t Rock

This is the eighth (and last) volume in a series of double-disc anthologies from French label Fremeaux Records that chronicles the years that led up to the birth of rock & roll. While the magic year of 1954 is usually accepted as the dawn of the rock & roll age, the whole matter has always generated a good deal of debate, and this installment in the Fremeaux series only muddies the waters, since the year it covers, 1952, shows things rocking along pretty well. One could argue that some of the tracks here, like Wally Mercer's wonderful "Rock Around the Clock," are really just speeded-up R&B, and technically, that's probably so, but there's no denying that something resembling the rock & roll attitude is already in full swing in 1952…

One of the first F.M. recordings from the legendary rock-band Van Halen feat. David Lee Roth - Vocals, Eddie Van Halen - Guitar, Alex Van Halen - Drums, Michael Anthony - Bass. Recorded in 1975 for KSWM.

Geordie's second album, 1974's Don't Be Fooled by the Name, was a bit of a letdown after their debut, which merged the swagger of hard rock with the tuneful bombast of blue-collar glam acts typified by Slade. In some respects, Don't Be Fooled suggests Geordie were aiming for something a bit more mature and adventurous than they achieved on their debut, and they didn't entirely fail – they reveal a tough, bluesy side on their cover of "House of the Rising Sun," a number that suits Brian Johnson's industrial-strength pipes, and the "St. James Infirmary" lift in opening cut "Goin' Down" leans toward the same direction.

The prolific veteran continues to cover a lot of musical territory on an album that resonates with the sound of his glory years of the mid-to-late 1970s. On the first two songs, Parker recalls his breakthrough with Dylanesque phrasing on "I Discovered America" before flashing forward to the current state of British pop celebrity on "England's Greatest Clown." There's his trademark sardonicism in the socially-conscious singalongs of "Ambiguous" and "Stick to the Plan," while other highlights include songs of resilience ("Suspension Bridge," "Hard Side of the Rain") and redemption ("Somebody Saved Me"). At almost eight-and-a-half minutes, "The Other Side of the Reservoir" is epic by Parker's standards, as he follows Van Morrison into the mystic. The closing "All Being Well" could pass as a traditional Irish benediction. With arrangements largely built around Parker's acoustic guitar, the predominantly midtempo material doesn't rock as hard as Parker has, but the hooks sink deep into the soul.

With this album we are once again in the 'Koko-Mojo Original' series. The compiler is still Little Victor aka 'The Mojo Man' and again he selected 28 tracks.

Various Artists - 20 Original Debut-Albums by 20 Rock & Roll Stars (2015) {10 CD Box Set Documents 600222 rel 1956-1960}
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© 1956-60, 2015 Documents / The Intense Media | 600222
Rock & Roll / Rock / Early R&B / Rockabilly / Honky Tonk

This 10 CD box contains the debut albums by twenty rock 'n' roll stars, including Bill Haley, Little Richard, Fats Domino, Wanda Jackson, Buddy Holly, Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley and others. 246 songs in total from 1950 to 1960. It's a first-class collection of ballads, boogies, instrumentals, Rockabilly and Twist, from a fascinating array of rock 'n' roll's most influential artists.

German project T is the creative vehicle of composer and musician Thomas Thielen, formerly of the German band Scythe, but now with a solo career that has been ongoing ever since he released his first album using the 'T' moniker in 2002. Thomas plays all the instruments, does the vocals, lyrics, engineering, producing and recording. "Fragmentropy" is his fifth full-length production, released in 2015 by Progressive Promotion Records. "Fragmentropy" comes across as a fairly eclectic and demanding production, arguably with a foundation inside modern day neo-progressive rock and post-rock, but made with an approach that makes it hard to categorize inside any of those stylistic contexts easily…