Author Archive: dereksmusicblog
CAMERA OBSCURA-BIGGEST BLUEST HI-FI.
CAMERA OBSCURA-BIGGEST BLUEST HI-FI. Ever since they formed in 1996, Camera Obscura have been doing things their way. It’s paid off though. Nineteen years later, and Camera Obscura have established a reputation as one of finest purveyors of hook heavy, perfect pop. During that period, Camera Obscura released five albums. Their debut album was 2001s …
THE SOUL STIRRERS-JOY IN MY SOUL-THE COMPLETE S.A.R. RECORDINGS.
THE SOUL STIRRERS-JOY IN MY SOUL-THE COMPLETE S.A.R. RECORDINGS. The loss of a lead singer can prove fatal to even the most successful groups. Not The Soul Stirrers though. Despite the loss of Sam Cooke in 1957, it was business as usual for The Soul Stirrers. Johnnie Taylor was drafted in to replace Sam Cooke, …
JOHN MARTYN-GRACE AND DANGER.
JOHN MARTYN-GRACE AND DANGER. In November 1977, John Martyn released what’s was undoubtably one the finest albums of his career, One World. It was an atmospheric, experimental and genre-defying album. Everything from folk, jazz, reggae and rock melted together over eight tracks. Released to overwhelming critical acclaim, One World was hailed a classic album. This …
BOB DYLAN-SHADOWS IN THE NIGHT.
BOB DYLAN-SHADOWS IN THE NIGHT. There aren’t many recording artists whose career spans fifty-three years. Bob Dylan’s has. There’s a reason for this. Constantly, Bob Dylan has sought to reinvent himself. Having began life as a folk singer, he’s released albums of country, gospel, blues, rock ’n’ roll and rockabilly to jazz and even the …
JIMMY HOLIDAY-SPREAD YOUR LOVE-THE COMPLETE MINIT SINGLES.
JIMMY HOLIDAY-SPREAD YOUR LOVE-THE COMPLETE MINIT SINGLES. Jimmy Holiday was an accidental singer-songwriter. Originally, he wanted to be a boxer, and fought in the annual Golden Gloves competition. Then Jimmy started to get beat. That wasn’t in his plans. Realising he was never going to be more than a contender, Jimmy Holiday hung up his …
THE COMPLETE HISTORY OF THE BLUES 1920-1962.
THE COMPLETE HISTORY OF THE BLUES 1920-1962. The blues influence on modern music can never be underestimated. Without the blues, there would be no jazz, R&B or rock music. Quite simply, the blues provided the foundations for the music of the twentieth century. That’s no exaggeration, and for the last fifty years, many musicians realise that. …
STONED-A PSYCH TRIBUTE TO THE ROLLING STONES.
STONED-A PSYCH TRIBUTE TO THE ROLLING STONES. Last year, Cleopatra Records released A Psych Tribute To The Doors, where a new generation of bands covered thirteen Doors’ classics. These tracks were given a makeover by everyone from Elephant Stone, The Black Angels, Sons of Hippies, Dead Skeletons, VietNam and Geri X. The idea was simplicity …
ZAKARY THAKS-IT’S THE END-THE DEFINITIVE COLLECTION.
ZAKARY THAKS-IT’S THE END-THE DEFINITIVE COLLECTION. During the sixties, garage bands sprung up all over Texas. Some recorded a handful of singles, before disappearing. Others never got that far. Most recorded just the one single, and played a handful of gigs, before calling it a day. They’re long forgotten, having played just a walk-on part …
GEORGE JACKSON AND DAN GREER AT GOLDWAX.
GEORGE JACKSON AND DAN GREER AT GOLDWAX. Often, the maxim “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery” applies to the music industry. This was certainly the case back in 1966. Stax Records had just signed Sam and Dave. They were riding the crest of the wave of commercial success, having released Hold On I’m Comin’ …
THE MANHATTANS-THERE’S NO ME WITHOUT YOU.
