Melody Maker Magazine 14 February 1998 Stereophonics Cornershop Oasis Ian Brown NP003

Original Melody Maker music magazine/newspaper dated 14 February 1998, Issue 7, Volume 75, packed with late-1990s indie, alternative and Britpop coverage.

The main front-cover feature is Stereophonics, with the band photographed prominently beneath the headline “Germanic Street Preachers! Stereophonics – Keeping up with the Joneses in Berlin”. The accompanying contents page confirms a dedicated Stereophonics feature on pages 24–25, following the band from the streets of Cwmaman to Berlin and focusing particularly on Kelly Jones.

Another major front-cover feature is Cornershop, promoted with “Born in the USA!” and “In 7th heaven with Oasis”. The contents describe the feature as “Wander In T’Inder Sticks!”, following the band in the United States and referencing their connection with Oasis.

The banner across the top also advertises Ian Brown and Primal Scream live, making this a strong issue for collectors of key British alternative acts of the period.

Other artists and subjects clearly advertised or listed within the photographed pages include:

• Stereophonics – major cover story and Berlin feature.
• Cornershop – USA feature with Oasis connection.
• Oasis – referenced prominently alongside the Cornershop article.
• Ian Brown – prominent top-cover billing and further coverage inside.
• Primal Scream – live coverage.
• Catch – featured in the weekly contents.
• Urusei Yatsura – touring/feature coverage.
• Space.
• Dawn of the Replicants.
• James Iha.
• Lee & Herring.
• Black Star Liner.
• Arab Strap.
• Lo-Fidelity Allstars.
• The Delgados.
• Dust Junkys.
• Smashing Pumpkins.
• James Iha.
• Nick Heyward.
• Supergrass.
• Bernard Butler.

The contents page also shows the magazine’s usual mix of music news, singles reviews, album reviews, charts, live reports, gig listings, industry features, interviews, demo reviews and reader material. There is substantial period-specific music coverage throughout, giving the issue considerable appeal as a snapshot of the UK indie/Britpop/alternative scene in early 1998.

Condition

Pre-owned vintage condition with noticeable wear and a significant cover tear/crease.

The most important condition issue is visible at the upper section of the front cover, where there is a pronounced diagonal tear/split running through the red Melody Maker masthead area. This is shown particularly clearly in the close-up photograph. The affected paper remains present but has been creased and separated along part of the line.

There is also clear creasing and folding across the lower portion of the front cover, including a noticeable crease/short split around the lower-central area. The bottom-right corner and surrounding edge are heavily creased and folded, with several layers of the newspaper-style pages showing distortion in that area.

Additional condition points visible in the photographs include:

• General edge wear and roughness along the outer margins.
• Softened and bumped corners.
• General surface creasing and handling marks.
• Some age-related paper toning/discolouration, particularly around the margins.
• Slight waviness and unevenness to the newspaper paper.
• Interior pages show further creasing, edge wear and age-related handling marks.
• The right-hand page edges are visibly uneven/rough in places, typical of a heavily handled vintage newspaper-format music publication.

Despite the wear, the photographed interior pages remain clearly readable, with the photographs, articles and contents still presenting well.

Please examine all supplied photographs carefully, particularly the close-up of the front-cover tear, as these form an important part of the condition description.

Item Details

Publication: Melody Maker
Full Date: 14 February 1998
Issue: 7
Volume: 75
Format: Music Magazine / Newspaper
Main Feature: Stereophonics
Other Major Features: Cornershop, Oasis, Ian Brown, Primal Scream
Genre: Britpop / Indie / Alternative / Rock / Music Journalism
Language: English
Era: 1990s
Condition: Pre-owned / vintage with notable cover wear and tearing
SKU: NP003