New Music Reviews
Reissue CDs Weekly: Apple, Jason CrestSunday, 08 November 2020![]()
After their final records were released in 1969, that seemed to be it for Apple and Jason Crest. Releases by both psychedelic-leaning British bands had first hit shops the previous year, and neither oufit made any waves commercially. Of course, that wasn’t the end of the story. Read more... |
Reissue CDs Weekly: Kenny Carter - ShowdownSunday, 01 November 2020![]()
Half-way through the 22 tracks of Showdown – The Complete 1966 RCA Recordings, what’s been increasingly apparent from the opening cut is confirmed: this is an extraordinary archive release, as much so as the live Stooges album looked at by this column in early September. Read more... |
theartsdesk on Vinyl 60: Acid Pauli, Mercury Rev, Cabbage, Kraftwerk, Oasis, Working Men's Club and moreThursday, 29 October 2020![]()
Due to COVID-related nonsense too tedious to relate, this month’s theartsdesk on Vinyl was delayed. But here it is, over 7500 words on new music on plastic, covering a greater breadth of genres and styles than most major festivals. From reissues of some of the biggest bands that ever lived, to limited edition micro-releases from tiny independents, it’s all here. Dive in! Read more... |
Reissue CDs Weekly: Kraftwerk - in colour, from Autobahn to The MixSunday, 25 October 2020![]()
After Florian Schneider left Kraftwerk in 2008, Ralf Hütter was left in the driving seat. The pair had first been heard on record in 1970 as members of Organisation, and their first album as Kraftwerk followed later in the year. Read more... |
Reissue CDs Weekly: La Locura de MachucaSunday, 18 October 2020![]()
La Locura de Machuca translates as “the madness of Machuca.” A Colombian label which issued its first record in 1975, Machuca was active until 1995. Around 26 singles and 36 albums were released. The new compilation brings together 17 tracks from its first five years. Read more... |
The Divine Comedy: Live from the Barbican review – thirty years of great songsSaturday, 17 October 2020
If “things” hadn’t intervened, September would have seen the Divine Comedy play a five night residency at the Barbican, playing their entire back catalogue, two albums a night, to mark 30 years since the band was started. Read more... |
Reissue CDs Weekly: Crass - The Crassical CollectionSunday, 11 October 2020![]()
The cultural imprint Crass were leaving was apparent while they were active. As well as their own music, their label Crass Records released records by Flux Of Pink Indians, the pre-Sugarcubes outfit Kukl and The Damned’s Captain Sensible – Crass were instrumental in him becoming a vegetarian. Read more... |
Reissue CDs Weekly: Peephole In My Brain - British Progressive Pop Sounds Of 1971Sunday, 04 October 2020![]()
The title comes from the lyrics of “Andy Warhol”: track two, side two of David Bowie’s late 1971 album Hunky Dory: ”Put a peephole in my brain, Two new pence to have a go, I'd like to be a gallery, Put you all inside my show.” The new pence reference recognised Britain’s recent adoption of decimalised currency. Read more... |
Reissue CDs Weekly: Helen Shapiro - Face The Music The Complete Singles 1967-1984Sunday, 27 September 2020![]()
What happens when the hits dry up? And what happens a little further down the line, as the years of being on the charts recede into the past? For Helen Shapiro, the questions are answered by the intriguing Face The Music: The Complete Singles 1967–1984, a 25-track compilation collecting all her pop singles from the period covered by the title. Her work in jazz is not heard. Read more... |
Reissue CDs Weekly: John Coltrane - Giant StepsSunday, 20 September 2020![]()
Giant Steps doesn’t suffer from a lack of availability. A couple of weeks ago, two editions of John Coltrane’s 1960 landmark set were available in a central London music store. Read more... |
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