Category Archives: Rock
BLACK SABBATH-MASTER OF REALITY-IMPORT.
BLACK SABBATH-MASTER OF REALITY-IMPORT. 1970 had been a year that defined Black Sabbath’s career. They’d released two hugely successful albums. This includes their debut album Black Sabbath, which was released in February 1970. It reached number eight in the UK and number twenty-three in the US Billboard 200 charts. This resulted in Black Sabbath being …
EMMA POLLOCK-IN SEARCH OF HARPERFIELD.
EMMA POLLOCK-IN SEARCH OF HARPERFIELD. Most people haven’t heard of Castle Douglas. Why should they? It’s a small market town in Dumfries and Galloway, in south-west Scotland. However, Castle Douglas has been home to some famous faces over the last 224 years. This includes a potter, politician, footballer and two rugby players. However, they’ve been …
IKARUS-IKARUS.
IKARUS-IKARUS. In Greek mythology, Icarus, the son of the master craftsman Daedalus, who created the Labyrinth, met a tragic ending. Icarus and Daedalus were desperate to escape from Crete. So Daedalus constructed wings made of feathers and wax. As Icarus prepared to make his escape, Daedalus warned his son of complacency and hubris. Icarus shouldn’t …
THE VELVET UNDERGROUND-LIVE AT MAX’S KANSAS CITY.
THE VELVET UNDERGROUND-LIVE AT MAX’S KANSAS CITY. 1970 should’ve been the start of a new era for The Velvet Underground. They had just signed a two album deal with Atlantic Records in late 1969. This should’ve been the dawn of a new era for The Velvet Underground, where they belatedly made a commercial breakthrough. Instead, …
GURU GURU-UFO.
GURU GURU-UFO. By the late sixties, the members of many British and American bands were well on their way to becoming multi-millionaires. Especially groups like The Beatles and Rolling Stones. They had been at the top for the best part of a decade, and were now enjoying wealth beyond their wildest dreams. To look after …
IRMIN SCHMIDT-ELECTRO VIOLET BOX SET-IMPORT.
IRMIN SCHMIDT-ELECTRO VIOLET BOX SET-IMPORT. One of the most eagerly awaited box sets of 2015 was Irmin Schmidt’s twelve disc career retrospective, Electro Violet. It was released by Mute Records in December 2015. However, only 1,000 copies of Electro Violet were available. They were like gold dust and finding one of the Electro Violet box sets wasn’t …
BLACK SABBATH-PARANOID-IMPORT.
BLACK SABBATH-PARANOID-IMPORT. Just seven months after Black Sabbath released their eponymous debut album in February 1970, they were back with the album that defined their career, Paranoid. It was released in September 1970 and features three Black Sabbath classics Paranoid, Iron Man and War Pigs. They’ve since become staples of Black Sabbath’s live performances. They’re …
AGITATION FREE-2ND.
AGITATION FREE-2ND. Berlin, 1967. That was where the Agitation Free story began. That was when Lutz ‘Lüül’ Ulrich, Michael ‘Fame’ Günther, Lutz ‘Ludwig’ Kramer and Christoph Franke formed Agitation. This new band quickly established a reputation as one of the pioneers of Berlin’s underground music scene. When Agitation played live, their sets were like the …
SUNBIRDS-SUNBIRDS
SUNBIRDS-SUNBIRDS. Back in the seventies, the only German band most British people had heard of was Kraftwerk. A few more knowledgeable music lovers have heard of Can, and maybe, Neu!, Cluster or Harmonia. That however, was the extent of their knowledge of German music. That was a great shame, as Germany in the seventies, had …
THE BEST LIVE ALBUMS OF 2015.
THE BEST LIVE ALBUMS OF 2015. The final category in my best of series is live albums. For some reason, live albums seem to divide opinion. While some people love live albums, others loathe them. There seems to be no middle ground. Partly that’s down to how an artist approaches a live album. It may be …
THE FIFTY-FIVE BEST COMPILATIONS OF 2015-PART 1.
THE FIFTY-FIVE BEST COMPILATIONS OF 2015-PART 1.. The next stop in my look back at 2015, is the compilations released during the last twelve months. Again, I started with a long-list, and over the course of a few weeks, gradually, narrowed it down to fifty-five albums. That took some doing. After all, 2015 was a …
THE FIFTY-FIVE BEST COMPILATIONS OF 2015-PART 2.
THE FIFTY-FIVE BEST COMPILATIONS OF 2015-PART 2. DISC0 2: A FURTHER FINE SELECTION OF INDEPENDENT DISCO, MODERN SOUL AND BOOGIE 1976-80. Just seven months after Soul Jazz Records released Disco: A Fine Selection of Independent Disco, Modern Soul and Boogie in November 2014, the London based label return with the sequel, Disco 2: A Further …
THE FIFTY-FIVE BEST COMPILATIONS OF 2015-PART 3.
THE FIFTY-FIVE BEST COMPILATIONS OF 2015-PART 3. GROOVE WITH A FEELING-SOUNDS OF MEMPHIS-BOOGIE, SOUL AND FUNK 1975-1985. By 1975, soul music was no longer as popular as it had once had been. Executives running the Sounds Of Memphis label realised this; and between 1975 and 1985, the label released a much more eclectic selection of …
THE FIFTY-FIVE BEST COMPILATIONS OF 2015-PART 5.
THE FIFTY-FIVE BEST COMPILATIONS OF 2015-PART 5. PRIVATE WAX VOLUME TWO. Private Wax Volume Two was released on BBE Music in October 2015. This is another compilation of “Super Rare Boogie and Disco Compiled By Zaflovevinyl.” Given their rarity, it’s no wonder it’s taken three years to compile Private Wax Volume Two. However, if anyone …
THE BEST 50 REISSUES OF 2015-PART ONE.
THE BEST 55 REISSUES OF 2015-PART ONE. The next stop in my look back at 2015, is the reissues released during the last twelve months. Again, I started with a long-list, and over the course of a few weeks, gradually, narrowed it down to fifty albums. These albums are an eclectic selection, and cover an …
THE BEST 50 REISSUES OF 2015-PART TWO.
THE BEST 55 REISSUES OF 2015-PART TWO. EJI OYEWOLE- CHARITY BEGINS AT HOME. In the sixties and seventies, the Nigerian music scene was thriving. New bands were constantly being formed. Similarly, new artists were making an impression on Nigerian music. This included Eji Oyewole. However, the flautist, saxophonist and future bandleader was different from his …
THE BEST 50 REISSUES OF 2015-PART THREE.
THE BEST 50 REISSUES OF 2015-PART THREE. JETHRO TULL-BENEFIT. Previously, Steven Wilson had worked wonders with some of King Crimson’s back-catalogues. So, allowing him to work his magic Jethro Tull’s Aqualung and Benefit was a calculated gamble. It had the potential to breath life into both albums. Listeners were able to see whether that was the case …
THE BEST 50 REISSUES OF 2015-PART FOUR.
THE BEST 50 REISSUES OF 2015-PART FOUR. LED ZEPPELIN-IN THROUGH THE OUT DOOR-DELUXE EDITION. On 15th August 1979, Led Zeppelin released their eighth studio album In Through the Out Door. By then, they were one of the biggest selling bands in the world. Their first seven studio albums and their 1976 live album The Song …
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