LARAAJI-THE LIFE AND TIMES.
Laraaji-The Life and Times.
Laraaji’s career has spanned five decades, and during that period, the American multi-instrumentalist has released around forty albums and countless collaborations. Many of these albums were self released by Laraaji on cassettes, and feature his unique and inimitable genre-melting sound. This is best described as a fusion of ambient, avant-garde, experimental and psychedelia which is hypnotic, mesmeric and meditative which features the zither, Mbira and piano. However, Laraaji is best known as a zither player, and as is the man who transformed and reinvented this oft-overlooked traditional instrument.
Having bought a zither in a local pawn shop in the early seventies, Laraaji set about converting it into an electronic instrument. This he succeeded in doing, to the bemusement of traditionalists who saw the zither as an acoustic instrument. Soon, that was no longer the case, as Laraaji began experimenting and playing his newly adapted zither like a piano. Nobody had ever seen this before, not even Brian Eno.
He and Bill Laswell were walking through Washington Square Park, when they came across Laraaji sitting cross-legged on top of a blanket with his eyes closed, played his zither using the open tunings he favoured. Brian Eno watched for a while and realising he was watching a talented musician wrote a message, which he left for Laraaji.
The next day, Brian Eno and Laraaji met and discussed ambient music and electronics. Three weeks later, Laraaji, recorded Ambient 3 (Day Of Radiance) at Apple Studios, in Green Street, New York. Once the album was recorded, Ambient 3 (Day Of Radiance) was released later in 1980. This album it was hoped would launch Laraaji’s career, and transform the busker’s fortunes.
While Ambient 3 (Day Of Radiance) was released to critical acclaim, and is nowadays, considered a cult classic, it didn’t change Laraaji’s life. Three years after Brian Eno ‘discovered’ Laraaji, the zither player back self-releasing albums.
It was only much later that Laraaji’s music was discovered by a wider audience, and in 2017 he released Bring On The Sun and Sun Gong on the All Saints’ label. Tracks form Bring On The Sun and Sun Gong were remixed and re-edited for the Sun Transformations’ album was released by the All Saints label for Record Store Day 2018. These remixes and edits show anther side to Laraaji’s music, and hopefully will introduce this remarkable musician’s music to a new audience. The Laraaji story began in 1943.
In The Beginning.
Laraaji was born Edward Larry Gordon in Philadelphia in 1943, and at early age, moved with his family to New Jersey. That was where Larry studied violin, piano, trombone and took singing lessons. At high school, Larry played in the school band and orchestra. Music was part of his life, and he was exposed to an eclectic range of music.
His family attended the local Baptist church, where Larry heard choral and gospel music, as well as negro spirituals. At home though, he heard very different music.
Larry sat and absorbed everything from jazz to R&B and rock ’n’ roll. However, it was the great piano players that especially inspired Edward Larry Gordon, including Oscar Peterson, Fats Domino and Ahmad Jamal. Over the next months and years, Laraaji spent much of his time listening to music. Still, though, he continued to play the violin, piano, trombone and sang. Music was Larry’s passion and it was no surprise that having graduated from high school this talented multi-instrumentalist decided to study music.
Having won a scholarship to study piano and composition, Larry headed to one of the most prestigious universities in America, Howard University, in Washington DC. During the next few years, Larry totally immersed in music, and where he first discovered marijuana in his second year and also psychedelic drugs. They would play a part in opening Larry’s consciousness during his spiritual awakening, while he would later use marijuana as an aide to the creative process. Before that, it seemed that Larry was destined to pursue a career in music. However, that wasn’t the case.
Laughter: Is The Best Medicine.
After graduating from Howard University, Larry decided not to pursue a career in music, which was a huge surprise to his friends, including this he had studied alongside. Instead, Larry decided to pursue a career as a standup comic. His love of comedy began in college, and when he left University, Larry and his comedy partner decided to head to New York to audition at the Bitter End, who regularly held talent shows.
This was where Bill Cosby’s comedy career began. For an aspiring comedian, the Bitter End seemed the perfect place to launch their new career. However, the night Larry and his comedy partner were meant to make their debut, his partner never turned up. Having been left in the lurch, Larry had not option to make his debut as a solo artist. He was well received, and this was the start of Larry’s new comedy career. Soon he became a regular on New York’s thriving comedy circuit. However, comedy wasn’t the only career Larry had.
Through his exploits as a comedian, Larry came to the attention of Ernestine McClendon, who was a respected theatrical agent. She took Larry under her wing and guided his nascent career. Soon, she was sending Larry to auditions, and before long, he found himself appearing on television commercials, theatre and even films.
On The Big Screen.
One of these films that Larry appeared in was Putney Swope, which was a comedy directed by Robert Downey which examined the of role race and advertising in America. Putney Swope was very different to anything Larry appeared in before, as much of the film was improvised. This which was new to Larry, but something he coped with in a film, the chairman of an advertising company dies, and the firm’s executive board must elect someone to fill the vacant position. However, each member, is unable to vote for himself, and Swope who was the token African-American on the board is unexpectedly elected chairman. He decides to do things his way, and fires all the staff, apart from a lone white employee. Swope then renames the company Truth and Soul, Inc. and no longer accept represents companies selling tobacco, alcohol, or war toys. The film must have made a big impression on Larry, because when Putney Swope was released it inspired him to look at the role of the mass media. Looking for answers, Larry read books and learnt to meditate.
To help him, he turned to teachers who taught Larry how to meditate properly He soon was practising meditation and calisthenics. Larry was also using piano exercises as an outlet which was how he discovered spontaneous music. Everything was improvised, off-the-cuff and experimental. Straight away, Larry realised the possibilities were endless. However, meditation was key to this. Soon, Larry was starting to realise just what he could do with music and art now that he had discovered meditation. Discovering meditation was akin to the first part of Larry’s spiritual awakening. Before long, the next part of Larry’s Meditation spiritual awakening took place.
Spiritual Awakening.
Around 1974 or 1975, Larry found himself was living not far from JFK airport, and decided to go out for a walk in the evening. On his return home, he started hearing what he describes as: “the music of the spheres.” This was akin to a cosmic symphony where the music was joyous and celebratory. Larry became part of the music and was at one with the music. The whole experience had a lasting effect and was his spiritual and cosmic awakening.
Suddenly, he understood things that had previously puzzled him. Things now started to make sense after what Larry refers to as: “a trigger for a cosmic memory.” It was as if Larry had been enlightened. However, he wanted to know more about what had happened, and decided to embarked on a course of study.
To further understand what had happened to him, Larry embarked upon a study of Vedic teachings. Part of the Vedic teachings is that the yogis hear music in layers. When Larry heard this, he realised this what he had experienced and was why he was able to describe the music so vividly. His teachers told him that he had reached such a high level of consciousness that he was now able to see things differently from most people. It seemed his spiritual and cosmic awakening was almost complete. Now he decided that he wanted to recreate the music that he heard that night near JFK Airport.
At last, Larry was able to put his musical education to good use. He had always played music, even when he was working as a comedian and actor. Latterly, he’d been playing the Fender Rhodes, but was fed up having to transport such a heavy instrument. One night as he was preparing to go onstage, he told his “cosmic ear” that he would: “like a lighter instrument to share his musical consciousness with the world.”
A few days later, Larry found himself in a pawn shop where he was ready to pawn his guitar when suddenly, out of nowhere, a voice told Larry to swap his guitar for a stringed instrument in the shop window. This he realised was an autoharp, which he was unable to play. However, Larry decided to swap his guitar for the autoharp, and he after that, he headed home, where he was determined to master this new instrument.
A Musical Voyage Of Discovery Begins.
When Larry took the instrument home, he tuned it to his favourite piano chords and open guitar tunings. The effect this had, was to return it to what was essentially a zither, whose roots can be traced back the ancient, traditional instrument the kithara. Gradually, through a process of experimentation, Larry discovered what the autoharp was capable of. Then when he added an electric pickup, this was a game-changer, and he discovered that the possibilities were endless. He was able to begin creating the music that he had heard that fateful night, albeit with a little help from a friend.
Not long after Larry begin playing the autoharp, he was strumming and plucking it like a guitar which seemed to him the way to play the autoharp. That was until he met Dorothy Carter who was a hammered dulcimer artist and encouraged Larry to play his autoharp with hammers. The other thing Dorothy did, was invite Larry to the Boston Globe Music Fest where he met another innovator.
At the Boston Globe Music Fest, Larry met Steven Halpern who is one of the pioneers of new age music. Meeting Steven Halpern exposed him to music that he never new existed, and changed Larry’s way of thinking. He realised that music didn’t need to follow the structures that he had been taught as a child and at university. Music didn’t need to have a beginning, end or even a melody. Instead, it could be a freeform stream of consciousness. Larry also learnt that there was always room for experimentation and improvisation within music. For Larry this changed his approach to music. Inspired and confident in his ability to play the autoharp, Larry was ready to make his debut.
The old saying that the world is a stage proved to be the case for Larry, who made his debut as a busker on the streets of New York in 1978. He had released his first album Celestial Vibration in 1978, which he hoped would introduce his music to a wider audience.
A year later, Larry was still busking and had self-released his sophomore album Lotus-Collage in 1979. However, he was busking abet in a different location. This proved fortuitous, while other said it was fate.
Enter Brian Eno.
Larry was now busking in Washington Square Park and on that fateful day, he sat on top of a blanket, cross-legged and with his eyes closed, played his zither using the open tunings he favoured. As a result, he never saw Brian Eno standing watching him play. The man who many called The Godfather of ambient music was transfixed as he watched Larry play. Little did Brian Eno realise when he walked through the park with Bill Laswell that he would come across a fellow innovator. Recognising the potential that Larry had, Brian Eno wrote a message on a piece of paper which Laraaji as he was now calling himself found later.
The next day Brian Eno met with Laraaji and the two men spoke about ambient music and electronics. Straight away, they got on and three weeks Laraaji, was heading to Apple Studios, in Green Street, New York where he recorded Ambient 3 (Day Of Radiance).
Ambient 3 (Day Of Radiance).
When Laraaji arrived at Apple Studios, he brought with him his zither and dulcimer, and five tracks that he had composed. With Brian Eno taking charge of production the five tracks that became Ambient 3 (Day Of Radiance) were recorded, which was the latest instalment in this groundbreaking series.
Later in 1980, Laraaji was preparing to release Ambient 3 (Day Of Radiance), which it was hoped would launch his career and transform him from an underground artist to a successful experimental musicians. The only worry was in the post punk days, the snarling angry young gunslingers in the music press weren’t exactly accommodating to music that didn’t fit their particular agenda. However, some critics gave Ambient 3 (Day Of Radiance) a chance, and realised that this was a groundbreaking album where elements of ambient, avant-garde, dub, electronica, experimental, folk, New Age and world music were combined by Laraaji on this future cult classic.
Despite the critically acclaimed reviews of Ambient 3 (Day Of Radiance), the album wasn’t a huge success and didn’t transform Laraaji’s career. It was disappointing for Laraaji who over the next few years, continued to record new music, often late at night in his flat not far from Columbus University which was where a young man called Barrack Obama was studying.
The Eighties.
In 1981 Laraaji returned with his new album, I Am Ocean which was released on the Celestial Vibration label, and was the much-anticipated followup to Ambient 3 (Day Of Radiance). However, it failed to make much of an impression upon its release. Later in 1981, Laraaji was back to self-releasing his next album Unicorns in Paradise. This was something he would do regularly throughout his five decade career.
A year later, when Laraaji released Rhythm N’ Bliss in 1982, it was on the Third Ear label. This was the start of a period when Laraaji was a prolific artist, who often self-released his own music on cassettes which are now sought after.
1984 was one of the most prolific years of Laraaji’s career. He released a triumvirate of albums including Om Namah Shivaya on the Celestial Vibration label and self-released Sun Zither. However, one of the most important albums he released at this period was his epic album Vision Songs Volume 1.
Unlike previous albums, which featured freeform songs where Laraaji enjoyed the opportunity to improvise, Vision Songs Volume 1 featured eighteen gospel inspired songs where he wrote and sang the vocals. This was a stylistic departure from Laraaji, who had released his debut album Celestial Vibration six years previously in 1978. By 1984, Laraaji who was a talented and versatile multi-instrumentalist who wasn’t afraid to innovate.
Laraaji continued to innovate during the remainder of the eighties, and was a truly prolific recording artist between 1985 and 1989. He often recorded and released several albums during a year, which he self-released. This included 1986s Once Upon A Zither, and the following year, Zither Bliss, White Light Music and Urban Saint which were released during 1987. However, as the eighties gave way to the nineties, Laraaji’s profile was rising.
The Nineties.
By 1992, Laraaji had signed to All Saints Records and recorded an album with Canadian producer Michael Brook. That album was Flow Goes The Universe which was released to plaudits and praise.
In 1994, Laraaji was part of Channel Light Vessel, when they released their debut album Automatic. This was then first of several projects Laraaji would work on during the nineties.
This included Laraaji’s 1995 collaboration with the Japanese reggae fusion band Audio Active. It was released by All Saints Records and introduced Laraaji’s music to a new audience.
The same year, 1995, Laraaji and Roger Eno’s album Islands was released to critical acclaim. Soon, Laraaji was working with some of the leading lights of the experimental music scene.
Before that, Laraaji was part of Channel Light Vessel, when they released their sophomore album Excellent Spirits on All Saints Records. It was becoming a home from home for Laraaji.
Laraaji’s next collaboration was with Bill Laswell, and in 1998, they released Divination/Sacrifice. It featured two musical pioneers at the peak of their powers.
A New Millennia.
So did Celestial Reiki which was a collaboration between Laraaji and Jonathan Goldman that was released in 2000, as the new millennia dawned. By then, Laraaji was nearly fifty-seven and had been making music for four decades.
While many musicians start to slow down in their late-fifties, that wasn’t the case with Laraaji. In 2000 he released Shiva Shakti Groove, with Celestial Zone and My Orangeness following in 2002. That same year, Laraaji and Jonathan Goldman released their second collaboration Celestial Reiki II which also featured Sarah Benson.
Two years passed before Laraaji returned with a triumvirate of self-released albums in 2004. This included Water and Soft Zither, Laughter: The Best Medicine and Chakra Balancing Music. In a Celestial Water Garden followed in 2006, and was the only solo album Laraaji realised until Ambient Zither in G Pentatonic and Mountain Creek Water in 2007. As Laraaji approached his sixty-fifth birthday, he self-released Sonic Portals. After that, it was three years before Laraaji returned.
In 2011, the experimental music duo Blues Control and Laraaji released their collaboration FRKYWS, Volume 8. Blues Control were the latest in a long line of artists to collaborate with Laraaji and the results were impressive.
Over the next few years, Laraaji the master of celestial music continued to make and release music. He also masterminded what he described as: “seriously playful laughter workshops” which he believed were therapeutic. He had showcased this form of therapy on his Laughter: The Best Medicine album, which featured five untitled tracks. However, the next album Laraaji released was very different.
This was the genre-melting album Professional Sunflow which was a collaboration between Laraaji and Sun Araw, which was released in June 2016. Critics were impressed by this latest collaboration from Laraaji, whose recording career now spanned six decades.
Having re-signed to All Saints Records, Laraaji released Bring On The Sun and Sun Gong on as a two CD set, while Bring On The Sun and Sun Gong were released on vinyl as two separate albums. However, when Laraaji’s new collection of blissed out percussive jams and ruminative hymnals was released to widespread critical acclaim in late September 2017, and hailed as one of seventy-five year old musician’s finest albums. However, the big question what was next for Laraaji?
Following the success of Bring On The Sun and Sun Gong, a decision was made for remixers and DJs to remix and edit tracks from Laraaji’s latest collection with a view to releasing them as an album for Record Store Day 2018. This it was hoped would bring Laraaji’s music to a wider audience.
Sadly, for too long, Laraaji’s music has slipped under the musical radar. Maybe part of the problem was Laraaji’s decision to self-release much of his music? This meant that the majority of record buyers never got the opportunity to discover many of his albums. That is a great shame as consistently Laraaji released albums of quality music. The music was variously beautiful, cerebral, dreamy, ethereal, melancholy, mystical, soulful, spiritual, thought-provoking and uplifting..
Forty years after Laraaji released his debut album Celestial Vibration, the man who reinvented the zither is still writing, recording and releasing albums. Recently, Laraaji’s music has started to find the wider audience that it deserves a true musical pioneer goes from strength-to-strength musically.
Laraaji-The Life and Times.
GOOSEBUMPS 25 YEARS OF MARINA RECORDS.
Goosebumps 25 Years Of Marina Records.
Label: Marina Records
Any indie label that has survived for the last twenty-five years is obviously doing something right. Especially given how challenging a market it has been for both major and indie labels over the past twenty years. Everything from the death of vinyl and the introduction of illegal torrents, MP3s, Spotify You Tube have made life increasingly difficult for record companies and sadly, there’s been a number of casualties along the way. However, there’s some labels who have gone form strength-to-strength since 1993, including Marina Records.
The Marina Records’ story began in Hamburg in 1993, when Stefan Kassel and Frank Lähnemann decided to form a new label. Soon, the new releases from Marina Records label were finding favour with critics and record buyers. It wasn’t just the quality of music Marina Records was releasing,their support classic songwriter and the eclectic releases.That was just part of the Marina Records story.
Before long, Marina Records distinctive sleeve design was being praised by music journalists, designers and music fans. By then, Marina Records album covers were being praised by the authors of several books about album covers. Marina Records in seemed were doing things their way but doing them right,
Proof pot tis was Marina Records’ The In-Kraut compilation series which gave birth to a genre of its own. This was just the start for Marina Records.
The Hamburg based introduced a generation of grateful record buyers to a myriad of magical and majestic music.This includes Brent Cash’s pop single Digging The Fault Lin and tracks from Glasgow funk sextet Gazelle, Chris Thomson’s chamber pop combo The Bathers, Starless’ album of lush filmic soundscapes, jazz trumpeter Colin Steele and Marina Records’ veterans The Pearlfishers. They’re one of the jewels in the Marina Records’ crown, and their classic songwriting style has previously led to comparisons to Paul McCartney, Jimmy Webb and Brian Wilson during the Marina Records’ years.
