Author Archive: dereksmusicblog
CLASSIC ALBUM: THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND AT FILLMORE EAST.
Classic Album: The Allman Brothers Band At Fillmore East. Nowadays, there aren’t many bands who make a commercial breakthrough with a live album. That, however, is what happened to The Allman Brothers Band in 1971 when they released their third album At Fillmore East. It was a gamechanger reaching number thirteen in the US Billboard 200 …
CULT CLASSIC: MOTORHEAD-WHAT’S WORTH WORDS.
Cult Classic: Motörhead-What’s Worth Words. When Wilko Johnson of Dr. Feelgood heard of a project to preserve William Wordsworth’s manuscripts, he decided to put on a fundraising concert on the ’18th’ February 1978. The lineup to the fundraiser featured Wilko Johnson and some of the bands from Chiswick Records’ label which he was signed to. …
CULT CLASSIC: TOHRU AIZAWA QUARTET-TACHIBANA.
Cult Classic: Tohru Aizawa Quartet-Tachibana. For many connoisseurs of jazz, especially seventies J-Jazz, one little known private pressing is their holy grail, and everywhere they go it’s the one album that they always search for. There’s always the hope that in a backstreet record shop, antique centre or thrift store in a town or city somewhere in …
CLASSIC ALBUM: LED ZEPPELIN-PHYSICAL GRAFFITI.
Classic Album: Led Zeppelin-Physical Graffiti. When Led Zeppelin released Physical Graffiti in on the ‘24th’ February 1975 it was the sixth album of their career. It was also the most ambitious and eclectic album that they had released since rereleasing their eponymous debut on the ’12th’ of January 1969. By then, Led Zeppelin had sold over sixteen million albums in America alone. Despite that, Physical …
BOBBY HUTCHERSON-OBLIQUE.
Bobby Hutcherson-Oblique. Label: Blue Note Records-Tone Poet Series. Format: LP. On July the ‘21st’ 1967, Bobby Hutcherson journeyed to Van Gelder Studio, in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, to record Oblique which was his sixth solo album for Blue Note Records. It was just the second album he had recorded with a quartet. The first was Happenings, …
SUN RA ARKESTRA-SWIRLING.
Sun Ra Arkestra-Swirling. Label: Strut. Format: LP. On May the ’30th’ 1993, Sun Ra passed away aged seventy-nine and that day, music was in mourning at the loss a musical pioneer who had played his part in rewriting the history of jazz. From the late-fifties, Sun Ra was one of the pioneers of free jazz …
STEVE POTTS-MUSIQUE POUR LE FILM D’UN AMI.
Steve Potts-Musique Pour Le Film D’Un Ami. Label: Souffle Continu. Format: CD. Sadly, musical history is littered with artists whose music never received the recognition that it deserved. Often, it’s only much later that their albums start to find the audience that they so richly deserve. That was the case with Alice Clark, Gram Parsons, …
CHARLIE PARKER-THE SAVOY 10-INCH LP COLLECTION.
Charlie Parker-The Savoy 10-Inch LP Collection. Label: Craft. Format: CD. In the early days of bebop, saxophonist Charlie Parker was regarded as a pioneer, and just like Bud Powell, Dizzy Gillespie, Max Roach and Miles Davis was at the forefront of this new, exciting, innovative and radical musical movement. The first bebop albums were belatedly …
NIMBUS SEXTET-DREAMS FULFILLED .
Nimbus Sextet-Dreams Fulfilled. Label: Acid Jazz Records. Format: CD. The roots of the Glaswegian-based contemporary jazz combo can be traced to Scotland’s capital Edinburgh, where pianist, keyboardist and bandleader Joe Nichols was studying at Edinburgh University. That was where he met his long-time collaborators drummer Alex Palmer and bassist Mischa Stevens. They’ve been performing together …
CLASSIC ALBUM: BAD COMPANY-STRAIGHT SHOOTER.
