Author Archive: dereksmusicblog
LOWE COUNTRY-THE SONGS OF NICK LOWE.
LOWE COUNTRY-THE SONGS OF NICK LOWE. Despite enjoying a career that’s lasted nearly fifty years, Nick Lowe’s music still hasn’t found the wider audience it deserves. His biggest hit came in 1978, when I Love The Sound Of Breaking Glass reached number seven in Britain. A year later, in 1979, Cruel To Be Kind reached number …
RIM KWAKU OBENG-RIM ARRIVES.
RIM KWAKU OBENG-RIM ARRIVES. For collectors of Afro-funk and disco, many albums remain tantalisingly out of reach. This includes Ghanian drummer Rim Kwaku Obeng’s legionary lost debut album Rim Arrives. It was released in 1977, four years after a perilous time for Rim Kwaku Obeng. He found himself stranded in London, without money, documents or …
P-FUNK ALL-STARS LIVE AT THE BEVERLEY THEATRE IN HOLLYWOOD.
P-FUNK ALL-STARS LIVE AT THE BEVERLEY THEATRE IN HOLLYWOOD. The early eighties weren’t a good time for George Clinton, Parliament and Funkadelic were no more. He had been forced to dissolve both groups. His use of multiple names had caught up with him. Throughout the seventies, and into the eighties, George Clinton had released albums …
THE SOULJAZZ ORCHESTRA-RESISTANCE.
THE SOULJAZZ ORCHESTRA-RESISTANCE. It’s ten years since The Souljazz Orchestra released their debut album Uprooted in 2005. However, The Souljazz Orchestra were no strangers to the Canadian music scene. They came to prominence two years after a new millennia dawned. Since 2002, The Souljazz Orchestra have been showcasing their inimitable sound. Back then, The Souljazz …
GEIR SUNDSTOL-FURULUND.
GEIR SUNDSTOL-FURULUND. Prolific. That’s a word that is often used to describe musicians. Often that’s an exaggeration. Not in the case of Geir Sundstøl. Since his career began in 1988, Geir Sundstøl has featured on 260 different albums. This includes the albums he recorded as member of Rovers, and then Morris. Mostly, though, Geir Sundstøl has …
MORTEN QVENILD-PERSONAL PIANO.
MORTEN QVENILD-PERSONAL PIANO. Over the last twenty years, Morten Qvenild has been at the heart of the Norwegian music scene. The thirty-seven year old pianist and keyboardist is one of the most versatile and creative musicians of his generation. That’s why, when anyone in the Norwegian music scene was looking for a pianist or keyboardist, …
VAN MORRISON-MOONDANCE.
VAN MORRISON-MOONDANCE. When Van Morrison released his third album, Moondance, in February 1970, little did he know he’d just released not only a classic album, but an album he’d never surpass. This wasn’t unexpected. After all, two years earlier in February 1968, Van Morrison has released Astral Weeks, an album which was a game-changer. Astral …
MASTERPIECES OF MODERN SOUL VOLUME 4.
MASTERPIECES OF MODERN SOUL VOLUME 4. It was back in October 2003, when Kent Soul released the first instalment in the Masterpieces Of Modern Soul series. Since then, another three volumes have been released. The first came in January 2009, when Masterpieces Of Modern Soul Volume 2 was released. Just over two years passed, and …
LINK WRAY-3-TRACK SHACK.
LINK WRAY-3-TRACK SHACK. Jimmy Page, Neil Young and Iggy Pop all have one thing in common. They were all influenced by Link Wray, whose 1958 instrumental hit Rumble, popularised the power chord. As a result, several generations of guitarists, owe a debt of gratitude to Link Wray. He’s regarded as one of greatest guitarists in …
MUELLER-ROEDELIUS-IMAGORI.
