Author Archive: dereksmusicblog
SENEGAL 70-SONIC GEMS AND PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED GEMS FROM THE 70S VINYL EDITION.
SENEGAL 70-SONIC GEMS AND PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED GEMS FROM THE 70S VINYL EDITION. For their first release of 2016, Senegal 70 Sonic Gems and Previously Unreleased Recordings From The 70s, Analog Africa return to what was the musical capital of West Africa, Senegal. It had one of the most vibrant musical scenes in West Africa. That …
WHERE THE GIRLS ARE VOLUME 9.
WHERE THE GIRLS ARE VOLUME 9. Recently, Ace Records released a new volume in one of their longest running, and most successful compilation series. The compilation series in question, is Where The Girls Are. Its story began back on 27th May 1997. That’s when Ace Records released Where The Girls Are. Back then, hope was …
THINGS GONNA GET BETTER: STREET FUNK AND JAZZ GROOVES 1970-1977.
THINGS GONNA GET BETTER: STREET FUNK AND JAZZ GROOVES 1970-1977. As the seventies dawned, America was still at war in Vietnam, and the struggle for racial equality continued. Things were improving, but still, when it came to racal equality, America’s report card said “could do better.” There was hope though. The civil rights movement hoped …
WHITE LIGHT-PARABLE.
WHITE LIGHT-PARABLE. Glasgow in the early seventies was a very different place to it is today. While it wasn’t the same place as portrayed in No Mean City, Glasgow was still a tough place to grow up. The second was still part of Scotland’s industrial heartland, where people worked hard and played hard. However, Glasgow …
NICKLAS SORENSEN-SOLO.
NICKLAS SORENSEN-SOLO. Back in late 2010, Copenhagen based instrumental rock trio Papir, released their eponymous debut album. Papir was released to critical acclaim, and in the process, launched the career of one of the rising stars of the Nordic music scene. A year later, in 2011, Papir returned with their sophomore album Stundum. It was …
YURI GAGARIN-AT THE CENTER OF ALL INFINITY.
YURI GAGARIN-AT THE CENTER OF ALL INFINITY. Since the dawn of the internet age, the way music has been made, released and consumed has been totally transformed. For unsigned bands this has been a game-changer. Yuri Gagarin are proof of this. Swedish space rockers Yuri Gagarin were formed in Gothenburg, in early 2012. For the …
SULA BASSANA-SHIPWRECKED.
SULA BASSANA-SHIPWRECKED. Nowadays, most musicians are content to release an album every year or two. It’s a far cry from the sixties and seventies when bands would regularly release two albums a year. That most people thought, was a thing of the past. However, it’s not. Dave Schmidt is proof of this. His three groups …
BAUMAN/KOEK-BAUMAN/KOEK-VINYL EDITION.
BAUMAN/KOEK-BAUMAN/KOEK-VINYL EDITION. By 1978, German music was changing. The Krautrock era had ended in 1977, and there was a move 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 future generations of ambient musicians. Among the …
THE PARIS SISTERS- ALWAYS HEAVENLY-THE PARIS SISTERS ANTHOLOGY.
THE PARIS SISTERS- ALWAYS HEAVENLY-THE PARIS SISTERS ANTHOLOGY. The Paris Sisters weren’t an overnight success. Far from it. It took nearly a decade of hard work and dedication before they made a commercial breakthrough. Suddenly, all the hard work was worthwhile. Especially when I Love How You Love Me reached five on the US Billboard …
CHARLEY PRIDE-DID YOU THINK TO PRAY/A SUNSHINE LOVE/SONGS OF LOVE/ SWEET COUNTRY.
CHARLEY PRIDE-DID YOU THINK TO PRAY/A SUNSHINE LOVE/SONGS OF LOVE/ SWEET COUNTRY. Growing up, in Sledge, Mississippi, Charley Pride had two loves. The first was baseball, the other was music. Music however, was just a hobby for Charley Pride. His mother bought him a guitar in 1950, when Charley was just fourteen. Soon, he had …
CLARENCE CARTER-THIS IS CLARENCE CARTER & THE DYNAMIC CLARENCE CARTER.
CLARENCE CARTER-THIS IS CLARENCE CARTER & THE DYNAMIC CLARENCE CARTER. The Clarence Carter story is one of triumph over adversity. Clarence Carter was born in Alabama, on January 14 1936. Sadly, shortly after his birth, doctors discovered that Clarence Carter was blind. This was a huge blow for the Carter family. They worried what the …
KRIS DREVER-IF WISHES WERE HORSES.
KRIS DREVER-IF WISHES WERE HORSES. For the last decade, Kris Drever has managed to combine his solo career, with being a member of Lau, who nowadays, are one of the most successful, respected and progressive British folk bands of their generation. However, to reach the heights Lau have, hasn’t been easy. Each of the three …
FIRE!-SHE SLEEPS, SHE SLEEPS.
FIRE!-SHE SLEEPS, SHE SLEEPS. During the sixties and seventies, jazz musicians thought nothing of releasing two and sometimes three albums a year. Often albums were recorded in a few days. This included many a classic album, including John Coltrane’s A Love Supreme. Nowadays, recording an album can be a long, drawn out process. That’s been …
MIKE OLDFIELD-DISCOVERY-VINYL EDITION.
MIKE OLDFIELD-DISCOVERY-VINYL EDITION. By June 1984, thirty-one year old Mike Oldfield prepared to release the ninth album of his career, Discovery which was recently reissued by on vinyl by UMC. This was the followup to 1983s Crises, which was Mike Oldfield’s most successful album of recent years. Crises was certified platinum in Germany and Sweden; and …
SHAZAM! AND OTHER INSTRUMENTALS WRITTEN BY LEE HAZLEWOOD.
SHAZAM! AND OTHER INSTRUMENTALS WRITTEN BY LEE HAZLEWOOD. During a career that spanned six decades, Lee Hazlewood was a singer, songwriter, musician and producer. He even founded his own record label LHI Records in 1967. By then, Lee Hazlewood had been involved with music since the the early fifties. By then, Lee Hazlewood’s life was …
JERRY LEE LEWIS-COUNTRY CLASS AND COUNTRY MEMORIES.
JERRY LEE LEWIS-COUNTRY CLASS AND COUNTRY MEMORIES. March 12th 1968 will forever be a date that looms large in Jerry Lee Lewis’ memory. That was the day when he released his first country single, Another Place, Another Time. Soon, it was climbing the US Country charts, and reached number five. This was the start of …
SAINT ETIENNE PRESENT SONGS FOR THE CARNEGIE DELI.
SAINT ETIENNE PRESENT SONGS FOR THE CARNEGIE DELI. Back in 1984, Woody Allen wrote, directed and starred in the black and white comedy, Broadway Danny Rose. Part of the film takes place over lunch in New York’s famous Carnegie Deli. It’s situated at 854 7th Avenue, and has been called the:”most famous” deli in the …
DIES IRAE-FIRST.
DIES IRAE-FIRST. For many new bands, their main objective is to release a “record.” They want to do this as quickly as possible. For them, it’s a sign that they’ve “arrived” and have one foot on the musical ladder. Sadly, for some bands, that’s as far as it goes. The album fails to sell and …
NEW BREED WORKIN’-BLUES WITH A RHYTHM.
NEW BREED WORKIN’-BLUES WITH A RHYTHM. Not many compilation series survive to release six volumes, never mind thirteen. That’s almost unheard of. However, recently, two compilation series celebrated the release of their sixth and thirteenth volumes. They seem to have found the ‘secret’ of a successful compilation. For those waiting with baited breath, there’s no …
dereksmusicblog
dereksmusicblog 