Category Archives: Rock
MIKI CURTIS-THE FIRST EAR.
MIKI CURTIS-THE FIRST EAR. Miki Curtis made his musical debut in 1958. Back then, the twenty year old was a rockabilly singer. This was just the beginning of Miki Curtis’ musical journey. By 1970, Miki was a member of Samurai. They released their debut eponymous album in 1970. It was well received upon its release. …
DAVID KAUFFMAN AND ERIC CABOOR-GREETINGS FROM SUICIDE BRIDGE.
DAVID KAUFFMAN AND ERIC CABOOR-GREETINGS FROM SUICIDE BRIDGE. Often when recording an album, an artist thinks about an album cover only once they’ve finished recording. Not David Kauffman and Eric Caboor. They put the cart before the horse, in the spring of 1983, and came up with an album cover before they had even recorded …
MIAOUX MIAOUX-SCHOOL OF VELOCITY.
MIAOUX MIAOUX-SCHOOL OF VELOCITY. Following up a critically acclaimed debut album is never easy. It never has been, and never will be. That’s why many artists labour long and hard over their sophomore album. In some cases, three years pass by. During this creative struggle, an artist is said to be suffering from second album …
DAVID KNOWLES-CHILD SOLDIER.
DAVID KNOWLES-CHILD SOLDIER. After the fall of Troy, Odysseus’ journey back from the Trojan War took ten years. The Trojan War had lasted ten years. In total, Odysseus had been away from home twenty years. That just happens to be same time that David Knowles’ musical odyssey lasted. It began nearly twenty years ago, when David …
WARREN STORM-THE BAD TIMES MAKE THE GOOD TUNES-CLASSIC TEXAS RECORDINGS 1964-1986.
WARREN STORM-THE BAD TIMES MAKE THE GOOD TUNES-CLASSIC TEXAS RECORDINGS 1964-1986. Often, an artist spends a large part of their career with the same producer. The producer just seems able to get the best out of the artist. Musical history is littered with examples. However, despite this success, there’s often the temptation to change producer. …
SOAPKILLS-THE BEST OF SOAPKILLS.
SOAPKILLS-THE BEST OF SOAPKILLS. Ten years ago, that Soapkills, one of the most influential and innovative bands in Lebanese musical history split-up. Soapkills were a trailblazing band, and one of the first indie bands to emerge from the Middle East’s nascent music scene. Since then, Soapkills’ music has continued to influence a new generation of …
DR JOHN THE NIGHT TRIPPER-GRIS GRIS.
DR JOHN THE NIGHT TRIPPER-GRIS GRIS. The scenario that I’m going to describe, really happened, and demonstrates that even the most experienced people in the music industry get things wrong. It was in January 1968, and Dr. John completed his debut album Gris Gris. A copy of Gris Gris was sent to Ahmet Erteghun at Atlantic …
JOE HOUSTON-KICKIN’ BACK.
JOE HOUSTON-KICKIN’ BACK. Joe Houston’s career began in 1941. He was just fifteen. His breakthrough came when a saxophonist in a touring band never turned up. This presented the bandleader with a problem. However, he needn’t have worried. From an early age, Joe Houston was determined to make a career out of music. So much …
WOODENBOX-FOREIGN ORGAN.
WOODENBOX-FOREIGN ORGAN. When Woodenbox entered Chem 19 recording studio in Blantyre back in August 2011, the Glasgow based sextet were fuelled by the sound of the Sensational Alex Harvey Band and Kayne West. They set about recording End Game. Four years on, it was a much more subdued Woodenbox that began recording their latest album …
KANAKU Y EL TIGRE-QUEMA QUEMA QUEMA.
KANAKU Y EL TIGRE-QUEMA QUEMA QUEMA. Nearly fifty-eight years ago, on 5th September 1957, Jack Kerouac published his seminal novel, On The Road. Since then, On The Road has influenced several generations. That’s just as true today. Nico Saba and Bruno Bellatin of Kanaku y El Tigre can relate to Jack Kerouac. They describe themselves …
SECOND HELPINGS-SEQUELS TO THE SONGS THAT LEFT ‘EM HUNGRY FOR MORE.
SECOND HELPINGS-SEQUELS TO THE SONGS THAT LEFT ‘EM HUNGRY FOR MORE. Nowadays, people take for granted sequels in the film industry. Most movie goers will remember the sequels to Star Wars, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring and Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. However, who remembers the sequels to Carrie, …
BOB MARLEY AND THE WAILERS-KAYA-VINYL EDITION.
BOB MARLEY AND THE WAILERS-KAYA-VINYL EDITION. Back in 1978, when Bob Marley and The Wailers released Kaya, critics and fans accused Bob Marley of selling out. Kaya was a much more laid-back album, whereas previous albums had been politically charged and crammed full of social comment. Previously, Bob Marley was seen as Jamaica’s social conscience. …
SVEN GRUNBERG-HINGUS.
SVEN GRUNBERG-HINGUS. From the sixties, right through to the Berlin Wall fell on 1989, Eastern Europe was a musical hotbed. The problem was, very few in the West realised this. That, to some extent, this still the case. Most music lovers have yet to discover the music that came out of Eastern Europe during this …
AKIRO ITO-JAPANESQUE.
AKIRO ITO-JAPANESQUE. Before Akiro Ito embarked upon a solo career in 1978, he was a member of the Far East Family Band. They were a pioneering band, who are regarded as Japan’s first progressive rock band. Keyboards dominated the Far East Family Band’s music, as they fused prog rock, psychedelia and space rock. It was …
MARK KNOPFLER-TRACKER.
MARK KNOPFLER-TRACKER. Three years have passed since Mark Knopfler released his previous solo album, Privateering. Since then, very little has been heard of Mark Knopfler. However, he recently made a welcome return with his eighth solo album, Tracker, which was released by Mercury. The release of Tracker in 2015 is fitting. It’s thirty years since …
MILES DAVIS-BITCHES BREW 40TH ANNIVERSARY COLLECTORS EDITION.
MILES DAVIS-BITCHES BREW 40TH ANNIVERSARY COLLECTORS EDITION. Miles Davis’ recording career began in 1951, when he released his debut album The New Sounds. Soon, Miles Davis was establishing a reputation as a prolific, and innovative musician. He released further forty-three albums between 1951 and 1969. This included classics like 1957s Round About Midnight and 1959s …
LONESOME HIGHWAY-AN ANTHOLOGY OF AMERICAN SONGS OF THE ROAD.
LONESOME HIGHWAY-AN ANTHOLOGY OF AMERICAN SONGS OF THE ROAD. The automobile is one of the most celebrated of American institutions. That’s been the case for nearly 100 years. Right back to the days of the blues, the automobile and the highways they travel down, have been celebrated by musicians. That’s the case on Lonesome Highway-An …
BLACK SABBATH-MASTER OF REALITY-VINYL EDITION.
BLACK SABBATH-MASTER OF REALITY-VINYL EDITION. 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 …
TOO SLOW TO DISCO VOLUME 2.
TOO SLOW TO DISCO VOLUME 2. Ever since the birth of rock ’n’ roll, musical genres have fallen in, and then out, of fashion. That was the case as the seventies dawned. The sixties had come to a disappointing end. It may have been a musical age of aquarius, but it ended badly. Undoubtably the …
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