Category Archives: Rock
TRIGAL-BAILA MI RUMBA.
Trigal-Baila Mi Rumba. Label: Pharaway Sounds. When Trigal signed to Belter Records in 1975, this was the start of a musical adventure that would last five years and see the band release two albums and four singles. They featured Trigal’s unique and inimitable fusion of gypsy rumba-funk and flamenco pop, which found favour with audiences …
THOS. RAPP AND PEARLS BEFORE SWINE-ONE OF FOLK MUSIC’S BEST KEPT SECRETS.
Thos. Rapp and Pearls Before Swine-One Of Folk Music’s Best Kept Secrets. When Pearls Before Swine released their fifth album City Of Gold in April 1969. it was the first album credited to Tom Rapp and Pearls Before Swine. This seemed only fair, as Tom Rapp was the only original member of Pearls Before Swine left. The …
MOGWAI-EVERY COUNTRY’S SUN-BOX SET.
Mogwai-Every Country’s Sun-Box Set. Label:Rock Action Records. Over the last fifty years, the music industry has been transformed beyond all recognition. One of the biggest changes is how the music buyers purchase and listen to music. Back in the late-sixties and early seventies, most people listened to music on vinyl. Usually, younger record buyers started off buying singles, and eventually graduated to albums when their budget …
SOUNDS OF THE UNEXPECTED.
Sounds Of The Unexpected. Label: Ace Records. Ever since she was teenager growing up in Southend-on-Sea, on the Thames Delta, Vicki Fox loved music and was an enthusiastic and knowledgeable collector of vinyl. It was no surprise that when Vicki Fox moved to London, she would embark upon a career in the music industry. One …
YASUAKI SHIMIZU-MUSIC FOR COMMERCIALS: MADE TO MEASURE VOLUME 12.
Yasuaki Shimizu-Music For Commercials: Made To Measure Volume 12. Label: Crammed Discs. Thirty years ago, in 1987, Marc Hollander’s label, Crammed Discs, released an album that went on become one of their most sought after releases. This was Yasuaki Shimizu’s Music For Commercials, which featured a total of twenty-four tracks. Twenty-three of them were short …
TAKE WHAT YOU NEED: UK COVERS OF BOB DYLAN SONGS 1964-1969.
Take What You Need: UK Covers Of Bob Dylan Songs 1964-69. Label: Ace Records. As 1969 drew to a close, Bob Dylan was without doubt, one of the biggest names in popular music, and had come a long way since releasing his eponymous debut album on March ’19th’ 1962. This was the first of nine …
PAUL BRADY-UNFINISHED BUSINESS.
Paul Brady-Unfinished Business. Label: Proper Records. When singer-songwriter Paul Brady celebrated his seventieth birthday on the ‘19th’ of May 2017, he was officially one of the elder statesmen of Irish music. He had spent fifty-two years as a professional musician, first with The Kull, then The Johnstons and Planxty. Then in 1976, Paul Brady and …
FREE-VINYL REISSUES 1969-1973.
Free-Vinyl Reissues 1969-1973. Label: UMC. It’s not often that someone get the opportunity to witness history being made. Those that happened to be in the Nag’s Head pub, in Battersea, London on 19 April 1968 saw history being made. They watched as four young men took to the stage for the first time. What some …
SKID ROW-THE CLASSIC YEARS.
Skid Row-The Classic Years. By late 1967, Dublin’s vibrant rock scene was thriving with many newly founded bands playing in universities and clubs around the city. Some were already spreading their wings, and heading further afield taking their music to other parts of the Republic of Ireland. Its music scene had come a long way …
OLAFUR ARNALDS-EULOGY FOR EVOLUTION.
Ólafur Arnalds-Eulogy For Evolution. Label: Erased Tapes Records. When most people reach the age of thirty, it’s a time when they take stock, and reflect on what they’ve achieved so far. When composer, multi-instrumentalist and BAFTA-award- winning producer Ólafur Arnalds looked back at the first thirty years of his life, there was much to celebrate. He …
THE LIFE AND TIMES OF MUSICAL MAVERICK AND INNOVATOR HOLGER CZUKAY.
The Life and Times Of Musical Maverick and Innovator Holger Czukay. Although the word innovator is one of the most overused words in the English language nowadays, it perfectly describes Holger Czukay who cofounded Can in 1968. This was the start of a near fifty year career where Holger Czukay continued to make groundbreaking music, and push musical boundaries to their limits, and …
THE MONKEES’ PSYCHEDELIC YEARS AND BEYOND.
The Monkees Psychedelic Years and Beyond. On September the ‘8th’ 1965, the Daily Variety contained an advert that said: “Folk & Roll Musicians-Singers for acting roles in new TV series.” This was a new sitcom that had been written by Bob Rafelson and Bert Schneider about a struggling rock band from Los Angeles. The new …
MOGWAI-EVERY COUNTRY’S SUN-INDIES ONLY VINYL EDITION.
Mogwai-Every Country’s Sun-Indies Only Vinyl Edition. Label:Rock Action Records. It’s safe to say that 2017 hasn’t been a vintage year for Scottish music. Instead, much of the music released during the first nine months of the year has been mediocre at best. That comes as no surprise, as there was a similar problem last year. …
SKID ROW-SKID AND 34 HOURS.
Skid Row-Skid and 34 Hours. Label: BGO Records. By late 1967, Dublin’s vibrant rock scene was thriving with many newly founded bands playing in universities and clubs around the city. Some were already spreading their wings, and heading further afield taking their music to other parts of the Republic of Ireland. Its music scene had …
JOHNNY RIVERS-HELP ME RHONDA.
Johnny Rivers-Help Me Rhonda. Label: BGO Records. By 1975, Johnny Rivers was approaching his thirty-third birthday, and had already spent nearly twenty years as a musician. His career began while he was still a student at Baton Rouge Magnet High School. That was where John Henry Ramistell had formed his first band, The Spades. They …