Category Archives: Uncategorized

CLOWNS EXIT LAUGHING-THE JIMMY WEBB SONGBOOK.

Clowns Exit Laughing-The Jimmy Webb Songbook. Label: Ace Records. Format: CD. Although singer-songwriter Jimmy Webb was born in Elk City, Oklahoma, on August the ’15th’ 1946, he grew up in Laverne, Oklahoma. His father, a US Marine Corps veteran, was now a baptist minister, who ran and preached in churches in rural southwestern Oklahoma and west …

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YOU SHOWED ME-THE SONGS OF GENE CLARK.

You Showed Me-The Songs Of Gene Clark. Label: Ace Records. Format: CD. Like so many of his generation, Gene Clark developed an interest in folk music after hearing the Kingston Trio. It was no surprise that after graduating from Bonner Springs High School, in Bonner Springs, Kansas, in 1962, that the seventeen year old formed …

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THE STUDIO WIZARDRY OF TODD RUNDGREN.

The Studio Wizardry Of Todd Rundgren. Label: Ace Records. Format: CD. The first time critics and music fans heard the name Todd Rundgren was when psychedelic rockers Nazz released their critically acclaimed eponymous debut album in 1968. This was just a year after the group was founded in Philly in 1967 by bassist Carson Van …

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GOOD GOOD FEELING! MORE MOTOWN GIRLS.

Good Good Feeling! More Motown Girls. Label: Ace Records. Format: CD. During the sixties, Motown was fortunate enough to have an array of talented female vocalists and girl groups on their roster. Some went on to become household names. This included Brenda Holloway, Kim Weston, Martha and The Vandellas and Gladys Knight and The Pips. …

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THE RADIATORS FROM SPACE-TV TUBE HEART 40TH ANNIVERSARY VERSION.

The Radiators From Space-TV Tube Heart-40th Anniversary Version. Label: Ace Records. Format: CD. When The Ramones played at the Roundhouse in London on the ‘4th’ of July 1976, this was a catalyst for punk movement. Many of the future leading lights of the punk movement have since claimed to have been present that night. In …

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HAPPY TIMES-THE SONGS OF DAN PENN AND SPOONER OLDHAM VOL 2.

Happy Times-The Songs Of Dan Penn and Spooner Oldham Vol. 2. Label: Ace Records. Format: CD. Release Date: ‘30th’ October 2020. One of the greatest songwriting partnerships of the past sixty years is without doubt Dan Penn and Spooner Oldham. The pair met at Fame Studios in Muscle Shoals in the mid-sixties and went on …

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BOPPIN’ BY THE BAYOU-FEEL SO GOOD.

Boppin’ By The Bayou-Feel So Good. Label: Ace Records. When Ace Records released Boppin’ By The Bayou in 2012,  little did anyone at the label realise that they had just released the first instalment in what would become their longest running and most successful compilation series. However, it was so successful that another instalment in …

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CULT CLASSIC: GANDALF- MAGIC THEATRE.

Cult Classic: Gandalf-Magic Theatre. Nowadays, Gandalf is regarded as one of Austria’s most accomplished, innovative and successful musicians. Gandalf who is a talented multi-instrumentalist, is also one of Austria’s most prolific artists. He has released over thirty albums between 1981 and 2016. That’s despite not releasing his debut album until he was twenty-nine.  Before that, …

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DANA GILLESPIE-UNDER MY BED.

Dana Gillespie-Under My Bed. Label: Ace Records. During a career that has spanned fifty-five years, Dana Gillespie who is regarded by many as the Queen of British  blues has released seventy albums. This is quite remarkable as she  has recorded albums of folk,  pop, rock, soul and even Indian sacred music. However, nowadays, it’s  blues …

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MIRIAM MAKEBA-PATA PATA. 

Miriam Makeba-Pata Pata. Label: Strut Records.  Zenzile Miriam Makeba was born on the ‘4th’ of March 1932, in the Prospect Township, of Johannesburg, the capital of South Africa. The future singer, songwriter, civil rights activist and actress was born to to Swazi and Xhosa parents. Sadly, Miriam Makeba’s father died when she was still a …

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NIGERIA 70: NOW WAHALA: HIGHLIFE, AFRO-FUNK AND  JUJU 1973-1987. 

