Author Archive: dereksmusicblog
OTE MALOYA-THE BIRTH OF ELECTRIC MALOYA ON REUNION ISLAND 1975-1985.
Oté Maloya-The Birth Of Electric Maloya On Reunion Island 1975-1985. Label: Strut. Nothing ever stays the same. That is certainly the case in music. It has been since the birth of rock ’n’ roll just over sixty years ago. Since then, every musical genre has continued to evolve and reinvent itself, in an attempt to …
THE LIFE AND TIMES OF SEA LEVEL.
The Life and Times Of Sea Level. By August 1975, all wasn’t well within The Allman Brothers. It hadn’t been for the last couple of years. That was despite The Allman Brothers being at the peak of their popularity. Their last three albums had sold over a million copies and were certified platinum. Meanwhile, The Allman …
THE STORY OF SEATRAIN-FIVE DRUMMERS, FIVE GUITARISTS AND FOUR ALBUMS.
The Story Of Seatrain-Five Drummers, Five Guitarists and Four Albums. Although Seatrain were only together for four years and released four albums, there were five separate lineups of the band. Drummers and guitarists proved to be Seatrain’s Achille’s Heel. Seatrain featured five different drummers and guitarists between the release of their 1969 debut album Sea …
TOO SLOW TO DISCO VOLUME 3.
Too Slow To Disco Volume 3. Label: How Do You Are? During the last few years, there has been a resurgence in interest in the West Coast sound which sadly, fell from grace in the late seventies. Before that, the West Coast sound had won over the hearts and minds of record buyers, and provided the …
SPACE, ENERGY AND LIGHT-EXPERIMENTAL ELECTRONIC AND ACOUSTIC SOUNDSCAPES 1961-88.
Space, Energy and Light-Experimental Electronic and Acoustic Soundscapes 1961-88. Label: Soul Jazz Records One of the most eagerly awaited compilations of recent months is a collection of soundscapes from Soul Jazz Records entitled Space, Energy and Light-Experimental Electronic and Acoustic Soundscapes 1961-88. These fourteen soundscapes were all created by musical pioneers. The story starts in …
STEVE AND THE BOARD-THE COMPLETE STEVE AND THE BOARD.
Steve and The Board-The Complete Steve and The Board. Label: Playback Records. Although Steve and The Board were formed in Brisbane, Australia, in 1965, the story began 9,000 miles away in 1950. That was when Steve Kipner the founder of Steve and The Board was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. However, Steve Kipner didn’t spend much …
CHARLEY PRIDE-YOU’RE MY JAMAICA, ROLL ON MISSISSIPPI, EVERYBODY’S CHOICE AND CHARLY PRIDE LIVE.
Charley Pride-You’re My Jamaica Roll On Mississippi, Everybody’s Choice and Charley Pride Live. Label: BGO Records. By the time Charley Pride was preparing to release his new album You’re My Jamaica in 1979, he was one of the most successful country singers. He had already enjoyed twenty-one number one singles and eleven number one albums …
VOIGT/465-SLIGHTS UNSPOKEN.
Voigt/465-Slights Unspoken. Label: Mental Experience. The story of Voigt/465 is a case of what might have been. They were formed in Sydney, Australia in 1976, and spent the next three years trying to make a breakthrough. By May 1979, things were looking up for Voigt/465 and they looked on the verge of a breakthrough. Their …
INNERPEACE-RARE SPIRITUAL FUNK AND JAZZ GEMS: THE SUPREME SOUND OF PRODUCER BOB SHAD.
Innerpeace-Rare and Spiritual Funk and Jazz Gems: The Supreme Sound Of Producer Bob Shad. Label: Wewantsounds. During his long and successful career, Bob Shad always managed to see the big picture musically, and as a result, was always step ahead of the competition. In doing so, this allowed him to survive and thrive for forty …
ZEPHYR-ONE OF THE BEST BANDS YOU’VE NEVER HEARD.
Zephyr-One Of The Best Bands You’ve Never Heard. Like many bands who don’t reach the heights that their music deserves, the story of Zephyr is one of what might have been. They released a trio of albums between 1969 and 1972, which nowadays, have a cult following including Zephyr, Back To Colorado and Sunset Ride. These two …
MIKE CITY-PRESENTS THE FEEL GOOD AGENDA VOLUME 1.
Mike City-Presents The Feel Good Agenda Volume 1. Label: BBE. Mike City’s big break came seventeen years ago in 2000, when he wrote and produced Carl Thomas’ number one hit I Wish. This proved to be a game-changer for Mike City. Suddenly, people within the music industry started to take notice of Mike City, who …
CAN-THE SINGLES.
Can-The Singles. After releasing eleven albums in eleven years, Can called time on their career in 1979. By then, Can were rightly regarded by critics as one of the most important, influential and innovative bands of the Krautrock era. However, like many of the Krautrock bands, Can hadn’t enjoyed the commercial success that their music …
SKEETER DAVIS-LET ME GET CLOSE TO YOU.
Skeeter Davis-Let Me Get Close To You. Label: Playback Records. Nowadays, Skeeter Davis is remembered and regarded as one of country music’s pioneers. She was one of the first women in country music to enjoy commercial success as a solo artist. This proved to be a game-changer. Skeeter Davis paved the way for several generations …
Arve Henriksen-Towards Language.
Arve Henriksen-Towards Language. Label: Rune Grammofon. Currently the most overused word in the English language is innovative. Especially, it seems by certain music journalists, who recently, have developed a tendency overuse and misappropriate the word. However, there are a few groundbreaking musicians whose music deserves to be called innovative. This includes the Norwegian jazz trumpeter …
Sam Gleaves and Tyler Hughes-Sam Gleaves and Tyler Hughes.
Sam Gleaves and Tyler Hughes-Sam Gleaves and Tyler Hughes. Label: Community Music Records. When Sam Gleaves and Tyler Hughes first met at a party in West Virginia, it was rather fitting that music filled the room. As they started to talk, the two men realised just how much had in common. They had a similar …
Katharina Grosse and Stefan Schneider-Tiergarten.
Katharina Grosse and Stefan Schneider-Tiergarten. Label: TAL. Nowadays, musical collaborations are much more commonplace than ever before. Partly, that is because of the new musical technology that is available to artists. This has totally transformed the way that albums are now recorded. It’s now possible to record an album on a laptop using just a …
BIG STAR-POWER POP PIONEERS.
Big Star-Power Pop Pioneers. Sadly, in music, talent doesn’t guarantee commercial success. If it did, Big Star would’ve been one of the biggest bands in musical history. Alas, that wasn’t the case. Lady luck failed to smile on Big Star when they released a trio of albums between 1972 and 1978. Despite this, Big Star are …
WILD HONEY-TORRES BLANCAS.
Wild Honey-Torres Blancas. Label: Lovemonk Records. Just over four years ago, Wild Honey released their much-anticipated sophomore album Big Flash in April 2013. This was the followup to Wild Honey’s 2009 debut album Epic Handshakes and A Bear Hug. While it was released to plaudits and praise, Big Flash marked the coming of age of …
THE ORCHESTRA SOLEDAD-VAMONOS/LET’S GO.
The Orchestra Soledad-Vamonos/Let’s Go! Label: BBE. As the sixties gave way to the seventies, 2.6 million people lived within Brooklyn’s seventy-one square miles. By 1970, it was largest and most densely populated of New York’s five boroughs. Brooklyn was also a cultural melting pot, with Irish, Italian, Jewish, Greek, Chinese, Polish, Russian and Latino neighbourhoods. …
dereksmusicblog
dereksmusicblog 