1960s
Reissue CDs Weekly: She Came From Liverpool! - Merseyside Girl-Pop 1962-1968Sunday, 12 January 2020
In July 1961, the first issue of the Liverpool music paper Mersey Beat put three items on its front page. One was a surreal article by John Lennon titled Being a Short Diversion on the Dubious Origins of The Beatles. Another was a photo of Gene... Read more... |
Reissue CDs Weekly: Jon Savage's 1969-1971 - Rock Dreams on 45Sunday, 05 January 2020
As one decade gives way to the next, the beginning or end of the ten-year cycle rarely yields anything cut and dried. With pop music, a host of decade-related platitudes have no respect for the decade-to-decade switch. Depending on points of view,... Read more... |
Reissue CDs Weekly: The Best of 2019Sunday, 29 December 2019
Earlier this year, the Peter Laughner box set was more than an archive release. Its diligence and scale forced a wholesale reinterpretation of the evolution of America’s punk-era underground scene. What it collected – aurally and in its book –... Read more... |
Reissue CDs Weekly: Jim SullivanSunday, 15 December 2019
Hugh Hefner established Playboy Records in 1972 as an arm of his male-targeted business empire. Amongst the singles issued in its first year were seven-inchers by jazzer Bobby Scott, proto-yacht rockers The Hudson Brothers, singer-songwriter Tim... Read more... |
Three Sisters, National Theatre review - Chekhov in time of warWednesday, 11 December 2019
Inua Ellams’ Three Sisters plays Chekhov in the shadow of war, specifically the Nigerian-Biafran secessionist conflict of the late 1960s which so bitterly divided that newly independent nation. It’s a bold move that adds decided new relevance... Read more... |
Reissue CDs Weekly: Dave Godin's Deep Soul Treasures Volume 5Sunday, 08 December 2019
“I was just released from the hospital…the doctor told me that the medicine can’t do me no good. They told me what I have is beyond medical science…he told me that what I have is more serious than cancer. He told me what I have is a very, very bad... Read more... |
Reissue CDs Weekly: Mighty Baby - At a Point Between Fate and DestinySunday, 24 November 2019
If the prices fetched by original pressings are a guide, Mighty Baby are notable. Their eponymous first album, issued by the fittingly named Head label in November 1969, sells for at least £150 and has changed hands for over £500. A Blue Horizon... Read more... |
Eyck, BBC Philharmonic, Storgårds, Bridgewater Hall, Manchester review - theremin takes centre stageFriday, 22 November 2019
The theremin is still a relatively rare visitor to concert halls, particularly in a solo role, but Carolina Eyck is changing that. Her instrument, invented by Lev Termen just 100 years ago, is a relatively simple piece of kit – a tone generator... Read more... |
Is this Jimi Hendrix’s greatest posthumous release? Producer Eddie Kramer talks about a legendary live albumFriday, 22 November 2019
This week, one of the finest gems in the entire Hendrix catalogue finally sees the light of day in its full unedited glory – Songs for Groovy Children comprises all four sets from the Band of Gypsys New Year’s Eve 1969-70 residency at the Fillmore... Read more... |
Greg Davies: Looking for Kes, BBC Four review - touching insights into the story of Barnsley boy Billy CasperWednesday, 20 November 2019
This year marks the 50th anniversary of Ken Loach’s film Kes, and the 51st of A Kestrel for a Knave, the Barry Hines novel it was based on. The story of Barnsley boy Billy Casper who finds an escape from his painful home life and brutal schooling by... Read more... |
theartsdesk on Vinyl 54: The Beatles, Prince, Kid Acne, Nirvana, Teebs, Monty Python, Pulp and moreWednesday, 13 November 2019
Without further ado, slightly delayed by the sheer volume of releases at this year time of year, here is the latest edition of theartsdesk on Vinyl. You will not find a more extensive monthly report on the goodies newly available on plastic anywhere... Read more... |
Reissue CDs Weekly: Yesterday Has Gone - The Songs of Teddy RandazzoSunday, 10 November 2019
“It's Gonna Take a Miracle” just missed out on a mainstream US Top 40 placing after The Royalettes issued it as a single in June 1965. But the song had staying power. In 1971 Laura Nyro covered it, choosing it as the title track for the album she... Read more... |
