Author Archive: dereksmusicblog

NEXT STOP SOWETO-ZULU ROCK, AFRO DISCO AND MBQANGA 1975-1985.

NEXT STOP SOWETO-ZULU ROCK, AFRO DISCO AND MBQANGA 1975-1985. Back in October 2014, Strut Records released the latest volume in their critically acclaimed Next Stop Soweto series, Next Stop Soweto Presents Spirit of Malombo: Malombo, Jabula, Jazz Afrika 1966-1984. It was released to widespread critical acclaim, and lauded as the finest instalment in the Next …

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DEKE LEONARD-KAMIKAZE.

DEKE  LEONARD-KAMIKAZE. By the time Deke Leonard came to releasing his sophomore album Kamikaze, in April 1974, the last few years had been turbulent, to say the least. Deke had been fired from Man in May 1972. Looking back, it wasn’t entirely unexpected.  Man had released their fourth studio album, Do You Like It Here …

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BAMALOVESOUL PRESENTS ON DECK 3.

BAMALOVESOUL PRESENTS ON DECK 3.  Roderick Moody’s On Deck compilation series looks like it’s about to become BBE Music’s latest success story. The latest instalment in the series, BamaLoveSoul Presents On Deck 3 will be released on 23rd March 2015. That’s just over a year after the much lauded BamaLoveSoul Presents On Deck 2. After …

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PRIMAL SCREAM-GIVE OUT BUT DON’T GIVE UP.

PRIMAL SCREAM-GIVE OUT BUT DON’T GIVE UP. It’s never easy to followup a classic album. Countless bands have discovered that. In 1994, the latest band to realise that were Primal Scream. Three years earlier, at the height of the Acid House era, Primal Scream had released Screamadelica, a fusion of rock and dance music. Released on  23rd September 1991,  Screamadelica …

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JOHNNY ADAMS-I WON’T CRY-THE COMPLETE RIC AND RON SINGLES 1959-1964.

JOHNNY ADAMS-I WON’T CRY-THE COMPLETE RIC AND RON SINGLES 1959-1964. Johnny Adams’ recording career lasted exactly forty years. His career began in early 1958, when Johnny released his first single I Won’t Cry on Ric. It was a hit single in New Orleans, and the Southern states. For twenty-six year old Johnny Adams, this was …

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ARTHUR-DREAMS AND IMAGES.

ARTHUR-DREAMS AND IMAGES. The story of Arthur Lee Harper is a familiar one. He was a talented singer-songwriter who looked as if he was destined for great things. Sadly, that proved not to be the case. Arthur only ever released one album, Dreams and Images which was released on Lee Hazelwood’s LHI Records 1968.  Dreams …

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THE WOODBINE AND IVY BAND-SLEEP ON SLEEPING ON.

THE WOODBINE AND IVY BAND-SLEEP ON SLEEPING ON. Four years after releasing their eponymous debut album in 2011. The Woodbine and Ivy Band return with their new album Sleep On Sleeping On. It was released on March 9th 2015, on Static Caravan Recordings, and sees The Woodbine and Ivy Band head in a different direction …

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BEAM UP-INNERSTAND.

BEAM UP-INNERSTAND. Dub was born in the sixties, and before long, its stripped down sound became one of reggae’s most popular sub-genres. Its founding fathers included King Tubby and Lee “Scratch” Perry. Then as the seventies dawned, a new generation of dub producers began to make a name for themselves.  This included Bunny Lee, Niney …

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LOS ANGELES SOUL-KENT-MODERN’S BLACK MUSIC LEGACY.

LOS ANGELES SOUL-KENT-MODERN’S BLACK MUSIC LEGACY.  During the fifties, the Los Angeles’ based, Modern and Kent labels were two of the most successful independent record labels. Their star was definitely in the ascendancy. Modern and Kent signed some of the most successful soul, blues and R&B artists of the fifties, including John Lee Hooker, B.B. …

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ATA KAK-OBAA SIMA.

ATA KAK-OBAA SIMA. Twenty-one years ago, back in 1994, Ata Kak originally released his debut album Obaa Sima. It was no ordinary album. Obaa Sima was released with the help of his college professor and Ata’s twin brother. His brother designed the artwork for the cassette, and Professor O.A. DeGraft Johnson, helped release Obaa Sima …

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DOM LA NENA-ELA.

