Author Archive: dereksmusicblog

CLASSIC ALBUM: JIMI HENDRIX-BAND OF GYPSYS.

Classic Album: Jimi Hendrix-Band Of Gypsys. When the Jimi Hendrix Experience took to the stage at the Denver Pop Festival in June 1969, bassist Noel Redding knew it was his swansong with the group. He had been told by a journalist before the show that he was going to be replaced by Billy Cox. It …

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LOST INNOCENCE-GARPAX 1960S PUNK AND PSYCH.

Lost Innocence-Garpax 1960s Punk and Psych. Label: Ace Records. Gary Sanford Paxton was born on the ‘18th’ of May 1939, in Coffeyville, Kansas and was adopted when he just three, and brought up in abject poverty. Life was tough growing up, and when he was eleven he contracted spinal meningitis. A year later, the Paxton …

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FOR THE GOOD TIMES-THE SONGS OF KRIS KRISTOFFERSON. 

For The Good Times-The Songs Of Kris Kristofferson. Label: Ace Records. Nowadays, the name Kris Kristofferson means different things to different people. For film fans he’s the star of eighty-five films, while record buyers remember the singer-songwriter who has released eighteen studio albums and three live albums between 1970 and 2014. He’s also collaborated on …

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LITTLE ANN-DETROIT’S SECRET SOUL.

Little Ann-Detroit’s Secret Soul. Label: Kent Soul. Up until the dawn of the new millennia, only a few discerning soul fans had heard of Detroit-born singer and songwriter Little Ann. They remembered One Way Street which featured on one side of a single released on the Ric-Tic label in 1968. That seemed to her only …

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THE OHIO PLAYERS-ECSTASY.

The Ohio Players-Ecstasy. Label: Westbound. Format LP. It wasn’t until The Ohio Players signed with Westbound, and released their sophomore album Pain in 1972, that commercial success their way. The group  was founded in 1959 and originally was known as The Ohio Untouchables and had a chequered history. Initially, The Ohio Untouchables lineup featured drummer …

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CULT CLASSIC: MIKE TINGLEY-THE ABSTRACT PRINCE.

Cult Classic: Mike Tingley-The Abstract Prince. Mike Tingley was born and brought up in Southern California, and in the early sixties started playing the guitar and like a lot of aspiring musicians was influenced by The Beatles, the Beach Boys and folk music.  However, it was only when the twenty year old singer, songwriter and …

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CULT CLASSIC: VICTOR CAVINI-JAPAN.

Cult Classic: Victor Cavini-Japan. In the the history of German library music, Selected Sound is regarded as an institution by collectors and connoisseurs and one of its finest releases was Japan, which was released by Victor Cavini in 1983.  Thirty-seven years, this rarity is a cult classic that’s on the wants list of many collectors. …

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CULT CLASSIC: LARRY ROSE BAND-THE JUPITER EFFECT.

Cult Classic: Larry Rose Band–The Jupiter Effect. Usually, at this time of the year, dedicated crate-digging DJs and discerning record collectors spend  much of their spare time searching for oft-overlooked albums and long lost hidden gems in back-street record shops, thrift stores and dusty warehouses. This is the natural habitat of the real life vinyl …

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CULT CLASSIC: PETE LA ROCA-BASRA. 

Cult Classic: Pete La Roca-Basra. Sadly, Pete La Roca’s career is another case of what might have been. The New York born jazz drummer only released a triumvirate of solo albums during an eventful career that promised much.  During the early years of his career he worked with Jackie McLean, John Coltrane, Tony Scott, Bill …

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CULT CLASSIC: DUKE ELLINGTON, CHARLIE MINGUS, MAX ROACH-MONEY JUNGLE.

Cult Classic: Duke Ellington, Charlie Mingus, Max Roach-Money Jungle. On Monday, September the ‘17th’ 1962, bassist Charles Mingus and drummer Max Roach made their way to Sound Makers Studio, in New York. The two friends were en route to a session where they would record an album with one of the giants of jazz, Duke …

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CULT CLASSIC: ROY BUDD-THE INTERNECINE PROJECT.

