Category Archives: Pop
IRELAND’S TOP TROUBADOUR PAUL BRADY.
Ireland’s Top Troubadour Paul Brady. When singer-songwriter Paul Brady celebrated his seventieth birthday on the ‘19th’ of May 2017, he was officially one of the elder statesmen of Irish music. He had spent fifty-two years as a professional musician, first with The Kull, then The Johnstons and Planxty. Then in 1976, Paul Brady and Andy …
TRIGAL-BAILA MI RUMBA.
Trigal-Baila Mi Rumba. Label: Pharaway Sounds. When Trigal signed to Belter Records in 1975, this was the start of a musical adventure that would last five years and see the band release two albums and four singles. They featured Trigal’s unique and inimitable fusion of gypsy rumba-funk and flamenco pop, which found favour with audiences …
THOS. RAPP AND PEARLS BEFORE SWINE-ONE OF FOLK MUSIC’S BEST KEPT SECRETS.
Thos. Rapp and Pearls Before Swine-One Of Folk Music’s Best Kept Secrets. When Pearls Before Swine released their fifth album City Of Gold in April 1969. it was the first album credited to Tom Rapp and Pearls Before Swine. This seemed only fair, as Tom Rapp was the only original member of Pearls Before Swine left. The …
SOUNDS OF THE UNEXPECTED.
Sounds Of The Unexpected. Label: Ace Records. Ever since she was teenager growing up in Southend-on-Sea, on the Thames Delta, Vicki Fox loved music and was an enthusiastic and knowledgeable collector of vinyl. It was no surprise that when Vicki Fox moved to London, she would embark upon a career in the music industry. One …
TAKE WHAT YOU NEED: UK COVERS OF BOB DYLAN SONGS 1964-1969.
Take What You Need: UK Covers Of Bob Dylan Songs 1964-69. Label: Ace Records. As 1969 drew to a close, Bob Dylan was without doubt, one of the biggest names in popular music, and had come a long way since releasing his eponymous debut album on March ’19th’ 1962. This was the first of nine …
THE MONKEES’ PSYCHEDELIC YEARS AND BEYOND.
The Monkees Psychedelic Years and Beyond. On September the ‘8th’ 1965, the Daily Variety contained an advert that said: “Folk & Roll Musicians-Singers for acting roles in new TV series.” This was a new sitcom that had been written by Bob Rafelson and Bert Schneider about a struggling rock band from Los Angeles. The new …
NON GROUP AND BEYOND.
Non Band and Beyond. During the summer of 1978, a musical revolution took place in Japan, which changed music forevermore,..punk. The Japanese punk rockers were christened Tokyo Rockers, and initially were disregarded by the mainstream music industry. Record company executives made the mistake of thinking that the Japanese punk movement was just a passing fad, …
SUBHI-SHAITAAN DIL (NAUGHTY HEART).
Subhi-Shaitaan Dil (Naughty Heart). On September the ‘15th’ 2017, Chicago-based singer-songwriter Subhi will release her much-anticipated, accidental debut album Shaitaan Dil (Naughty Heart). For Subhi, this is something she has dreamed about all her life. Even when she was working in finance on Wall Street. However, a career in finance wasn’t for Subhi, who remembers: …
JOHNNY RIVERS-HELP ME RHONDA.
Johnny Rivers-Help Me Rhonda. Label: BGO Records. By 1975, Johnny Rivers was approaching his thirty-third birthday, and had already spent nearly twenty years as a musician. His career began while he was still a student at Baton Rouge Magnet High School. That was where John Henry Ramistell had formed his first band, The Spades. They …
GIRLS WITH GUITARS TAKE OVER!
Girls With Guitars Take Over! Label: Ace Records. Not many compilation series’ are still going strong after twenty-eight years.Those that do, must be doing something right. That is certainly the case with Ace Records’ Girls With Guitars’ series, which began in 1989. That was when the first instalment in the Girls With Guitars’ series was …
BOBBY HATFIELD-THE OTHER BROTHER: THE VERVE RECORDS AND MGM RECORDS YEARS 1968-1970
Bobby Hatfield-The Other Brother: The Verve Records and MGM Records Years 1968-1970, When twenty-two year old Bobby Hatfileld met Bill Medley in 1962, and formed The Righteous Brothers little did the pair realise that this was the start of a journey that would see the pair become one of the most successful musical partnerships of …
THE MONKEES -SUMMER OF LOVE-VINYL.
The Monkees-Summer Of Love. Label: Rhino. On September the ‘8th’ 1965, the Daily Variety contained an advert that said: “Folk & Roll Musicians-Singers for acting roles in new TV series.” This was a new sitcom that had been written by Bob Rafelson and Bert Schneider about a struggling rock band from Los Angeles. The new …
TRANSPARENT DAYS: WEST COAST NUGGETS-VINYL.
Transparent Days: West Coasts Nuggets-Vinyl. Label: Rhino. By the summer of 1967, around 100,000 people had arrived in the Haight-Ashbury neighbourhood of San Francisco. Many of those who had arrived were flower children or hippies, who had rejected consumerist values and embraced what was seen as an alternative lifestyle. The flower children, including many students on their …
THE MURMAIDS-WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN?
The Murmaids-What Might Have Been? Sadly, musical history is littered with groups that are remembered as one-hit wonders. Their brush with commercial success may have been brief, but at least they enjoyed a tantalising taste of what some established groups take for granted. As a result, after a group has enjoyed one hit single, they want another. This comes as no …
PEGGY MARCH-IF YOU LOVED ME-RCA RECORDINGS FROM AROUND THE WORLD 1963-1969.
Peggy March-If You Loved Me-RCA Recordings From Around The World 1963-1969. Ace Records. The future Peggy March was born Margaret Annemarie Battavio in Lansdale, Pennsylvania on March ‘8th’ 1948. By the time she was two, Margaret was singing along to commercials on the radio. She just loved to sing, and three years later made already …
GRINGA-LETTERS FROM A.BROAD.
Gringa-Letters From A.Broad. Label: gringamusic.com One of the most exciting, up-and-coming new bands in San Francisco’s live scene is Gringa, a five-piece female band who recently, have been winning friends and influencing people with their unique, genre-melting sound. The basis for Gringa’s irresistible, hook-laden sound are the rhythms from the music of Brazil and the …
GOTTA GET UP: THE SONGS OF HARRY NILSSON 1965-1972.
Gotta Get Up: The Songs Of Harry Nilsson 1965-1972. Label: Ace Records. Enigmatic describes Harry Nilsson who was, without doubt, one of the most talented singer-songwriters of his generation. He released sixteen studio albums and e four soundtracks albums between 1966 and 1980. Sadly, most of these albums failed to find the audience they so …
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