Shawn Phillips is one of those legends that had been swept up in mystery, disappeared under the cloak of the sixties, or stripped of acknowledgement due to dirty management and contracts. Such is the case with the twelve-string acoustic genius, Shawn Phillips, one time flat partner with Tim Hardin, who played the Indian sitar for […] Continue reading →

South African Sharon Tandy had already paid her dues with Fleur De Lys that included future King Crimson bassist Gordon Haskell. Five Day Rain’s first drizzle started with In Crowd keyboardist Graham Maitland who originated from Scots Of St. James, headed by ex Vikings Allen Gorrie. Graham’s initial plan was to form a keyboard Prog […] Continue reading →

Not even the tears in heaven could wash away the injustice bestowed upon the Mexican spirit of a street poet called Sixto Rodriguez. With two brilliant albums Cold Fact and Coming From Reality – unfortunately only reaching the ears of the southern hemisphere (Australia / South Africa) – Rodriguez became a scapegoat for the skulduggery […] Continue reading →

Only recently unearthed was songwriter Nick Garrie who delivered his poetry spaced The Nightmare Of J.B. Stanislas (1969) exploring his bohemian French liaisons.The album is a Godlocked interlude of poetic excursions, namely the epic  title track, the fluent “Can I Stay With You” and infectious “Ink Pot Eyes” for a Russian actress are art decor […] Continue reading →

Most of the finest seminal sixties bands emerged from Sunset Strip LA such as the Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, and The Doors, but none so poignant and influential as LA band Love, headed by Arthur Lee. Arthur Lee’s roots started in Memphis with his local Booker T influenced Lags, with Arthur on rhythm and vocals churning […] Continue reading →

Leonard Cohen took his verse into music and stilled the world with his bleak melancholic. The euphoric “So Long Marianne”, “Sisters Of Mercy” and chilling “Who By Fire” continue to shiver through the lonely strains of a man’s heart. Tim Hardin sang his austere “Bird On The Wire”, (about birds on a telegraph wire in […] Continue reading →

Kevin Ayers the English songwriter and poet and was a key influential force in the  psychedelic movement of the mid sixties. BBC DJ John Peel wrote, ‘Kevin Ayers’ talent is so acute you could perform major eye surgery with it.’Kevin Ayers started out with The Wilde Flowers then to Mr Head, the remnants thereof blossoming […] Continue reading →

Scotland the brave with tartan warriors like Beggars Opera and Cirkus had prolifically scaled awesome musical heights during the Prog revolution. Sadly one band from Newcastle is often forgotten in the seventies shuffle namely the three- piece Ginhouse (name from St Andrews pub). Ginhouse played a mighty set at the Newcastle Polytechnic Ellison Building in […] Continue reading →

The music media of the UK received a riveting reminder of their short sightedness when English guitar fans turned their sights away from Clapton and Beck and focussed on the virtuosi Jan Akkerman. Jan’s early days were honed in Johnny & the Cellar Rockers during the guitar instrumental era of 1962. Even at the promiscuous […] Continue reading →

Fear Itself were more of a blues group caught in the psyche energy of 1966. Members comprised of ex Electric Blues vocalist Ellen McIlwaine, Chris Zaloom lead guitar ex Soldiers bassist Steve Cook, replaced by Paul Album and drummer Bill McCord. Fear Itself lived on the edge playing clubs like Cafe Bizarre in New York […] Continue reading →