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Dark Star

Publication date: 1975 to 198?

A UK rock fanzine/magazine that was started in 1975. Early issues were definitely fanzines rather than professional magazine format. The layout and production quality increased through it's lifetime. Covered a wide range of rock music with a focus on West Coast groups. Despite the title the magazine had regular but not predominant Grateful Dead content.

The main groups and performers featured in early issues of the magazine were as follows.

Issue 1 (1975): Roger McGuinn, Grateful Dead, Youngbloods, Jefferson Starship, Neil Young

Issue 2 (1976): Eagles, Grateful Dead, Grace Slick/Great Society, Country Joe & The Fish. The cover of this issue is taken from the Aoxomoxoa front cover)

Issue 3 (1976): Hot Tuna, Gene Clark, Jerry Garcia interview, Youngbloods

Issue 4 (1976): Jackson Browne, Kingfish, Rick Griffin, Brewer & Shipley, Blue Oyster Cult, Firefall

Issue 5 (1976): Stills-Young, Beau Brummels, Andrew Gold, Hall & Oates, Michael Nesmith

Issue 6 (1976): Jorma Kaukonen/Hot Tuna, Sneaky Pete/Flying Burritos, Robert Hunter, The Association, Clover, Dillard & Clark, April Wine, American Flyer

Issue 7 (1976): Poco, Mike Wilhelm, Rick Roberts, Texas 1960s Rock, Grateful Dead

Issue 8 (1977): David Lindley, Craig Chaquico, Flamin' Groovies, Andrew Gold, Texas 1970s rock, Jim Morrison

Issue 9 (1977): Boz Scaggs, Gene Clark, Billy Talbot, Beach Boys, Grateful Dead

Issue 10 (1977): Chris Hillman, Tom Petty, Billy Talbot, Spirit, Crosby Stills & Nash

Issue 11 (1977): Big Star, Kingfish, Bob Dylan unreleased tapes, Beach Boys, Bay Area 60s-70s horn rock, Commander Cody

Issue 12 (1977): Jefferson Airplane, Doobie Brothers, Grateful Dead, Country Joe, Eddie & the Hot Rods, Barefoot Jerry

Issue 13 (1978): The Byrds, Jefferson Airplane, David Bromberg, Joan Baez

Issue 14 (1978): Emmylou Harris, Jefferson Airplane, Spirit, Dickey Betts, Flamin' Groovies, Clover

Issue 15 (1978): Spirit, The Byrds, Muddy Waters, Jay Ferguson, Michael Stanley Band, Atlanta Rhythm Section, Grunt Records, Clover, J J Foote

Issue 16 (1978): The Tubes, Jefferson Starship, Tom Petty, Ian Matthews, Big Star, Rubinoos, David Freiberg, Bob Dylan, Dire Straits

Issue 17 (1978): Grateful Dead, Mamas & Papas, Paul Kantner, Barefoot Jerry, Spirit, Plainsong, Richie Furay

Issue 18 (1979): Steve Miller, Paul Kantner, The Doors, Richard Thompson, The Cars, Ian Matthews

Issue 19 (1979): Grateful Dead, Terry & The Pirates, Ray Manzarek, Carlene Carter, SVT, Alpha Band

Issue 20 (1979): McGuinn, Clarke & Spilman, Cheap Trick, Moon Martin, Nick Drake, The Raspberries, Tom Sharp

Issue 21 (1979): The Kinks, The Tubes, Canned Heat, Robert Palmer, Chris Judge Smith, The Engineers, Walter Egan

Issue 22 (1979): The Doors, Marianne Faithfull, Moon Martin, The Jags, Lowell George, Nicolette Larson, Canned Heat, The Jags, The Shoes

Issue 23 (1980): Nils Lofgren, Robert Hunter, Commander Cody, Joe Ely, Butch Hancock, The Doors, Holly & The Italians, Happy Traum

Issue 24 (1980): Grace Slick, The Motels, Muddy Waters, Jules & The Polar Bears, The Vapors, Commander Cody, Lee Clayton, Ben Sidran

Issue 25 (1981): Grace Slick, Roky Erickson, Robert Hunter, Michelle Philips, Terry Jones

Issue 26 (1981): Grace Slick , The Teardrop Explodes, The Byrds, David Crosby, Boz Scaggs. Issue 26 was probably the last issue of Dark Star. This issue was numbered 23 in error. There are therefore two editions of the magazine numbered 23!

Each issue of Dark Star also includes news of the bands that feature regularly and record reviews.

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