Author Archive: dereksmusicblog
REGGIE YOUNG-FOREVER YOUNG.
Reggie Young-Forever Young. Ace Records. There aren’t many musicians who release a new album at the age of eighty-one. However, most musicians aren’t Reggie Young, who recently released a new album Forever Young on Ace Records. This isn’t just any album though. Forever Young is Reggie Young’s long-awaited, and much-anticipated, debut album. In some ways …
MAKING TIME: A SHEL TALMY PRODUCTION.
Making Time: A Shel Talmy Production. Ace Records. During the sixties and into the early seventies, Chicago-born Shel Talmy was one of the most successful and innovative producers working in the British music industry. Shel Talmy had arrived in Britain from Los Angeles in 1962, as a twenty-five year old. By then, his dreams of …
WHAT BECAME OF ALICE CLARK?
What Became Of Alice Clark? Sadly, all too often, hype and image has triumphed over talent. Meanwhile, commercial success and critical acclaim eludes truly talented artists. Chastened by the experience, many of these artists turn their back on the music industry. They’re content to return to civvy street, free from a world populated by A&R …
KONDI BAND-SALONE
Kondi Band-Salone. Label: Strut. The story behind the Kondi Band’s latest album Salone is a heartening one, and one that could only have happened in the internet age. Sorie Kondi is a blind street musician from Freetown, Sierra Leone . He plays the thumb piano in the streets of Freetown, and often locals and tourists …
ADDICTIVE TV-ORCHESTRA OF SAMPLES.
Addictive TV-Orchestra Of Samples. Label: K7! Recording and producing Addictive TV’s debut album Orchestra Of Samples has been a labour of love for production duo Graham Daniels and Mark Vidler. They spent five years travelling far and wide, visiting over twenty-five countries to record with hundreds of local musicians to create the source material for …
JANNE SCHAFFER-KATHARSIS, EARMEAL AND PRESENS.
Janne Schaffer-Katharsis, Earmeal and Presens. BGO Records. Most people will have heard Swedish guitarist Janne Schaffer play many times, but never have realised it. He is one of Sweden’s premier session musicians, and has played with the great and good of Swedish music. This includes Sweden’s most successful musical export, Abba. Janne Schaffer played on …
CLUSTER-KONZERTE 1972-1977.
Cluster-Konzerte 1972-1977. Bureau B. Back in the seventies, the life of a musician wasn’t an easy one. Most bands were contracted to release at least one album each calendar year. As a result, many bands would get into habit of entering the studio just after the festive period, and would spend a couple of months recording …
THE YOUNGBLOODS-ROCK FESTIVAL, RIDE THE WIND AND GOOD AND DUSTY.
The Youngbloods-Rock Festival, Ride The Wind and Good and Dusty. BGO Records. As the sixties gave way to the seventies, The Youngbloods had been together since 1965, and had already released three albums since they signed to RCA Victor in 1966. The albums found favour with critics, and were released to widespread critical acclaim. Despite …
FUNCTION UNDERGROUND-THE BLACK AND AMERICAN ROCK SOUND 1969-1974.
Function Underground: The Black and Brown American Rock Sound 1969-1974. Now Again Records. Just over a month ago, Function Underground: The Black and Brown American Rock Sound 1969-1974 was released by Now Again Records on vinyl as part of Record Store Day as a limited edition of 2,000. As a result, many people who wanted …
LINDA PERHACS-MUSIC’S BEST KEPT SECRET.
Linda Perhacs-Music’s Best Kept Secret. It was in 1970, that twenty-seven year old dental hygienist Linda Perhacs released Parallelograms, her debut album. Some people wondered why it had taken Linda so long? After all, she was a musical prodigy. Linda Long was born in Mill Valley, which lies just north of San Francisco’s Golden Gate …
THE CLARENCE DANIELS ORCHESTRA FEATURING OBIE JESSIE AND SANDY MILLER-HARD WORKIN’.
The Clarence Daniels Orchestra featuring Obie Jessie and Sandy Miller-Hard Workin’. Ace Records. By the sixties, big bands were no longer as popular as they had once been. That was no surprise as music had changed beyond recognition. Bands like The Beatles, and the British Invasion groups in 1964 were game-changers for the big band leaders. …
FAZERDAZE-MORNINGSIDE.
Fazerdaze-Morningside. Grönland Records. Despite a population of just 3.8 million, New Zealand has always punched above its weight when it comes to music. That has been the case for the best part of fifty years. Proof of that is the roll call of artists and bands New Zealand has produced over the last five decades. …
THE SEXADELIC DISCO-FUNK SOUND OF…SUSANA ESTRADA.
The Sexadelic Disco-Funk Sound of…Susana Estrada. Espacial Discos. Ever since 1939, the brutal Francoist regime had ruled Spain with an iron fist. This came to an end with the death of dictator Francisco Franco on ’20th’ November 1975. After Franco’s death, control of Spain passed to King Juan Carlos. By then, Spain was in a …
LIGHTHOUSE-LIGHTHOUSE, SUITE FEELING AND PEACING IT ALL TOGETHER.
Lighthouse-Lighthouse, Suite Feeling and Peacing It All Together. In 1968, Skip Prokop the former drummer and vocalist with the Canadian psychedelic rock band The Paupers, met Brooklyn born keyboardist Paul Hoffert in a New York nightclub. The men bonded over their mutual love of music. However, when they parted company at the end of the …
MULATU ASTATKE-MULATU OF ETHIOPIA.
Mulatu Astatke-Mulatu Of Ethiopia. By 1972, Ethiopian multi-instrumentalist Mulatu Astatke was twenty-nine, and had already spent time studying music in London, Boston and New York. This included spells at two prestigious institutions, London’s Trinity College of Music, Boston’s Berklee College of Music. The time he spent there, influenced and shaped Mulatu Astatke as a musician. …
FAUST-FRESH AIR.
Faust-Fresh Air. Forty-six years ago, Faust released their critically acclaimed, groundbreaking, genre-melting eponymous debut album in 1971. The innovative and imaginative music on Faust was unlike anything else that was being released in 1971. Musically, Faust was a breath of fresh air, which was hailed as a revolutionary album that had the potential that to …
THE RISE AND FALL OF A MUSICAL EMPIRE.
The Rise and Fall Of A Musical Empire. Musical history is littered with examples of entrepreneurs who thought they could make money out of running a record company. The only problem was, they lacked the specialised skills that were required. There was a way round this, by surrounding themselves with music industry professionals. Then they …
BOBBY HATFIELD-THE OTHER BROTHER: A SOLO ANTHOLOGY 1965-1970.
Bobby Hatfield-The Other Brother: A Solo Anthology 1965-1970, When twenty-two year old Bobby Hatfileld met Bill Medley in 1962, and formed The Righteous Brothers little did the pair realise that this was the start of a journey that would see the pair become one of the most successful musical partnerships of the sixties. The most …
RUPTURE-ISRAEL SUITE/DOMINANTE EN BLEU.
Rupture-Israel Suite/Dominante En Bleu. Over the last fifty years, bands and artists have penned ambitious concept albums about all manner of subjects. No subject matter it seems is off-limits when it comes to the concept album. There’s been concept albums about bureaucracy and censorship, death and dreams, evolution and revolution, heaven and hell, hurt and …
dereksmusicblog
dereksmusicblog 