Category Archives: Rock
MICHAEL CHAPMAN-THE MAN WHO HATED MORNINGS.
MICHAEL CHAPMAN-THE MAN WHO HATED MORNINGS. In 1977, Michael Chapman was about to release the eight album of his career, The Man Who Hated Mornings on Deram Records. That had been home to Michael since 1973, when he released his fifth album Millstone Grit. By then, Michael Chapman had released five albums in the four …
LED ZEPPELIN-IN THROUGH THE OUT DOOR-DELUXE VINYL EDITION.
LED ZEPPELIN-IN THROUGH THE OUT DOOR-DELUXE VINYL 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 Remains The Same, had sold eighty-three …
RIM KWAKU OBENG-RIM ARRIVES.
RIM KWAKU OBENG-RIM ARRIVES. For collectors of Afro-funk and disco, many albums remain tantalisingly out of reach. This includes Ghanian drummer Rim Kwaku Obeng’s legionary lost debut album Rim Arrives. It was released in 1977, four years after a perilous time for Rim Kwaku Obeng. He found himself stranded in London, without money, documents or …
GEIR SUNDSTOL-FURULUND.
GEIR SUNDSTOL-FURULUND. Prolific. That’s a word that is often used to describe musicians. Often that’s an exaggeration. Not in the case of Geir Sundstøl. Since his career began in 1988, Geir Sundstøl has featured on 260 different albums. This includes the albums he recorded as member of Rovers, and then Morris. Mostly, though, Geir Sundstøl has …
VAN MORRISON-MOONDANCE.
VAN MORRISON-MOONDANCE. When Van Morrison released his third album, Moondance, in February 1970, little did he know he’d just released not only a classic album, but an album he’d never surpass. This wasn’t unexpected. After all, two years earlier in February 1968, Van Morrison has released Astral Weeks, an album which was a game-changer. Astral …
LINK WRAY-3-TRACK SHACK.
LINK WRAY-3-TRACK SHACK. Jimmy Page, Neil Young and Iggy Pop all have one thing in common. They were all influenced by Link Wray, whose 1958 instrumental hit Rumble, popularised the power chord. As a result, several generations of guitarists, owe a debt of gratitude to Link Wray. He’s regarded as one of greatest guitarists in …
INTERVIEW WITH HANS-JOACHIM ROEDELIUS.
INTERVIEW WITH HANS-JOACHIM ROEDELIUS. The words pioneer and innovator are often overused. However, it is a fitting description of Hans-Joachim Roedelius. He is, without doubt, one of the most inventive and influential musicians of the past fifty years. His music has influenced several generation of musicians. And Hans-Joachim Roedelius has released more music that most musicians. …
ASAMISIMASA PLAYS THE MUSIC OF ØYVIND TORVUND.
ASAMISIMASA PLAYS THE MUSIC OF ØYVIND TORVUND. Øyvind Torvund isn’t like other composers and musicians. Instead, he’s a musical pioneer. That’s been the case since Øyvind Torvund graduated from the Norwegian Academy of Music and the Berlin University of the Arts. Since then, the thirty-nine year old Norwegian has been pushing musical boundaries to their limits. …
ISAAC HAYES MOVEMENT-DISCO CONNECTION.
ISAAC HAYES MOVEMENT-DISCO CONNECTION. Disco. Never has a musical genre divided opinion like the D word. It’s been described as musical Marmite. People either love disco, or they loathe it. There’s no in-between. However, forty years ago, in 1976, disco’s star was in the ascendancy. Artists were jumping onto the disco bandwagon. Especially artists …
MAN-CALL DOWN THE MOON.
MAN-CALL DOWN THE MOON. When Man split-up in 1976, Deke Leonard was asked whether Man would ever reform. Deke was clear about that. He said that Man “would never, ever, be one of those bands who reformed in a futile attempt to recapture past glories.” For fans of Man, that looked like the end of …
ALL ABOARD! 25 TRAIN TRACKS CALLING AT ALL MUSICAL STATIONS.
ALL ABOARD! 25 TRAIN TRACKS CALLING AT ALL MUSICAL STATIONS. Nowadays, most compilations seem to be genre specific. They feature only soul, funky, jazz, psychedelia, pop or rock. Some compilations go even further, and focus on a sub genre of music. That’s because nowadays, many people seem to gravitate to one genre of music. It …
ROGER WATERS-AMUSED TO DEATH.
ROGER WATERS-AMUSED TO DEATH. Following the departure of Syd Barrett from Pink Floyd, bassist Roger Waters became the group’s creative force. This was the case from Pink Floyd’s third album, Ummagumma, which was released in 1969, right through to 1983s The Final Cut. After the release of The Final Cut, Roger Waters left Pink Floyd. …
LED ZEPPELIN-CODA-DELUXE EDITION.
LED ZEPPELIN-CODA-DELUXE EDITION. Led Zeppelin enjoyed ten years at the top. During their ten years at the top, Led Zeppelin released eight albums. They released their debut album Led Zeppelin in January 1969. Just over ten years later, Led Zeppelin released In Through The Out Door in August 1979. These eight albums sold over 100 …
TONY BANK-A CHORD TOO FAR BOX SET.
TONY BANK-A CHORD TOO FAR BOX SET. Too often, Tony Banks is referred to as “the keyboard player from Genesis.” This is doing the sixty-five year old a huge disservice. Tony Banks is a multi-instrumentalist, whose just as comfortable playing guitar as his playing piano, Hammond organ, synths or Mellotron. Seamlessly, Tony Banks could switch …
TEN YEARS AFTER-TEN YEARS AFTER.
TEN YEARS AFTER-TEN YEARS AFTER. Between 1968 and 1974, Ten Years After were one of the most successful British bands. They released their eponymous debut album, Ten Years After in October 1967, which was recently reissued by Universal Music. Ten Years After failed to make an impression on either side of the Atlantic. However, Ten …
ZACHARY CALE-DUSKLAND.
ZACHARY CALE-DUSKLAND. Before embarking upon a solo career, Louisiana born singer-songwriter Zachary Cale was a member of several college bands. By Zachary’s own admission, most were short-lived, and none of them were particularly successful. However, they taught Zachary Cale about stagecraft and songwriting. So when Zachary embarked upon a solo career, he was more than …
LED ZEPPELIN-IN THROUGH THE OUT DOOR-DELUXE EDITION.
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 Remains The Same, had sold eighty-three million …
VAN HALEN-DELUXE-VINYL EDITION.
VAN HALEN-DELUXE-VINYL EDITION.. Not many bands enjoyed the longevity that Van Halen enjoy. They were released their debut album Van Halen in 1978. It was hailed as one of the greatest debut albums in musical history. Soon, Van Halen was climbing the charts, reaching number nineteen. As Van Halen’s popularity grew, sales of their debut …