Author Archive: dereksmusicblog
BLUESIN’ BY THE BAYOU-ROUGH ’N’ TOUGH.
BLUESIN’ BY THE BAYOU-ROUGH ’N’ TOUGH. Usually, when a compilation reaches its eighth instalment, the quality starts to suffer. Not the Bayou series. Just like a good wine, it appears to mature with age. That’s apparent from listening to the eighth instalment, Bluesin’ By The Bayou-Rough ’N’ Tough, which was recently released by Ace Records. …
MAN-CALL DOWN THE MOON.
MAN-CALL DOWN THE MOON. When Man split-up in 1976, Deke Leonard was asked whether Man would ever reform. Deke was clear about that. He said that Man “would never, ever, be one of those bands who reformed in a futile attempt to recapture past glories.” For fans of Man, that looked like the end of …
LOUDON WAINWRIGHT III-HAVEN’T GOT THE BLUES (YET).
LOUDON WAINWRIGHT III-HAVEN’T GOT THE BLUES (YET). Did you ever hear the story about the singer songwriter you sold his guitar to pay for yoga lessons, but still won a Grammy Award? That’s what Loudon Wainwright III did when was growing up. Loudon was born on September 5th 1946, in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. His …
DISCO RECHARGE-JOHN DAVIS AND THE MONSTER ORCHESTRA-AIN’T THAT ENOUGH FOR YOU AND THE MONSTER STRIKES AGAIN.
DISCO RECHARGE-JOHN DAVIS AND THE MONSTER ORCHESTRA-AIN’T THAT ENOUGH FOR YOU AND THE MONSTER STRIKES AGAIN. By 1978, John Davis had established a reputation in music as a successful songwriter, arranger and producer. Ever since the early seventies, he’d been working in Philly, with groups like First Choice, The Intruders, The Soul Survivors and artists …
JOHN HIATT-TERMS OF MY SURRENDER.
JOHN HIATT-TERMS OF MY SURRENDER. Recently, some of music’s elder statesmen have made a welcome return. During the last couple of weeks, Eric Clapton, Richard Thompson, Loudon Wainwright III and Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers. That’s not all. Another musical veteran on the comeback trail is John Hiatt. John’s new album Terms Of My Surrender, …
ANALOG DREAMS.
ANALOG DREAMS. Every week, an average of a thousand albums are issued. They’re a mixture of new albums, reissues, box sets and compilations. Then there’s albums that are only released as a download. As you can see, competition is for the record buyer’s pound is fierce. That’s an understatement. Never before, has so much music …
DJIVAN GASPARYAN-I WILL NOT BE SAD IN THIS WORLD AND MOON SHINES AT NIGHT.
DJIVAN GASPARYAN-I WILL NOT BE SAD IN THIS WORLD AND MOON SHINES AT NIGHT. The first time that Brian Eno heard Djivan Gasparyan perform was in Moscow, in 1988. Straight away, Brian was captivated by Djivan Gasparyan’s haunting music. So much so, that Brian decided to track down Djivan Gasparyan’s previous album I Will Not …
CALYPSO -MUSICAL POETRY IN THE CARIBBEAN 1955-1969.
CALYPSO -MUSICAL POETRY IN THE CARIBBEAN 1955-1969. Even today, calypso’s origins are still disputed by historians. Depending upon which historian you ask, they’ll tell you that calypso’s origins are in France or Spain. Others will suggest calypso’s origins are in West Africa, and specially, Nigeria. Calypso in the language of the Ibildilio people, of West …
LED ZEPPELIN-LED ZEPPELIN II.
LED ZEPPELIN-LED ZEPPELIN II. On 12th January 1969, the lives of the four members of Led Zeppelin were transformed. Their debut album Led Zeppelin reached number ten in the US Billboard 200 and number six in the UK. Led Zeppelin was certified platinum in the US eight times over. In the UK and Australia, Led …
MILES AT THE FILMORE-MILES DAVIS 1970: THE BOOTLEG SERIES VOLUME 3.
