Josef K was a Scottish post-punk band that released five singles and the 1981 album The Only Fun in Town. An earlier demos set later surfaced as Sorry for Laughing. Along with Orange Juice and Aztec Camera, they recorded for Postcard Records, a small but fruitful Glaswegian indie. Their music influenced The Smiths and the […]
Jacques Thollot (October 9, 1946 — Oct. 2, 2014) was a French keyboardist, percussionist, and composer who emerged in the Sixties groups of jazz bandleaders Jef Gilson and Barney Wilen. Thollot made his solo debut with an avant 1971 Futura album, followed by the 1975 Palm release Watch Devil Go and the Zeuhl-tinged 1977–79 titles Résurgence […]
Oran “Juice” Jones is an American soul singer who made the 1986/87 Def Jam albums Juice and G.T.O.: Gangsters Takin’ Over. He scored an R&B No. 1 with “The Rain” and also charted with “Curiosity” and “Cold Spendin’ My $ Money.” Background Oran Edward Jones was born March 28, 1957, in Houston and grew up […]
Yazoo (aka Yaz) was an English synthpop duo with (ex-Depeche Mode) keyboardist–songwriter Vince Clarke and soul singer Alison Moyet. They released the 1982–83 albums Upstairs at Eric’s and You and Me Both and charted with “Only You,” “Don’t Go,” “Situation,” and “Nobody’s Diary.” Clarke formed the subsequent synth-duo Erasure. Members: Vince Clarke (keyboards, synthesizer), Alison […]
Clifford T. Ward (Feb. 10, 1944 — Dec. 18, 2001) was an English singer/songwriter who emerged from the Midlands beat circuit before his 1972 solo debut on Dandelion. His 1973 Charisma albums Home Thoughts and Mantle Pieces produced his main UK chart entries, led by the Top Ten single “Gaye” and the later hit “Scullery.” […]
The Emotions were an American soul group from Chicago, formed in 1965 and initially a singles act on Brainstorm and Twin Stacks Records. The group released a pair of albums on Volt between 1970 and 1972, followed by five albums on Columbia between 1976 and 1981. Two further albums appeared on Red Label and Motown […]
Houston Person (born Nov. 10, 1934) is an American post-bop/jazz-funk tenor saxophonist and record producer from Florence, SC. His catalog runs from Prestige to HighNote, alongside work as Etta Jones’s accompanist and producer. Background Person grew up in Florence, where his mother played piano and started him on lessons. He took up tenor saxophone at […]
Lenny Williams (born Feb. 6, 1945) is an American soul singer from Little Rock who sang with Tower of Power on three albums: their 1973 self-titled release and 1974 followups Back to Oakland and Urban Renewal. Williams went solo with the 1974 Warner release Pray for the Lion, followed on Motown with Rise Sleeping Beauty. […]
Bettye Lavette is an American soul singer who emerged with the 1962 Atlantic R&B hit “My Man — He’s a Lovin’ Man.” After two further singles, she scored a second hit with the 1965 Calla single “Let Me Down Easy,” followed by six singles through 1969 on Big Wheel and Karen Records. Her 1968 First […]
Zut Un Feu Rouge was a Swedish art-rock band that debuted with the 1983 EP Kafka vs. Chaplin, followed by the popular 1985 album Who’s Afreud. Both releases, along with a cassette-only demo/live collection, were issued on Bauta, a specialty label run by the band’s multi-instrumentalist mastermind Lach’n Jonsson. Members: Bengt Fredriksson (devices), Gunnar Johansson […]
Cosmos Factory was a Japanese symphonic/hard-psych band that released a self-titled album in 1973 on Columbia, followed by the 1975–77 Express titles A Journey With the Cosmos Factory, Black Hole, and Metal Reflection. Members: Tsutomu Izumi (keyboards, Moog synthesizer, vocals), Hisashi Mizutani (guitar, vocals), Toshikazu Taki (bass, vocals), Kazuo Okamoto (drums, percussion) Background Keyboardist Tsutomu […]
Bobby Caldwell (August 15, 1951 – March 14, 2023) was an American blue-eyed soul singer and songwriter known for the hits “What You Won’t Do for Love” and “Don’t Lead Me On.” Between 1978 and 2015, he released fifteen studio albums. His style evolved soft-rock and jazz-pop to retro R&B and big-band sounds. Background He […]
