Monthly Archives: March, 2019

THE THREE YEAR STORY OF SWEENEY’S MEN.

The Three Year Story Of Sweeney’s Men. One of the bands that emerged from the mid-sixties Irish roots revival was Sweeney’s Men, who were formed in Dublin in May 1966, by Andy Irvine, “Galway Joe” Dolan and Johnny Moynihan. Sweeney’s Men were together for just three years, and released two albums which  feature one of the …

Continue reading

THE JOHNSTONS-A STORY OF WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN?

The Johnstons-A Story Of What Might Have Been? During the mid-sixties, folk music on both sides of the Atlantic was growing in popularity, in America and Britain. It was a similar case in Ireland, where a number of folk bands were founded, including The Johnstons in Slane, County Meath, whose original lineup featured Adrienne Johnston, her …

Continue reading

COCTEAU TWINS-FOUR CALENDAR CAFE AND MILK AND KISSES VINYL.

Cocteau Twins-Four-Calendar Café and Milk and Kisses Vinyl. Label: UMC It was the best of times, it was the worst of times for 4AD President Ivo Watts-Russell when the Cocteau Twins released their sixth studio album Heaven Or Las Vegas on the ’17th’ of September 1990. He watched as the critically acclaimed  album of dream reached …

Continue reading

ON THE DETROIT BEAT! MOTOR CITY SOUL-UK STYLE 1963-1967.

On The Detroit Beat! Motor City Soul-UK Style 1963-67. Label: Ace Records. As 1959 unfolded, Detroit based songwriter, producer and future musical impresario Berry Gordy Jr had already discovered The Miracles and started to build a successful portfolio of recording artists. There was only one problem, what would Berry Gordy Jr do with these talented …

Continue reading

GORDON JACKSON-A STORY OF WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN.

Gordon Jackson-A Story Of What Might Have Been, Over the past to fifty years, there are many artists in Britain and America who could’ve and should’ve enjoyed long and successful careers. Some of these artists even recorded albums that should’ve launched or kickstarted their solo careers . Sadly, the fickle finger of fate decided otherwise and …

Continue reading

DR JOHN-THE ATCO YEARS 1968-1974.

Dr John-The Atco  Years 1968-1974. Gris Gris. When a copy of Dr John’s debut album Gris Gris was sent to Atlantic Records’ founder Ahmet Ertegun he disliked the album so much, that he was reluctant to even release the album and said: “how can we market this boogaloo crap?” This wasn’t the response that Dr …

Continue reading

WHERE THE GIRLS ARE VOLUME 10.

Where The Girls Are Volume 10. Ace Records. Thirty-five years ago, in 1984, Mick Patrick and Ady Croasdell compiled the first volume of Where The Girls Are, which was released on vinyl. This was just before the emergence of the CD, which within a few years, replaced vinyl in many people’s music collection and affections. …

Continue reading

CANNED HEAT’S LIBERTY RECORDS’ YEARS.

Canned Heat’s Liberty Records Records’ Years. ‘8th’ of March 1973 marked the end of an era for Canned Heat who had just released their ninth album, The New Age. It was their swan-song for Liberty Records. After six years and nine studio albums, Canned Heat were about leave Liberty Records. They had managed to negotiate their release from …

Continue reading

MIKE HARRISON-FROM THE V.I.P.s TO HIS SOLO YEARS.

Mike Harrison-From The V.I.P.s  To His Solo Years. For Carlisle born Mike Harrison, the period between 1963 and 1975, proved the most  prolific of a six decade career. During that period, Mike Harrison was the lead singer of  The V.I.P.s and Art. They would later become known as Spooky Tooth, who signed to Island Records in 1968. Three years later,  and with the …

Continue reading

MOGOLLAR’S CAREER OF TWO PARTS.

 Moğollar’s Career Of Two Parts. By 1976, Anatolian rockers Moğollar had been together for the best part of a decade, and were now one of  Turkey’s most successful bands. Everything seemed to have been going well for Moğollar until they lost their latest vocalist. This was nothing new, and was a problem that had haunted the group over the years.  Vocalists had been Moğollar’s …

Continue reading

MAJA S.K. RATKJE-SULT

Maja S. K. Ratkje-Sult. Rune Grammofon. By the time Maja S. K. Ratkje graduated from the Norwegian Academy of Music in 2000, the twenty-seven year old had already won one of the most prestigious awards in Norwegian music, an Edvardprisen. This came in 1999, when Waves 11b won an Edvardprisen in the contemporary music minor …

Continue reading

FIREFALL-THEIR GLORY YEARS…AND BEYOND.

