Category Archives: Rock
RICK REDBEARD-NO SELFISH HEART.
RICK REDBEARD-NO SELFISH HEART. All too often, when I pore through each week’s new releases, I wonder where music is heading? It seems that nostalgia is now officially the future. A deluge of third-rate reissues seems to be all some record companies are releasing. Then there’s compilations. Like greetings cards, there are compilations for every …
CAMERA OBSCURA-DESIRE LINES.
CAMERA OBSCURA-DESIRE LINES. There aren’t many bands who announce on their website that they’re on maternity leave. Camera Obscura do. They’re another Scottish band who do things their way. So far, that’s worked well. They’ve released five albums since they were formed in Glasgow in 1996. Their most recent album, was Desire Lines, saw Camera …
THE BLACK KEYS-TURN BLUE
THE BLACK KEYS-TURN BLUE. The Black Keys have come a long way since they formed back in 2001. Since then, The Black Keys have released eight albums. Their latest album is Turn Blue, which was released on Nonesuch on 12th May 2014. Turn Blue is the followup to El Camino, which was certified platinum in …
MARGIE JOSEPH-FEELING MY WAY.
MARGIE JOSEPH-FEELING MY WAY. When Margie Joseph released Feeling My Way in 1978, she was just twenty-eight. However, Feeling My Way was Margie’s seventh album since her debut Makes A New Impression. It was released on Volt Records, a subsidiary of Stax Records in 1970, a year after Margie signed to Volt. Margie Joseph had …
SHAWN LEE PRESENTS GOLDEN AGE AGAINST THE MACHINE.
SHAWN LEE PRESENTS GOLDEN AGE AGAINST THE MACHINE. Shawn Lee’s new album, Shawn Lee Presents Golden Age Against The Machine, which was released on 5th May 2014, has been a labor of love. It’s Shawn paying homage to the golden age of hip hop, which influenced and inspired him. So much so, that Shawn decided …
BOWIE HEARD THEM HERE FIRST.
BOWIE HEARD THEM HERE FIRST. David Bowie is, without doubt, one of the most influential and innovative artists of the last fifty years. So it’s fitting that Ace Records have recently released a compilation of music that influenced David Bowie. Bowie Heard Them Here First features twenty-four tracks and is a snapshot into the music …
LINDA PERHACS-PARALLELOGRAMS.
LINDA PERHACS-PARALLELOGRAMS. In the music industry, sadly, talent alone doesn’t guarantee commercial success and critical acclaim. If only that was the case, then things would be very different. There would be no such thing as DJs, remixers and grid-iron producers. These three products of the modern music industry examples of where music has gone wrong. …
MUYEI POWER-SIERRA LEONE IN 1970s USA.
MUYEI POWER-SIERRA LEONE IN 1970s USA. In the early seventies, Muyei Power had established a reputation as one of Sierra Leone’s top dance bands. Along with Afro Nation, Sabaoh 75 and Super Combo, Muyei Power provided the soundtrack to daily life in Freetown, Sierra Leone’s capital. Their music was a fusion of the music that …
HEDVIG MOLLESTAD-TRIO ENFANT TERRIBLE.
HEDVIG MOLLESTAD-TRIO ENFANT TERRIBLE. Norwegian guitar virtuoso Hedvig Mollestad Thomassen first picked up a guitar when she was just ten. It was her mother’s much loved nylon strung acoustic guitar. This was the start of a lifelong love affair with the guitar. Now twenty years later, Hedvig is now one of Europe’s finest guitarists. Hedvig’s …
SPACE MONKEY-THE KARMAN LINE.
SPACE MONKEY-THE KARMAN LINE. Over the last few years, Gard Nilssen has gained a reputation as one of Norway’s top drummers. He also deserves to be described as an innovator. Anyone whose heard Gard’s work with Astro Sonic, Puma, The Trondheim Jazz Orchestra and Susanne Sunfor’s band will realise realise this. Then there’s the six …
BEVERLEY MARTYN-THE PHOENIX AND THE FUTURE.
BEVERLEY MARTYN-THE PHOENIX AND THE FUTURE. It’s nearly fifty years ago since Beverley Martyn made her recording debut. This was as a member of The Levee Breakers. They were a jug band which featured Mac McGann, Johnny Joyce and Beverley. Their debut single was Babe, I’m Leaving You, which they released on Parlophone in 1965. …
GYPSY RHUMBA-THE ORIGINAL RHYTHM OF GYPSY RHUMBA IN SPAIN 1965-1974.
GYPSY RHUMBA-THE ORIGINAL RHYTHM OF GYPSY RHUMBA IN SPAIN 1965-1974. It was in 1963 that a new musical genre was born in Barcelona, Spain. This was the Catalan Rhumba. This was a fusion of flamenco, rock ’n’ roll and Caribbean music. Catalan Rhumba had been evolving over a period of years. However, it was in …
BLACK SABBATH-MASTER OF REALITY.
BLACK SABBATH-MASTER OF REALITY. 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 …
EMMYLOU HARRIS-WRECKING BALL.
EMMYLOU HARRIS-WRECKING BALL. In 1995, Emmylou Harris was thirty-eight, and about to release the sixteenth album of her career Wrecking Ball. Emmylou hoped that Wrecking Ball would be the album that would transform her fortunes. Having enjoyed commercial success and critical acclaim between 1975 and 1981, Emmylou’s career had stalled. The problem was, she was no …
THE WAR ON DRUGS-LOST IN THE DREAM.
THE WAR ON DRUGS-LOST IN THE DREAM. Philadelphia. Musically what does Philly mean to you? For many people, it’s Philly Soul. Back in the seventies, jump-suited groups like The O’Jays, The Detroit Spinners and Harold Melvin and The Blue Notes flew the flag for Philly. However, there’ more to Philly than Philly Soul. Much more. …
THE COMPLETE FAME SINGLES VOLUME 1-1964-1967.
THE COMPLETE FAME SINGLES VOLUME 1-1964-1967. Mention Southern Soul, and certain labels spring to mind. Among them are Stax, Hi Records and Fame Records. These three labels are synonymous with Southern Soul. Together, they released some of the greatest music in the history of Southern Soul. Indeed, the artists who walked through the doors of …
THE REBEL KIND: GIRLS WITH GUITARS.
THE REBEL KIND: GIRLS WITH GUITARS. It was back in 2004 that Ace Records released Girls With Guitars. Featuring twenty-four tracks, Girls With Guitars it brought back memories of the golden age of the girl group. Record buyers were reminded of the sound of The Angels, The Beattle-Ettes, The Tomboys, The Daughters Of Eve and …
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