Category Archives: Rock
TONY BANKS-HIS LIFE AFTER GENESIS.
Tony Banks-His Life After Genesis. All too often, Tony Banks has been referred to as “the keyboard player from Genesis.” This is doing the sixty-seven year old a huge disservice. Tony Banks is a multi-instrumentalist, whose just as comfortable playing guitar as his playing piano, Hammond organ, synths or Mellotron. Seamlessly, Tony Banks could switch …
THREE DAY WEEK-WHEN THE LIGHTS WENT OUT 1972-1975.
Three Day Week-When The Lights Went Out 1972-1975. Label: Ace Records. In 1973, both Britain and America were experiencing one of the worst years since the end of World War II. The Vietnam War still raged, while the civil rights movement continued to fight for equality and an end to the racial discrimination that blighted …
ROGER WATERS-THE SOLO YEARS.
Roger Waters-The Solo Years. Following the departure of Syd Barrett from Pink Floyd, bassist Roger Waters became the group’s creative force. This was the case from Pink Floyd’s third album, Ummagumma, which was released in 1969, right through to 1983s The Final Cut. After the release of The Final Cut, Roger Waters left Pink Floyd. …
MANCHESTER-A CITY UNITED IN MUSIC.
Manchester-A City United In Music. Label: Ace Records. Mention Manchester, and most people think of two things music and soccer, and specifically God’s own team Manchester City who for too long, were perceived as the city’s second team. That wasn’t always the case and isn’t the case any more. Between 1966 and 1975, Manchester City …
CYCLONE! GALLIC GUITARS A-GO-GO 1962-66.
Cyclone! Gallic Guitars A-Go-Go 1962-66. Label: Ace Records. In the early sixties, rock ’n ’roll arrived in France, and was immediately embraced by a new generation of French musicians with an intensity. Among the first wave of French rock groups were Les Chats Sauvages and Les Chaussettes Noires, who nowadays, are regarded as having set …
THE LIFE AND TIMES OF THE BETA BAND
The Life and Times Of The Beta Band. 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 Sound, with Los Amigos …
THE CHARLATANS-THE MUSICAL MAVERICKS AND DANDIES WHO HAD IT ALL.
The Charlatans-The Musical Mavericks and Dandies Who Had It All. Between 1964 and 1969, The Charlatans’ star shawn brightly, and the larger than life musical mavericks dressed like ‘19th’ Century outlaws, and embraced the rock ’n’ roll lifestyle. L.S.D. and pot were part of The Charlatans’ diet. It fuelled The Charlatans as they took San Francisco by storm, and commercial …
HALLELUJAH-THE SONGS OF LEONARD COHEN.
Hallelujah-The Songs Of Leonard Cohen. Label: Ace Records. On the ‘21st’ of October 2016, Canadian singer-songwriter, novelist and poet Leonard Cohen released what was to be his swan-song You Want It Darker to widespread critical acclaim. Sadly, just seventeen days later Leonard Cohen passed away on the ‘7th’ of November 2016, aged eighty-two. That day, music lost …
THE THREE YEAR STORY OF SWEENEY’S MEN.
The Three Year Story Of Sweeney’s Men. One of the bands that emerged from the mid-sixties Irish roots revival was Sweeney’s Men, who were formed in Dublin in May 1966, by Andy Irvine, “Galway Joe” Dolan and Johnny Moynihan. Sweeney’s Men were together for just three years, and released two albums which feature one of the …
GORDON JACKSON-A STORY OF WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN.
Gordon Jackson-A Story Of What Might Have Been, Over the past to fifty years, there are many artists in Britain and America who could’ve and should’ve enjoyed long and successful careers. Some of these artists even recorded albums that should’ve launched or kickstarted their solo careers . Sadly, the fickle finger of fate decided otherwise and …
DR JOHN-THE ATCO YEARS 1968-1974.
Dr John-The Atco Years 1968-1974. Gris Gris. When a copy of Dr John’s debut album Gris Gris was sent to Atlantic Records’ founder Ahmet Ertegun he disliked the album so much, that he was reluctant to even release the album and said: “how can we market this boogaloo crap?” This wasn’t the response that Dr …
CANNED HEAT’S LIBERTY RECORDS’ YEARS.
Canned Heat’s Liberty Records Records’ Years. ‘8th’ of March 1973 marked the end of an era for Canned Heat who had just released their ninth album, The New Age. It was their swan-song for Liberty Records. After six years and nine studio albums, Canned Heat were about leave Liberty Records. They had managed to negotiate their release from …
MIKE HARRISON-FROM THE V.I.P.s TO HIS SOLO YEARS.
Mike Harrison-From The V.I.P.s To His Solo Years. For Carlisle born Mike Harrison, the period between 1963 and 1975, proved the most prolific of a six decade career. During that period, Mike Harrison was the lead singer of The V.I.P.s and Art. They would later become known as Spooky Tooth, who signed to Island Records in 1968. Three years later, and with the …
MOGOLLAR’S CAREER OF TWO PARTS.
Moğollar’s Career Of Two Parts. By 1976, Anatolian rockers Moğollar had been together for the best part of a decade, and were now one of Turkey’s most successful bands. Everything seemed to have been going well for Moğollar until they lost their latest vocalist. This was nothing new, and was a problem that had haunted the group over the years. Vocalists had been Moğollar’s …
HENRY GROSS-HIS SEVENTIES SOLO YEARS.
Henry Gross-His Seventies Solo Years. When Henry Gross took to the stage with Sha Na Na at ‘7.30pm’ on Sunday, August the ‘17th’ 1969, the eighteen year old made history, he became the the youngest person to perform at the Woodstock Music and Arts Fair. Despite his relative youth, Henry Gross took playing in front of 400,000 people in his stride during Sha Na Na’s thirty-minute …
THE LIFE AND TIMES OF SANDY DENNY.
The Life and Times Of Sandy Denny. In December 1969, an announcement was made that Sandy Denny had left Britain’s leading folk band, Fairport Convention. This came as a shock to many as Fairport Convention, who were Britain’s first electric folk band, popularity been rising over the past two years. Playing her part in the rise and rise of Fairport Convention was Sandy Denny who had previously been …
THE LIFE AND MUSIC OF JOHN WETTON.
The Life and Music Of John Wetton. On the ’31st’ of January 2017, John Wetton passed away in Bournemouth, Dorset aged just sixty-seven. Music had lost another of its most talented and successful sons. John Wetton had enjoyed success with seven bands and as a solo artist. His career began with Mogul Thrash, before he joined Family, King Crimson, Uriah Heep and …
THE RISE AND FALL OF THE YOUNGBLOODS.
The Rise and Fall Of The Youngbloods By 1965, bassist and vocalist Jesse Colin Young was twenty-four and had already enjoyed a degree of success as a folk singer. He had already released two albums The Soul Of A City Boy in 1964, and Young Blood in 1965. However, Jesse Colin Young’s solo career was …
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