Category Archives: Rock

CULT CLASSIC: TERRY REID-RIVER.

Cult Classic: Terry Reid-River. Music is all Terry Reid has ever known. It’s been his life since he left St Ivo School, in St.Ives Cambridgeshire, in 1965 . By then, it was is if he was destined to become a musician and his breakthrough came when he joined Peter Jay’s Jaywalkers.  By then, Terry Reid …

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CULT CLASSIC: JUDY HENSKE-HIGH FLYING BIRD.

Cult Classic: Judy Henske-High Flying Bird. It was in 1962, when Judy Henske was living in Los Angeles, that the Queen of the Beatniks first came to the attention of Elektra Records’ founder Jac Holzman. He had just setup the A&R and marketing operation in LA and was on looking for new artists to add …

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CULT CLASSIC: MICHAEL CHAPMAN-PLAYING GUITAR THE EASY WAY.

Cult Classic: Michael Chapman-Playing Guitar The Easy Way Nine years after releasing his debut album Rainmaker on Harvest Records, Michael Chapman released Playing Guitar The Easy Way which was very a different album from his previous ten albums. Partly that was because of the title and the album cover. Some  people who looked at the …

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DEUTSCHE ELEKTRONISCHE MUSIK 4: EXPERIMENTAL GERMAN ROCK AND ELECTRONIC MUSIC 1971-83.

Deutsche Elektronische Musik 4: Experimental German Rock and Electronic Music 1971-83. Label: Soul Jazz Records. Format: CD. Release Date: ‘16th’ October 2020. Nowadays, the period between 1968 and the early eighties is regarded as a golden period for German music, and saw groundbreaking artists and groups like Amon Düül, Can, Cluster, Deuter, Faust, Harmonia, Neu!, …

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DR JOHN-IN THE RIGHT PLACE.

Dr John-In The Right Place. Label: Get On Down. Format: LP. Very few musicians or bands can be accurately described as an overnight success. That is something that hardly ever exists except in the minds of a few tabloid journalists . The reality is that most bands need to do the hard yards and hone …

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WHO WAS WILLIAM ONYEAEBOR?

Who Was William Onyeabor? Enigmatic. That was the perfect word to describe synth funk pioneer, William Onyeabor who died on January 16th 2017 aged just seventy. That day, Nigerian music lost a musical pioneer. However, he was also one of the most mysterious, elusive and enigmatic musicians in musical history and much of his life was shrouded in …

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CULT CLASSIC: IKARUS-IKARUS.

Cult Classic: 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.  …

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CULT CLASSIC: CANNED HEAT-ONE MORE RIVER TO CROSS.

Cult Classic: Canned Heat-One More River To Cross. When Canned Heat released heir ninth album, The New Age, on the ‘8th’ of March 1973, it marked the end of an era for the band. It was their swan-song for Liberty Records. After six years and nine studio albums Canned Heat were about leave Liberty Records. …

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CULT CLASSIC: YASUAKI SHIMIZU-MUSIC FOR COMMERCIALS: MADE TO MEASURE VOLUME 12.

Cult Classic: Yasuaki Shimizu-Music For Commercials: Made To Measure Volume 12. In 1980, musician and producer Marc Hollander founded his own record label Crammed Discs in the Belgian capital Brussels. Later that year, his avant-rock group Aksak Maboul released their groundbreaking sophomore album Un Peu de l’Âme des Bandits on Crammed Discs. Little did Marc …

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DR JOHN-REMEDIES-RECORD STORE DAY 2020.

Dr John-Remedies-Record Store Day 2020. Label: Get On Down. Format: LP Although Dr John eventually won six Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in March 2011, commercial success and critical acclaim didn’t come overnight for the great showman who released thirty studio albums and nine live albums during a career that spanned six  decades where his …

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AMBIANCE-INTO A NEW JOURNEY.

