Author Archive: dereksmusicblog
KLAUS SCHULZE-CYBORG.
KLAUS SCHULZE-CYBORG. By the time Klaus Schulze released his debut solo album Irrlicht in 1972, he had already been in what would prove to be two of the most important, innovative and influential Krautrock bands, Tangerine Dream and Ash Ra Tempel. Both groups would write their names into the history books. However, being in a …
THE BLUE NILE-THEY COULD AND SHOULD’VE BEEN GIANTS.
THE BLUE NILE-THEY COULD AND SHOULD’VE BEEN GIANTS. 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 Paul Joseph Moore formed the Blue Nile, …
DAMON- SONG OF A GYPSY.
DAMON- SONG OF A GYPSY. For any collector of psychedelia whose fortunate enough to find a copy of Damon’s Song Of A Gypsy, it quickly becomes one of their most prized possessions. Sadly, finding an original copy of Song Of A Gypsy is another thing. It’s one of the rarest psychedelic albums, and copies have changed hands for …
DAN FOGELBERG-HIGH COUNTRY SNOW AND EXILES.
DAN FOGELBERG-HIGH COUNTRY SNOW AND EXILES. Music was in Dan Fogelberg’s blood. His mother was a classically trained pianist, while his father was a high school band director. So it was no surprise that after Dan Fogelberg graduated from University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign that he embarked upon a career as a musician. Initially, Dan …
LESLEY GORE-BOYS, BOYS, BOYS.
LESLEY GORE-BOYS, BOYS, BOYS. In 1963, Lesley Gore was the all-American girl, who was being heralded as the future of music. That wasn’t surprising. When Lesley Gore released her debut single It’s My Party in 1963, it reached number one in the US Billboard 100 and US R&B charts. This resulted in It’s My Party being certified …
BLACK MOON CIRCLE-SEA OF CLOUDS.
BLACK MOON CIRCLE-SEA OF CLOUDS. Last year, I described Norwegian space rock pioneers, Black Moon Circle as one of the rising stars of the Norwegian music scene. Since then, Black Moon Circle’s star has been in the ascendancy. Their third album, The Studio Jams Volume I: Yellow Nebula In The Sky was released to widespread …
MULL HISTORICAL SOCIETY-SATELLITE.
MULL HISTORICAL SOCIETY-SATELLITE. You shouldn’t judge a book by its covers. These are wise words. Especially when it comes to Mull Historical Society. The name doesn’t sound particularly rock ’n’ roll. Far from it. Instead, it conjures up dusty relics in a far flung museum on the remote, but beautiful Isle Of Mull. However, that’s …
JIGMASTAS-RESURGENCE.
JIGMASTAS-RESURGENCE. When DJ Spinna and Kriminul met, and founded Jigmastas in Brooklyn in 1991, little did they realise that their musical partnership would last twenty-five years. To celebrate this anniversary, Jigmastas have released an album of previously unreleased material Resurgence. It’s just been released by BBE Records, which has been home to Jigmastas for several …
BIG STAR-THE GREATEST BAND YOU’VE NEVER HEARD.
BIG STAR-THE GREATEST BAND YOU’VE NEVER HEARD. Sadly, in music, talent doesn’t equate to commercial success. If it did, Big Star would’ve been the biggest bands in musical history. That wasn’t the case. Lady luck failed to smile on Big Star when they released a trio of albums between 1972 and 1978. Despite this, nowadays, …
ORNETTE COLEMAN-THE ATLANTIC YEARS.
ORNETTE COLEMAN-THE ATLANTIC YEARS. A year ago, on June 11th 2015, that Ornette Coleman passed away, aged eighty-five. Music had lost a true legend, whose album Free Jazz: A Collective Improvisation lent its name to a musical genre, free jazz. It’s the genre that Ornette Coleman became synonymous with. However, two years earlier, this nascent …
JODY REYNOLDS-THE COMPLETE DEMON AND TITAN MASTERS.
JODY REYNOLDS-THE COMPLETE DEMON AND TITAN MASTERS. Jody Reynolds life was changed forevermore in 1958, when Demon Records released Endless Sleep as a single. This was a song that Jody Reynolds had written in 1956, after hearing Elvis Presley’s Heartbreak Hotel. Not long after this, Jody Reynolds performed Endless Sleep for the first time. The …
LONNIE MACK-THE WHAM OF THAT MEMPHIS MAN!
LONNIE MACK-THE WHAM OF THAT MEMPHIS MAN! By 1963, twenty-two year old Lonnie Mack was already an experienced musician. He had been making a living as a musician since he was thirteen. That was when Lonnie Mack quit school, after getting involved in an argument with a teacher. For most thirteen year olds, this would’ve …
DIE KRUPPS-STAHLWERKREQUIEM.
DIE KRUPPS-STAHLWERKREQUIEM. In 1978, German music began to change. The Krautrock era which began in 1969, had ended in 1977. There was then a shift more towards electronic music. This wasn’t new. The Berlin School had been around since the early seventies. It was also a precursor of ambient music, and went on to influence …
MODERNISM.
MODERNISM. Ever since the birth of rock ’n’ roll, youth cults have come and gone. Some have been nothing more than passing fads. Others have lasted longer. None of the youth cults of the past sixty years have enjoyed the same longevity as the modernists. Their longevity is unrivalled, and is celebrated on Modernism, a new compilation …
TYLL-SEXPHONIE.
TYLL-SEXPHONIE. During 1975, a number of Krautrock’s most innovative bands released new albums. The year began when Neu! released their third album Neu! 75 in January 1975. This got the ball rolling. Over the next eleven months, many of the leading lights of the Krautrock scene released new albums. Harmonia released their sophomore album Deluxe; …
PHIL’S SPECTRE-A WALL OF SOUNDALIKES.
PHIL’S SPECTRE-A WALL OF SOUNDALIKES. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. So it must have seemed to Phil Spector, as producers on both side of the Atlantic tried to replicate his famous Wall Of Sound. These producers looked enviously at Phil Spector, and wanted to enjoy the same commercial success and critical acclaim that …
INTERVIEW WITH HOLGER CZUKAY OF CAN.
INTERVIEW WITH HOLGER CZUKAY OF CAN. The word innovator is one of the most overused words in the English language. However, Holger Czukay, who cofounded Can in 1968 deserves to be called an innovator. He’s also a fascinating person to interview. When I interviewed him, we discussed all things Can, Holger’s solo career and even, the merits of …
THE COSMIC DEAD-RAINBOWHEAD.
THE COSMIC DEAD-RAINBOWHEAD. For over forty years, Glasgow has had a vibrant and thriving music scene. That’s why Glasgow is regarded as Scotland’s true musical capital. Edinburgh by comparison, is the poor relation. I dare say, denizens of Edinburgh will protest, and claim The Proclaimers as their own. That however is nothing to boast about. …
ELEKTRO HAFIZ-ELEKTRO HAFIZ.
ELEKTRO HAFIZ-ELEKTRO HAFIZ. For many musicians who have been part of a band, embarking upon a solo career isn’t easy. It can be a risky business. Especially if the band is successful, and has released groundbreaking albums. This makes embarking upon a solo career a big decision. Often, band members have invested much of their …
DJ FORMAT’S PSYCH OUT.
DJ FORMAT’S PSYCH OUT. Nowadays, compilations of psychedelia are commonplace. Indeed, hardly a week goes by without another compilation of psychedelia being released. Alas, these compilations vary in quality, and are best described as the good, the bad and ugly. The best compilations of psychedelia are lovingly curated by knowledgeable and enthusiastic compilers. Others compilations …
dereksmusicblog
dereksmusicblog 