Not Forgotten: Harry Nilsson – Aerial Ballet
Released at a time when receiving blanket praise from all four of The Beatles was unarguably A Big Thing, Aerial Ballet is the album that really should have launched Harry Nilsson’s career into the stratosphere. The fact that forty seven years after this album’s release, Nilsson is considered at best, a well respected cult artist …
Not Forgotten – Nazareth – Razamanaz
Nazareth were (and still are), one of the hidden gems of hard rock. Admittedly their first couple of albums weren’t spectacular, as they struggled to capture their hard rocking sound in the studio. However, during a tour supporting Deep Purple, they voiced their frustration to Purple bass player Roger Glover over a few beers one …
Not Forgotten – Cud – Showbiz
After years of incrementally increasing success achieved by a combination of talent as opposed to any grand career plan, Cud reached their commercial and creative apogee with 1992’s utterly wonderful Asquarius. Their first album for major label A&M, Asquarius should have been the album that lodged them permanently into the public’s consciousness, and while it …
Not Forgotten – Mott The Hoople – All The Young Dudes
1972 was the turning point for Mott the Hoople. Having decided to throw in the towel after four poorly selling albums and multiple sold out tours, they wound themselves down by fulfilling their final commitments and casting their minds to the future. In search of a new gig, bass player Pete ‘Overend’ Watts called rising …
Not Forgotten: Steely Dan – Can’t Buy a Thrill
Steely Dan are one of those acts who are spoken of in hushed tones. Be it their studio perfectionism, their increasingly deft blending of rock and jazz as their career progressed, or their smart arse lyrics, Steely Dan are a band beloved by those who take music very seriously indeed. For many Steely Dan fans, …
Not Forgotten: Sparks – Balls
One of the great things about Sparks down the decades has been their innate ability to innovate and inspire those that follow in their wake. The fact that those that follow in their wake have their own disciples and, somewhat frustratingly, bigger sales, only adds to the lure of Sparks for me. Having made great …
Not Forgotten – Suede – Coming Up
There are times when revisionism just gets it a bit wrong. In the early 90s, Suede were at the very vanguard of British guitar music. With the backing of the weekly music press, they gained a considerable amount of momentum, with frontman Brett Anderson even finding his way onto he front page of one of …
Not Forgotten: Jethro Tull – Too Old to Rock ‘n’ Roll : Too Young to Die
Frequently disregarded by their fans as an attempt by bandleader and benign dictator Ian Anderson to simplify the Jethro Tull sound, Too Old to Rock ’n’ Roll: Too Young to Die is in some senses one of their most interesting works. Wedged between the band’s grandiose work of the early 70s, and their late 70s …
Album Review: Hooton Tennis Club – Highest Point In Cliff Town
Just from the first glance at the album cover, there’s something familiar about Hooton Tennis Club’s debut. Having listened to this album a number of times now, there’s also something familiar about its sound, its feel, its tone. A few songs in, and it starts to become obvious that this Merseyside four piece are well …
Not Forgotten: Kirsty MacColl – Kite
I find it impossible to dislike any aspect of Kirsty MacColl. She was a trier, tirelessly honing her craft, refusing to sell herself short or compromise her material for anyone, be they record companies, her expectant fans or her father. Sadly for all her obvious talent and verve, she struggled to record a consistently satisfying …