Elektor Archive 1974 2023

From the wreckage of Free came Bad Company, the English hard rock supergroup fronted by singer Paul Rodgers and featuring his drummer bandmate Simon Kirke, Mott the Hoople guitarist Mick Ralphs, and King Crimson bassist Boz Burrell. Peter Grant, who managed the rock band Led Zeppelin, also managed Bad Company until 1982.

Die liebevoll aufbereiteten 8LP- und 5CD-Boxen „Westernhagen 75 (75 Songs: 1974 – 2023)“ enthalten je mindestens ein Lied aus allen von Westernhagens bisherigen Alben. Die umfassend geremasterte Trackauswahl mit vielen Raritäten und Überraschungen reicht über die zarte Individualität des Frühwerks, die ungehobelte Rock’n’Roll-Aufsässigkeit des Pfefferminz-Prinzen, die neugierige Experimentierfreude der mittleren Achtziger, die große Geste seiner Megastar-Phase bis zur Hingabe und Musikalität der vergangenen Jahre. Zudem enthält die 8LP-Box ein 32-seitiges Hardcover-Buch mit allen Album-Covern, Linernotes und unzähligen Fotos. Diese finden sich ebenfalls in der 5CD-Box im Booklet wieder. Darüber hinaus erscheint eine 2LP-Gatefold-Edition mit einer Auswahl von 18 Songs und eine 2CD-Digipak-Edition mit einer Auswahl von 34 Songs.

In 1950, Ian Thomas was born in Hamilton, Ontario. Once he began to play piano at the age of six Thomas fell in love with the world of music. He later learned the guitar. By 1969 he was in a folk group called Tranquility Base which began to tour across Canada. They had a #3 hit in Hamilton in 1970 called “If You’re Looking”. This led to an album, but further success eluded them. Thomas became a producer at the CBC. By 1973 he got his own record deal with GRT Records and released “Painted Ladies”. The song climbed to #9 in Vancouver and #34 on the Billboard Hot 100. His self-titled album went Gold. Thomas won the 1974 Juno Award for Most Promising Male Vocalist and toured with April Wine. He got exposure on a number of TV variety shows in Canada which included both his musical and comedic talents.

Deluxe two CD edition. Kiki Dee's second album for Elton John's Rocket Records label was produced by Elton's producer, the legendary Gus Dudgeon. Released in September 1974, and credited to The Kiki Dee Band, the album starts with the title track, a Top 20 hit for Kiki and the band, and a perennial favorite. The songwriting credits are shared between Kiki and keyboard player Bias Boshell. In this special 2CD set, CD1 features the original album, while bonus CD2 contains the five non-album A- and B-sides, and PWL's Phil Harding's previously unreleased mixes of "I've Got The Music In Me". The two CDs are presented in brand new seven-inch deluxe gatefold packaging, with an 8- page booklet which includes the lyrics and credits.

Pyramid Review by Scott Yanow
Cannonball Adderley is in generally good form on this 1974 recording. His Quintet at the time featured cornetist Nat Adderley, keyboardist Hal Galper, bassist Walter Booker and drummer Roy McCurdy. Guests on some selections include guitarist Phil Upchurch, keyboardist George Duke and (on "Bess, Oh Where's My Bess") veteran pianist Jimmy Jones. The emphasis is on recent group originals including the three part "Suite Cannon," two Galper compositions and Cannonball's "Pyramid." Nothing too earthshattering occurs but this is an improvement over many of Adderley's Capitol recordings.

Mastered direct to DSD from the original master tape by Bernie Grundman.
Steely Dan's gold-selling third studio album Pretzel Logic, charted at No. 8 on the Billboard 200 and restored the group's radio presence with the single "Rikki Don't Lose That Number," which became the biggest pop hit of their career and peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100. The 1974 album was produced by Gary Katz and was written primarily by Walter Becker (bass) and bandleader Donald Fagen (vocals, keyboards). The album marked the beginning of Becker and Fagen's roles as Steely Dan's principal members.

Natty Dread is the seventh album by Bob Marley and the Wailers, released in 1974. Previously Marley had recorded with Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer as the Wailers, and this was his first record without them.

SOUTHERN STEEL "Get On Through" out of Miami, Florida in 1974 firmly resides in the upper realms of rare early '70s southern rock LPs and the brilliant guitar interplay, vibrant vocals and finely crafted songs will seriously grab late '60s westcoast rock ears as well. It's really accessible stuff, heartfelt country inflected vocals with appealing vivid guitar textures and rhythms that fly. Echoes of Buffalo Springfield, Flying Burrito Brothers, Byrds, more on the rock than the country side but genuine about both. It's southern but it's also eastcoast-westcoast. In fact the opening track titled "San Francisco Man" is loaded with searing guitar licks and propulsive rhythmic action hitting pleasure points similar to the first Moby Grape LP. "Get On Through" contains thoughtful song oriented outdoors rock with little in the way of "south's gonna rise again" attitude, bluesy grit, bad women, whiskey, or hard livin' roadhouse action. These guys genuinely sound turned on to life, everyday regular dude seeker post '60s style and it is contagious. You can really feel it when the sweet southern fried dual guitar leads cascade out at just the right moment.

Once one of Britain's most reliable hit-makers, Adam Faith slipped out of the recording studio in 1965, and did not return for another decade, a period during which he established himself as both an actor (well-received roles in That'll Be the Day and Stardust) and a manager – he was part of the team that launched Leo Sayer to fame. 1974, however, brought him back to a recording career, with a comeback album that now stands as one of the great unsung records of the 1970s – and one of the last great "super-sessions" of the age as well. Co-produced by Faith and David Courtney, I Survive was engineered by Deep Purple faithful Martin Birch, mastered by Mickie Most, and draws in guest appearances from Ritchie Blackmore, Russ Ballard and Argent's Bob Henrit, with Blackmore's lead guitar flourishes through the title track the match of anything he'd done with his own band lately.

World-renowned Indian musician Ravi Shankar's 'Shankar Family & Friends' was originally released in 1974. Produced by George Harrison, this was one of the first album releases on Dark Horse Records.