Author Archive: dereksmusicblog
THREE MAN ARMY-A THIRD OFA LIFETIME.
THREE MAN ARMY-A THIRD OFA LIFETIME. Adrian and Paul Gurvitz were both experienced musicians before they formed Three Man Army in 1971. Especially Adrian. He had been playing professionally since he was fifteen. The guitarist’s career began in 1964, when he headed out on tour with Billie Davis, Crispian St. Peters and Screaming Lord Sutch. After serving his musical apprenticeship, Adrian …
ROZETTA JOHNSON-A WOMAN’S WAY: THE COMPLETE ROZETTA JOHNSON 1963-1975.
ROZETTA JOHNSON-A WOMAN’S WAY: THE COMPLETE ROZETTA JOHNSON 1963-1975. Throughout the history of modern music, some of the most talented artists haven’t enjoyed the commercial success and critical acclaim that their considerable talent deserves. That was the case with Nick Drake, Jackie Leven, Gram Parsons, Townes Van Zandt, Michael Chapman, Tim Buckley, Alice Clark, Linda …
I’M NOT TALKIN’-THE SONG STYLINGS OF MOSE ALLISON 1957-1971.
I’M NOT TALKIN’-THE SONG STYLINGS OF MOSE ALLISON 1957-1971. During a career that spanned sixty years, Mose Allison influenced several generations of musicians. They were won over by Mose Allison’s unique mix of blues and modern jazz. It found favour with everyone from Van Morrison, Tom Waits, Jimi Hendrix, The Yardbirds, The Who, The Pixies, …
JIM REEVES-YOURS SINCERELY, JIM REEVES, BLUE SIDE OF LONESOME, A TOUCH OF SADNESS AND ON STAGE.
JIM REEVES-YOURS SINCERELY, JIM REEVES, BLUE SIDE OF LONESOME, A TOUCH OF SADNESS AND ON STAGE. Gentleman Jim Reeves was, without doubt, a true legend of country music. He first came to prominence in 1953, when Mexican Joe reached number one on the US Country charts. This was the first of six number one singles …
AK MUSICK-AK MUSICK.
AK MUSICK-AK MUSICK. By the early seventies, the West German music scene was thriving. Across the country, new bands were being formed, and releasing new, ambitious, innovative and experimental music. This had been the case since the late sixties, when the first wave of new bands were formed. One of the earliest groups were Amon …
THE GIRLS WANT THE BOYS! SWEDISH BEAT GIRLS 1964-1970.
THE GIRLS WANT THE BOYS! SWEDISH BEAT GIRLS 1964-1970. Over the last few years, Ace International’s Beat Girls’ compilation series, has proved to be on the most popular series released by Ace Records. That is no surprise, as the compilers have travelled far and wide in search of the creme de la creme of music …
THE LIFE AND CAREERS OF MARY LOVE.
The Life and Careers Of Mary Love. The day that Mary Love entered a talent contest in a local club was that the day that her life changed. She sang a cover of Etta James’ Somebody’s Got A Hold On Me and won. This resulted in Mary being hired to sing every Thursday. She was paid $8 a …
HARMONIA-“THE MOST IMPORTANT BAND IN THE WORLD.”
HARMONIA-“THE MOST IMPORTANT BAND IN THE WORLD.” Throughout musical history, innovative music has often failed to find an audience upon its release. It’s only much later, that the music’s importance and innovation is recognised. Musical history is littered with examples. This includes the group that Brian Eno once called : “the most important band in the world,” Harmonia. Despite such high praise, Harmonia’s …
SUPER DUPER LOVE-MAINSTREAM HITS AND RARITIES 1973-76.
SUPER DUPER LOVE-MAINSTREAM HITS AND RARITIES 1973-76. Back in 1964, forty-four year old Bob Shad founded Mainstream Records. This was the latest label that he had founded in a career that had spanned over twenty years. During that period, Bob had had worked as a session musician, producer and A&R man. Bob Shad put all …
AUTOMAT-OSTWEST.
AUTOMAT-OSTWEST. Back in 2014, Automat released their their eponymous debut album. This was no ordinary debut album. Automat was also the first in a trilogy of albums from the Berlin based trio. For a new group, this was an ambitious project. The three members of Automat, Jocem Arbeit, Achim Färber and Georg Zeitblom were all …
BLACK MOON CIRCLE-THE STUDIO JAMS VOLUME 2.
BLACK MOON CIRCLE-THE STUDIO JAMS VOLUME 2. Nowadays, not many bands announce that they intend to release a trilogy of albums over the next couple of years. However, that’s exactly what Trondheim based psychedelic space rock band Black Moon Circle did in mid-2015. They announced their intention to release three albums of studio jams. The …
THREE MAN ARMY-THREE MAN ARMY AND THREE MAN ARMY TWO.
THREE MAN ARMY-THREE MAN ARMY AND THREE MAN ARMY TWO. All too often, a truly talented group fails to find the audience their music deserves.As a result, the band only releases a few albums, which are cherished by discerning record buyers. That was the case with Three Man Army, which was founded by brothers Adrian …
JOHN MILES-MORE THAN MUSIC.
JOHN MILES-MORE THAN MUSIC. Forty years ago in 1976, John Miles released his most successful single Music. Since then, every time John Miles’ name comes up in conversation, Music is mentioned. That must be frustrating for the English singer-songwriter. That must be frustrating for John Miles, who released ten albums between 1976 and 1999. This is …
JIMMY HOLIDAY-THE ACCIDENTAL SINGER-SONGWRITER.
JIMMY HOLIDAY-THE ACCIDENTAL SINGER-SONGWRITER. Jimmy Holiday never set out to make a career out of music. instead, he wanted to be a boxer, and got as far as fighting in the annual Golden Gloves competition. Then Jimmy started to get beat. That wasn’t in his plans. Realising he was never going to be more than a contender, Jimmy …
BOPPIN’ BY THE BAYOU-DRIVE-INS AND BABY DOLLS.
BOPPIN’ BY THE BAYOU-DRIVE-INS AND BABY DOLLS. The compilation market is without doubt, one of the most competitive in the music industry. Every week hundreds of compilations are released by labels in America, Europe and Britain. Some are released by major labels, while others are lovingly curated compilations that are released by small independent labels. Many …
LIGHTDREAMS-ISLANDS IN SPACE.
LIGHTDREAMS-ISLANDS IN SPACE. Thirty-five years ago in 1981, the British Columbian band LightDreams, released their debut album, Islands In Space. It was a captivating, psychedelic sci-fi odyssey where LightDreams explored cosmic ideology. This was something that had fascinated and enthralled the band’s leader Paul Marcano ever since he first encountered the work and theories of author, …
MILT JACKSON-SUNFLOWER AND GOODBYE.
MILT JACKSON-SUNFLOWER AND GOODBYE. By 1967, Creed Taylor was a veteran of the music industry. He had worked numerous record labels, including Bethlehem, ABC and Verve. However in 1967, Creed Taylor left Verve to join Herb Albert and Jerry Moss’ A&M Records. This was something of a coup for A&M Records, as Creed Taylor had …
dereksmusicblog
dereksmusicblog 