Bobbi Humphrey is an American jazz-funk flutist who released six albums between 1972 and 1975 on Blue Note. Background Bobbi was born Barbara Ann Humphrey on April 25, 1950, in Marlin, Texas, and raised in Dallas. She studied classical and jazz flute at Lincoln High School, then continued her studies at Texas Southern University, Houston. […]
Harlequin Mass was an American symphonic-rock band from Portland, Oregon, that released a self-titled album in October 1978 on Mass Productions. The group developed from West Linn high-school projects Aarbyn and Magus, then continued in Seattle as Stubborn Puppet. Members: Lyle Holdahl (bass, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, strings, synthesizer, piano, organ, bass synthesizer, flute, percussion, […]
Furniture was an English sophisti-pop band that self-released the 1983 EP When the Boom Was On and multiple singles collected on The Lovemongers. Their 1986 Stiff Records album The Wrong People contains their signature song “Brilliant Mind.” They released one further album, Food, Sex & Paranoia, in 1990 on Arista. Members: Jim Irvin (lead vocals, […]
Michael Henderson (July 7, 1951 – July 19, 2022) was an American R&B bassist, vocalist, songwriter, and producer who served as a backing player for Miles Davis during the early 1970s. As a solo artist, he released seven albums on Buddah between 1976 and 1983, followed by an eighth on EMI in 1986. Background Henderson […]
Robin Kenyatta (March 6, 1942 — Oct. 26, 2004) was an American jazz-funk saxophonist who emerged as a Bill Dixon sideman, graduating to bandleader status with the 1968 Vortex release Unity. In 1970, he teamed with Et Cetera personnel on the ECM title Girl From Martinique. On Atlantic, he cut the 1973/74 albums Gypsy Man, […]
Barry and Paul Ryan were English twin singers and songwriters whose joint career split into separate recording paths by the late 1960s. The brothers placed eight singles on the UK chart as Paul & Barry Ryan before Paul withdrew from regular performance. Paul then wrote and produced material for Barry, whose 1968 recording of “Eloise” […]
Sandy Denny — aka Alexandra Elene Maclean Denny (Jan. 6, 1947 — April 21, 1978) — was an English singer–songwriter who first recorded in 1967 for Saga Records, appearing on split-albums with folkies Alex Campbell and Johnny Silvo. In 1968, she passed through a formative lineup of the Strawbs before joining Fairport Convention, which she […]
Norma Winstone (born Sept. 23, 1941) is an English jazz singer and lyricist from London who began her recording career with three vocals on the 1969 album Hum Dono by Joe Harriott & Amancio D’Silva Quartet. In 1970, she sang on the albums Love Songs by the Mike Westbrook Concert Band and The Heart Is […]
Atlantic Starr was an American soul-funk band that released six albums between 1978 and 1985 on A&M, followed by a high-profile run on Warner Bros. and Reprise. The group built its early catalog with Radiant, Brilliance, and Yours Forever, which produced key R&B hits such as “When Love Calls,” “Circles,” and “Touch a Four Leaf […]
Goma was a Spanish jazz-rock band that released the 1975 album 14 Abril on Movieplay. Members: Manuel Rodríguez (guitar), José Lagares (bass), Antonio Rodríguez (drums), Pepe Sánchez (saxophone), Alberto Toribio (keyboards) Background Goma formed in April 1974 in Sevilla, Andalucía. Keyboardist Alberto Toribio came from Chilcle. Guitarist/singer Manuel Rodríguez and bassist/singer Pepe Lagares both played […]
Margie Joseph is an American soul singer who had R&B hits with the 1973–74 singles “Come Lay Some Lovin’ on Me,” “My Love,” and “Words (Are Impossible).” In 1975, she harmonized with Blue Magic on their hit “What’s Come Over Me.” Between 1970 and 1978, she released two albums on Volt and four on Atlantic, […]
Weldon Irvine (Oct. 27, 1943 — April 9, 2002) was an American pianist and composer from Hampton, Va., who released two albums on self-press Nodlew Music in 1972 and 1973, followed by three albums on RCA Victor between 1974 and 1976. He studied music at Amherst College and entered professional circles as a pianist, arranger, […]
