In 2018, Dot Dash made the album of their career with ‘Proto Retro’. By making the jump from indie punk sounds to a mod influenced power pop, they became more commercial, but with that came some truly great chorus songs. [You can listen to the album here.]
Author Archives: Real Gone
THE IDLE RACE – The Birthday Party
Long before joining Roy Wood and Bev Bevan in The Move, a young hopeful named Jeff Lynne became a member of a Midlands beat group named The Nightriders. Soon after Lynne’s arrival, The Nightriders mutated into The Idle Race, a move reflecting a gradual shift from 60s beat group sounds to the burgeoning psychedelic scene. Despite releasing two albums and a handful of singles, The Idle Race failed to make much of a commercial impact in the 60s, but due to Jeff’s later megastar status as the leader of Electric Light Orchestra and part time Wilbury, their work has built a cult following.
Watch: Take ‘One Less Step’ with Ken Fox & Knock Yourself Out
A long time member of The Fleshtones, Ken Fox made his solo debut at the end of February 2020 with ‘Ken Fox & Knock Yourself Out’, a fantastic EP of power pop and garage rock tunes.
As part of the promotion for that release, Fox and his bandmates have also shot a video for the lead track ‘One Less Step’.
Watch: Jack Broadbent shares new video for ‘If’…
Jack Broadbent’s fifth album ‘Moonshine Blue’ was one of the best records of 2019. Stepping aside from the blues music that filled his previous albums, ‘Moonshine Blue’ ushered in a new era for the British singer songwriter. The album shared more in common with James Taylor than Elmore James, but had the potential to open up his talents to a whole new audience.
There were a couple of songs on the album where Jack’s blues influences could be found creeping in, not least of all on ‘If’, which has been chosen as his current single. To accompany the track, a new travelogue styled video has been shared to YouTube and its hazy Instagrammed images are the perfect accompaniment to a great track. You can check it out below.
VARIOUS ARTISTS – Crawling Up A Hill: A Journey Through The British Blues Boom 1966-71
On the surface, it would seem that the British blues boom has been well served by compilation discs over the years. On closer inspection, that hasn’t really been the case at all: the best anthologies tend to be label specific (Blue Horizon’s ‘The Blue Horizon Story’, Decca’s ‘The Blues Scene’ and Immediate’s ‘Blues Anytime’ series, later repackaged as an excellent four CD set by Charly Records). The bulk of the rest seem too concerned with repackaging bits of ‘Blues Anytime’ with cheap, inferior packaging. There hasn’t ever really been a decent compilation covering a lot of ground from different labels, or one unafraid to dig a little deeper beyond the usual suspects.