Whilst signed to Marina Records The Pearlfishers have released six albums,and recorded a spellbinding cover of The Pale Fountains’ Southbound Excursion, which features on Goosebumps 25 Years Of Marina Records. It’s two CD set that has just been released by Marina Records and features forty tracks that are guaranteed to bring memories flooding back.
This includes Brent Cash’s 2008 pop smash Digging The Fault Line which opens Goosebumps 25 Years Of Marina Record. It’s taken from the album How Will I Know If I’m Awake.
Port Sulphur featuring James Kirk, formerly of Orange Juice released the carefully crafted poo album You Can Make It If You Boogie on 2003. One of its highlights was Orient Express.James Kirk was part Scottish supergroup Port Sulphur on they recorded a covert of the Orange Juice song Felicity, which makes a welcome debut.
The Pearlfishers contribute the previously unreleased The Time Is Right,which was recorded in 2016. Norman Blake if Teenage Fanclub covered Only With You for Caroline Now The Songs Of Brian Wilson.
Another welcome addition comes courtesy of The Pale Fountains and The Norfolk Broads – a track from their Marina anthology Longshot For Your Love. Pale Fountains songwriter Michael Head then joins forces with Dragonfly from the Shack’s 1995 album Waterpistol. It’s regarded by many critics as one of the best British albums ever.
The Colin Steele Quartet is led by the jazz trumpeter, who released the album Diving For Pearls in 2017, One of its highlights is You’ll Never Steal My Spirit.
Way before The Bathers were formed, Chris Thomson was member of supergroup in waiting Friends Again. They released just one album, and in 1981 covered the Velvet Underground’s Sweet Jane. It’s remarkable reminder of an on oft-overlooked band. A more recent Scottish supergroup is Starless who released the Sam Barker Axor Remix on the 2016 EP Starless The Remixes.
Disc Two.
A trio of unreleased tracks open disc two of Goosebumps 25 Years Of Marina Records including Die Zimmermänner’s Pampelmusen. They’re followed by two real finds the Marina Unlimited Orchestra’s Breezy (Marina’s In The Air) and The Pale Fishers cover of The Oake Fountain’s Southbound Excursion,
One of the standout tracks on Goosebumps 25 Years Of Marina Records is The Bathers’ If Love Could Last Forever from their 1997 album Kelvingrove Baby. Hipsway frontman assumed the same role in the Jazzateers when they recorded the album I Shot The President in 1997. Up To My Eyes was one of the album’s highlights and makes a welcome return on 25 Years Of Marina Records. So does Meet Me In Milan fro, The Magic Circles’ 2004 album.
In 2001, sunshine pop legends TΩe Free Design reformed and released their comeback album Cosmic PeekabooEccentric Ogie!. It’s a reminder of what music fans had been missing for too long. Big Star’s Alex Chilton contributed a cover of I Wanna Pick You Up for the Caroline Now The Songs Of Brian Wilson compilation.
Paul Quinn and The Independent Group released the album Will I Ever See The Inside Of You in 1994. It featured Have You Have Been Seen, one of the finest moments of their early career. Another well know face in Scottish music is Paul Haig who contributes the unreleased track Listen To Me.
Closing disc two of Goosebumps 25 Years Of Marina Records is Goodbye (She Quietly Says) by Cowboy Mouth. This stunning reading of a track from Frank Sinatra’s song cycle Watertown was recently recorded by Grahame Skinners who fittingly sings: “She reaches out across the table, looks at me, and quietly says goodbye.”
Goosebumps 25 Years Of Marina Records is the perfect introduction to, and reminder of the back-catalogue of the Hamburg-based musical institution. Marina Records has been releasing carefully crafted and eclectic albums since 1993. Always the emphasis been on quality and Marina Records have released many albums that are regarded as genre classics. This includes albums from The Bathers, The Pearlfishers, Shack and The Pale Fountains who have all played their part in the rise of Marina Records which is celebrated on Goosebumps 25 Years Of Marina Records.
Goosebumps 25 Years Of Marina Records.
ONENESS OF JUJU-AFRICAN RHYTHMS.
Oneness of Juju-African Rhythms.
Label: Strut.
After five politically charged years living on the East and West coast of America, bandleader James “Plunky” Branch returned to his home town of Richmond, Virginia, where he formed Oneness of Juju won released their Afro-jazz classic‘African Rhythms’ on the Black Fire label in in 1975.
Now some forty-three years later Strut have reissued a new edition of African Rhythms. It’s an album that wouldn’t have been made if it wasn’t for James “Plunky” Branch’s experiences during the first half of the seventies.
James “Plunky” Branch’s journey began when he enrolled at Columbia University, in New York, where he soon became politically active. This wasn’t unusual at the time, but Columbia University was different and was home many revolutionary political activists, This soon included James “Plunky” Branch.
Before long he was heavily involved in political activities, and was regularly took over buildings belonging to Columbia University and fought in the streets with officers from the NYC Police Department. This wasn’t a phase James “Plunky” Branch was going through and he spent three years a revolutionary political activist. Suddenly, though the fighting became all too real
When James “Plunky” Branch received his call up papers, he did what many of these ‘brave’ revolutionary political activists did and fled, rather than fight for his country.
James “Plunky” Branch headed ti San Francisco which had a much more liberal political climate. Soon, James “Plunky” Branch was spending time with the Black Panthers, who were sympathetic towards George Jackson and Angela Davis. Meanwhile, James “Plunky” Branch made his debut on the city’s music scene in 1971 and began playing at jam sessions.
That was how James “Plunky” Branch met Ndikho Xaba who asked James “Plunky” Branch to join his band Ndikho and The Natives. Not long after this, the band were asked to provide the musical backdrop to Resurrections Of The Dead, directed by Marvin X. Its concept was a mixture of African ritual and the teachings of the Nation of Islam and found American being resurrected with a new African-American identity struck a chord with James “Plunky” Branch who became Plunky Nkabinde.
James “Plunky” Branch’s new identity was shaped through the band, as began to campaign for freedom and equality in South Africa. This led to James “Plunky” Branch and the rest band painting their faces and playing heavy African rhythms and combine this with avant-garde jazz.
The new sound made its debut on the 1972 album Message From Mozambique, which Ju Ju as the band was now named released on Strata East.
By then, Ju Ju had moved to New York and also spent time in Brooklyn and Harlem, where they were familiar faces on the loft scene. During this period, them met and played alongside Pharaoh Sanders and Ornette Coleman, who invited Ju Ju to stay at his home where they could also record. However, by then money was tight for Ju Ju.
They decided to record their sophomore album Chapter Two which was released by Strata East in 1974. By then, several members of Ju Ju were unhappy by how little they were receiving for their efforts. It was only a matter of time before Ju Ju split-up.
James “Plunky” Branch returned to Richmond, Virginia, where he decided to focus on the mid-Atlantic preference for Southern R&B and gospel: “Juju had always been blues-based and it was a natural progression to add R&B and dance rhythms. It didn’t change our message.”
The first African Rhythms sessions took place in early 1975, and was funded by James “Plunky” Branch. However, this was just the start of the African Rhythms sessions.
Two months later, recording began at BIAS Studios, Virginia, with James “Plunky” Branch continuing to fund the album which was produced by Jimmy Gray of Black Fire Records. During the sessions African Rhythms was recorded:“We wanted a song to dance to with a message–‘you are dancing to African rhythms’” the positive message of ‘Don’t Give Up’ and political commentary on ‘Liberation Dues’.”
A total of eleven songs found their way onto Oneness of Juju’s debut album African Rhythms which was released by Black Fire in 1975. It was a regional hit on the East coast and particularly in the capital Washington DC specifically. Soon, African Rhythms’ popularity grew and it became an underground album elsewhere in America.
Later, African Rhythms influenced the early go-go scene in Washington DC. Towards the end of eighties African Rhythms ‘ popularity grew after it became a favourite in the rare groove scene,
Since then, African Rhythms has become a soul-jazz favourite worldwide. African Rhythms is a gene-melting album Oneness of Juju fuse elements of Afrobeat, blues funk, jazz and R&B. In doing so, Oneness of Juju created what’s now regarded as an Afro-jazz classic, African Rhythms.
Oneness of Juju-African Rhythms.
TAKEO MORIYAMA-EAST PLANTS
Takeo Moriyama-East Plants.
Label: BBE Music.
Release Date: ’28th’ September 2018.
Following the commercial success of BBE Music’s critically acclaimed compilation J Jazz: Deep Modern Jazz From Japan 1969-1984, the UK-based label decided to release a new series featuring J Jazz classics. The latest instalment in the series is Takeo Moriyama’s 1983 cult classic East Plants. It will released by BBE Music on the ’28th’ September 2018, and the reissue of Takeo Moriyama’s album East Plants as a CD and 2 LP set will be welcomed by collectors of J-Jazz.
Takeo Moriyama was born on the ‘27th’ of January 1945, in Katsunuma, in the Yamanashi Prefecture. As a child, Takeo Moriyama played piano before switching to drums in his late teens. This resulted in him taking a degree in percussion at the Tokyo University of the Arts.
In 1967, Takeo Moriyama joined Yosuke Yamashita’s group and embraced upon several international tours before leaving in 1975. This was all good experienced for Takeo Moriyama who was unsure about his future.
So much so, that Takeo Moriyama was unsure whether he wanted to continue working as professional musicians, and instead decided yo concentrate his efforts on teaching. Between 1975 and 1977, Takeo Moriyama stayed way from studio and never took to the stage. Many of his fans wondered if Takeo Moriyama would return to his former life as a professional musician?
In 1977, Takeo Moriyama returned of from what was akin to a lengthy sabbatical and decided to found his own quartet. Soon , the Takeo Moriyama Quartet were touring West Germany, Italy and the USSR. This allowed the new group to hone their sound before recording a new albums.
This included the Takeo Moriyama Quartet’s 1977 live debut album Flush Up. Four years later, in 1981, came the followup Smile.
It was a very different album, and Smile that eschewed the eruptive improvisation of the past. Smile feature a new approach from drummer Takeo Moriyama whose steady, sophisticated and unfussy style was perfect for his unique and inimitable style of composition.
When Takeo Moriyama returned with his My Dear album in 1982, pianist Fumio Itabashi was absent. He was recording and promoting his solo album Watarase. While the absence of Fumio Itabash was loss to Takeo Moriyama’s band, the bandleader knew that his pianist might not return for the followup Fast Plants.
East Plants.
By 1983, thirty-eight year old Takeo Moriyama was regarded as one of Japan’s finest jazz drummers. He had been a musician since the sixties and was a vastly experienced drummer who had .just signed to the Japanese VAP label.They would release Takeo Moriyama’s solo album East Plants later in 1983.
East Plants featured six tracks, but only one Takeo Moriyama’s composition Kagelou. The rest of the album was written by saxophonist Toshihiko Inoue, and recorded at CBS-Sony Roppongi Studio, in Tokyo.
Joining drummer Takeo Moriyama was bassist Hideaki Mochizuki, percussionist Yoji Sadanari plus Shuichi Enomoto and Toshihiko Inoue who switched between tenor and soprano saxophone on East Plants. Once the album was completed the release of East Plants was scheduled for later in 1983.
Sadly, when East Plants was released in 1983, the album passed record buyers. They missed out on what was later regarded as a J Jazz cult classic.
That was no surprise given East Plants featured several key features of Takeo Moriyama’s music. There’s the clearly connected and innovative rhythms, grooves that are accessible, balanced, controlled and elegant, while the arrangements are best described as open and orderly East Plants.
With no piano, the rhythm section are joined by percussion and saxophones . They open the album with the title-track East Plants. Its build-up is similar to a raga as a mesmeric track unfolds and is one of East Plants’ highlights. There’s an urgency to Take where the band play with power and freedom as the saxophone plays a starring role. Kaze Kaze majestic example of modal jazz, while the ferocious post bop exertions of Fields is one of East Plants highlights.
Thirty-five years after the initial released of East Plants, BBE Music will reissue this J Jazz cult classic on the ’28th’ September 2018 on CD and LP. Up East Plants is a welcome reissue of this oft-overlooked J Jazz gem from Takeo Moriyama’s talented quintet.
Each member of this multitalented quintet play their part in the sound and success of East Plants, which is mystical sounding opus that until recently, was an oft-overlooked hidden gem that is now regarded as a J Jazz cult classic
DAVID AXELROD-SONGS OF INNOCENCE VINYL
David Axelrod-Songs Of Innocence-Vinyl.
Label: Now Again Records.
By the time David Axelrod began work on his debut album Songs Of Innocence in 1968, the thirty-seven year arranger, composer, drummer and producer old had enjoyed a chequered career. He had started off as a boxer, before changing direction and finding work in film and television. However, in 1959 David Axelrod embarked upon a musical career when he produced Harold Land’s album The Fox. This launched David Axelrod’s nascent musical career.
Four years later, David Axelrod was hired by Capitol Records as a producer and A&R man. Initially, he worked with R&B artists, including Lou Rawls who was signed to Capitol Records. David Axelrod produced a string of hit singles for Lou Rawls, his Live album and several albums that were certified gold. David Axelrod was the man with the Midas Touch.
Soon, David Axelrod was working with jazz saxophonist Julian “Cannonball” Adderley, and produced his 1966 Grammy Award winning album Mercy, Mercy, Mercy! Live at “The Club.” The album also featured the hot single Mercy, Mercy, Mercy which reached number eleven in the US Billboard 100. By then, David Axelrod’s star was in the ascendancy at Capitol Records.
It was around this time, David Axelrod began working with some top session musicians including drummer Earl Palmer, bassist Carol Kaye and guitarist Howard Roberts. This band would play an important part in David Axelrod’s future.
David Axelrod wrote and arranged Mass in F Minor and Release of an Oath for the psychedelic rock band The Electric Prunes. The only problem was that both songs were complex pieces of music. Mass in F Minor consists of a mass sung in Latin and Greek and performed in a psychedelic style. However, there was a problem, it was too complex a piece for The Electric Prunes to record and it was recorded by David Axelrod’s band. This lead to The Electric Prunes disbanding and David Axelrod’s band completed the albums. Executives at Capitol Records were grateful that David Axelrod had rescued what was a particularly tricky situation, and wanted to reward him for his recent success. This resulted in David Axelrod being allowed to record his debut solo album Songs Of Innocence which was recently reissued by Now Again Records.
David Axelrod had been watching trends in popular music and realised that there was a new breed of record buyer with much more sophisticated taste than the three chord pop of the early Beatles’ record. They were willing to embrace and buy much more experimental sounding albums, including two of the best known, The Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds and The Beatles’ Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band. Both of these experimental had been hugely successful, and was proof to David Axelrod that there was a demand for this type of music.
Buoyed by the experimental climate of popular music David Axelrod decided to write and record his what was akin to a suite-like tone poem, which was based on Songs Of Innocence which was an illustrated collection of poems written in 1789 by William Blake. The poet had inspired many composers and musicians during the twentieth century. Many composers had set his poems to music, and William Blake’s music had been used in theatre and inspired everyone from folk musicians to David Axelrod who was a self-confessed “Blake freak.”
Over the space of a week, David Axelrod wrote seven compositions and borrowed titles from William Blake’s poems. The compositions death with a variety of themes, ranging from visions, religious iniquity, rite of passage and life experience after a person’s birth and innocence. After just a week, David Axelrod had completed Songs Of Innocence, which was his homage to William Blake. David Axelrod had been captivated by William Blake’s poetry since he was a teenager and seemed to relate to the poet. Neither William Blake nor David Axelrod were regarded as sociable men, and this could’ve hindered the producer’s career. However, he had a successful track record as he began recording Songs Of Innocence in 1968.
Having written Songs Of Innocence in just one week, David Axelrod arranged the seven tracks which he intended to produce and add the vocals to. Now he was ready to record his debut album, and work was scheduled to start in mid-1968 at Capitol Studios, in Los Angeles.
David Axelrod decided to use many of the musicians that he worked with on a regular basis. This included drummer Earl Palmer, bassist Carol Kaye and guitarist Al Casey. They were joined by percussionist Gene Estes and organist and pianist Don Randi who would conduct the string and horn section that David Axelrod planned to use on Songs Of Innocence. They would allow David Axelrod to create his musical vision.
Songs Of Innocence was essentially an instrumental album of jazz-fusion, but incorporated elements of baroque pop, blues, classical music, funk, jazz, liturgical music, pop, psychedelia, R&B, rock and theatre music. During Songs Of Innocence, David Axelrod used contrast extensively during the orchestral compositions which was peppered with euphoric psychedelic soul and dramatic, sometimes, distressing arrangements to reflect the supernatural themes that are found within William Blake’s poems. So does the music’s almost reverential psychedelic undercurrent which brings to mind the themes of innocence and spirituality that is a feature William Blake’s poems which inspired David Axelrod to write such an ambitious album as Songs Of Innocence.
His arrangements on Songs Of Innocence accentuated the pounding drums played in 4/4 time, complex baselines, searing and gritty guitars, sweeping melodramatic and progressive strings, organ parts designed to disorientate and blazing, dramatic horns. David Axelrod who had written Songs Of Innocence in the rock idiom, but used a mixture of jazz, rock and classical musicians to record his debut album.
They were all comfortable when David Axelrod asked them to improvise during this psycheliturgical opus. David Axelrod had been influenced by György Ligeti’s 1961 piece Atmosphères, and Lukas Foss’ concept of starting a piece with a sustained chord and improvising for over 100 bars, and ending on a different chord. However, it wasn’t joust improvisation that David Axelrod embraced.
David Axelrod encouraged musicians to use various sound effects, including reverb and echo during the recording sessions. This included adding echo to breakbeats to reflect the spiritual nature of William Blake’s poetry. For much of the album, David Axelrod’s rock orchestra painted pictures with music which veered between spartan, dramatic and harrowing to liturgical, ruminative and celebratory. As the music changed, so did the rock orchestra.
Seamlessly David Axelrod’s rock orchestra changed direction and were transformed into a vampish big band. Other times, they played bluesy bop or locked into a jazzy groove and on occasions started to swing. Meanwhile, producer David Axelrod was constantly encouraging his band to experiment, and not be afraid to improvise. Towards the end of recording sessions, David Axelrod’s rock orchestra had fully embraced psychedelia deploying organ licks that seemed to be designed to disorientate and gritty guitars. Then as The Mental Traveler was recorded, David Axelrod was keen to embrace and experiment with atonality. However, he felt that music that lacks a tonal centre of key was a step too far even on such an ambitions and innovative album as Songs Of Innocence.
