Review: Alan Parker & Alan Hawkshaw's Black Pearl is a classic from 1973 that deserves the regular reissue treatment it enjoys. It is a cult classic bit of library music on De Wolfe that takes the form of a collection of orchestral funk pieces that are perfect examples of the dramatic music styles synonymous with the 70s. Some pieces are widescreen, string laced opuses with lavish 60s exotica influences while others are more moody and dramatic with thunderous drums and edgier strings.
Review: Originally produced in 1973 as a split LP by guitarist Alan Parker on the first side, and composer John Cameron on the second, this album is one of the KPM 1000 Series twelve inch long playing transcription discs - produced especially for the film, television and radio industries to the highest standards. Eloquently described as "hard afro pop featuring a large percussive rhythm section and front line", it was recorded at Morgan Studios by the pair as a collection of stripped-down African rhythms, virtuoso jazz instrumentation, fuzzed up wah wah guitars and spaced out library breaks. As Cameron himself described it in Unusual Sounds, this is "heavy duty drum-and-bass salsa music".
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