Author Archive: dereksmusicblog
FRAGILE STATE-VOICES FROM THE DUSTBOWL.
FRAGILE STATE-VOICES FROM THE DUSTBOWL. Live everything else, music is dictated by fashion and trends. What’s fashionable or “trendy” today, could be out of fashion next week or next month. Sometimes, genres of music stay in fashion for a while, others disappear quickly. A few years ago, one of the most fashionable and popular genres …
TALK TALK-SPIRIT OF EDEN.
TALK TALK-SPIRIT OF EDEN. Sometimes, an artist or group’s music changes and matures over the course of their career. This is certainly the case for the band this article is about. In their early years, their music was similar to many of the New Romantic groups popular back then. Their first two albums were very …
MINNIE RIPERTON-ADVENTURES IN PARADISE.
MINNIE RIPERTON-ADVENTURES IN PARADISE. As anyone who reads this blog on a regular basis will have gathered, I love soul music. I always have, and always will. Previously I’ve written about a number of soul singers, mostly ones from the 1960s and 1970s, and today, I’m going to write about one of my all time …
ROXY MUSIC-FLESH AND BLOOD.
ROXY MUSIC-FLESH AND BLOOD. I was recently reading a magazine article about Roxy Music, where they were listing some of their best albums. Having read the article, I realized that one of my favorite albums Flesh and Blood, wasn’t on the article. The albums on the list were a strange mixture, even including a greatest …
JOE GIBBS AND THE PROFESSIONALS-AFRICAN DUB 5.
JOE GIBBS AND THE PROFESSIONALS-AFRICAN DUB 5. The other night I was listening to a number of old dub reggae albums, when I came across the album I’m going to write about today. Sometimes I don’t get much chance to listen to albums that I bought years ago, because I’m constantly listening to new stuff. …
COCTEAU TWINS-FOUR-CALENDAR CAFE.
COCTEAU TWINS-FOUR-CALENDAR CAFE. Since I started writing this blog, I’ve written about many Scottish bands. These have included Blue Nile, Primal Scream, The Bathers, Fortuny, Lloyd Cole and The Commotions, Love and Money and the band I’m going to write about today, the Cocteau Twins. I’ve previously written two articles about the Cocteau Twins, on …
THE PHILADELPHIA SOUND-SWEET SOUL MUSIC
THE PHILADELPHIA SOUND-SWEET SOUL MUSIC. Back in the 1970s, Philadelphia produced some of the sweetest, most melodic soul of the decade. It was the latest in a long line of American cities that had produced some fantastic, memorable and hugely influential soul music. Chicago produced the sound of Chess, which produced some of the best …
KATE BUSH-LIONHEART.
KATE BUSH-LIONHEART. In this article, I’m going to write about one of the most remarkable singer-songwriters of the past forty years. She was discovered aged sixteen, by Dave Gilmour from Pink Floyd. He recommended her to EMI, who promptly gave her a record contract. Aged nineteen, her first solo album The Kick Inside, was released. …
BOBBY WOMACK-UNDERSTANDING.
BOBBY WOMACK-UNDERSTANDING. For over thirty years, I have loved soul music. Growing up, it was one of my favorite genres of music. Since then, it has been a life long love affair. Over the years, I’ve collected music by numerous artists, groups and on certain labels. Some of my favorites have been Bobby Bland, Esther …
THE ROLLING STONES-SOME GIRLS.
THE ROLLING STONES-SOME GIRLS. Today I’m going to write about an album that I’d almost forgotten about, until a few weeks ago. Over the years, I’ve bought more albums than I care to remember. Some I love and listen to constantly, others are filed away, and hardly ever see the light of day again. Some …
SLY AND THE FAMILY STONE-THERE’S A RIOT GOIN’ ON.
SLY AND THE FAMILY STONE-THERE’S A RIOT GOIN’ ON. Often a band will change musical direction. There can be many reasons for this. Sometimes, it’s because they’re looking for commercial success, other times, they’re moving with changes in musical trends, it can even be to reflect changes in society. Another reason can be problems within …
KAREN DALTON-IN MY OWN TIME.
KAREN DALTON-IN MY OWN TIME. Imagine Bob Dylan describes you as his favorite singer in his autobiography, and compares your voice to Billie Holliday, and your guitar playing like the legendary Jimmy Reed’s. That must be the ultimate accolade for any singer. You may be wondering who is this singer that Bob Dylan rates so …
BOB MARLEY AND THE WAILERS-CATCH A FIRE.
BOB MARLEY AND THE WAILERS-CATCH A FIRE. If you ask most people to name just one reggae singer, most people will say Bob Marley. Back in the 1970s’, he was hugely influential in increasing the popularity of reggae music. It was the release of Exodus, an album I’ve previously written about, that gave Bob Marley …
STEVIE WONDER-TALKING BOOK.
STEVIE WONDER-TALKING BOOK. From an early age, I’ve always loved soul music. One of the first artists I remember hearing was Stevie Wonder. Since then I’ve always loved his music, and admired him for everything he has overcome. I can’t help but admire how he has triumphed over adversity. To have overcome blindness, yet still, …
OASIS-DEFINITELY MAYBE.
OASIS-DEFINITELY MAYBE. Previously, I’ve written about many different albums, and in many cases, these albums have been both innovative and commercially successful. This article is about an album that was one of the most successful of the 1990’s, but unlike many of the albums I’ve previously written about, didn’t feature a particularly innovative sound. This …
PRIMAL SCREAM-RIOT CITY BLUES.
PRIMAL SCREAM-RIOT CITY BLUES. As someone who has spent many years reading the music press, one thing that always make me smile is how quickly an artist or group fall from grace in the eyes of the music press. One minute a group are being lauded as the savior of music, having released one of …
DONNY HATHAWAY-EVERYTHING IS EVERYTHING.
DONNY HATHAWAY-EVERYTHING IS EVERYTHING. Sometimes, when people discuss the great soul singers, they forget about the artist I’m going to write about today. Granted he only released three studio albums and one soundtrack album during his lifetime, and two albums with Roberta Flack, but they were great albums, some of the finest you’ll be privileged …
dereksmusicblog
dereksmusicblog 