MUELLER-ROEDELIUS-IMAGORI. Nowadays, some artists spend years working on an album. Partly, that’s down to the way albums are recorded. Things used to be very different. Forty years ago, the only way to record an album, was in a recording studio. That cost money. So, the only bands able to record an album, were those signed …
INTERVIEW WITH HANS-JOACHIM ROEDELIUS.
INTERVIEW WITH HANS-JOACHIM ROEDELIUS. The words pioneer and innovator are often overused. However, it is a fitting description of Hans-Joachim Roedelius. He is, without doubt, one of the most inventive and influential musicians of the past fifty years. His music has influenced several generation of musicians. And Hans-Joachim Roedelius has released more music that most musicians. …
ASAMISIMASA PLAYS THE MUSIC OF ØYVIND TORVUND.
ASAMISIMASA PLAYS THE MUSIC OF ØYVIND TORVUND. Øyvind Torvund isn’t like other composers and musicians. Instead, he’s a musical pioneer. That’s been the case since Øyvind Torvund graduated from the Norwegian Academy of Music and the Berlin University of the Arts. Since then, the thirty-nine year old Norwegian has been pushing musical boundaries to their limits. …
ISAAC HAYES MOVEMENT-DISCO CONNECTION.
ISAAC HAYES MOVEMENT-DISCO CONNECTION. Disco. Never has a musical genre divided opinion like the D word. It’s been described as musical Marmite. People either love disco, or they loathe it. There’s no in-between. However, forty years ago, in 1976, disco’s star was in the ascendancy. Artists were jumping onto the disco bandwagon. Especially artists …
MAN-CALL DOWN THE MOON.
MAN-CALL DOWN THE MOON. When Man split-up in 1976, Deke Leonard was asked whether Man would ever reform. Deke was clear about that. He said that Man “would never, ever, be one of those bands who reformed in a futile attempt to recapture past glories.” For fans of Man, that looked like the end of …
REACHING OUT! CHESS RECORDS AT FAME STUDIOS.
REACHING OUT! CHESS RECORDS AT FAME STUDIOS. There aren’t many recording studios that play such an important part in their town’s history, that they’re added to the list of local landmarks and designated part of the town’s heritage. That’s what happened to the Fame Recording Studios in December 1997, when the recording studios were added …
ALL ABOARD! 25 TRAIN TRACKS CALLING AT ALL MUSICAL STATIONS.
ALL ABOARD! 25 TRAIN TRACKS CALLING AT ALL MUSICAL STATIONS. Nowadays, most compilations seem to be genre specific. They feature only soul, funky, jazz, psychedelia, pop or rock. Some compilations go even further, and focus on a sub genre of music. That’s because nowadays, many people seem to gravitate to one genre of music. It …
ROGER WATERS-AMUSED TO DEATH.
ROGER WATERS-AMUSED TO DEATH. Following the departure of Syd Barrett from Pink Floyd, bassist Roger Waters became the group’s creative force. This was the case from Pink Floyd’s third album, Ummagumma, which was released in 1969, right through to 1983s The Final Cut. After the release of The Final Cut, Roger Waters left Pink Floyd. …
JENNY HVAL AND SUSANNA-MESHES OF VOICE-VINYL EDITION.
JENNY HVAL AND SUSANNA-MESHES OF VOICE-VINYL EDITION. Six years ago, in 2009, Jenny Hval and Susanna began writing to each other. A lot has happened to Jenny and Susanna since that initial exchange of letters. Jenny and Susanna were both singer-sonwriters. So it made sense that they collaborated. Together, they cowrote fifteen songs. They showcased …
LED ZEPPELIN-CODA-DELUXE EDITION.
LED ZEPPELIN-CODA-DELUXE EDITION. Led Zeppelin enjoyed ten years at the top. During their ten years at the top, Led Zeppelin released eight albums. They released their debut album Led Zeppelin in January 1969. Just over ten years later, Led Zeppelin released In Through The Out Door in August 1979. These eight albums sold over 100 …
dereksmusicblog
dereksmusicblog 