Author Archive: dereksmusicblog
THE TEMPTATIONS-ALL DIRECTIONS.
THE TEMPTATIONS-ALL DIRECTIONS. When The Temptations were recording what became All Directions, the group were determined not to record two songs that eventually appeared on the album. One of these songs was Run Charlie Run and the other was Papa Was A Rolling Stone. The Temptations were absolutely determined not to record these songs. They …
COSMIC MACHINE.
COSMIC MACHINE. After the initial optimism of the liberated, swinging and psychedelic sixties, the events of Altamont Free Concert, meant many people were pleased to see a new decade dawn. As the sixties became the seventies, music started to change. It was revolution rather evolution. This was a long way from 1962, when The Beatles …
LEE HAZELWOOD-TROUBLE IS A LONESOME TOWN.
LEE HAZELWOOD-TROUBLE IS A LONESOME TOWN. There aren’t many artists whose careers took as many twists and turns as Lee Hazelwood. Having left the US Army, Lee worked as a disc jockey, whilst forging a career as a songwriter. The first hit he wrote and produced was Sanford Clark’s 1956 rockabilly hit The Fool. Two …
ELYAS KHAN-BRAWL IN PARADISE.
ELYAS KHAN-BRAWL IN PARADISE. Unique, eclectic and genre-sprawing. That’s the best way to describe the music on Elyas Khan’s debut album Brawl In Paradise. Released recently on BBE Music, Brawl In Paradise showcases one of the most innovative artists in contemporary British music. On Brawl In Paradise’s twelve tracks, everything from hip hop, soul, funk, …
FAIRPORT CONVENTION-RISING FOR THE MOON.
FAIRPORT CONVENTION-RISING FOR THE MOON. Rising For The Moon, which was Fairport Convention’s tenth studio album, proved to be a landmark album for a number of reasons. Most importantly, it was the last album to feature the ethereal beauty of Sandy Denny’s vocal. This was Sandy’s swan-song. Another change was that Jon Wood, Fairport Convention’s …
MICHAEL CHAPMAN-WRECKED AGAIN.
MICHAEL CHAPMAN-WRECKED AGAIN. Before releasing his 1969 debut album Rainmaker, on Harvest Records, Michael Chapman taught art and photography. Music was something he did in his spare time. Despite being a part time musician, Michael was a regular on the folk circuit. He traveled from his home county of Yorkshire down to London and Cornwall. …
THE WYNNTOWN MARSHALS-THE LONG HAUL.
THE WYNNTOWN MARSHALS-THE LONG HAUL. Ever since 2007, a little corner of Edinburgh has resembled Nashville, Tennessee. 2007 was The Wynntown Marshals, Scotland’s most practiced purveyors of country rock were formed. Since then, The Wynntown Marshals, have been fusing poppy hooks and a pedal steel to create their own unique brand of swaggering country rock. …
THIS SILENT FOREST-INDIVISION.
THIS SILENT FOREST-INDIVISION. This Silent Forest aren’t like most bands. No. They’re almost like two bands rolled into one. As a four piece, their music is best described as post-rock. Then when This Silent Forest becomes a sextet, they’re transformed. Harmonies and strings add an ethereal beauty to This Silent Forest’s music, That’s why for …
JEROME DERRADJ PRESENTS: BANG THE BOX! THE (LOST) STORY OF AKA DANCE MUSIC, CHICAGO 1987-88.
Jerome Derradji Presents: Bang The Box! The (Lost) Story Of AKA Dance Music, Chicago 1987-88. Having cofounded Sunset Records in Chicago, in 1985, Matt Warren spent the next two years transforming the label into one of Chicago house’s most progressive and innovative labels. Then in 1987, Matt decided to part company with Sunset Records. A …
RANDOLPH’S LEAP-REAL ANYMORE.