Pekka Pohjola (Jan. 13, 1952 — Nov. 26, 2008) was a Finnish bassist and composer whose four-decade career included stints in Wigwam, Uni Sono, and The Group. Between 1972 and 1980, he released five solo albums on Love Records and Dig It. Starting with 1982’s Urban Tango, he issued recordings on his namesake Pohjola label. […]
Vytas Brenner (Sept. 19, 1946 — March 18, 2004) was a Venezuelan keyboardist, guitarist, and composer who recorded a slew of sympho-space/jazz-rock albums during the 1970s, some co-credited to his band Ofrenda. Background Vytas Brenner was born on September 19, 1946, in Tübingen, Germany, and moved with his family to Venezuela in 1949. His mother, […]
The Flying Lizards were an English electro/art-pop group that charted with 1979 reinventions of two rock standards: “Summertime Blues” and “Money.” Producer David Cunningham led the project through multiple iterations, first with singer Deborah Lizard and multi-instrumentalist Steve Beresford. Lizards’ 1981 second album, Fourth Wall, features Robert Fripp, Snatch singer Patti Palladin, and Eye to […]
George McCrae is an American soul singer, best known for the pioneering 1974 dance single “Rock Your Baby,” recorded with KC & The Sunshine Band. He released seven studio albums through 1987 and scored R&B hits with “I Can’t Leave You Alone,” “I Get Lifted,” “Honey I,” and “Nice and Slow.” His 1975 single “It’s […]
Metamorfosi was an Italian symphonic-rock band that released the 1972/73 albums …E fu il Sesto Giorno and Inferno on Vedette Records. Members: Davide “Jimmy” Spitaleri (vocals, flute), Enrico Olivieri (keyboards, vocals, flute), Luciano Tamburro (guitar, 1969-73), Roberto Turbitosi (bass, vocals), Mario Natali (drums, percussion, 1969-73), Gianluca Herygers (drums, percussion, 1973-?), Leonardo Gallucci (bass, classical guitar), […]
Linda Perhacs is an American singer-songwriter who released the 1970 album Parallelograms on Kapp Records. Reissues brought the album to a wider audience during the 1990s and 2000s. Perhacs resumed recording with the 2014 album The Soul of All Natural Things and the 2017 release I’m a Harmony. Background Linda Jeanne Arnold was born on […]
New Trolls were an Italian symphonic-rock band that released five albums on Fonit Cetre between 1968 and 1972, followed by six further titles through the close of the 1970s on Magma and Warner Bros. Members: Vittorio De Scalzi (guitar, keyboards, flute, vocals), Nico Di Palo (guitar, vocals), Mauro Chiarugi (keyboards, 1967-70), Giorgio D’Adamo (bass, vocals, […]
Merry Clayton (born Dec. 25, 1948) is an American soul singer from New Orleans who emerged through Los Angeles studio work. She reached a wider audience with her 1969 vocal feature opposite Mick Jagger on the Rolling Stones evergreen “Gimme Shelter,” then recorded the Ode albums Gimme Shelter, Merry Clayton, and Keep Your Eye on […]
Shooting Star was an American hard-rock band from Kansas City that released five albums between 1980 and 1985 on Virgin and scored FM radio hits with “Last Chance,” “Hang On for Your Life,” “Do You Feel Alright,” and “Straight Ahead.” Members: Van McLain (vocals, guitar), Ron Verlin (bass, 1971-84), Gary West (lead vocals, guitar, keyboard, […]
Martin Briley is an English musician, vocalist, and songwriter who first appeared in the pop-psych band Mandrake Paddle Steamer, which issued a single on Parlophone in 1969 and recorded more than an album’s worth of material that later appeared on assorted archival discs. Mandrake marked the start of Briley’s partnership with musician Brian Engel. Across […]
Max Webster was a Canadian rock band that released five studio albums between 1976 and 1980 on Anthem Records. Guitarist/singer Kim Mitchell formed the band with keyboardist Terry Watkinson and bassist Mike Tilka, who appears on the first two albums, Max Webster and High Class in Borrowed Shoes. With bassist David Myles and drummer Gary McCracken, […]
