Category ACROSS THE DECADES
ROUND LIKE A RECORD
During the 1970s “Sampler” LPs were a staple of record company marketing. Compiling a variety of tracks from various artists on their roster, these albums usually sold for much less than the prevailing price point of a new record. In fact, a number of companies called them, with disarming candour, “Loss Leaders”. There are a number […]
FEATS ALIVE!
Blending elements of rock, blues, country, funk and jazz, Little Feat created a sound that was entirely their own. Driven by the unique song-writing skills of Lowell George and a band both technically excellent and infectiously grooving, they were—and are—a favourite outfit of those who love their American rock somewhere West of the freeway. Yet […]
BACK AT THE CREASE
So much sport. So much music. Time to multi-task. Although not as dramatic as the Ashes tests, Wishbone Ash’s 1974 album There’s The Rub is a corker. Perhaps their last truly complete LP and my second favourite. Perfect for watching Australia clean up England in the first two tests. (Don’t mention the third.) The eccentric British troubadour-poet […]
GOOD(BYE) FRIDAY
Jeff Beck 24 June 1944—10 January 2023 🖤 Yukihiro Takahashi [YMO] 6 June 1952—11 January 2023 🖤 Renee Geyer 11 Sep 1953—17 January 2023 🖤 David Crosby 14 Aug 1941—19 January 2023 🖤 Tom Verlaine [Television] 13 Dec 1949—28 January 2023 🖤 Burt Bacharach 12 May 1928—8 February 2023 🖤 Wayne Shorter 25 August 1933—2 […]
HEY JOE
Hey Joe, where you going with that gun in your hand? Hey Joe, I said, where you going with that gun in your hand? I’m going down to shoot my old lady You know, I caught her messing around with a hair metal band Back in the 1970s I found Colosseum a tad bombastic. But […]
STILL BLOOMING GOOD
One of the holy grails of rock music is the making of an album that defies time. The Stone Roses achieved this with their 1989 self-titled debut, a shimmering melodic masterpiece with a dark heart. From the Jackson Pollock inspired cover with its paint-trail puzzle to the ecstatic, epic final track “I am the resurrection”, […]
UNDER HIPGNOSIS — THE MARK BLAKE INTERVIEW
Every record collector of a certain age knows the album covers of legendary British design studio Hipgnosis. Now, thanks to a new book by Mark Blake, we can dive into the colourful history of the crew who gave us so many memorable record sleeves. The author kindly agreed to talk to Vinyl Connection. Vinyl Connection: […]
QUIETLY URGENT
Decked out in silver platform boots and a feather boa, Brian Eno first rose to prominence as a member of art rockers Roxy Music, appearing on their first two albums. Yet he is probably best known as a producer and for his solo work, particularly in the ambient genre. In fact, Eno is often credited […]
CREEDENCE PUT A SPELL ON WOODSTOCK
1969 was a heck of a year for Creedence Clearwater Revival. In January they released their second album, Bayou Country. A mere seven months later came another LP, Green River. Astonishingly, CCR released yet another album that storied year: in early November, Willy And The Poor Boys were introduced to the listening public. But wait, […]
PROG BOT: VINYL CONNECTION DIVES INTO AI
I’ve been playing around with ChatGPT, the AI language program everyone is talking about lately. Having read Bill Pearce’s thoughtful piece at pinklightsabre this morning, I thought I’d check out its facility on the topic of rock music. First I asked for the top Rock albums of 1973, thinking that perhaps I could short circuit […]
M*A*S*H UP
The album cover of M*A*S*H Original Soundtrack Recording proudly announces, “One of America’s funniest bloody films—also one of its bloodiest funny films” (Time magazine). Nowadays Robert Altman’s 1970 black comedy is perhaps most famous for being the inspiration for one of television’s finest and most beloved series, yet the film itself was well received at […]
AERIAL VIEW
From the time she topped the charts with her swooping, swooning debut single “Wuthering Heights”, Kate Bush has been a unique—and uniquely talented—voice. When her first album came out in 1978, Kate was just 19 years old, inexperienced in the music industry but possessed of both confidence and determination. It was the young singer/composer who […]
