David James "Dave" Mattacks is an English rock and folk drummer. Best known for his work with Fairport Convention, Mattacks has also worked both as a session musician and as a performance artist. Apart from playing the drums, he is also a versed keyboard player and occasionally played the bass guitar on studio recordings.
"God Bless America" is an American patriotic song written by Irving Berlin during World War I in 1918 and revised by him in the run up to World War II in 1938. The later version has notably been recorded by Kate Smith, becoming her signature song.
Thelonious Monster is a punk rock band from Los Angeles, led by singer-songwriter Bob Forrest. Active from 1983 to 1994, and again since 2004, the band has released five original studio albums. Despite never achieving mainstream success, a number of popular acts cite them as influential.
Claudius Afolabi "Labi" Siffre is a British singer, songwriter, musician, and poet, born on 25 June 1945. Siffre released six albums between 1970 and 1975, and four between 1988 and 1998. He has published essays, the stage and TV play Deathwrite, and three volumes of poetry: Nigger, Blood On The Page, and Monument.
Skye Edwards, sometimes simply Skye, is a British singer-songwriter. Her career began in 1994 when she and the Godfrey brothers formed Morcheeba, which released five albums with Skye as lead vocalist. In 2003, the band split, after which Skye released two solo albums: Mind How You Go in 2006, and Keeping Secrets in 2009. In 2010, Edwards returned to Morcheeba, again as lead vocalist. In 2012, she released her third solo album, Back to Now. Her fourth solo album In A Low Light was released in 2015.
Daniel Henry Edward Thompson is an English multi-instrumentalist best known as a double bassist. He has had a long musical career playing with a large variety of other musicians, particularly Richard Thompson and John Martyn.
John Giblin is an internationally renowned British double bassist and bass guitarist, noted for his versatility spanning jazz, classical, rock, folk and avant-garde music.
Bless the Weather is a 1971 album by John Martyn and marks his return as a solo artist having released two albums with his wife Beverley Martyn. When it was released it garnered his best reviews to date, and remains a firm favourite among fans, featuring such standards as "Head and Heart" and the title track. The album is predominantly acoustic, although it does feature Martyn's first real 'echoplex' track in "Glistening Glyndebourne".
The Road to Ruin is a 1970 album released by husband and wife John and Beverley Martyn. It was the second album released as a duo. Island Records persuaded John Martyn to resume his solo career as they believed that the public was more interested in John as a solo artist rather than as part of a duo. The album marked the first collaboration on record between John and bassist Danny Thompson, who featured on many of Martyn's subsequent recordings.
Live at Leeds is a live album by John Martyn. He independently released this album himself in an initial run of 10,000 that were numbered and signed, after a disagreement with Island about its commercial viability. The working title was "Ringside Seat"; photos of Martyn and bassist Danny Thompson in a boxing ring were taken for a prospective cover, though never used. It was recorded on 13 February 1975, at Leeds University, at the same venue that The Who recorded their Live At Leeds in 1970.
SuperpinkyMandy is the debut studio album of British singer Beth Orton. Largely in the style of electronica, and produced closely with then boyfriend William Orbit, it was a limited Japan-only release, with about 5000 copies pressed. As such, it is very much sought after. Orton largely passes over the release when interviewed, citing 1996's Trailer Park as her first release.
Glorious Fool is a 1981 studio album by musician John Martyn. After a long association with Island Records, this was Martyn's first album for WEA. The album was produced by Phil Collins and engineered by Nick Launay and Steve Travell. The album is named for the title track satirizing Ronald Reagan's ascent to the White House as the 40th U.S. President.
"River Man" is the second listed song from Nick Drake's 1969 album Five Leaves Left. According to Drake's manager, Joe Boyd, Drake thought of the song as the centre piece of the album. In 2004 the song was remastered and released as a 7" vinyl and as enhanced CD single including a video to the song by Tim Pope.
Anthony "Tony" Reeves is an English bass guitarist/contrabassist, noted for his "extremely prominent and complex bass sound" and use of electronic effects.
Ain't No Saint is a career-spanning retrospective of folk musician John Martyn, released on the eve of the singer's 60th birthday in 2008.
Right Side Up is an album by Ralph McTell released in 1976 by Warner Bros. Records/WEA, recorded at Air Studios in London by Pete Henderson and Mike Stavrou, and produced by Ralph McTell and Peter Swettenham.
A series of cassettes that Island Records released. The inserts read "The complete album is on side one. It is also on side two but if you prefer to record your own programme on side two just record in the normal way and our recording will be automatically erased. Plus it is chrome tape to ensure top quality recording. 1+1. One side what you like. One side whatever you like."
