Author Archive: dereksmusicblog
MOTORPSYCHO-DEMON BOX.
MOTORPSYCHO-DEMON BOX. Not many groups enjoy the longevity that Motorpsycho have. This year, Motorpsycho,who are one of Norway’s most successful bands, celebrate their twenty-fifth anniversary. They’ve come a long way since were formed in Trondheim back in 1989. Originally, Motorpsycho were alternative metal band. However, before long, Motorpsycho’s music evolved. They began to fuse grunge …
SPEAK EASY THE RPM RECORDS STORY VOLUME 2 1954-1957.
SPEAK EASY THE RPM RECORDS STORY VOLUME 2 1954-1957. RPM Records was founded by Hollywood based, musical entrepreneur, Jules Bihari, in 1949. This was the second subsidiary of Modern Records, which Jules had founded with his brothers Saul, Joe and Lester in 1944. A year later, Modern Records enjoyed its first hit single. This came …
BOMBAY DISCO VOLUME 2.
BOMBAY DISCO VOLUME 2. 1979 was a landmark year in the history of disco. Suddenly, after being the musical flavour of the month for several years, disco sucked. In the space of a year, disco went from hero to zero. Disco’s downfall started on Christmas Eve 1978, That’s when Steve Dahl was fired by Chicago …
BONNIE DOBSON SINGS SHE’S LIKE A SWALLOW AND OTHER FOLK SONGS.
BONNIE DOBSON SINGS SHE’S LIKE A SWALLOW AND OTHER FOLK SONGS. Bonnie Dobson’s career began during the early sixties folk boom. She had one of the most distinctive voices of the folk era. Clear and powerful, Bonnie’s distinctive voice breathed life, meaning and emotion into folk songs old and new. This included songs penned by …
TRAMPLORD-FROM BUDDY HOLLY TO PETULANT SOUNDS.
TRAMPLORD-FROM BUDDY HOLLY TO PETULANT SOUNDS. It was back in 2010, that the enigmatic, London based, Tramplord released their debut album Buddy Holly. Critics were won over by Tramplord’s unique fusion of jangling indie pop, psychedelia and Brit Pop. No wonder. The music on Buddy Holly was anthemic, joyous and melancholy. It was also melodic and …
FUNKADELIC-MAGGOT BRAIN.
FUNKADELIC-MAGGOT BRAIN. Rumour has it, that when Funkadelic recorded their career defining album, Maggot Brain, they were on one long acid trip. Members of Funkadelic had dropped some Yellow Sunshine Acid before producer George Clinton pressed the record button. Ironically, Maggot Brain which was recently reissued on vinyl by Ace Records, was Funkadelic’s finest hour. Sadly, …
SARAH VAUGHAN-A TIME IN MY LIFE.
SARAH VAUGHAN-A TIME IN MY LIFE. By 1971, when Sarah Vaughan released A Time In My Life on Mainstream Records, she had established a reputation as one of jazz’s premier vocalists. She had come a long way since winning the Amateur Night at Harlem’s Apollo Theatre, in 1942. Back then, Sarah was just eighteen. The …
BLUE MITCHELL-BLUE MITCHELL.
BLUE MITCHELL-BLUE MITCHELL. Despite a recording career that spanned twenty-nine years, and over twenty albums, Florida born trumpeter, Blue Mitchell, never enjoyed the same critical acclaim that many of his contemporaries enjoyed. Blue wasn’t perceived as a groundbreaking musician. However, he enjoyed a successful career, touring widely and releasing a string of successful albums. His …
HADLEY CALIMAN-HADLEY CALIMAN.
HADLEY CALIMAN-HADLEY CALIMAN. Although Hadley Caliman had worked as a sideman for Dexter Gordon and Art Farmer, he didn’t release his eponymous debut album until he was thirty-nine. This wasn’t down to a lack of talent. Far from it. Hadley Caliman was one of the most talented tenor saxophonists and flautists of his generation. Instead, it …
FOLLOW ME DOWN-VANGUARD’S LOST PSYCHEDELIC ERA 1966-70.
FOLLOW ME DOWN-VANGUARD’S LOST PSYCHEDELIC ERA 1966-70. Mention Vanguard Records, and most people will think of their blues and folk releases. Very few people will think of Vanguard Records as a psychedelic label. However, between 1966 and 1970, A&R men Sam Charters and Maynard Solomon Sam Charters decided that Vanguard Records should climb onboard the psychedelic …
PINK FLOYD-THE ENDLESS RIVER.
PINK FLOYD-THE ENDLESS RIVER. Twenty years ago, there was no such thing as Twitter or Facebook. The term social media hadn’t even been coined. In fact, the internet and the technological age were in their infancy. Compact discs were only a decade old. Debate raged about their merits and sound quality. Vinyl we were told, …
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 …
NEIL YOUNG-A LETTER HOME AND STORYTONE.
NEIL YOUNG-A LETTER HOME AND STORYTONE. Having left Buffalo Springfield in 1968, Neil Young decided now was the time to embark upon a solo career. So, Neil put together an all-star band to record his eponymous debut album. It featured guitarist Ry Cooder, pianist Jack Nitzche and backing vocalist Merry Clayton. They recorded Neil Young …
ROBERT PLANT-LULLABY AND…THE CEASELESS ROAR.
ROBERT PLANT-LULLABY AND…THE CEASELESS ROAR. For many musicians who were once part of one of the most successful bands in musical history, the day that band breaks up is one of the worst days in their life. That day, can mark the end of their career. Try as they may, they never reach the same …
FIELD REPORT-MARIGOLDEN.
FIELD REPORT-MARIGOLDEN. It was back in 2012, that Field Report, released their eponymous debut album. Two years later, and singer-songwriter Chris Porterfield and his band return with their sophomore album, Marigolden, which was recently released by Partisan Records. However, much has happened to Field Report in the intervening two years. Since the release of Field …
MEGA JAWNS-LITTLE LADY.
MEGA JAWNS-LITTLE LADY. Nowadays, there aren’t many bands that manage to record an album in a week. Instead, some bands take years to record an album. Partly, that’s down to the way albums are recorded. Forty years ago, the only way to record an album, was in a recording studio. That cost money. So, the …
dereksmusicblog
dereksmusicblog 