Category Archives: Rock

SWAMP POP BY THE BAYOU-LET’S GET TOGETHER TONIGHT.

Swamp Pop By The Bayou-Let’s Get Together Tonight. Recently, one of Ace Records’ longest running and most successful compilation series made a welcome return when Swamp Pop By The Bayou-Let’s Get Together Tonight was released. It’s the seventeenth instalment in the By The Bayou series, and the third compilation of swamp pop. Just like the previous …

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TEENAGE FANCLUB-SCOTLAND’S BIG STARS AND KINGS OF JANGLE POP.

Teenage Fanclub-Scotland’s Big Stars and Kings Of Jangle Pop. Not many Scottish bands have enjoyed the longevity and commercial success that Teenage Fanclub have. Scotland’s Kings of jangle pop have been together four decades,  have released ten albums and toured the world several times.  Still though, Teenage Fanclub still going strong, and must be contenders for the 2017 Scottish Album of The …

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SING IT HIGH, SING IT LOW: TUMBLEWOOD RECORDS 1971-1973.

Sing It High, Sing It Low: Tumbleweed Records 1971-1973. Nowadays, it can be a risky business founding a new record label, and many hopeful music moguls are left licking their wounds. However, founding and running a record label has always been a risky business. It’s not a licence to print money, and never has been.  …

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NINA MIRANDA-FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT.

Nina Miranda-Freedom Of Movement. Not many singers wait twenty-six years before releasing their debut album. Nina Miranda has. She made her debut in 1991 on Sweatmouth’s Read My Hips EP, and since then Nina Miranda has been a familiar face on the London music scene.  Since 1997, Nina Miranda has been the lead singer of …

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THE JERRY CANS-INUUSIQ.

The Jerry Cans-Inuusiq. Over the last few years, The Jerry Cans have been one of the rising stars of the Canadian music scene. Recently, though, The Jerry Cans’ music has won them friends much further afield than the of Arctic reaches of Iqaluit, Nunavut, their hometown in the far North of Canada. This includes in …

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ROY BUCHANAN-LOADING ZONE AND YOU’RE NOT ALONE.

Roy Buchanan-Loading Zone and You’re Not Alone. In 1977, Roy Buchanan was thirty-eight, and about to record his second album for Atlantic Records, Loading Zone. Roy Buchanan had been paired with Stanley Clarke, the classically trained pioneer of fusion. Roy Buchanan and Stanley Clarke looked like an unlikely partnership, but one that ultimately got results. Proof of …

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COME TO THE SUNSHINE: SOFT POP NUGGETS FROM THE WEA VAULTS.

Come To The Sunshine: Soft Pop Nuggets From The WEA Vaults . 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 …

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L.A. EXPRESS-L.A. EXPRESS AND SHADOW PLAY.

L.A. Express-L.A. Express and Shadow Play, Jazz saxophonist Tom Scott’s career began in 1965, when he was just seventeen, and the leader of the jazz ensemble Neoteric Trio. After that he became one of Los Angeles’ top session players, and a familiar face on the West Coast music scene. This would stand in him in …

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OZARK MOUNTAIN DAREDEVILS-THE MAJOR LABEL YEARS.

Ozark Mountain Daredevils-The Major Label Years. Ozark Mountain Daredevils roots can be traced back to 1971, when a group of friends in Springfield, Missouri began playing as Family Tree. By 1972, the band had changed its name to Ozark Mountain Daredevils and were being managed by folk rock duo Brewer and Shipley.  This came about …

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SEATRAIN-WATCH

Seatrain-Watch. Although Seatrain were only together for four years and released four albums, there were five separate lineups of the band. Drummers and guitarists proved to be Seatrain’s Achille’s Heel. Seatrain featured five different drummers and guitarists between the release of their 1969 debut album Sea Train, and  their 1973 swan-song, Watch which was recently …

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CAKEWALK-ISHIHARA.

Cakewalk-Ishihara. Three years after the release of Cakewalk’s sophomore album Transfixed, the Norwegian supergroup recently released their much-anticipated, third album, Ishihara, on Hubro Music. It finds Cakewalk at their innovative best, on what’s without doubt, the most ambitious album of their career so far.  Ishihara is another album carefully sculpted soundscapes from sonic adventurers Cakewalk, …

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INSANE TIMES-21 BRITISH PSYCHEDELIC ARTYFACTS FROM THE EMI VAULTS.

Insane Times-21 British Psychedelic Artyfacts From The EMI Vaults. With 2017 the tenth anniversary of Record Store Day, it was no surprise that there were a record number of releases available. This ranged from luxurious limited edition box sets to reissues of classic albums, singles soundtracks and compilations. One of the compilations that was released was Insane …

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SANDY DENNY-WHO KNOWS WHERE TIME GOES?

Sandy Denny-Who Knows Where Time  Goes? On the 21st of April 1978, Sandy Denny passed away aged just thirty-one. That day, the career of one of the finest British folk singers of her generation was cut tragically short. Music lost a hugely talented singer and songwriter. There was no doubt about that. Sandy Denny stood head …

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TAPIMAN-HARD DRIVE.

Tapiman-Hard Drive. During the seventies, the hard rocking Spanish power trio Tapiman, released a trio of albums between 1972 and 1979. This includes Tapiman, which is a cult classic, that nowadays, changes hands for over £800. It was, without doubt Tapiman’s finest hour. Sadly, these three albums amount to everything that Tapiman recorded during their …

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BOO HEWERDINE-SWIMMING IN MERCURY.

Boo Hewerdine-Swimming In Mercury. There aren’t many people who have spent the past four decades doing something they love. Nowadays, they’re in the minority, and are the lucky ones. Award winning singer-songwriter Boo Hewerdine is one of the lucky ones, and has been fortunate enough to spend the last four decades fulfilling what was once …

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IAN MATTHEWS-VALLEY HI AND SOME DAYS YOU EAT THE BEAR AND SOME DAYS THE BEAR EATS YOU.

Ian Matthews-Valley Hi and Some Days You Eat The Bear and Some Days The Bear Eats You. Having completed recording of Journeys From Gospel Oak, Ian Matthews had discharged his contractual obligations to Vertigo. Journeys From Gospel Oak was the third and final album he owed Vertigo. This left Ian Matthews free to sign a …

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EMERSON, LAKE AND PALMER-1971-1974: THE GLORY YEARS.

Emerson, Lake and Palmer-1971-1974: The Glory Years. Nowadays, the seventies are regarded as a golden age for rock music. Especially progressive rock. One of the giants of British progressive rock were Emerson, Lake and Palmer. They were formed in 1970, and went on to enjoy commercial success and critical acclaim on both sides of the Atlantic. That …

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JON SAVAGE’S 1967-THE YEAR THAT POP DIVIDED.

Jon Savage’s 1967 -The Year Pop Divided. Nowadays, 1967 is regarded by critics and cultural commentators as one of the most important years in musical history. It’s remembered for its Summer Of Love in San Francisco, and the birth of Flower Power. 1967 is also a remembered as the year that pop divided.  A signal …

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STEPHAN MEIDELL-METRICS.

Stephan Meidell-Metrics.  Three years after the release of his critically acclaimed, groundbreaking debut album Cascades, Stephan Meidell is about to return with his much-anticipated sophomore album Metrics, which will be released on Hubro Music on the ‘28th’ April 2017. Metrics marks the return of a true musical pioneer and sonic explorer Stephan Meidell, who takes …

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