Category Archives: Rock

HIROSHIMA’S FIRST FIVE ALBUMS

Hiroshima’s First Five Albums. Dan Kuramoto’s interest in music began when he became the inaugural chairman of the Asian-American studies program at California State University in Long Beach in the sixties. This was an honour for Dan Kuramoto who had just graduated from California State University with a degree in Fine Arts. The chance to return …

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THE LIFE AND CAREER OF MUSICAL PIONEER EMILIO APARICIO.

The Life and Career Of Musical Pioneer Emilio Aparicio. Nowadays, the words pioneer and innovator tend to be overused, and musicians who create truly groundbreaking music seem to be sadly, few and far between. While there are some pioneering musicians whose music continues to push musical boundaries, there are no longer as many as there once …

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THE SHORT-LIVED STORY OF VOIGT/465

The Short-Lived Story Voigt/465. The story of Voigt/465 is a case of what might have been. They were formed in Sydney, Australia in 1976, and spent the next three years trying to make a breakthrough. By May 1979, things were looking up for Voigt/465 and they looked on the verge of a breakthrough. Their single State was …

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HEAT EXCHANGE AND THEIR LOST DEBUT ALBUM REMINISCENCE.

Heat Exchange and Their Lost Debut Album Reminiscence. Heat Exchange’s root’s can be traced to a Toronto high school, in the late-sixties. That was when four school friends decided to form a blues band, which they named Cloud. Just a couple of years later, and Cloud were one of the top bands in Toronto.  Several record …

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CROMWELL-WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN?

Cromwell-What Might Have Been? By 1975, Dublin had an eclectic and vibrant music scene , and there literally was something for all musical tastes. This ranged from the traditional showbands that had long been part of the Irish music scene, right through to traditional Irish music and sentiment-laden pop music. However, this was only part of …

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GILLIAN HILLS-THE YE-YE YEARS 1960-1965. 

Gillian Hills-The Yé-Yé Years 1960-1965. Gillian Hills was born in Cairo, Egypt, on the ‘5th’ of June 1944  and was the daughter of teacher, traveller, author and adventurer Denis Hills and Dunia Leśmianowna, daughter of Polish poet Bolesław Leśmian. Much of Gillian Hills’ early life was spent in France which was where the fourteen year …

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THE NON BAND STORY

The Non Band Story. In 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, …

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SEUN KUTI-HIS FATHER’S SON MAKING HIS OWN WAY IN MUSIC.

Seun Kuti-His Father’s Son Making His Own Way In Music.  Nowadays, one of the most overused word in the English language is legend, which is bandied about all too freely, with faux punks, third-rate Britpop bands and Beatles impersonators being labelled legends by fawning music journalists who hang on their every word. These bands aren’t worthy of …

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IRMIN SCHMIDT-FROM CAN TO THE THE SOLO YEARS.

Irmin Schmidt-From Can To The Solo Years. After eleven years and eleven studio albums, Can called time on their career in 1979. By then, Can were rightly regarded as one of the most innovative bands of the Krautrock era. They had enjoyed an almost unrivalled longevity.  Can were formed in 1968, by Holger Czukay and …

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FAREWELL DR JOHN AND A GUIDE TO HIS MUSIC:PART 1-THE ATCO YEARS 1968-1974.

Farewell Dr John and A Guide To His Music: Part 1: The Atco  Years 1968-1974. A month ago, on the ‘6th’ of July 2019, Dr John, who was born Malcolm John Rebennack Jr. on November the 20th 1941, in New Orleans, which he still called home, passed away aged seventy-seven.  That day, music lost one of the greatest musicians of his generation. The next day I …

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JOHN MARTYN-TROUDADOUR AND MUSICAL MAVERICK.

