Cover of the April 1983 issue of Trouser Press magazine (#84)

Trouser Press was a rock and roll magazine started in 1974 by editor/publisher Ira Robbins. Initially founded as a Who-centric mimeographed fanzine by Robbins and fellow Who fans Dave Schulps and Karen Rose under the name "Trans-Oceanic Trouser Press", its scope quickly broadened to cover any/all British bands and artists (early issues featured the slogan "America's Only British Rock Magazine"). Initial issues contained occasional interviews with major artists like Brian Eno and Robert Fripp and extensive record reviews. After fourteen issues, the title was shortened to simply Trouser Press, and it gradually transformed into a full fledged professional-level magazine with color covers and advertising. Rock and roll (also spelled Rock n Roll, especially in its first decade), also called rock, is a form of popular music, usually featuring vocals (often with vocal harmony), electric guitars and a strong back beat; other instruments, such as the saxophone, are common in some styles. ... A collection of magazines A magazine is a periodical publication containing a variety of articles, generally financed by advertising and/or purchase by readers. ... 1974 (MCMLXXIV) is a common year starting on Tuesday (click on link for calendar). ... An Editor is a person who prepares text—typically language, but also images and sounds—for publication by correcting, condensing, or otherwise modifying it. ... A publisher is a person or entity which engages in the act of publishing. ... The Who is a British rock band of 1960s and 1970s fame. ... A fanzine (see also: zine) is a nonprofessional publication produced by fans of a particular subject for the pleasure of others who share their interest. ... In music, a band is a group of musicians, or musical ensemble, usually popular or folk, playing parts of or improvising off of a musical arrangement. ... Brian Eno in 1977 Brian Peter George St. ... Robert Fripp in performance. ...

As the 70's music scene transformed, so did the magazine's editorial focus. From 1976 on, Trouser Press frequently centered on the growing punk movements in both London and New York. The magazine provided in-depth articles on bands like the Sex Pistols, Boomtown Rats, The Clash, The Damned, the Ramones, Television, and many other similar groups, long before other U.S. music publications did. In 1980, the magazine introduced "America Underground", a recurring column devoted to local music scenes from different areas of the country. By the early 80's, the magazine's focus was almost exclusively on new wave, alternative rock, and underground rock from both sides of the Atlantic. Starting in 1982, flexi-discs were included with every issue to subscribers only, many of which have since become collector's items. Although the magazine seemed to be thriving with an ever growing circulation, editor Robbins ceased publication after the April 1984 issue (#96), citing a lack of interest in the continuing but stagnating new wave scene that left his writers with very little left to say.-1... Punk rock is an anti-establishment music movement beginning around 1976 (although precursors can be found several years earlier), exemplified and popularised by The Ramones, the Sex Pistols, The Clash and The Damned. ... London is the capital city of the United Kingdom and of England. ... Official language(s) English Capital Albany Largest city New York City Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 27th 141,205 km² 455 km 530 km 13. ... Sex Pistols were, despite their short existence, one of the most influential English punk bands. ... The Boomtown Rats The Boomtown Rats (1975-1985) were a punk rock/new wave group headed by Bob Geldof, who was later known for organizing charity rock concerts such as Band Aid (intended to help famine victims in Ethiopia), Live Aid, Live 8, and Hands Across America (intended to help... The Clash was one of the most successful British punk rock groups that existed from 1976 to 1986. ... This article is about the music group. ... The Ramones (L-R, Johnny, Tommy, Joey, Dee Dee) on the cover of their debut self-titled album (1976), cementing their place at the dawn of the punk movement. ... New Wave is a term that has been used to describe many developments in music, but is most commonly associated with a movement in American, Australian, British, Canadian and European popular music, in the late 1970s and early 1980s. ... The terms alternative rock and alternative music were coined in the early 1980s to describe punk rock-inspired music genres which didnt fit into the mainstream genres of the time. ... Underground rock is a term sometimes used to describe forms of rock and roll music which have little or no mainstream appeal, visibility or commercial presence. ... Flexi disc recordings are a thin format designed to be playable on standard phonograph turntables. ... Subscriber: In a public switched telecommunications network such as the common telephone system, the ultimate user, customer, of a communications service. ... A collectors item is an object or item of any kind that has become valuable -- often unexpectedly. ...

As a concept, Trouser Press continued to evolve after the death of the magazine. In 1983, The Trouser Press Guide to New Wave Records, edited by Robbins, was published by Charles Scribner's Sons. The book was sufficiently popular enough for four more substantially updated editions, with varying titles and publishers, to be issued over the years, culminating in 1997's The Trouser Press Guide To 90's Rock. This final edition features all-new entries on over 2,000 bands and reviews of approximately 8,500 records and CDs, and is generally considered to be the definitive critical overview of the 90's alternative music scene. The contents of all five volumes are currently available on the Trouser Press website, which is frequently updated with entries on new bands, as well as revisions/expansions of old articles, by Robbins and his stable of writers. Robbins has said he is considering a sixth volume for publication, comprised of all information and reviews written since the 1997 edition. Charles Scribners Sons is a publisher that was founded in 1846 at the Brick Church Chapel on New Yorks Park Row. ...

External links

• Trouser Press website