Author Archive: dereksmusicblog
TRASHCAN SINATRAS-WILD PENDULUM.
TRASHCAN SINATRAS-WILD PENDULUM. Not many bands formed in 1986 are still together today. That includes some of the most successful eighties bands. Many of these bands spilt-up in the late-eighties. Some made it as far as the nineties before calling it a day. By then, music had changed, while many of these bands had stood …
CHARLEY PRIDE-AMAZING LOVE, COUNTRY FEELIN’, PRIDE OF AMERICA AND CHARLEY.
CHARLEY PRIDE-AMAZING LOVE, COUNTRY FEELIN’, PRIDE OF AMERICA AND CHARLEY. By the time Charley Pride released Amazing Love in October 1973, he was one of the biggest names in country music. Eleven of Charley’s albums had been certified gold, and his last thirteen albums had reached the top ten in the US Country charts. Seven …
VAN HALEN-THE DAVID LEE ROTH YEARS AND BEYOND.
VAN HALEN-THE DAVID LEE ROTH YEARS AND BEYOND. For any successful band, losing their lead singer can prove disastrous. Suddenly, the very future of the band is at risk.The band has two options, to and find a replacement or call it quits. However, this isn’t really an option for a band whose first six albums …
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. …
dereksmusicblog