Classic Album Bad Company-Straight Shooter. Just a year after supergroup Bad Company was formed, they were already one of the biggest bands in Britain, and their eponymous debut album was well on its way to selling five million copies in America alone. Bad Company reached number one in the US Billboard 200 and was certified platinum five …
CULT CLASSIC: DEUTSCH AMERIKANISCHE FREUNDSCHAFT-FUR IMMER.
Cult Classic: Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft-Für Immer. History treats groups very differently and that was the case with Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft a.k.a. DAF, who released five albums between 1978 and 1982. They’ve been described variously as the “godfathers of techno,” the pioneers of EBM and the forefathers of electropunk. DAF were an influential and innovative group and …
ALAIN BELLAICHE-SEA FLUORESCENT/KIRLIAN EFFECT.
Alain Bellaïche-Sea Fluorescent/Kirlian Effect. Label: Souffle Continu. Format: CD. Alain Bellaïche was born in Tunis, the capital of Tunisia, but spent his childhood in Cannes, on the French Riviera which was where he discovered music and played his first concerts. Initially, he played in friends’ houses where he was guaranteed a captive and appreciative audience. …
ESTHER PHILLIPS-WHAT A DIFF’RENCE A DAY MAKES.
Esther Phillips-What A Diff’rence A Day Makes. Label: Music On CD. Format CD. Despite releasing eighteen albums during a career that lasted thirty-five years most people haven’t heard of Esther Phillips. That’s a great shame because she was one of the most talented, versatile and underrated singers of her generation. She possessed a totally unique and …
DUKE PEARSON FEATURING BOBBY HUTCHERSON-THE PHANTOM.
Duke Pearson Featuring Bobby Hutcherson-The Phantom. Label: Blue Note Records Tone Poet Series. Format: LP. By June 1968, Atlanta-born pianist Duke Pearson was thirty-five, and was about to begin record the twelfth album of his career, The Phantom. It would be the seventh album he had recorded for Blue Note Records since he first signed …
ROLAND HAYNES-2ND WAVE.
Roland Haynes-2nd Wave. Label: Real Gone Music. Format: CD. Forty-five years ago in 1975, Roland Haynes released his debut album 2nd Wave on the Detroit-based Black Jazz Records. The label was founded by Gene Russell and Dick Schory and released twenty albums between 1971 and 1975. 2nd Wave was the label’s penultimate release and it …
CLASSIC ALBUM: DEEP PURPLE-DEEP PURPLE IN ROCK.
Classic Album: Deep Purple-Deep Purple In Rock. Nowadays, the seventies are regarded as the golden era for rock music. It was when rock music came of age. It’s certainly when commercial success and critical acclaim came the way of Deep Purple. Between 1970 and 1975 they enjoyed were on of the most successful British rock …
CLASSIC ALBUM: EMERSON. LAKE AND PALMER-TRILOGY.
Classic Album: Emerson, Lake and Palmer-Trilogy. By the time Emerson, Lake and Palmer set about recording their third studio album Trilogy, it seemed everything they touched turned gold. Their first two studio albums had been certified gold in America and so had their live albums Pictures At An Exhibition and Welcome Back My Friends to …
THE BATHERS-KELVINGROVE BABY.
The Bathers-Kelvingrove Baby. Label: Marina Records. Format: CD. The Bathers were formed in Glasgow, in 1985, by singer, songwriter and troubled troubadour Chris Thomson and released six albums between 1987 and 1999. Their fifth album was Kelvingrove Baby, which which was recently reissued by Marina Records is a a minor classic that’s one of the finest Scottish …
NIMBUS SEXTET-DREAMS FULFILLED .
Nimbus Sextet-Dreams Fulfilled. Label: Acid Jazz Records. Format: LP. The roots of the Glaswegian-based contemporary jazz combo can be traced to Scotland’s capital Edinburgh, where pianist, keyboardist and bandleader Joe Nichols was studying at Edinburgh University. That was where he met his long-time collaborators drummer Alex Palmer and bassist Mischa Stevens. They’ve been performing together …
dereksmusicblog
dereksmusicblog 