Ache was a Danish post-psych band that released the 1970/71 albums De Homine Urbano and Green Man. After a four-year pause, a revised lineup surfaced with the 1976/77 albums Pictures From Cyclus 7 and Bla Som Altid. Members: Torsten Olafsson (bass, vocals, 1970-71), Finn Olafsson (guitar), Peter Mellin (Hammond organ, piano), Glenn Fischer (drums, percussion, […]
Michel Madore is a Québécois multi-instrumentalist, composer, and visual artist from Montréal who released the 1976 Barclay album Le Komuso à Cordes and the 1978 Kébec-Disc album La Chambre Nuptiale. Background Michel Madore was born in 1949 in Montréal. He studied mathematics at the Université du Québec, then pursued work as a composer and multi-instrumentalist. […]
Ville Emard Blues Band was a Québécois jazz-rock/funk big band that self-issued the album Minute! Ville Émard Blues Band s’en vient / Is Coming in 1973, followed by a 1974 live double-album and a 1975 eponymous studio album on self-press Funkébec. The band maintained a revolving-door lineup that included members of Contraction, Harmonium, and Toubabou. […]
Talk Talk was an English art-pop band that released the 1982–86 EMI albums The Party’s Over, It’s My Life, and The Colour of Spring, followed by the 1988 Parlophone release Spirit of Eden and 1991 swan song Laughing Stock. They scored UK–European hits with “Today,” “Such a Shame,” “Life’s What You Make It,” and the […]
Crown Heights Affair was an American soul-funk band from Brooklyn that released a 1974 self-titled album on RCA Victor, followed by seven albums (1975–83) on De-Lite Records. They reached the Billboard R&B and Dance charts with their 1975–77 singles “Dreaming a Dream,” “Every Beat of My Heart,” “Foxy Lady,” and “Dancin’.” Members: Philip Thomas (vocals), […]
Changó was an American Latin-rock/funk band from Brooklyn that released a self-titled album on ABC Records in 1975, followed by Honey Is Sweeter Than Blood on Mercury in 1976. Members: George Tacktikos (guitar, vocals), Reinol Andino (timbales, congas, percussion, vocals), Pepe Gomez (drums, lead vocals, percussion, piano), Burlin Speakes (bass), Thomas Alletto (organ, vocals, piano), […]
The Music Machine was an American garage-rock band that released the 1966 album (Turn On) The Music Machine on Original Sound. It spawned a Billboard Top 20 hit with “Talk Talk,” a much-comped proto-punk classic. Singer-guitarist Sean Bonniwell retained the name through a revised lineup and the 1968 Warner Bros.-Seven Arts album The Bonniwell Music […]
L’Engoulevent was a Québécois symphonic-folk band that made the 1977 album L’Île où Vivent les Loups on Tamanoir, followed by the 1979 release Étoifilan on La Courte Échelle. Members: Pierre Moreau (keyboards), Michel McLean (guitar, vocals), Françoise Turcotte (violin), Russel Gagnon (cello) Background L’Engoulevent formed in 1976 in Québec’s Lac-Saint-Jean region when singer-guitarist Michel McLean […]
Crack was a Spanish symphonic-rock band that released the 1979 album Si Todo Hiciera Crack. Members: Alex Cabral (bass), Alberto Fontaneda (guitar, flute, vocals), Mento Hevia (keyboards, vocals), Manolo Jiménez (drums), Rafael Rodríguez (guitar) Background Crack formed in 1977 in Gijón in the north-coast community of Asturias. Keyboardist Mento Hevia, then a university law student, […]
David Sylvian is an English musician, singer, and composer from Beckenham, Kent, best known as the frontman of art-rockers Japan, which he formed in 1974 with brother Steve Batt (Jansen). Between 1978 and 1983, they released five studio albums and a live double-LP. Upon their disbandment, Sylvian issued two singles in collaboration with YMO mastermind […]
Radka Toneff (June 25, 1952 — Oct. 21, 1982) was a Norwegian jazz vocalist who released three albums between 1977 and 1982: Winter Poem, It Don’t Come Easy, and Fairytales, the last with American pianist Steve Dobrogosz. Background Radka Toneff was born Ellen Radka Toneff in Oslo on June 25, 1952. She grew up first […]
Stretch was an English hard-rock band that released the 1975–77 Anchor albums Elastique, You Can’t Beat Your Brain for Entertainment, and Lifeblood, followed by the 1978 Hot Wax release Forget the Past. Prior to their album run, they cut a 1973 single as Legs on Warner Bros. and posed as Fleetwood Mac in a touring […]