Nigeria 70: No Wahala: Highlife, Afro-Funk and Juju 1973-1987. Label: Strut Records. Twenty years ago, in 1999, Strut Records was founded and for tiger next four years, released a number of lovingly curated compilations. This included everything from breaks, funk, library music, old school hip hop, underground disco and Nigerian Afrobeat. By 2003, Strut Records …

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ATOMIC-PET VARIATIONS.

Atomic-Pet Variations. Label: Odin Records. Release Date: ‘22nd’ March 2019. Eighteen years ago, Scandinavian supergroup Atomic was founded by Swedish trumpeter Magnus Broo and his fellow countryman and reed player Fredrik Ljungkvist who joined forces with Norwegian pianist Håvard Wiik, bassist Ingebrigt Håker Flaten and drummer Paal Nilssen-Love. By then, each musician was a familiar face in their own country, but …

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KEITH MANSFIELD AND JOHN CAMERON-VOICES IN HARMONY.

Keith Mansfield and John Cameron-Voices In Harmony. Label: Be With Records. Over the last year or so, Be With Records have been working with KPM to reissue ten albums from across the KPM 1000 Series and the Themes International Music catalogue. This includes Voices In Harmony, which features two of the leading lights of the British library music, Keith Mansfield and John Cameron. They were responsible for …

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TOM WAITS-HEARTATTACK AND VINE-VINYL.

Tom Waits-Heartattack and Vine-Vinyl. Label: Anti. In June 1980, thirty year old Tom Waits began work on his sixth studio album, Heartattack and Vine, which was the last album he released on David Geffen’s Asylum Records. The Asylum Records’ years had been frustrating for Tom Waits, who had released his debut album Closing Time in …

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BOB STANLEY AND PETE WIGGS PRESENT STATE OF THE UNION.

Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs Present State Of The Union. Label: Ace Records. Release Date: ‘26th; October 2018. By 1968,  the times they were a changing in the land of the free, and many Americans watched on as the country they loved and were proud of changed, and sadly not for the better. The Vietnam …

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GRANT GREEN-FUNK IN FRANCE FROM PARIS TO ANTIBES 1969-1970 VINYL.

Grant Green-Funk In France From Paris To Antibes 1969-1970 Vinyl. Label: Resonance Records. In 1967, thirty-five year old guitarist Grant Green was in the throes of heroin addiction, and it looked as if he was fighting a battle he had no chance of winning. Grant Green was a shadow of the man who had arrived …

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THE DELI-JAZZ CAT

THE DELI-JAZZ CAT The Deli-Jazz Cat Label: Cold Busted Record Company. Each and every week of the year, major and independent record labels in across the world release new albums onto a fiercely competitive and crowed global marketplace. It’s a market where often, resources are scarce and the consumer can only afford one of two …

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JOHNNY RIVERS-NO THROUGH STREET.

Johnny Rivers-No Through Street. Label: BGO Records. As 1983 dawned, Louisiana born singer, songwriter, guitarist and producer Johnny Rivers had just turned forty, and had been a professional musicians since 1956. Back then, he was still known Johnny Ramistella when formed he his own band The Spades, who later that year, released their debut single. …

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EVA SALINA AND PETER STAN-SUDBINA: A PORTRAIT OF VIDA PAVLOVIC.

Eva Salina and Peter Stan-Sudbina: A Portrait Of Vida Pavlović. Label: Vogiton Records. Release Date: ‘30th’ March 2018. When Serbian Roma singer Vida Pavlović took to the stage in dark, smokey, and noisy backstreet clubs, there was a respectful silence among the patrons in respect of the woman they called their Queen. Alas, it hadn’t …

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PHIL SEYMOUR-THE PRINCE OF POWER POP.

Phil Seymour-The Prince Of Power Pop. Sadly, not every artist goes on to enjoy a long and successful  musical career, and their star shines only briefly. That was the case with Nick Drake and Gram Parsons, whose tragic and untimely deaths cut short what could’ve and should’ve been a long and successful career. Neither of …

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