Donald Guarisco Donald Guarisco

CATALOG CRAWL: THE STRAWBS, Part 5 (1978-1979)

The Strawbs' original era drew to a close alongside the end of the '70s. They managed to consistently produce inspired material despite an array of personnel changes, not to mention a few record label changes and all the music biz politics that come with record labels. Somehow, Dave Cousins managed to keep the band going as both a recording and touring outfit, providing great songs and a sense of creative focus that sustained the group until the challenges of management and finances became insurmountable.

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Schlock-O-Phonic Donald Guarisco Schlock-O-Phonic Donald Guarisco

CATALOG CRAWL: GENESIS, Part 5 (1981-1983)

As Genesis entered the '80s, they stepped confidently into mainstream rock and downplayed most of the progressive rock trappings they had been known for (though they kept a little more prog mindset than diehard genre fans would give them credit for). Duke kickstarted this trend but the three albums covered below in this Catalog Crawl are the ones that completed that changeover.

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Donald Guarisco Donald Guarisco

CATALOG CRAWL: HUDSON-FORD (1973-1977)

The Hudson-Ford catalog is great fun to explore if your '70s music tastes roam in a variety of directions and this Catalog Crawl is designed to give you an idea of the many winding paths it offers.

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Schlock-O-Phonic Donald Guarisco Schlock-O-Phonic Donald Guarisco

CATALOG CRAWL: GENESIS, Part 4 (1977-1980)

This installment of Catalog Crawl covers the creative regrouping that Genesis did at the end of the '70s through a double-live album that captured the last of the Hackett era and two studio albums that found them reworking their sound in a way that prepared them for a level of international success that they probably couldn't even conceive of…

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Donald Guarisco Donald Guarisco

CATALOG CRAWL: THE STRAWBS, Part 3 (1973-1975)

As the Strawbs moved towards the mid-'70s, they reached their artistic peak. With founding member Dave Cousins guiding the ship, they cut of a string of progressive rock albums that combined lush, ambitious arrangements an approach that synthesized English folk, rock and progressive ambitiousness in the structuring of pieces and their ability to make a variety of styles cohere.

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