Terry Hall of The Specials dies

Terry Hall, frontman of British band The Specials has died at the age of 63.

The sad news came from the band on social media:

"It is with great sadness that we announce the passing, following a brief illness, of Terry, our beautiful friend, brother and one of the most brilliant singers, songwriters and lyricists this country has ever produced."

Terry Hall joined The Specials a couple of years before the release of their debut album in 1979 which is now a classic. They had hits with songs as Ghost Town, Gangsters and Too Much Too Young.

Hall died after a brief illness, The Specials said in their statement.

Waka/Wazoo – one of the best posthumous Zappa releases

This monster release is sweeping the ocean! We suggest that you dive deep into this collection of music recorded during Frank Zappa's acclaimed Waka/Jawaka - Grand Wazoo era.

Waka/Wazoo is available on streaming platforms, as well as in a five-disc multi-format box set.

What first strikes me when confronted with this 50th anniversary release is how Zappa did not seem to value certain eras of his carreer when he chose music for the albums he put out during his last years. Unfortunately he favoured less interesting music featuring the 1984 and 1971 bands. For instance he claimed no quality recordings with the 1972 Petite Wazoo band existed. We know better. 

The other thing that is shines through is how Zappa managed to rise again after the disastrous 1971 tour that ended when an irate fan pushed him off the stage. Zappa was seriously injured and had to spend a long time in wheelchair, but in spite of this he managed to record the two superb jazz influenced albums Waka/Jawaka and The Grand Wazoo.

Well, let's enjoy this new release. One of the highlights is Think It Over which is the song The Grand Wazoo with vocals. There are also alternate takes, alternate mixes and longer edits of familiar compositions.

Track list here:

https://radiodupree.blogspot.com/2022/10/historical-archival-zappa-release.html

Sigurd Huckle

Radio Dupree