Category Archives: Rock
SCREAMIN’ JAY HAWKINS-THE PLANET SESSIONS.
Screamin’ Jay Hawkins-The Planet Sessions. Inimitable and unique describe the late Screamin’ Jay Hawkins. He was one of the great musical showmen, whose performances were designed to leaving a lasting impression. They always succeeded in doing so. As the lights were dimmed,Screamin’ Jay Hawkins would take to the stage wearing flamboyant and sometimes outlandish attire. …
SEA LEVEL-BALL ROOM.
Sea Level-Ball Room. In 1980, Southern rockers Sea Level released their fifth album Ball Room, which was recently reissued by BGO Records. The release of Ball Room was a new start for Sea Level. They had been signed to Capricorn Records since the release of their eponymous debut album in 1976. After recording four albums …
BUDGIE-WHAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN.
Budgie-What Might Have Been. The roots of hard rocking Welsh trio Budgie, can be traced to Cardiff, in 1967. That was where the band were formed. Originally, Budgie were known as Hills Contemporary Grass. However, after playing several gigs in 1968, Burke Shelley, Tony Bourge and Ray Phillips decided to changed the band’s name to Six Ton Budgie. …
CREAM-BRITAIN’S FIRST SUPERGROUP.
Cream-Britain’s First Supergroup. It was in July 1966, when Britain’s first supergroup, Cream was born. Eric Clapton who was regarded as the greatest British blues guitarist of his generation, was looking beyond life with John Mayall and The Bluesbreakers. That was the group Eric Clapton had joined after his departure from The Yarbirds. By July 1966, Eric …
LOVE’S BEEN GOOD TO ME-THE SONGS OF ROD McKUEN.
Love’s Been Good To Me-The Songs Of Rod McKuen. The latest instalment in Ace Records’ long running and successful Songwriters’ series focuses on American singer, songwriter and poet Rod McKuen. His career spanned four decades and is celebrated on Love’s Been Good To Me-The Songs Of Rod McKuen. It was released by Ace Records and …
MICK CLARKE-RAMDANGO, CRAZY BLUES AND SHAKE IT UP!
Mick Clarke Ramdango, Crazy Blues and Shake It Up! Mick Clarke can remember the day that his life was changed was forevermore. He was fifteen years old, and living in London, England. That was when he heard Eric Clapton for the first time. It was a life changing experience for Mick Clarke. Since that day, …
OZARK MOUNTAIN DAREDEVILS-OZARK MOUNTAIN DAREDEVILS.
Ozark Mountain Daredevils-Ozark Mountain Daredevils. When Ozark Mountain Daredevils signed to Columbia Records in 1979, it was a new start for one of the finest purveyors of Southern fried country rock. They were keen to enter the studio and begin work on their seventh studio album Ozark Mountain Daredevils, which was recently reissued by BGO …
HEAT EXCHANGE-REMINISCENCE.
Heat Exchange-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 labels were chasing Cloud’s signature. …
THE RISE AND DEMISE OF FREE.
The Rise and Demise Of Free. For most of the regulars in Nag’s Head pub, in Battersea, London on the 19th of April 1968, it was just another night. Most of the regulars arrived for a few drinks after work. Others had arrived to see the latest band that were due to play at the Nags Head. They watched as …
COZMIC CORRIDORS-COZMIC CORRIDORS.
Cozmic Corridors-Cozmic Corridors. On 14th of October 2016, the Mental Experience label released Cologne Curiosities-The Unknown Krautrock Underground 1972-1976 compilation. It featured seven tracks from the Pyramid Records vaults. For anyone with a passing interest in Krautrock, this was a welcome release. Pyramid Records was founded by Canadian artist Robin Page in Cologne. His nascent …
ULAN BATOR-STEREOLITH.
Ulan Bator-Stereolith. Nowadays, not many bands stay together twenty-four years. Those that do, must be doing something right. That’s certainly the case with avant rock band Ulan Bator. They’re avant rock survivors, who have continually reinvented themselves over the last three decades. This has ensured that Ulan Bator’s music has remained relevant. Ulan Bator’s music …
BOB STANLEY AND PETE WIGGS PRESENT ENGLISH WEATHER.
Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs Present English Weather. Last year, Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs were responsible for one of the best compilations of 2016, Saint Etienne Presents Songs For The Carnegie Deli. It featured twenty-four songs that Bob Stanley thought might, at one time, have provided a backdrop to life in a New York …
STONEGROUND-STONEGROUND AND STONEGROUND 3.
Stoneground-Stoneground and Stoneground 3. The Stoneground story began in San Francisco in 1968. That was when Tim Barnes and Luther Billed and Mike Mau founded Stoneground. By late 1970, they had released their eponymous debut album, Stoneground. It’s joined by Stoneground 3 on BGO Records’ recently reissued two CD set. These two albums document the early …
THE BEST COMPILATIONS OF 2016-PART 1.
The Best Compilations Of 2016-Part 1. Over the last few weeks, I’ve been looking back at the music released during 2016. The final part of this annual series looks at the compilations released during 2016. Just like previous years, thousands of compilations were released during 2016. They cover literally every musical genre. Quite simply, there …
THE BEST COMPILATIONS OF 2016-PART 2.
The Best Compilations Of 2016-Part 2. Come Back Strong-Hot Atlanta 4. For anyone interested in Southern Soul, Come Back Strong-Hot Atlanta 4 was a must-have. It featured contributions from Sam Dees, John Edwards, Dee Irwin, Joe Hinton, Loleatta Holloway, Danny Johnson, Jimmy Lewis and Dorothy Norwood. That was just part of the story. There’s much …
THE BEST COMPILATIONS OF 2016-PART 3.
The Best Compilations Of 2016-Part 3. Kev Beadle Presents The Best Of Inner City Records. In 1976, music industry veterans Irv Kratka and Eric Kriss founded Inner City Records. What they didn’t know about the music industry, wasn’t worth knowing. This looked like a musical marriage made in heaven. By 1979, Inner City Records was …
THE BEST COMPILATIONS OF 2016-PART 4.
The Best Compilations Of 2016-Part 4. Pink Floyd-Cre/ation: The Early Years 1967–1972. One box set that divided opinion during 2016, was Pink Floyd’s The Early Years 1965–1972. It featured eleven CDs, DVDs, blu-ray discs, vinyl, and memorabilia. There was everything from unreleased material to live recordings and non-album singles. The Early Years 1965–1972 was marketed …
THE BEST COMPILATIONS OF 2016-PART 5.
The Best Compilations Of 2016-Part 5. The Golden Age Of American Country Music: More Country Hits. For many people, the golden age of country music was the late fifties and early sixties. During that period, country music provided the soundtrack to much of American life. Providing the soundtrack were giants of country music like Johnny …
CROMWELL-AT THE GALLOP.
CROMWELL-AT THE GALLOP. By 1975, Dublin had an eclectic and vibrant music scene. 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 the story. …
KLAUS DINGER AND JAPANDORF-JAPANDORF.
KLAUS DINGER AND JAPANDORF-JAPANDORF. By 2007, sixty-one year old Klaus Dinger was a veteran of German music. He had been a member of three of the most important, influential and innovative German groups of the past forty years, Kraftwerk, Neu! and La Düsseldorf. Despite enjoying such a long and successful career, Klaus Dinger hadn’t lost …
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