Author Archive: dereksmusicblog
CULT CLASSIC: ROLAND HAYNES-2ND WAVE.
Cult Classic: Roland Haynes-2nd Wave. Forty-five years ago in 1975, Roland Haynes released his debut album 2nd Wave on the Detroit-based Black Jazz Records. The label was founded by Gene Russell and Dick Schory and released twenty albums between 1971 and 1975. 2nd Wave was the label’s penultimate release and it folded later in 1975. …
KOHSUKE MINE-FIRST.
Kohsuke Mine-First. Label: BBE. Format: CD. Nowadays, the most important period in the development of J-Jazz is between late-sixties through to the early eighties. That’s regarded as a crucial period in the development of modern jazz in Japan. During that period, many Japanese composers and musicians and bands released ambitious and innovative music that astounded …
WARREN HAMPSHIRE-LANGUAGE OF THE BIRDS.
Warren Hampshire-Language Of The Birds. Label: Athens Of The North. Format: CD. Many people will remember Warren Hampshire as the guitarist in The Bees, who were formed in Ventnor on the Isle of Wight in 2001 and went on to release four albums between 2002 and 2010. However, he wasn’t an original lineup of the …
TEENAGE FANCLUB-ENDLESS ARCADE.
Teenage Fanclub-Endless Arcade. Label: PeMa. Format: CD. Much has happened to Teenage Fanclub since they released their tenth album Here on the ‘9th’ of September 2009. It was their first album since the release of Shadows on the ‘21st’ of May 2010, and marked a return to form for the band that was formed in …
IAN CARR-BELLADONNA.
Ian Carr-Belladonna. Label: Mr Bongo. Format: CD. In 1969, thirty-six year old Ian Carr who was born Dumfries, in the South West Scotland, formed Nucleus who would become one of the top British fusion groups. By then, the Scottish trumpeter was a familiar face on the London jazz scene. He had been member of the …
PINK FLOYD-LIVE AT KNEBWORTH 1990.
Pink Floyd-Live At Knebworth 1990. Label: Pink Floyd Records. Format: CD. On June the ‘30th’ 1990, some of the great and good of British rock made their way to the village of Knebworth, in the north of Hertfordshire where they were to be presented with the Silver Clef Award for outstanding contributions to UK music. …
CULT CLASSIC: DUKE PEARSON FEATURING BOBBY HUTCHERSON-THE PHANTOM.
Cult Classic: Duke Pearson Featuring Bobby Hutcherson-The Phantom. By June 1968, Atlanta-born pianist Duke Pearson was thirty-five, and was about to begin record the twelfth album of his career, The Phantom. It would be the seventh album he had recorded for Blue Note Records since he first signed for the label in 1959, and later …
CLASSIC ALBUM: BOB MARLEY AND THE WAILERS-CATCH A FIRE.
Classic Album: Bob Marley and The Wailers-Catch A Fire Having signed to Chris Blackwell’s Island Records, The Wailers released their fifth studio Catch A Fire on April the ‘13th’ 1973. The first 20,000 copies came encased in Rob Dyer and Bob Weiner’s now famous Zippo lighter’ hinged album sleeve. However, Island Records had underestimated demand for what was a landmark album and 14,400 copies sold …
CULT CLASSIC: ESTHER PHILLIPS-WHAT A DIFF’RENCE A DAY MAKES.
Cult Classic: Esther Phillips-What A Diff’rence A Day Makes. Despite releasing eighteen albums during a career that lasted thirty-five years most people haven’t heard of Esther Phillips. That’s a great shame because she was one of the most talented, versatile and underrated singers of her generation. She possessed a totally unique and unmistakable voice and her versatility allowed …
CULT CLASSIC: THE BATHERS-SUNPOWDER.
Cult Classic: The Bathers-Sunpowder. With Chris Thompson at the helm, the The Bathers could’ve and should’ve, been one the biggest Scottish bands ever. Their music was articulate, beautiful, dramatic, ethereal, elegiac, emotive, languid, literate and melancholy. This is music for those that have loved, lost and survived to tell the tale. Sadly, The Bathers never …
JON SAVAGE’S 1972-1976: ALL OUR TIMES HAVE COME.
Jon Savage’s 1972-1976: All Our Times Have Come. Label: Ace Records. Format: 2CD. First there was rock ’n’ roll and then between 1972 and 1976 morphed and there was everything from art rock, experimental rock and glam rock to hard rock and Krautrock as well as power pop, pub rock and punk rock. The music being released …
EVERYBODY MAKES A MISTAKE: STAX SOUTHERN SOUL VOLUME 2.
Everybody Makes A Mistake: Stax Southern Soul Volume 2. Label: Kent Soul. Format: CD. Satellite Records was founded in 1957 by Jim Stewart and Estelle Axton and four years later in 1961 the label changed its name to Stax Records. The newly named label was joined by Volt Records which was its sister label. This …
CULT CLASSIC: WALTER BISHOP JR-CORAL KEYS.
Cult Classic: Walter Bishop Jr-Coral Keys. In 1971, Gene Russell and Dick Schory founded Black Jazz Records and later that year, the nascent label released their first release. This was Doug Carn’s debut album Infant Eyes. It was the first of twenty albums that the label released between 1971 and 1975. Later in 1971, Black …
CULT CLASSIC: QUICKSAND-HOME IS WHERE I BELONG.
Cult Classic: Quicksand-Home Is Where I Belong. Musical history is littered with examples of groups who only ever released one album during their what proves to be a short-lived career. Especially, during the late-sixties and early seventies when many record companies had unrealistic expectations. All too often, when a band’s debut album failed to find …
THE RADIATORS FROM SPACE-TV TUBE HEART 40TH ANNIVERSARY VERSION.
The Radiators From Space-TV Tube Heart-40th Anniversary Version. Label: Ace Records. Format: CD. When The Ramones played at the Roundhouse in London on the ‘4th’ of July 1976, this was a catalyst for punk movement. Many of the future leading lights of the punk movement have since claimed to have been present that night. In …
CULT CLASSIC: DR JOHN-IN A SENTIMENTAL MOOD.
Cult Classic: Dr John-In A Sentimental Mood. There aren’t many musicians who enjoy the longevity that the late, great Dr John enjoyed. His career lasted the best part of sixty years and he released thirty studio albums and nine live albums. Dr John also won six Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Rock and …
HANK MOBLEY-SOUL STATION
Hank Mobley-Soul Station. Label: Blue Note Records. Format: LP. It was Leonard Feather, the British-born jazz pianist, composer, producer and music writer who described Hank Mobley as the: “middleweight champion of the tenor saxophone.” This metaphor made sense to critics and connoisseurs of jazz. His tone was neither as aggressive as John Coltrane nor as …
NEIL YOUNG-YOUNG SHAKESPEARE.
Neil Young-Young Shakespeare. Label: Warner. Format: CD. On September the ‘30th’ 1970 Canadian singer-songwriter Neil Young released his critically acclaimed third album After The Gold Rush. It was hailed as the finest album of his solo career and nowadays, is regarded as a classic. Live At Massey Hall 1971. After the release of After The …
dereksmusicblog
dereksmusicblog 