The Moving Gelatine Plates were a French jazz-rock band that released the 1971/72 albums Moving Gelatine Plates and The World of Genius Hans on CBS. A partial regrouping as Moving yielded a further album in 1980. Along with Supersister and Pazop, they were one of the first Continental bands to appropriate the rhythmic figures and […]
Belouis Some — aka Neville Keighley (b. December 12, 1959) — is an English singer and songwriter who achieved global renown with the 1985–86 hits “Imagination” and “Some People,” the latter tied to the iconic Swatch watch brand. He released two albums on Parlophone/Capitol, each with a hi-tech mix of dance-pop, pastoral art pop, and […]
Oingo Boingo was an American new wave band from Los Angeles, best known for the Eighties hits “Only a Lad,” “Little Girls,” “Private Life,” and “Weird Science.” They started as The Mystic Nights of the Oingo Boingo, a Seventies theatrical troupe led by Danny Elfman and his filmmaking brother, Richard Elfman, who directed the 1980 […]
Queensrÿche was an American metal band from Bellevue, Wash., that formed in 1980 as the Mob and broke through with the self-titled Queensrÿche EP on 206 Records in 1983. EMI America picked up the band for the albums The Warning, Rage for Order, and Operation: Mindcrime, which established its first decade through a mix of […]
Sky was an English/Australian classical-rock super-combo that released six Ariola albums between 1979 and 1983 with world-class guitarist John Williams. Their repertoire mixed originals with songbook themes and rearranged classical pieces, including their hit 1980 Bach adaptation “Toccata.” The first two albums feature former Curved Air keyboardist Francis Monkman. Members: John Williams (guitar, 1979-83), Herbie […]
Ronnie Dyson (1950–1990) was an American soul singer and actor who released five albums between 1970 and 1979 on Columbia and two further albums in 1982–83 on Cotillion. He scored three Billboard R&B Top 10 hits: “I Don’t Wanna Cry,” “(If You Let Me Make Love to You Then) Why Can’t I Touch You?” (both […]
Instant Funk was an American soul-funk band that released the 1976 TSOP album Get Down With the Philly Jump, followed by six albums between 1979 and 1983 on Salsoul Records. They scored R&B hits with “Bodyshine,” “Witch Doctor,” “No Stoppin’ That Rockin’,” “It Ain’t Reggae (But It Sho Is Funky),” and “I Got My Mind […]
Bonnie Tyler (June 8, 1951 – July 8, 2026) was a Welsh soul-pop singer who emerged with the 1977 album The World Starts Tonight, which spawned the UK hit “Lost in France.” She scored a transatlantic hit with “It’s a Heartache” from her 1978 second album, Natural Force. In 1983, Tyler teamed with Meat Loaf […]
Vernon Burch (1955–2022) was an American soul singer and songwriter, best known for the Billboard R&B hits “Changes (Messin’ with My Mind)” and “Do It to Me.” Between 1975 and 1981, he made six albums and produced records by Lea Roberts, Eric Mercury, and Albert King. Background He was born Vernon Darrell Burch on July […]
Kaleidoscope was an American psychedelic folk-rock band from Los Angeles led by banjo, fiddle, and mandolin player David Lindley. They released the 1967 Epic albums Side Trips and A Beacon From Mars, followed by the 1969–70 titles The Incredible Kaleidoscope and Bernice. Members: David Lindley (banjo, fiddle, mandolin, guitar, vocals), Solomon Feldthouse (saz, bouzouki, Dobro, […]
Jumbo was an Italian symphonic-rock band that released the 1972/73 Philips albums Jumbo, DNA, and Vietato ai minori di 18 anni? Members: Alvaro “Jumbo” Fella (vocals, acoustic guitar, saxophone, keyboards, percussion), Daniele Bianchini (guitar), Dario Guidotti (flute, harmonica, acoustic guitar, percussion), Sergio Conte (keyboards, vocals), Aldo Gargano (bass, guitar), Vito Balzano (drums, percussion, vocals, 1971-72), […]
