SMALL HOURS, THE - Midnight To Six : The London Sessions LP (Detour)

 

This is the story of the “lost” album. Shortly after The Small Hours had three tracks included on the Mods May Day '79 album, we went back into the recording studio to record an album of our own. Most of the songs were recorded in one take in London. At least one was recorded as a jam session while waiting for the sound engineer to adjust his settings.

This gave the album the raw energy and drive of a live performance. We had everything: great songs, strong band dynamics and a large and enthusiastic live following. The only ingredient missing at the time was a record contract.

So the tapes were mothballed and life moved on… until some 43 years later Carol Isaacs found a copy of the tape in the back of a cupboard. Carol sent it to Dizzy Detour, who in turn passed it to his genius sound engineer, James Perret. With 21st century technology, James was able to do a total remix of the sound adding double/ triple tracking, delay and echo.  The result is an astonishing  “virtual reality”  of what the band would have sounded like live.

As Neil Thompson would say, we had "Ingredient X”. A  meld of the individual members of the band into a complete sound. The sound that was held together by a great drummer,  the late Iain Shedden.

As the saying goes," All things come to those who wait”.  Thanks to Carol, Dizzy and James Perret, the wait is over.

The Small Hours

FEATURES

Soul Stew

The Kid

Too Late

Knock Me Out

I Can’t Help Myself

The Mess

Underground

I Can’t Do Without You

But It’s Alright

Midnight To Six

Hanging In The Balance

Outro… End Of The Night…

The Britalian Job in Nottingham this Saturday 15th October

 

MARK LE GALLEZ - Mark Two (GREEN VINYL) LP available via Detour Records

 

DETOUR RECORDS

ARE PLEASED TO  BE ABLE TO OFFER YOU

THE BELOW RELEASE

MARK LE GALLEZ - Mark Two (GREEN VINYL) LP

He's Back and what a blinder!!!

Over nearly 40 years later prolific singer songwriter and bassist, guitar player and multi instrumentalist MARK LE GALLEZ releases his follow up to MARK ONE. Mark is best known as bassist and singer with MOD/POWERPOP band THE RISK, also singing in garage psyche band THE SACRED HEARTS  and garage punk band THEE JENERATORS, and of course not forgetting mod/power pop band SPEAKEASY! also known for such alter egos as STEAMPUNK ARTISTE and general mischief maker THE CROWMAN and BABA GANOUSH rhythm and soul nutter. He has also played bass and guitar in skiffle turn THE JOHN WESLEY STONE. Mark has toured extensively played many many gigs and worked with quite a few, shall we say interesting people.

So why release the follow up now, well, to be honest had the time and energy a meeting in the pub in GUERNSEY and the help of long term multi instrumentalist, producer and engineer:

JAMES LE HURAY’

This release is a limited run of only 250 copies of high quality green vinyl. 10 tracks are featured and are basically a potted history of the man’s song writing and career over many years.

COLIN LEACH, Mark’s colleague and guitarist and singer from THE RISK produced the artwork and KERRIN SEARS did the photography, and yes the jacket still fits and is the same one worn on the original MARK ONE.

FEATURES

TRAFFIC JAM

GHOSTS

ELVIS

LUCIFER LADY

GOD BLESS YOU, GENE CLARK

ONLY CRY THE LONELY

YOU CAPTURED MY HEART

SOLD MY SOUL

YOU SAY

MYSTERY TRAIN

 

£16.99
Plus delivery

Graham Day - 'The Master Of None' album released today by Acid Jazz Records

 

Countdown Records is proud to announce the return of Graham Day to their roster. Their relationship with Graham stretches back to 1986 when his renowned band The Prisoners released their album In From The Cold on the label.

