Album review: VARIOUS ARTISTS – Separate Paths Together (An Anthology Of British Male Singer/Songwriters 1965-75, 3 CD set)

Grapefruit [Release date 30.07.21]

Hard to see how an anthology could get any more specific. And interesting that it’s a companion piece to 2017′s female version. Well, interesting that the female version came first.

In those ten years that spanned the change from sixties to seventies – the “post Dylan, pre Punk era” – it’s also hard to imagine a time of more disparate, sometimes polar opposite sounds in popular music. Slap in the middle, 1970 is the year that : Black Sabbath released its debut; Charles Manson recorded a long player to help fund his defence, and The Beatles released their final album, Let It Be.

In a parallel pop music universe, flying above and below the public’s radar, a whole bunch of singer/ songwriter artists were making their mark, some more indelibly than others.

Enduring talents like Richard Thompson, Gerry Rafferty, Al Stewart, John Martyn, Ralph McTell, Gilbert O’Sullivan, Donovan are all here. And a special mention to those stars who flared briefly but brightly – there’s a song here from Clifford T Ward, a one hit wonder on John Peel’s Dandelion Records. And Peter Skellern, one of the first UK artists to incorporate brass bands into his romantic, piano based pieces is also here – his Top Twenty hit ‘Hold On To Love’ is on Disc One.

The original Nirvana are the acclaimed English duo/band who are credited with the invention of pre-ELO pop orchestration. Their baroque poprock material may have come to your attention recently via a flurry of vinyl reissues. One half of the duo, Patrick Campbell Lyons released the (now remastered) album ‘Me And My Friend’ in 1968. The pivotal track on disc 2, ‘Jesus Christ Junior’ is lifted from that.

And so this anthology cruises along, always in good spirits, with an almost inexhaustible supply of songs … prolific nearly man and ‘pre Camel’ (kind of) singer/songriter, Phillip Goodhand Tait’s ‘Reach Out For Each Other’ is almost buried among lesser known names on disc 3, as is Peter Sarstedt’s ‘One More Frozen Orange Juice’, the lesser charting follow up to his mammoth European hit, ‘Where Do You Go To My Lovely’.

All that said, perhaps the real gem is Graham Gouldman’s ‘For Your Love’. The song that began it all for the Yardbirds, where Clapton, Page and Beck all got their start. In rock’n'roll terms, you can’t get much more significant than that.  ****1/2

Review by Brian McGowan


Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK

Since early 2020 Josh has been entertaining us with exclusive monthly live sessions, streamed via Facebook.

In 2023 he signed a recording deal with Sony in Canada and released a new single on 15 September.

Josh Taerk Sunday Sessions 2024

Latest session: Sunday 25 February
Next session: Sunday 14 April

Check out videos here: https://www.facebook.com/getreadytorockradio



David Randall presents a weekly show on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio, Sundays at 22:00 GMT, repeated on Mondays and Fridays), when he invites listeners to ‘Assume The Position’. The show signposts forthcoming gigs and tours and latest additions at getreadytorock.com. First broadcast on 3 March 2024.


UK Blues Broadcaster of the Year (2020 and 2021 Finalist) Pete Feenstra presents his weekly Rock & Blues Show on Tuesday at 19:00 GMT as part of a five hour blues rock marathon “Tuesday is Bluesday at GRTR!”. The show is repeated on Wednesdays at 22:00, Fridays at 20:00). This show was first broadcast 5 March 2024.

How to Listen Live?

Click the programming image at the top of the page (top right of page if using desktop)

Listen via Windows Media Player. Click or tap here and “open file”
Listen via other media player (eg. VLC) Click or tap here and “open file”

Get Ready to ROCK! Radio is also in iTunes under Internet Radio/Classic Rock
Listen in via the Tunein app and search for “Get Ready to ROCK!” and save as favourite.

More information and links at our radio website where you can listen again to shows via the presenter pages: getreadytorockradio.com


Power Plays w/c 18 March 2024

GYPSY’S KISS We’ve Come To Play
FM Out Of The Blue (Frontiers)
SHOTGUN MISTRESS Shot Down (indie)
ATTIC THEORY Violent Delight (indie)
FLOYA Yume (FiXT)
SAHAJI Tell Me All Your Feelings (indie)

Featured Albums w/c 18 March 2024

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2003-2023
12:00-13:00 LEAVES’ EYES Myths Of Fate (AFM Records)
14:00-16:00 HOLLY LERSKI Sweet Decline (indie)


To see our Tweets you need to be logged in to a Twitter account



Popular (last 10 days)


This entry was posted in ALBUM REVIEWS, ALBUM REVIEWS (Mobile), ALL POSTS and tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

Leave a Reply