Metal Church was an American metal band that formed in San Francisco in 1980, then reset in Aberdeen, Wash., one year later under guitarist and principal writer Kurdt Vanderhoof. The catalog begins with the 1981 demo Red Skies, followed by the 1984 Ground Zero debut Metal Church and the Elektra albums The Dark and Blessing […]
The Ides of March are an American brass-rock band from Berwyn, Ill., that scored a 1970 hit with “Vehicle” from their album of the same name. They released four albums through 1974 on Warner and RCA. Guitarist-singer Jim Peterik became the later backbone of Survivor and Pride of Lions. Members: Jim Peterik (lead vocals, guitar, […]
Deke Leonard was a Welsh guitarist and keyboardist who served as an on/off member of Man throughout its existence. Between stints with the group, he released two albums on United Artists in 1973/74 with his backing band Iceberg. After a second stint with Man, he went through a series of bands (Tyla Gang, The Force) […]
Full Moon was an American jazz-pop band that released a self-titled album on Douglas in 1972. In 1980, the group resurfaced on Warner Bros. with an album as the Larsen-Feiten Band before resurrecting the Full Moon nameplate for back-to-back live and studio albums in 1982. Members: Lenny Castro (percussion, vocals), Art Rodriguez (drums), Willie Weeks […]
Roberta Flack (February 10, 1937 – February 24, 2025) was an American soul singer and pianist who released twelve albums between 1969 and 1988 on Atlantic, including two joint efforts with singer Donny Hathaway. Her best-known songs include “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face,” “Killing Me Softly with His Song,” “Feel Like Makin’ […]
The Manhattans were an American soul group from Jersey City that released fourteen singles and two albums between 1964 and 1969 on Carnival, followed by a pair of 1970–72 albums on DeLuxe. Between 1973 and 1986, they cut twelve albums on Columbia and had crossover hits with “Kiss and Say Goodbye” (1976) and “Shining Star” […]
Kebnekaise was a Swedish ethno-folk/jam band that released five albums on Silence between 1971 and 1977, followed by a sixth on Mercury. The band regrouped for additional live and studio material during the 21st century. Members: Kenny Håkansson (guitar, vocals, 1971-77, 2001-present), Pelle Ekman (drums, 1971-77, 2001-present), Bella Fehrlin [Bengt Linnarsson] (bass, 1971-72), Rolf Scherrer […]
Whitesnake was an English hard-rock band formed in 1978 after David Coverdale left Deep Purple at the close of that band’s first run. The story starts the prior year with his debut solo album White Snake, followed by Northwinds and the first official Whitesnake release, the Snakebite EP. Coverdale built the first lineup with bassist […]
Truth and Janey were an American Midwest hard-rock trio that issued two singles and the 1976/77 private-press albums No Rest for the Wicked and Just a Little Bit of Magic. Later archival releases documented concerts in Topeka and Davenport. Members: BillyLee Janey (vocals, guitar), Steven Bock (vocals, bass, 1969-76), John Fillingsworth (drums, 1969), Denis Bunce […]
Gary Wilson is an American avant-pop musician who privately pressed the 1974 trio album Another Galaxy, followed by the 1977 solo release You Think You Really Know Me. Background Gary Thomas Wilson was born in October 1953 in Endicott, New York. His father played string bass in a hotel quartet and worked at IBM. Wilson […]
Angel was an American hard-rock band from Washington D.C. that released five studio albums and a live double-LP between 1975 and 1980 on Casablanca. Members: Barry Brandt (drums), Gregg Giuffria (keyboards, 1975-81), Frank DiMino (lead vocals, 1975-80, 1998-present), Punky Meadows (guitar, 1975-80), Mickie Jones (bass, 1975-77), Felix Robinson (bass, 1978-81), Fergie Frederiksen (lead vocals, 1981), […]
Loose Tubes were an English 21-piece jazz cooperative during the 1984–90 span. In 1988, Editions EG released Open Letter after two albums on Loose Tubes Limited. Lost Marble later issued recordings from the final residency, while the 2015 album Arriving paired further archive material with new BBC commissions. Members: Julian Argüelles (soprano saxophone, baritone saxophone), […]
