Author Archive: dereksmusicblog
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 …
THE TEMPERANCE MOVEMENT-WHITE BEAR.
THE TEMPERANCE MOVEMENT-WHITE BEAR. Hardly a month goes by without another band being touted as the future of rock ’n’ roll. These bands are hailed as the next Led Zeppelin or Rolling Stones. Often though, these bands have sunk like a musical Titanic. However, in September 2013, the future of rock ’n’ roll strutted into …
THE VELVET UNDERGROUND-LIVE AT MAX’S KANSAS CITY-VINYL EDITION.
THE VELVET UNDERGROUND-LIVE AT MAX’S KANSAS CITY-VINYL EDITION. 1970 should’ve been the start of a new era for The Velvet Underground. They had just signed a two album deal with Atlantic Records in late 1969. This should’ve been the dawn of a new era for The Velvet Underground, where they belatedly made a commercial breakthrough. …
MASTERPIECES OF MODERN SOUL-VINYL EDITION.
MASTERPIECES OF MODERN SOUL-VINYL EDITION. Over the last few years, there’s been an upsurge in interest in vinyl. In 2014, reached a record high. For the first time in over twenty years, vinyl sales in America surpassed the nine million mark. Things got even better in the first quarter of 2015, with sales increasing by …
BEATSPOKE-THE JOURNEY IS THE DESTINATION.
BEATSPOKE-THE JOURNEY IS THE DESTINATION. It’s been twelve years since Josh Fontan and Sarah Gessler formed Beatspoke in 2004. Since then, singer Sarah Gessler and beat maker and producer have released two albums as Beatspoke. Their debut album No Rush was released to critical acclaim in 2009. It caught the imagination of critics, and was …
THE BATHERS-KELVINGROVE BABY.
THE BATHERS-KELVINGROVE BABY. January 2016 marked the comeback of a Scottish musical institution, The Bathers. They were formed in Glasgow, in 1985, by singer, songwriter and troubled troubadour Chris Thomson and released six albums between 1987 and 1999. The Bathers fifth album was Kelvingrove Baby, a minor classic, that’s one of the finest Scottish albums ever …
THE OTHER SIDE OF THE TRAX-STAX-VOLT 45PRM RARITIES 1964-1968.
THE OTHER SIDE OF THE TRAX-STAX-VOLT 45PRM RARITIES 1964-1968. Just like Picasso, the Stax and Volt labels had a blue period. In Stax and Volt’s case, this began in 1964, and lasted until mid-1968. During this period, Stax released over 300 singles and Volt in excess of 120 singles. This included some of best music …
BLACK ROOTS-SON OF MAN.
BLACK ROOTS-SON OF MAN. In the British reggae scene, Black Roots are viewed as respected elder statesmen. That’s fitting. Black Roots have been making music for over thirty years. Still, though, their music is powerful and full of social comment. That’s the case on their new album Son Of Man, which was released on Soulbeat …
SWAMP POP BY THE BAYOU-TROUBLES, TEARS AND TRAINS.
SWAMP POP BY THE BAYOU-TROUBLES, TEARS AND TRAINS. One of Ace Records longest-running, and most successful compilation series, is their By The Bayou series. Compiled by Ian Saddler, the thirteenth instalment in the By The Bayou series was recently released. However, Swamp Pop By The Bayou-Troubles, Tears and Trains is only the second compilation of …
OUT OF LEFT FIELD-WHERE COUNTRY MEETS SOUL.
OUT OF LEFT FIELD-WHERE COUNTRY MEETS SOUL. Country music has always been inextricably linked with soul music. In some cases, the two go hand-in-hand. This has been documented by Ace Records on their Where Country Meets Soul series. The series began in June 2012, with the release of Behind Closed Doors: Where Country Meets Soul. …
SPLASHGIRL-HIBERNATION.
SPLASHGIRL-HIBERNATION. When doom jazz trio Splashgirl released their sophomore album Arbor in 2009, it was the first release on the newly formed Hubro Music label. Since then, a lot has happened to both Splashgirl and Hubro Music. Both Splashgirl and Hubro Music’s star have been in the ascendancy. Splashgirl have released two critically acclaimed albums, …
dereksmusicblog
dereksmusicblog 