Author Archive: dereksmusicblog
CULT CLASSIC: THE DAMNED-MACHINE GUN ETIQUETTE.
Cult Classic: The Damned-Machine Gun Etiquette. Nowadays, there aren’t many bands that are still going strong after forty-four years. Especially punk bands. They were mostly short-lived affairs, who released one or two singles, before calling it a day. However, one band is still going strong after forty-four year years, The Damned. Their third album Machine Gun Etiquette was …
CULT CLASSIC: LEE HAZLEWOOD-COWBOY IN SWEDEN.
Cult Classic: Lee Hazlewood-Cowboy In Sweden. By 1969, Lee Hazlewood’s career was no longer going to plan. The man who had been around since the birth of rock ‘n’ roll was suddenly regarded as yesterday’s man. Suddenly, he was no longer in demand as a producer. Especially by a new generation of up-and-coming musicians. A few …
CULT CLASSIC: THE INCREDIBLE STRNG BAND-CHANGING HORSES.
Cult Classic: The Incredible String Band-Changing Horses. When The Incredible String Band released their fifth album, Changing Horses in November 1969, much had changed within the group that had formed in Edinburgh, Scotland, six years earlier in 1963. The Incredible String Band was one of the biggest, and most successful folk bands in the world, …
DEXTER GORDON-A SWINGIN’ AFFAIR.
Dexter Gordon-A Swingin’ Affair. Label: Blue Note Records. Tenor saxophonist Dexter Gordon was only seventeen when he joined Lionel Hampton’s band in 1940, and for the next three years, played alongside Illinois Jacquet and Marshal Royal. However, by 1944 he was a member of the Fletcher Henderson band before featuring in Louis Armstrong and Billy …
GARD NILSSEN’S SUPERSONIC ORCHESTRA-IF YOU LISTEN CAREFULLY THE MUSIC IS YOURS.
Gard Nilssen’s Supersonic Orchestra-If You Listen Carefully The Music Is Yours. Label: Odin Records. To say that bandleader, composer, drummer and percussionist Gard Nilssen is a prolific musician is something of an understatement. Since 2007, he has played on over seventy albums by all types of groups. Mostly, it’s been with small groups including the …
MIKE WESTBROOK-LOVE AND UNDERSTANDING: CITADEL/ROOM 315 SWEDEN 74.
Mike Westbrook-Love and Understanding: Citadel/Room 315 Sweden 74. Label: My Only Desire Records. By 1974, composer and pianist Mike Westbrook was thirty-eight and one of the leading lights of the British jazz scene. He had come a long way since he formed his first band in 1958 when he was an art student studying painting. …
LARRY ROSE BAND-THE JUPITER EFFECT.
Larry Rose Band–The Jupiter Effect. Label: BBE Music. Release Date: ‘17th’ April 2020. 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 …
CULT CLASSIC: THE ZODIAC-COSMIC SOUNDS.
Cult Classic: The Zodiac-Cosmic Sounds. By 1967, many critics and record buyers regarded Elektra Records as a folk rock label that had released albums by some of the genre’s finest exponents including Judy Collins, Love, Tom Rush and Tim Buckley. Many of these albums would later become important and influential albums, and some nowadays, are …
CULT CLASSIC: MIROSLAV VITOUS-THE BASS.
Cult Classic: Miroslav Vitous-The Bass. In 1967, twenty year old Miroslav Vitous was playing alongside Clark Terry in a Chicago club. It was just the latest gig for the up-and-coming Czech bassist. He had made America his home in 1966, when he won a scholarship to study at Berklee College of Music, in Boston. Now …
MUSAX BACKGROUND MUSIC LIBRARY VOLUME 1.
Musax Background Music Library Volume 1. Label: Farfalla Records. The resurgence of interest in library music that began a few years ago is still continuing, with collectors keen to add to their burgeoning collections. For many, it’s original releases from the golden era of library music which covers the late-sixties through to the mid-eighties. Alas, …
TEA AND SYMPHONY-AN ASYLUM FOR THE MUSICALLY INSANE.
Tea and Symphony-An Asylum For The Musically Insane. Label: Magic Box. 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 …
NIGHTMARES ON WAX-SMOKER’S DELIGHT 25TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION.
Nightmares On Wax-Smoker’s Delight 25th Anniversary Edition. Label: Warp. 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, Warp, who have just reissued …
PIRANA-PIRANA.
Pirana-Pirana. Label: Magic Box. 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, which has just been reissued on vinyl by Magic Box. It’s a cult classic and a reminder of a …
CULT CLASSIC: IAN MATTHEWS-SOME DAYS YOU EAT THE BEAR AND SOME DAYS THE BEAR EATS YOU.
Cult Classic: Ian Matthews-Some Days You Eat The Bear and Some Days The Bear Eats You. Having completed recording of Journeys From Gospel Oak, Ian Matthews had discharged his contractual obligations to Vertigo. Journeys From Gospel Oak was the third and final album he owed Vertigo. This left Ian Matthews free to sign a two …
MILES DAVIS-BITCHES BREW AT 50.
Miles Davis-Bitches Brew At 50. Although Miles Davis’ recording career began in 1951, when he released his debut album The New Sounds, he soon had established a reputation as a prolific, and innovative musician. He released further forty-three albums between 1951 and 1969. This included classics like 1957s Round About Midnight and 1959s Kind Of Blue. …
OTO NO WA: SELECTED SOUNDS OF JAPAN 1988-2018.
Oto No Wa: Selected Sounds Of Japan 1988-2018. Label: Music For Dreams Denmark. Each and every week of the year, record companies from all over the world, release countless compilations into the global music marketplace. These compilations range from lovingly curated compilations released by small indie labels to the cheap and cheerful, nostalgia-inducing budget box …
COCTEAU TWINS-GARLANDS AND VICTORIALAND.
Cocteau Twins-Garlands and Victorialand. Label: 4AD. In 1979, guitarist Robin Guthrie and bassist Will Heggie formed a new band in their hometown of Grangemouth, in Scotland. The new band they called the Cocteau Twins after a song by Johnny and The Self-Abusers, who later changed their name to Simple Minds. Not long after forming the …
STANLEY TURRENTINE-COMIN’ YOUR WAY.
Stanley Turrentine-Comin’ Your Way. Label: Blue Note Records. When bandleader and saxophonist Stanley Turrentine entered Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, in New Jersey on January the ’20th’ 1961, he was twenty-six and about to record what would eventually become Comin’ Your Way. It was the third time he had made this journey since he had signed …
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