When David Axelrod completed recording his suite-like tone poem, everyone who had worked on the concept album realised that it was an impressive, innovative and immersive album, that was ambitious, cerebral. However, the big question was what would the critics who make of Songs Of Innocence?
Not only was Songs Of Innocence David Axelrod’s debut album, but it was ambitious concept album inspired by William Blake’s poetry. This was too much for many critics, and the album regarded as something of a curio when it was released in October 1968 by Capitol Records. Many critics failed to understand what was essentially a mixture of genre-melting music, mysticism and philosophy that was cerebral, creative and showed just how much music had changed over the last few years. David Axelrod’s suite-like tone poem Songs Of Innocence, was a long way from Love Me Do in 1962. Music was changing, and record buyers were embracing much more experimental and sophisticated music. This augured well for the release of Songs Of Innocence.
Sadly, when Songs Of Innocence was released in October 1968, AM and FM radio stations started playing the title-track and Holy Thursday, which became the best known track on the album. However, despite being played on radio, Songs Of Innocence wasn’t the commercial success that David Axelrod or executives at Capitol Records had hoped. By October 1969, Songs Of Innocence had only sold 75,000 copies in America.
It was the best part of twenty-five years before critics reassessed the oft-overlooked Songs Of Innocence, and realised that it was a groundbreaking and timeless release that was unlike nothing else that had been released in the late-sixties. Maybe the problem was that Songs Of Innocence was way ahead of its time? If that was the case, a new audience was discovering David Axelrod’s Songs Of Innocence.
This soon included many DJs and producers who realised that David Axelrod’s Songs Of Innocence was a rich source of samples. One of the producers who sampled Songs Of Innocence was DJ Shadow who sampled the album for his debut album Endtroducing. Soon, the DJs and producers who were sampling Songs Of Innocence were championing David Axelrod’s music and especially his debut album, which was soon well on its way to becoming a cult classic.
Now fifty years after David Axelrod released his debut album Now Again Records have reissued Songs Of Innocence on CD and LP. The album was initially reissued for Record Store Day 2018 as a limited edition, but is now available for a wider audience to discover or rediscover. This is a welcome and overdue reissue of Songs Of Innocence, which will be followed by a reissue of David Axelrod’s sophomore album Songs of Experience. It’s another highlight of David Axelrod’s long and illustrious career.
Sadly, David Axelrod didn’t live to see this latest resurgence of interest in his solo career. One of music’s pioneers passed away on February the ‘5th’ 2017, aged eighty-six. However, David Axelrod left behind a rich musical legacy, including the trio of albums he recorded for Capitol Records.
This included his debut album Songs Of Innocence, which is an ambitious, cerebral and innovative album that for far too long was overlooked by critics and record buyers. That is no longer the case. Somewhat belatedly, this genre-melting cult classic, which is a mixture of music, mysticism and philosophy is finally starting to find the wider audience who understand and appreciate David Axelrod’s timeless, psycheliturgical opus Songs of Experience, which was inspired by his hero, poet William Blake.
David Axelrod-Songs Of Innocence-Vinyl.
WINSTON McANUFF AND FIXI-BIG BROTHERS.
Winston McAnuff and Fixi-Big Brothers.
Label: Chapter Two Records
Following his recent collaborations with the Jamaican roots collective Inna De Yard, the man of the moment Winston McAnuff, returns with Big Brothers, the second album he’s released with French accordionist and producer Fixi. Big Brothers was recently released on Chapter Two Records and finds Winston McAnuff ruminating about the state of the world in 2018, which he views from a Rastafarian perspective. This he’s been doing since the seventies .
That was when Winston McAnuff became a familiar face within the Jamaican roots reggae scene. Back then, Winston McAnuff was better known as Electric Dread during his seventies heyday. Sadly, the success didn’t last, and in Winston McAnuff’s life took a series of twists and turns over the next three decades.
As the new millennia dawned, there was a resurgence of interest in Winston McAnuff’s music and by 2013, he had released three solo albums and two collaborations. Soon, two became three when Winston McAnuff and Fixi who first met in 2005, released their debut album A New Day. This transformed Winston McAnuff’s career and suddenly his profile was rising.
Buoyed by the success of A New Day, Winston McAnuff and Fixi headed out on the road to tour the album. This was an old school tour with hi-jinx and hard living the order of the day for Winston McAnuff and Fixi toured Britain and Europe.
Just under two years later, as the bells rang as 2015 dawned, people across Europe looked forward to a new year. However, in some parts of Europe many people had nothing to celebrate, including those living in the Jungle’ immigration camp in Calais in 2015.
That was why Winston McAnuff and Fixi’s beat boxer partner Markus (Marc Ruchmann) decided to put on a party Jungle immigration camp to celebrate the dawning of a New Year in 2015. The party was meant to bribing some much-needed happiness and humanity to those waiting at the camps to hear their fate. Despite the climate of fear for what the future held, there was laughter, and songs during the night while the bells rang out every two hours to celebrate the dawn of a new day in a different time zones. This celebration proved inspirational for Winston McAnuff and Fixi.
When the time came for Winston McAnuff and Fixi to record their sophomore album Big Brothers, they remembered were inspired by the friendship and fraternity that had been a feature of that party in the Jungle immigration camp. The more that Winston McAnuff and Fixi thought about that night, they realised that friendship and fraternity was the secret to their musical relationship.
When Winston McAnuff and Fixi thought about their musical relationship, they realised that they first worked together on their Paris Rockin’ album collaboration in 2005. Two decades later, and they were preparing to record a new album Big Brothers.
Joining Winston McAnuff and Fixi was vast cast of musicians and vocalists. The band features Afrobeat drummer Cyril Atef, bassist Elise Blanchard, keyboardist Camille Ballon and the maloya of Olivier Araste from the band Lindigo. They provide the backdrop for two generations of the Inna De Yard family who add vocals on Big Brothers. This includes The Congos’ Cedric Myton, and Kiddus I, Derajah, Var and Winston McAnuff’s daughter Nadia McAnuff who jibs forces with Angolan vocalist Pongo on Big Brothers’ lead single One Note.
Big Brothers finds Winston McAnuff and Fixi continue their theme and philosophy of connectedness. This is revisited on Big Brothers which Winston McAnuff, who nowadays is regarded as one of reggae’s elder statesman, wrote as he travelled around Jamaica. The songs he wrote became Winston McAnuff and Fixi’s album Big Brothers.
It’s a powerful, poignant and sometimes politically charged album.Big Brothers features everything from life maxims and parables to wishes and wants that give the album an intensity and fierce contemporary sound. Especially songs like Think, which can only be desired hard-hitting and straight to the point as Winston McAnuff advises: “think, observe and listen”.
Crying for Love was written by Winston McAnuff on top of the cliffs of Dover, and is an anthem for all those who have braved the seas in the hope of finding a land to call home. Then on Black Bird Winston McAnuff unleashes high-pitched caws and becomes the narrator of a child’s lullaby. One song that should ring with most people is If You Want It So Bad where Winston McAnuff remind the listener of their our responsibility is seven word: ”Now you’ve got it, please respect it.” It’s one of the highlights of Big Brothers.
With its fusion of Jamaican and Angolan vocals that are accompanied by Cuban pianos, bursts of glistening electronics and a production that emits rays of sunshine is a powerful, poignant and politically charged album of genre-melting music from that is built around the friendship between Big Brothers Winston McAnuff and Fixi.
Winston McAnuff and Fixi-Big Brothers.
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 new releases each week. As a result, they take great care before buying a new album. Sometimes the cash strapped consumer choose something familiar rather than embrace the new and unfamiliar. In doing so, they miss out on releases of the quality of The Deli’s new album Jazz Cat which was recently released by Cold Busted Record Company.
For those unfamiliar with hip hop beat maker The Deli, he was born David Pryor, in Austin, Texas, over the last few years has forged his own unique style.
This came to the attention of many music journalists in 2016, when he released his debut albumin Vibes 3 on the Cold Busted Record Company. It showcased The Deli’s jazz-tinged, lush, and smooth take on instrumental hip-hop and featured Flowers, which was played fourteen million times on Spotify. Soon, some critics were comparing The Deli to boom-bap era greats like J Dilla, Pete Rock, Madlib, and MF Doom. They had all influenced The Deli, who was being described as one of hip hop’s rising stars,
Despite the success of the critically acclaimed Vibes 3, The Deli’s next album was Encounters a self-released cassette album released on the ‘1st’ June 2017. This low profile release was the only album The Deli released in 2017.
In 2018, Kid Abstrakt and The Deli joined forces to release Daydreaming. Then just a few months later, The Deli returned with his new album Jazz Cat.
On The Deli’s much anticipated album Jazz Cat features fifteen jazz-tinged tracks. They’re best described as laid back and smokey slices of enticing hip hop instrumentals where the past and present collide.
To do this, The Deli recycles the music of the past to create hip hop’s future. Especially on the cinematic city sound of Jazz Cat, as The Deli combines snares that snap and crackle with melodic piano chords. Elsewhere the music is filmic and rich in imagery and brings to mind big cities that would be the neural habitat of a Jazz Cat like The Deli. He’s also responsible for the dreamy and ruminative Virgo Flip and Fractals.
Very different is Spring a hip hop block party where The Deli provides a street smart soundtrack. He’s not done yet and has more surprises in store. This includes the carefully crafted and jazz-tinged Going Home, which gives way to Rainy Day In Japan that closes Jazz Can on another high.
The Deli’s new album Jazz Cat is a career defining release from the Austin-based beatmaker who has a big future in front of him. Especially if The Deli continues to release albums of the quality of Jazz Cat. This carefully craved album of jazz-tinged, smoky and cinematic sounding instrumental hip-hop showcases the considerable talents if hip hop’s rising star and Jazz Cat The Deli.
The Deli-Jazz Cat
BERT JANSCH-1965-1975: THE FIRST DECADE.
Bert Jansch-1965-1975: The First Decade.
Although folk singer Bert Jansch was born in Springburn, Glasgow on the ‘3rd’ of November 1943, he spent his formative years living in West Pilton, in Edinburgh, where he later, embarked upon a career as a professional musician. Before long, Bert Jansch was regarded as one of the leading lights of folk scene and looked destined for a long and successful career.
As 1965 dawned, folk singer Bert Jansch was signed to the Transatlantic label, and had released his eponymous debut album to critical acclaim on the ‘16th’ of April 1965. Eight months later, he released the followup It Don’t Bother Me to plaudits and praise. It looked as if the twenty-two year singer was about to enjoy a successful solo career.
With things looking good for Bert Jansch, he returned to the studio in early summer 1966, and was once again, joined by his friend John Renbourn as he recorded Jack Orion. When this third album of traditional folk was released in September 1966, the reviews were mixed. While some critics were won over by the album, and continued to fly the flag for the folk singer, others felt it was a weaker album than its predecessors. Despite that, Bert Jansch’s star was still in the ascendancy.
As 1967, dawned little did Bert Jansch realise that this would one of the most important year of his career. He entered the studio to record his fourth album Nicola in April 1967, which was Bert Jansch’s first folk rock album. When it was released in July 1967, many reviews were positive, but some weren’t sure about the new direction Bert Jansch’s music was heading. Bert Jansch had realised that his music had to evolve to stay relevant, and increase his fan-base. However, this wasn’t the only change made during 1967.
In 1967, Bert Jansch was one of the cofounders of Pentangle, which joined included his friend John Renbourn, Danny Thompson, Danny Cox and Jacqui McShee. They would combine disparate musical genres including blues, folk, folk rock and jazz over the next few years.
Having joined Pentangle, Bert Jansch’s solo career was put on hold as the new band began honing their sound and playing live. Then in 1968, Pentangle released their critically acclaimed debut album The Pentangle on the ’17th’ May 1968. It was followed by another album of folk rock Sweet Child, which was released on the ‘1st’ of November 1968 to plaudits and praise. After this, Bert Jansch’s thoughts turned to completing his sixth solo album.
Bert Jansch had started recording his sixth album in October 1968, and completed the album in November, just after Pentangle released Sweet Child. Two months later, Birthday Blues, which was produced by Shel Talmy, was released in January 1969 and was hailed as one of Bert Jansch’s finest albums. However, it would two years before Bert Jansch returned with the followup to Birthday Blues.
Buoyed by the response to Birthday Blues, Bert Jansch joined the rest of Pentangle and recorded the album Basket Of Light with producer Shel Talmy. When it was released on the ‘28th’ October 1969, it was to critical acclaim as the album reached number forty-three in Britain. Nowadays, Basket Of Light which finds Pentangle fusing folk jazz and fusion is now regarded as a minor classic, and one the Pentangle’s finest hours.
Meanwhile, Bert Jansch was working on his seventh album Rosemary Lane, between June 1970 and January 1971. Despite working on the album on and off for the best part of seventh months, Rosemary Lane, which was produced by Bill Leader received mixed reviews. This was a blow for Bert Jansch who had invested so much of his time into recording Rosemary Lane.
Two months later, and Bert Jansch was back in the studio, and spent three weeks during March 1971, recording Reflection, which was a genre-melting album. Reflection found Pentangle combining Celtic music, country, folk, folk rock, gospel and even funk on what was an ambitious and eclectic album, but one that didn’t find favour with all the critics. Some were unsure of Reflection, and their reviews were far from positive. It was a case of deja vu for Bert Jansch after the response to Rosemary Lane.
Despite the reviews of Rosemary Lane, Pentangle eventually returned to the studio and began work on their sixth album Solomon’s Seal. By then, Pentangle’s contract with Transatlantic had expired amidst arguments and wrangling over royalties. This resulted in Pentangle signing to Warner-Reprise, who had distributed their albums in America. Pentangle released Rosemary Lane on Reprise in September 1972, but the reviews were poor and so were the sales. Things weren’t looking good for Pentangle.
They got even worse when Bert Jansch announced his intention to leave Pentangle on On New Year’s Day, 1973. Melody Maker ran the story Pentangle to split in the first edition of 1973. It was the end of an era, that had ended with a disappointing swan-song that sold badly.
By then, the members of Pentangle had all spent the advances that they had received from Reprise, and owed the company significant sums of money. It would take the band until the early eighties before the advance was paid off. That was still to come, and in 1973, Bert Jansch was looking for a new record label.
He was no longer signed to Transatlantic, and had signed to Pentangle’s old label Reprise. Bert Jansch’s debut for his new label was Moonshine, which was released on Reprise in February 1973. It was produced by Danny Thompson, and saw Bert Jansch combine baroque folk and folk rock which found favour with the critics. However, after just one album, Bert Jansch left Reprise and signed for Charisma Records.
By then, Bert Jansch had written Chambertin which was one of two songs he recorded with Danny Thompson in early 1973 The other was John Renbourn’s Lady Nothing, which later, became part of Bert Jansch’s nine album L.A. Turnaround.
Having signed to Charisma, Bert Jansch began writing the rest of L.A. Turnaround, which was produced by former Monkee, Michael Nesmith, and released to widespread critical acclaim in September 1974. L.A. Turnaround was an album of blues, country rock, folk and folk rock and was hailed as , Bert Jansch’s finest hour.
Buoyed by the critical acclaim and commercial success that L.A. Turnaround, Bert Jansch returned with Santa Barbara Honeymoon in October 1975. It was a good, but not great album and was a disappointing followup to L.A. Turnaround. For Bert Jansch it was a case of what might have been as Santa Barbara Honeymoon failed to build on L.A. Turnaround.Santa Barbara Honeymoon was Bert Jansch’s tenth album since he released his debut in 1965, and was a somewhat disappointing way to close the first decade of his career.
Despite that, the first decade of Bert Jansch’s career was the most prolific and successful of a career that spanned five decades. During the period between 1965 and 1975, Bert Jansch divided his time between his solo carer and his former band Pentangle and by 1975 was regarded as one of the top British folk musicians.
This was just the start for Bert Jansch, who nowadays is regarded as one of the most influential folk musicians of his generation, who between 1965 and 1975 released some of his finest solo albums and was a member of the inimitable and pioneering Pentangle.
Bert Jansch-1965-1975: The First Decade.
MARCEL VOGEL’S LUMBERJACK’S IN HELL.
Marcel Vogel’s Lumberjacks In Hell
Label: BBE Music.
Release Date: ‘28th’ September 2018
German DJ and producer Marcel Vogel always believed he that had some unique to contribute to music from the moment he started: “cutting up soulful tunes in the early noughties. By 2010, Marcel Vogel had relocated was one of the rising stars of European DJ scene, and was establishing a reputation for his edits and productions.
The only problem Marcel Vogel encountered was finding the right label to release his edits and productions. That was why, eight years ago, in 2010, Marcel Vogel decided to found a new record label which he called Lumberjacks In Hell in hisAmsterdam, Holland which he now called home.
Initially, Marcel Vogel envisaged his Lumberjacks In Hell label as vehicle to release his own productions and edits. Before long, though, Lumberjacks In Hell began to operate like a traditional record label as it signed some of the stats of disco and modern dance music.
Over the next few years, Marcel Vogel signed artists like Theo Parrish, Ron Hardy, Questlove, Moodyman, Jazzy Jeff, and Gaslamp Killer to Lumberjacks In Hell’s roster. Soon, people were starting to take notice of a label that looked like it was going places.
By then, Marcel Vogel had tarted taking the Lumberjacks In Hell’s’ sound to various clubs and festivals around the world. This was perfect publicity for the Lumberjacks In Hell allowed and allowed them to interface with loyal and potential customers.
Across the globe, music fans were won over by and bought into Lumberjacks In Hell’s unique and inimitable vibe and vision. When this was combined with Lumberjacks In Hell’s carefully cultivated image and their timeless musical sound.
Led by general manager Marcel Vogel, Lumberjacks In Hell released both disco and house singles over the past eight years. They’ve been released to plaudits and praise and have found a loyal following all over the world. Especially Lumberjacks In Hell’s house singles which are best described as having a timeless sound that can be traced to the Windy City, Chicago.
