Blogcritics

Music Review: Black Sabbath - Black Sabbath

Jeff Perkins — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 14:14:40 EST

As Ozzy turns sixty we go right back to where it started. The tolling bell of Black Sabbath's debut.
Post-war Birmingham was a grey and somewhat depressing city. Bomb damage scarred the landscape and war rationing was still very much the order of the day. It was into this environment on December 3, 1948 that one John Michael Osbourne made his first ever appearance. Ozzy Osbourne, the Prince Of Darkness, has just turned sixty years of age. This...

Music DVD Review: Donovan - Sunshine Superman, The Journey Of Donovan

Jeff Perkins — Mon, 8 Dec 2008 09:39:58 EST

Rolling down the cosmic highway with Donovan.
Introduced and narrated by Donovan himself this is the story of a man who has lived several incredible lives. His spiritual journey will no doubt take him on many more. This two disc DVD set, Sunshine Superman, The Story Of Donovan, has been released by SPV. Directed by Hannes Rossacher, it sets a standard for such releases that will prove hard to...

Mitch Mitchell - Remembered

Jeff Perkins — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 21:42:19 EST

In the shadow of a rock 'god'. He was the genius behind a legend.
Last week Mitch Mitchell, best known as the drummer behind guitar legend Jimi Hendrix, was found dead in a Portland hotel room. He had spent his last month celebrating Hendrix’s musical legend on the 2008 Experience Hendrix Tour of the States. Mitch was 61 and reportedly died from natural causes in his sleep.Mitch was the last surviving...

Music Review: Rare Bird - Rare Bird

Jeff Perkins — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 09:01:21 EST

Rare Bird's first album from 1969 is re-issued and it's a rare gem.
Tony Stratton-Smith’s Charisma Records signed many innovative bands in the late sixties. Van der Graaf Generator, The Nice, and Genesis were just a few of them. Another was fellow U.K. band Rare Bird. Formed in London in 1969 Rare Bird originally consisted of keyboard players Graham Field and Dave Kaffinetti. Steve Gould covered lead vocals,...

Music Review: Wings - Band On The Run

Jeff Perkins — Sun, 2 Nov 2008 08:23:50 EST

35 years on. Perhaps Paul McCartney's finest post Beatles album.
Thirty five years ago the final touches were being made to the latest Wings album. By 1973, and since becoming an ex-Beatle, Paul McCartney had already released four albums. First there was McCartney in 1970. This was followed by Ram the following year. 1971 also saw Wings make their debut with Wild Life. Red Rose Speedway followed giving Paul his...

Music Review: Supersister - Present From Nancy

Jeff Perkins — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 14:45:35 EDT

File under 'lost' prog-rock gems.
Maybe this one should be filed under the ‘lost gems’ section of Classic Eurorock. The album in question is the debut by Dutch band Supersister, Present From Nancy, which was originally released in 1970. Fortunately, record label Esoteric Recordings are on a mission to not let these ‘classic’ albums die and have lovingly...

Music Review: Elton John - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road

Jeff Perkins — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 16:24:26 EDT

Thirty five years on, remembering Elton John's most successful album.
This month marks the 35th anniversary of the release of Elton John’s Goodbye Yellow Brick Road. It was his seventh studio album and certainly his most commercially successful. Recorded throughout May 1973 at the 18th century Chateau d’Herouville, Pontoise, Paris it went on to outsell any of his other work that has been released during...

Music Review: Jethro Tull - This Was 40th Anniversary Collectors Edition

Jeff Perkins — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 17:17:08 EDT

Jethro Tull's first album is given the full 40th birthday treatment.
This week marks the 40th anniversary of the release of the first ever album by the legendary Jethro Tull. To celebrate, a sumptuous double CD collector’s set of This Was has been released. Beautifully packaged, it not only includes the original mono version (albeit re-mastered) but also a wealth of other goodies. There are recordings from the...

Music Review: John Lennon - Imagine

Jeff Perkins — Thu, 9 Oct 2008 07:07:39 EDT

As George Harrison said, 'it's Johnny's birthday'. Join with me in celebrating John Lennon day.
On October 9, 1940, John Winston Lennon was born in Liverpool, England. Therefore today would have marked his 68th birthday. As George Harrison said on his All Things Must Pass triple album - “It’s Johnny’s Birthday”. George and Ringo dedicated the track to John to mark his 30th birthday in 1970. The date is doubly important...

Music Review: T.Rex - The Slider

Jeff Perkins — Wed, 1 Oct 2008 07:44:51 EDT

Yesterday would have been his sixty-first birthday. Join me in remembering Marc Bolan.
Yesterday, September 30, 2008, would have been Marc Bolan’s sixty-first birthday. In recognition of that and to remember him I would like to take you back an incredible thirty-six years to March 1972. Marc and his band T.Rex were flying high. Their last album Electric Warrior, often sited as his best work, had underlined Marc’s position...