RANDOLPH’S LEAP-REAL ANYMORE. Randolph’s Leap who recently released their mini-album Real Anymore on Olive Grove Records, aren’t like any other band. Not all. After how many bands describe themselves as a “Glasgow-based figment of your imagination?” Well, Randolph’s Leap do. This adds an air of mystery to the Glasgow-octet. It also hints at a band …
MIKE OLDFIELD-FIVE MILES OUT.
MIKE OLDFIELD-FIVE MILES OUT. There aren’t many artists whose debut album sells 3.75 million copies. Back in 1973, Mike Oldfield’s debut album Tubular Bells did. Reaching number one in the UK and number three in the US Billboard 200, Mike Oldfield not only launched his career, but the new record label he was signed to, Virgin …
PETE MACLEOD-ROLLING STONE.
PETE MACLEOD-ROLLING STONE. It was seventeen years ago, that Pete MacLeod made his professional debut. That night, in 1996, Pete walked on stage and sang two of his own songs. It gave Pete his first taste of the music industry. He was hooked, and wanted more of it. For the next eight years, Pete travelled …
DORIS DUKE-I’M A LOSER.
DORIS DUKE-I’M A LOSER. Mention Doris Duke’s 1970 album I’m A Loser and many lovers of soul music will nod approvingly. Since its release, I’m A Loser has become regarded as one of the greatest Deep Soul albums ever released. Before I tell you about I’m A Loser, which will be rereleased by Alive Records …
WORDYSOULSPEAK-LET THE RHYTHM HIT.
WORDYSOULSPEAK-LET THE RHYTHM HIT. It used to be, that DJ-ing meant a two Technics 1210s and a mixer. Not any more. DJ-ing has gone digital. Now controllers and laptops we’re told, are the future of DJ-ing. Controllers like the Novation Twitch and Pioneer DDJ-SX running Serato DJ and Traktor are perceived as the future. To …
ARVE HENRIKSEN-PLACES OF WORSHIP.
ARVE HENRIKSEN-PLACES OF WORSHIP. Ever since his career began, Norwegian jazz trumpeter Arve Henriksen has been on a mission to reinvent the jazz trumpet. Arve’s raison d’etre has been to push musical boundaries and challenge musical norms. He’s taken the jazz trumpet to destinations its previously never dared visit. That’s why twenty-two years after his …
R.M. HUBBERT-BREAKS AND BONE.
R.M. HUBBERT-BREAKS AND BONE. For R.M. Hubbert, 2013 has been the best year of his long musical career. A veteran, and some might say, unsung hero, of Glasgow’s music scene, Hubby won the Scottish Album Of The Year Award in June 2013, with his sophomore album, Thirteen Lost and Found. Considering the competition Hubby was …
STUDIO ONE SKA FEVER!
STUDIO ONE SKA FEVER! Ska was born in Jamaica during the late-fifties. At first Jamaican musicians seemed determined to replicate the sound of American R&B. Both the beat and tempo were similar. Then having tired of copying their American counterparts, Jamaican musicians decided to give this new musical genre a Jamaican twist. So, Caribbean and …
SWEETHEARTS OF THE PRISON RODEO-ON THE DESOLATE HILLSIDE.
SWEETHEARTS OF THE PRISON RODEO-ON THE DESOLATE HILLSIDE. Sweethearts Of The Prison Rodeo are no ordinary band. Far from it. The Falkirk based Sweethearts Of The Prison Rodeo describe the music on their debut album, On The Desolate Hillside, as freak-country-folk. Released recently on Adam Stafford’s Glasgow label Wiseblood Industries, On The Desolate Hillside showcases a cerebral …
BELLE AND SEBASTIAN- THE THIRD EYE CENTRE.
BELLE AND SEBASTIAN- THE THIRD EYE CENTRE. Between 1975 and the late eighties, The Third Eye Centre was The place to find cutting-edge, sometimes controversial and always progressive art. It was the antithesis of every other theatre or venue in Glasgow. This wasn’t like The Kings, Pavilion or the Theatre Royal. No. You didn’t luxuriate …
dereksmusicblog
dereksmusicblog 