Monthly Archives: July, 2016
BELLE AND SEBASTIAN-THE FIRST TWENTY YEARS.
BELLE AND SEBASTIAN-THE FIRST TWENTY YEARS. Over the last fifty years, many bands have been formed at university or college. Many of these bands went on to hone their sound on college and university circuit. However, only one of theses bands went on to release their debut single and album on their college’s record label. This might sound fat …
JOHN ILLSLEY-LONG SHADOWS.
JOHN ILLSLEY-LONG SHADOWS. Nowadays, life is very different for John Illsley. The former Dire Straits bassist lives in the New Forest, where he lives with his wife, their young family and two dogs. John it seems, has taken to country living. So much so, that when his local pub came up for sale, he decided …
STARLESS-STARLESS.
STARLESS-STARLESS. Paul McGeechan, it’s fair to say, is a veteran of Scottish music. After all, he’s spent over thirty years making music. His career began in 1982, when he was cofounded the short-lived, but much missed Friends Again. Friends Again’s recording career began in 1983, when they released the first of eight single and EPs. …
VASHTI BUNYAN-STILL ONE OF MUSIC’S BEST KEPT SECRETS.
VASHTI BUNYAN-STILL ONE Of MUSIC’S BEST KEPT SECRETS. It was back in 1965, that Vashti Bunyan’s musical career began. She looked destined for great things. Sadly, that proved not to be the case. Five years after her career began, Vashti Bunyan released her debut album Just Another Diamond Day in 1970. It failed to chart. This lead to Vashti …
CANNED HEAT-ONE MORE RIVER TO CROSS.
CANNED HEAT-ONE MORE RIVER TO CROSS. On March 8th 1973, Canned Heat released their ninth album The New Age. It proved to be their Liberty Records’ swan-song. After six years and nine studio albums, Canned Heat left Liberty Records. The band had managed to negotiate their release from their Liberty Records contract. This left Canned …
ELECTRI CITY_2.
ELECTRI CITY_2. At this time of year, most people’s thoughts turn to holidays. Some people are easily pleased, while others struggle to find the perfect holiday. They spend an inordinate amount of time flicking through holiday brochures. Part of the problem though, is the amount of choice. However, one group of people seem to be …
TIM MAIA: WORLD PSYCHEDELIC CLASSICS 4: NOBODY CAN LIVE FOREVER: THE EXISTENTIAL SOUL OF TIM MAIA.
TIM MAIA: WORLD PSYCHEDELIC CLASSICS 4: NOBODY CAN LIVE FOREVER: THE EXISTENTIAL SOUL OF TIM MAIA. Tim Maia was unlike most singers. Not only was he hugely talented and charismatic, but each day, he lived life on the edge. Defiantly, Tim Maia lived each day as if it was his last. By then, he was a cult hero in …
WILLIAM ONYEAEBOR MUSICIAN AND MAN OF MYSTERY.
WILLIAM ONYEAEBOR MUSICIAN AND MAN OF MYSTERY. Enigmatic. That’s the perfect word to describe synth funk pioneer, William Onyeabor. He is, without doubt, one of the most mysterious and elusive musicians. There’s a good reason for this, Much of William Onyeabor’s life is shrouded in mystery. After releasing eight albums between 1978 and 1985, William Onyeabor became …
GURU GURU-GURU GURU-VINYL EDITION.
GURU GURU-GURU GURU-VINYL EDITION. By the late sixties, the members of many British and American bands were well on their way to becoming multi-millionaires. Especially groups like The Beatles and Rolling Stones. They had been at the top for the best part of a decade, and were now enjoying wealth beyond their wildest dreams. To …
THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND AT FILLMORE EAST-VINYL EDITION.
THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND AT FILLMORE EAST-VINYL EDITION. There aren’t many bands who make a commercial breakthrough with a live album. That, however, is what happened to The Allman Brothers Band. Their third album, 1971s At Fillmore East, which was recently reissued as part of Universal Music’s as six-disc box set The 1971 Fillmore East …
RICK REDBEARD-AWAKE UNTO.
RICK REDBEARD-AWAKE UNTO. Music has changed almost beyond recognition over the last fifteen years. One of the biggest changes is how long it takes an artist to release an album. No longer do artists release an album each year. That was the norm during the late-sixties and seventies. Indeed, some artists released two albums during …
DAN PENN-CLOSE TO ME-MORE FAME RECORDINGS.
DAN PENN-CLOSE TO ME-MORE FAME RECORDINGS. Wallace Daniel Pennington was born in Vernon, Alabama on the 19th of May 1941. The Pennington family were respectable church going people. They were regarded as pillars of the local community. Each week the Pennington family attended church en masse. However, by the time Wallace Daniel Pennington was a …
MOGWAI-SCOTLAND’S POST ROCK PIONEERS.
MOGWAI-SCOTLAND’S POST ROCK PIONEERS. Although Scotland have produced many successful bands over the past forty years, there aren’t many that have enjoyed the longevity, commercial success and critical acclaim that Mogwai have. They were founded in 1995, and since then, have released eight albums of pioneering post rock. That’s not forgetting the four soundtracks that …
ALICE COOPER-THE WARNER BROS YEARS 1969-1983.
ALICE COOPER-THE WARNER BROS YEARS 1969-1983. It was in Detroit, Michigan, on February 4th 1948, Vincent Damon Furnier was born. He would go on to become one of the biggest names in music, after changing his name to Alice Cooper in 1968. After that, Alice Cooper’s career has spanned five decades and twenty-six studio albums. …
DEEP PURPLE-DEEP PURPLE IN ROCK-VINYL LIMITED EDITION.
DEEP PURPLE-DEEP PURPLE IN ROCK-VINYL LIMITED EDITION. Without doubt, the golden era for rock music was the seventies. That was when rock music came of age. It’s certainly when commercial success and critical acclaim came the way of Deep Purple. Between 1970 and 1975 Deep Purple enjoyed worldwide success. The album that started this run …
BOO HEWERDINE-BORN E.P.
BOO HEWERDINE-BORN E.P. Music courses through Boo Hewerdine’s veins. It always has, and still does. That’s been the case for over thirty years. His latest release in his Born E.P. which was released on Reveal Records. It’s the latest addition to Boo Hewerdine’s burgeoning discography. He’s come a long way from when he used to sell records, rather …
JESSICA SLIGTER-A SENSE OF GROWTH.
JESSICA SLIGTER-A SENSE OF GROWTH. When Dutch musician Jessica Sligter released her sophomore album Fear And The Framing in 2012, many people could’ve been forgiven for thinking that this was her debut album. After all, Fear And The Framing was the first album bearing Jessica Sligter’s name. While this was true, Jessica Slighter’s solo career began …
JAY STRONGMAN PRESENTS POPCORN HEARTBREAK 1958-1964.
JAY STRONGMAN PRESENTS POPCORN HEARTBREAK 1958-1964. Throughout musical history, songwriters always revisit certain subjects. Especially, angst, betrayal, heartbreak and love lost. Countless songs have been written about these subjects. That has been the case since the birth of popular music. However, for many music lovers, the late fifties and early sixties was a golden age …
ALICE CLARK THE COMPLETE STUDIO RECORDINGS 1968-1972.
ALICE CLARK THE COMPLETE STUDIO RECORDINGS 1968-1972. The cream always rises to the top. This may be the case in some industries, but sadly, not in the music. Far too often, hype and image triumph over talent. Meanwhile, commercial success and critical acclaim eludes truly talented artists. Chastened by the experience, many of these artists …
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