Author: Steve Earles
-
Baker Gurvitz Army – Since Beginning: The Albums 1974-1976
Once again Esoteric must be applauded for releasing a superb box-set that is not just a pleasure to listen to but also historically important. The Baker Gurvitz Army was formed in 1974 by former Gun and Three Man Army members Paul Gurvitz on bass/vocal, Adam Gurvitz on guitar/vocal, and Cram legend Ginger Baker on drums……
-
The Clancy Brothers & Tommy Makem – four-album collection (1963-1967)
In Person At Carnegie Hall / Recorded Live In Ireland / In Concert / Freedom’s Sons One of my earliest childhood memories is listening to The Clancy Brothers & Tommy Makem it is impossible to convey to anyone who hasn’t experienced living in a country that isn’t your home, the importance of their music to…
-
Nomad Son – The Darkening
Metal-on-Metal is a superb label. I haven’t encountered anything from them yet that wasn’t first class, and Nomad Son are no exception. Hailing from Malta, an island that produces a lot of fine metal bands (particularly in proportion to its population!), Nomad Sun play extremely proficient heavy metal, to my mind NWOBHM influenced with the…
-
Reviewing history
More historical fiction book reviews by Steve Earles Cornwall: Romans to Victorians by Derek Tait One of my earliest memories is a childhood holiday to Cornwall, indeed to this day I still have a keyring from that holiday as a keepsake. I also have a great nostalgia for the original Poldark tv series (though not…
-
Book reviews by Steve Earles
Historical rebellions The Gunpowder Plot Deceit by Martyn R. Beardsley The Gunpowder Plot is still a very significant part of the fabric of British society to this very day (though this year it was Boris Johnson rather than Guido Fawkes that was burned in effigy). We all think we are familiar with the tale… but…
-
Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard – Yn Ol I Annwn
This is the third album from the splendidly named Mammoth Weed Wizard Bastard. No band sounds like M.W.W.B.; they are a secret the world needs to know. For sure, there are reference points, such as Black Sabbath and Hawkwind (and the musical spirit of adventure that Hawkwind represent is something far more bands should take…
-
Sacro Sanctus – Liber III: Codex Templarum
This is metal made for the very best of reasons by Mr. Albert Bell, a long-time mainstay of the Maltese metal scene: for the love of the music and culture. For, make no mistake, fifty years down the line, metal is a legitimate culture, with a glorious past, exciting present, and much optimism for its…
-
Mork – Det Svarte Juv
When such an arbiter of good taste as the mighty Fenriz endorses a band you can be sure they are something special, and indeed Mork are special. Black metal in the best sense of the word, the songs herein take the listener on a journey through the soundscape of the soul. For sure there are…
-
Hammer Complete by Howard Maxford
The Films, The Personnel, The Company There are a great many books about the much-loved Hammer Films, many of them very worthy, but if you only buy one, make it ‘Hammer Complete’, it really is Hammer Complete. Howard Maxford is a superb writer; his book is well researched, entertaining, and good-humoured. It’s also an invaluable…
-
Witches and historical “bad girls”
Bad Girls From History: Wicked Or Misunderstood? By Dee Gordon Now, this would make a great present, and in our current climate this book is very relevant. Among others, this book covers the lives of La Voisin, the 17th Century Queen of All Witches (a great title, she sounds like she comes straight out of…