Tag Archives: Music writing
MEETIN’ JIMMY SMITH
Growing up in a musical family, young Jimmy Smith learned piano and later, double bass. When he switched to organ in the mid-1950s after hearing Wild Bill Davis, Jimmy combined the two instrumental skills, utilising the bass pedals of his Hammond B3 to fill out the lower end of his sound. While this made the […]
ROLLING THUNDER REVIEW
A number of Bob Dylan’s 60s songs have become part of the tapestry of popular culture. He was a lightning rod for the folk revival and the emerging protest movement. As a result, it is tempting to think of Dylan as an introverted singer-songwriter, a strumming folkie who presents his songs in an unassuming way […]
CONTRACT OF LOVE
He is a powerful voice backed by a forceful band, an entertainer who shirtfronts his fans while elevating them; a singer-poet-preacher who roars about suffering while channelling exaltation. He is Warracknabeal born global citizen Nick Cave, and his latest album is Wild God. If you follow Cave’s music, you already know that Wild God has […]
1974 COUNTDOWN | #20 — #16
#20 STEELEYE SPAN — NOW WE ARE SIX This is the LP where the British folk-rockers really emphasised the latter. Now We Are Six rocks! “Thomas the Rhymer” bolts out of the gate at a gallop, and the pace and energy are maintained through the hilarious “Two Magicians” and mythic “Seven Hundred Elves”. Indeed, common […]
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A buzzing, industrial sound, a bass pulse, somewhere in the distance a noise, a scream. Distorted guitars offer a grinding melody that rolls like a broad dark river cluttered with storm flotsam. The tune evokes “Oh Shenandoah”, a classic American folk song. After a couple of minutes, when the melody is kicked up an octave, […]
1974 COUNTDOWN | #25 — #21
#25 SANTANA — LOTUS Given that they announced themselves to the world via their performance at Woodstock, it is surprising that this was Santana’s first live album. Recorded during a 1973 tour of Japan and released in May ’74, it is the pinnacle of the band’s jazz-rock phase. Musically, Lotus is a tour-de-force of mind-blowing […]
1974 COUNTDOWN | #30 — #26
#30 STEELY DAN — PRETZEL LOGIC What is the difference between a VG and an EX Steely Dan album? Countdown To Ecstasy from 1973 came in at #21 on the 73 FROM ’73 COUNTDOWN while Pretzel Logic sits at a more modest (but still creditable) #30. There’s something here about expectations, of course, but that […]
1974 COUNTDOWN | #35 — #31
#35 EMERSON, LAKE & PALMER — WELCOME BACK MY FRIENDS… Being a fan of keyboard-driven progressive music there was never any doubt about acquiring EL&P’s document of the Brain Salad Surgery tour, released in August 1974. In one sense it is an overblown example of the live record plugging the previous studio album: every song from BSS is here. […]
BROUGHT THEIR ZZ GAME
Through the 1970s, Texan trio ZZ Top played music blending the boogie of Canned Heat with elements of Southern rock to produce an infectious style of blues rock. With hits like the irresistible “La Grange” they became a popular live attraction as well as selling plenty of albums. But that was nothing compared to the […]
VALE MAYALL
John Mayall was known as the ‘Father of the British Blues’. In this case the epithet was no exaggeration. Alongside Alexis Corner, Graham Bond and a few others, Mayall pioneered R&B in Blighty. An extraordinary number of important musicians passed through his bands, most captured on vinyl in a massive discography. Here is a selection […]
SUN + MOON + HERBS
From the golden art deco inspired cover through the fascinating story of a planned three LP magnum opus, The Sun Moon and Herbs is a highlight in the long career of the New Orleans legend ‘Mac’ Rebennack, aka Dr John, The Night Tripper. Blending the good Doctor’s various styles and influences into an ecstatic musical […]
FLIGHT OF THE BIRDMAN
When thinking of pivotal Australian punk bands, two shine brightly enough to burn your eye. Having some affinity with the vibrant UK scene, The Saints are perhaps better known internationally. Yet in terms of sheer power and energy Radio Birdman are certainly their equal. Formed in Sydney by Rob Younger and US born Deniz Tek, […]
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