Author Archive: dereksmusicblog
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 …
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 …
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