Monthly Archives: November, 2013
CLARENCE CARTER-THE FAME SINGLES VOLUME 2 1970-73.
CLARENCE CARTER-THE FAME SINGLES VOLUME 2 1970-73. It was in 1966, that Clarence Carter released his first single for Rick Hall’s Fame Records, Tell Daddy. Clarence was already thirty when he released Tell Daddy, his debut solo single. His life had taken a few twists and turns before that. Born in January 1936, when Clarence …
BOPPIN’ BY THE BAYOU-MORE DYNAMITE.
BOPPIN’ BY THE BAYOU-MORE DYNAMITE. Back in May 2013, Ace Records released Bluesin’ By The Bayou, a compilation of “low down, dirty and greasy blues from Louisiana.” With some zydeco thrown in for good measure by compiler Ian Saddler, Bluesin’ By The Bayou was a potent musical cocktail. The music on Bluesin’ By The Bayou …
AMERICANA 2.
AMERICANA 2. Two years after the release of their first compilation of blue-eyed soul, Americana, Zaf Chowdry and Mark Taylor return with the followup, Americana 2. It will be released by BBE Music on 11th November 2013. Americana 2, which features sixteen tracks from the seventies and eighties, is described on the album cover as …
ERA RECORDS NORTHERN SOUL.
ERA RECORDS NORTHERN SOUL. Back in 1955, two cousins decided to decided to form a record label in their hometown, Los Angeles. They called this new label Era Records. The two cousins were Lew Bedell and Herb Newman. Lew Bedell was a comedian, whose career seemed to have come to a halt. So he was …
LONG-LOST HONKERS AND TWANGERS.
LONG-LOST HONKERS AND TWANGERS. For their latest compilation, Long-Lost Honkers and Twangers, Ace Records return to the golden age of the instrumental. Featuring twenty-six tracks, Long-Lost Honkers and Twangers is a return to an era when instrumentals were King. This “golden age” began around 1956 and exploded when Duane Eddy released his debut single Movin’ …
THE SPINNERS-COULD IT BE I’M FALLING IN LOVE.
THE SPINNERS-COULD IT BE I’M FALLING IN LOVE. Forty years ago, on the 9th November 1973, Could It Be I’m Falling In Love, the third single from The Spinners’ third album Spinners, reached number one in the US R&B Charts and number four in the US Billboard 200. It sold over one million copies and …
NEW YORK DOLLS-NEW YORK DOLLS.
NEW YORK DOLLS-NEW YORK DOLLS. No other group epitomises the rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle like the New York Dolls. Drink, drugs and death touched the New York Dolls. Despite this, the Dolls continued to court controversy, with a disaster always just a heartbeat away. Just like a game of daring do, the egged each other to …
ASTRO SONIC-COME CLOSER AND I’LL TELL YOU.
ASTRO SONIC-COME CLOSER AND I’LL TELL YOU. The sonic landscape that is Astro Sonic’s debut album Come Closer and I’ll Tell You, isn’t like most other albums. Far from it. Recorded during these three days at the Svenska Grammofon Studios in Gothenburg, Sweden, Astro Sonic use their musical palette to push musical boundaries. Seamlessly, musical …
COUNTRY JOE AND THE FISH-ELECTRIC MUSIC FOR THE MIND AND BODY.
COUNTRY JOE AND THE FISH-ELECTRIC MUSIC FOR THE MIND AND BODY. Classic is one of the most overused words in the English language. However, classic is the perfect way to describe Country Joe and The Fish’s 1967 debut album, Electric Music For The Mind and Body. Quite simply, Electric Music For The Mind and Body …
CHVRCHES-LIES.
CHVRCHES-LIES. One of the biggest success stories in Scottish music during 2013, is Chvrches, who will soon release their fifth single Lies, on Virgin Records. This sees Chvrches go full circle to where their career started. After all, Lies was their debut single. It was released in an unusual way, through the blog of the Neon Gold label. …
MIKE OLDFIELD-CRISES.
MIKE OLDFIELD-CRISES. Nine years after releasing his debut album, Mike Oldfield decided his music had to change. His albums were no longer selling as many copies. Success in America seemed to elude Mike. If it hadn’t been for excerpts from Tubular Bells being played in The Shining, his debut album might never have reached the …
BRAZILIAN BEATS 7.
BRAZILIAN BEATS 7. For lovers of Latin music, one of the most eagerly awaited compilation series is Mr. Bongo Records’ Brazilian Beats. The first installment of this critically acclaimed compilation series was released thirteen years ago, back in 2000, just as the new millennia dawned. Little did Mr. Bongo Records realize that they’d launched one of …
CALL TO MIND-A FAMILY SKETCH.
CALL TO MIND-A FAMILY SKETCH. Glasgow’s Olive Grove Records look like they’ve hit the jackpot with their latest signing Call To Mind. Why? Well, this is a band with a big future. One listen to their latest single A Family Sketch, which was released on Olive Grove Records on 28th October 2013, and you’ll realize …
GHOSTCHANT-LAID TO REST.
GHOSTCHANT-LAID TO REST. GhostChant’s Laid To Rest E.P. is a tantalising taste of his debut album Sincerity, which will be released in the spring of 2014. Laid To Rest is also a showcase for one of Britain’s best up-and-coming producers, GhostChant. Joe Cornell, man behind GhostChant, is a remixer and producer whose production skills are …
THE SALSOUL ORCHESTRA-MAGIC JOURNEY.
THE SALSOUL ORCHESTRA-MAGIC JOURNEY. By 1977, The Salsoul Orchestra had established their reputation as disco’s premier orchestra. They’d been formed in 1975, and had already released a trio of albums, where disco, Philly Soul, funk, jazz, Latin and classical music were seamlessly fused. Much of the emphasis was on individual members stepping into spotlight and …
LOLEATTA HOLLOWAY-LOVE SENSATION.
LOLEATTA HOLLOWAY-LOVE SENSATION. There’s a certain symmetry that in return for Loleatta Holloway adding a vocal on what became one of Dan Hartman’s biggest hit singless, Relight My Fire, that Dan returned this favor by writing one of Loleatta’s most successful singles, Love Sensation. This story starts back in 1979, when Dan Hartman was about …
BUNNY SIGLER-LET ME PARTY WITH YOU.
BUNNY SIGLER-LET ME PARTY WITH YOU. Bunny Sigler seemed to have been around the Philadelphia music scene forever, by the time he signed to Norman Harris’ new label Gold Mind Records, where he’d release his fifth album Let Me Party With You in 1978. Eleven years before, Bunny had released his debut album Let the …
SANO-SANO.
SANO-SANO. One of the most anticipated releases of 2013 is Columbian Wunderkind Sano’s eponymous debut album. Sano, which will be released on Matias Aguayo’s Comeme label on 28th October 2013, has been described as sleazy house at its best. I’d go further and say that Sano is a delicious fusion of musical influences. There’s everything …