Savoy Brown was an English blues-rock band that released eleven albums on Decca between 1967 and 1974, followed by further titles on London, Town House, and Relix during the subsequent decade. Guitarist Kim Simmonds (1947–2022) was the one constant member throughout numerous lineups. Like John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers, Savoy Brown served as a launching […]
Joe Farrell — aka Joseph Carl Firrantello (Dec. 16, 1937 — Jan. 10, 1986) — was an American woodwind player from Chicago Heights, Ill., who was a founding member of Return to Forever, playing on the band’s 1972 albums Return to Forever and Light as a Feather and returning for 1977’s Musicmagic. Background Joe Farrell […]
KaS Product was a French post-punk/minimal wave duo that released two 1980 EPs on self-press Punk Records, followed by the 1982/83 RCA albums Try Out and By Pass and their 1986 swan song Ego Eye. Members: Mona Soyoc (vocals, guitar, piano), Spatsz (electronics, electronic drums, synthesizer) Background KaS Product assembled in January 1980 in Nancy […]
Aera was a German jazz-rock band that cut the 1975–79 Erlkönig titles Humanum est, Hand und Fuß, and Türkis, followed by the 1981–82 Spiegelei titles Too Much and Akataki. Decades later, their 1973-era material appeared on the archival disc Mechelwind. Members: Muck Groh (guitar, 1972-76), Heinz Schmitt (guitar, 1972), Davy Crocket (bass, 1972), Martin Roscoe […]
Shriekback was an English ethno/art-funk band that released multiple 1982–84 shortplayers and the 1983 album Care, followed by the 1984–88 albums Jam Science, Oil and Gold, Big Night Music, and Go Bang! Keyboardist/vocalist Barry Andrews made two 1978 albums with the original XTC lineup and cut two 1979/80 solo EPs; he also partook in Robert […]
Cold Chisel was an Australian rock band that debuted with a 1978 album on Atlantic, followed by the 1979–84 WEA albums Breakfast at Sweethearts, East, Circus Animals, and Twentieth Century. They scored national hits with “Choirgirl,” “Cheap Wine,” “You Got Nothing I Want,” “Forever Now,” and “Saturday Night.” Singer Jimmy Barnes and guitarist Ian Moss […]
Nuova Idea was an Italian symphonic-rock band that released the 1971–73 Ariston albums In the Beginning, Mr. E. Jones, and Clowns. Members: Marco Zoccheddu (guitar, vocals, 1969-72), Claudio Ghiglino (guitar, vocals), Giorgio Usai (keyboards), Enrico Casagni (bass, flute, vocals), Paolo Siani (drums, vocals), Antonello Gabelli [aka Duke Lake] (guitar, vocals, 1972), Ricky Belloni (guitar, vocals, […]
Napalis was a Dutch jazz-rock ensemble that released a self-titled album on EMI-subsidiary Negram in 1976. Members: Dick Vennik (Saxophone, Flute), Neppie Noya (Congas, Percussion), Leo de Ruiter (Drums), Henny Vonk (Electric Bass), Michael Samson (Guitar), Rob van den Broeck (Keyboards, Synthesizer) Background The roots of Napalis center on Henny Vonk (b. August 17, 1937; […]
Alquin was a Dutch band on Polydor that released the 1972–73 jazz-rock albums Marks and The Mountain Queen. With the addition of singer Michel van Dijk, they made the 1975–76 hard rock albums Nobody Can Wait Forever, Best Kept Secret, and Alquin on Tour. Members: Dick Franssen (keyboards), Ferdinand Bakker (guitar, keyboards, backing vocals), Job […]
Finch was a mid-Seventies Dutch instrumental band that released three symphonic hard-rock albums: Glory of the Inner Force, Beyond Expression, and Galleons of Passion. Members: Joop van Nimwegen (guitar), Peter Vink (bass), Paul Vink (keyboards, 1974), Cleem Determeijer (keyboards, 1975), Ad Wammes (keyboards, 1976), Beer Klaasse (drums, 1974-76), Hans Bosboom (drums, 1977) Background Finch formed […]
Armageddon was an English hard-rock band that released a 1975 self-titled album on A&M. The band featured ex-Yardbirds and Renaissance frontman Keith Relf with former members of Steamhammer and Captain Beyond. Members: Keith Relf (vocals, harmonica), Martin Pugh (electric and acoustic guitars), Louis Cennamo (bass, electric bowed bass), Bobby Caldwell (drums, percussion, piano, vocals) Background […]
