Monthly Archives: June, 2020
CULT CLASSIC: JOE HOUSTON-KICKIN’ BACK.
Cult Classic: Joe Houston-Kickin’ Back. Joe Houston’s career began in 1941 when he was just fifteen, and a saxophonist in a touring band never turned up. This presented the bandleader with a problem. However, he needn’t have worried as Joe Houston was in the audience and this was the breakthrough the young saxophonist had dreamy about. From an …
CULT CLASSIC: BROTHERS AND SISTERS-DYLAN’S GOSPEL.
Cult Classic: Brothers and Sisters-Dylan’s Gospel. For too long, backing singers have been the forgotten heroes of music and that has been the case since the sixties. Mostly, they were largely anonymous figures and their raison d’être was to make the stars sound good. Backing singers, like session musicians, were hired guns and everyday, they …
CULT CLASSIC: HOT PEPPER-SPANGLISH MOVEMENT.
Cult Classic: Hot Pepper-Spanglish Movement. By 1977, it looked as if the disco bubble would never burst as it provided the soundtrack to danceflooors in Britain, Europe and North America. DJs and dancers had been won over by disco which had grown in popularity over the previous few years. Initially, disco was an underground movement …
CULT CLASSIC: BILLY COBHAM-MAGIC.
Cult Classic: Billy Cobham-Magic. By 1977, Panamanian-American jazz and fusion drummer Billy Cobham had only been a solo artist since 1973, but he already accumulated a wealth of experience since his discharge from the US Army in 1968. Soon, he had joined Horace Silver’s Quintet, then became the house drummer at Atlantic Records and a …
CULT CLASSIC: THE BLACK HIPPIES-THE BLACK HIPPIES.
Cult Classic: The Black Hippies-The Black Hippies. One of Nigerian music’s best kept secrets, are The Black Hippies who only ever released two albums. Their finest moment was their 1977 eponymous which was released in 1977, on EMI. Sadly, by then, disco and funk were flavour of the month and The Black Hippies were a year too late releasing their …
CULT CLASSIC: THE DEADBEATS-ON TAR BEACH.
Cult Classic: The Deadbeats-On Tar Beach. There aren’t many teenagers who dream of leaving the Florida sunshine to head to London, and form a band. That’s what Suzie May did in 1979. She left her home in the Florida suburbs, and arrived in Camden Town, London. Already Suzie May was halfway towards fulfilling her dream. That was …
PYRAMID PIECES 1:MODAL AND ECO JAZZ FROM AUSTRALIA 1969-1979.
Pyramid Pieces 1: Modal and Eco Jazz From Australia 1969-1979. Label: Roundtable. Over the last few years, independent and major record labels have released compilations of American, British, European and Japanese jazz. They’ve focused on everything from bebop and hard bop to modal and modern right through to avant-garde, free and spiritual jazz. It’s been …
THE LADIES OF TOO SLOW TO DISCO VOLUME 2.
The Ladies Of Too Slow To Disco Volume 2. Label: How Do You Are? Ever since the birth of rock ’n’ roll, musical genres have fallen in-and-out of fashion, and what’s popular today can be consigned to the dustbin of musical history tomorrow as tastes change. That happened to everything from psychedelia and progressive rock …
CULT CLASSIC: SEA LEVEL-BALL ROOM.
Cult Classic: Sea Level-Ball Room. In 1980, Southern rockers Sea Level released their fifth album Ball Room, which was a new start for the band. They had been signed to Capricorn Records since the release of their eponymous debut album in 1976. After recording four albums for Capricorn Records, Sea Level signed to Clive Davis’ …
THE BLUE NILE-HIGH
The Blue Nile-High. Label: Confetti Records. Format: 2 CD Set. Release Date: ‘5th’ June 2020. Enigmatic, reluctant and contrarian are words that best of describe The Blue Nile. They’re the complete opposite of most bands. The Blue Nile have been described as publicity shy. That’ is an understatement. Ever since Paul Buchanan, Robert Bell and …
JOHN LEE HOOKER-DOCUMENTING THE SENSATION RECORDINGS 1948-52.
John Lee Hooker-Documenting The Sensation Recordings 1948-52. Label: Ace Records. In 1946, Detroit-based Bernard Besman joined forces with accountant John Kaplan and bought Pan American Record Distributing. Later that year, they also founded Sensation Records which they named after a local nightclub, the Sensation Lounge. The next step was to sign some of the best …
SOUL VOICES-60S BIG BALLADS.
Soul Voices-60s Big Ballads. Label: Kent Soul. For many soul afficianados, the sixties was a golden age with labels like Stax, Atco, Goldwax and Motown releasing some of their best and most successful singles. Five decades later, and some of these singles are now regarded as classics and are favourites of radio DJs. Sadly, many other …
BOB STANLEY AND PETE WIGGS PRESENT OCCASIONAL RAIN.
Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs Present Occasional Rain. Label: Ace Records. As the sixties gave way to the seventies, psychedelia prepared to kiss the sky and say goodbye as it exited stage left. However, all wasn’t well despite all the groundbreaking music released during the last few years. After Woodstock and the Altamont Free Concert …
BOPPIN’ BY THE BAYOU-FEEL SO GOOD.
Boppin’ By The Bayou-Feel So Good. Label: Ace Records. When Ace Records released Boppin’ By The Bayou in 2012, little did anyone at the label realise that they had just released the first instalment in what would become their longest running and most successful compilation series. However, it was so successful that another instalment in …
CULT CLASSIC: ALAN HAWKSHAW AND BRIAN BENNETT-SYNTHESIS.
Cult Classic: Alan Hawkshaw and Brian Bennett-Synthesis. Nowadays, the seventies are regarded as a golden age for library music, and two of its leading lights during this era were Alan Hawkshaw and Brian Bennett. They were responsible for some of the best library music that KPM Records released during its golden era. This included the library music classic Synthesis, …
CULT CLASSIC: BERT MYRICK-LIVE ’N WELL.
Cult Classic: Bert Myrick-Live ’N Well. Many record collectors have an album that has continued to elude them for many years. So much so, that it is the equivalent to finding the holy grail. They’ve searched for years, and never come close to finding that elusive and rare album. It gets that they can’t pass …
JIMI HENDRIX-BAND OF GYPSYS 50TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION.
Jimi Hendrix-Band Of Gypsys 50th Anniversary Edition. Label: Sony. When the Jimi Hendrix Experience took to the stage at the Denver Pop Festival in June 1969, bassist Noel Redding knew it was his swansong with the group. He had been told by a journalist before the show that he was going to be replaced by Billy …
KING CRIMSON-LARK’S TONGUES IN ASPIC.
King Crimson-Lark’s Tongues In Aspic. Lable: Panegyric. Release Date: ‘12th’ June 2020. In October 1969, King Crimson announced their arrival when they released their critically acclaimed debut album, In The Court Of The Crimson King. This future progressive rock classic reached number five in the UK, and was certified gold in America, when it reached number twenty-eight. Following the success of In The …
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