Author Archive: dereksmusicblog
THE BLUE NILE-PERFECTION PERSONIFIED.
The Blue Nile-Perfection Personified. Enigmatic, reluctant and contrarian are words that best of describe The Blue Nile. They’re the complete opposite of most bands. The Blue Nile have been described as publicity shy. That’ is an understatement. Ever since Paul Buchanan, Robert Bell and Paul Joseph Moore formed the Blue Nile, they’ve been one of …
FREDDIE NORTH-WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO ME: THE COMPLETE A-BET RECORDINGS…PLUS.
Freddie North-What Are You Doing To Me: The Complete A-Bet Recordings…Plus. Nine years after making his recording debut with The Rookies, Freddie North signed to Nashboro’s newly formed A-Bet imprint in 1967. This would be home to Freddie North for the next nine years, and where he would enjoy the most successful period of his …
DONA ONETE-BANZEIRO.
Dona Onete-Banzeiro. Never give up on a dream. These are words of advice that Dona Onete heeded in 2013, when somewhat belatedly, the seventy-five year old ‘grande dame of Amazonian song’ released her debut album Feitiço Caboclo. Three years later, and Dona Onete returns with her sophomore album Banzeiro, which will be released on the …
BACHMAN-TURNER OVERDRIVE-STREET ACTION AND ROCK ’N’ ROLL NIGHTS.
Bachman-Turner Overdrive-Street Action and Rock ‘N’ Roll Nights. For Bachman-Turner Overdrive, their seventh studio album Street Action, which was released in February 1978 was the start of a new era for the band. Street Action was the first album not to feature Randy Bachman. He had left the band after the release of Freeways in …
BOB HOLMES’ NASHVILLE SOUL.
Bob Holmes’ Nashville Soul. For many people, Nashville has always been synonymous with country music. It is, after all, the country music capital of America. However, back in the sixties and seventies, it wasn’t just country music that was coming out of Nashville. So was soul, R&B and jazz. A reminder of that period can …
SWAMP POP BY THE BAYOU-LET’S GET TOGETHER TONIGHT.
Swamp Pop By The Bayou-Let’s Get Together Tonight. Recently, one of Ace Records’ longest running and most successful compilation series made a welcome return when Swamp Pop By The Bayou-Let’s Get Together Tonight was released. It’s the seventeenth instalment in the By The Bayou series, and the third compilation of swamp pop. Just like the previous …
TEENAGE FANCLUB-SCOTLAND’S BIG STARS AND KINGS OF JANGLE POP.
Teenage Fanclub-Scotland’s Big Stars and Kings Of Jangle Pop. Not many Scottish bands have enjoyed the longevity and commercial success that Teenage Fanclub have. Scotland’s Kings of jangle pop have been together four decades, have released ten albums and toured the world several times. Still though, Teenage Fanclub still going strong, and must be contenders for the 2017 Scottish Album of The …
SING IT HIGH, SING IT LOW: TUMBLEWOOD RECORDS 1971-1973.
Sing It High, Sing It Low: Tumbleweed Records 1971-1973. Nowadays, it can be a risky business founding a new record label, and many hopeful music moguls are left licking their wounds. However, founding and running a record label has always been a risky business. It’s not a licence to print money, and never has been. …
NINA MIRANDA-FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT.
Nina Miranda-Freedom Of Movement. Not many singers wait twenty-six years before releasing their debut album. Nina Miranda has. She made her debut in 1991 on Sweatmouth’s Read My Hips EP, and since then Nina Miranda has been a familiar face on the London music scene. Since 1997, Nina Miranda has been the lead singer of …
THE JERRY CANS-INUUSIQ.
The Jerry Cans-Inuusiq. Over the last few years, The Jerry Cans have been one of the rising stars of the Canadian music scene. Recently, though, The Jerry Cans’ music has won them friends much further afield than the of Arctic reaches of Iqaluit, Nunavut, their hometown in the far North of Canada. This includes in …
ROY BUCHANAN-LOADING ZONE AND YOU’RE NOT ALONE.
Roy Buchanan-Loading Zone and You’re Not Alone. In 1977, Roy Buchanan was thirty-eight, and about to record his second album for Atlantic Records, Loading Zone. Roy Buchanan had been paired with Stanley Clarke, the classically trained pioneer of fusion. Roy Buchanan and Stanley Clarke looked like an unlikely partnership, but one that ultimately got results. Proof of …
COME TO THE SUNSHINE: SOFT POP NUGGETS FROM THE WEA VAULTS.
Come To The Sunshine: Soft Pop Nuggets From The WEA Vaults . There aren’t many compilation series that last twenty-five years. That’s apart from Rhino’s much loved Nuggets compilation series. It began in 1984 when Nuggets, Volume 1: The Hits was released. Little did anyone know that the Nuggets series would last twenty-five years, and include …
L.A. EXPRESS-L.A. EXPRESS AND SHADOW PLAY.
L.A. Express-L.A. Express and Shadow Play, Jazz saxophonist Tom Scott’s career began in 1965, when he was just seventeen, and the leader of the jazz ensemble Neoteric Trio. After that he became one of Los Angeles’ top session players, and a familiar face on the West Coast music scene. This would stand in him in …
OZARK MOUNTAIN DAREDEVILS-THE MAJOR LABEL YEARS.
Ozark Mountain Daredevils-The Major Label Years. Ozark Mountain Daredevils roots can be traced back to 1971, when a group of friends in Springfield, Missouri began playing as Family Tree. By 1972, the band had changed its name to Ozark Mountain Daredevils and were being managed by folk rock duo Brewer and Shipley. This came about …
SEATRAIN-WATCH
Seatrain-Watch. 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 Train, and their 1973 swan-song, Watch which was recently …
ENSEMBLE NOVO-LOOK TO THE SKY AND WHO SAW YOU THEN, WHO SEES YOU NOW.
Ensemble Novo-Look To The Sky and Who Saw You Then, Who Sees You Now. Some cities are synonymous with music, and always have been. That was the case with Berlin, Chicago, Detroit, London, Los Angeles, Memphis and New York. It’s also the case with the City of Brotherly Love, Philadelphia, which has to be one …
CAKEWALK-ISHIHARA.
Cakewalk-Ishihara. Three years after the release of Cakewalk’s sophomore album Transfixed, the Norwegian supergroup recently released their much-anticipated, third album, Ishihara, on Hubro Music. It finds Cakewalk at their innovative best, on what’s without doubt, the most ambitious album of their career so far. Ishihara is another album carefully sculpted soundscapes from sonic adventurers Cakewalk, …
INSANE TIMES-21 BRITISH PSYCHEDELIC ARTYFACTS FROM THE EMI VAULTS.
Insane Times-21 British Psychedelic Artyfacts From The EMI Vaults. With 2017 the tenth anniversary of Record Store Day, it was no surprise that there were a record number of releases available. This ranged from luxurious limited edition box sets to reissues of classic albums, singles soundtracks and compilations. One of the compilations that was released was Insane …
NEOTOLIA-NEOTOLIAN SONG.
Neotolia-Neotolian Song. Over the last couple of weeks, many people within the music industry have had only one thing in their mind…Record Store Day. It seems to take on greater importance with each passing year. 2017 was no exception, with the majors especially, releasing a myriad of releases. They varied in quality from the good, …
dereksmusicblog
dereksmusicblog 