Category Archives: Folk

CULT CLASSIC: VICTOR CAVINI-JAPAN.

Cult Classic: Victor Cavini-Japan. In the the history of German library music, Selected Sound is regarded as an institution by collectors and connoisseurs and one of its finest releases was Japan, which was released by Victor Cavini in 1983.  Thirty-seven years, this rarity is a cult classic that’s on the wants list of many collectors. …

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CULT CLASSIC: JETHRO TULL- STORM WATCH.

Cult Classic: Jethro Tull-Storm Watch. By September 1979, Jethro Tull was still one of the most successful British bands of their generation, and were about to release the twelfth album of their career, Stormwatch, It was the final album in a trilogy of folk rock albums and Jethro Tull hoped that Stormwatch would build on the success of which had been released …

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CULT CLASSIC: TEA AND SYMPHONY-AN ASYLUM FOR THE MUSICALLY INSANE.

Cult Classic: Tea and Symphony-An Asylum For The Musically Insane. When the original lineup of Tea and Symphony was founded in Birmingham, England, in the late-sixties, they were an acoustic group who have since been compared to Marc Bolan’s Tyrannosaurus Rex. The group was founded by Jeff Daw, James Langston and Nigel Phillips, but when they played …

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CULT CLASSICS: TABANSI STUDIO BAND-WAKAR ALHAZI KANO AND MUS’EN SOFOA.

Cult Classics: Tabansi Studio Band–Wakar Alhazai Kano and Mus’en Sofoa. Philadelphia International Records’ house band was MFSB, while Motown the Funk Brothers and Fame Records had the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section between 1961 and 1969. These three house bands played an important part in each label’s sound and success. That was also the case with  the …

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CULT CLASSIC: NANCY PRIDDY-YOU’VE COME THIS WAY BEFORE. 

Cult Classic: Nancy Priddy-You’ve Come This Way Before. Nowadays, many people remember Nancy Priddy as an actress who appeared in Bewitched, The Waltons and Matlock and later, alongside her daughter Christina Applegate in the television series Married…With Children and the film The Sweetest Thing. However, other people remember Nancy Priddy as a singer-songwriter who in 1968, …

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CULT CLASSIC: BREAD, LOVE AND DREAMS-AMARYLLIS.

Cult Classic: Bread, Love and Dreams-Amaryllis. When Scottish acid folk trio Bread, Love and Dreams appeared at the 1968  Edinburgh Festival, David McNiven, Angie Rew and Carolyn Davis had no idea that the concert was going to transform their lives. In the audience that night, was Ray Horricks, a Decca Records staffer, who nowadays, is …

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CULT CLASSIC: EZE-NRI ROYAL DRUMMERS VOL. 1

Cult Classic: Eze-Nri Royal Drummers Vol. 1. One of the most important labels in the history of African music is Tabansi  Records, which  was founded in Onitsha, a trading centre in the Igbo southeast of Nigeria, in 1952. Chief (Dr) G.A.D. Tabansi had watched as  Decca, and then  Philips, closed the doors on their Nigerian …

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MARIANNE FAITHFUL: THE DECCA YEARS.

Marianne Faithful: The Decca Years. By March 1964, it was apparent that pop music wasn’t just a passing fad. The Beatles were a global phenomenon and the British Invasion of the American charts had just begun. Britain was a musical powerhouse ,that the world envied. Despite this, many labels weren’t resting on their laurels. Record …

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NEIL YOUNG AFTER THE GOLD RUSH (50TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION).

Neil Young-After The Gold Rush (50th Anniversary Edition). Label: Warner. Format: CD. 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 …

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AL STEWART-24 CARROTS (40TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION).

Al Stewart-24 Carrots (40th Anniversary Edition). Label: Esoteric Recordings. Format: 3 CD Box Set. 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 …

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FORTY YEARS AGO JOHN MARTYN RELEASED GRACE AND DANGER.

