GOLDEN EARRING Expand “Contraband” With Live Report

November 6, 2026

Having gone global with “Radar Love” in 1973, GOLDEN EARRING felt enough creative liberty to experiment on their subsequent albums, 1975’s "Switch" and “To The Hilt” from the following year. But recapturing the worldwide success proved difficult, so on their second 1976 platter the Dutch ensemble resorted to their patented blues-based style. Not that it improved the band’s standing in foreign territories, yet “Contraband” brought forth such fan faves as “Mad Love’s Comin'” and “Bombay” and remains a solid entry in the group’s discography. This is why the record’s upcoming reissue is welcome.

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Audio Of Bill Withers’s BBC Concert To See The Light Of Day

November 4, 2026

Given his influence and popularity, it’s rather surprising that there are only three official live albums on Bill Withers‘s discography, all of those taped in 1971 and 1972. Thankfully, this will be remedied on November 27th, when the legendary soulster’s 1974 set will be out as part of Record Store Day – the set familiar to many. A soundtrack to Bill’s famous appearance on BBC television that has been doing the rounds for years and is readily available to watch, the seven-song offering captures Withers in his prime.

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Robert Calvert’s “Hype” Gets Expanded

November 1, 2026

Almost four decades after his untimely passing, Robert Calvert is still more remembered as a lead singer of HAWKWIND than the master storyteller he was. However, aficionados cherish the South African’s first two albums, the conceptual "Captain Lockheed And The Starfighters" and "Lucky Leif And The Longships" from, respectively, 1974 and 1975, while paying much less attention to his next endeavor, “Hype” from 1981, possibly because its subject matter seemed rather prosaic.

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Steve Ellis Passed Away

October 31, 2026

“I’ve got a good reputation from my fellow artists and so forth as a singer,” said Steve Ellis to this scribe quite a few years ago in an interview we didn’t get to finish – and never will now that the voice behind “Everlasting Love” is silenced forever. One of the greatest blue-eyed soul performers to have ever come out of England passed away on October 30th at the age of 76 – a mere month after his latest album was issued. Still, Steve’s talents spanned much more than soul, which was why his standing among the colleagues and listeners seemed so important to Ellis.

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Carla Olson Honors Peter Brown With Music Written To His Words

October 29, 2026

Carla Olson loves working with fellow musicians, and they sure love working with the lady. The list of her collaborations includes not only a famous set of duets with Gene Clark, “So Rebellious A Lover” from 1987, the record that started the songstress’s solo career, but also pieces performed with Bob Dylan, Mick Taylor and Don Henley to mention just a few. Moreover, the chanteuse’s last offering, "Have Harmony, Will Travel 3" from 2023, celebrated her creative dalliances with other musicians – and one should not forget Carla’s talents as a writer, which saw Olson compose for, among others, the legendary lyricist Pete Brown, whose words have now become a bedrock for her forthcoming platter.

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