Author Archive: dereksmusicblog
DIRE STRAITS- COMMUNIQUE.
DIRE STRAITS- COMMUNIQUE. 7th July 1978 is the day that changed the lives of the four members of Dire Straits forevermore. That day, Dire Straits released their eponymous debut album. This was the beginning of a glittering seventeen year career. However, it wasn’t until Sultans Of Swing was released as a single in the spring …
STOMU YAMASHTA-RED BUDDHA.
STOMU YAMASHTA-RED BUDDHA. Too often, Stomu Yamashta’s role in the popularisation of world music is overlooked by critics and cultural commentators. They forget that Stomu Yamashta helped popularise world music back in the sixties. Right through to the seventies, Stomu Yamashta was one of the leading lights in the burgeoning world music scene. That was …
ROLLING STONES-STICKY FINGERS-DELUXE EDITION.
ROLLING STONES-STICKY FINGERS-DELUXE EDITION. By 1970, The Rolling Stones were in the middle of what is now perceived as their “golden age.” It began in 1968, when The Rolling Stones released Beggars Banquet in December 1968. Beggars Banquet was released to widespread critical acclaim. It featured an outpouring of creativity from The Rolling Stones. The …
GEORGE DUKE-A BRAZILIAN LOVE AFFAIR-VINYL EDITION.
GEORGE DUKE-A BRAZILIAN LOVE AFFAIR-VINYL EDITION. By 1979, when George Duke released A Brazilian Love Affair, he was one of the hardest working men in music. Not only had he released fifteen solo albums, but had moved into production. Then there was George’s work as a sideman. The list of musicians George has played with …
SHE…WANTS A PIECE OF YOU.
SHE…WANTS A PIECE OF YOU. In 1963, sisters Nancy and Sally Ross were attending a Beach Boys concert in Sacramento. That concert would change their lives. Buoyed by having witnessed the Beach Boys at the peak of their powers, Nancy hit on the idea of forming a band. Sally Ross who was only thirteen, volunteered …
DISCO 2: A FURTHER FINE SELECTION OF INDEPENDENT DISCO, MODERN SOUL AND BOOGIE 1976-80.
DISCO 2: A FURTHER FINE SELECTION OF INDEPENDENT DISCO, MODERN SOUL AND BOOGIE 1976-80. Just seven months after Soul Jazz Records released Disco: A Fine Selection of Independent Disco, Modern Soul and Boogie in November 2014, the London based label return with the sequel, Disco 2: A Further Fine Selection of Independent Disco, Modern Soul …
YOUNG JESSIE-HIT, GIT AND SPLIT.
YOUNG JESSIE-HIT, GIT AND SPLIT. Texas has a rich musical history. That’s been the case for over a hundred years. Country legends Gene Aubry, Boxcar Willie and George Jones were from Texas. So were blues men Albert Collins, Freddie King and T-Bone Walker. Then there’s Buddy Holly, jazz drummer Buddy Miles, Janis Joplin, Sly Stone, …
MIKI CURTIS-THE FIRST EAR.
MIKI CURTIS-THE FIRST EAR. Miki Curtis made his musical debut in 1958. Back then, the twenty year old was a rockabilly singer. This was just the beginning of Miki Curtis’ musical journey. By 1970, Miki was a member of Samurai. They released their debut eponymous album in 1970. It was well received upon its release. …
DAVID KAUFFMAN AND ERIC CABOOR-GREETINGS FROM SUICIDE BRIDGE.
DAVID KAUFFMAN AND ERIC CABOOR-GREETINGS FROM SUICIDE BRIDGE. Often when recording an album, an artist thinks about an album cover only once they’ve finished recording. Not David Kauffman and Eric Caboor. They put the cart before the horse, in the spring of 1983, and came up with an album cover before they had even recorded …
DJ VADIM AND SENA-GROW SLOW.
