Monthly Archives: September, 2011
THE TEMPTATIONS-PSYCHEDELIC SHACK.
THE TEMPTATIONS-PSYCHEDELIC SHACK. When people think of The Temptations music, they think of singles like My Girl, People Get Ready and Ain’t To Proud To Beg, their early songs, released on the Motown label. This was among some of the greatest music Motown ever released, it truly was sweet soul music. However, there was much …
LEON WARE-ROCKIN’ YOU ETERNALLY.
LEON WARE-ROCKIN’ YOU ETERNALLY. Some time ago I was researching an article on Marvin Gaye and his seminal album Let’s Get It On, when I read about how Leon Ware had collaborated with Marvin on his 1976 album I Want You. This was something I’d forgotten, as it was a long time since I’d either …
HAROLD MELVIN AND THE BLUE NOTES-WAKE UP EVERYBODY.
HAROLD MELVIN AND THE BLUE NOTES-WAKE UP EVERYBODY. Recently, I mentioned how I was going to review a few of my favorite albums on the Philadelphia International Records label, with my first review being The O’Jays album Ship Ahoy. This got me thinking about which of the many great albums released on that label would …
ARETHA FRANKLIN-LADY SOUL.
ARETHA FRANKLIN-LADY SOUL. If you were ask anyone who loves soul music to name some of the greatest female vocalists, the name Aretha Franklin wouldn’t be far from their lips. Over a recording career that has spanned fifty-five years, starting back in 1956, when aged fourteen, she released her debut album Songs of Faith, a …
AL STEWART-YEAR OF THE CAT.
AL STEWART-YEAR OF THE CAT. In July 1975, Al Stewart released what was his seventh studio album Year of the Cat, which was recorded at the famous Abbey Road studios in London. Like his previous album, Modern Times released in 1975, it was produced by Alan Parsons. However, unlike Modern Times. Year of the Cat …
THE O’JAYS-SHIP AHOY.
THE O’JAYS-SHIP AHOY. Recently, I wrote an article Sweet Soul Music, reviewing some of the best compilation albums which feature Philadelphia Soul. After writing that article, I decided to write some articles about my favorite albums on Philadelphia International Records, the label founded by Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, which released so many great albums. …
BACK TO LOVE- THE HED KANDI YEARS 1999-2005.
BACK TO LOVE- THE HED KANDI YEARS 1999-2005. Back in 1999, it seemed that there were numerous high quality compilations vying for your attention, and ultimately your money when you entered your local record shop. One of the compilations that I happened to chance upon, was the Back To Love series. Compiled by Mark Doyle, …
VAN MORRISON-INTO THE MUSIC.
VAN MORRISON-INTO THE MUSIC. Back in August 1979, when Van Morrison released Into the Music, this was seen as almost a comeback album for him. His two previous albums Period of Transition in 1977 and Wavelength in 1978, hadn’t been particularly well received, and Into the Music was seen as a much better album. Since …
WOMACK AND WOMACK-CONSCIENCE.
WOMACK AND WOMACK-CONSCIENCE. Back in 1988, one of my favorite tracks was Teardrops by Womack and Womack. It reached number three in August 1988 in the UK singles charts. It seemed that back then, it was never off the radio. Every time I put the radio on, went into a shop or a car passed, …
AL GREEN-THE BELLE ALBUM.
AL GREEN-THE BELLE ALBUM. When Al Green released The Belle Album, it was a very different album to those that preceded it for several reasons. Belle reflected the changes that were happening in Al’s personal life. For several years, religion had played an important part in his life, and he’s struggled to come to terms …
HORSE MEAT DISCO VOLUMES 1-3.
HORSE MEAT DISCO VOLUMES 1-3. Over the years, I must have bought many hundreds of compilation albums. Some have been brilliant, some good, others average at best, with some being absolutely dreadful, and never should’ve been released. Just now, there are various labels releasing good quality compilations. These include Strut, BBE, Harmless and BGP. Some …
DAVID BOWIE-LET’S DANCE.
DAVID BOWIE-LET’S DANCE. In a recent article about Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps), David Bowie’s 1980 album, I mentioned how this was the start of a really successful period for him. His next album was Let’s Dance, released in April 1983, and co-produced by NIles Rodgers of Chic. This was Bowie’s fifteenth album, in a …
BOB MARLEY AND THE WAILERS-NATTY DREAD.
BOB MARLEY AND THE WAILERS-NATTY DREAD. In a previous article about Bob Marley and The Wailers I mentioned how Natty Dread was the album that provided Bob Marley with his first hit single, No Woman, No Cry in the US. I also mentioned in that article, how it was the first album he released as …
ANN PEEBLES-I CAN’T STAND THE RAIN.
ANN PEEBLES-I CAN’T STAND THE RAIN. For many years, I’ve loved Southern Soul music, and during that time, discovered a number of great artists and labels. Two of my favorite labels are Stax and Hi Records. Previously, I’ve written about some of the great artists who recorded on Hi Records, including the legendary Al Green, …
SISTER SLEDGE-WE ARE FAMILY.
SISTER SLEDGE-WE ARE FAMILY. In a recent article about, Chic’s second album C’est Chic, I mentioned how Niles Rodgers and Bernard Edwards had written, arranged and produced We Are Family, Sister Sledge’s third album. This was released in January 1979 in the US and April 1979 in the UK and became the group’s most successful …
MUSHROOM JAZZ VOLUMES 1-6 THE OM RECORDS’ YEARS.
MUSHROOM JAZZ VOLUMES 1-6 THE OM RECORDS’ YEARS. In an article I wrote a few months ago, I featured one of my favorite record labels OM Records, which over the years, has released a huge amount of great albums since the label was founded in 1995. Since I wrote that article, I’ve been planning to …
PRIMAL SCREAM-BEAUTIFUL FUTURE.
PRIMAL SCREAM-BEAUTIFUL FUTURE. Recently, I had the misfortune to read the misinformed rant of musical wannabe online, who dismissed out of hand, one of the most popular genres of music, indie music. To this poor misguided soul, this genre of music is all rubbish, whiney boring music. To them, Keisha and Katy Perry are the …
THE REVOLUTIONAIRES-GOLD MINE DUB.
THE REVOLUTIONAIRES-GOLD MINE DUB. The Revolutionaires were the house band at the famous Channel One Studios and included some of the most famous reggae musicians of all time. Sly and Robbie made up the rhythm section, Tommy McCook played saxophone and Bertram McLean played guitar. Looking back at the past members of the band, it …
CHIC-RISQUE.
CHIC-RISQUE. Recently I’ve going through my music collection and listening to a some of my favorite older music. This has included some old soul and funk from the sixties and seventies, especially, Southern Soul, early acid house and some of the best disco music from the seventies. This is something I do a lot, and …
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