That was where house music was born in the early eighties and sparked a musical revolution. Just over thirty years later, Marcel Vogel’s Amsterdam-based label Lumberjacks In Hell had established a reputation for releasing some of the best house music between 2010 and 2018.
No wonder, legends including Rahaan, Soulphiction, Karizma and Jamie 3:26 had all released quality singes on Lumberjacks In Hell. So had some relative unknowns who were already making waves on the house scene. All this resulted in 5 Magazine describing Lumberjacks In Hell. as “the best Chicago dance music label not based in Chicago.” This was high praise indeed for Marcel Vogel’s Lumberjacks In Hell label, who eight years later are breaking bread at house’s top table.
To celebrate the first eight year of Marcel Vogel’s Lumberjacks In Hell label, BBE Music will release a new compilation on ‘28th’ September 2018. This is the double album Marcel Vogel’s Lumberjacks In Hell Disc One is a seamless continuous mix from Marcel Vogel who weaves fourteen tracks including Govanni Damico’s Even The Stones, Beam Me Up’s Rabbit’s Foot, Seven Davis Jr’s Get To Know Me, Boogie Nite’s Jazz-A-Nova (Oooh), Harry Wolfman’s Ava and Jonna’s Everyday. These house and disco singles are guaranteed floor-fillers that ooze quality.
It’s a similar case on Disc Two Marcel Vogel’s Lumberjacks In Hell which in unmixed and features thirteen full length tracks. Having once again opened with Govanni Damico’s Even The Stone the quality continues and with Ant La Rock’s 2018 single Goddess and Krewcial’s hook-ladn house Over. That isn’t forgetting Nachtbraker’s Jared Fogle, Reece Johnson’s Neyt Life, Joel Holmes’s Outer Light and Frawl’s Be Good To Me which closes Marcel Vogel’s Lumberjacks In Hell on a resounding high.
For anyone whose followed the rise and rise of Marcel Vogel’s Lumberjacks In Hell label, then 28th’ September 2018 is a date for the diary. That is when BBE Music releases Marcel Vogel’s Lumberjacks In Hell which is a reminder of the disco and house the Amsterdam label has released since 2010.
The music that Marcel Vogel’s Lumberjacks In Hell label has released has showcased their timeless musical sound. Its roots can be traced back to Chicago, but sometimes, the music Marcel Vogel’s Amsterdam-based label gads released music has surpassed much if not all of the Winy City. Marcel Vogel’s Lumberjacks In Hell has come a long way in just eight years.
Proof of that is the music on Marcel Vogel’s Lumberjacks In Hell which is one the best compilations of disco and house released in recent months. Marcel Vogel’s Lumberjacks In Hell is quality all the way and shows why the label is dining at house’s top table.
Marcel Vogel’s Lumberjacks In Hell.
CRAIG ARMSTRONG-SUN ON YOU.
Craig Armstrong-Sun On You.
Label: Decca.
Over the past twenty years, Glasgow born Craig Armstrong has been one of the hardest working British composers and is the man many top film directors call when they’re looking for a score to their latest movie. This includes fellow Glaswegian Peter Mullan and Baz Luhrmann, who Craig Armstrong collaborated with and created the score to Moulin Rouge and The Great Gatsby. They’re two of the highest profile projects the quietly spoken fifty-nine year old award-winning composer has worked on during a long and illustrious career.
It began in 1981. after Craig Armstrong graduated from the Royal Academy Of Music in Glasgow, and became the music and dance specialist at Strathclyde Regional Council. A year later, Craig Armstrong joined Midge Ure’s band on his Gift World Tour. This was very different to his previous job was good experience for the twenty-six year old musician and composer.
In 1994, Craig Armstrong was commissioned by the Royal Shakespeare Company to write music for two new productions. This included The Broken Heart and The Tempest which were both directed by Michel Boyd. Craig Armstrong’s spell with the Royal Shakespeare Company ended in 2002, but by then his career was blossoming.
By then, Craig Armstrong was award-winning ssoundtrack composer with a BAFTA, Golden Globe, and American Film Institute Award, as well as World Soundtrack Award and a Golden Satellite Award for Moulin Rouge!. Despite being constantly in demand to score soundtracks and compose for television, Craig Armstrong had always wanted to embark upon a solo career.
This dream came true in February 1998 when Craig Armstrong released The Space Between Us to plaudits and praise. Some four years later he returned with his crucially acclaimed sophomore album As If To Nothing in February 2002. Since then, Craig Armstrong has continued to successfully juggle his solo career and soundtrack work.
That was the case until relatively recently, when the fifty-nine year old decided that after twenty years moving from project to project, the time had come to spend more time with his family and more time making solo albums. This included Sun On You which is Craig Armstrong’s debut album for Decca.
Sun On You finds an older and wiser Craig Armstrong revisit the music of his younger self. It’s an album of what Craig Armstrong regards as his own music.
This might sound like a strange thing to say, but it makes sense to Craig Armstrong and those who have followed his career closely. In the early days of his solo career, Craig Armstrong’s music was inimitable and showcased a talented composer and musician, However, after a few albums, Craig Armstrong started to be influenced by other musicians and bands. This was something has happened to many composers and artists over the years, and some are frustrated by this.
They try to detox their system and rid themselves of all the outside influences that might affect their music. This was what Craig Armstrong decided to do when he wrote and recorded Sun On You.
Having written sixteen tracks that are described as music for piano and strings, Craig Armstrong went back to basics. He played piano and produced on Sun On You, which meant that he had to eschew the impressive array of electronics that surrounded him in his recording studio. In their place was strings that came courtesy of the strings of the Scottish Ensemble. They joined Craig Armstrong at Gorbals Sound Studio, Glasgow, and AIR Studio, in London and recorded what became Sun On You.
Only when Sun On You was completed to Craig Armstrong’s satisfaction did he deliver the album to Decca. His new record won over executives at Decca, and Sun On You was released and marked the start of a new chapter for Craig Armstrong.
Sun On You is a carefully crafted and cinematic album of instrumental music from Craig Armstrong, This comes as no surprise given Craig Armstrong has spent three decades as a soundtrack composer.
The music on Sun On You is also emotive and expressive, and has been inspired by various abstract paintings, including those by Rothco. These paintings provided the inspiration for Craig Armstrong to create an album where as classical and cinematic music melt into one.
In doing so, Craig Armstrong and the string section of the Scottish Ensemble create music that is variously beautiful, cinematic, dramatic elegiac, emotive , ethereal and expressive. The music on Sun On You is also filmic.and sometimes haunting and uplifting on where Craig Armstrong hoes back to basics on an album of organic music.
Unlike previous albums, it’s just a piano and strings that featured on Sun On You, where the older Craig Armstrong seeks inspiration from his younger self on a carefully crafted fusion of filmic and cinematic music where one of Scotland’s leading composers and musicians roll back the years.
Craig Armstrong-Sun On You.
MOSTER!-STATES OF MIND.
Moster!-States Of Mind.
Label: Hubro Music.
In March 2015, Norwegian supergroup Moster! released their third album third album When You Cut Into The Present to widespread critical acclaim and hailed as a career defining release. Now three years later and Moster! return with their much-anticipated fourth album States Of Mind which has just been released on Hubro Music. States Of Mind is another groundbreaking album of genre-melting music from Moster!.
The Moster! story began in 2010, when Bushman’s Revenge saxophonist and bandleader Kjetil Møster decided to found a new group. Møster! was never intended to be a supergroup, but that was how it turned out.
Møster! was an accidental supergroup after Kjetil Møster brought onboard three of Norway’s most talented musicians. This included Motorpsycho and Grand Central drummer, Kenneth Kapstad. He was joined by two members of Elephant9, including keyboardist Ståle Storløkken and bassist Nikolai Hængsle Eilertsen, whose also a member of Big Bang. With Møster’s lineup complete, the made their debut at one Norway’s most prestigious festivals, the Kongsberg Jazz Festival in 2010.
Not many new bands get the opportunity to start launch their career at such a prestigious event, but Møster! did. Having taken the Kongsberg Jazz Festival by storm, Møster! left the stage to a standing ovation. Critics believed that it was time before Kjetil Møster’s new band would release their debut album. Sadly, they were wrong.
Edvard Lygre Møster
Three long years passed, before Møster! released their long-awaited debut album Edvard Lygre Møster, on Hubro Music in 2013. Looking back, this isn’t surprising. The four members of Møster! have other musical commitments, so finding time to record Møster!’s debut album wasn’t easy. However Edvard Lygre Møster was worth the wait,
Critical acclaim accompanied Møster!’s much-anticipated debut album Edvard Lygre Møster which was later hailed as one of the finest Norwegian albums of 2013. By then, Møster!’s music was finding an audience much further afield.
As 2013 drew to a close, Edvard Lygre Møster had found its way into New York City Jazz Records’ top ten jazz albums. Then when Prog Magazine published its list of the best albums of 2013, Edvard Lygre Møster was at number six. This was just the start of the Møster story.
Eagerly, critics, cultural commentators and music lovers awaited Møster’s next move. The next hurdle they had to overcome was their sophomore album, or what’s often referred to by critics as “the difficult second album.”
Inner Earth
When Møster began work on their sophomore album is Inner Earth, their was a new face in the studio. This was Motorpsycho guitarist Hans Magnus “Snah” Ryan. He joined saxophonist and bandleader Kjetil Møster and the rhythm section of drummer Kenneth Kapstad and bassist Nikolai Hængsle Eilertsen. This was the lineup of Møster that wrote and recorded Inner Earth.
Just like their debut album, Inner Earth was released to widespread critical acclaim. The music was an ambitious and innovative fusion of moods, textures and musical genres. It veered between dreamy, futuristic, lysergic and otherworldly to cinematic and melodic on the musical journey that was Inner Earth. Moster! had just released one of the best Norwegian albums of 2014;
After the release of Inner Earth, Møster! embarked upon what was a gruelling touring schedule. They toured with Norwegian-American band Young Mothers, and On that tour, Møster! worked hard, honing and tightening their sound even further and this paid off.
When You Cut Into The Present.
During a three-day break from their tour, Moster! entered the studio and recorded their third album When You Cut Into The Present which was released in November 2015,
When You Cut Into The Present found Møster! making huge strides on an album of hard rocking music. They kick loose from the opening bars of Nebula and Red Giant and never let go until the closing notes of Soundhouse Rumble. In between, listeners were treated a glorious assault on the sensory system which unleashes endorphins aplenty. This comes courtesy of those genre-melting innovators Møster!, and their critically acclaimed, career-defining third album When You Cut Into the Present.
States Of Mind.
After releasing a critically acclaimed and career defining album as When You Cut Into the Present, Moster began work on States Of Mind in the autumn of 2016, It looked like Moster wouldn’t be long before they returned with their fourth album in early 2017
The first recording session for States Of Mind took place between the ‘29th’ October and ‘2nd’ of November 2016 at Duper Studio, Bergen Kjøtt. Engineering the sessions was Jorgen Træen, who plays modular synths and lap steel guitar during the first States Of Mind sessions.
Six months later, the States Of Mind sessions resumed on the ‘9th’ May and concluded the ‘12th’ May 2017. By then, Moster had recorded ten tracks that became States Of Mind. It showcases Moster’s new sound.
States Of Mind was no ordinary album and was a groundbreaking release. It’s a double album which features two LPs that were conceived on what can only described as a grand scale. The ccontents include group improvisations and spontaneous compositions which sit side-by-side with themes written by one or two members of Moster or those they’ve been collaborating with. The result is new and innovative music from musical chameleons Moster.
Essentially States Of Mind combines Moster’s old sound with a new, ambitious and innovative album where freeform rock, gutbucket blues and harmolodic funk is fused by Moster and guest artist Jorgen Træe with contemporary jazz, experimental rock, free jazz and improv.To do this, Moster deploy a myriad of disparate instruments and effects.
While the rhythm section lock down the groove, a wailing saxophones is unleashed and are combined with everything from a clarinet, electronics and percussion to modular synths and lap steel guitar. This is all part of the musical tapestry that Moster weaved over two sessions and became States Of Mind.
During the two seasons, Moster and Jorgen Træen, created the ten tracks on States Of Mind which in innovative album of new and ambitious music. It’s also an album were many tracks are hardly indebted to music’s past. As a result, the music has a freshness as Moster become musical pioneers on States Of Mind.On other tracks Moster reference music’s pas on genre-melting tracks.
The music on States Of Mind finds Moster play with an intensity during what are best described full-on, and sometimes challenging jams where the band head in the direction of experimental rock, rather that what purists would define as jazz in the broadest sense orb the word.
Having said that, listen closer to States Of Mind, and the saxophone sounds similar to Duke Ellington’s “jungle music” and the Texas hands Ornette Coleman once played in before becoming one of the legends of jazz.
By then, Coleman Hawkins just like John Coltrane and Albert Ayler were among those whip adopted the tough tenor sound which play a part in the Moster sound. It adds more than a degree of intensity similar to John Coltrane on States Of Mind which is another genre-melting album by Moster,
They combine mesmeric electric blues and boogie on States Of Mind which features electronica, experiential rock, funk, improv, jazz and rock. States Of Mind which is an extraordinary album. It features the musical amuse bouche Plate Sized Eyes when lasts a minute to the twenty-minute epic Brainwave Entrainment and What A Flop Waking Up which closes States Of Mind which is Moster’s groundbreaking genre-melting opus where they continue to reach new heights.
Moster! States Of Mind.
WILLIE HIGHTOWER-OUT OF THE BLUE.
Willie Hightower-Out Of The Blue.
Label: Ace Records.
Sadly, nowadays ageism is rife in society and many experienced and talented professionals are consigned to the scrap-heap. Many talented and experienced people are suddenly jettisoned by organisations who should know better. Many of these people are only in their fifties and sixties and have a lot to offer their chosen professions.So does seventy-seven year old soul singer Willie Hightower, a man with an impeccable musical pedigree.
Willie Hightower lives in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, which is the home of Southern Soul,and has enjoyed a long and illustrious career that began in he fifties and has spanned seven decades. Sadly, since the noughties Willie Hightower hasn’t spent much time in the studio although the veteran soul man still puts on a remarkable show.
That was the case in 2017 when Willie Hightower appeared at Graziano Uliani’s annual Porretta Soul Festival in Italy, where he was backed by the Anthony Paule Soul Orchestra from the San Francisco Bay Area. During each performance, the veteran soul man rolled back the years as he revisited hits like If I Had A Hammer. As Willie Hightower took his final bow, many in the audience thought he was about to head home. Willie Hightower had other plans.
Seventy-six year old Willie Hightower had signed a recording contract with ninety-four year old Memphis producer Quinton Claunch. The pair who had a combined age of 160 were about to turn back time to the sixties, which was a golden age for soul, and especially Southern Soul, when they recorded a new album.
This was Willie Hightower’s new album Out Of The Blue, which was released on Ace Records and produced Quinton Claunch. Out Of The Blue features ten new songs which features the unmistakable voice of Willie Hightower and a tight, talented band who play with feel and passion.
These musicians are creme de la creme of Muscle Shoals musicians, including veteran season players, keyboardist Clayton Ivey and guitarists Travis Wammack and Will McFarlane. They’re joined by a new generation of musicians, while Billy Lawson co-produces Out Of The Blue.
When Willie Hightower completed recording of Out Of The Blue with producer Quinton Claunch. the veteran soul man said the he was: “really pleased with his new album. Willie Hightower was just being modest and had recorded an album to be proud of.
This they managed to during relaxed and laid-back sessions where the two men often quipped their way through the day while laying down the tracks that later became Out Of The Blue. The two veterans were enjoying being back in the studio. Willie Hightower remarked that: when you get a good bunch [of musicians] together and a couple of guys at the controls who know what they are doing, it’s hard to see anything really going wrong.”
Very little went wrong and Willie Hightower had soon recorded the ten songs that became Out Of The Blue which was recently released by Ace Records.
On Out Of The Blue, Willie Hightower combines country soul, gospel, R&B and Southern Soul. It’s also an album that has been influenced by everyone from tender gospel-tinged sound of Sam Cooke to Johnnie Taylor. There’s also a freshness to the songs on Out Of The Blue which are the polar opposite to albums of third rate cover versions revisited by lesser names than Willie Hightower.
He opens Out Of The Blue with a heartfelt rendition of I Found You, before an emotional reading of Raining All The Time. This gives way to a tender cover of Rock Me Gently and the soul-baring and soulful Somewhere Dry. Equally beautiful is the Southern Soul of Tired Of Losing You.
Country soul meets Southern Soul on You Can’t Love Me (Better Than You’re Lovin’ Me Now), while No Gettin’ Over Me is a classy and heartfelt Southern Soul ballad. The balladry continues on the tender Easy Lovin’ and Everybody Wants My Girl which features a rueful vocal from Willie Hightower He closes Out Of The Blue with the melodic and memorable Who Who Who. It completes Willie Hightower’’s comeback on Out Of The Blue.
Seventy-seven year old Willie Hightower has been away from the studio for far too long, and recently the veteran soul man released with Out Of The Blue which was released by Ace Records. Out Of The Blue was produced by legionary producer producer Quinton Claunch, who helps Willie Hightower roll back the years.
To do that, Willie Hightower combines country soul, gospel, R&B and Southern Soul on on Out Of The Blue. There’s freshness to the music on Out Of The Blue which is beautiful, emotive, heartfelt, smooth and soulful. Out Of The Blue is a carefully crafted album where Willie Hightower testifies his through ten tracks, and makes a welcome comeback, proving class is permanent.
Willie Hightower-Out Of The Blue.
RALPH THOMAS-EASTERN STANDARD TIME.
Ralph Thomas-Eastern Standard Time.
Label: BBE.
Back in 1980, Ralph Thomas released his debut album Eastern Standard Time on the obscure Zebra Jazz imprint. Sadly, this spiritual jazz cult classic failed to find the audience it deserved until much later.
By them, copies of Eastern Standard Time were almost impossible to find, and when a copy came up for sale. the prices were prohibitively high for most jazz fans. They were unable or unwilling to spend a couple of hundred pounds on a copy of Ralph Thomas ’s oft-overlooked hidden gem Eastern Standard Time.
