Author Archive: dereksmusicblog
GEORGE HARRISON-ALL THINGS MUST PASS (LIMITED EDITION VINYL BOX SET).
George Harrison-All Things Must Pass (Limited Edition Vinyl Box Set). Label: UMC. On the ‘10th’ of April 1970, Paul McCartney announced his departure from The Beatles. This signalled the end of The Beatles, and start of his solo career, which began a week later, when Paul McCartney he released his debut album McCartney. Meanwhile, The Beatles were …
MIRWOOD NORTHERN SOUL LP.
Mirwood Northern Soul LP. Label: Kent Dance. For many aficionados of Northern Soul, whether DJs, dancers or collectors, Randy Wood’s Mirwood Records, which was based in Los Angeles, is one of their go-to labels. Its discography has been, and still is, a source of many dancefloor favourites and fillers for DJs within the Northern Soul …
CHOPTEETH AFROFUNK BIG BAND-BONE READER.
Chopteeth Afrofunk Big Band-Bone Reader. Ten years after the Chopteeth Afrofunk Big Band were founded in Washington DC in 2007, the twelve piece, award-winning, Afrofunk orchestra return with their eagerly anticipated third album Bone Reader. It’s the first album the Chopteeth Afrofunk Big Band have released since Chopteeth Live in February 2010. Since then, the …
HASA-MAZZOTTA-NOVILUNIO
Hasa-Mazzotta-Novilunio. Label: Ponderosa Music Records. Just over three years ago, Albanian cellist Redi Hasa and vocalist Maria Mazzotta from Puglia, in Southern Italy, released their first critically acclaimed collaboration Ura, in September 2014. Ura was the result of a four-year journey, which showcased and combined the powerful and poignant sound of Redi Hasa’s cello and …
BELGIAN NUGGETS 90s-00S Vol 1.
Belgian Nuggets 90s-00s Vol. 1. Label: Mayway Records. Each and every weekend in life, record collectors around the world, spend their precious free time searching backstreet record shops, garage sales, auction houses and thrift stores in search of vinyl. Some are even willing to venture down into dusty basements or old warehouses in search of elusive boxes …
HENRY GROSS-THE SEVENTIES SOLO YEARS.
Henry Gross-The Seventies Solo Years. When Henry Gross took to the stage with Sha Na Na at ‘7.30pm’ on Sunday, August the ‘17th’ 1969, the eighteen year old made history, he became the the youngest person to perform at the Woodstock Music and Arts Fair. Despite his relative youth, Henry Gross took playing in front of 400,000 people in his stride during Sha Na Na’s thirty-minute …
MOTORHEAD-MOTORHEAD.
Motörhead-Motörhead. Label: Chiswick Records. By the time Motörhead’s eponymous debut album was released by Chiswick Records in August 1977, the two previous years had proved eventful for Ian “Lemmy” Kilmister and his band. So much so, that it was a wonder Motörhead was ever got as far as recording, never mind releasing their eponymous debut album Motörhead. Everything that could’ve gone wrong, had gone wrong. It was …
KEN BOOTHE-INNA DE YARD.
Ken Boothe-Inna de Yard. Label: Chapter Two/Wagram. On the ‘26th’ of October 1974, twenty-six year old reggae singer Ken Boothe was celebrating his first number one in Britain, with a cover of the David Gates’ composition Everything I Own, which two years earlier, gave Bread a worldwide hit in January 1972. Now it was Ken …
THE ZODIAC-COSMIC SOUNDS-LP.
The Zodiac-Cosmic Sounds-LP. Label: Elektra Records. 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 are …
SWEENEY’S MEN-SWEENEY’S MEN AND THE TRACKS OF SWEENEY.
Sweeney’s Men-Sweeney’s Men and The Tracks Of Sweeney. Label: BGO Records. One of the bands that emerged from the mid-sixties Irish roots revival was Sweeney’s Men, who were formed in Dublin in May 1966, by Andy Irvine, “Galway Joe” Dolan and Johnny Moynihan. They would be together for just three years, and released two albums, …
HILARIO DURAN-CONTUMBAO.
Hilario Durán-Contumbao. Label: Alma Records. Nowadays, sixty-four year old Hilario Durán is regarded as one of the greatest Cuban pianists of the ‘20th’ Century. His career began in 1973, and twenty-five years later, in 1998, he left Cuba behind and emigrated to Toronto in Canada, which has been his adopted home for the past two decades. However, when Hilario Durán …
DJ ANDY SMITH PRESENTS REACH UP DISCO WONDERLAND.
DJ Andy Smith Presents Reach Up Disco Wonderland. Label: BBE. DJ Andy Smith has spent much of the last three decades DJ-ing in clubs at home and abroad where his eclectic sets can feature anything from boogie and disco to funk and hip hop, right through to Motown, Northern Soul and even on occasions, AC/DC. …
THE STORY OF TOM SCOTT’S SHORT-LIVED JAZZ SUPERGROUP L.A. EXPRESS.
The Story Of Tom Scott’s Short-Lived Supergroup L.A. Express. Musical history is littered with artistes and groups that never enjoyed the commercial success that their music deserved. That was the case with L.A. Express is an oft-0verlooked fusion supergroup who released a quartet of albums between 1973 and 1976. Sadly, these albums never found the audience they deserved and it was only later, that L.A. Express’ music started to …
MILES DAVIS-BITCHES BREW.
Miles Davis-Bitches Brew. Label: Sony Music. 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 …
GORAN KAJFES SUBTROPIC ARKESTRA-THE REASON WHY VOLUME 3.
Goran Kajfeš Subtropic Arkestra-The Reason Why Volume 3. Label: Headspin Recordings. Just over four-and-a-half years ago, Swedish trumpeter Goran Kajfeš released the first volume in The Reason Why trilogy, on Headspin Recordings the label he had founded with producer David Osterberg in 2004. The Reason Why Volume 1 was hailed by critics as an ambitious …
ERIK HONORE-UNREST.
Erik Honoré-Unrest. Label: Hubro Music. As 2014 dawned, Erik Honoré had just turned forty-seven, and was a vastly experienced composer, musician, producer and vocalist with over twenty-five years of experience and 150 credits to his name. Erik Honoré was also a writer, but since graduating from the Norwegian Institute For Stage and Studio in Oslo, …
ERLAND DAHLEN-CLOCKS.
Erland Dahlen-Clocks. Label: Hubro Music. For the last three decades, forty-six year old drummer and percussionist Erland Dahlen has been regarded as one of Norway’s top drummers. He’s the drummer’s drummer, and the man who the great and good of Norwegian music go to when they’re looking for a drummer. As a result, Erland Dahlen …
dereksmusicblog
dereksmusicblog 