Author Archive: dereksmusicblog
GARNET MIMMS-LOOKING FOR YOU-THE COMPLETE UNITED ARTISTS AND VEEP SINGLES.
GARNET MIMMS-LOOKING FOR YOU-THE COMPLETE UNITED ARTISTS AND VEEP SINGLES. The Garnet Mimms story began in November 1933, in Ashton, West Virginia. That’s where he was born and spent his early years. It’s also where his love of music began. From an early age, Garnett’s mother took him to church. Like many future soul singers, …
DION RECORDED LIVE AT THE BITTER END AUGUST 1971.
DION RECORDED LIVE AT THE BITTER END AUGUST 1971. After being one of the biggest selling artists of the late fifties and early sixties, the hits started to dry up for Dion. He had been one of the most successful artists of the rock ’n’ roll era. For the last six years, it seemed Dion …
WITHERED HAND-NEW GODS.
WITHERED HAND-NEW GODS. It’s at this time of year, everyone within the Scottish music industry starts thinking of the Scottish Album Of The Year Award. It’s without doubt, the most prestigious award in Scottish music. There’s a lot of kudos attached to the Award. Then there’s the £20,ooo cheque the winner is handed. For many …
BAD COMPANY-BAD COMPANY (DELUXE EDITION).
BAD COMPANY-BAD COMPANY (DELUXE EDITION). When Free split-up in for the second and final time in 1973, vocalist Paul Rodger and drummer Simon Kirke joined the latest rock supergroup Bad Company. Completing Bad Company’s lineup, were Mott the Hoople guitarist Mick Ralphs and bassist Boz Burrell. They would become part of the most successful supergroup …
GRITS AND GRAVY-THE BEST OF THE FAME GANG.
GRITS AND GRAVY-THE BEST OF THE FAME GANG. Back in the sixties, many soul and R&B labels had their own house band. One of the earliest examples in the sixties, were the Funk Brothers, Motown’s house band. They provided Motown’s trademark sound. Motown however, weren’t alone. As the seventies dawned, HI Records was about to …
JOHN MARTYN-LIVE AT LEEDS (DELUXE EDITION).
JOHN MARTYN-LIVE AT LEEDS (DELUXE EDITION). In January 1975, John Martyn released his eighth studio album, Sunday’s Child. John had been away from the studio for fifteen months. His previous album, Inside Out, was released in October 1973. Since then, John had been concentrating on touring. However, in August 1974, John headed to Island Studios, …
GUITAR SLIM GREEN’S “STONE DOWN BLUES” WITH JOHNNY AND SHUGGIE OTIS.
GUITAR SLIM GREEN’S “STONE DOWN BLUES” WITH JOHNNY AND SHUGGIE OTIS. Guitar Slim Green was never the most prolific of musicians. That’s despite his career lasting four decades. However, during that period, Guitar Slim Green only released a handful of recordings. This included his one and only album, Stone Down Blues, which features Johnny and …
GORAN KAJFES SUBTROPIC ARKESTRA-THE REASON WHY VOLUME 2.
GORAN KAJFES SUBTROPIC ARKESTRA-THE REASON WHY VOLUME 2. For the last three decades, Goran Kajfeš has been a key figure in the Swedish music scene. There’s a reason for this. Goran Kajfeš has constantly been releasing groundbreaking, genre-melting music. To do this, Goran has pushed musical boundaries to their limits, and sometimes, way beyond. That’s been …
NORTHERN SOUL’S CLASSIEST RARITIES VOLUME 5.
NORTHERN SOUL’S CLASSIEST RARITIES VOLUME 5. Let’s make no bones about it, nowadays, Northern Soul compilations are two a penny. Hardly a week goes by and yet another Northern Soul compilation is released. That’s been the case for the last few years. Nothing has changed in the first few months of 2015. Most of the …
KING CREOSOTE-FROM SCOTLAND FROM LOVE.
KING CREOSOTE-FROM SCOTLAND FROM LOVE. At this time of the year, Scottish artists start to think of the Scottish Album Of The Year Award. It’s the most prestigious Scottish musical award. So the great and good of Scottish music wait with baited breath the announcement of the long-list of twenty. It’s then narrowed down to just ten albums. …
SOUL EMISSARIES-SUPERFUNK.
SOUL EMISSARIES-SUPERFUNK. Over the last ten years, I’ve watched as many record companies, especially small, independent labels, release a compilation that catches the record buying public’s imagination. For these record companies, they’ve hit the jackpot. Sometimes, they even hit the jackpot twice, when another compilation series proves popular. So, every year, as they’re working out …
DANIELE CIULINI-DOMESTIC EXILE (COLLECTED WORKS 82-86).
DANIELE CIULINI-DOMESTIC EXILE (COLLECTED WORKS 82-86). Nowadays, the word innovator is used far too often. However, in Daniele Ciullini’s case, it’s a fitting description of a groundbreaking musician. The music on his forthcoming compilation, Domestic Exile is proof of that. Domestic Exile is the first reissue to be released on the Ecstatic label on sixth …
THE ELECTRIC PEANUT BUTTER CO.-TRANS-ATLANTIC PSYCH CLASSICS VOLUME 1.
THE ELECTRIC PEANUT BUTTER CO.-TRANS-ATLANTIC PSYCH CLASSICS VOLUME 1. From the mid sixties, right through the early seventies was the golden age of psychedelic music. During that period, psychedelic music was King. Originally, folk rock and blues rock bands were influenced by psychedelia. Soon, psychedelia’s influence could be heard throughout music. Everything from folk, funk, …
FAIRPORT CONVENTION-MYTHS AND HEROES.
FAIRPORT CONVENTION-MYTHS AND HEROES. There aren’t many groups that enjoy the longevity that Fairport Convention have. They were formed in 1967, and are widely recognised as the founding fathers of English folk rock. Since then, Fairport Convention have influenced several generations of folk musicians. However, it’s not all been smooth sailing for Fairport Convention. The …
HENRY AND FLEETWOOD-ON THE FOREST FLOOR E.P.
HENRY AND FLEETWOOD-ON THE FOREST FLOOR E.P. Recently, I’ve noticed that there’s been a shortage of quality new music. At one point, it looked like the well had almost run dry. While the first couple of months of the year are always quiet, this year was worst than most. That’s apart from a few European …
BEATSPOKE-THE JOURNEY IS THE DESTINATION.
BEATSPOKE-THE JOURNEY IS THE DESTINATION. It’s been eleven years since Josh Fontan and Sarah Gessler formed Beatspoke in 2004. Since then, singer Sarah Gessler and beat maker and producer have released two albums as Beatspoke. Their debut album No Rush was released to critical acclaim in 2009. It caught the imagination of critics, and was …
DON RAY-GARDEN OF LOVE.
DON RAY-GARDEN OF LOVE. Although Don Ray played an important role in European disco music, working with Marc Cerrone and Alec Constandinos, Don only ever released one solo album, Garden of Love, released in 1978. Garden of Love was co-produced by Marc Cerrone, who released albums like Love In C Minor, Cerrone’s Paradise and Supernature. …
HIGHLIFE ON THE MOVE-SELECTED NIGERIAN AND GHANIAN RECORDINGS FROM LONDON AND LAGOS-1954-1966.
HIGHLIFE ON THE MOVE-SELECTED NIGERIAN AND GHANIAN RECORDINGS FROM LONDON AND LAGOS-1954-1966. The importance of Highlife in modern Nigerian and Ghanian culture can’t be understated. It was, after all, the first genre of modern popular music in both countries. As such, it’s important to recognise and celebrate, the importance of Highlife in Nigeria and Ghana. …
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