Category ACROSS THE DECADES
JAZZ NIGHTCAP
The first thing that strikes you about this compilation from the Jazz Dispensary—a subsidiary of the famous Concord label—is the classy packaging. Devoid of any type, the front and rear covers are adorned with retro-style paintings by Liam Cobb evoking an early 60s comic aesthetic. An inky blue late night scene is lit by a […]
ALBUM COVERS | PASSPORT
German musician and band leader Klaus Doldinger formed Passport in 1970. With a strong jazz base, they were innovative and exploratory, creating a European jazz-rock with pronounced progressive tendencies. In addition to playing saxophone, Doldinger also played piano and was an early adopter of synthesisers in jazz. When pianist Kristian Schultze joined, the keyboard became […]
THE ART OF MOANIN’
The late 1950s were a fabulously fertile time for jazz and a first pinnacle in the history of the Blue Note record label. The confluence of established stars with emerging players made for a swirling outpouring of creativity that resonated down the decades. One of the major figures of the period (and both before and […]
SUPERNAUT
High School was well and truly done before I acquired my first stereo. Sure, the family home had several devices capable of emitting music: a Bakelite mantle radio in the kitchen, my Father’s Elcon reel-to-reel tape recorder, the sideboard sized stereogram in the lounge, all polished wood and frowning classical records. But all of these […]
ALBUM COVERS | FLAPS 2
There were a couple of leftovers from the first “Flaps” album cover post. Add in some suggestions from the Wordiverse with a special shoutout to CB for the first entry here) plus one I remembered at 3am and voila! …Part 2 beckons. * The humble—and now, sadly, totally redundant—postcard has been used for album covers […]
FLY TOMORROW
Chapter One: A potted history 1963–1967 An ambitious but ultimately doomed attempt to summarise the early days of blues legend John Mayall John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers started playing London’s famous Marquee Club in late 1963. In the following year they released a first single and backed John Lee Hooker on his British tour. In […]
ALBUM COVERS | FLAPS
They fold, they open, they arise, they reveal. Those hinged bits of a record sleeve that give you something to study—or play with—while the disc spins. Here are some favourites. * US rockers Grin featured Neil Young collaborator and (later) Bruce Springsteen guitar slinger Nils Lofgren. What’s behind the toothy smile? Why gums, of course. […]
THE DAY THE MUSIC DEPARTMENT DIED
Walking down the corridor between the Counselling Service and Student Housing it was not uncommon to encounter a colleague. Greetings were exchanged and sometimes a brief chat ensued, before each continued on their journey. Over time you got to know each other a little better, making life easier when it came to the end-of-year lunch. […]
ALBUM COVERS | PG+
Peter Gabriel. PG. Left Genesis after The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway, telling his bandmates of his decision during the extensive tour for that album. Spent a couple of years largely out of the spotlight, before releasing his first solo album, Peter Gabriel, in 1977. The album cover was created by Hipgnosis. Just over a […]
FEEDBACK
“Most of you won’t like this, and I don’t blame you at all” – Lou Reed, cover notes to Metal Machine Music, released July 1975 “An appalling rip-off” – Critic William Howard in the Boston Globe, 1975 “Worst album by a human being” – Rolling Stone 1975 end-of-year poll “Anybody who got off on The […]
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