Cult Classic: Roy Budd-The Internecine Project. By 1974, London born jazz pianist, arranger, bandleader and composer Roy Budd was twenty-seven, and had been performing professionally since the age of fifteen. A year later, he formed his own quartet, and in 1967,  released his debut album Roy Budd At Newport. The young pianist was a prodigious …

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CULT CLASSIC: JACKIE MCLEAN-A FICKLE SONANCE.

Cult Classic: Jackie McLean-A Fickle Sonance. On October the ’26th’ 1961, thirty year old alto-saxophonist Jackie McLean made the now familiar journey to the Van Gelder Studio, at 445 Sylvan Avenue, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, to record a new album with his quintet. The album became A Fickle Sonance, which was released in late 1962 and is …

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CULT CLASSIC: LEE MORGAN-THE COOKER.

Cult Classic: Lee Morgan-The Cooker. When eighteen year old trumpeter Lee Morgan signed to Blue Note Records as a solo artist in 1956, he was already a prodigious talent and had the potential to become one of the greatest trumpeters of his generation. That talent was soon apparent. Introducing Lee Morgan. On November the ‘4th’ …

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CULT CLASSIC: PIRANA-PIRANA.

Cult Classic: Pirana-Pirana. Although Australian progressive rockers Pirana were together for just over three years, they played live over 600 times and released two albums on Harvest Records. This included their 1972 debut album Pirana. It’s a cult classic and a reminder of a group that should’ve reached greater heights.  Sadly, commercial success eluded Pirana, …

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CULT CLASSIC: SUN RA-CELESTIAL LOVE.

Cult Classic: Sun Ra-Celestial Love. Nowadays, maybe music journalists are guilty of using the words innovator and musical pioneer all too freely, but that is the perfect description of the inimitable Sun Ra. He’s quite rightly regarded as one of the true pioneers of free jazz and a truly innovative and influential musician who pushed musical boundaries …

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CULT CLASSIC: JETHRO TULL- STORM WATCH.

Cult Classic: Jethro Tull-Storm Watch. By September 1979, Jethro Tull was still one of the most successful British bands of their generation, and were about to release the twelfth album of their career, Stormwatch, It was the final album in a trilogy of folk rock albums and Jethro Tull hoped that Stormwatch would build on the success of which had been released …

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CULT CLASSIC:NIGHTMARES ON WAX-SMOKER’S DELIGHT.

Cult Classic: Nightmares On Wax-Smoker’s Delight. Four years after releasing their debut album A Word Of Science: The First and Final Chapter in 1991, Nightmares On Wax returned with their much-anticipated and critically acclaimed sophomore album Smoker’s Delight. It was released on the ‘24th’ of October 1995 by Warp and awas part of the soundtrack …

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CULT CLASSIC: ART BLAKEY AND THE JAZZ MESSENGERS-BUHAINA’S DELIGHT. 

Cult Classic: Art Blakey and The Jazz Messengers-Buhaina’s Delight. By the time Art Blakey arrived at Van Gelder Studio, in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, on the ‘28th’ of November 1961, he had just turned forty-two a month earlier, and had already established a reputation as one of the greatest jazz drummers of his generation. He …

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CULT CLASSIC: TEA AND SYMPHONY-AN ASYLUM FOR THE MUSICALLY INSANE.

Cult Classic: Tea and Symphony-An Asylum For The Musically Insane. When the original lineup of Tea and Symphony was founded in Birmingham, England, in the late-sixties, they were an acoustic group who have since been compared to Marc Bolan’s Tyrannosaurus Rex. The group was founded by Jeff Daw, James Langston and Nigel Phillips, but when they played …

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CULT CLASSIC: HERBIE HANCOCK-THE PRISONER.

Cult Classic: Herbie Hancock-The Prisoner. In the summer of 1968 Herbie Hancock left Miles Davis Quintet to form his own group. This was a risky move, but one he felt he had to make to develop as a composer, bandleader and pianist. During the summer of 1968 Herbie Hancock also released his sixth album for Blue Note …

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