by Gary Katz. In the United States, the album peaked at number 15 on the Billboard Top LPs & Tape chart, and it has been certified Platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

Martyn Bennett was a Canadian-Scottish musician who was influential in the evolution of modern Celtic fusion, a blending of traditional Celtic and modern music. He was a piper, violinist, composer and producer. Diagnosis of serious illness at the age of thirty curtailed his live performances, although he completed a further two albums in the studio. He died from cancer in 2005, fifteen months after release of his fifth album Grit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phil Cunningham (folk musician)</span> Musical artist

Philip Martin Cunningham, MBE is a Scottish folk musician and composer. He is best known for playing the accordion with Silly Wizard, as well as in other bands and in duets with his brother, Johnny. When they played together, they would egg each other on to play faster and faster, and try, light-heartedly, to trip each other up.

<i>The Cry of Love</i> 1971 studio album / compilation by Jimi Hendrix

The Cry of Love is a posthumous album by American rock singer-songwriter and guitarist Jimi Hendrix. Recorded primarily in 1970, it features new material that Hendrix was working on for his planned fourth studio album before his death later that year. While most of the songs were included on proposed track listings by Hendrix, the final selection was made by recording engineer Eddie Kramer and drummer Mitch Mitchell, with input from manager Michael Jeffery. Hendrix, Kramer, and Mitchell are credited as the album's producers, with Jeffery as the executive producer.

Canongate Books is an independent publishing firm based in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Richard Horne, better known by the pen name Harry Horse, was an English author, illustrator and political cartoonist. He was also known as lead singer of the band Swamptrash. Born and raised in Coventry, Warwickshire, he moved to Edinburgh in 1978, where he adopted his pen name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blazin' Fiddles</span> Scottish fiddle band

Blazin' Fiddles are a contemporary Scottish fiddle band from the Highlands and Islands. They formed in 1998 to showcase Scotland's distinct regional fiddle styles. The band have a number of awards, including; the MG ALBA Scots Trad Music Awards Live Act of the Year, Album of the Year and Folk Band of the Year. Their records are released on their own indie Blazin' Records label. They have been described as "...the LED Zepplin of the Folk World."

Mercat Press is an imprint of the Edinburgh, Scotland-based publishing company Birlinn Limited. It was established in 1970 as a subsidiary of the bookseller James Thin, and published facsimile editions of out-of-print Scottish works, such as the five-volume The Castellated and Domestic Architecture of Scotland by MacGibbon and Ross. Mercat was bought out by its management after James Thin went into administration in 2002, becoming an independent publisher. In 2007 Mercat Press was taken over by Birlinn Limited, another Edinburgh-based publishing house, who now publish outdoor books, such as walking, climbing and cycling guides, under the Mercat imprint.

John Neil Munro, Scottish journalist and biographer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Birlinn (publisher)</span> Scottish independent publishing house

Birlinn Limited is an independent publishing house based in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was established in 1992 by managing director Hugh Andrew.

<i>Christgaus Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies</i> Music reference book

Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies is a music reference book by American music journalist and essayist Robert Christgau. It was first published in October 1981 by Ticknor & Fields. The book compiles approximately 3,000 of Christgau's capsule album reviews, most of which were originally written for his "Consumer Guide" column in The Village Voice throughout the 1970s. The entries feature annotated details about each record's release and cover a variety of genres related to rock music.

Alex Hodgson is a Scottish folk singer/songwriter signed to the record label Greentrax Recordings. In his early professional career, Alex was the drummer and lead vocalist of The Last Resort alongside working as a technician at Edinburgh City Art Centre and then Preston Lodge High School however began to focus on his solo career after his first album launch with Greentrax Recordings 'Jeelie Jars and Coalie Backies' in July, 2010. His second album 'The Brig Tae Nae Where', was met with positive reviews by the Scottish Folk scene and several tracks were used for local historical exhibitions. Notably including 'The Battle of Pinkie Cleugh exhibition in Musselburgh Museum, Scots Language Centre and on the album 'The Music & Song of Great Tapestry of Scotland' which also featured The Proclaimers, The Battlefield Band, Gordon Gunn and Alastair Mcdonald.

<i>Christgaus Consumer Guide: Albums of the 90s</i> 2000 book by music journalist Robert Christgau

Christgau's Consumer Guide: Albums of the '90s is a music reference book by American music journalist and essayist Robert Christgau. It was published in October 2000 by St. Martin's Press's Griffin imprint and collects approximately 3,800 capsule album reviews, originally written by Christgau during the 1990s for his "Consumer Guide" column in The Village Voice. Text from his other writings for the Voice, Rolling Stone, Spin, and Playboy from this period is also featured. The book is the third in a series of influential "Consumer Guide" collections, following Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies (1981) and Christgau's Record Guide: The '80s (1990).

References

  1. ↑ Gilchrist, Jim (22 November 2002). "Top of the pop Scots". The Scotsman . Johnston Press . Retrieved 30 August 2014.
  2. ↑ Taylor, Alan (17 December 2000). "Disc man's latest hit of musical history". Sunday Herald . Newsquest.
  3. 1 2 Jamieson, Teddy (9 October 2004). "Life lines". The Herald . Newsquest.
  4. ↑ The Great Rock Discography at books-by-isbn.com
  5. 1 2 3 "The Essential Rock Discography". Fishpond . Retrieved 31 August 2014.
  6. ↑ Christgau, Robert (2000). "Albums of the '90s: Acknowledgments". RobertChristgau.com. Retrieved 30 August 2014.
  7. ↑ Budak, Bertan. "Ian Rankin: 5 Books Every Man Should Read". AskMen . Retrieved 30 August 2014.
  8. ↑ Guthrie, Sean (11 November 2006). "The Essential Rock Discography". The Herald . Newsquest.
  9. ↑ Martin C. Strong at BookFinder.com
  10. ↑ Johnstone, Doug (21 December 2002). "Delving into the valley of musical heritage". The Scotsman . Johnston Press . Retrieved 30 August 2014.
  11. ↑ "Articles by Martin C. Strong". The List . Retrieved 30 August 2014.
  12. ↑ "Anthology - Jimmy Cliff". AllMusic . Retrieved 31 August 2014.
  13. ↑ "Martin C. Strong". Birlinn. Archived from the original on 19 October 2014. Retrieved 31 August 2014.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.