Author Archive: dereksmusicblog
PHILADELPHIA INTERNATIONAL-THE COLLECTION 20 ORIGINAL ALBUMS.
PHILADELPHIA INTERNATIONAL-THE COLLECTION 20 ORIGINAL ALBUMS. On February 13th 2014, Sony Music announced that it had acquired the worldwide rights to Philadelphia International Records’ post 1975 back-catalogue. At last, one label, Sony Music now had control of the rights to the entire Philadelphia International Records’ back-catalogue. This was progress. Maybe now, a proper reissue program …
CATFISH HODGE-DIFFERENT STROKES-THE COMPLETE EASTBOUND AND WESTBOUND RECORDINGS.
CATFISH HODGE-DIFFERENT STROKES-THE COMPLETE EASTBOUND AND WESTBOUND RECORDINGS. Great things were expected of Bob “Catfish” Hodge. He was born into a musical family in Detroit, and began playing in clubs when he was still in high school. Before long, he was a regular in Detroit’s clubs. Despite not being able to read music, music came …
SHARON VAN ETTEN-ARE WE THERE.
SHARON VAN ETTEN-ARE WE THERE. Are We There is singer-songwriter Sharon Van Etten’s fourth album. Released on May 27th 2009, on Jaguarwar, Are We There was released to widespread critical acclaim. Critics hailed Are We There, the finest album of Sharon’s four album career. It surpassed everything that had come before. Sharon’s recording career began …
COLOUR MY WORLD-THE SONGS OF TONY HATCH.
COLOUR MY WORLD-THE SONGS OF TONY HATCH. Prolific. That’s the best way to describe songwriter, pianist, arranger and producer Tony Hatch. During a career that’s lasted over fifty years, Tony has arranged, composed, conducted and produced over one-thousand tracks. Twenty-five of these tracks feature on Ace Records’ recent compilation Colour My World-The Songs Of Tony …
THE PHANTOM BAND-STRANGE FRIEND.
THE PHANTOM BAND-STRANGE FRIEND. There aren’t many bands who take four years before they settle on a permanent name. That was the case with The Phantom Band. Formed in 2002, The Phantom Band changed names numerous times. The Phantom Band were variously called NRA, Les Crazy Boyz, Los Crayzee Boyz, Tower of Girls and Wooden …
THE SUPERBS-THE BEST OF THE SUPERBS.
THE SUPERBS-THE BEST OF THE SUPERBS. Just over fifty years ago, in March 1964, The Superbs released their debut single, The Story Book Of Love. Things were happening quickly for The Superbs. They’d just signed to Lew Bedell’s Dore Records a month earlier, in February 1964. Lew thought that The Superbs had potential. So, he …
WHEEDLE’S GOOVE-SEATTLE FUNK, MODERN SOUL AND BOOGIE: VOLUME 2 1972-1987.
WHEEDLE’S GOOVE-SEATTLE FUNK, MODERN SOUL AND BOOGIE: VOLUME 2 1972-1987. It’s hard to believe that ten years have passed since Light In The Attic Records released the first volume of their Wheedle’s Groove compilation series. Wheedle’s Groove was the first compilation to focus on Seattle’s soul scene between 1965 and 1975. Released to critical acclaim …
TOO SLOW TO DISCO.
TOO SLOW TO DISCO. For the last thirty years, many people have mocked the seventies West Coast sound. They viewed the lush harmonies, slick sound and clever chord progressions with disdain. One of the reasons for this was that West Coast rock was perceived as the music of the establishment. When punk came along, groups …
THE FAR OUT MONSTER DISCO ORCHESTRA-THE FAR OUT MONSTER DISCO ORCHESTRA.
THE FAR OUT MONSTER DISCO ORCHESTRA-THE FAR OUT MONSTER DISCO ORCHESTRA. Between 1975 and 1979, disco orchestras provided the soundtrack to dance-floors worldwide. The greatest disco orchestra was, without doubt, The Salsoul Orchestra. Founded and lead by the late, great Vince Montana Jr, The Salsoul Orchestra featured some of Philly’s top musicians. This included the …
HAROLD LAND-CHOMA (BURN).
