Author Archive: dereksmusicblog

THE BEST COMPILATIONS OF 2017 PART 3.

The Best Compilations Of 2017 Part 3. Innerpeace-Rare and Spiritual Funk and Jazz Gems: The Supreme Sound Of Producer Bob Shad. Label: Wewantsounds. Nowadays, the music Mainstream Records released between 1964 and 1978 is more popular than ever. It seems that with every passing year more people discover the delights of Mainstream Records’ illustrious back-catalogue. …

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THE BEST COMPILATIONS OF 2017 PART 4.

The Best Compilations Of 2017 Part 4. Magnetband-Experimenteller Elektronik-Underground DDR 1984-1989.  Label: Bureau B. For anyone with even a passing interest in Eastern European music, then Magnetband-Experimenteller Elektronik-Underground DDR 1984-1989 is essential listening. It documents the five-year period before the reunification of Germany. During this period, artists, musicians, performers and poets became part of the …

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THE BEST COMPILATIONS OF 2017 PART 5.

The Best Compilations Of 2017 Part 5 Screamin’ Jay Hawkins-The Planet Sessions.  Label: Ace Records. Inimitable and unique describe the late Screamin’ Jay Hawkins. He was one of the great musical showmen, whose performances were designed to leaving a lasting impression. They always succeeded in doing so. So did his music including the songs on The …

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THE BEST COMPILATIONS OF 2017 PART 6.

The Best Compilations Of 2017 Part 6. The Monkees-Summer Of Love. Label: Rhino. Even today, The Monkees divides the opinion of many critics and record buyers. Partly that is because of the perception that The Monkees were a manufactured band that was the brainchild of television executives. Despite that, The Monkees went on to enjoy …

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THE BEST BOX SETS OF 2017.

The Best Box Sets Of 2017. Each and every year, hundreds, if not thousands of box sets are released by independent and major record companies, and usually there’s something for every budget. That is also the case on list of the Best Box Sets of 2017, which features box sets that cost £10 right up …

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THE BEST NORDIC WAVE RELEASES OF 2017-PART 1.

The Best Nordic Wave Albums Of 2017-Part 1. At this time of year, the lists of the best albums of the previous year are published. This year, a list of the best new albums, best reissues, best compilations and best box sets will be published. However, the first list covers the Nordic Wave albums released …

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THE BEST NORDIC WAVE RELEASES OF 2017-PART 2.

The Best Nordic Wave Releases Of 2017-Part 2. Danish String Quartet-Last Leaf. Label: ECM Records. Nowadays, the Danish String Quartet is regarded by many critics as the most exciting young string quartets in Europe, if not the world. They’ve been breathing new life and meaning into contemporary compositions and the classical repertoire. However, when the …

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THE BEST NORDIC WAVE RELEASES OF 2017-PART 3.

The Best Nordic Wave Releases Of 2017. Hakon Stene and Kristine Tjogersen Michael Pisaro-Asleep, Street, Pipes, Tones.  Michael Pisaro’s Asleep, Street, Pipes, Tones’ is a quite beautiful electro-acoustic composition which features seventeen short movements lasting just over an hour. It was reinterpreted and recreated with care and accuracy by Håkon Stene and Kristine Tjøgersen, who …

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THE BEST NORDIC WAVE RELEASES OF 2017-PART 4.

The Best Nordic Wave Releases Of 2017-Part 4. Motorpsycho-The Tower. Label: Rune Grammofon. When Motorpsycho released The Tower in 2017, it marked the debut of Tomas Järmyr, who became Motorpsycho’s fourth drummer in the band’s twenty-eight year history. He played his part in the creative birth of creative rebirth of Motorpsycho, and ensured that their vintage …

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CYMBELINE-ONE OF SWEDEN’S LOST GROUPS.

Cymbeline-One Of Sweden’s Lost Groups. Nowadays, Norway and Sweden both have vibrant and thriving music scenes, where pioneering musicians record and release some of the most ambitious, important and innovative music that is currently being released in Europe. This is nothing new, and both countries have a long and illustrious musical history stretching back to …

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LINDA PERHACS-THE QUEEN OF PSYCHEDELIC FOLK.

Linda Perhacs-The Queen Of Psychedelic Folk. The Linda Perhacs story is a case of what might have been, for the seventy-four year singer who nowadays, is regarded as the true Queen of psychedelic folk. Linda Perhacs career began in 1970, when she released her debut album Parallelograms on Kapp Records. Sadly, Parallelograms which nowadays, is regarded as a psychedelic folk classic, failed …

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DON ELLIS-TEARS OF JOY AND CONNECTION.

Don Ellis-Tears Of Joy and Connection. Label: BGO Records. As 1971 dawned, drummer, trumpeter, composer and bandleader Don Ellis was regarded as an innovative musician within jazz circles due to his use of willingness to experiment, and particularly due to his use of different time signatures. That had been the case as his career took …

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KIM MYHR-YOU | ME.

Kim Myhr-You | Me. Label: Hubro Music. Within Norway’s vibrant and thriving experimental music scene, thirty-six year old guitarist and composer Kim Myhr is one of the leading lights, and has spent much of the past two decades writing, recording and touring the world. The multitalented musician has come a long way since his early …

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DAVID JOHANSEN-IN STYLE AND HERE COMES THE NIGHT. 

David Johansen-In Style and Here Comes The Night. Label: BGO Records. Singer, songwriter and actor David Johansen first came to prominence as the lead singer of the seminal proto punk band the New York Dolls, in the early seventies. This was the start of a long and varied career for David Johansen, who after the …

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JOHN MORALES PRESENTS THE M+M MIXES VOLUME IV.

John Morales Presents The M+M Mixes Volume IV. Label: BBE. There aren’t many DJs and remixers that have enjoyed longevity that John Morales has. He’s been DJ-ing since 1975 and has spent the last four decades remixing tracks by the biggest names in music. Some of these names can be found on the latest project …

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THE INCREDIBLE STRNG BAND-CHANGING HORSES.

The Incredible String Band-Changing Horses. Label: BGO Records. 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 …

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CLEAR LIGHT-A STORY OF WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN? 

Clear Light-A Story Of What Might Have Been? Elektra records had come a long way by the sixties, and was home to everyone from folk singers Judy Collins and Josh White to Phil Ochs and Tim Buckley, right through to psychedelic pioneers Love and The Doors, to Detroit based rockers like MC5 and The Stooges and …

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EMILIO APARICIO-SONIC SCIENTIST AND MUSICAL PIONEER.

Emilio Aparicio-Sonic Scientist and Musical Pioneer. Nowadays, the words pioneer and innovator tend to be overused, and musicians who create truly groundbreaking music seem to be sadly, few and far between. While there are some pioneering musicians whose music continues to push musical boundaries, there are no longer as many as there once were. Especially …

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MORENA Y CLARA-NO LLORES MAS.

Morena Y Clara-No Llores Más. Label: Pharaway Sounds. As 1973 dawned, a new Spanish flamenco-pop duo Morena y Clara, were about to make their debut at the now legendary tablao restaurant Caripen in Madrid. This was where just Los Grecas had been discovered just a few months previously by producer José Luis de Carlos and …

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SCHLAMMPEITZIGER-DAMENBARTBLICK AUF PREGNANT HILL.

Schlammpeitziger-Damenbartblick auf Pregnant Hill. Label: Bureau B. When German electronic musician Jo Zimmermann embarked upon a solo career in 1992, like many artists, he decided to adopt a new moniker, Schlammpeitziger. Since then, Jo Zimmermann has released ten albums, which will soon become eleven with the release of Damenbartblick auf Pregnant Hill on Hamburg based …

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