Now though, jazz fans everywhere can enjoy Ralph Thomas’ Eastern Standard Time which has just been released BBE. At last, this spiritual jazz cult classic will be heard by the audience it so richly deserves. Eastern Standard Time is a reminder of a talented and versatile reedman, Ralph Thomas
Ralph Thomas was born into musical family in the Windy City of Chicago in 1950. Growing up, Ralph Thomas’ principal instrument was the saxophone, but he was able to play a variety of different instruments. It was no surprise when Ralph Thomas decided to study music at one of Chicago’s most venerable institutions.
In 1969, nineteen year old Ralph Thomas nerved at the Chicago Conservatory of Music which was his home for the next few years. During this period, he became a member of the Chicago A.A.C.M, and studded alongside master musicians Phil Cohran and Richard Muhal Abrams. By then, Ralph Thomas was keen to put what he had learnt into practise.
Soon, Ralph Thomas was recording with blues legend, Howlin’ Wolf and Mighty Joe Young for the Cadet imprint of Chess records. Although this was just the start of his career he was already working with some big names,
Five years layer, this continued when Ralph Thomas moved to LA and continued to work as a session player ‘20th’ Century Fox and Motown. Ralph Thomas recorded with Marvin Gaye, Jermaine Jackson, Smokey Robinson and Rick James. A talented and versatile reedman, Ralph Thomas was never short of offers of work.
As the eighties dawned, Ralph Thomas was keen to embark upon a solo career. While Ralph Thomas enjoyed session work, a solo career was how he saw his career progressing.
By them, he had written Cafe Phillipp, E.S.T. and Spellbound and penned Muscavado and Venice with Lawrence Dixon. Ralph Thomas and Thierry Sharfe write Doloreso which was joined by Joel Ector’s Big Spliff. These seven tracks were played by Ralph Thomas and his babd and became Eastern Standard Time,
Ralph Thomas arranehd and produced Eastern Standard Time, alto, tenor, soprano and baritone saxophone and flute. His rhythm section featured drummer and percussionist Joel Vierset, bassist Joel Ector and guitarist Thierry Sharfe, They were joined by flautist Joann Leauanthal, percussionist Warren Thomas and keyboardist Lawrence Dixon who also played,
One the ‘9th’ of January 1980, Eastern Standard Time was released on Zebra Jazz, but sadly failed to find the audience it deserved. With tracks of the quality of Cafe Phillipp, EST, Spellbound, Muscavado and Venice, Eastern Standard Time where Ralph Thomas and his talented band combined hard bop, modal, posy bop and spiritual jazz. The result was astern Standard Time ambitious and innovative debut album from Ralph Thomas.
It wasn’t until much later that this Ralph Thomas spiritual jazz cult classic started to receive the recognition it deserved, By them, copies of Eastern Standard Time were almost impossible to find, and when a copy came up for sale, the prices were prohibitively high for most jazz fans. They were unable to spend $150 or $200 on a copy of Ralph Thomas ’s oft-overlooked hidden gem Eastern Standard Time.
Forty-eight years later, jazz fans everywhere can enjoy Ralph Thomas’ Eastern Standard Time which has just been released by BBE. Now Eastern Standard Time which is a s spiritual jazz cult classic can l be beard by the audience it so richly deserves and isa reminder of a talented and versatile reedman, Ralph Thomas.
Ralph Thomas-Eastern Standard Time.
ROBERT ‘ROBI’ SVÄRD-ALQUIMIA.
Robert ‘Robi’ Svärd-Alquimia,
Label: Asphalt Tango Records.
In 2016, Swedish flamenco guitarist Robert ‘Robi’ Svärd release his debut album Pa’ki Pa’ka to widespread critical acclaim. Soon, Robert ‘Robi’ Svärd’s debut album Pa’ki Pa’ka was finding the wider audience that it so richly deserved. However, things got even better for Robert ‘Robi’ Svärd when he received the recognition of his peers.
This is the recognition that deep down, every singer or musician secretly craves. In Robert ‘Robi’ Svärd’s case, hearing the praise of his peers meant that all his years of practise and studying had been worthwhile and he was gradually being accepted into flamenco’s inner circle.
Traditionalists believe that unless the only true flamencos are those born in the Andalusia region of Southern Spain. In the eyes of the traditionalists, anyone born outside of Andalusia will never be regarded as a true flamenco. It doesn’t matter how technically brilliant a singer, dancer or guitarist the outsiders are. This would disqualify Robert ‘Robi’ Svärd from being regarded as a true flamenco as he was born in Sweden.
Future flamenco Robert ‘Robi’ Svärd was born in Gothenburg, Sweden, in 1975, and developed an interested in the guitar at an early age. Robert ‘Robi’ Svärd was just four when he first picked up a guitar and strummed his first few chords. Straight away, he was captivated by the guitar, and began a journey that continues nearly forty years later.
By 1992, Robert ‘Robi’ Svärd left Sweden behind to continue his musical education in Sydney, Australia. The young guitarist enrolled at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music where he was taught by Gregory Pikler. His guidance over the next few years, and Robert ‘Robi’ Svärd’s dedication and practise paid off.
Soon, Robert ‘Robi’ Svärd was maturing and developing into a talented musician and artist who won many prizes and awards. Robert ‘Robi’ Svärd was nominated for the 1997 Young Achievers Award and won the Sydney Eistedfodd Classical Guitar Competition 1998. This led to an invitations to perform at the Sydney Opera House and on television and radio. However, this was Robert ‘Robi’ Svärd’s Australian swan-song.
In 1998, Robert ‘Robi’ Svärd Robi decided to make the move to Seville, in Spain, to study flamenco. He was soon recognised for both his rhythmical and technical ability on the guitar. This was enough to earn Robert ‘Robi’ Svärd the respect of Seville’s flamencos.
So much so, that between 1998 and 2002, Robert ‘Robi’ Svärd played alongside some of Spain’s popular musicians and accompanied many top Spanish dancers. This included Rafael Amador of Pata Negra, El Pechuga and La Cabra Mecánica. However, the biggest albums Robert ‘Robi’ Svärd played on was La Cabra Mecánica ’Vestidos de Domingo which was nominated for a Grammy Award. This was a huge boost to Robert ‘Robi’ Svärd’s career.
After this, Robert ‘Robi’ Svärd embarked upon extensive tours of Spain and Europe. By then, the flamenco guitarist had returned home to Sweden, where he began to work on various projects. This included working with the popular singer Alfredo Tejada Heredia and the percussionist Miguel “Cheyenne.” However, the most important release was Robert ‘Robi’ Svärd’s debut
Having recorded his debut album Pa’ki Pa’ka”, it was released to widespread critical acclaim on Asphalt Tango Records in April 2016.
After the release of Pa’ki Pa’ka back in 2016 caused the album found an audiences within the leading figures within the flamenco scene. They were captivated the Swedish flamenco guitarist who they regarded as of their own. It didn’t matter that he was born in Sweden, not the Andalusia region. For Robert ‘Robi’ Svärd the recognition and respect of his peers made all the hard work and dedication worthwhile as he was regarded as a flamenco.
Robert ‘Robi’ Svärd’s peer even agreed to appear on his sophomore album Alquimia,which has just been erased on Asphalt Tango Records.This carefully crafted fusion of flamenco, Spanish and world music features an all-star cast.
Some of the living legends and giants of flamenco join forces with Robert ‘Robi’ Svärd on Alquimia. This includes El Potito, Niño Josele, Luis Moneo and Pepe Torres who appear on Alquimia. So does Alfredo Tejada, whose sonorous and charismatic vocal played a leading role om Pa’ki Pa’ka. He makes a welcome return on Alquimia and is one of twenty guest artists that feature on what’s one of the best flamenco albums of 2018.
Alquimia is an album that oozes quality from the opening bars of the title track right through to the closing notes of Reencuentro, Along with tracks of the quality if Alquimia, La Luna Quiere Bailarm, Nor Jugha and Callej¢n Del Agua Alquimia marks the musical coming of age of Swedish flamenco Robert ‘Robi’ Svärd on could future genre classic.
Robert ‘Robi’ Svärd-Alquimia,
THE POPOL VUH STORY
The Popol Vuh Story
In West Germany in the early seventies, a number of groundbreaking bands were formed including one of the most important, innovative and influential bands in the history of German music, Popol Vuh. Over the next three decades Popol Vuh. established a reputation for releasing ambitious and innovative music that influenced the next generation of musicians. This was the case from the release of Popol Vuh’s 1970 debut album Affenstunde, right through to their twentieth album Messa Di Orfeo, which was released in 1999 and was their swan-song.
By 1999, Popol Vuh was regarded as one of the legendary German bands. and were held in the same regard as Can, Cluster, Harmonia, Kraftwerk, Neu and Tangerine Dream, who Florian Fricke later joined. Just like each of these bands, Popol Vuh’s music has played an integral and important part in German musical history. Part of Popol Vuh’s success, was keyboardist Florian Fricke.
Florian Fricke was born in Lindau Am Bodensee, West Germany on the ‘23rd’ of February 1944. Growing up, Florian Fricke learnt to play the piano, and quickly, had mastered the instrument. When he left high school, Florian Fricke studied piano, composition and directing at the Conservatories in Freiburg and Munich. By then, Florian had two new passions.
The first was music, which was one of Florian Fricke’s passions in life. Especially new music, and this included free jazz, which Florian Fricke embraced. He through himself into this new musical genre, and quickly, realised its potential and possibilities. However, there was more to Florian’s life than making music.
In his spare time, Florian Fricke had started to make short films. Although it was just a hobby, he would later become a film critic for the Swiss newspaper Neue Zürcher Zeitung. By then, he had already some experience as a critic.
When he was a student, Florian Fricke was the music critic for Der Spiegel, a German magazine. Music and art seemed to dominate Florian Fricke’s life.
That was the case when Florian graduated. In 1967, Florian Fricke met film director Werner Herzog, and the two became friends, Just a year later in 1968, Florian Fricke landed a part in Werner Herzog’s film, Lebenszeichen. This was just the start of their relationship. They would reunite in 1972, but before that, Florian Fricke formed Popul Vuh in 1970.
Joining Florian Fricke in Popol Vuh, were percussionist Holger Truelzsch and fellow synth player Frank Fiedler. All the nascent group took its name from an ancient, sacred, Mayan manuscript. With a name in place, Popol Vuh began work on Affenstunde, the first of twenty albums they released.
From the earliest days of Popol Vuh, Florian Fricke established himself as the group’s leader. He had been one of the first musicians to own a Moog II synth which wasn’t an easy instrument to “tame.” Florian Fricke, a talented keyboardist soon got to grips with what was cutting edge technology. However, it was the Moog II would be used extensively on Popol Vuh’s debut album Affenstunde.
Recording of Affenstunde took place at Bavaria Music Studio, in Munich, where Popol Vuh were joined by Bettina Fricke. She produced Affenstunde with Gerhard Augustin and the producers guided the nascent group through their debut album. It featured just four tracks that were innovative and influential tracks. Especially Affenstunde, a near nineteen minute epic, which took up all of side two.
When Affenstunde was released later in 1970, the album was described variously as space rock and cosmic music. It was very different to much of the music being released. While there were other like-minded groups releasing similarly innovative and influential music very few would enjoy the longevity of Popol Vuh.
Just a year later, in 1971, Popol Vuh returned with In den Gärten Pharaos, which was a precursor of ambient music. Popul Vuh deployed Florian’s Moog II and add a myriad of experimental electronic sounds on In den Gärten Pharaos which was perceived variously as groundbreaking, experimental and thanks to the African percussion, exotic. Vuh, which took up side two of In den Gärten Pharaos was perceived as kosmische musik at its most spiritual. In den Gärten Pharaos was the first classic album of Popol Vuh’s long and illustrious career.
Popol Vuh’s third album, Hosianna Mantra was released in 1972, but passed many critics and record buyers by. By them, Popol Vuh’s lineup changed for the first time, and . Florian Fricke was the only remaining original member of the band left. Over the next three decades there were many more changes in the lineup, which is is best described as fluid.
That didn’t seem to matter as Hosianna Mantra featured music that was timeless, spiritual and innovative. Sadly, it went almost unheard of outside Germany. It was only later, that Hosianna Mantra found the audience it so richly deserved. However, Hosianna Mantra wasn’t the only album Popol Vuh released during 1972 after Florian Fricke renewed his friendship with Werner Herzog.
By 1972, Werner Herzog was producing the conquistador movie Aguirre, The Wrath Of God and needed someone to provide the soundtrack. That’s where Popol Vuh came in. Not only did Popol Vuh provide the soundtrack to He needed someone to provide the soundtrack to A Aguirre, The Wrath Of God, but Heart Of Glass in 1976 and 1979s Nosferatu The Vampyre. The combination of Popol Vuh and Werner Herzog proved a successful one. Popol Vuh were already experienced and accomplished when it came to composing soundtracks. This would stand Popol Vun in good stead later in their career.
Before that, the German music scene was thriving during the seventies, and Popol Vuh released an album every year of the seventies. Very rarely, did they disappoint. The nearest they came was with 1973s Seligpreisung which received mixed reviews from critics.
Popol Vuh more than made up for this with 1974s Einsjäger und Siebenjäger which is now recognised as one of their best albums of the seventies. The followup Das Hohelied Salomos was released in 1975, and featured Popol Vuh showcasing New Age music. Constantly, it seemed Popol Vuh reinvented their music. However, later in 1975, Popul Vuh returned to the world of soundtracks and penned the soundtrack to Werner Herzog’s latest film, Aguirre, The Wrath Of God. The soundtrack, Aguirre became Popol Vuh’s seventh album since 1970.
In 1976, Popol Vuh returned with their eighth album, Letzte Tage–Letzte Nächte was released to critical acclaim, and ensured that Popol Vuh were seen as purveyors of ambitious, exciting and groundbreaking music. Partly, that was down to Popol Vuh’s determination to push musical boundaries to their limits.
Popol Vuh’s reputation was further enhanced when they recorded the soundtrack to Werner Herzog’s movie Herz aus Glas in 1978.
Later in 1978, Popol Vuh released Brüder des Schatten–Söhne des Lichts which they had recorded in August of 1978. When it was released on Brian Records, critics embraced the Gerhard Augustin produced album. Despite the critical acclaim lavished on their albums, still many people were unaware of Popol Vuh.
Fortunately, Popol Vuh were about to write and record the soundtrack to another film directed by Werner Herzog, Nosferatu. This exposed Popol Vuh’s music to a wider audience, and Nosferatu was hailed as one of their finest soundtrack albums, and Popol Vuh’s penultimate album of the seventies.
Die Nacht der Seele, which was subtitled tantric songs, was released to critical acclaim in 1979, and was a fitting way for Popol Vuh to close the seventies. Incredibly, Die Nacht der Seele was Popol Vuh’s twelfth album since they formed in 1970.
During the eighties, Popol Vuh were no longer as prolific as they were during the seventies, and only released four albums. The first was Sei Still, Wisse Ich Bin, which was released in 1981, two years after Die Nacht der Seele. It was well worth the wait as Die Nacht der Seele saw Popol Vuh reinvent themselves once again on another ambitious and innovative album which was released to widespread critical acclaim. However, after Die Nacht der Seel, it was another two years before Popol Vuh returned.
When they did, it was with Agape-Agape. The album was released on the Norwegian label Uniton. Agape-Agape found Popol Vuh creating music that was variously, beautiful, captivating, dramatic and as one would expect from Popol Vuh, groundbreaking. It won the approval of critics, but didn’t find a wide audience. Sadly, neither did Florian’s debut solo album.
After thirteen years as a professional musician, Florian Fricke somewhat belatedly, released his much-anticipated debut album Die Erde Und Ich Sind Eins in 1983. Despite his status as one of the most innovative German musicians of his generation, Florian Fricke found himself releasing Erde Und Ich Sind Eins as a private pressing. Just like Popol Vuh, he wasn’t getting the credit he deserved. Meanwhile, Can, Kraftwerk and Neu! were receiving all the plaudits. Despite that, Popol Vuh and Florian Fricke continued to make music.
1985 saw Popol Vuh release the fifteenth album of their career, Spirit Of Peace which was released on the French label, Spalax. Despite its quality, and how highly regarded their music was by some critics, Popol Vuh albums weren’t selling in vast quantities. So when Warner Herzog used We Know About The Need The as part of the soundtrack to Dark Glow Of The Mountains, this was welcomed by Popol Vuh.
Two years later, and Popol Vuh Walter Herzog were reunited.Walter Herzog was directing Cobra Verde. He needed someone to compose and record the soundtrack to Cobra Verde. By then, Popol Vuh were had plenty of experienced writing and recording soundtracks. They had also worked extensively with Walter Herzog so it made sense that they provide the soundtrack. However, the Cobra Verde soundtrack was released to mixed reviews. This was disappointing for Popol Vuh who didn’t release another album during the eighties.
It wasn’t until 1991 that Popol Vuh released another album. Again, it was a soundtrack album. This time, the soundtrack was for the film For You and Me and was described as: “a celebration of world music.” For You and Me showcased Popol Vuh’s versatility and ability to switch between genres. However, some critics didn’t seem to “get” the music, and again, reviews were mixed., and it was another four years before Popol Vuh returned.
Before that, Florian Fricke released another solo album. This time, it was an album of classical music. Florian Fricke Plays Mozart was released in 1992, and showcased another side to the Popol Vuh leader. Unknown to some people, Florian was a keen student of classical music and had studied music at the Conservatories in Freiburg and Munich, and just as comfortable playing classical music than working with Popol Vuh. So in his down time from Popol Vuh, Florian often composed piano pieces, However, in 1995 Popol Vuh returned with their eighteenth album.
City Raga had been recorded at the New African Studios, in Munich by Florian Fricke, Guido Hieronymus, and Maya Rose who had composed the seven tracks. This latest lineup of Popol Vuh were joined by Daniel Fichelscher and the Kathmandu Children’s Choir. The result was a captivating album from Popol Vuh.
Another two years passed before Popol Vuh returned with their nineteenth Shepherd’s Symphony-Hirtensymphonie. Again, Popol Vuh’s lineup had changed. They were still a trio featuring Florian, Guido Hieronymus and Frank Fielder, who would later collaborate with Florian Fricke. Before that, the latest lineup of Popol Vuh headed off into the studio.
The three members of Popol Vuh made their way to Afro Sounds Studio, in Munich and between September 1995 and March 1996 recorded Shepherd’s Symphony-Hirtensymphonie. It was released in 1997 and wowed critics.
