Never The Same (British Folk Revival 1970-1977) - Various Artists

Advantages: All UK singles present; totally uplifting; catchy choruses; timeless appeal
Disadvantages: Several weak tracks on Disc 2.

...Another T. Rex compilation? Initially that was what I thought but when I discovered it was a double album, things changed substantially. Unfortunately I never quite found a perfect T.REX compilation and ended up buying several to get hold of various tracks which always seemed to be missing on some CDs but featured on others (especially the seminal track 'Hot Love' which to many was the ignition for the UK Glam Rock phenomenon and also a huge #1 single.) I doubt there is such a thing as a perfect compilation but had the present compilation been around 8 years ago when I first got into T-Rex, I would have been one satisfied customer indeed! Between 1968 and 1977, T.Rex/Marc Bolan scored an impressive 18 top 40 hits in the UK, so essentially these could all fit perfectly onto one CD. However, this was far from the case until now. Each... Read review

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Advantages: Rare recordings, variety of songs, professional act
Disadvantages: Naff cover, silly album sleeve notes

...picked up from various record fairs in the mid to late 1980s. Why? Quite simply, the unknown artist that sings some of the songs on these albums is none other than Sir Elton John. He recorded them as a session musician before he became successful to supplement his income; apparently he was paid around £15 per session. A lot of money in 1969-1970. At the time he had released a couple of his own singles & his debut album without any success. Anyone hearing these 'cover albums' would have never made the link between Elton John & the voice on these records. Most of Elton's own work would have never been played on commercial daytime radio & was usually reserved for the night time schedules. Any music enthusiast listening at night would have never listened to these various artist albums & vice versa. It only came to light many years later when... Read review

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Advantages: An insight into a poets mind...
Disadvantages: None...

...converted to Islam in 1977 and bowed out of the music scene…much of his time was dedicated to charitable causes and education in the new community he found himself in and this was approved by many fans, however, in the 80's he lost a lot of fans when he was quoted as calling for the death of writer Salman Rushdie, after Rushdie's Satanic Verses became a hugely popular and controversial novel about the Islam religion. The quotation was exaggerated, however, and Stevens was unfairly branded as a fanatic...in 2004, he returned to the public eye when he was denied entry into the United States after his name appeared on a no-fly list. He successfully sued British newspapers for libel because of their reports on this incident… Life still goes on and Yusaf has released an album called "An other cup" after some 28 years of soul searching…its not folk... Read review

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