Category Archives: Folk

HURDY GURDY SONGS-WORDS AND MUSIC BY DONOVAN 1965-1971.

Hurdy Gurdy Songs-Words and Music By Donovan 1965-1971. Label: Ace Records. Format: CD. Having signed to Pye Records in 1965, nineteen year old singer-songwriter Donovan began working with the producers Terry Kennedy, Peter Eden and Geoff Stephens on his debut single Catch The Wind. When the single was released on the ‘12th’ of March 1965, …

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WHAT GOES ON-THE SONGS OF LOU REED.

What Goes On-The Songs Of Lou Reed. Label: Ace Records. Format: CD. After leaving The Velvet Underground, Lou Reed embarked upon a solo career that spanned five decades and saw him release twenty albums. His final album was Hudson River Wind Meditations which was released on April the ‘24th’ 2007. By then, the former Velvet Underground frontman …

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CULT CLASSIC: AL STEWART-24 CARROTS.

Cult Classic: Al Stewart-24 Carrots. In May 1980, thirty-four year old Glasgow-born folk rocker Al Stewart entered Davlen Studios in Los Angeles to begin work on his ninth album 24 Carrots. It was the first album to feature his new band Shot In The Dark. They were augmented by members of Toto, the Incredible String Band, …

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WARREN HAMPSHIRE-LANGUAGE OF THE BIRDS.

Warren Hampshire-Language Of The Birds. Label: Athens Of The North. Format: LP Many people will remember Warren Hampshire as the guitarist in The Bees, who were formed in Ventnor on the Isle of Wight in 2001 and went on to release four albums between 2002 and 2010. However, he wasn’t an original lineup of the …

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CLASSIC ALBUM: NEIL YOUNG AFTER THE GOLD RUSH.

Classic Album: Neil Young-After The Gold Rush. During the winter of 1970, Neil Young and his backing band Crazy Horse embarked upon a short winter tour that included a concert at Filmore East, New York, where the twenty-four year old Canadian folk rocker shared a bill with Steve Miller and Miles Davis. At the end …

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WARREN HAMPSHIRE-LANGUAGE OF THE BIRDS.

Warren Hampshire-Language Of The Birds. Label: Athens Of The North. Format: CD. Many people will remember Warren Hampshire as the guitarist in The Bees, who were formed in Ventnor on the Isle of Wight in 2001 and went on to release four albums between 2002 and 2010. However, he wasn’t an original lineup of the …

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JON SAVAGE’S 1972-1976: ALL OUR TIMES HAVE COME.

Jon Savage’s 1972-1976: All Our Times Have Come. Label: Ace Records. Format: 2CD. First there was rock ’n’ roll and then between 1972 and 1976 morphed and there was everything from art rock, experimental rock and glam rock to hard rock and Krautrock as well as power pop, pub rock and punk rock. The music being released …

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CULT CLASSIC: QUICKSAND-HOME IS WHERE I BELONG.

Cult Classic: Quicksand-Home Is Where I Belong. Musical history is littered with examples of groups who only ever released one album during their what proves to be a short-lived career. Especially, during the late-sixties and early seventies when many record companies had unrealistic expectations. All too often, when a band’s debut album failed to find …

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NEIL YOUNG-YOUNG SHAKESPEARE.

Neil Young-Young Shakespeare. Label: Warner. Format: CD. On September the ‘30th’ 1970 Canadian singer-songwriter Neil Young released his critically acclaimed third album After The Gold Rush. It was hailed as the finest album of his solo career and nowadays, is regarded as a classic. Live At Massey Hall 1971. After the release of After The …

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PIERRE MOERLEN’S GONG-DOWNWIND.

Pierre Moerlen’s Gong-Downwind. Label: Esoteric Recordings. Format: CD. In January 1973, Daevid Allen invited drummer and percussionist Pierre Moerlen to join Gong following the departure of Laurie Allan. He agreed and became the group’s new drummer.  However, in June 1973 he was asked by Virgin Records’ founder Richard Branson to play percussion at the premier …

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CULT CLASSIC: QUICKSAND-HOME IS WHERE I BELONG.

Cult Classic: Quicksand-Home Is Where I Belong. Musical history is littered with examples of groups who only ever released one album during their what proves to be a short-lived career. Especially, during the late-sixties and early seventies when many record companies had unrealistic expectations. All too often, when a band’s debut album failed to find …

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THE SONGS OF LEON RUSSELL.

The Songs Of Leon Russell. Label: Ace Records. Format: CD. Leon Russell embarked upon a career as a professional musician in the late-fifties, and over the next six decades, the versatile singer-songwriter worked with some of the biggest names in music when he worked as a touring musician and session player. He worked with everyone …

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SHE WANTS YOU! PYE RECORDS’ FEMININE SIDE 1964-1970.

She Wants You! Pye Records’ Feminine Side 1964-1970. Label: Ace Records. Format: CD. Between 1964 and 1970 Pye Records and its sister label Piccadilly Records were housed in London’s West End. Both labels had an enviable roster of artists and included some of the top British female pop singers. Two of the biggest names were …

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CULT CLASSIC: BOBBIE GENTRY-THE DELTA SWEETE.

Cult Classic: Bobbie Gentry-The Delta Sweete. Less than three weeks after Bobbie Gentry released Ode To Billie Joe as a single on the ‘10th’ of July 1967 the song topped the US Billboard 100 and US Country charts. The song was penned by Bobbie Gentry and was the twenty-five year old’s debut single as a …

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CULT CLASSIC: LUIZ CARLOS VINHAS-O SOM PSICODELICO DE L.C.V

Cult Classic: Luiz Carlos Vinhas-O Som Psicodélico De L.C.V. Within his native Brazil, Luiz Carlos Vinhas is remembered and regarded as one of the greatest pianists of the Bossa Nova movement. He was one of the genre’s founding fathers  and was a founder member of Bossa Três in 1961. They became one of the most important groups …

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CULT CLASSIC: EL POLEN-CHOLO (MUSICA ORIGINAL DE LE BANDA DE SONIDO).

Cult Classic: El Polen-Cholo (Música Original De La Banda De Sonido). 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 released their …

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WORDS…A BEE GEES SONGBOOK.

Words…A Bee Gees Songbook. Label: Playback Records. Format: CD. During a career that began in 1958 and lasted until 2009 the Bee Gees sold over 120 million records and are one of the biggest selling groups in the history of modern music. “Britain’s first family of harmony” won five Grammy Awards for the Saturday Night …

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CULT CLASSIC: THE THIRD POWER-BELIEVE.

Cult Classic: The Third Power-Believe. By 1967, Detroit’s eclectic music scene was thriving and new bands were being formed almost daily. Some never got beyond practising in a garage, while others graduated to playing in local bars and clubs which was where they were spotted by A&R reps for local indie labels.  Once signed, they …

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FOR THE GOOD TIMES-THE SONGS OF KRIS KRISTOFFERSON. 

For The Good Times-The Songs Of Kris Kristofferson. Label: Ace Records. Nowadays, the name Kris Kristofferson means different things to different people. For film fans he’s the star of eighty-five films, while record buyers remember the singer-songwriter who has released eighteen studio albums and three live albums between 1970 and 2014. He’s also collaborated on …

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CULT CLASSIC: MIKE TINGLEY-THE ABSTRACT PRINCE.

Cult Classic: Mike Tingley-The Abstract Prince. Mike Tingley was born and brought up in Southern California, and in the early sixties started playing the guitar and like a lot of aspiring musicians was influenced by The Beatles, the Beach Boys and folk music.  However, it was only when the twenty year old singer, songwriter and …

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