HAROLD LAND-CHOMA (BURN). Musically, Harold Land was a late developer. Growing up in Houston, Harold never showed any interest in learning to play an instrument. Then in 1944, when he was sixteen, Harold heard Coleman Hawkins recording of Body and Soul. This was a life-changing experience. After this, Harold decided to learn how to play …
DJ VADIM-DUBCATCHER.
DJ VADIM-DUBCATCHER. For Dubcatcher, the followup to DJ Vadim’s critically acclaimed tenth album, Don’t Be Scared, he dawns the role of his alter ego Dubcatcher. There’s a reason for this. Dubcatcher isn’t another hip hop album. Instead, Dubcatcher is album of dancehall reggae. This isn’t DJ Vadim’s first reggae album. No. He’s previously released a reggae album. …
MOD JAZZ, AND THEN SOME!
MOD JAZZ, AND THEN SOME! It doesn’t seem like eighteen years since Kent Soul released the first instalment in the Mod Jazz series. However, that’s the case. 30th September 1996 was when Mod Jazz first hit the shops. Released to critical acclaim, Mod Jazz was a commercial success. Mod Jazz was music for attendees of …
ARTHUR PRYSOCK-TOO LATE BABY-THE OLD TOWN SINGLES 1958-66.
ARTHUR PRYSOCK-TOO LATE BABY-THE OLD TOWN SINGLES 1958-66. Although Arthur Prysock’s career lasted six decades, the most successful period of his career was the eight years he spent at Old Town Records. Between 1958 and 1966, Arthur Prysock released twenty-four singles. There’s also the small matter of nine albums. From Arthur’s debut album was I …
MILLIE JACKSON-ON THE COUNTRY SOUL SIDE.
MILLIE JACKSON-ON THE COUNTRY SOUL SIDE. Trying to describe Millie Jackson in just one word, is almost impossible. If I was asked to do so, the word I’d use would be versatile. She could breath life, meaning and drama into a variety of songs. Whether it was heartbreaking, soulful ballads or country soul, Millie could …
WARDELL GRAY-WAY OUT WARDELL.
WARDELL GRAY-WAY OUT WARDELL. During Wardell Gray’s tragically short career, he proved to be one of jazz’s innovators. His career lasted just fifteen years. It began in the swing era and encompassed the bebop era. Then, just when Wardell Grey looked like fulfilling his undoubted potential, tragedy struck on May 25th 1955. Towards the end …
ENO-HYDE SOMEDAY WORLD.
ENO-HYDE SOMEDAY WORLD. It’s no exaggeration to refer to Brian Eno as the Godfather of electronic music. He is, without doubt, one of the genre’s founding fathers. Brian Eno is also one of electronic music’s innovators. That’s been the case throughout Brian Eno’s career. Ever ever since his days with Roxy Music, Brian Eno had …
ASHFORD AND SIMPSON-HIGH RISE.
ASHFORD AND SIMPSON-HIGH RISE. By 1983, Ashford and Simpson were about to release their eleventh album, High Rise. It was their second album for their new record label Capitol Records. High Rise was also the followup to their 1982 concept album Street Opera, which dealt with the problems couples face in economically tough times. Street Opera dealt …
SOUTHPORT WEEKENDER: LEFTO.
SOUTHPORT WEEKENDER: LEFTO. The Southport Weekender has come a long way since it first took place back in 1987. Since 1987, the Southport Weekend has been one of the highlights of the dance music scene. Rather confusingly, the first Southport Weekend took place in Berwick Upon Tweed. This was a somewhat strange choice of venue …
CAROL WILLIAMS-‘LECTRIC LADY.
CAROL WILLIAMS-‘LECTRIC LADY. In late 1975, Carol Williams became the first Lady of of Salsoul. Carol, one of the original disco divas, became the first female singer to sign for Salsoul. At Salsoul Records, Carol worked with Vince Montana Jr, the man behind the rise and rise of The Salsoul Orchestra. With Vince at her side, Carol Williams disco …
dereksmusicblog
dereksmusicblog 