Author Archive: dereksmusicblog
AMERICA-THE WARNER BROS. YEARS.
AMERICA-THE WARNER BROS. YEARS. Somewhat confusingly, the America story began in London in 1971. That’s when high school students Dewey Bunnell, Dan Peek, and Gerry Beckley first met. Their fathers were all members of the US Air Force, and at that time, were stationed in London. Far from home, and strangers in a foreign country …
RICK WAKEMAN-5 CLASSIC ALBUMS.
RICK WAKEMAN-5 CLASSIC ALBUMS. To misquote George Orwell, “not all box sets are created equal.” Indeed, box sets come in all shapes and sizes. Some are lovingly compiled, lavish and bespoke. They’re released in limited numbers and quickly become a collector’s item. Then there’s the mid-price box sets, which feature all the albums an artist …
MARIA MULDAUR-SWEET HARMONY, SOUTHERN WINDS AND OPEN YOUR EYES.
MARIA MULDAUR-SWEET HARMONY, SOUTHERN WINDS AND OPEN YOUR EYES. Although some artists record twenty or thirty albums, they’re often remembered for just one song. Usually, that song is the biggest hit of their career. That was the case with Maria Muldaur. She released her eponymous debut solo album Maria Muldaur in 1973. The song that …
THE LADIES OF TOO SLOW TO DISCO-RECORD STORE DAY VINYL EDITION.
THE LADIES OF TOO SLOW TO DISCO-RECORD STORE DAY VINYL EDITION. Over the last few years, there’s been a resurgence in interest in the West Coast sound. It fell from grace in the late seventies. Before that, the West Coast sound had won over the hearts and minds of record buyers, and provided the soundtrack …
HANK BALLARD AND THE MIDNIGHTERS-UNWIND YOURSELF-THE KING RECORDINGS 1964-1967.
HANK BALLARD AND THE MIDNIGHTERS-UNWIND YOURSELF-THE KING RECORDINGS 1964-1967. Hank Ballard played an important part in musical history. He was a successful singer and songwriter, whose career spanned fifty-two years. The most successful period of Hank Ballard’s career, was between 1953 and 1969, when he was the lead singer of Hank Ballard and The Midnighters. …
ERLEND APNESETH TRIO-DET ANDRE ROMMET.
ERLEND APNESETH TRIO-DET ANDRE ROMMET. Practise makes perfect. So the old proverb says. Erlend Apneseth is proof of this. He’s one of Norway’s top young fiddlers, and is already competing at the highest level. That has been the case for some time. Erlend Apneseth competes at the elite level in Norway’s National Contest For Traditional …
SPOOKY TOOTH-THE ISLAND RECORDS YEARS.
SPOOKY TOOTH-THE ISLAND RECORDS YEARS. All too often, some bands don’t get the credit they deserve. That was the case with Spooky Tooth, who for a time, pioneered the use of twin keyboards. They lead the way. Soon, other bands were following in their wake. By then, the Spooky Tooth story was over. Spooky Tooth were …
LITTLE FEAT-THE LOWELL GEORGE YEARS.
LITTLE FEAT-THE LOWELL GEORGE YEARS. Before founding Little Feat in 1969, Lowell George was a member of Frank Zappa’s Mothers Of Invention. Then in 1969, Lowell met Bill Payne who previously, had auditioned for The Mothers Of Invention. Bill however, never joined The Mothers Of Invention. No. In 1969 pianist Bill Payne and guitarist Lowell …
THE WILD OATS-THE WILD OATS.
THE WILD OATS-THE WILD OATS. Way before The Beatles burst onto the scene with Love Me Do in 1962, bands were being formed up and down Britain. Bands literally sprung up from John O’ Groats to Land’s End. This included in Leiston, a small, rural town in sleepy Suffolk. It was an unlikely place for …
THE AROCK, SEROCK, SYLVIA SOUL STORY CONTINUED.
THE AROCK, SEROCK, SYLVIA SOUL STORY CONTINUED. Al Sears’ career began in the 1928, when he replaced Johnny Hodges in Chic Webbs’ band. This was the start of a long and successful career. In 1931, Al Sears joined Elmer Snowden’s band. He was the tenor saxophonist right through until 1932. Then in 1933, Al Sears …
SOME KINDA MAGIC-THE SONGS OF JERRY ROSS.
