Great idea on paper – invite rock's Van Morrison, his then-organ/vocal-sidekick Georgie Fame, singer/pianist/producer Ben Sidran, and Mose Allison himself to compile a celebration of one of the most delightfully idiosyncratic songwriters of our time. And these are serious Allison buffs indeed, for they chose tunes from the back catalog that Mose rarely performed live in the '90s, with hardly a well-known Allison standard in the batch (the exception being "I Don't Want Much"). The hang-up is that Allison's own performances over the decades are so unique and right for their material that they pose a creative problem for anyone who wants to give these songs a different slant.
Sounds of the Seventies was a 40-volume series issued by Time-Life during the late 1980s and early-to-mid 1990s, spotlighting pop music of the 1970s. Much like Time-Life's other series chronicling popular music, volumes in the "Sounds of the Seventies" series covered a specific time period, including individual years in some volumes, and different parts of the decade (for instance, the early 1970s) in others; in addition, some volumes covered specific trends, such as music popular on album-oriented rock stations on the FM band.
Pianist, singer/songwriter, producer, author, and host Ben Sidran is a literate performer known for his engaging, jazz-influenced sound and laid-back, conversational style. Essentially a pianist/vocalist with a storytelling approach in the tradition of Mose Allison, Sidran grew from a supporting player with rocker Steve Miller to a solo performer, and to an award-winning radio and TV host. Along the way, he has produced albums for such luminaries as Allison, Van Morrison, Michael Franks, Rickie Lee Jones, and others.
Particles presents the first ever box set anthology of Ireland's 1960s rock music scene. Only two long-out-of-print compilations have ever emerged to profile Ireland's rock roots, making this anthology doubly inviting. From the R&B/blues scene in Belfast to the late 1960s psychedelia of Dublin, People! Let's Freak Out reveals a wider account of the beat scene, and its transition into psychedelia and blues rock. While Ireland has never been given equal acclaim to that of its neighboring England, it nevertheless produced some of the most iconic and influential bands of the period. As Van Morrison and Them were leaving Belfast for London, a slew of new hopefuls arrived to establish their own niche under the nose of the dominant showband scene. Compiled here, are 125 original recordings featuring various groups from Eire and Northern Ireland, some of whom went on to huge success in the 1970s. From Ian Whitcomb to Eire Apparent, The Bye-Laws to the Belfast Gypsies and Gentry to Sugar Shack, People! Let's Freak Out is a fascinating account of Ireland's more obscure and vibrant music scene of the 1960s. Spanning five discs with rare and previously unreleased recording People! Let's Freak Out offers an excellent companion to similar anthologies such as Nuggets, Rubble, and Buried Alive.