Author Archive: dereksmusicblog
SKYY-SKYY LINE.
SKYY-SKYY LINE. By the time Skyy released their fourth album for Salsoul Records, Skyy Line, which was recently rereleased by BBR Records, Salsoul, and indeed music, had changed dramatically. Between 1975 and 1979, Salsoul Records had established a reputation as disco’s premier label. Salsoul Records gained a reputation as an innovative and influential label, who …
THE TRAMMPS-DISCO INFERNO.
THE TRAMMPS-DISCO INFERNO. Eight months after The Trammps released Where The Happy People Go in April 1976, they released their third studio album Disco Inferno In December 1976. A year after The Trammps released Disco Inferno, which was rereleased by WEA Japan on 30th April 2013, their career was totally transformed. This transformation took place …
BLUE MAGIC-MYSTIC DRAGONS.
BLUE MAGIC-MYSTIC DRAGONS The story of Blue Magic, is far from unique. Their eponymous debut album Blue Magic, released in January 1974, reached number forty-five in the US Billboard 200 and number four in the US R&B Charts. This resulted in Blue Magic being certified gold. Blue Magic featured the million-selling Philly Soul classic Sideshow, …
ARETHA FRANKLIN-I NEVER LOVED A MAN THE WAY I LOVED YOU.
ARETHA FRANKLIN-I NEVER LOVED A MAN THE WAY I LOVED YOU. Recently, I’ve come to the conclusion that the most overused word in the English language is the word “classic.” Nowadays, something can’t just be good, it must be a classic. It doesn’t matter if someone is talking about a book, cuisine, technology, a architecture …
ROBERTA FLACK-FIRST TAKE.
ROBERTA FLACK-FIRST TAKE. Mention Roberta Flack’s name, and most people automatically think of two songs, The First Time I Saw Your Face and Killing Me Softly. The story of First Take is one where if fate hadn’t intervened, might have resulted in the album forever remaining a hidden gem. Having been released in 1969, First …
BEN E. KING-I HAD A LOVE.
BEN E. KING-I HAD A LOVE. In 1975, Ben E. King returned to Atlantic Records, where he’d spent much of the sixties. The success he’d enjoyed back in the sixties was eluding him. Maybe going back to the label where he enjoyed the most successful period of his career. This proved to be the case. Ben’s …
THE SPINNERS-SPINNERS.
THE SPINNERS-SPINNERS. Nineteen years after The Spinners were formed in Detroit in 1954, commercial success and critical acclaim came their way. It had been a long time coming and many groups would’ve walked away from music. Luckily, The Spinners were made of stronger stuff. Their determination and perseverance was eventually rewarded in 1973, when they released …
JOHN MORALES PRESENTS THE M&M MIXES VOLUME 3 INSTRUMENTALS.
JOHN MORALES PRESENTS THE M&M MIXES VOLUME 3 INSTRUMENTALS. Compilations of John Morales’ remixes are a bit like London buses, you wait ages for one, then two come along at once. After releasing the critically acclaimed and commercially successful The M&M Mixes Volume 2 in March 2011, John Morales spent the next years working not just …
BOB MARLEY AND THE WAILERS-KAYA-DELUXE EDITION.
BOB MARLEY AND THE WAILERS-KAYA-DELUXE EDITION. Back in 1978, when Bob Marley and The Wailers released Kaya, critics and fans accused Bob Marley of selling out. Kaya was a much more laid-back album, whereas previous albums had been politically charged and crammed full of social comment. Previously, Bob Marley was seen as Jamaica’s social conscience. …
MAJOR HARRIS-JEALOUSY.
MAJOR HARRIS-JEALOUSY. As someone whose a huge fan of Philly Soul, one thing that continues to frustrate me, is that many Philly Soul albums haven’t yet made it to CD. I can think of numerous Philly Soul classics waiting for their CD debut. Considering CDs are nearly thirty years old, that’s disappointing, to say the …
CAN YOU JACK? CHICAGO HOUSE AND EXPERIMENTAL HOUSE 1985-1995.
CAN YOU JACK? CHICAGO HOUSE AND EXPERIMENTAL HOUSE 1985-1995. Hot on the heels of Soul Jazz Records recent critically acclaimed compilation of Acid House and Chicago House, Acid-Mysteron Invade The Jackin’ Zone: Chicago Acid and Experimental House 1986-93, Can You Jack?Chicago House and Experimental House 1985-1995 will be released on 29th April 2013. However, Can …
SALSOUL PRESENTS-PHILLY SOUL FLAVAS.
SALSOUL PRESENTS-PHILLY SOUL FLAVAS. There aren’t many musicians who played their part in making two separate record labels the most critically acclaimed, commercially successful, innovative and influential labels in the history of music. However, back in the late sixties in Philadelphia, a group of supremely talented musicians began working together. This included the Baker, Harris, …
MILLIE JACKSON-THE MOODS OF MILLIE JACKSON.
MILLIE JACKSON-THE MOODS OF MILLIE JACKSON. When it comes to female soul singers, It’s no exaggeration to say that Millie Jackson was one of the most talented and charismatic female vocalists of the seventies and eighties. Millie Jackson was born in Thomson, Georgia, but when her mother died, she moved to Newark, New Jersey with …
DISCO RECHARGE: EVELYN THOMAS-I WANNA MAKE IT ON MY OWN AND HAVE A LITTLE FAITH IN ME.
DISCO RECHARGE: EVELYN THOMAS-I WANNA MAKE IT ON MY OWN AND HAVE A LITTLE FAITH IN ME. On 1975, DJ and producer Ian Levine headed to America is search of artists he could record for his newly founded production company Voltafine. Ian’s idea was to record American soul singers, then lease the recordings to major …
DISCO RECHARGE: GRAND TOUR ON SUCH A WINTER’S DAY AND SOUTHERN EXPOSURE HEADIN’ SOUTH-SPECIAL EDITION.
DISCO RECHARGE: GRAND TOUR ON SUCH A WINTER’S DAY AND SOUTHERN EXPOSURE HEADIN’ SOUTH-SPECIAL EDITION. Back in 1976, in Toronto, Canada, a musical partnership that resuled in some of the most innovative music of the disco era was formed. This partnership was made up of Willi Morrison, who was born in Scotland, but moved to …
ACID-MYSTERONS INVADE THE JACKIN’ ZONE: CHICAGO ACID AND EXPERIMENTAL HOUSE 1986-93.
ACID-MYSTERONS INVADE THE JACKIN’ ZONE: CHICAGO ACID AND EXPERIMENTAL HOUSE 1986-93. It’s hard to believe that it’s almost thirty years since the birth of house music in Chicago for future generations of producers. Time has gone quickly, and things were very different. Back then, the technology producers enjoy nowadays was much more lo-fi. There were …
GIORGIO MORODER-ON THE GROOVE TRAIN VOLUME 2 1974-1985.
GIORGIO MORODER-ON THE GROOVE TRAIN VOLUME 2 1974-1985. One of the founding fathers of Euro Disco was the Italian born producer Giorgio Moroder. His career started back in 1966, when he released several singles as Giorgio. It wasn’t until 1969 when Giorgio Moroder first enjoyed commercial success. His 1969 single Looky, Looky, which was released …
dereksmusicblog
dereksmusicblog 