Category Archives: Pop
SEAFARING STRANGERS: PRIVATE ROCK.
Seafaring Strangers: Private Rock. Label: Numero. As the sixties drew to a close, the Rolling Stones were one of the most successful bands of the decade. They were preparing to release their Let It Bleed, on the ‘5th’ of December 1969. It was the Rolling Stones eighth album in Britain, but their tenth album in …
OTE MALOYA-THE BIRTH OF ELECTRIC MALOYA ON REUNION ISLAND 1975-1985.
Oté Maloya-The Birth Of Electric Maloya On Reunion Island 1975-1985. Label: Strut. Nothing ever stays the same. That is certainly the case in music. It has been since the birth of rock ’n’ roll just over sixty years ago. Since then, every musical genre has continued to evolve and reinvent itself, in an attempt to …
THE LIFE AND TIMES OF SEA LEVEL.
The Life and Times Of Sea Level. By August 1975, all wasn’t well within The Allman Brothers. It hadn’t been for the last couple of years. That was despite The Allman Brothers being at the peak of their popularity. Their last three albums had sold over a million copies and were certified platinum. Meanwhile, The Allman …
TOO SLOW TO DISCO VOLUME 3.
Too Slow To Disco Volume 3. Label: How Do You Are? During the last few years, there has been a resurgence in interest in the West Coast sound which sadly, fell from grace in the late seventies. Before that, the West Coast sound had won over the hearts and minds of record buyers, and provided the …
CHARLEY PRIDE-YOU’RE MY JAMAICA, ROLL ON MISSISSIPPI, EVERYBODY’S CHOICE AND CHARLY PRIDE LIVE.
Charley Pride-You’re My Jamaica Roll On Mississippi, Everybody’s Choice and Charley Pride Live. Label: BGO Records. By the time Charley Pride was preparing to release his new album You’re My Jamaica in 1979, he was one of the most successful country singers. He had already enjoyed twenty-one number one singles and eleven number one albums …
SKEETER DAVIS-LET ME GET CLOSE TO YOU.
Skeeter Davis-Let Me Get Close To You. Label: Playback Records. Nowadays, Skeeter Davis is remembered and regarded as one of country music’s pioneers. She was one of the first women in country music to enjoy commercial success as a solo artist. This proved to be a game-changer. Skeeter Davis paved the way for several generations …
BIG STAR-POWER POP PIONEERS.
Big Star-Power Pop Pioneers. Sadly, in music, talent doesn’t guarantee commercial success. If it did, Big Star would’ve been one of the biggest bands in musical history. Alas, that wasn’t the case. Lady luck failed to smile on Big Star when they released a trio of albums between 1972 and 1978. Despite this, Big Star are …
WILD HONEY-TORRES BLANCAS.
Wild Honey-Torres Blancas. Label: Lovemonk Records. Just over four years ago, Wild Honey released their much-anticipated sophomore album Big Flash in April 2013. This was the followup to Wild Honey’s 2009 debut album Epic Handshakes and A Bear Hug. While it was released to plaudits and praise, Big Flash marked the coming of age of …
MAKING TIME: A SHEL TALMY PRODUCTION.
Making Time: A Shel Talmy Production. Ace Records. During the sixties and into the early seventies, Chicago-born Shel Talmy was one of the most successful and innovative producers working in the British music industry. Shel Talmy had arrived in Britain from Los Angeles in 1962, as a twenty-five year old. By then, his dreams of …
FAZERDAZE-MORNINGSIDE.
Fazerdaze-Morningside. Grönland Records. Despite a population of just 3.8 million, New Zealand has always punched above its weight when it comes to music. That has been the case for the best part of fifty years. Proof of that is the roll call of artists and bands New Zealand has produced over the last five decades. …
LIGHTHOUSE-LIGHTHOUSE, SUITE FEELING AND PEACING IT ALL TOGETHER.
Lighthouse-Lighthouse, Suite Feeling and Peacing It All Together. In 1968, Skip Prokop the former drummer and vocalist with the Canadian psychedelic rock band The Paupers, met Brooklyn born keyboardist Paul Hoffert in a New York nightclub. The men bonded over their mutual love of music. However, when they parted company at the end of the …
BOBBY HATFIELD-THE OTHER BROTHER: A SOLO ANTHOLOGY 1965-1970.
Bobby Hatfield-The Other Brother: A Solo Anthology 1965-1970, 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 sixties. The most …
RUPTURE-ISRAEL SUITE/DOMINANTE EN BLEU.
Rupture-Israel Suite/Dominante En Bleu. Over the last fifty years, bands and artists have penned ambitious concept albums about all manner of subjects. No subject matter it seems is off-limits when it comes to the concept album. There’s been concept albums about bureaucracy and censorship, death and dreams, evolution and revolution, heaven and hell, hurt and …
ANNELI DRECKER-REVELATION FOR PERSONAL USE.
Anneli Drecker-Revelation For Personal Use. Anneli Drecker first came to prominence in 1987, when she was the lead singer of the Norwegian band Bel Canto. Back then, Anneli Drecker was just seventeen, but determined to make a career out of music. So Anneli Drecker made the brave decision to leave behind her Arctic hometown of …
THE BLUE NILE-PERFECTION PERSONIFIED.
The Blue Nile-Perfection Personified. Enigmatic, reluctant and contrarian are words that best of describe The Blue Nile. They’re the complete opposite of most bands. The Blue Nile have been described as publicity shy. That’ is an understatement. Ever since Paul Buchanan, Robert Bell and Paul Joseph Moore formed the Blue Nile, they’ve been one of …
SWAMP POP BY THE BAYOU-LET’S GET TOGETHER TONIGHT.
Swamp Pop By The Bayou-Let’s Get Together Tonight. Recently, one of Ace Records’ longest running and most successful compilation series made a welcome return when Swamp Pop By The Bayou-Let’s Get Together Tonight was released. It’s the seventeenth instalment in the By The Bayou series, and the third compilation of swamp pop. Just like the previous …
TEENAGE FANCLUB-SCOTLAND’S BIG STARS AND KINGS OF JANGLE POP.
Teenage Fanclub-Scotland’s Big Stars and Kings Of Jangle Pop. Not many Scottish bands have enjoyed the longevity and commercial success that Teenage Fanclub have. Scotland’s Kings of jangle pop have been together four decades, have released ten albums and toured the world several times. Still though, Teenage Fanclub still going strong, and must be contenders for the 2017 Scottish Album of The …