Author Archive: dereksmusicblog
SERENA KERN-I LIED E.P.
SERENA KERN-I LIED E.P. Hardly a day goes past without me receiving press releases about artists who have “a big future ahead of them.” Sadly, that’s often wishful thinking. Either that, or the result of an over exuberant P.R. company. Not in the case of Serena Kern. Serena Kern is the real deal. She has …
BOMBAY DISCO-DISCO HITS FROM HINDI FILMS 1979-1985.
BOMBAY DISCO-DISCO HITS FROM HINDI FILMS 1979-1985. Disco. Never has a musical genre divided opinion like disco. For some people, disco was the musical equivalent of a four letter word. In their eyes, disco sucked. That was the case back in 1979. Thirty-five years later, disco still divides opinion. During the thirty-five year period, disco …
MOVEMENTS 6.
MOVEMENTS 6. One of the longest running compilation series is Movements, compiled by Tobias Kirkmayer. The first instalment in the series, Movements was released back in 2005 on Perfect Toy Records. In an ever crowded compilation market, Movements was well received. A year later, in 2006, came Movements. Then nothing. Four long years passed without …
WITHERED HAND-NEW GODS.
WITHERED HAND-NEW GODS. Five long years have passed since Withered Hand recorded their debut album Good News. It was released to critical acclaim and praised for its stark honesty. There was a reason for this. The man behind Withered Hand, Dan Willson was a latecomer to music. He was already thirty when he wrote his …
BLOOD RELATIVES-DEERHEART.
BLOOD RELATIVES-DEERHEART. It’s about this time of year that people start that the movers and shakers in Scottish music start thinking about the nominations for the Scotland’s premier music award, the Scottish Album of The Year Award. Last year, R.M. Hubbert’s sophomore solo album Thirteen Lost and Found won the Scottish Album of The Year …
ERA RECORDS AND WEST COAST NORTHERN SOUL.
ERA RECORDS AND WEST COAST NORTHERN SOUL. The Era Records story began back in 1955. That’s when two cousins, Lew Bedell and Herb Newman decided to decided to form a record label in their hometown, Los Angeles. They called their new label Era Records. For Lew and Herb, this was indeed the start of a …
THE BONNIWELL MUSIC MACHINE.
THE BONNIWELL MUSIC MACHINE-THE BONNIWELL MUSIC MACHINE. In 1955, Sean Bonniwell’s life changed when he heard The Platters’ Only You. That’s when he decided to become a musician. Eventually, his dream became a reality, and he became one of the most influential and innovative musicians of the mid-sixties. With his band The Bonniwell Music Machine, …
MERRY CLAYTON-GIMME SHELTER.
MERRY CLAYTON-GIMME SHELTER. When the Rolling Stones released Gimme Shelter in 1969, many people were left wondering who duetted with Mick Jagger on the single? That was Merry Clayton. Her vocal powerhouse helped make the song a classic. However, Merry Clayton wasn’t meant to even sing on Gimme Shelter. No. She replaced Bonnie Bramlett, who …
NUDE-OH MY LADY.
NUDE-OH MY LADY. For a while, there’s been a real shortage of guitar bands. Not any more. Manchester-based Nude have entered the building. Nude are an old school band who’ve just released their debut E.P. The Rockfield Live Demonstrations, which features one of my favourite tracks of the moment Oh My Lady. Unsurprisingly, given the …
DAVID BOWIE-SCARY MONSTERS (AND SUPER CREEPS).
DAVID BOWIE-SCARY MONSTERS (AND SUPER CREEPS). Throughout a career that’s lasted over forty years, David Bowie has strived to produce innovative music. He’s constantly sought to reinvent himself, and his music. His music has evolved throughout his career. That’s been the case since he made a commercial breakthrough with Space Oddity in 1969. Eclectic describes …
LOU ADLER-A MUSICAL HISTORY.
LOU ADLER-A MUSICAL HISTORY. Songwriter, producers, manager, director and impresario. That describes Lou Adler. During a long and illustrious career, that started back in 1958, Lou Adler has written over 150 songs and has 300 production credits to his name. Lou Adler has worked with some of the biggest names in music. Among them are …
SLAKAH THE BEATCHILD-SOUL MOVEMENT VOLUME 2.
SLAKAH THE BEATCHILD-SOUL MOVEMENT VOLUME 2. “It’s been a long time coming sang Sam Cooke.” The same can be said of Slakah The Beatchild’s forthcoming album Soul Movement Voiume 2. It’s the sequel to Soul Movement Volume 1, which was released to critical acclaim back in September 2008. After a gap of six long years, …
DR JOHN THE NIGHT TRIPPER-GRIS GRIS.
DR JOHN THE NIGHT TRIPPER-GRIS GRIS. The scenario that I’m going to describe, really happened, and demonstrates that even the most experienced people in the music industry get things wrong. It was in January 1968, and Dr. John completed his debut album Gris Gris. A copy of Gris Gris was sent to Ahmet Erteghun at Atlantic …
YOU TALK TOO MUCH-THE RIC AND RON STORY VOLUME 1.
YOU TALK TOO MUCH-THE RIC AND RON STORY VOLUME 1. Joe Ruffino founded his Ric and Ron labels in 1958. For the next five years, they were one of New Orleans’ premier independent R&B labels. During this five year period, artists of the calibre of Professor Longhair, Irma Thomas, Johnny Adams, Eddie Bo and Eddie …
INNER CITY BEAT-DETECTIVE THEMES, SPY MUSIC AND IMAGINARY THRILLERS 1967-1975.
INNER CITY BEAT-DETECTIVE THEMES, SPY MUSIC AND IMAGINARY THRILLERS 1967-1975. KPM Music, De Wolfe Music, Amphonic Music and Conroy. These names may not mean much to many people. However, for sample-hungry hip hop producers and crate-digging DJs alike, this means musical gold. One of music’s best kept secrets is library music. This has been the …
THE BLUE NILE-PEACE AT LAST (REMASTERED DELUXE SET).
THE BLUE NILE-PEACE AT LAST. The Blue Nile were no ordinary band. They did things their way. Enigmatic, reluctant and contrarian are words that best of describe the Blue Nile, whose third album Peace At Last was released as a Remastered Deluxe Set on the 3rd March 2013. This reissue has been a long time …
MARY LOVE-LAY THIS BURDEN DOWN-THE BEST OF MARY LOVE.
MARY LOVE-LAY THIS BURDEN DOWN: THE BEST OF MARY LOVE. The day that Mary Love entered a talent contest in a local club was that the day that her life changed. She sang a cover of Etta James’ Somebody’s Got A Hold On Me and won. This resulted in Mary being hired to sing every Thursday. She was …
FRANK FOSTER-THE LOUD MINORITY.
FRANK FOSTER-THE LOUD MINORITY. During a long and illustrious career that lasted over fifty years, Frank Foster played alongside everyone from Count Basie, Donald Byrd, Thelonious Monk, Kenny Burrell, Milt Jackson, Duke Pearson, Elvin Jones and Elmo Hope. Frank was the go-to-guy for anyone looking for an innovative flautist, saxophonist or clarinet player. During the fifties …
dereksmusicblog
dereksmusicblog 