Spin Cycle

Other Worlds, Other Voices – Peter Hammill talks past, present and future

February 28, 2014 | Dave Thompson | 0

Thirty-six albums into his solo career, with another dozen Van Der Graaf Generator discs, and a whole heap of live-and-otherwise too, it’s always surprising when a new Peter Hammill record appears, and you realize that he has still to start … ►

Supper’s Ready Again – Revisiting Genesis Revisited

February 27, 2014 | Dave Thompson | 0

Ever got the feeling that most of your favorite bands have been reduced to the status of brand names? That a passing muso only needs to have once dropped in on a session to feel he (or she) has the … ►

Olias of Sunhillow – an SACD masterpiece

February 21, 2014 | Dave Thompson | 0

Jon_anderson_olias_of_sunhillow_album_cover

Amid the manifold reissues and remasters meted out to the Yes catalog over the years, a handful of other related odds and ends have cried out for re-evaluation – and will probably continue to do so for a while to … ►

Out of the Past… Present

February 17, 2014 | Dave Thompson | 0

There is, though you probably aren’t aware of the fact, a parallel universe in which Henry Cow are the biggest band on the planet. It’s a neat place, too; not only because the Cow stalked our own version of the … ►

The Owl Service – Garnering Garlands Wherever They Land

February 13, 2014 | Dave Thompson | 0

Among the manifold bands and performers that can be said to lead the latest wave of British folk bands, a roster that travels from the brightest-eyed ingenues to a veritable flood of revitalized veterans (have you heard the new Steeleye … ►

A Light in the Attic of the Vanguard Vault

February 11, 2014 | Dave Thompson | 0

Of all the vinyl reissue labels whose output we habitually keep an open eye out for, Light in the Attic, and its twelve year (and counting) quest to restore wax to its rightful place has long been paramount among them. … ►

UFO and Other Stories – an Interview with Neil Daniels

January 28, 2014 | Dave Thompson | 0

Of all the bands that labored (or rejoiced… the choice is your) beneath the epithet “Heavy Metal,” UFO always felt like one of the most awkward fits. Not later on, of course – after a while, they tired with swimming … ►

Iggy and the Stooges – Opened Up and Bleeding Rarities

January 27, 2014 | Dave Thompson | 0

Anyone whose record-buying memory goes back to 1976, and an urge to pick up some Iggy Pop records, will remember this well. Three original albums, The Stooges and Fun House on 69/70 Elektra, and the Bowie-bashed Raw Power from 1973, … ►

“If you can’t understand me, dance with me, then” – a portrait of Lal Waterson –

January 23, 2014 | Dave Thompson | 0

It scarcely caused a ripple back when it was released… well, not unless you count the howls of anguish and confusion that rose from some quarters, but Lal and Mike Waterson’s Bright Phoebus is now firmly established as the UK … ►

Time and a Word and Yes in a Box

January 18, 2014 | Dave Thompson | 0

Even among the die-hard clan, most Yes fans will admit there’s a certain ambiguity to their love of the band. With forty-plus years worth of music to choose from, and the band’s longevity and persistency far deeper engrained than their … ►