Author Archive: dereksmusicblog
BIRTH OF SOUL-LOS ANGELES SPECIAL.
Birth Of Soul-Los Angeles Special. Label: Kent Soul. Format: CD. Nowadays, the compilation market is hugely competitive and it’s unlikely that many new series will still be going strong after twenty-five years. Sadly, most new compilation series are short-lived affairs and run out of steam after a few volumes.However, Kent Soul’s Birth Of Soul compilation …
NORTHERN SOUL’S CLASSIEST RARITIES VOLUME 7.
Northern Soul’s Classiest Rarities Volume 7. Label: Kent Dance. Format: CD. Nowadays, Northern Soul compilations are two a penny and hardly a week goes by without yet another Northern Soul compilation being released. That has been the case for the last few years, and nothing has changed recently. The compilations can be described as the …
MANONGO MUJICA AND TERJE EVENSEN-PARACAS RITUAL
Manongo Mujica and Terje Evensen-Paracas Ritual. Label: Buh Records. Format: 2 x LP. Manongo Mujica has been a leading light of the Peruvian avant-garde music scene since the seventies, and has met a myriad of musicians who were touring Peru. In 2003, this included Norwegian drummer, sound designer, teacher and composer Terje Evensen who was …
CULT CLASSIC: THE BLUE NILE-HIGH.
Cult Classic: The Blue Nile-High. Enigmatic, reluctant and contrarian are words that best of describe The Blue Nile. They’re the complete opposite of most bands. The Blue Nile have been described as publicity shy. That’ is an understatement. Ever since Paul Buchanan, Robert Bell and Paul Joseph Moore formed The Blue Nile, they’ve been one …
CULT CLASSIC: STANLEY TURRENTINE-THAT’S WHERE IT’S AT.
Cult Classic: Stanley Turrentine-That’s Where It’s At. In September 1962, twenty-eight year old saxophonist Stanley Turrentine released That’s Where It’s At which was his fifth album for Blue Note Records. It was his much-anticipated followup to Dearly Beloved which at the time, many critics hailed as his finest album. That’s Where It’s At had a …
CULT CLASSIC: AL GREEN-GREEN IS BLUES.
Cult Classic: Al Green-Green Is Blues. The day that Al Green met Willie Mitchell in 1969 was, without doubt, the most important day in the twenty-two year old singer’s career. His career had stalled and he someone who could get it back on track. Willie Mitchell was the man to do that and when he …
CLASSIC ALBUM: DEEP PURPLE-BURN.
Classic Album: Deep Purple-Burn. When Ian Gillan and Roger Glover left Deep Purple in 1973, this left a huge void for one of the unholy trinity of British hard rock and heavy metal. They were regarded as almost irreplaceable, and had played a huge part in Deep Purple’s rise to titans of rock. For Deep Purple and their legion …
CULT CLASSIC: DAWAN MUHAMMAD-DEEP STREAM.
Cult Classic: Dawan Muhammad-Deep Stream. By 1979, jazz wasn’t as popular as it was during the fifties and early sixties. That was the golden age for jazz, and saw countless classic albums released on labels like Blue Note, Verve and Impulse! These albums sold in large quantities and were profitable for the record companies that …
CULT CLASSIC: BOBBIE GENTRY-THE DELTA SWEETE.
Cult Classic: Bobbie Gentry-The Delta Sweete. Less than three weeks after Bobbie Gentry released Ode To Billie Joe as a single on the ‘10th’ of July 1967 the song topped the US Billboard 100 and US Country charts. The song was penned by Bobbie Gentry and was the twenty-five year old’s debut single as a …
SHINTARO QUINTET-EVOLUTION.
Shintaro Quintet-Evolution. Label: BBE Music. Format: CD. Ever since the mid-fifties, many American jazz musicians journeyed to Japan where they toured and recorded albums. They were respected and treated as series musicians, and when they recorded an album the budget was much more generous and the working conditions far better than they were used to. …
CULT CLASSIC: LOLEATTA HOLLOWAY-CRY TO ME.
