Category Archives: Folk

CULT CLASSIC: TEMPLE-TEMPLE.

Cult ClassicL Temple-Temple. Ever since the birth of rock ’n’ roll, there’s been many short-lived record labels, including small, obscure local labels founded to release privately pressed albums, to regional labels that released just a handful of singles before closing their doors for the last time. Other labels lasted slightly longer, but were hardly prolific, …

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CHRISTIAN WALLUMROD ENSEMBLE-MANY.

Christian Wallumrød Ensemble-Many. Label: Hubro Music. Although Christian Wallumrød has been a familiar face on the Norwegian music scene  since the early nineties, it wasn’t until 1996 that the Christian Wallumrød Trio released their debut album Birch on ECM. It was released to widespread critical acclaim, Birch launched the career of Christian Wallumrød.  Over the …

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BRIGITTE BARDOT-LA BELLE ET LE BLUES.

Brigitte Bardot-La Belle Et Le Blues. Label: Ace Records. In 1957, Vadim’s Et Dieu… Créa La Femme (And God Created Women) was released internationally and thrust Brigitte Bardot into the public spotlight.  For the twenty-three year old Paris born actress, this was the break she had been waiting for. Her acting career began in 1952, …

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CULT CLASSIC: ARTHUR-DREAMS AND IMAGES.

Cult Classic: Arthur-Dreams and Images. The story of Arthur Lee Harper is a familiar one. He was a talented singer-songwriter who looked as if he was destined for great things. Sadly, that proved not to be the case. Arthur only ever released one album, Dreams and Images which was released on Lee Hazelwood’s LHI Records …

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EZE-NRI ROYAL DRUMMERS VOL. 1

Eze-Nri Royal Drummers Vol. 1. Label: BBE Africa. 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 …

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TEA AND SYMPHONY: THE ENGLISH BAROQUE SOUND 1968-1974. 

Tea and Symphony: The English Baroque Sound 1968-1974. Label: Ace Records. Release Date: ‘31st’ January 2020. As the sixties gave way to the seventies, music in Britain was changing, with rock becoming and harder and heavier as groups like Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple and Black Sabbath emerged and went on to become three of the …

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CULT CLASSIC: PETER WALKER-“SECOND POEM TO KARMELA” OR GYPSIES ARE IMPORTANT.

Cult Classic: Peter Walker-Second Poem To Karmela” Or Gypsies Are Important. Back in 1967, Peter Walker released his seminal album Rainy Day Raga, which was released on Vanguard Records. Since then, it’s become a cult classic. Many people though, thought Rainy Day Raga wa his only album. It wasn’t and The following year, 1968, Peter …

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CULT CLASSIC: BERT JANSCH-L.A. TURNAROUND.

Cult Classic: Bert Jansch-L.A. Turnaround. 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 a surprise, …

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STEVEN TAYLOR-SONGS OF INNOCENCE AND OF EXPERIENCE: SHEWING THE TWO CONTRARY  STATES OF THE HUMAN SOUL.

Steven Taylor-Songs Of Innocence and Of Experience: Shewing The Two Contrary States Of The Human Soul. Ace Records. Nowadays, many critics consider that the enigmatic William Blake was England’s greatest ever poet and artist. Some critics have gone as far as to say that he was the greatest poet and artist and artist ever. Blake …

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CULT CLASSIC: STONEGROUND-FAMILY ALBUM.

Cult Classic: Stoneground- Family Album. By 1970, the San Francisco’s vibrant music scene was thriving. New bands were being formed all across the city. Many of these bands dreamed of being signed to record label and releasing an album.  For most bands, this remained a dream. However, for Stoneground,  this  dream became reality in 1971. …

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CULT CLASSIC: SANDY DENNY-LIKE AN OLD FASHIONED WALTZ.

Cult Classic: Sandy Denny-Like An Old Fashioned Waltz. 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 well upon its release. This …

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CULT CLASSIC: TOM WAITS -CLOSING TIME.

Cult Classic: Tom Waits-Closing Time. 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 greater …

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CULT CLASSIC: GORDON JACKSON-THINKING BACK.

Cult Classic: Gordon Jackson-Thinking Back. 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 more …

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CULT CLASSIC: LINDA PERHACS-PARALLELOGRAMS.

Cult Classic: Linda Perhacs -Parallelograms. In 1970, twenty-seven year old dental hygienist Linda Perhacs released her debut album Parallelograms. Some people wondered why it had taken Linda so long. After all, she was a musical prodigy. Linda Long was born in Mill Valley, which lies just north of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge in 1943. By …

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TIME BURGESS AND BOB STANLEY PRESENT TIME PEAKS-SONGS FOR A LATE-NIGHT DINER.

Tim Burgess and Bob Stanley Present Tim Peaks-Songs For A Late-Night Diner. Label: Ace Records. On April 8, 1990, the first series of Twin Peaks, which was created by David Lynch and Mark Frost, made its debut on ABC, and quickly, gained a cult following. Viewers in Britain and America were captivated by what was …

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CULT CLASSIC: MICHAEL CHAPMAN-THE MAN WHO HATED MORNINGS.

Cult Classic: Michael Chapman-The Man Who Hated Mornings. In 1977, Michael Chapman was about to release the eight album of his career, The Man Who Hated Mornings on Deram Records. That had been his home to since 1973, when he released his fifth album Millstone Grit. By then, Michael Chapman had had come a long way since …

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CULT CLASSIC: JOHN MARTYN-LIVE AT LEEDS.

Cult Classic: John Martyn-Live At Leeds. In January 1975, John Martyn released his eighth studio album, Sunday’s Child. John had been away from the studio for fifteen months. His previous album, Inside Out, was released in October 1973. Since then, John had been concentrating on touring. However, in August 1974, John headed to Island Studios, …

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LUMAN DRONES-UMBRA.

Lumen Drones-Umbra. Label: Hubro Music. Four years after Lumen Drones released their critically acclaimed eponymous debut album on ECM Records in late-2015, Nils Økland, Per Steinar Lie and Ørjan Haaland recently return with their much-anticipated followup Umbra, which was released on Hubro Music. Umbra is an epic album that doesn’t disappoint and marks the welcome …

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CULT CLASSIC: MOUVEMENTS-MOUVEMENTS.

Cult Classic: Mouvements-Mouvements. In the late-sixties, self-taught guitarist and jazz aficionado Christian Oestreicher, who was later described as: “a savage in the era of twist and free jazz,” met artist and painter Richard Reimann who was famous for his optical art, at the renowned Aurora art gallery in Geneva, Switzerland. This was the start of …

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MUSIC FROM JARVIS COCKER’S SUNDAY SERVICE.

Music From Jarvis Cocker’s Sunday Service. Label: Ace Records. When it was announced in 2010, that former Pulp frontman, and songwriter-in-chief, Jarvis Cocker, was about to present a show on BBC 6 Music, his statement of intent was posted on the Corporation’s website: “It is my intention to fill these hours with as much dodgy …

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