John Martyn-Troubadour and Musical Maverick  It’s no exaggeration to say that the late, great John Martyn’s life revolved around music. His career began in 1967, when he was just seventeen. Back then, John Martyn was a folk singer. However, over the next forty-two years, John Martyn continually reinvented his music  flitting between folk and folk rock to blues, psychedelia, …

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 WHERE THE ACTION IS! LOS ANGELES NUGGETS.

Where The Action Is! Los Angeles Nuggets. Label: Rhino  There aren’t many compilation series that last twenty-five years. That’s apart from Rhino’s much loved Nuggets compilation series. It began in 1984 when Nuggets, Volume 1: The Hits was released. Little did anyone know that the Nuggets series would last twenty-five years, and include fifteen LP, five …

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MICHAEL ROTHER- FLAMMENDE HERZEN, STERNTALER, KATZENMUSIK AND FERNWARME.

Michael Rother-Flammende Herzen, Sterntaler,Katzenmusik and Fernwärme. Label: Gronland Records. During the early seventies, the German music scene was thriving, and  was one of the most vibrant in Europe. Some of the most influential and innovative music was being recorded and released by German bands. This included the holy trinity of Can, Kraftwerk and Neu!. Along with Amon Düül …

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WARFARING STRANGERS: ACID NIGHTMARES LP.

Warfaring Strangers: Acid Nightmares LP. Label: Numero Group.  Numero Group’s most recent release Warfaring Strangers: Acid Nightmares, documents an oft-overlooked and intriguing part of the psychedelic era. This came after the optimism of the hippie movement came to a sudden end. Gone was the hopeful, positive and sunshine psychedelia. In its place, was a darker …

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STONEGROUND’S WARNER BROS YEARS.

Stoneground’s Warner Bros Years. The Stoneground story began in San Francisco in 1968, when guitarists Tim Barnes and Luther Billed joined forces with drummer Mike Mau and founded Stoneground.  In the early days, Stoneground were happy playing as a trio but  before long, the lineup began to expand. This came about when Tom Donahue, a DJ and …

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OJO BALINGO-AFROTUNES-BEST OF JUJU  VOL. II-OBA MIMO OLORUN AYO.

Ojo Balingo–Afrotunes –Best of Juju Vol. II–Oba Mimo Olorun Ayo. Label: BBE Music. Release Date: ‘28th’ June 2019 Each week, record companies in America, Britain and Europe tempt and tantalise collectors with reissue of rarities that have never been released before. This includes everything from Acid House to zydeco and everything in between, including a …

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SEAFARING STRANGERS: PRIVATE ROCK LP.

Seafaring Strangers: Private Rock LP. 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 …

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ELEPHANT9- PSYCHEDELIC BACKFIRE I AND PSYCHEDELIC BACKFIREII WITH REINE FISKE

Elephant9 -Psychedelic Backfire I and Psychedelic Backfire II With Reine Fiske. Label: Rune Grammofon. There aren’t many bands who release two albums on the same day, but that is what Elephant9 did recently, when they released Psychedelic Backfire I and Psychedelic BackfireII With Reine Fiske on Rune Grammofon. These two albums feature the return of one of finest Norwegian jazz groups …

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FIRE! ORCHESTRA-ARRIVAL

Fire! Orchestra-Arrival. Label: Rune Grammofon. When Mats Gustafsson, Johan Berthling and Andreas Werliin founded the Fire! Orchestra in 2011, it featured twenty-eight musicians and vocalists who were responsible for the ensemble’s impressive sound. Now eight years and as they release their fifth album Arrival on Rune Grammofon, its a slimmed down line-up that appears on the …

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NARADA MICHAEL WALDEN-THE SOLO YEARS 1976-1988.

Narada Michael Walden-The Solo Years 1976-1988 The first many record buyers heard of Narada Michael Walden, was when he was announced as Billy Cobham’s replacement in the second lineup of the Mahavishnu Orchestra in 1974. By then, Narada Michael Walden was just twenty-two and the Mahavishnu Orchestra was one of the top fusion bands. However, …

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