Popol Vuh’s swan-sonn was Messa Di Orfeo which was recorded at an audio-video light installation in the Labyrinth of Molfetta, Bari, Apulia on the ‘20th’ of September 1998. The album was written, directed and produced by keyboardist Florian Fricke with Maya Rose taking charge of vocals and featured a recitation from Guillermina De Gennaro. It plays its part in an album that is a mixture of cinematic music and drama where Popol Vuh combine elements of ambient, avant-garde , Berlin School, and electronic music. There’s even elements of New Age and world music that provided the soundtrack to audio-video-light installation that was a one-off.
Sadly Messa Di Orfeo was Popol Vuh’s swan-song and German music was in mourning when Florian Fricke passed away ahed just fifty-seven in 2001. German music mourned the passing of one of its pioneers Florian Fricke,
Throughout a career that spanned three decades Florian Fricke led Popol Vuh as they released music that was innovative and influential. Constantly, Popol Vuh pushed musical boundaries, and constantly reinvented their own music and their back catalogue is best described as eclectic. Maybe, that’s because Popol Vuh’s lineupwas constantly evolving?
With a lineup that can only be described as fluid, Popol Vuh release some of the most groundbreaking music of the seventies and eighties. That period, was what many regard as the golden era of German music.
Sadly, Popol Vuh often didn’t get the credit they deserve, and instead, Ash Ra, Can, Cluster, Kraftwerk and Harmonia received the plaudits. To some extent, Popol Vuh, who were much more prolific than most of their contemporaries, are the forgotten group of the golden era of German music. However, that is starting to change and Popol Vuh are starting to receive the credit for a glittering career where they released innovative and influential music.
The Popol Vuh Story
FOR THE ARCHIVES VOLUME 2 COMPILED BY VOLCOV.
From The Archive Volume 2 Compiled By Volcov.
Label: BBE.
Compilation Of The Week.
When BBE released From The Archive Volume 1 Compiled By Volcov to critical acclaim in March 2016, critics and record buyers wondered aloud whether there would be a follow-up? Just over two years later and the much-anticipated followup From The Archive Volume 2 Compiled By Volcov was released by BBE. It’s a compilation that is well worth the wait.
Since the release of the first instalment in the series, Enrico Crivellaro a.k.a. Volcov has been busy with his own Neroli label. It’s been going strong for two decades and since the release of From The Archive Volume 1 Compiled By Volcov, has released album s Dego Lars Bartkuhn, Trinidadian Deep and Alton Miller. However, it’s not running a label and curating compilations that keep Volcov busy.
Volcov is also a globetrotting DJ, whose known for his eclectic sets. However, Volcov’s musical roots are once apparent o this jazz-tinged compilation that features multiple musical genres from several continents.
Volcov explains why he’s chosen the tracks on From The Archive Volume 2 Compiled By Volcov: “the spirit and the sound of this album follows the first volume: choosing more songs that i thought were overlooked and deserved more attention. This time, with such a crowded marketplace for reissues and compilation of 70s-80s music, I decided only to focus on songs from the last 10-15 years.”
From The Archive Volume 2 Compiled By Volcov includes a couple of tracks that have never before released on vinyl. This includes Harry Whitaker’s Afterlife Volume 2 and Ron Trent’s, Ori Space. These two tracks are part of a truly eclectic compilation .
There’s everything from futuristic jazz, intimate downtempo soul and dancefloor friendly sounds on From The Archive Volume 2 Compiled By Volcov.
From The Archive Volume 2 Compiled By Volcovt opens with All That Glitters which was written and produced by Carleen Anderson and featured on her album Cage Street Memorial The Pilgrimage. It was released in 2016 by Freestyle Records. All That Glitters with its beautiful intimate downtempo soul is the perfect way to open the compilation and sets the tone for what follows.
Collective Peace’s piano led Let The Music Play was originally a CD only Detroit release in 2016. It has another understated arrangement that meanders along as the ethereal vocal which is augmented by harmonies takes centre-stage. The only way to describe Let The Music Play is a spellbinding hidden gem.
Eric Lau remixed Ruth Koleva’s Turn It Around which wrote, arranged and produced and released in 2015, It was after this that Eric Lau remixed Turn It Around which is jazz-tinged and soulful as crisp hip hop beats and Nu Soul combine seamlessly.
The Rebirth recorded Caterpillar for their album Being Thru The Eyes Of A Child which was released in 2015. Futuristic, lysergic, dreamy and melodic descries Caterpillar.
Ten years ago, in 2008, Ron Trent released a CD only album Cinematic Travels-Ancient/Future. One of the highlights is Ori Space which sounds like a tribute to the legendary and innovative French violinist Jean-Luc Ponty.
Herbie Hancock Spiraling Prism which was covered by Ian O’Brien on his 2013 CD album Understanding Is Everything which was only released in Japan. All the tracks were arranged and produced by Ian O’Brien including Spiraling Prism which is a smooth jazz-tinged and sometimes funky track.
One of music’s best kept secrets in Andy Bey, who released the cult classic Experience and Judgment in 1974. This one of many albums that Andy Bey has recorded, and they’ve influenced many musicians including Intuit who joins forces with Andy Bey on the Planet Birth. The version included is the Volcov Edit of Xantone Blacq Remix. It’s another genre-melting which elements of electronica, hip hop, jazz and soul of a song that veers between smooth and soulful to experimental.
Quentin Kane and Simon Sheldon wrote, arranged, produced and performed The Blue Room which features TK Blue. The version on the compilation isKaidi Tatham’s Shokazulu Remix which was released in 2016 and guaranteed to fill a dancefloor,
The IG SOS Mix of Numbers’ Moonblood was released in 2001. It’s regarded as a West London Co-Op classic and seventeen years later, is a real rarity,
Josh Milan wrote I Put A Spell On You which he produced with Louie Vega. It was recorded by Honey Sweet and features Cindy Missile and released in 2015. Its jazz-tinged electronica with a powerhouse of a vocal and snares that play an important part in the mix.
Skymark released Finding The Peace on Volcov’s Neroli label in 2012. It’s a futuristic, space-age jam from the Spanish producer Skymark.
Harry Whitaker wrote and produced The After Life Part 2 which is a truly memorable jazz dance track from 2008.
Volcov Edit’s of Tony Williams Lawra closes From The Archive Volume 2 Compiled By Volcov. Lawra was released in 1980 and is taken from the soulful slice of fusion from the album Play Or Die.
Just over two years after the release of the critically acclaimed compilation From The Archive Volume 1 Compiled By Volcov, comes the much-anticipated followup From The Archive Volume 2 Compiled By Volcov. It was recently released on BBE and From The Archive Volume 2 Compiled By Volcov and this lovingly curated and eclectic compilation surpasses the quality of music on the first instalment in the series.
Eclectic describes the music on From The Archive Volume 2 Compiled By Volcov includes everything jazz, fusion, funk and soul with diversions via Nu Soul, electronica , experimental and various types of dance music. However, one thing shines through on From The Archive Volume 2 Compiled By Volcov is the consistency and quality of music on what’s without doubt one of the best jazz tinged compilations of 2018.
From The Archive Volume 2 Compiled By Volcov.
THE SPINNERS-WHILE THE CITY SLEEPS.
The Spinners-While The City Sleeps.
Label: Kent Soul,
In 1964, The Spinners signed a seven-year recording contract with Berry Gordy’s Motown label, which the Detroit-based group would transform their fortunes. They had already enjoyed two hit singles That’s What Girls Are Made For and Love (I’m So Glad) I Found You in 1961. Since then, commercial success had eluded The Spinners, but with the might of the Motown machine behind them they hoped that they would return to their hit making days.
Having signed to Motown, it wasn’t long before The Spinners entered the recording and studio and made their first recording for their new label. This was the first of 130 songs The Spinners recorded for Motown. However despite their recording such a vast amount of material, The Spinners only released six single and two albums.
This includes their 1970 sophomore album 2nd Time Around which features on While The City Sleeps which was recently released by Kent Soul, an imprint of Ace Records. 2nd Time Around was the last album The Spinners released and the last before Thom Bell transformed their career. That was all in the future.
Motown’s new signing entered the studio to record their debut single Sweet Thing, When The Spinners released Sweet Thing , Motown had high hopes for the singe, but alas, it failed to trouble the charts. For The Spinners this was a huge disappointment as their search for a hit continued.
The search ended when The Spinners released I’ll Always Love You in 1965 and reached thirty-five in the US Billboard 100 and eight in the US R&B charts. The Spinners had their first American hit single in four years. Thing got even better when I’ll Always Love You reached number seven in Canada. This was The Spinners first hit single in Canada, and it looked as they were on the verge of a breakthrough.
In 1967, The Spinners released their debut album The Original Spinners. It featured The Spinners’ 1961 debut That’s What Girls Are Made For and their hits I’ll Always Love You and Truly Yours. These three songs were among the twelve soulful offerings that featured on The Original Spinners, which was released to plaudits and praise. Despite that, The Original Spinners failed to chart and to make matters worse For All We Know failed to trouble the charts.
When The Spinners released Bad, Bad Weather (Till You Come Home) in 1968, history repeated itself as the single failed to chart. By then, the members of The Spinners were struggling to make ends meet.
In desperate need of money, members of The Spinners sung backing vocals, swept studio and even performed as The Black Beatles. The Motown years weren’t the dream that The Spinners had hoped.
Things went from bad to worse in 1969 when In My Diary failed to chart. That meant that four years has passed since The Spinners last hit. As the sixties gave way to the seventies, The Spinners needed a hit single.
Three years after the release of The Original Spinners, 2nd Time Around was scheduled to be released in October 1970 on Motown’s VIP imprint. 2nd Time Around featured singles like Bad, Bad Weather (Till You Come Home) Bad, Bad Weather (Till You Come Home) and In My Diary which were joined by songs from some of Motown’s top songwriters. Stevie Wonder who was friendly with The Spinners joined forces with Syreeta Wright and Lee Garrett to write It’s A Shame. It was one of twelve songs on 2nd Time Around.
When The Spinners recorded 2nd Time Around it was with a new lead vocalist, CC Cameron. He and the rest of The Spinners were joined by Stevie Wonder who plays drums on, and produces It’s A Shame. He was one of several producers who played their part in 2nd Time Around where The Funk Brothers accompanied The Spinners who had soon completed their sophomore album,
The Spinners released 2nd Time Around in October 1970, and watched the album scrape into 199 in the US Billboard 200 and reach forty-six in the US R&B charts. Meanwhile, It’s a Shame reached fourteen in the US Billboard 00 and reached four US R&B charts. It’s a Shame also reached thirty-eight in Canada and twenty in Britain. This was no surprise given the quality of music on 2nd Time Around.
It opens with the hook-laden single It’s a Shame where CC Cameron is accompanied by harmonies, horns and strings as The Spinners set the bar high for the rest of 2nd Time Around. The quality continues on I’ve Got To Find Myself A Brand New Baby where lush dancing stings and tight harmonies accompany CC Cameron’s emotive vocal. The bedroom ballad Together We Can Make Such Sweet Music features an impressive orchestrated arrangement as The Spinners’ sound evolves and matures.
Bad, Bad Weather (Till You Come Home ) with its claps of thunder, slapping drums and tight harmonies provide a backdrop for a needy vocal. Pay Them No Mind is good advice from The Spinners to lovers of all ages. It’s another beautiful ballad with a heartfelt and emotive vocal. The balladry continues on the string drenched My Lady Love.
Souly Ghost finds The Spinners fusing funk, gospel and soul on what’s an irresistibly catchy uptempo track. O-o-h Child is another ballad with a soul-baring vocal form CC Cameron. In My Diary sounds like a reminder of another musical age as lush strings sweep as The Spinners combine elements of soul and doo wop, My Whole World Ended (The Moment You Left Me) is a tale of love lost with a vocal full of despair and heartache. (She’s Gonna Love Me) At Sundown is an uptempo, vampish dancer. A medley of Can Sing A Rainbow /Love Is Blue and these two ballads close 2nd Time Around.
The Spinners’ 1970 sophomore album 2nd Time Around which features on While The City Sleeps which was recently released by Kent Soul, an imprint of Ace Records. 2nd Time Around is joined by ten bonus tracks on While The City Sleeps. They’re a welcome addition are among the 104 tracks that were never released during The Spinners Motown Years.
By 1970, The Spinners had matured and were a much better group than the one that had signed to Motown in 1964. The Spinners by 1970, were a tight and talented band who could seamlessly switch between ballads and uptempo tracks. However, The Spinners were at their best on ballads, especially with new lead singer CC Cameron breathing life, meaning and emotion into the lyrics on 2nd Time Around. It was The Spinners finest hour at Motown, and features the best music they released for the Detroit-based label.
The Spinners-While The City Sleeps.
MOGWAI-KIN ORIGINAL MOTION PICTURE SOUNDTRACK
Mogwai-Kin Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Label: Rock Action Records.
Although Scottish post rock pioneers Mogwai have released nine studio albums, two live albums, two remix albums and written and recorded the score to three documentaries, until very recently, there was still something missing from the Glasgow band’s impressive musical CV. Mogwai had still to write and record the entire soundtrack to a film. They had contributed tracks to 2006s The Fountain and Before The Flood in 2016. The next step Mogwai knew was to write and record a soundtrack. However, they had to wait for the opportunity to arise.
The opportunity arose when Mogwai were asked by film directors Jonathan and Josh Baker to write the soundtrack to the American sci-fi film Kin, which was written Daniel Casey. This was the opportunity of a lifetime for Mogwai who have just released the original soundtrack album to Kin on their label Rock Action Records. Kin is the latest chapter in the Mogwai story which began in 1991.
That was when Stuart Braithwaite and Dominic Aitchison met in Scotland’s musical capital, Glasgow. Four years later, they met drummer Martin Bulloch and formed Mogwai, which film buffs will remember, is a character from the movie Gremlins. Mogwai was always meant as a temporary name, until they came up with something better.
Later in 1995, three become four when guitarist John Cummings joined Mogwai. Since then, John Cummings’ role in Mogwai has changed, and he’s now described as playing “guitar and laptop,” and is regarded as the maestro when it comes to all things technical. However, not long after John Cummings joined Mogwai in 1995, the nascent band started honing their sound and making plans for the future.
In 1996, Mogwai founded their own record label Rock Action Records. It would play an important part in the rise and rise of Mogwai over the next twenty-one years. So would Mogwai’s Castle Of Doom Studios, which was cofounded by Mogwai and Tony Doogan in 2005. It’s situated in the West End of Glasgow, and is a home from home for Mogwai, when they record a new album. That was still to come.
Before that, Mogwai released their debut single Tuner on their newly founded label Rock Action Records. Tuner was released to critical acclaim and the NME awarded it their single of the week award. Later in 1996, Mogwai released two further singles. Angels v. Aliens and Summer. By then, Mogwai were well on their way to becoming one of the hottest bands of the late nineties.
Mogwai’s career continued apace in 1997, when they released two more singles.The first of these, was New Paths To Helicon Pt. 1, which showed Mogwai growing and maturing as a band. NME agreed, and just like their debut single Tuner, New Paths To Helicon Pt. 1 won NME’s single of the week award. The followup Club Beatroot was also well received by critics. This was the perfect time for Mogwai to record their debut album, Mogwai Young Team.
Mogwai Young Team.
For Mogwai Young Team, Mogwai brought onboard Brendan O’Hare the Teenage Fanclub’s drummer. Another guest artist was Aidan Moffat of Falkirk based band Arab Strap. He added the vocal to R U Still In 2 It, while the rest of Mogwai Young Team consisted of instrumentals. Mogwai Young Team was recorded at Chem 19 studios and produced by two of Scotland’s top producers, ex-Delgado Paul Savage and Andy Miller. Once Mogwai Young Team was completed, it was then released on Scotland’s biggest record label, Chemikal Underground Records.
Before its release, Mogwai Young Team was a hailed as a groundbreaking album of post-rock by critics. They were won over by Mogwai Young Team, and Mogwai were hailed as a band with a big future.
That proved to be a perceptive forecast. When Mogwai Young Team was released on 21st October 1997, sold over 30,000 copies and reached number seventy-five in the UK. The Mogwai Young Team were on their way. However, a few changes were about to take place.
Come On Die Young.
A year later, Mogwai were back in the studio recording their sophomore album Come On Die Young. Much had changed. A new member had joined the band, Barry Buns a flautist and sometimes pianist, who had already played a few gigs with the band. He was invited to become the fifth member of Mogwai. Not long after this, violinist Luke Sutherland joined Mogwai, but not on a full-time basis. This wasn’t the only change.
Recording of what became Come On Die Young was split between New York and Glasgow. This time, they’d forsaken Chem 19 in Blantyre and recorded parts of the album in Rarbox Road Studios, New York. Some sessions took place in Glasgow’s Cava Studios. Producing Come On Die Young was Dave Fridman. For some critics, his addition changed Mogwai’s sound.
Some critics felt his production style resulted in a much more orthodox sounding album. However, others felt that Come On Die You was part of Mogwai discovering their “sound” and direction. Come On Die Young is a much more understated, but also ambient, experimental, multi-textured and melodic. There’s a fusion of ambient, grunge and post rock on Come On Die Young, which was released in 29th March 1999.
On its release, Come On Die Young reached number twenty-nine in the UK. Mogwai it seemed were now on their way to finding their sound and fulfilling the potential that was evident on their debut album. This was apparent with tracks of the quality of CODY and Hugh Dallas s. However, like all innovative bands, Mogwai continued to reinvent their music.
This proved to the case on their eponymous E.P, which includes Stanley Kubrick, which was recorded in the exotic surroundings of Cowdenbeath in Fife. Burn Girl Prom Queen was recorded at Cava Studios, in Mogwai’s hometown of Glasgow. These two tracks were part of E.P., which further enhanced Mogwai’s reputation as post rock pioneers. So did their third album Rock Action.
Rock Action.
Mogwai’s music continued to evolve on their third album 2001s Rock Action. More use was made of electronics on Rock Action. This was part of a process that would continue over the next few albums. There were even more layers and textures on Rock Action, as Mogwai continued to expand their sonic palette. Seven of the songs were instrumentals, while Dial Revenge featured Gruff Rhys of Super Furry Animals. Again, Rock Action was produced by Dave Fridman, while recording took place in New York and at Glasgow’s Cava Studios. Once Rock Action was completed, it became Mogwai’s first album to be released on Play It Again Sam.
