What does it sound like?:

It seems to be the season for releasing concerts from Hyde Park. Hot on the heels of the Paul Simon set comes this Carole King show, recorded in July of last year, in the same cd/dvd format.

Following the same concept as Simon’s Graceland show, this set has a complete performance of King’s seminal Tapestry album, supplemented with a smattering of some of her other best known songs from her voluminous back catalogue. Tapestry, now more than forty five years old, is an album that was one of my late ex’s favourites from way back in her student days, so I’ve heard it many, many times over the years, and it still retains a special place in my affections as one of the best singer songwriter albums from the seventies.

So what of the music? Well, as you’d expect, King is accompanied by a top-flight band that perform the songs impeccably, and she is still in excellent voice despite her advancing years – in fact this was her first UK show in over twenty five years. The songs are great of course and haven’t aged at all. Classic follows classic – what’s not » Continue Reading.

What does it sound like?:

There’s nothing like an anniversary to get the record companies combing the vaults to see what they can dust off and re-issue. The Doors 50th anniversary prompts this multi format collection, a follow on from an expanded 1st album set issued earlier this year. This set comes as 2 CDs, a 2CD set with a blu ray containing a quad mix of “The Best Of”, and most importantly a limited edition box set of 20 replica 7-inch singles, complete with original B-sides, and cover art. Oh, and a poster.

The 2 CD set features all the A and B sides from the first release in 1967 of “Break On Through (To The Other Side)” through to the singles taken from posthumous releases such as “The Mosquito” (from the album “Full Circle”), “Roadhouse Blues” (the live version included on “An American Prayer”) and “Gloria” (another live cut from “Alive, She Cried”.

The target audience for this kind of release has to be the hardcore Doors fan, and to tempt them to open their wallets the rarities emerging blinking into the re-release sunlight include a number of the original B sides making it to CD » Continue Reading.

What does it sound like?:

The Paisley Underground was a Californian phenomenon that existed in the early eighties, harking back to the sunny pop of the sixties with jangly guitar and smatterings of psychedelica. It consisted of bands like The Bangles, The Rain Parade, The Three O’Clock and Green On Red. Echo And The Bunnymen, The Teardrop Explodes and The Mighty Wah! were the UK equivalent. Prince was inspired enough to name his label Paisley Park, write a hit for The Bangles and base All Around The World In A Day on its sound.

The Dream Syndicate stood out. They had a darker edge, being more influenced by The Velvet Underground, The Velvet Underground of White Light, White Heat. Their debut, Days Of Wine And Roses is a classic, full of billows of guitar enveloped around an energetic rhythm section and terse, defiant lyrics, delivered in a Reed-like laconic drawl. They sounded unstoppable and volatile. That sound evolved over four studio albums, adjusting for personnel changes. They became less abrasive and more dreamy but the guitars continued to churn and Steve Wynn’s vocals remained a recognisable constant. In 1988, the band broke up.

Nearly thirty years later, they’ve made » Continue Reading.