Ambiance-Into A New Journey. Label: BBE MUSIC. Format: CD. Release Date: ‘19th’ September 2020.  During the seven year period between 1979 and 1986, Ambiance led by Nigerian born multi-instrumentalist Daoud Abubakar Balewa released six albums on the LA-based private press label Da Mon Records. It was a self-financed business that released short runs of Ambiance’s …

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SOHO SCENE ’66 ‘67-JAZZ GOES MOD.

Soho Scene ’66 ’67-Jazz Goes Mod. Label: Rhythm & Blues Records. During 1966, the mods with their carefully cultivated image were still a familiar sight and sound in towns and cities the length and breadth of Britain as they rode around on their Lambretta or Vespa scooters. They still sported tailor-made suits, button-down collar shirts, thin …

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MOTORPSYCHO-THE ALL IS ONE. 

Motorpsycho-The All Is One. Label: Rune Grammofon. Format: 2CD. Motorpsycho was formed in Trondheim, in October 1989 and released their debut album Lobotomizer in 1991. Since then, they’ve been one of hardest working and prolific bands in Norway. Last year, the Norwegian rockers released two albums and toured Norway and Europe twice. That would’ve been …

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CULT CLASSIC: TERRY REID-THE OTHER SIDE OF THE RIVER.

Cult Classic: Terry Reid-The Other Side Of The River. For many people, Terry Reid is music’s nearly man. He could’ve been the lead vocalist of two of the biggest rock bands in musical history. Sadly, that wasn’t to be, and instead,Terry Reid decided to concentrate on his solo career.   He went on to release six …

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CULT CLASSIC: MARIANNE FAITHFUL- LOVE IN A MIST.

Cult Classic: Marianne Faithful-Love In A Mist. By March 1964, it was apparent that pop music wasn’t just a passing fad. By then, The Beatles were a global phenomenon and the British Invasion of the American charts had just begun. Britain was a now musical powerhouse that the world envied. Despite this, many labels weren’t …

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CULT CLASSIC: EJI OYEWOLE-CHARITY BEGINS AT HOME.

Cult Classic: Eji Oyewole-Charity Begins At Home. During the sixties and seventies, the Nigerian music scene was thriving and new bands were  being formed on a  daily basis. Similarly, many new artists were making an impression on Nigerian music during this period. This included  flautist, saxophonist and future bandleader Eji Oyewole. He was born in Ibadan, the city …

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GIRLS WITH GUITARS KNOW WHY!

Girls With Guitars Know Why! Label: Ace Records. Format: LP. There are very few compilation series that are still going strong after thirty-one years. Often, the compiler has run out of material or musical tastes have changed. However, Ace Records’ Girls With Guitars compilation series is still going strong after thirty-one years and six volumes. …

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SAINT ETIENNE PRESENT SONGS FOR THE FOUNTAIN COFFEE ROOM.

Saint Etienne Present Songs For The Fountain Coffee Room. Label: Ace Records. Format: CD.  Recently, Ace Records released the much-anticipated third instalment in the “Saint Etienne Present” series which are best described as soundtracks for places which are either real and imaginary. This time around, Sarah Cracknell, Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs have compiled Saint …

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CULT CLASIC: SUPER ELCADOS-TOGETHER IS ALWAYS A GOOD VENTURE-TAMBOURINE PARTY VOLUME 2.

Cult Classic: Super Elcados–Togetherness Is Always A Good Venture-Tambourine Party Volume 2. During the early sixties, a  musical revolution took place in Ghana, when musicians started combining elements of West African musical genres including highlife and fuji music which they fused with American funk and jazz. Playing an important part important part in this new …

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EL POLEN-CHOLO (MUSICA ORIGINAL DE LE BANDA DE SONIDO).

El Polen-Cholo (Música Original De La Banda De Sonido). When El Polen was formed by brothers Juan Luis and Raul Pereira in 1969, little did anyone realise that their new band would become one of the most important and influential in the history of Peruvian music. That was until El Polen released their genre-melting debut …

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