DJ VADIM AND SENA-GROW SLOW. Ten years ago, Sena and her band made long the journey from Accra in Ghana, to Budapest, Hungary to play at a festival. Sena never thought anything of it at the time when she agreed to the booking. Granted she was excited to be playing at such a prestigious festival. …
BILL WELLS AND AIDAN MOFFAT-THE MOST IMPORTANT PLACE IN THE WORLD-VINYL EDITION.
BILL WELLS AND AIDAN MOFFAT-THE MOST IMPORTANT PLACE IN THE WORLD-VINYL EDITION. Four years after the last musical sojourn, Scotland’s musical odd couple of Bill Wells and Aidan Moffat return with their long awaited sophomore album The Most Important Place In The World. It’s the followup to Bill and Aidan’s 2011 debut album, Everything’s Getting …
MIAOUX MIAOUX-SCHOOL OF VELOCITY.
MIAOUX MIAOUX-SCHOOL OF VELOCITY. Following up a critically acclaimed debut album is never easy. It never has been, and never will be. That’s why many artists labour long and hard over their sophomore album. In some cases, three years pass by. During this creative struggle, an artist is said to be suffering from second album …
DAVID KNOWLES-CHILD SOLDIER.
DAVID KNOWLES-CHILD SOLDIER. After the fall of Troy, Odysseus’ journey back from the Trojan War took ten years. The Trojan War had lasted ten years. In total, Odysseus had been away from home twenty years. That just happens to be same time that David Knowles’ musical odyssey lasted. It began nearly twenty years ago, when David …
WARREN STORM-THE BAD TIMES MAKE THE GOOD TUNES-CLASSIC TEXAS RECORDINGS 1964-1986.
WARREN STORM-THE BAD TIMES MAKE THE GOOD TUNES-CLASSIC TEXAS RECORDINGS 1964-1986. Often, an artist spends a large part of their career with the same producer. The producer just seems able to get the best out of the artist. Musical history is littered with examples. However, despite this success, there’s often the temptation to change producer. …
SOAPKILLS-THE BEST OF SOAPKILLS.
SOAPKILLS-THE BEST OF SOAPKILLS. Ten years ago, that Soapkills, one of the most influential and innovative bands in Lebanese musical history split-up. Soapkills were a trailblazing band, and one of the first indie bands to emerge from the Middle East’s nascent music scene. Since then, Soapkills’ music has continued to influence a new generation of …
WYNONIE HARRIS-DON’T YOU WANT TO ROCK?- THE KING AND DELUXE ACETATE SERIES.
WYNONIE HARRIS-DON’T YOU WANT TO ROCK?- THE KING AND DELUXE ACETATE SERIES. It’s been seven years since Ace Records released Good Rockin’ Brown: the King and Deluxe Acetate Series in 2008. It was the fifth instalment in the King and Deluxe Acetate series. Since then, there’s been no further instalments in the series. That’s…until recently. …
DR JOHN THE NIGHT TRIPPER-GRIS GRIS.
DR JOHN THE NIGHT TRIPPER-GRIS GRIS. The scenario that I’m going to describe, really happened, and demonstrates that even the most experienced people in the music industry get things wrong. It was in January 1968, and Dr. John completed his debut album Gris Gris. A copy of Gris Gris was sent to Ahmet Erteghun at Atlantic …
JOE HOUSTON-KICKIN’ BACK.
JOE HOUSTON-KICKIN’ BACK. Joe Houston’s career began in 1941. He was just fifteen. His breakthrough came when a saxophonist in a touring band never turned up. This presented the bandleader with a problem. However, he needn’t have worried. From an early age, Joe Houston was determined to make a career out of music. So much …
WOODENBOX-FOREIGN ORGAN.
WOODENBOX-FOREIGN ORGAN. When Woodenbox entered Chem 19 recording studio in Blantyre back in August 2011, the Glasgow based sextet were fuelled by the sound of the Sensational Alex Harvey Band and Kayne West. They set about recording End Game. Four years on, it was a much more subdued Woodenbox that began recording their latest album …
dereksmusicblog
dereksmusicblog 