Fronted by Graham on vocals and guitar, The Prisoners were a pioneering and inspirational 80s British garage band, who fused beat-era rock with R&B, American garage and psychedelia. A restless and independent spirit, Graham has released albums under many guises, including: Solarflares, Graham Day and The Forefathers, and current group, The Gaolers. He has also worked as a producer and long-time collaborator with fellow Kent coast musician Billy Childish, briefly playing drums in Billy’s group The Mighty Caesars and later bass in The Buff Medways.

Graham’s debut solo album ‘The Master Of None’ is more the result of circumstance than by design. Demoing songs for the third Graham Day and The Gaolers album, Graham’s plans were scuppered by lockdown – with a drummer based in the U.S. there was no real chance of recording the album in the foreseeable future. Despite his urgency as a writer, and reluctance to dwell on a song for too long, Graham set himself the challenge of trying to turn his Logic Pro X demos into an album-proper. Building each track up from scratch, he added bass guitar, Hammond and congas to the exciting vocal and electric guitar track, and the most challenging instrument of all, drums. These had to be played along to the demos, which were built on quantised computer drum tracks.

The resultant 12-track album is a remarkable achievement. It defies the fact it’s been pieced together, sounding more like a live studio album recorded by a full band. Packed full of great hooks, melodies, killer riffs and Graham’s gift for writing a short, sharp visceral garage-pop song, The Master Of None is one of his finest albums to date. Full of youthful exuberance it belies its creator’s years and is the sort of album younger garage bands would love to create.

Released 25th March 2022.

Heavy Soul Records - NEW RELEASES and pre-order updates

 

PRE-ORDER UPDATES

This is the shit bit.... 

I have been in regular contact with the pressing plant and orders have now been put back by about two months. Smart Alec has arrived and the next one will be PH2 "1974" which many of you have kindly pre-ordered. This was due end of December, then end of January and now looks like end of MARCH!!!

This is purely down to the greed of companies like Universal etc who have basically booked all the pressing plants in Europe to fill HMV up with reissues of albums you can buy at a third of the price in your local second hand record shop.

I took a look in my local HMV and was shocked to see what mediocre LPs are being pushed out. When I last looked at the vinyl chart Fleetwood Mac were still #2 behind Adele!

Anyway, these are the reasons everything is taking so long. I profusely apologise for all of this and the plant are trying to get things to me earlier, but the next few releases are looking like this time-wise:

ROR139 PH2 "1974" 25/03

ROR140 REACTION "This Is Now, That Was Then" LP/CD 27/04

ROR141 THE CHORDS UK "21st Century Girl" 05/05

ROR142 PH2 "Urban Soul" 10/05

ROR143 THE TIMES "Patrick McGoohan" 15/05

ROR145 THE TIMES "Here Comes The Times... Vol 1" 27/06

ROR146 tba

ROR147 THE TIMES "Whatever Happened To Thamesbeat" 27/07

ROR148 tba

ROR149 tba 

THE SPITFIRES farewell show and final LP.

 

After 9 years and four incredible albums, The Spitfires have decided to call it a day on the eve of their final LP Play For Today (Acid Jazz Records).

 The original line up of Billy Sullivan, Sam Long and Matt Johnson will say goodbye to their loyal fans at Camden’s Electric Ballroom on Saturday 26th February 2022. 

STONE FOUNDATION announce a massive London concert with very special guests.

 

Stone Foundation announce their only London concert of 2022 at the newly re-opened Koko in Camden in support of the incredible new LP Outside Looking In.

 Very special guests will be announced shortly.

 The seeds of British modern soul band Stone Foundation were sown in the early ’90s when Neil Sheasby and Neil Jones met.

 Over the years they’ve collaborated with Paul Weller, Peter Capaldi, Bettye Lavette, William Bell, Nolan Porter, Graham Parker, Carleen Anderson, Mick Talbot, Kathryn Williams, Laville, Melba Moore, Hamish Stuart, Dr. Robert from the Blow Monkeys and many more.

