Author Archive: dereksmusicblog
FLORIAN FRICKE/POPOL VUH-KAILASH VINYL EDITION.
FLORIAN FRICKE/POPOL VUH-KAILASH VINYL EDITION. In music, the most overused word is legend. It’s a word thrown around like confetti at a Las Vegas wedding. Nowadays, every two-bit hip hopper, EDM star or Nu Soul singer is being referred to as a legend. That’s far removed from the truth. However, it’s nothing new. The overuse …
CHANGE-REACH FOR THE SKY AN ANTHOLOGY.
CHANGE-REACH FOR THE SKY AN ANTHOLOGY. Part of the soundtrack to the disco era was recorded by studio bands. They featured mostly anonymous session musicians and unknown vocalists. Many of these musicians and vocalists were just at the start of their careers, including Luther Vandross. The twenty-eight year old backing vocalist had worked with everyone …
BRIAN ENO-AMBIENT 1/MUSIC FOR AIRPORTS-VINYL EDITION.
BRIAN ENO-AMBIENT 1/MUSIC FOR AIRPORTS-VINYL EDITION. After leaving Roxy Music in 1973, Brian Eno’s career changed direction. Instead, his attention turned to ambient and electronic music. This was a controversial decision, given Roxy Music were one of the most successful British bands of the early seventies. Brian Eno’s creativity was being stifled. He felt he’d …
CINNAMON GIRL: WOMEN ARTISTS COVER NEIL YOUNG FOR CHARITY.
CINNAMON GIRL: WOMEN ARTISTS COVER NEIL YOUNG FOR CHARITY. At this time, of year, anyone looking for a compilation is spoiled for choice. Literally, there’s something for everyone. That’s the case whether it’s a lavish, lovingly compiled, budget busting, multi-disc box set, or something more modest, that you’re after. This week, over one hundred compilations …
JOHN COLTRANE-A LOVE SUPREME-THE COMPLETE MASTERS BOX SET.
JOHN COLTRANE-A LOVE SUPREME-THE COMPLETE MASTERS BOX SET. On December 9th 1964, four musicians made their war to the Van Gelder Studio, on 445 Sylvan Avenue, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. They were scheduled to record an album with renowned jazz producer Rudy Van Gelder. He was a veteran of countless recordings, and had worked with …
THE VELVET UNDERGROUND-THE MATRIX TAPES BOX SET.
THE VELVET UNDERGROUND-THE MATRIX TAPES BOX SET. “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” The Velvet Underground would surely have agreed with Charles Dickens in 1969. They had just endured the most tumultuous year of their career. The Velvet Underground released their eponymous third album in March 1969. It stalled …
MOGWAI-CENTRAL BELTERS -VINYL BOX SET.
MOGWAI-CENTRAL BELTERS -VINYL BOX SET. 2015 finds post rock pioneers Mogwai celebrating their twentieth anniversary. A lot has happened in that twenty year period. Mogwai have released eight studio albums and three soundtracks. These albums have been critically acclaimed and commercially successful not just in Britain, but in America. That’s why nowadays, Mogwai are regarded …
PSYCHEMAGIK PRESENTS MAGIK SUNSET-PART TWO.
PSYCHEMAGIK PRESENTS MAGIK SUNSET-PART TWO. Over the last two years, crate-diggers extraordinaire Psychemagik, have released a quartet of compilations. That takes some doing, as compiling compilation are fraught with difficulties. As a result, many compilers struggle for two years to get one compilation released. Especially, if it’s a compilation rarities. A multitude of problems await …
KING CRIMSON-THRAK.
KING CRIMSON-THRAK. Throughout the history of King Crimson, the lineup has been in a constant state of flux. The lineup is best described as fluid, with members leaving, only to join and return at a later date. By 1995, King Crimson were onto their fifth lineup, when they recorded Thrak, which was recently released by …
JOY OF LIVING-A TRIBUTE TO EWAN MCCOLL.