Rock Action was released in April 2001, and proved to be Mogwai’s most successful album. It reached number twenty-three in the UK. Critics remarked upon how Rock Action wasn’t as dark an album as its predecessors. That didn’t mean that Mogwai’s view of the world had changed. They were still worldweary which would become a Mogwai trademark.
Six months after the release of Rock Action, Mogwai returned with another single, The My Father My King. It was released in October 2001, and was described “as the companion piece to Rock Action.” A sticker on the cover bore Mogwai’s description of the single as: “two parts serenity and one part death metal.” That was about to change. Soon, they’d be happy people writing happy songs and making a breakthrough into the American market.
Happy Songs For Happy People.
Happy Songs For Happy People was released in 2003, and Mogwai’s evolution continued. Their music continued further down the electronic road. While Mogwai still deployed electric guitars and a drummer, synths were playing a more important role in Mogwai’s music. So were the addition of strings and a piano. They played their part in what was a much more understated album. Part of this change in style was a change of producer.
Tony Doogan was brought onboard as producer, and replaced Dave Fridman. Gone were transatlantic recording sessions. Happy Songs For Happy People was recorded at Cava Sound Studios, Glasgow. On its release in June 2003, Happy Songs For Happy People was well received by critics. Critics drew attention to I Know You Are But What Am I? and Hunted By A Freak, two of the album’s highlights. The critics also welcomed Mogwai’s latest change in style. So did record buyers.
While Happy Songs For Happy People only reached number forty-seven in the UK, it spent a week in the American charts, reaching number 182 in the US Billboard 200. After four albums, Mogwai had broken into the American market. Happy Songs For Happy People it seemed, was a landmark album.
Having made inroads into the lucrative American market, Mogwai didn’t rush their fifth album. It was released three years after Happy Songs For Happy People. There’s a reason for this. They were working on tree separate projects.
The first was their fifth album Mr. Beast. Then there was the first soundtrack they’d written and recorded. This was for the 2006 movie Zidane: A 21st Century Soundtrack. Mogwai also collaborated with Clint Mansell on the soundtrack to The Fountain. Although soundtracks were a nice sideline for Mogwai, their fifth album Mr. Beast was of huge importance. Especially, if it was a commercial success in America.
Mr. Beast.
Recording of Mr. Beast took place at Mogwai’s new studio, Castle Of Doom Studios in Glasgow. Co-producing Mr.Beast with Mogwai, was Tony Doogan. Between April and October 2005, Mogwai honed their fifth album, and after six months, Mr. Beast was complete. It was Mogwai’s most important album.
Everyone realised the importance of Mr. Beast. Mogwai were on a verge of breaking into the American market. Happy Songs for Happy People had got Mogwai’s foot in the door of the American market. Now was the time for the Mogwai Young Team to kick the door of its hinged, and make their presence felt. That was what Mogwai intended to do with tracks like Travel Is Dangerous, Friend Of The Night and We’re No Here. They featured Mogwai at their innovative and creative best. This trio of tracks were part of an album that would please critics, Mr. Beast.
On its release, it was mostly, to critical acclaim. Critics were fascinated at how Mogwai’s music continued to evolve. For Mogwai, standing still was going backwards. Record buyers agreed and expected Mogwai to continually release groundbreaking and innovative. That was what Mogwai delivered.
When Mr. Beast was released on 5th March 2006, record buyers found an album of groundbreaking and innovative music. It climbed thirty-one in the UK. Across the Atlantic, Mr. Beast reached number 128 in the US Billboard 200. Mogwai were now one of Scotland’s most successful musical exports. They were certainly well on their way to becoming Scotland’s most innovative band. This was a title they weren’t going to give up without a fight.
Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait.
Following the release of Mr. Beast, the other two projects that Mogwai had been working on, were released. The first was Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait. This was project that came about in late 2005, when artist Douglas Gordon asked Mogwai to write and record a soundtrack to a film he was making about footballer Zinedine Zidane. This was Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait. Having heard the details of the project, it didn’t take Mogwai long agree to provide the soundtrack to Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait, which gave them their entry into the world of soundtracks.
Mogwai grasped this opportunity, and recorded Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait at their Castle Of Doom Studios. During the sessions, Mogwai recorded ten tracks, which were produced by Tony Doogan. However, when the soundtrack was released, it came baring a secret.
This was the hidden track Untitled, which was a twenty-three minute epic, that featured Mogwai at their most inventive. That was the case throughout Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait. Most critics realised this. However, a few didn’t seem to ‘get’ Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait. Despite the slings and arrows of the critics that didn’t get Mogwai’s introduction into the world of soundtracks, the critics that mattered gave Mogwai the recognition they deserved when Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait was released on 30th October 2006. Then less than a month later, the soundtrack to The Fountain was released on 27th November 2006.
The Fountain.
The Fountain was a collaboration between contemporary classic composer Clint Mansell, string quartet the Kronos Quartet and Mogwai. To some onlookers, it looked like an unlikely collaboration. That wasn’t the case though.
Mogwai had spent December 2005 locked away in their Castle Of Doom Studios with producer Tony Doogan. Other parts of The Fountain project were recorded in New York and Los Angeles. Then once the project was complete, The Fountain was released on 27th November 2006.
When The Fountain soundtrack was released, the reviews were positive. Mogwai’s contribution to the soundtrack had proved vital, while the Kronos Quartet proved a perfect foil the Mogwai Young Team. Mogwai’s lasted soundtrack had enhanced their reputation as the go-to guys for a soundtrack. That would their sideline in the future. However, before they released another soundtrack, Mogwai would release another two albums.
The Hawk Is Howling.
The first of these was The Hawk Is Howling. To ensure they kept their title of Scotland’s most innovative bands, Mogwai returned to the studio where it all began, Chem 19 in Blantyre.
Andy Miller who had co-produced Mogwai Young Team, Mogwai’s debut album was chosen to produce what became The Hawk Is Howling. This was Mogwai’s sixth album and marked a first. It was Mogwai’s first album to consist of just instrumentals. Among them were I’m Jim Morrison, I’m Dead, The Sun Smells Too Loud, Batcat and Scotland’s Shame. They feature the post rock pioneers pushing musical boundaries to their limits, and sometimes, beyond. Once The Hawk Is Howling was recorded, Garth Jones mixed the album at Castle Of Doom Studios in Glasgow. After that, The Hawk Is Howling was ready for release.
The Hawk Is Howling was released on 22nd September 2008. Critics were won over by The Hawk Is Howling. There were no dissenting voices. This was one of Mogwai’s best albums, and it was no surprise it sold well in the UK and America.
On its release, The Hawk Is Howling reached number thirty-five in the UK and number ninety-seven in the US Billboard 200. It seemed with each album, Mogwai’s music evolved and matured. This resulted in even more success coming their way. Would this continue with Hardcore Will Never Die?
Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will.
For their seventh album, Mogwai returned to Chem 19 Studios in Blantyre, where they hooked up with ex-Delgado Paul Savage. Since he had produced Mogwai’s debut album, Mogwai Young Team Paul had established a reputation as one of Scotland’s best producers.
By then, Paul Savage had worked with everyone from Franz Ferdinand to R.M. Hubbert. However, it was a very different Mogwai Paul encountered. They were very different to the band who recorded Mogwai Young Team Paul. Their music had evolved and was continuing to do so. They’d matured as musicians and embraced the new technology. Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will was proof of this.
Here was an album of groundbreaking, genre-melting post-rock with attitude. Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will was also an album not short on humour. Poppy soulster Lionel Ritchie provided the inspiration for You’re Lionel Ritchine. There was also a celebratory sound to Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will.
The death of Scotland’s nemesis, Margaret Thatcher sparked celebration in Glasgow’s George Square. Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will, celebrated provided the soundtrack to the celebrations. It was just one track on an album of pioneering, post rock music crammed full of hooks, humour and attitude. Others highlights Mexican Grand Prix, Rano Pano and How To Be A Werewolf . With music of this quality, surely Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will couldn’t fail?
Before the release of Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will, Rano Pano was released as a single. On the flip side was Hasenheide, which didn’t feature on Hardcore Will Never Die. . Things it seemed were looking good for Mogwai.
Yet again, Mogwai won over the majority of critics with Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will. A couple of contrarian critics proved to be mere dissenting voices in the wilderness. Most critics realised that Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will was one of Mogwai’s finest hours. Record buyers would agree.
Hardcore Will Never Die, But You Will reached number thirty-five in the UK and number ninety-seven in the US Billboard 200. For Mogwai, they were now into their third decade as band and had just enjoyed their biggest album to date. The question was, what would Mogwai do next?
Les Revenants.
The answer to that was Les Revenants, a soundtrack to a French television series. Les Revenants or The Returned, is essentially a television program about zombies, albeit with a twist. Just like similar films, Les Revenants, finds the “undead” returning to the town they lived in. However, the zombies in Les Revenants weren’t how most films portray zombies. Another difference was the way Mogwai were commissioned.
Usually, someone writing a soundtrack can watch the film they’re writing music to. Not Mogwai. They were just shown a few scripts, which gave them an overview of what the series was about. From there, Mogwai wrote thirteen of the fourteen tracks including Wizard Motor and Hungry Face. They’re two of the album’s highlights. The other track on Les Revenants was What Are They Doing In Heaven Today, which was written by Charles Elbert Tilney. These fourteen tracks were recorded by Mogwai, who produced Les Revenants with Neil MacMenamin. Once Les Revenants was finished, it was released in February 2013.
Before Les Revenants was released an E.P. was released. It featured four tracks. That was a tantalising taster of what was to come. After all, Mogwai would approach a soundtrack like Les Revenants in a different manner. They wouldn’t do anything predictable. Les Revenants was a case of expect the unexpected. Critics loved Les Revenants and hailed the album as one of the best albums Mogwai had released. However, Mogwai had other ideas.
Rave Tapes.
Rave Tapes features ten tracks which were written by Mogwai. These tracks were recorded at Mogwai’s Castle Of Doom Studios, in Glasgow. Producing Rave Tapes was ex-Delgado Paul Savage, who had produced previous Mogwai albums and knew how the band worked. This was important, given Mogwai were at last, enjoying the critical acclaim and commercial success their music deserved. Work began on Rave Tapes on the 28th August 2013.
This was like the first day back at school for Mogwai, as they began recording what was their eighth studio album. The lineup of Mogwai has been settled for a few years. This included a rhythm section of bassist and guitarist Dominic Aitchison, drummer Martin Bulloch and guitarists Stuart Braithwaite and John Cummings who also played piano. Barry Burns plays organ, piano and guitar. at Castle Of Doom Studios, Glasgow, Mogwai recorded the ten tracks that became Rave Tapes, which was released on 20th January 2014.
Rave Tapes was one of the most anticipated albums of 2014. The big question was, what direction Mogwai’s music would head? After all, Mogwai’s music never stands still. It’s in a constant state of evolution. That’s no bad thing. Standing still is akin to going backwards in Mogwai’s book. On Rave Tapes, Mogwai’s music continues to evolve. Musical genres and influences melt into one on tracks like Remurdered, The Lord Is Out Of Control and Tell Everyone I Love Them. However, one of the most prominent influences on Rave was Krautrock. Add to this ambient, avant-garde, electronica, experimental, indie rock and rock. We hear different sides to Mogwai on Rave Tapes. Whether it’s fuzzy soundscapes or kicking out the jams, Mogwai didn’t disappoint with Rave Tapes.
Critics agreed. Rave Tapes was released to widespread critical acclaim. Superlatives were exhausted in search of a fitting description of what many felt was Mogwai’s finest hour. Some critics wondered aloud whether Mogwai’s music was mellowing. Others felt that Mogwai were improving with age. Record buyers agreed.
When Rave Tapes was released on 14th January 2014, the album reached number ten in Britain and fifty-five in the US Billboard 200 charts. Rave Tapes became Mogwai’s most successful album in Britain and America. Elsewhere, Rave Tapes sold well across Europe. Mogwai were enjoying the most album of their three decade career. However, it would be two years before Mogwai released a new album. Before that, Mogwai decided to celebrate their twentieth anniversary in style.
Central Belters.
In 2015, Mogwai were celebrating their twentieth anniversary. By then Mogwai were Scottish music’s elder statesmen, A lot had happened to them during the first twenty years of their career. Mogwai have released eight studio albums and three soundtracks. That’s not forgetting there’s countless singles, E.P.s and two remix albums. It was official, Mogwai had been one of the hardest working bands in music between 1995 and 2015. They were also one of the most innovative.
It was no surprise that critical acclaim and commercial success accompanied the release of each Mogwai album. Suddenly, the Glasgow-based were enjoying success not just in Britain, but in Europe and in America. Now was the perfect time for Mogwai to release Central Belters, a three disc career retrospective box set. Central Belters tells the story of the first twenty years of Mogwai.
With Mogwai not planning to release a studio album or soundtrack during 2015, Central Belters was a perfect stopgap. It was released on 23rd October 2015, and reached number forty in Britain, Central Belters sold reasonably well across the Europe, and was a perfect primer to the first twenty years of Mogwai’s career. The next chapter of Mogwai’s career began with a soundtrack album, Atomic.
Atomic.
Having enjoyed celebrating their twentieth anniversary during 2015, Mogwai got back down to business on 1st April 2016. That was when they released Atomic, their first new album in over two years. Atomic was Mogwai’s fourth soundtrack album,
During the summer of 2015, Mogwai had provided the soundtrack Mark Cousins documentary Atomic: Living In Dread and Promise. It was aired on BBC Four, and was a very personal memoir of growing up in the nuclear age. Using archive film, Mark Cousins constructed an impressionistic cinematic memoir of what was a harrowing time.
Post rock pioneers Mogwai were commissioned to write the soundtrack to Atomic: Living In Dread and Promise. It was hailed as the perfect backdrop to Atomic: Living In Dread and Promise, which was a personal and poignant cinematic memoir. However, after the documentary was aired in the summer of 2015, Mogwai decided to re-record Atomic.
At their Castle Of Doom Studios in Glasgow, Mogwai were joined be an old friend, occasional band member Luke Sutherland. Mogwai were also joined by Sophie, Robin Proper-Sheppard formerly of The God Machine and Glasgow composer Robert Newth. Together, they got to work on Atomic, which was Mogwai’s twelfth album since they formed back in 1995.
Once Atomic was completed, it was scheduled for release on 1st April 2016. Before that, Atomic was hailed as Mogwai’s finest soundtrack album, and a welcome addition to their discography.
On Atomic, Mogwai combine disparate and eclectic musical genres. Elements of avant-garde, Berlin School, electronica and experimental music are combined with indie-rock, Krautrock, post-rock and psychedelia. This results in a genre-melting, cinematic album. Atomic captivates and compels, and takes the listener on a musical journey. It veers between dramatic and dreamy, to surreal and lysergic, to beautiful, pensive and understated to melancholy and melodic. Other times the music is dramatic, moody and broody. One thing the music never is, is boring. That is one thing that can never be levelled against Mogwai. Instead, it was another case of always expect the unexpected.
That’s been the case since Mogwai were formed in 1995, and released their debut album Mogwai Young Team. Since then, it’s always been a case of expect the unexpected from the Mogwai, who continue to release albums of ambitious and innovative music. There was no way that Mogwai would contemplate recording the same album twice. Instead, they leave that to lesser bands who specialise in albums of twee or pseudo-intellectual music. That isn’t Mogwai’s bag. They’re constantly moving forward musically and making music that pushes boundaries to their limits, and sometimes, way beyond. Proof of that is Every Country’s Sun, which is their ninth studio album and thirteenth overall.
Every Country’s Sun.
Every Country’s Sun is Mogwai’s first studio album since they released Rave Tapes in January 2014. However, Mogwai haven’t been resting on their laurels and enjoying the fruits of the rock star lifestyle. That isn’t Mogwai’s style. Since the release of the Rave Tapes, Mogwai have released the three CD best compilation Central Belters in October 2015, and the soundtrack album Atomic in April 2016. There’s also the small matter of running their own record label Rock Action Records and their Castle Of Doom studio in Glasgow’s West End. Still, the four members of Mogwai found the time to return to the studio and record their ninth studio album Every Country’s Sun, which showcases their new sound.
When the time came for Mogwai to record Every Country’s Sun, they didn’t renew their successful partnership with Tony Doogan, who had produced their most recent album Atomic. Tony Doogan had also produced Mr. Beast and Zidane-A 21st Century Portrait, and is part of Mogwai’s inner circle. He knows Mogwai better than most, and knows that they often work with different producers. That was the case on Every Country’s Sun, where Mogwai renewed their partnership with experienced American producer Dave Fridmann.
The last time Mogwai had worked with Dave Fridmann was on Come On Die Young, which was released in 1999. Since then, much had happened for Mogwai and Dave Fridmann. Mogwai have released twelve albums and Dave Fridmann now has over 200 production credits to his name. He’s worked with some of the biggest names in indie music, including Flaming Lips, Mercury Rev, Jane’s Addiction, The Delgados, MGMT and The Vaccines. Dave Fridmann had beefed up his CV since the last time he worked with Mogwai.
Having made the decision to work with Dave Fridmann, Mogwai decided to record Every Country’s Sun at their own Castle Of Doom Studios in Glasgow. The alternative was for Mogwai to travel to New York to work with Dave Fridmann at Tarbox Road Studios in New York. That was unnecessary expense, considering that Mogwai had their own studio. They could always send the tracks over to Dave Fridmann in New York. This was very different to when Mogwai recorded their debut album Mogwai Young Team in 1996,
Each day, drummer Martin Bulloch, bassist Dominic Aitchison, guitarist and vocalist Stuart Braithwaite plus multi-instrumentalist Barry Burns entered Castle Of Doom Studios and began laying down the eleven tracks. These tracks were sent to Dave Fridmann in New York, who took charge of production. Gradually, Every Country’s Sun started to take shape and Mogwai were well on their way to completing what would be their first studio album in over three years. Eventually, Mogwai completed recording Every Country and Dave Fridmann mixed the album at Tarbox Road Studios. All that remained was for the album to be mastered by Frank Arkwright at Abbey Road Studios, in London. Now Mogwai were ready to embark upon a new chapter in a career that began twenty-two years ago in 1995.