PH2 to release 'Urban Soul' b/w 'Living In The Seventies' on 7" in March on Heavy Soul Records

 

PH2

"Urban Soul" / "Living In The Seventies"

PURPLE VINYL

ROR142

EXPECTED MARCH 2022*

The second single from the band consisting of ex-Purple Hearts BOB MANTON and JUST JEFF (plus the considerable talents of Kevin Iverson and Andy Huckstead) sees the band power-chording through  three and a half minutes of pure 'Hearts magic....... the pounding bass, feed-back guitar and driving drums not to mention Bob's magical vocal delivery make this another classic PH2 release

* please be aware pressing times are seriously mental at the moment, but this is the date I have been given

Paul Weller reveals to NME that he “caught the dreaded COVID” while on tour

 

Paul Weller has revealed that his recent UK tour was cut short after he contracted coronavirus.

The final three dates of Weller’s 2021 UK tour – which were due to run from December 3-5 in Norwich, Lincoln and Cambridge – were cancelled on December 3 after “a band member tested positive for COVID-19”.

“We are working hard to see if we can reschedule the shows and will share more information on that as soon as we possibly can,” an official statement read.

“This is obviously incredibly disappointing news for not just the fans but Paul and the whole team involved, but we need to follow the guidelines to keep everyone as safe as possible.”

Weller subsequently confirmed last week (December 8) that it was he who had tested positive for COVID-19.

“I was so, so disappointed to not be able to finish the rest of the shows,” he wrote on Twitter. “I caught the dreaded COVID so that was that!

“I hope we can reschedule the shows for next year. This tour was so great, we loved every show, it was so great to be out again and playing. Great set, band and crowd!

“I hope we can do it again next year. Let us hope for a better year ahead – Happy Holidays. Keep the faith, Love PW.”

Weller is set to resume touring in the UK in March, with dates continuing through to the end of April.

This week Weller announced new outdoor live dates for summer 2022 in Kent, Lincoln and Bedford.

THE KINKS Guitarist DAVE DAVIES's Autobiography, 'Living On A Thin Line', due next Summer reports Blabbermouth

 

According to The Bookseller, Headline will publish the upcoming autobiography from Dave Davies of THE KINKS.

Due in hardback and e-book in July 2022, "Living On A Thin Line" "will explore the glory days of the band, its legacy and the turbulent relationship" between Dave and his brother, and fellow THE KINKS co-founder, Ray Davies.

Dave Davies said: "I've had a laugh, and shed quite a few tears, thinking back over the last six decades since THE KINKS had our first hit in 1964 with 'You Really Got Me'. Here are the ups and downs of my life in THE KINKS and what happened afterwards. Prepare to be amazed and, I hope, surprised."

Dave Davies is a musician who needs little introduction. As a founding member of legendary rock group THE KINKS, his guitar sound, unique style and songwriting has shaped the landscape of rock and pop music across generations. A pioneering rock guitarist who singlehandedly changed rock and roll when he sliced his little green Elpico amp speaker with a razor blade, creating the first heavy metal guitar tone and riff. This revolutionary guitar sound propelled THE KINKS into stardom with the global smash hits "You Really Got Me" and "All Day And All Of The Night", followed by numerous other classics over the next decades.

"As lead guitarist and co-founder of THE KINKS, Dave Davies is one of the most unpredictable and original forces in rock," enthuses writer Bill Crowley. "His distinctive guitar style went on to have major impact on several key guitar-rock styles, including heavy metal and punk. A Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductee, Dave's massive guitar sounds have inspired bands from VAN HALEN to GREEN DAY."

PH2 to continue despite losing 2 band members

Jeff says, "Sad news today that unfortunately Kevin Iverson Jnr and Andrew Hucksted have decided to leave PH2 ...and continue with their own musical path..

Bob/ Robert John Manton and myself thought about our options and as we're loving it so much we have decided that the show must and will go on.

So its going to be hard to replace the guys but lets just say...

"ONWARDS AND UPWARDS"

have faith guys n gals we will continue..."