JOY OF LIVING-A TRIBUTE TO EWAN MCCOLL. Many people won’t have heard of James Henry Miller. However, they will have heard of Ewan McColl. He was one of the greatest folk musicians of his generation. However, Ewan McColl was much more than a musician. Ewan McColl was also an actor, playwright, poet, record producer and …
THE ALAN PARSON’S PROJECT-THE TURN OF A FRIENDLY CARD 35TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION.
THE ALAN PARSON’S PROJECT-THE TURN OF A FRIENDLY CARD 35TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION. Alan Parsons was just eighteen when he started work at Abbey Road Studios, in October 1967. Less that two years later, Alan Parsons received his first credit when he engineered The Beatles’ Abbey Road. It was released in September 1969, and was the …
THE VELVET UNDERGROUND-LOADED BOX SET.
THE VELVET UNDERGROUND-LOADED BOX SET. For The Velvet Underground, 1969 had been a turbulent year. They had released their third album The Velvet Underground in March 1969. It featured the debut of Doug Yule, who was brought in to replace John Cale. This was meant to the start of a bright new future for The …
MOSTER!-WHEN YOU CUT INTO THE PRESENT.
MOSTER!-WHEN YOU CUT INTO THE PRESENT. Ever since they made their debut at the Kongsberg Jazz Festival in 2010, Norwegian supergroup Møster!’s star has been in the ascendancy. So much so, that Møster! are now regarded as one of the biggest bands in the Nordic music scene. That’s quite a feat. Especially since Norway has …
VAN MORRISON-HIS BAND AND STREET CHOIR-VINYL EDITION.
VAN MORRISON-HIS BAND AND STREET CHOIR-VINYL EDITION. When Van Morrison began work on his fourth album His Band and Street Choir, he faced the biggest challenge of his career. His last two albums, 1969s Astral Weeks and 1970s Moondance, had been stonewall classics. Following these albums up wasn’t going to be easy. It was going …
YAORCHT ROCK.
YAORCHT ROCK. Back in the seventies and eighties, AOR was at the peak of its popularity. Especially amongst the generation who had just graduated university and had entered the workplace for the first time. With their disposable income, they bought albums by Boz Scaggs, Seals and Crofts, Carly Simon, Toto, Christopher Cross, Daryl Hall and …
ORNETTE COLEMAN-BEAUTY IS A RARE THING.
ORNETTE COLEMAN-BEAUTY IS A RARE THING. George Orwell wrote in Animal Farm that “not all animals are created equal.” The same seems to be the case with musicians. Especially when it comes to obituaries. During 2015, many musicians have passed away. A few were innovators and changed music forever. Some enjoyed a string of commercially …
SLIP-DISC-DISHOOM’S LONDON BOMBAY GROOVES.
SLIP-DISC-DISHOOM’S LONDON BOMBAY GROOVES. In the wake of World War II, the British government encouraged people from all over the Commonwealth and Empire to emigrate to Britain. The War had hit Britain hard. So many people had died, that there weren’t enough people to fill shortages in the labour market. Soon, people were making their …
BLACK MOON CIRCLE-THE STORY SO FAR.
BLACK MOON CIRCLE-THE STORY SO FAR. Over the last few years, the Norwegian music scene has been thriving. Groups old and new, have been releasing some of the most innovative music in Europe. This includes everything from free jazz, progressive rock and psychedelia to space rock, experimental and avant garde music. It seems that the …
SWEETHEARTS OF THE PRISON RODEO-PIGS IN THE BULL RING [HUMANS LIKE BEASTS].
SWEETHEARTS OF THE PRISON RODEO-PIGS IN THE BULL RING [HUMANS LIKE BEASTS]. Concept album. These two words are guaranteed to divide opinion amongst music critics. That’s despite many classic albums falling into the category of concept albums. This has been the case for nearly fifty years. One of the first concept albums was The Beach …
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