David Fricke Explained

David Fricke
Nationality:	American
Alma Mater:	Muhlenberg College
Employer:	Rolling Stone

David Fricke (born)^[1] is an American music journalist who serves as the senior editor at Rolling Stone magazine, where he writes predominantly about rock music. One of the best known names in rock journalism, his career has spanned over 40 years.^[2] In the 1990s, he was the magazine's music editor^[3] before stepping down.

Early life and education

Fricke graduated from Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pennsylvania, in 1973.^{[4] [5] [6]}

Career

The first concert that Fricke attended was a show by Pink Floyd. His love of live music inspired him to pursue a career in music journalism. He has recalled meeting George Harrison, at a promotional event in Washington, DC for the former Beatle's Thirty Three & 1/3 album, as a particularly "remarkable moment", saying, "it changed the way I listened to his music ... I had spoken to the man, not the History."^[7]

Before joining Rolling Stone, where he became senior editor, he wrote for Circus, Trouser Press, Synapse, and Good Times.^{[8] [2]} He has since written for Melody Maker, Mojo, and JazzTimes.^[9]

Fricke has been nominated for a Grammy Award for his album liner notes and is a three-time winner of the ASCAP-Deems Taylor Award for excellence in music journalism. He has appeared on the Classic Albums documentaries on the making of Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon, Cream's Disraeli Gears, Def Leppard's Hysteria, Nirvana's Nevermind, Metallica's Black Album, Peter Gabriel's So, Frank Zappa's Apostrophe and Over-Nite Sensation as well as Rush's Moving Pictures and 2112 albums. Fricke has also appeared on a number of Lou Reed documentaries and in the Wilco documentary I Am Trying to Break Your Heart.^[10]

The Domino Recording Company released the North American version of the 30th anniversary reissue of Aztec Camera's debut album, High Land, Hard Rain, in 2014 with liner notes written by Fricke.^{[11] [12]}

As of 2013, he was creator of the "Fricke's Picks Radio" podcast and the Alternate Take blog in Rolling Stone, as well as serving as the Host of the Friday Night Affair on “Tom Petty Radio”.^[13] He is currently a DJ at Sirius XM Radio.

Bibliography

Essays and reporting

• Fricke, David . May 2015 . [<!--access-date=--> Rhiannon Giddens' old-time religion ]. Rolling Stone (Australia) . 762 . 24 .

Album reviews

Album title	Artist	Reviewed in
Dungeon Golds	The Minus 5	Fricke, David . May 2015 . [<!--access-date=--> [Untitled review] ]. Reviews . Rolling Stone (Australia) . 762 . 95 .
Policy	Butler, Will	Fricke, David . May 2015 . [<!--access-date=--> [Untitled review] ]. Reviews . Rolling Stone (Australia) . 762 . 98 .

Liner notes

Fricke has written liner notes for a number of albums, compilations and box sets, including:

• The 1979 Kevin Roth album New Wind
• The 1993 Moby Grape compilation
• The 1993 John Prine compilation
• The 1993 Led Zeppelin compilation Led Zeppelin Boxed Set 2
• The 1994 Hüsker Dü live album The Living End
• The 1995 Velvet Underground box set Peel Slowly and See; the 1997 "Fully Loaded" reissue of Loaded
• The Byrds 1996–2000 CD reissue series
• The 1997 Simon & Garfunkel compilation Old Friends
• The 1997 Paul Kelly compilation Songs from the South
• The 1998 Metallica covers compilation Garage Inc.
• The 1998 Long Ryders 2-CD compilation Anthology
• The 1999 Captain Beefheart box set Grow Fins: Rarities 1965-1982
• The 1999 Jimi Hendrix live compilation Live at Woodstock
• The 1999 Ramones compilation
• The 2002 Nirvana "best-of" compilation Nirvana
• The 2003 AC/DC Back in Black reissue Back in Black (remaster)
• The 2004 George Harrison box set The Dark Horse Years 1976–1992
• The 2005 Violent Femmes "best of" compilation ; the 2024 box set Violent Femmes
• The 2006 Def Leppard 20th Anniversary Hysteria "Deluxe Edition"
• The 2006 Frank Zappa box set The MOFO Project/Object
• The 2007 The Church "best of" compilation Deep in the Shallows
• The 2007 Led Zeppelin "best of" compilation Mothership
• The 2008 Billy Joel box set The Stranger 30th Anniversary Edition
• The 2009 Frank Zappa box set Lumpy Money
• The 2009 Grateful Dead box set
• The 2013 The Numbers Band (a.k.a. 15-60-75) reissue Jimmy Bell's Still In Town (1975)

Notes and References

1. News: Masley . Ed . 1999-12-12 . Rock Long and Prosper . . G-11 . Fricke is 47..
2. Web site: David Fricke, of Rolling Stone magazine, discusses navigating his way through 'chaos'. The Express Times. March 23, 2012. March 20, 2013.
3. http://rockcritics.com/interview/jonwiederhorn.html
4. Dave became Station Manager of WMUH-FM in 1971, making the station a leader in the college radio circuit.Web site: David Fricke of Rolling Stone magazine tells intimate rock stories during talk at Allentown Art Museum . lehighvalleylive.com . March 28, 2012 . July 18, 2014.
5. Web site: Muhlenberg magazine cover . Muhlenberg.edu . July 18, 2014 . December 22, 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20151222085847/http://www.muhlenberg.edu/cultural/magazine/Summer2012.pdf . dead .
6. Web site: #132 Muhlenberg College . Forbes.com . July 18, 2014.
7. David Fricke, "George Harrison Dark Horse", The Dark Horse Years 1976–1992 box-set booklet (Dark Horse Records, 2004), p. 20.
8. Web site: David Fricke of Rolling Stone tells intimate Rock stories during talk at Allentown Art Museum. The Express Times. March 28, 2012. March 20, 2013.
9. Web site: David Fricke. JazzTimes. March 6, 2021.
10. Web site: I Am Trying to Break Your Heart: Full Cast & Crew. IMDb. IMDb. September 15, 2014.
11. Web site: Aztec Camera – High Land, Hard Rain. Aztec Camera on Discogs. Discogs. July 5, 2014. 2014.
12. Web site: HIGH LAND, HARD RAIN. Domino USA. Domino USA. July 5, 2014. February 18, 2014.
13. News: Fricke. David. Alternate Take. https://web.archive.org/web/20101218025829/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/blogs/alternate-take. dead. December 18, 2010. September 30, 2013. Rolling Stone.