Forty Years Ago John Martyn Released Grace and Danger. In November 1977, John Martyn released what’s was undoubtably one the finest albums of his career, One World. It was an atmospheric, experimental and genre-defying album where everything from folk, jazz, reggae and rock melted together during eight tracks. When it was released, it was to overwhelming critical acclaim, …

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THE BETA BAND: A CASE OF WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN?

The Beta Band: A Case Of What Might Have Been? The Beta Band was formed in Edinburgh in 1996, and a year later, in July 1997 released their Champion Versions EP, which was the first of a trio of innovative EP’s the folktronica pioneers released. In March 1998 The Beta Band released their sophomore EP The Patty Patty …

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ALAIN BELLAICHE-SEA FLUORESCENT/KIRLIAN EFFECT.

Alain Bellaïche-Sea Fluorescent/Kirlian Effect. Label: Souffle Continu. Format: CD. Alain Bellaïche was born in Tunis, the capital of Tunisia, but spent his childhood in Cannes, on the French Riviera which was where he discovered music and played his first concerts.  Initially, he played in friends’ houses where he was guaranteed a captive and appreciative audience. …

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QUICKSAND-HOME IS WHERE I BELONG.

Quicksand-Home Is Where I Belong. Label: Magic Box. Format: LP. 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 …

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CULT CLASSIC: JUDY HENSKE-HIGH FLYING BIRD.

Cult Classic: Judy Henske-High Flying Bird. It was in 1962, when Judy Henske was living in Los Angeles, that the Queen of the Beatniks first came to the attention of Elektra Records’ founder Jac Holzman. He had just setup the A&R and marketing operation in LA and was on looking for new artists to add …

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CULT CLASSIC: MICHAEL CHAPMAN-PLAYING GUITAR THE EASY WAY.

Cult Classic: Michael Chapman-Playing Guitar The Easy Way Nine years after releasing his debut album Rainmaker on Harvest Records, Michael Chapman released Playing Guitar The Easy Way which was very a different album from his previous ten albums. Partly that was because of the title and the album cover. Some  people who looked at the …

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DEUTSCHE ELEKTRONISCHE MUSIK 4: EXPERIMENTAL GERMAN ROCK AND ELECTRONIC MUSIC 1971-83.

Deutsche Elektronische Musik 4: Experimental German Rock and Electronic Music 1971-83. Label: Soul Jazz Records. Format: CD. Release Date: ‘16th’ October 2020. Nowadays, the period between 1968 and the early eighties is regarded as a golden period for German music, and saw groundbreaking artists and groups like Amon Düül, Can, Cluster, Deuter, Faust, Harmonia, Neu!, …

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ANDREW WASYLYK-FUGITIVE LIGHT AND THEMES OF CONSOLATION.

Andrew Wasylyk-Fugitive Light and Themes Of Consolation. Label: Athens Of The North. Format: LP. When Dundee-based writer, producer and multi-instrumentalist Andrew Wasylyk released his fourth album Fugitive Light and Themes Of Consolation on the Athens Of The North label this brought to an end a journey that began back in 2017. That was when he …

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MOTORPSYCHO-THE ALL IS ONE. 

Motorpsycho-The All Is One. Label: Rune Grammofon. Format: 2CD. Motorpsycho was formed in Trondheim, in October 1989 and released their debut album Lobotomizer in 1991. Since then, they’ve been one of hardest working and prolific bands in Norway. Last year, the Norwegian rockers released two albums and toured Norway and Europe twice. That would’ve been …

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CULT CLASSIC: TERRY REID-THE OTHER SIDE OF THE RIVER.

Cult Classic: Terry Reid-The Other Side Of The River. For many people, Terry Reid is music’s nearly man. He could’ve been the lead vocalist of two of the biggest rock bands in musical history. Sadly, that wasn’t to be, and instead,Terry Reid decided to concentrate on his solo career.   He went on to release six …

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