Author Archive: dereksmusicblog
LOLEATTA HOLLOWAY-LOLEATTA HOLLOWAY.
LOLEATTA HOLLOWAY-LOLEATTA HOLLOWAY. When Loleatta Holloway came to record her fifth album, and third for Gold Mind Records Loleatta Holloway, she encountered a very different company. Gone was Norman Harris who’d previously run Gold Mind and who’d been at Loleatta’s side every step of the way, during her Gold Mind career. Norman Harris wasn’t the …
FREDDIE FICTION-I DON’T DREAM.
FREDDIE FICTION-I DON’T DREAM. Nowadays, when we hear a song we’ve never heard before, we can find out everything we want to know at the click of a button. We either log on to the internet, or reach for our phones. Not this time. Freddie Fiction’s debut single I Don’t Dream isn’t all it seems. …
THE SALSOUL ORCHESTRA-STREET SENSE.
THE SALSOUL ORCHESTRA-STREET SENSE. 1978 was a landmark year for Salsoul Records.Vince Montana Jr, the man who created, conducted, arranged and produced many of The Salsoul Orchestra albums left the label. He’d been at The Salsoul Orchestra’s helm between their 1975 eponymous album and 1978s Up The Yellow Brick Road. When Vince left Salsoul, after a dispute with …
ONCE IN A MILLION-THE SONGS OF SAM DEES.
ONCE IN A MILLION-THE SONGS OF SAM DEES. Sam Dees is described as: “a prolific songwriter and occasional performer.” That’s true. While Sam has written nearly four-hundred songs, he’s only released three albums. Clearly, Sam believes in quality over quantity. Anyone whose heard Sam’s 1975 debut album The Show Must Go On will be forced …
NEW YORK DOLLS-TOO MUCH TOO SOON.
NEW YORK DOLLS-TOO MUCH TOO SOON. Never in the history of music has an album title proved to be so prophetic than the New York Dolls’ sophomore album Too Much Too Soon. Released in 1974, Too Much Too Soon features one of the hardest rocking and hardest living bands in musical history. Unfortunately, The New …
DERECHO-COFFEE AND DISRUPTION.
DERECHO-COFFEE AND DISRUPTION. Late in 2013, Cambridge based rock band Derecho released their sophomore album Coffee and Disruption. This only reinforced what people knew about Derecho. Here was a band going places. They’d come a long way since forming in late 2010. It was definitely a case of three years well spent. Derecho had spent …
BOB FRANK-BOB FRANK.
BOB FRANK-BOB FRANK. In 2007, Jim Dickinson described Bob Frank as: “the best songwriter you never heard.” That’s no surprise. Jim Dickinson first met Bob Frank way back in the summer of 1963. Back then, Bob was part of a group of singers and songwriters hanging out in an old butcher’s shop in Crosstown Farmer’s …
NEU-NEU 2.
NEU-NEU 2. Although Neu never enjoyed the commercial success their music deserved, they’re without doubt, one of the most influential groups in musical history. They’re perceived as one of the founding father’s of Krautrock. They’ve influenced everyone from Brian Eno, David Bowie, Iggy Pop, Radiohead, Primal Scream and a generation of electronic music producers. That’s …
LADY DAISEY-IN MY HEADPHONES.
LADY DAISEY-IN MY HEADPHONES. Previously, Lady Daisey’s music has been described as: “sunshine for your soul.” That might seem like hype or hyperbole. It’s not. From the moment you press play On Lady Daisey’s new album In My Headphones, you’re captivated. Powerful, sultry, seductive, soulful and sassy, describes Lady Daisey’s voice. The thirteen tracks on …
STEIN URHEIM-STEIN URHEIM.
STEIN URHEIM-STEIN URHEIM. Last year, 2013, Stein Urheim’s collaboration with Mari Kvien Brunvoll, Daydream Twin was nominated for a Spellemannprisen, the Norwegian equivalent of a Grammy Award. No wonder. Over the last few years, Stein has established a reputation as one of Norwegian music’s most innovative artists. The story begins back in 2009. That’s when …
THE SEEDS-RAW AND ALIVE.
THE SEEDS-RAW AND ALIVE. Originally, The Seeds started life as a garage band. That was the past. Music was changing. So were The Seeds. The Beatles’ had just released their psychedelic masterpiece Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Heart’s Club Band. This was the way music was heading. Hearing this seminal psychedelic opus resulted in The Seeds changing direction. Realising …
GEORGE DUKE-A BRAZILIAN LOVE AFFAIR.
GEORGE DUKE-A BRAZILIAN LOVE AFFAIR. By 1979, when George Duke released A Brazilian Love Affair, he was one of the hardest working men in music. Not only had he released fifteen solo albums, but had moved into production. Then there was George’s work as a sideman. The list of musicians George has played with reads …
KATE BUSH-LIONHEART.
KATE BUSH-LIONHEART. Kate Bush is no ordinary singer-songwriter. Far from it. She was discovered aged sixteen, by Dave Gilmour of Pink Floyd. He recommended her to EMI. They signed Kate. In 1978, aged eighteen, Kate released her debut album The Kick Inside. Some of the songs on The Kick Inside, had been written when she …
GEORGE DUKE-DON’T LET GO.
GEORGE DUKE-DON’T LET GO. There aren’t may artists who’ve worked with such an eclectic range of artists as George Duke. Among the artists George Duke has worked with are Frank Zappa, Anita Baker Flora Purim, right through to Jean Luc-Ponty, Cannonball Adderley, Billy Cobham and George Clinton. Whether it was jazz, rock, soul, disco, R&B …
dereksmusicblog
dereksmusicblog 