Elton John began inching back into the mainstream with Jump Up, an uneven but strong record highlighted by "Empty Garden." Its success set the stage for Too Low for Zero, a full-fledged reunion with his best collaborator, Bernie Taupin, and his classic touring band. Happily, this is a reunion that works like gangbusters, capturing everybody at a near-peak of their form…
Building off of the success of his previous long player Too Low For Zero (1983), Elton John (piano/vocals) retained his 'classic quartet' for the follow-up Breaking Hearts (1984). After an eight year ('75 – '83) hiatus Dee Murray (bass/backing vocals), Davey Johnstone (guitar/backing vocals) and Nigel Olsson (drums/backing vocals) briefly reunited with John and Bernie Taupin (lyrics) to attempt a musical resurrection of their early-to-mid '70s sound…
Sandwiched between 1984's Top 20 hit Breaking Hearts and 1986's commercial disaster Leather Jackets, 1985's Ice on Fire is a forgotten Elton John effort. While it is hardly a masterpiece – it isn't even up to the standard of such '80s efforts as Too Low for Zero – it's still an enjoyable record, living proof of the power of professionalism…
Produced from winter 2017 to spring 2018, The Royal Persuasion marks a return to their roots for the Portland, Oregon based duo of Jon Cates and Dave Dish. After nearly 15 years of long-distance collaboration, the band has come full circle with an album that turned life’s challenges into music while being influenced by the shifting of seasons on both coasts. While previous albums have featured production by both members, Jon stepped up to the challenge of producing this entire album…
Elton John began inching back into the mainstream with Jump Up, an uneven but strong record highlighted by "Empty Garden." Its success set the stage for Too Low for Zero, a full-fledged reunion with his best collaborator, Bernie Taupin, and his classic touring band…
This set continues tracing the musical career of the multi talented Henry Glover. Up through 1959 Henry continued his association with King Records writing and producing for King and its Federal and Bethlehem subsidiaries and the first disc and half the second are devoted to these recordings featuring classic performances by Wynonie Harris, Sonny Thompson, Moon Mullican, Lulu Reed, Tiny Bradshaw, The Five Royales, The Checkers, Linda Hopkins, Bill Doggett and others. It also features covers of Glover's King songs including Ray Charles spectacular version of Drown In My Tears, Teresa Brewer's improbable cover of Wynonie Harris's Lovin' Machine, Johnny Burnette's version of The Delmore Brothers' Blues Stay Away From Me and others.
Two CD collection. When Purple Records was first set up in 1971, it was by no means a mere vanity label to release Deep Purple product, from Machine Head until the end of the decade; it also set out to nurture and discover raw talent too. The label would eventually become home to debut solo releases from Jon Lord, Roger Glover, David Coverdale and Glenn Hughes, as well as early releases from Yvonne Elliman and Ronnie James Dio with Elf. One of their earliest signings was a hard rock band called Bullet, featuring guitarist John Du Cann and drummer Paul Hammond, both formerly of Atomic Rooster, having played on Death Walks Behind You (1970), and In The Hearing Of (1971). They were joined by Quatermass bassist John Gustafson. After only one single, they discovered a US band already called Bullet, swiftly changing their name to Hard Stuff.
Revered for decades as one of the Kings of Memphis Rockabilly for the scintillating records he made for Sam Phillips' legendary Sun imprint, the late Warren Smith was always a country boy at heart. After the rock 'n' roll boom was over he cut some of the best hardcore country shuffles of the early 60s. It was R 'n' R that built Warren's reputation, but honky tonkin' country that gave him his hits and made him a frequent visitor to the Billboard Country Charts between 1960 and 1964.