Firefall-Their Glory Years and,,,Beyond. When Gram Parsons and The Fallen Angeles headed out on tour in 1973, little did anyone realise that this tour would be God’s Own Singer’s  swan-song. By then,  twenty-six year old Gram Parson had embraced the rock ’n’ roll lifestyle and had an insatiable appetite for drink and drugs. Sadly, this would result in  Gram …

Continue reading

HENRY GROSS-HIS SEVENTIES SOLO YEARS.

Henry Gross-His Seventies Solo Years. When Henry Gross took to the stage with Sha Na Na at ‘7.30pm’ on Sunday, August the ‘17th’ 1969, the eighteen year old made history, he became the  the youngest person to perform at the Woodstock Music and Arts Fair. Despite his relative youth, Henry Gross took  playing in front of 400,000 people in  his stride during Sha Na Na’s thirty-minute …

Continue reading

THE LIFE AND TIMES OF SANDY DENNY.

The Life and Times Of Sandy Denny. In December 1969, an announcement was made that Sandy Denny had left Britain’s leading folk band, Fairport Convention. This came as a shock to many as Fairport Convention, who were Britain’s first electric folk band, popularity been rising over the past two years. Playing her part in the rise and rise of Fairport Convention was Sandy Denny who had previously been …

Continue reading

THE LIFE AND MUSIC OF JOHN WETTON.

The Life and Music Of John Wetton. On the ’31st’ of January 2017, John Wetton passed away in Bournemouth, Dorset aged just sixty-seven. Music had lost another of its most talented and successful sons.  John Wetton had enjoyed success with seven  bands and as a solo artist. His career began with Mogul Thrash, before he joined  Family, King Crimson, Uriah Heep  and …

Continue reading

THE RISE AND FALL OF THE YOUNGBLOODS.

The Rise and Fall Of The Youngbloods By 1965, bassist and vocalist Jesse Colin Young was twenty-four and had already enjoyed a degree of success as a folk singer. He had already released two albums The Soul Of A City Boy in 1964, and Young Blood in 1965. However, Jesse Colin Young’s solo career was …

Continue reading

MOTORHEAD-THE CLASSIC YEARS: 1977 TO 1983.

Motörhead-The Classic Years 1977-1983. In My 1975,  Hawkwind’s tour bus arrived in Windsor, Ontario, at the Canadian-American border, but before the band could cross over into America, for the next part of their tour, the band were  subjected to a routine drugs search. For Hawkwind bassist Ian “Lemmy” Kilmister, this spelt disaster and resulted in his arrest on drug possession charges. For Lemmy it …

Continue reading

THE SEEDS: PUSHIN’ TOO HARD OST.

The Seeds: Pushin’ Too Hard OST, Label: Ace Records. When The Seeds were formed in Los Angeles in early 1965 by Sky Saxon, Daryl Hooper, Jan Savage, Jeremy Levine and Rick Andridge nobody had any idea just how influential the nascent garage band would be. Over the next four years, The Seeds released five albums, …

Continue reading

REGGIE YOUNG-SESSION GUITAR STAR.

Reggie Young-Session Guitar Star. Ace Records. In many ways, session musicians are the unsung heroes of the music industry, and far too often, don’t get the credit that they deserve. They’re mostly anonymous musicians, who are musical hired hands who over the course of a year, will work with countless musicians in the studio or live. However, some of these anonymous musicians have gone on to greater things This previously includes some of the legends …

Continue reading

DIETER MOEBIUS-THE POST CLUSTER YEARS

Dieter Moebius-The Post Cluster Years. Ten years after Hans-Joachim Roedelius and Dieter Moebius formed Cluster in 1971, the first chapter in the Cluster story drew to a close 1981, after the release of their seventh studio album, Curiosum. Hans-Joachim Roedelius said: “Cluster had run its course. We decided to concentrate on other projects. There was …

Continue reading