Tag Archives: 70s

VARIOUS ARTISTS – So High I’ve Been: A European Rock Anthology 1967-1973

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When it comes to compilations, the UK rock scene of the late 1960s/early 1970s has been covered extensively – to the point of absolute overkill. It’s easy to feel that this is a part of musical history that no longer needs revisiting, just as many “new” articles on The Beatles, the Stones and Queen now border on being digital landfill. With that in mind, it’s always far more interesting when attentions are turned to overseas acts. Cherry Red’s rather excellent set ‘Living On The Hill’ promised “a Danish underground trip” upon its release in 2020 and subsequently did exactly what it said on the tin, giving the keener rock fan three discs’ worth of genuinely unfamiliar sounds from the North, with Blast Furnace being the compilation’s nearest to a “known” name.

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THE REAL GONE ADVENT CALENDAR 2025

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It seems unbelievable that we’ve reached December already. It was only Easter a few weeks ago. Nevertheless, the end of the year is fast approaching and, as is traditional, we’ll be counting down the days to Xmas with the Real Gone advent calendar!

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ALAN WHITE – Ramshackled

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Taking some well earned time between band projects in 1975, the five members of the then current Yes embarked on solo ventures. As you’d expect, each release had elements which tipped the hat towards the mothership – especially strongly in the case of Chris Squire’s excellent ‘Fish Out of Water’ – but the freedom of writing alone and working with other musicians also brought a fresh angle. When heard as a whole volume of work, those five albums – Squire’s ‘Fish…’, Jon Anderson’s fanciful ‘Olias of Sunhillow’, Steve Howe’s underrated ‘Beginnings’, Patrick Moraz’s ‘I’ and Alan White’s ‘Ramshackled’ – make for an interesting listen. In some ways, the finest elements from each can be cobbled together to make a great Yes album that never was.

Predictably, the releases from Anderson, Squire and Howe all achieved UK success upon release, charting at #8, #25 and #22, respectively. Moraz’s rather complex ‘I’ has gained cult status over the passing decades, but White’s sole venture has often been considered the runt of the litter.

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VARIOUS ARTISTS – Feelin’ Alright?: Mod, Rock, Funky Prog & Heavy Jazz 1967-1972

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When it comes to curating a period specific, multi disc anthology – particularly covering the exciting, ever evolving sounds of the late 60s and early 70s – there are few that do the job anywhere near as well as Cherry Red Records and their family of associated labels. That said, it doesn’t initially feel as if ‘Feelin’ Alright?’ will be one of their better efforts. By kicking off with Deep Purple’s over-exposed ‘Hush’, reaching for Spencer Davis Group’s ‘I’m A Man’ in record time, presenting what feels like the hundredth compilation outing for Small Faces’ ‘Song of A Baker’, and having the first disc also play host to the titular track from Traffic – tracks that’ll need absolutely no introduction – there’s a strong feeling of deja vu.

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DELUXE EDITION DREAMLAND: Dire Straits – Dire Straits

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Following the launch of the Universal “Deluxe Edition” range in 2001, it has become increasingly normal practice for classic albums – and sometimes not-so-classic albums – to be reissued in an expanded format.

At the affordable end of the deluxe reissue scale, such releases normally take the form of a 2CD set, combining the original album of the chosen release with a disc’s worth of b-sides and/or rare and unreleased material. Most of the big bands of the 70s, 80s and 90s have been awarded deluxe reissues, but for years, there had been one very notable absence: Dire Straits.

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