SOME KINDA MAGIC-THE SONGS OF JERRY ROSS. Growing up in Philadelphia, Jerry Ross dreamt of becoming a trumpeter and singer. While this dreams never came quite true, Jerry went on to live the dream musically. Jerry Ross became a hugely successful songwriter and producer. He also worked in A&R and owned his own record companies. Jerry …
GORDON LIGHTFOOT-DREAM SWEET ROSE, SHADOWS AND SALUTE.
GORDON LIGHTFOOT-DREAM SWEET ROSE, SHADOWS AND SALUTE. By 1980, the man dubbed “Canada’s greatest songwriter” was about to release the fourteenth album of his career, Dream Sweet Rose. It was the first album Gordon Lightfoot had released since Endless Wire in January 1978. Endless Wire had reached number two in Canada, and number twenty-two in …
HEDVIG MOLLESTAD TRIO-EVIL IN OSLO.
HEDVIG MOLLESTAD TRIO-EVIL IN OSLO. Most groups choose to release just one new album at a time. That’s most groups. However, the Hedvig Mollestad Trio aren’t most groups. Instead, they’re musical trailblazers, who push musical boundaries, and in the process, create inventive and innovative genre-melting music. That’s been the case since the Hedvig Mollestad Trio were …
LINDA PERHACS-A TALE OF TWO ALBUMS.
LINDA PERHACS-A TALE OF TWO ALBUMS. It was in 1970, that twenty-seven year old dental hygienist Linda Perhacs released Parallelograms, her debut album. Some people wondered why it had taken Linda so long? After all, she was a musical prodigy. Linda Long was born in Mill Valley, which lies just north of San Francisco’s Golden …
JIMI HENDRIX THE MAN WHO CHANGED MUSIC.
JIMI HENDRIX THE MAN WHO CHANGED MUSIC. On the 4th of July 1970, Jimi Hendrix journeyed 100 miles south of Atlanta. His destination was the second Atlanta International Pop Festival, which was being billed as the second Woodstock. That was where The Jimi Hendrix Experience were about play a starring role. When The Jimi Hendrix Experience …
TEENAGE FANCLUB-BANDWAGONESQUE-VINYL LIMITED EDITION.
TEENAGE FANCLUB-BANDWAGONESQUE-VINYL LIMITED EDITION. Hardly ever does commercial success and critical acclaim come overnight for a band. Instead, it often takes a couple of albums before a band hits their stride. That was the case with the Teenage Fanclub. It wasn’t until the Teenage Fanclub released their third album Bandwagonesque in November 1991 that commercial …
THE VELVET UNDERGROUND-LOADED-LIMITED VINYL EDITION.
THE VELVET UNDERGROUND-LOADED-LIMITED VINYL EDITION. With the continued resurgence in interest of all things vinyl, many retailers and record companies are joining forces to release limited edition of what they refer to as classic albums. That description is stretching things for some of the albums that have been conferred classic status. Indeed, sometimes, the word classic is something more …
HEDVIG MOLLESTAD TRIO-BLACK STABAT MATER.
HEDVIG MOLLESTAD TRIO-BLACK STABAT MATER. Just over two years ago, the Hedvig Mollestad Trio released their critically acclaimed and career defining third album Enfant Terrible. It was hailed as the finest album of the band’s five year career. That however, is until now. Currently, the Hedvig Mollestad Trio are currently preparing to release their much …
GARY BURTON-SOMETHING’S COMING!, THE GROOVY SOUND OF MUSIC AND THE TIME MACHINE.
GARY BURTON-SOMETHING’S COMING!, THE GROOVY SOUND OF MUSIC AND THE TIME MACHINE. Growing up in Anderson, Indiana, Gary Burton was regarded as a child prodigy. He became interested in music when he was just six. That was when Gary Burton first began to play the vibraphone and marimba. Mostly, Gary was self taught, and eventually …
dereksmusicblog
dereksmusicblog 