Since then, post rock pioneers Mogwai have enjoyed an unrivalled longevity, and are now one of the most successful Scottish bands of their generation. Remarkably, the three original members of the band, Stuart Braithwaite, Dominic Aitchison and Martin Bulloch still remain are still part of Mogwai’s and played their part in latest album ambitious and innovative album, Every Country’s Sun.
There was an air of excitement when Mogwai announced the arrival of Every Country’s Sun earlier in 2017. The big question among critics and cultural commentators was what direction would Mogwai’s music head in? Most agreed that Every Country’s Sun would mark another stylistic departure for Mogwai.
The music on Every Country’s Su is sometimes, elegiac and ethereal, other times, the music is dark, dramatic, eerie, moody, ominous and otherworldly. Often, there’s a cinematic sound to Mogwai’s music, as they switched seamlessly between and combine musical genres and influences.
Mogwai combine elements of numerous disparate musical genres, ranging from classic rock, grunge, pop, post rock, psychedelia and space rock, to ambient, avant-garde, the Berlin School, electronica, experimental music and Krautrock. These are all part of the rich and vibrant musical tapestry that is Mogwai’s ninth studio album Every Country’s Sun, which was recently released by their own Rock Action Records. Every Country’s Sun and is Mogwai’s finest hour. The big question was what was next from Mogwai.
Kin.
Following the success of Every Country’s Sun, Mogwai were asked by film directors Jonathan and Josh Baker to write the soundtrack to the American sci-fi film Kin, which was written Daniel Casey. This was something that Mogwai had wanted to do since they began working on soundtracks for documentaries and films.
While Mogwai had written the score to three documentaries and contributed to tracks to 2006s The Fountain and Before The Flood in 2016 writing the soundtrack to a film was a challenge that they welcomed.
Not long after this, Stuart Braithwaite, Dominic Aitchison and Barry Burns began writing soundtrack to Kin. Eventually, they had written the nine tracks, including Eli’s Theme, Scrap, Flee, Funeral Pyre, Donuts, Miscreants, Guns Down, Kin and We’re Not Done (End Title). These tracks became Kin, which was recorded in familiar surroundings.
This was Mogwai’s own Castle Of Doom Studios, which is situated in Glasgow, Scotland. While Kin was recorded and produced by Mogwai, Paul Savage took charge of engineering duties. He watched on has Mogwai deployed an array of synths, traditional instruments and effects as Kin started to take shape. Eventually, Mogwai’s first post rock soundtrack was ready for Tony Doogan to mix.
Once Kin was mixed, the album was mastered at Abbey Road Studios, in London, by Frank Arkwright. Now Kin was ready to released on Mogwai’s Rock Action Records.
The release of Kin was scheduled for the ‘31st’ of August 2018. Before that, critics had their say on Kin which was the first soundtrack Mogwai written and recorded.
Straight away, Kin brings back memoirs of another of Mogwai’s soundtrack albums Les Revenants. Both albums feature the minor key piano where reverb is deployed to give Mogwai’s trademark sound. This has become a feature of many Mogwai albums, and Kin is no different.
Kin opens with Eli’s Theme, which epitomises Mogwai’s modern sound, and shows how far the Glasgow-based musical chameleons have come since 1995. The understated introduction soon becomes dark and menacing within the space of a few bars. That is despite Kin featuring a more pared back sound, than Every Country’s Sun and previous albums, this music could only come courtesy of Mogwai.
Their inimitable sound can be heard throughout Kin, and especially on Guns Down where the glacial, spacey sounding track crunches and pulsates. Mogwai return to their rockier sound on Donuts and combine this with their post Rave Tapes electronica style. Donuts finds Mogwai fusing their past and present on what’s an epic track that is dramatic, elegant and radiates a serenity. It’s also one of Kin’s highlights.
Flee showcases Mogwai’s cinematic sound as they introduce a degree of tension. By contrast Funeral Pyre is a slow burner, which gradually and a degree of dignity reveals its secrets on this scene setter. Elsewhere the music on Kin is atmospheric and cinematic with the piano plays a leading role as Mogwai combine their soundtrack work with heir post Rave Tapes sound. Quite different is the shoegaze pop ofWe’re Not Done (End Title) which closes Kin in style.
The grand old men of Scottish music put their twenty-three years of experience to good use on their latest carefully crafted album Kin. It’s the first film soundtrack that Mogwai have released. Kin showcases a cinematic sound which features drama, tension, sci-fi sound and poppy hooks on a melodic and memorable soundtrack album. It also finds Mogwai fusing disparate musical genres on Kin.
Mogwai were inspired by ambient, avant-garde, Berlin School, electronica, experimental music, indie rock, Krautrock, pop, post rock, psychedelia and space rock on Kin. Sometimes, these genres can be heard only briefly on Kin. It’s Mogwai’s first ever film soundtrack and marks a new chapter in a story that is into its third decade.
Twenty-three years after Mogwai were founded in 1995, the post rock pioneers return with their cinematic epic Kin, which is which is their first ever film soundtrack and a reminder why they’re still one of Scotland’s too bands,
Mogwai-Kin Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
ROCKIN’ IN THE USA-HOT 100 HITS OF THE 80S.
Rockin’ In The USA-Hot 100 Hits Of The 80s.
Label: Ace Records.
As 1979 gave way to 1980, critics and cultural commentators wondered whether the golden era that began when The Beatles released Love Me Do in 1962 was about to continue?
Record buyers had been spoiled by some of the biggest bands from Britain and America releasing groundbreaking and classic albums for the past eighteen years. However, already things were starting to change in the land of the free.
AM radio which had provided the soundtrack to the sixties and seventies, was replaced by crystal clear sound of FM. Suddenly, AM was home to sports radio and loudmouthed shock jocks. However, one thing stayed the same, the popularity of vinyl.
No other format came had close to rivalling vinyl which was popular DJs and record buyers preferred. Executives at the major record labels thought that vinyl’s popularity would continue to grow, and never thought that the bubble would burst,
That was apart from those involved in developing the compact disc which was still in the experimental stage. That would change by the mid-eighties when the compact disc began to revolutionise music.
With the of offer perfect sound quality, the compact disc was seen as preferable to vinyl, which was an imperfect medium. Over the next few years, many recorded buyers sold massive vinyl collections and made the switch to compact disc.
Supply of vinyl albums outstripped demand, and the prices dropped. Some record collectors took what they could get, while a few gave their once prized collections of vinyl to charity shops or sold them for giveaway prices at car boot sales. After all, with the introduction of the compact disc nobody would want vinyl anymore.
Meanwhile, many critics, cultural commentators and record buyers regarded as the third consecutive golden era for music. This golden era is celebrated on Ace Records new compilation Rockin’ In The USA-Hot 100 Hits Of The 80s. If features twenty-three tracks from The Romantics, Cyndi Lauper, Huey Lewis and The News, Marshall Crenshaw, Paul Carrack, Amy Holland, Rick Springfield, Hall and Oates, Mr Mister, The Cars, and Ronnie Milsap They;re just a few o the names on Rockin’ In The USA-Hot 100 Hits Of The 80s, which is a studded collection.
Detroit-based garage band The Romantics open Rockin’ In The USA-Hot 100 Hits Of The 80s with the melodic rocker What I Like About You. It was released on Nemperor in 1980 and reached forty-nine in the US Billboard 100.
Cyndi Lauper released the ballad Time After Tine on Portrait in 1984, Soon, the New Yorjer was the first number one single of her career in America.
The anthemic single Your Love was released by the London-based power trio The Outfield on Columbia in 1986. They became the latest British band to enjoy more success in American than Britain when Your Love reached number six in the US Billboard 100. This was the first of six singles The Outfield enjoyed in Britain.
Someday, Someway was written by Marshall Crenshaw and released as the lead single from his eponymous debut album. It was released on Warner Bros in 1982. The highlight of the album was the perfect pop Someday, Someway which reached thirty-six in the US Billboard 100.
In late 1980, Pat Benatar released Hit Me With Your Best Shot on Chrysalis. This sassy rocker reached number nine on the US Billboard 100 and was a tantalising taste of what was to cone from Pat Benatar,
British singer-songwriter Paul Carrack was signed to Epic when he released I Need You un 1982. This soulful ballad was taken from the album Suburban Voodoo and released twenty-seven on the US Billboard 100.
American rocker Rick Springfield was signed RCA Victor when he released I’ve Done Everything For You in 1981. This melodic and memorable cover of this Sammy Hagar song reached number eight on the US Billboard 100.
Hooks haven’t been spared on Breaking Away Balance’s 1981 single which was released on Portrait. It’s another slice of perfect pop that reached twenty-two on the US Billboard 100.
By 1983, Hall and Oates were signed to RCA Victor and were at the peak of their popularity when they released the hurt-filled single Say It Isn’t So. It reached two on the US Billboard 100 and was one of their biggest singles.
Several of singer-songwriter Karla Bonoff songs were covered by Linda Ronstadt. However, in 1982 Karla Bonoff released the beautiful ballad Personality. It reached nineteen on the US Billboard 100 and is a reminder of a truly talented singer-songwriter Karla Bonoff.
The Cars released You Might Think I’m Crazy on Electra in 1984 while their album Heartbeat City was being mixed. You Might Think I’m Crazy with its mixture of new wave and rock proved popular reaching number seven on the US Billboard 100.
Country singer Ronnie Milsap released (There’s) No Gettin’ Over Me on RCA Victor in 1981. This beautiful country ballad crossed over and reached number five on the US Billboard 100.
Deborah Allen of The Bangles released her solo single Baby I Lied on RCA Victor in 1983. It was billed as a country single but was more like power pop meets pop rock. At the heart of Baby I Lied’s sound and success was Deborah Allen accusing, angry and frustrated vocal. Despite the quality of Baby I Lied, it staked at twenty-six on the US Billboard 100.
ROCK In The USA (A Salute To 60s Rock) by John Cougar Mellencamp closes Rockin’ In The USA-Hot 100 Hits Of The 80s. This tribute to the sixties garage sound reached number two on the US Billboard 100 in 1986.
The twenty-three tracks on Rockin’ In The USA-Hot 100 Hits Of The 80s, which has just been released by Ace Records is a reminder of the quality if music that was released during the eighties.
Rockin’ In The USA-Hot 100 Hits Of The 80s.
JACK ASHFORD-JUST PRODUCTIONS VOLUME 2
Jack Ashford-Just Productions Volume 2.
Label: Kent Soul.
In March 2016, Kent Soul, an imprint of Ace Records released their new compilation Jack Ashford-Just Productions to widespread critical acclaim. Critics and music fans wondered if there would be a followup? Just over two years later and Kent Soul have released Jack Ashford-Just Productions Volume 2. It’s the latest instalment in
By 1966, Jack Ashford was a familiar face in Detroit’s music jazz scene. The Philly born musician had been a member of Marvin Gaye’s touring band before he became a Funk Brother.
Through meeting the Motown musicians, Jack Ashford decided to base himself in Detroit. Soon, he became part of Motown’s legendary studio band The Funk Brothers.
Before long, Jack Ashford’s trademark tambourine sound became a staple of Motown recordings. However, Jack Ashford was more than a tambourine player and studied arrangers, engineers and producer and soon, was able to learn from them. Jack Ashford was also a talented songwriter. Essentially, Jack Ashford was a musical all-rounder, which made him perfect for Pied Piper Productions. His partner would be Mike Terry.
Mike Terry played baritone saxophone first in Popcorn Wylie’s Mohawks, then with Joe Hunter’s band. Like many musicians, he gravitated to Motown, which is the sixties, was one of the most successful labels. He was part of the touring and studio bands, and his trademark sound features on numerous Motown recordings.
Despite being on Motown’s payroll, Mike Terry, like other musicians, including Jack Ashford, felt the fees they were paid weren’t enough. So the pair left Motown.
Having left Motown, Jack Ashford and Mike Terry briefly worked for Ed Wingate’s Golden World label. Mike Terry with George Clinton and Sidney Barnes, formed the Geo-Si-Mik songwriting and production partnership. At the same time, Jack Ashford and Mike Terry formed a songwriting and production partnership. One of their songs, Lonely One, for The San Reno Strings album on Ric-Tic came to the attention of Sheldon “Shelley” Haines. He realised this was a partnership to watch.
He was right. Jack Ashford and Mike Terry head to Jack’s hometown Philly, to produce I Can’t Change for The Sensations with Yvonne Baker. This was their first production, which was released on the Junior label. Later in 1965, the pair produced Joe Douglas for the Playhouse label. With Bobby Martin penning the B-Side, this was a single that was has made in Philly written all over it. Ironically, it wasn’t in Philly that Jack Ashford made his name as a producer.
Instead, it was in Detroit, where with Mike Terry they formed Pied Piper Productions. The pair founded their production vehicle in 1966. For their recordings, Pied Piper Productions borrowed members of The Funk Brothers. Similarly, some of Motown’s top arrangers would work on recordings by Willie Kendrick, Lorraine Chandler, Mikki Farrow, Tony Hester, Nancy Wilcox, Rose Batiste and September Jones. Despite this all-star backing band, the Pied Pier Productions didn’t enjoy the commercial success they deserved. This would have important ramifications for Pied Piper Productions.
By 1967, Pied Piper Productions had closed its doors for the final time. After the company ceased trading, Mike Terry continued to work for many other labels. His sound was constantly in demand. There was it seemed, no shortage of work for Mike Terry. It was the same for Jack Ashford and Shelley Haims.
Both Jack Ashford and Shelley Haims worked at a number of Detroit’s smaller labels. This he did, using his latest production vehicle Just Productions. It was kept busy, with Jack Ashford produced singles at Awake, Buddha, Jay-Walking, Premium Stuff, Sepia 1, Sepia 2, Soul Disc, Soul Dimension and Triple B. This included for artists like Eddie Parker, Al Gardner, Billy Sha-Rae, Softouch, The Four Sonics, Lorraine Chandler and Sandra Richardson. They all feature on Jack Ashford-Just Productions Volume 2 which was recently released by Kent Soul, an imprint of Ace Records.
LA born Sandra Richardson started off singing gospel up unit 1971, when she crossed=over after meeting Jack Ashford. He became her manager, producer and cowrote songs Sandra Richardson. This included After You Give Your All which she wrote with George Rountree and Jack Ashford. He took charge of production on After You Give Your All which was recorded in 1974 but belatedly made its debut on a Kent Records Anniversary Special single in 2016. Its reminder af a truly talented souk singer Sandra Richardson who opens Just Productions Volume 2 on a high with After You Give Your All.
Softouch was founded in 1966, but never released a single until their new manager Larry Maxwell introduced them to Jack Ashford. He produced After You Give Your All (What Else Is There To Give) which was penned by Sandra Richardson, George Rountree and Jack Ashford and released on Prodigal in 1976. It’s memorable and melodic orchestrated track from Softouch and their finest hour.
Singer, songwriter, musician and producer Jack Ashford contributes two unreleased songs to the compilation. This include the beautiful heartfelt ballad Let Me Take Care Of Your Heart and the dance track This Ain’t Just Another Dance Song.
Cecil Norman Jr wrote the beautify needy ballad How Long Has It Been Since You Had A Love Affair which he recorded with producer Jack Ashford in 1975. Sadly, this hidden gem was never released and makes its debut on Jack Ashford-Just Productions Volume 2.
There’s three songs from Eddie Parker on Jack Ashford-Just Productions Volume 2, including the unreleased version of Crying Clown. It was originally the B-Side I’m Gone which was released on Aware in 1968. Crying Clown is a beautiful soul-baring ballad where Eddie Parker sounds like Sam Dees. The dancer I Need A True Lover was released as singe on Triple B on November 1969 and features a needy vocal. I Love You Baby was released on the producer’s Ashford label in 1970 and later became a favourite in the UK Northern Soul Scene.
Don’t Leave Me Baby was recorded by Lorraine Chandler for Just Productions of fifty years and made its debut on Jack Ashford-Just Productions Volume 2. It features a vocal that is needy, emotive and full of hurt.
Sandra Richardson released Stay Here With Me as a single on the Inter/Soul label in 1974. Tucked away on the B-Side was Don’t Let Me Down web was written by Lorraine Chandler, Jack Ashford, Juanita Weatherby. Don’t Let Me Down finds Sandra Richardson combining soul and gospel as she delivers a heartfelt and hopeful plea.
The Four Sonics were one of the first groups that Jack Ashford worked with when arrived in Detroit. By May 1968 The Four Sonics were signed to The Greatest Love, On the B-Side was Easier Said Than Done a string-drenched ballad that is a true hidden gem.
When Watch Yourself was recorded by Al Gardner, the baking track used was from Willie Hendrix’s Pied Piper sessions. This Jack Ashford and Mike Terry composition was originally recorded by Tony Hester, while Al Gardner draws inspiration from James Brown as funk and soup melt into one.
Alone Again was written by Brenda Cook, George Rountree and Jack Ashford who took charge of production in 1976. Forty-two years later Alone Again features on Jack Ashford-Just Productions Volume 2. It features a joyous, hopeful and soulful vocal from Brenda Cook.
Closing Jack Ashford-Just Productions Volume 2 is Bobby Womack’s I Found The One which was covered by Billy Sha-Rae in 1970. It was released as a single on Spectrum and finds Billy Sha-Rae giving thanks for the love he’s found.
Somewhat belatedly Jack Ashford is getting the recognition that he so richly deserves. This includes his work with Pied Piper Productions and Just Productions. In both cases, Jack Ashford worked with some of Detroit’s most talented musicians, arrangers, producers and songwriters, and was responsible for music that’s variously beautiful, dramatic, melodic and memorable. It’s also soulful, funky and dance-floor friendly.
That’s why many of the songs on Jack Ashford-Just Productions Volume 2 have found an audience within the UK’s Northern Soul scene. They’re favourites of DJs and are also appreciated by discerning connoisseurs of soul. They’ll welcome the release of Jack Ashford-Just Productions Volume 2 which looks back at the career of the multitalented Jack Ashford.
Jack Ashford-Just Productions Volume 2.
dereksmusicblog
dereksmusicblog 