When singer Cassandra Wilson arrived at Blue Note in 1993 she was already well over a decade into her career as a jazz-blues singer, highly respected but not particularly well known. Then something in the musical alchemy of artist, label/production and material made Blue Light ’Til Dawn a very special release that gained here world-wide […]
Jane Siberry — No Borders Here [Open Air Records, 1984] A Canadian singer-songwriter of great imagination and enormous range, Jane Siberry emerged from Toronto’s indie scene. Influenced by—but never beholden to—Laurie Anderson, her music (and unique voice) span art pop, folk, rock and subtly experimental sound worlds. No Borders Here is an early statement of […]
The Wild Bunch was an ultra-violent 1969 Western movie directed by Sam Peckinpah. It was also the name of a Bristol (UK) sound system collective active in the early-to-mid 1980s. Adopting Jamaican sound system principles, the DJ tribe drew from reggae and dub, funk, punk, soul, early hip-hop and club culture. After the Wild Bunch […]
To understand Spirit of Eden, you need to understand what Talk Talk walked away from. By 1986 they were a commercially successful synth-pop act, lazily bracketed with Duran Duran and the New Romantic crowd. Then came The Colour of Spring, a transitional record that replaced most of the synths with organic instrumentation. It generated a […]
One of the great things about rock is the way certain styles reinvent themselves, inspiring new generations. The White Stripes, for example, were leaders in a garage rock revival in the late 1990s. If you’re not sure what that might mean, have a listen to “Strychnine” by The Sonics (1965) or “Complication” by Monks (1966). […]
So, the new album… Yeah? It’s called..? Album. Yes, the album. What’s it called? Album. You have a new record out, right? Yeah. Does it have a title? Yeah. And that is? Album. That’s what is printed on the record’s spine. Yeah. There’s a single lifted off the LP. ‘Course. What is it? Single. Yes, […]
A consummate singer, Ella Fitzgerald became known as the “First Lady of Song”. This lofty appellation was not simply dropped in her lap; the singer began competing on the US Talent Show circuit as a teenager and recorded and performed for almost half a century. She did not sing the blues, but most definitely paid […]
One of the most popular and successful metal bands of all time, Metallica had a decidedly mixed year in 1986. On the plus side, their third album—Master Of Puppets—was a huge commercial success, spending over seventy weeks on the US charts despite limited radio airplay. The subsequent tour was received extremely well, but led to […]
What is Americana? According to the Americana Music Association, it is “contemporary music that incorporates elements of various American roots music styles—including country, roots-rock, folk, bluegrass, R&B and blues—resulting in a distinctive roots-oriented sound that lives in a world apart from the pure forms of the genres upon which it may draw.” All clear? Good. […]
The 75 FROM ’75 Countdown obviously dominated the second half of 2025, yet this did not prevent a steady influx of new records into the Vinyl Connection den of vinyl iniquity. Here are a few highlights. * JANUARY One of the first features for Discrepancy Records was the latest solo album from Pink Floyd guitarist […]
Here is the obligatory index of the albums covered in 2025’s 1975 COUNTDOWN. Over 100 albums have featured. * #1 — #5 1 PINK FLOYD — WISH YOU WERE HERE 2 NEU! — NEU 75 3 BRIAN ENO — ANOTHER GREEN WORLD 4 BOB DYLAN — BLOOD ON THE TRACKS 5 LED ZEPPELIN — PHYSICAL […]
#5 LED ZEPPELIN — PHYSICAL GRAFFITI Zepp’s first release on their own Swan Song label was eagerly anticipated, expectations being further heightened by delays due to challenges in the production of the die-cut cover. A studio double album, it is either expansive or sprawling depending on your mood. The epic tracks—”Kashmir” and “In my time […]
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