Author Archives: Roy Phillips

July – All Year Round | Music News

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julyresurrectionJuly made an album in 1968 that has some of the greatest psychedelic rock music ever put to wax in its grooves , The band were initially called the Dreamers then The Tomcats and in 1968 after securing a label contract with Major Minor Records with new manager Spencer Davis they became known as July.

The album at the time of its release did not sell that well but has since become one of the most collectable records of not only its time but of all time and it’s fair to say that its rightful place as one of the very few albums that will transcend time and space is now secured, this leads me nicely into in fact why I’m doing this review! It’s the brand new album by that very same band.

JULY – RESURRECTION

Tom Newman, Pete Cook, Chris Jackson & Alan James reformed July around 2009 and this new album is just like a continuation from that marvellous record of 1968, if you are a true fan of music that is made by musicians who truly care about the art form of sounds which can conjure up feelings and indeed thoughts to take you to those very special places we all know exist but in real terms very few embrace then this album and this band are your very own first class ticket to ride!!

July – Resurrection is like listening to all your favourite bands at once but still retaining their own very special distinctive, unique, quirky, idiosyncratic, isolated, does not sound like anything else charm. It would be easy to say The Beatles , Xtc , Blossom Toes, or even Jethro Tull but that could be say my comparisons on that level as easily as someone else might say The Koobas ,SRC , or even Captain Beefheart, but then again ALL that stuff is in there somewhere . Check out `can I go back again` for instance. These are the sounds of JULY, A great album by a great band of musicians. Do yourself a favour now.

Album available now at http://www.griffiths-clothing.com
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/July_(band)

 

 

Ochs For Folks

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Phil Ochs was a singer / songwriter in the 60s categorized as `folk’ or ‘protest’ – a contemporary and friend of Bob Dylan.

He was a most prolific writer of protest and topical songs in the 60s and put out seven albums, but his work diminished in the 70s and he sadly took his own life in 1976.

A new film has been released in the States, ‘There But For Fortune’, using mainly rare footage of Ochs. And if there was any justice, it would be made compulsory in schools and universities because this man truly believed that the power of song could change the world. He must certainly have had something, as years after his death, it came to light that the FBI had a file of no less than 500 pages on him.

Many new songwriters are discovering Ochs and his songs are as relevant today as they were then. There are hundreds of mailing lists and discussion groups dedicated to Phil and his music, and in February 2009, Phil was awarded a lifetime achievement award. Check the film out here: http://www.philochsthemovie.com/index.html.

“I’ve read of other countries where the students take a stand, they’ve even helped to overthrow the leaders of the land,” sang Ochs in “I’m Gonna Say It Now” in 1965, and the anthem of the 1960s can be found here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5pgrKSwFJE.

You will find many parallels with this new century and the times of Phil Ochs. It just makes you wonder what he’d have made of these times and why we cannot produce anyone now with this much beauty, passion, talent and intellect in popular culture.

Guided By Bob

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Robert Pollard is a musician from Ohio, USA who has been recording songs since the 80s.

His output is not easy to dissect as there are just too many albums to list here. I myself have well over 70 albums and there are probably a lot more. What I can tell you is that once you get into his grooves, the albums all make up one massive assault on the musical senses.

If you are a truly passionate music fan, you will get to the point of living inside each and every track this fella has put out – and still puts out at an alarming rate. His band, GBV (Guided By Voices) were truly the first band that recorded what is now called lo -fi music and reached a global scale, yet almost everything was recorded in his basement onto cassette tape.

I can’t recommend going to his site enough as it will show you more doors to open and it may even give you a few keys to fit them!

Truly inspiring.   http://robertpollard.net/index.htm  or   http://www.gbv.com/index1.html

A Hard STrainGE Gonna Call

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Well folks, here’s a duo which just about sums up everything I’ve mentioned up to now while writing for this delightful magazine. Great songs, great playing and just about every style of rock and roll music on one album.

STrainGE (Strange Rain) are in fact two drummers from London who are both deeply absorbed in musicality from doo-wop, rock, pop, soul, garage, punk, progressive, freakbeat, psychedelic etc. etc.

All the tunes are recorded in lo-fi, which makes the songs stand up even more as there’s no room for overdubbing or production tricks. It’s just plain and simple soul-shattering music – written, played and sung by two musicians. Enjoy!

http://www.beggarsharvest.co.uk/page3.htm

Rock & Roll 1954 – Alive & Kickin`

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With popular rock and roll music rapidly running out of ideas for new twists and turns to which – let’s face it – was, and still is, a very basic American art form, I say, why bother changing something that’s not for changing anyway?

Great Rock and Roll music, if played and sung right from the soul, can – and indeed will – change the way we feel about almost any subject in life. But its basic function is to make us feel fabulous inside!

I have been a professional musician for over 30 years, working with some great artists. Most of them are huge music fans and it will surprise a few people to find how eclectic most working musicians are in taste and the ways you can find alternate routes into real established artists such as Dylan , Springsteen, and even Elvis himself.

The King alone has a recorded legacy bordering on over 900 sessions, all of which are now easy to access and show another world of rock and roll music – right back to its mid-50’s infancy. But I’m going to try to present some new contemporary bands / singers that still have that same depth or outburst from the soul that all great artists from the 50s , 60, 70s seemed to possess with sheer out the blue inspiration. We’ll call it  EARS TO HEAR`.

 

(Stratocaster pic by Vinicius de Carvalho Venâncio courtesy of http://www.publicdomainpictures.net)

New Band, Old Tricks

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Our first trip will be to the Jim Jones Revue – http://www.jimjonesrevue.com/website/home

Here’s a band from the UK that have all the ingredients for the perfecto rock n roll cake. Formed in London around 2008, they are a good introduction if you want to hear just how rock music from the 50s would sound if invented today.

The vocals are ‘on it’, as is the fuzzed-up guitar and abandoned drumming. Very basic music that can give you goosebumps in much the same way Cochran, Vincent, Presley, and Little Richard all have done in the past. A big hunk o’ rock.

Domino: The Spot For Indie

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Domino recording company, London is a good place to visit if you like your sounds indie and easy on the ears, but with a few little touches of brilliance thrown in.

Obviously, you have the big pop names like Franz or the Arctics, but the hidden gems are artists like Cass McCombs, The Kills or Bonnie Prince Billy and a host of others which you no doubt will discover once you click onto their website at  http://www.dominorecordco.com

It’s all very tried and tested music, and easy to listen to in the best possible sense.  If you dig pre-Space Oddity Bowie or Aphrodite’s Child, Bobby Vee/Vinton/Rydell  or even very early XTC, this site’s music will fire you up no end. There are some fabulous tunes to be had which will lead you to other bands and sites of a similar nature.

It’s all rock n roll and these are the best at what they do – full stop!