Category Archives: Folk

TOM WAITS -CLOSING TIME-VINYL.

Tom Waits-Closing Time-Vinyl. Label: Anti. It was in the summer of 1971, when Herb Cohen first saw and heard Tom Waits at the Troubadour in Los Angeles, which was one of the city’s top clubs in the city’s music scene and where many an up-and-coming singers and bands had started out before going on to …

Continue reading

VENEZUELA 70 VOLUME 2: COSMIC VISONS OF A LATIN AMERICAN EARTH: VENEZUELAN EXPERIMENTAL ROCK IN THE 1970S AND BEYOND.

Venezuela 70 Volume 2: Cosmic Visions Of A Latin American Earth: Venezuelan Experimental Rock In The 1970s and Beyond. Label: Soul Jazz Records. During the seventies, Venezuela was one of the most prosperous countries in South America after oil was discovered in the North West of the country in 1914. Soon, there was the equivalent …

Continue reading

MARIANNE FAITHFULL-COME AND STAY WITH ME-THE UK 45s 1964-1969. 

Marianne Faithfull-Come And Stay With Me-The UK 45s 1964-1969. Label: Ace Records. Release Date: ‘26th’ October 2018. In March 1964, nearly two years after The Beatles released Love Me Do it was already  apparent that pop music wasn’t just a passing fad. The Beatles were a global phenomenon, and the British Invasion of the American …

Continue reading

THE BETA BAND-THE BETA BAND.

The Beta Band-The Beta Band. Label: Regal Records. Buoyed by the success of 1998s critically acclaimed The Three E.P.s compilation, The Beta Band’s thoughts turned to recording their debut album. Initially the plan for the Edinburgh-based band was to record parts of the album on different continents. However, financial constraints put paid to this plan, …

Continue reading

BERT JANSCH-1965-1975: THE FIRST DECADE.

Bert Jansch-1965-1975: The First Decade. Although folk singer Bert Jansch was born in Springburn, Glasgow on the ‘3rd’ of  November 1943, he spent his formative years living in West Pilton, in Edinburgh,  where he later, embarked upon a career as a professional musician. Before long, Bert Jansch was regarded as one of the leading lights of folk scene and looked destined for a long and successful career. As 1965 dawned,  folk singer Bert Jansch …

Continue reading

BARIS MANCO-NICK THE CHOPPER

Barış Manço-Nick The Chopper. Label: Pharaway Sounds. Some nineteen years after his sudden and tragic death, Barış Manço is still remembered as one of the pioneers of modern Turkish music. His career began in 1958, and continued right up until his death in 1999.  During his career, Barış Manço was one of the founding fathers of …

Continue reading

BERT JANSCH-SANTA BARBARA HONEYMOON 

Bert Jansch-Santa Barbara Honeymoon. Label: Earth UK. Buoyed by the commercial success and critical acclaim that his previous album L.A. Turnaround, which was released in September 1974, Bert Jansch began work on the followup Santa Barbara Honeymoon Stylistically both albums featured the same type of music, but  unlike L.A. Turnaround, Santa Barbara Honeymoon wasn’t produced …

Continue reading

EL POLEN-FUERA DE LA CIUDAD-VINYL.

El Polen-Fuera De La Ciudad (Vinyl). Labe: Buh Records. Sadly, not every influential and innovative band enjoys a long and illustrious career, and instead, their career is short-lived. That was the case with the groundbreaking Peruvian rock band El Polen who released just two albums between 1972 and 1973. This includes their debut album Cholo …

Continue reading

BERT JANSCH-L.A. TURNAROUND.

Bert Jansch-L.A. Turnaround. Label: Earth UK. On New Year’s Day, 1973, Glasgow-born Bert Jansch announced his intention to leave folk-jazz band Pentangle, and concentrate on his burgeoning solo career. This resulted in the headline: “Pentangle Split” featuring on the first edition of Melody Maker released in 1973. For some of Pentangle’s fans, this came as …

Continue reading

DAVID AXELROD-SONGS OF EXPERIENCE.

David Axelrod-Songs Of Experience. Label: Now Again Records. By 1968, composer, musicians and producer David Axelrod was just about to embark upon a solo career after nine years working in the music industry. Buoyed by the experimental climate of popular music, David Axelrod wrote and recorded what was akin to a suite-like tone poem that …

Continue reading

EL POLEN-CHOLO (MUSICA ORIGINAL DE LE BANDA DE SONIDO-VINYL.

