Category Archives: Pop
THE PEARLFISHERS-THE YOUNG PICKNICKERS.
THE PEARLFISHERS-THE YOUNG PICKNICKERS. Today I’m going to write about a group who have been recording and releasing music for twenty years. During the last twenty years, this Glasgow band have produced some beautiful melodic pop music, which has been influenced by groups such as the Beach Boys, Big Star and Big Star. When you …
TALK TALK-THE COLOUR OF SPRING.
TALK TALK-THE COLOUR OF SPRING. The album this article is about came out in 1986. This period was hardly a vintage time for music in the UK. Much of the music was throwaway pop music, music which was instantly forgettable. Granted there were some great bands from the UK, some that spring to mind, are …
THE BATHERS-SUNPOWDER.
THE BATHERS-SUNPOWDER. Previously, I’ve written several articles for this blog about Scottish bands, including articles on the Cocteau Twins, Primal Scream, Belle and Sebastian, John Martyn, Love and Money, Lloyd Cole and the Commotions, Teenage Fanclub and Bloomsday. The last band, Bloomsday, featured the lead singer of the band I’m going to write about today, …
DUSTY SPRINGFIELD-DUSTY IN MEMPHIS.
DUSTY SPRINGFIELD-DUSTY IN MEMPHIS. In this article, I’m going to write about one of the best female vocalists to come out of the UK. She was dubbed the white queen of soul. Nowadays, any female vocalist with a modicum of talent is compared with this singer. These comparisons are ridiculous. Some third rate vocalist with …
PREFAB SPROUT-FROM LANGLEY PARK TO MEMPHIS.
PREFAB SPROUT-FROM LANGLEY PARK TO MEMPHIS. In the past, I’ve been lucky enough to see many bands and artists in concert. Some of these concerts have been brilliant, others woeful. The band that this article is about, fall into the first category. When I saw them live, they were amazing, putting on a performance full …
DUFFY-ROCKFERRY.
DUFFY-ROCKFERRY. I’m not usually the type of person that bothers much with commercial music. Most successful commercial music is the result of hype and marketing, rather than talent. This is nothing new in the music industry. Much of the success of many punk and post-punk groups was due to puff pieces and hype in the …
THE BLUE NILE-PEACE AT LAST.
THE BLUE NILE-PEACE AT LAST. The group this article is about, have only released four albums since forming in 1981. They have a reputation for working slowly, and the album this article is about was released seven years after their previous album. This album saw the group change their style. Previously it was based upon …
NICOLE ATKINS-NEPTUNE CITY.
NICOLE ATKINS-NEPTUNE CITY. Today I am going to write about a genuine up and coming artist, one who takes her music seriously, and has been involved in the music industry all her adult life. During her career she has been compared with some of music’s greatest singers including Roy Orbison. Her music sees a combination …
RICHARD HAWLEY-COLE’S CORNER.
RICHARD HAWLEY-COLE’S CORNER. In life there are two types of people, those who follow others blindly, and others who go their own way, and do their own thing. The same can also be said with the music industry. One of those people who fall into the latter category, is Richard Hawley, who this article is …
LLOYD COLE AND THE COMMOTIONS-RATTLESNAKES.
LLOYD COLE AND THE COMMOTIONS-RATTLESNAKES. There are two reasons I have decided to write this article. Firstly, it takes me back to a time long ago, when I was much younger, I was a student, a time I thoroughly enjoyed in life, and this was one of the albums that was part of the soundtrack …
BLOOMSDAY-FORTUNY.
BLOOMSDAY-FORTUNY. The group I am going to write about in this article, were a short lived project, between members of two of Scotland’s finest bands. Bloomsday were formed by Chris Thomson of The Bathers and two former members of Lloyd Cole and the Commotions Stephen Irvine and Neil Clark. The story of how Bloomsday is …
ASTRID-BOY FOR YOU.
ASTRID-BOY FOR YOU. Often in articles I write about artists that many people will not, yet, have discovered. These artists have, for some reason, not made the commercial breakthrough their music deserves. This often, surprises not only the artists, but also many people within the music industry. Often, these artists, have an abundance of talent, …
BELLE AND SEBASTIAN-THE BOY WITH THE ARAB STRAP.
BELLE AND SEBASTIAN-THE BOY WITH THE ARAB STRAP. The group that I am about to write about, recorded their first single in 1996, whilst at college, and went on to record their debut album in three days. Since then, they recorded a further eight albums and have achieved almost cult status, amongst their large and …
JENNIFER WARNES-FAMOUS BLUE RAINCOAT.
JENNIFER WARNES-FAMOUS BLUE RAINCOAT. A few days ago, I put my Ipod on shuffle, and as sometimes happens, after a few tracks, it played a fantastic track. That track was Famous Blue Raincoat, the title track from Jennifer Warnes’ 1987 album Famous Blue Raincoat. I had not listened to this album for a few months, …
LOVE AND MONEY-STRANGE KIND OF LOVE.
LOVE AND MONEY-STRANGE KIND OF LOVE. The band that I am going to write about, Love and Money, are one of Scotland’s finest bands of the past thirty years. In an eight year recording career from 1986-1994, Love and Money recorded just four albums, All You Need Is Love in Money in 1986, Strange Kind …
COCTEAU TWINS-HEAVEN OR LAS VEGAS.
COCTEAU TWINS-HEAVEN OR LAS VEGAS. In a previous article about Annie Barker, and her album Mountains and Tumult, I mentioned that former Cocteau Twin, Robin Guthrie, produced the album, and that Annie Barker sounded like Liz Fraser, another former Cocteau Twin. This made me think that maybe the time was right for an article about …
JERRY BURNS-JERRY BURNS.
JERRY BURNS-JERRY BURNS. The album that I am about review has a sumptuous, atmospheric and dreamlike sound. It is a laid back, musical soundscape that transports you on a journey that will soothe your weary soul. The album is by Jerry Burns and is called Jerry Burns. It was released back in 1992, and this …
FEINA-A STAR OF THE FUTURE?
FEINA-A STAR OF THE FUTURE? The one thing about music is that now and again you discover new talent, someone that you have never heard before, someone that you just know should have a great future in front of them. However, we all know about the strange vagaries of the music industry, and how that …
GREAT ALBUM COVERS VOLUME 1: 15 OF THE BEST
GREAT ALBUM COVERS VOLUME 1: 15 OF THE BEST. Recently, whilst looking through a large number of old albums, I was struck by how many great album covers I came across. Funnily enough, not every great album cover I came across was to be found on an album that one would call a classic album. …
dereksmusicblog
dereksmusicblog 