Category Archives: Rock
CULT CLASSIC: JOHNNY RIVERS-NO THROUGH STREET.
Cult Classic: Johnny Rivers-No Through Street. As 1983 dawned, Louisiana born singer, songwriter, guitarist and producer Johnny Rivers had just turned forty, and had been a professional musicians since 1956. Back then, he was still known Johnny Ramistella when he formed his own band The Spades, who later that year, released their debut single. Less …
CULT CLASSIC: HARMONIA-DELUXE.
Cult Classic: Harmonia-Deluxe. In June 1975, the three members of Harmonia returned to their studio in Forst for the recording of their sophomore album, Deluxe. It would become the followup to Musik Von Harmania, which had been released in January 1974. Sadly, this groundbreaking album had failed to find an audience. It was a bitter …
DEEP PURPLE-BURN.
Deep Purple-Burn. Label: UMC/Virgin EMI. Release Date: ‘10th’ of July 2020. When Ian Gillan and Roger Glover left Deep Purple in 1973, this left a huge void for one of the unholy trinity of British hard rock and heavy metal. They were regarded as almost irreplaceable, and had played a huge part in Deep Purple’s rise to titans of rock. …
CREAM-DISRAELI GEARS.
Cream-Disraeli Gears. Label: UMC/Polydor. Format: Vinyl. Release Date: 10th July 2020. Nowadays, the British rock group Cream are regarded as the world’s first ever supergroup. They were founded in the summer of 1966, and split-up in November 1968, having released four albums that sold over fifteen million copies worldwide. This included their critically acclaimed sophomore album Disraeli Gears, which was released in November 1967 and hailed a classic by …
CULT CLASSIC: DIES IRAE-FIRST.
Cult Classic: Dies Irae-First. For many new bands, their main objective is to release an “album” and they want to do this as quickly as possible. This will be a sign that they’ve “arrived” and have one foot on the musical ladder. Sadly, for some bands, that’s as far as it goes. The album fails to …
CULT CLASSIC: ERIC ANDERSEN: SWEET SURPRISE.
Cult Classic: Eric Andersen: Sweet Surprise. In 1975, thirty-two year old folk singer and songwriter Eric Andersen moved to Greenwich Village, New York, where it had all started for him in the early sixties. Back then, Eric Andersen was part of the folk scene, and as a twenty-one years in 1964, had auditioned for Vanguard …
HEDVIG MOLLESTAD-EKHIDNA.
Hedvig Mollestad-Ekhidna. Label: Rune Grammofon. Format: CD. In May 2018, award-winning Norwegian guitarist, vocalist, bandleader and composer Hedvig Mollestad was thirty-six and one of the leading lights of the vibrant Nordic music scene. Her band the Hedvig Mollestad Trio had already released five albums and had already recorded their sixth album Smells Funny. Despite the …
MARTIN FREEMAN AND EDDIE PILLER PRESENT JAZZ ON THE CORNER TWO.
Martin Freeman and Eddie Piller Present Jazz On The Corner Two. Label: Acid Jazz. Anyone with even a passing interest in the Acid Jazz will have heard of Eddie Piller. He has been a stalwart of the scene for over thirty years, and during that time, the fifty-six year old has been a DJ, promoter and founded …
CULT CLASSIC: JOE HOUSTON-KICKIN’ BACK.
Cult Classic: Joe Houston-Kickin’ Back. Joe Houston’s career began in 1941 when he was just fifteen, and a saxophonist in a touring band never turned up. This presented the bandleader with a problem. However, he needn’t have worried as Joe Houston was in the audience and this was the breakthrough the young saxophonist had dreamy about. From an …
CULT CLASSIC: BILLY COBHAM-MAGIC.
Cult Classic: Billy Cobham-Magic. By 1977, Panamanian-American jazz and fusion drummer Billy Cobham had only been a solo artist since 1973, but he already accumulated a wealth of experience since his discharge from the US Army in 1968. Soon, he had joined Horace Silver’s Quintet, then became the house drummer at Atlantic Records and a …
CULT CLASSIC: THE BLACK HIPPIES-THE BLACK HIPPIES.
Cult Classic: The Black Hippies-The Black Hippies. One of Nigerian music’s best kept secrets, are The Black Hippies who only ever released two albums. Their finest moment was their 1977 eponymous which was released in 1977, on EMI. Sadly, by then, disco and funk were flavour of the month and The Black Hippies were a year too late releasing their …
CULT CLASSIC: THE DEADBEATS-ON TAR BEACH.
Cult Classic: The Deadbeats-On Tar Beach. There aren’t many teenagers who dream of leaving the Florida sunshine to head to London, and form a band. That’s what Suzie May did in 1979. She left her home in the Florida suburbs, and arrived in Camden Town, London. Already Suzie May was halfway towards fulfilling her dream. That was …
THE LADIES OF TOO SLOW TO DISCO VOLUME 2.
The Ladies Of Too Slow To Disco Volume 2. Label: How Do You Are? Ever since the birth of rock ’n’ roll, musical genres have fallen in-and-out of fashion, and what’s popular today can be consigned to the dustbin of musical history tomorrow as tastes change. That happened to everything from psychedelia and progressive rock …
CULT CLASSIC: SEA LEVEL-BALL ROOM.
Cult Classic: Sea Level-Ball Room. In 1980, Southern rockers Sea Level released their fifth album Ball Room, which was a new start for the band. They had been signed to Capricorn Records since the release of their eponymous debut album in 1976. After recording four albums for Capricorn Records, Sea Level signed to Clive Davis’ …
THE BLUE NILE-HIGH
The Blue Nile-High. Label: Confetti Records. Format: 2 CD Set. Release Date: ‘5th’ June 2020. 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 …
BOB STANLEY AND PETE WIGGS PRESENT OCCASIONAL RAIN.
Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs Present Occasional Rain. Label: Ace Records. As the sixties gave way to the seventies, psychedelia prepared to kiss the sky and say goodbye as it exited stage left. However, all wasn’t well despite all the groundbreaking music released during the last few years. After Woodstock and the Altamont Free Concert …
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