El Polen-Cholo (Música Original De La Banda De Sonido) Vinyl. Labe: Buh Records. When El Polen was formed by brothers Juan Luis and Raul Pereira in 1969, little did anyone realise that their new band would become one of the most important and influential in the history of Peruvian music. That was until El Polen …

Continue reading

SANDY DENNY-LIKE AN OLD FASHIONED WALTZ-RECORD STORE DAY 2018 EDITION.

Sandy Denny-Like An Old Fashioned Waltz-Record Store Day 2018 Edition. Label: Island Records. Sandy Denny left Fairport Convention in December 1969, and in early 1970, decided to form a new band. The new band became Fotheringay, who released their eponymous debut album in June 1970. Critics hailed Fotheringay a masterful debut, and the album sold …

Continue reading

ANA SILVERA-ORACLES.

Ana Silvera-Oracles. Label; Gearbox. When London born singer-songwriter Ana Silvera released her debut album The Aviary to widespread critical acclaim in March 2012, great things were forecast for one of the rising star’s of British Nu Folk. Since then, critics and music fans have looked forward with anticipation to the followup to The Aviary. They’ve …

Continue reading

MIGUEL FLORES-PRIMITIVO (1983) SOUNDS ESSENTIAL COLLECTION VOLUME 2-VINYL.

Miguel Flores-Primitivo (1983) Sounds Essentials Collection Volume 2-Vinyl. Label: Buh Records. Many words have been used to describe avant-garde musician Miguel Flores is his native Peru. This includes brave and determined, after learning to walk again after an accident just as he was making a breakthrough with the rock group Pax. Miguel Flores has been described …

Continue reading

MIDNIGHT IN TOKYO VOLUME 2.

Midnight In Tokyo Volume 2, Label: Studio Mule Japan. Release Date: ‘27th’ July 2018. During the seventies and eighties, Japan still had a thriving and vibrant jazz scene, although many artists and bands had turned their attention to fusion. This includes the thirteen artists and bands  that feature on the new compilation Midnight In Tokyo …

Continue reading

KAT FRANKIE-BAD BEHAVIOUR.

Kat Frankie-Bad Behaviour. Label: Grönland Records. Romanian author Nico J. Genes wrote in her book Magnetic Reverie: “follow your dreams, let them guide you. Who knows where they may take you.” This is what Kat Frankie decided to do in 2004, when she gave up her job in Sydney, Australia, and left her family and …

Continue reading

GORDON JACKSON-THINKING BACK.

Gordon Jackson-Thinking Back. Label: Sunbeam Records. Nowadays, Gordon Jackson’s 1969 lost classic  Thinking Back, which has just been reissued by Sunbeam Records, is often referred to as a: “lost Traffic album.” However, that isn’t strictly true, despite Dave Mason, Jim Capaldi, Chris Wood, and Steve Winwood all play on Thinking Back. As is often the case, there’s …

Continue reading

VAN MORRISON-THE ALTERNATIVE MOONDANCE-RECORD STORE DAY 2018 RELEASE.

Van Morrison-The Alternative Moondance-Record Store Day 2018 Release. Label: Warner Bros Records. Many critics and record buyers believe that it’s sacrilege to change a classic album in any way, and held their hands up in horror when it was announced that Giles Martin was remixing Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. Steven Wilson must have …

Continue reading

MIMAN-ULME.

Miman-Ulme. Label: Motvind Records. Over the last few years, Norway’s eclectic music scene has been thriving, as familiar faces and new bands release albums of ambitious, exciting and innovative music. This includes the improv trio Miman, who recently released their much-anticipated debut album Ulme, on Motvind Records.  Having released Ulme, Miman embarked upon a European …

Continue reading

CZECH UP! VOLUME 2: WE’D BE HAPPY.

Czech Up! Volume 2: We’d Be Happy. Label: Vampi Soul. Nowadays, competition within the compilation market is fierce, and each week hundreds of compilations are released by record companies across the world and are competing for the compilation pound, dollar or Euro. However, not all compilations are equal, and some of these compilations are more …

Continue reading