MILES AT THE FILMORE-MILES DAVIS 1970: THE BOOTLEG SERIES VOLUME 3. Throughout his career, Miles Davis was a musical innovator and chameleon. He constantly sought to reinvent himself and his music. This had been the case throughout his career. Miles wasn’t the type of musician who could stand still. No. So, in 1968, Miles changed …
DISCO RECHARGE-JOHN DAVIS AND THE MONSTER ORCHESTRA-NIGHT AND DAY AND UP JUMPED THE DEVIL.
DISCO RECHARGE-JOHN DAVIS AND THE MONSTER ORCHESTRA-NIGHT AND DAY AND UP JUMPED THE DEVIL. One of the phenomenon’s of the disco era, was the arrival of the disco orchestra. Obviously, the best known and without doubt, best, and most successful was The Salsoul Orchestra. It was founded by Vince Montana Jr, in 1975 and played …
CAN-SOON OVER BABALUMA.
CAN-SOON OVER BABALUMA. Forty years ago, in November 1974, Can released the sixth album of their career, Soon Over Babaluma. This marked the end of an era for Can. Soon Over Babaluma was the end of Can’s golden period. This golden period began with their debut album, 1969s Monster Movie and 1974s Soon Over Babaluma …
MOGWAI-COME ON DIE YOUNG.
MOGWAI-COME ON DIE YOUNG. It’s hard to believe that fifteen years have passed since Mogwai released their sophomore album, Come On Die Young, in March 1999. Back then, Glasgow-based Mogwai were one of the best up-and-coming bands not just in Scotland, but Britain. Since then, Mogwai have established a reputation as one of Britain’s top …
LEWIS-A MUSICAL RIDDLE, WRAPPED IN A MYSTERY, WRAPPED INSIDE AN ENIGMA.
LEWIS-A MUSICAL RIDDLE, WRAPPED IN A MYSTERY, WRAPPED INSIDE AN ENIGMA. Back in May 2014, Light In The Attic Records rereleased an album that mystery and conjecture continues to surrounds. Thirty-one years after Lewis released L’Amour, nobody was any the wiser who Lewis was. It remained one of the great musical mysteries. To coincide with the …
NIGHT WALKER-THE JACK NITZSCHE STORY VOLUME 3.
NIGHT WALKER-THE JACK NITZSCHE STORY VOLUME 3. The name Jack Nitzsche means different things to different people. To some people, Jack Nitzsche is a remembered as a critically acclaimed producer and arranger. Others remember Jack as a singer and songwriter. Film fans remember Jack for the film soundtracks he composed. Then there’s a generation who …
HOLGER CZUKAY-DER OSTEN IST ROT/ROME REMAINS ROME.
HOLGER CZUKAY-DER OSTEN IST ROT/ROME REMAINS ROME. Recently, I was fortunate enough to interview one of the most innovative musicians of his generation, Holger Czukay. I spend forty minutes talking about Can and Holger’s solo career. It was a truly fascinating insight into a musical legend. Two of the albums we discussed were Der Osten …
TRUE INGREDIENTS-THROUGH THE LENS.
TRUE INGREDIENTS-THROUGH THE LENS. Over the last few years, the music industry has been forces to reinvent itself. There’s many reasons for this. This includes the way people consume and buy albums. Gone are the days of the vinyl, when it was a case of immersing yourself in the music. You sat and studied the …
THE CONTOURS AND DENNIS EDWARDS-JUST A LITTLE MISUNDERSTANDING-RARE AND UNISSUED MOTOWN 1965-68.
THE CONTOURS AND DENNIS EDWARDS-JUST A LITTLE MISUNDERSTANDING-RARE AND UNISSUED MOTOWN 1965-68. Three years after The Contours were founded in 1959, they were one of the biggest soul groups. Their 1962 single, Do You Love Me, reached number one and sold over one million copies. The Contours had come a long way in the two …
dereksmusicblog
dereksmusicblog 