Cult Classic: Loleatta Holloway-Cry To Me. Before being transformed into a disco diva by arranger, guitarist and producer Norman Harris at Salsoul imprint Gold Mind Records, Loleatta Holloway released two albums of Southern Soul for Michael Thevis’ Aware Records. This includes her sophomore album Cry To Me, which was released in 1975. Loleatta Holloway was …
CULT CALSSIC: TIM MAIA-RACIONAL VOLUME 2.
Cult Classic: Tim Maia-Racional Volume 2. By 1975, Tim Maia was a changed man and had turned his back on the rock ’n’ roll lifestyle that he had embraced and enjoyed since releasing his eponymous debut album in 1970. Back then, the charismatic Brazilian singer realised that he was only here for a visit and decided to live life to the fullest. He drank, …
KEITH MANSFIELD-CONTEMPO.
Keith Mansfield-Contempo. Label: Be With Records. Format: LP. Nowadays, Keith Mansfield is regarded as one the doyens of library music, and original copies of his 1976 album Contempo are now highly collectable. That’s the case with many other KPM Records’ releases. Everyone from sample-hungry hip hop producers and crate-digging DJs to film producers collect library …
JOANNA LAW-RHYTHM OF YEARS
Joanna Law-Rhythm Of Years. Label: Tangential Music. Format: Digital Album. London-based singer-songwriter Joanna Law’s career began when she and her brother Simon formed City Heat. The nascent group released its debut single The Raid in 1987, and this was followed by City Heat in 1988. The same year, Joanna Law’s vocal featured on The Funky …
TRANSATLANTIC-THE ABSOLUTE UNIVERSE: FOREVERMORE (EXTENDED VERSION).
Transatlantic-The Absolute Universe: Forevermore (Extended Universe). Label: Inside Out. Format: 2CD Set. When multinational progressive rock supergroup Transatlantic was originally founded in 1999, it was a side project to their full-time bands. The four members were based in three countries and belonged to hugely successful bands. In 1999, Nashville-born Neil Morse was the vocalist in …
DONALD BYRD-BYRD IN FLIGHT.
Donald Byrd-Byrd In Flight. Label: Blue Note Records. Format: LP. When Donald Byrd signed to Blue Note Records in 1958, he was twenty-five and had already recorded five solo albums and had collaborated on albums with Art Farmer, Phil Woods and Gigi Gryce. The Detroit-born trumpeter was also in demand as a sideman and had …
LEE MORGAN-THE RAJAH.
Lee Morgan-The Rajah. Label: Blue Note Records. Format LP. In 1964, twenty-six year old hard bop trumpeter Lee Morgan’s career was transformed when he enjoyed a crossover hit with The Sidewinder. Instantly recognisable and incredibly catchy, it became a jazz standard and nowadays, is regarded as Lee Morgan’s best known composition. Buoyed by the success …
CULT CLASSIC: LUIZ CARLOS VINHAS-O SOM PSICODELICO DE L.C.V
Cult Classic: Luiz Carlos Vinhas-O Som Psicodélico De L.C.V. Within his native Brazil, Luiz Carlos Vinhas is remembered and regarded as one of the greatest pianists of the Bossa Nova movement. He was one of the genre’s founding fathers and was a founder member of Bossa Três in 1961. They became one of the most important groups …
CULT CLASSIC: BRAINCHILD-HEALING OF THE LUNATIC OWL.
Cult Classic: Brainchild-Healing Of The Lunatic Owl. Progressive brass rock pioneers Brainchild were formed in Somerset in the late-sixties, and by the 1970 the septet had signed to A&M. This was perfect timing as the brass rock boom began in 1969 and continued until 1972. By then, Chicago, Blood, Sweat and Tears and The Electric …
CULT CLASSIC: EL POLEN-CHOLO (MUSICA ORIGINAL DE LE BANDA DE SONIDO).
Cult Classic: El Polen-Cholo (Música Original De La Banda De Sonido). When El Polen was formed by brothers Juan Luis and Raul Pereira in 1969, little did anyone realise that their new band would become one of the most important and influential in the history of Peruvian music. That was until El Polen released their …
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