THE MANHATTANS-THERE’S NO ME WITHOUT YOU. Like so many other groups, success took time to come The Manhattans’ way. Indeed, The Manhattans released seven albums before making a commercial breakthrough with 1976s The Manhattans. It was certified gold, and 1977s It Feels So Good and 1980s After Midnight repeated the feat. However, before their 1976 …
A GUIDE TO THE BIRDSONG OF SONG AMERICA.
A GUIDE TO THE BIRDSONG OF SONG AMERICA. Previously, the only way to release an album was via a record company. Not any more. Nowadays, there are numerous ways to release an album. This includes crowd-funding, which since 2010, has raised $89bn. Crowd-funding, however, is far from a new phenomenon. Although the term was first coined …
RICK WAKEMAN-THE SIX WIVES OF HENRY VIII.
RICK WAKEMAN-THE SIX WIVES OF HENRY VIII. In early 1972, Yes were touring America to promote their fourth studio album Fragile. On a stopover in Richmond, Virginia, Rick Wakeman, who had joined Yes in August 1971, and made his debut on Fragile, was perusing the airport bookshop. Eventually, Rick bought four books, including Nancy Brysson …
CIAO BELLA! ITALIAN GIRL SINGERS OF THE 60S.
CIAO BELLA! ITALIAN GIRL SINGERS OF THE 60S. Ciao Bella! Italian Girl Singers Of The 60s, Ace International’s first compilation of 2015, is described as “groovy girl-pop.” That’s the perfect description of the latest compilation of girl-pop from Ace Records. Previously, Ace Records have released compilations of American, French and Japanese girl-pop. Other record companies …
THE VALENTINOS-LOOKIN’ FOR A LOVE-THE COMPLETE SAR RECORDINGS.
THE VALENTINOS-LOOKIN’ FOR A LOVE-THE COMPLETE SAR RECORDINGS. The story of The Valentinos began back in 1952, in Cleveland, Ohio. That’s when the Reverend Friendly Womack first heard his five sons sing. Before long, Friendly, Curtis, Bobby, Harry and Cecil had adopted the moniker The Womack Brothers. They then made their debut in their father’s …
RHYTHM ’N’ BLUESIN’ BY THE BAYOU-MAD DOGS, SWEET DADDIES AND PRETTY BABIES.
RHYTHM ’N’ BLUESIN’ BY THE BAYOU-MAD DOGS, SWEET DADDIES AND PRETTY BABIES. Not many compilation series survive to celebrate their tenth anniversary. Usually, a compilation series runs out of steam after four or five compilations. By then, the compiler has exhausted the supply of new music. However, as with every rule, there is an exception. …
SAM DEES-IT’S OVER-70s SONGWRITER DEMOS AND MASTERS.
SAM DEES-IT’S OVER-70s SONGWRITER DEMOS AND MASTERS. Sometimes, for whatever, reason, an artist doesn’t enjoy the commercial success and critical acclaim they deserve. Instead, their music is only enjoyed a discerning circle of music lovers. That’s the case with Sam Dees. He is, without doubt, one of soul music’s best kept secrets. Sam Dees could’ve, …
CERRONE-LOVE IN C MINOR.
CERRONE-LOVE IN C MINOR. Recently, I wrote about Cerrone’s second album Cerrone’s Paradise, released in 1977. The album that inadvertently started Marc Cerrone’s solo career was Love In C Minor, released the year before, in 1976. After this, Marc Cerrone would go on to become one of the biggest selling artists of the disco era, …
ERIC CLAPTON-461 OCEAN BOULEVARD.
ERIC CLAPTON-461 OCEAN BOULEVARD. By 1974, Eric Clapton had established a reputation as a survivor. He had managed to overcome heroin and alcohol addiction. His life had spiralled out of control after releasing his debut solo album, Eric Clapton in August 1970. It reached number seventeen in Britain and number thirteen in the US Billboard …
TIM BUCKLEY-LORCA.
TIM BUCKLEY-LORCA. 2015 marks the fortieth anniversary of the death of one of the most talented, and innovative, vocalists of his generation, Tim Buckley. He died on June 29th 1975, aged just twenty-nine. That day, music lost a true visionary. Tim Buckley was, and always will be remembered as a musical chameleon, who believed his …
dereksmusicblog
dereksmusicblog 