DOM LA NENA-ELA. Not many people are willing to devote their life to music. No. It takes a very special person to make the sacrifices that are needed to master an instrument. Most people are unwilling to make the commitment that’s required. This wasn’t the case for Dom La Nena. From the moment the Brazilian …

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MODERNISTS-A DECADE OF RYHTHM AND SOUL DEDICATION.

MODERNISTS-A DECADE OF RYHTHM AND SOUL DEDICATION. Since the birth of rock ’n’ roll, youth cults have come and gone. Some have proved to be nothing more than passing fads. Others however, have lasted longer. However, none of the youth cults of the past fifty years have enjoyed the same longevity as the modernists.  The …

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HUNG ON YOU-MORE FROM THE GERRY GOFFIN AND CAROLE KING SONGBOOK.

HUNG ON YOU-MORE FROM THE GERRY GOFFIN AND CAROLE KING SONGBOOK. Two heads are better than one. So, the saying says. That’s certainly the case with songwriting. Some of the best, and most successful songs in the history of popular music have been written by songwriting teams. That’s been the case throughout the history of …

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JOHN CARTER/BOBBY BRADFORD-SELF DETERMINATION MUSIC.

JOHN CARTER/BOBBY BRADFORD-SELF DETERMINATION MUSIC. By 1970, when John Carter and Bobby Bradford released Self Determination Music, Bob Thiele’s Flying Dutchman Productions had established a reputation for releasing groundbreaking music. This had been  the case since Bob left Impulse Records in 1969. Impulse Records had been home for Bob Thiele since 1961. Over the next …

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RICK WAKEMAN-THE MYTHS AND LEGENDS OF KING ARTHUR AND THE KNIGHTS OF THE ROUND TABLE.

RICK WAKEMAN-THE MYTHS AND LEGENDS OF KING ARTHUR AND THE KNIGHTS OF THE ROUND TABLE. In January 1973,  Rick Wakeman released his sophomore album The Six Wives Of Henry VIII. It was a groundbreaking album, one that would forever change prog rock. The Six Wives Of Henry VIII was the album that legitimised synths in …

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MICHAEL CHAPMAN-WINDOW.

MICHAEL CHAPMAN-WINDOW.  Michael Chapman never set out to be a make a living as a musician and originally, he was a teacher. By day, Michael Chapman taught art and photography and music was something he did in his spare time. However, there was a sense of inevitability that one day soon, Michael Chapman would leave the …

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DALINDEO-KALLIO.

DALINDEO-KALLIO. It was back in 2003, that Dalindèo, the Finnish jazz-sextet were founded by composer and guitarist Valtteri Laurell Pöyhönen. Since then, Dalindèo have released a trio of albums. Dalindèo released their debut album Open Scenes in 2007. Then after a gap of three years, Dalindèo returned with Soundtrack For The Sound Eye. By then, Dalindèo’s …

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THE VELVET UNDERGROUND-THE VELVET UNDERGROUND.

THE VELVET UNDERGROUND-THE VELVET UNDERGROUND. Following disagreements about The Velvet Underground’s future musical direction, John Cale left the group. This was almost inevitable.  For some time, John Cale and Lou Reed views about The Velvet Underground’s future differed. John Cale wanted The Velvet Underground to continue to innovate and create experimental music like White Light/White …

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DEKE LEONARD-ICEBERG.

DEKE LEONARD-ICEBERG. Four years after founding Man in 1968, Deke Leonard was on a sabbatical from the Welsh rockers. Deke left Man for the first time in May 1972. This allowed Deke to do something he’d always wanted, record his debut solo album. Over the next twenty months, Deke with a few of his musical friends, …

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MAN-REANIMATED MEMORIES.

MAN-REANIMATED MEMORIES. There aren’t many bands whose recording career spans six decades. That’s the case with Man. Founded in 1968, Man released their debut album Revelation, a year later in 1969. Since then, the Welsh rockers have enjoyed a long, prolific and sometimes, controversial career. Since their 1969 debut, Man have released over twenty albums …

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