John Earls
Born (1972-08-25) 25 August 1972
Milton Keynes, England
NationalityBritish
Occupation(s)Music critic, journalist
Years active1991–present

John Earls (born 25 August 1972) is an English music critic and journalist. He is known for his work as editor of the now-defunct Planet Sound music magazine, hosted by Teletext Ltd. on their UK teletext service and official website. Earls has also covered music for outlets such as the NME, Record Collector, Classic Pop and the News of the World, and has served as a sporadic football pundit for magazines including When Saturday Comes.

Childhood and early career

Born on 25 August 1972, Earls grew up in Milton Keynes.[1][2] His writings were published by Doctor Who Magazine, and ORACLE's Blue Suede Views music magazine, during his teens.[3] Earls started writing professionally following a 1991 work experience placement at football magazine When Saturday Comes, continuing to cover the sport on an infrequent basis as he moved into the realm of entertainment journalism.[2][4] During the 1990s Earls worked as a showbiz reporter for the Sunday People; he left the newspaper in 1999, becoming a teen entertainment writer for Teletext (the successor to ORACLE).[3][4]

Planet Sound and beyond

Earls became a critic for Teletext's music magazine, Planet Sound, some 18 months after joining the company.[3] He was named editor in 2001 and held this post until Teletext ceased broadcasting in December 2009.[2][5] He became synonymous with Planet Sound and his work was often cited by other outlets.[6] Earls has interviewed many musicians throughout his career,[2] and has written about music for publications including the NME, Record Collector, Classic Pop and the News of the World.[4][7] He wrote the sleeve notes for the 40th anniversary edition of A Flock of Seagulls' 1982 self-titled debut album, as well as for the Fun Boy Three box set, The Complete Fun Boy Three (2023).[8][9]

Earls was recognised by Music Week as a "specialist media tastemaker",[10] and was listed by BBC News as an "influential and impartial UK-based music critic".[11] Record Collector identifies the 1980s as his "specialist era".[12] Earls won "Best Writer – Specialist" at the British Society of Magazine Editors' (BSME) Talent Awards in 2022, with the BSME recognising him as a "great writer" who "communicates effectively" with readers, while also displaying "great interview skills".[13] The Twilight Sad frontman James Graham expressed his affection for Earls: "I used to read Planet Sound every day... He's a nice guy and I really appreciate the support he gave us."[14] Aside from his writing career, Earls lectures in journalism, and co-founded a record label, WET, in 2009.[3][4]

In 2009 Earls listed the following albums as ones that music fans should own, besides "the obvious great ones they'd already own":[3]

References

  1. ↑ Births, Marriages & Deaths Index of England & Wales, 1916–2005.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "John Earls". When Saturday Comes. Archived from the original on 16 July 2011. Retrieved 16 July 2011.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Coster, Dean (24 July 2009). "Interview: Planet Sound's John Earls". Culturedeluxe. Archived from the original on 4 August 2009. Retrieved 15 August 2009.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Our Contributors: John Earls". Classic Pop. No. 18. August–September 2015. p. 6.
  5. ↑ Renshaw, David (15 December 2009). "Why I'll Miss Teletext's Planet Sound". The Guardian. Retrieved 25 July 2023.
  6. ↑ "MCSC in Case of Fire". Strabane Chronicle. 13 September 2007.
  7. ↑ Earls, John (28 June 2022). "People Want Music from Billie Eilish, Kendrick Lamar—Not Politics". Newsweek. Retrieved 25 July 2023. [Newsweek:] John Earls writes about music for national newspapers and magazines, including Record Collector, Classic Pop and NME.
  8. ↑ Major, Michael (8 December 2022). "A Flock of Seagulls Celebrate 40th Anniversary of Self-Titled Debut". BroadwayWorld. Retrieved 26 July 2023.
  9. ↑ Key, Iain (31 July 2023). "Fun Boy Three: The Complete Fun Boy Three – boxset review". Louder Than War. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
  10. ↑ "Key Releases: The Panel". Music Week. 30 January 2010. p. 50.
  11. ↑ "BBC Sound of 2009: The Pundits". BBC News. 1 January 2009. Retrieved 15 August 2009.
  12. ↑ "This Month's Contributors: John Earls". Record Collector. No. 517. April 2021. p. 7.
  13. ↑ Harnell, Steve (29 June 2022). "Classic Pop's John Earls Wins Top Industry Award". Classic Pop. Archived from the original on 29 June 2022. Retrieved 25 July 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  14. ↑ Donnellan, Jimmy (23 January 2015). "An Interview with The Twilight Sad: 'We Still Have a Lot to Say'". Cultured Vultures. Retrieved 27 July 2023.
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