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Post by razorbacker on Dec 3, 2023 12:32:33 GMT
Jethro Tull is a British progressive rock band formed in Luton, Bedfordshire, in 1967. They are yet another band that began with childhood friendships, Ian Anderson, Jeffrey Hammond and John Evan attended grammar school together in Blackpool.
They initially ended in 2012 but are back together since 2017. They have gone through tons of different members with Ian Anderson being the only one to remain.
The band has achieved 11 gold and 5 platinum albums.
They have released 23 studio albums with their most recent one coming out this past April. This song comes from their 1969 album Stand Up. It was their 2nd studio album. It got to #20 on the Top 200 & has been certified Gold.
A variety of rock artists have cited Stand Up as an all-time favorite album over the years, including Pearl Jam's Eddie Vedder, Aerosmith's Tom Hamilton, Joe Bonamassa. and Joe Satriani.
During an interview with Brave Words in 2015, Ian Anderson selected Stand Up as his favorite Tull album: "I suppose if you were to really twist my arm, I would probably go back to 1969, with the Stand Up album, because that was my first album of really original music. It has a special place in my heart." Barre and Bunker have also ranked it as being among their favorite Tull albums.
The folks playing on this album were Ian Anderson – vocals, flute, acoustic guitar, Hammond organ, piano, mandolin, balalaika, mouth organ, production, Martin Barre – electric guitar, additional flute, Glenn Cornick – bass guitar & Clive Bunker – drums, percussion.
It was the 1st Tull album to feature guitarist Martin Barre, who would go on to become the band's guitarist until its initial dissolution in 2012. Before recording sessions for the album began, the band's original guitarist Mick Abrahams departed as a result of musical differences with frontman and primary songwriter Ian Anderson.
A New Day Yesterday by Jethro Tull
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Post by razorbacker on Dec 3, 2023 18:37:58 GMT
Joseph Matthews "Wingy" Manone was a jazz trumpeter, composer, singer, and bandleader from New Orleans. He died in 1982 at the age of 82.
He lost his right arm in a streetcar accident when he was ten years old, which resulted in his nickname of "Wingy". He used a prosthesis so naturally that his disability was not apparent to the public.
His group, like other bands, often recorded alternate versions of songs during the same sessions; his vocals would be used for the American, Canadian, and British releases, and strictly instrumental versions would be intended for the international, non-English-speaking markets. Thus, there is more than one version of many Wingy Manone hits.
This song was released as a “B” side to a single called Let’s Spill The Beans in 1935. The song has been covered by the likes of Sylvia Syms, Al Jolson, The Jumping Jacks & The Electric Prunes.
A Quarter To Nine by Wingy Manone
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Post by razorbacker on Dec 4, 2023 12:17:02 GMT
The Verve was an English rock band formed in Wigan, Greater Manchester in 1990 by lead vocalist Richard Ashcroft, guitarist Nick McCabe, bass guitarist Simon Jones and drummer Peter Salisbury.
The band split up & re - formed multiple times with the last break coming in 2009. After the final split all members went on to other bands or solo careers.
They were nominated for 2 Grammy Awards in 1999 for their song Bitter Sweet Symphony, but lost both.
During their on again & off again career they were able to release just 4 studio albums,& 14 singles. The only single that charted here was the song previously mentioned Bitter Sweet Symphony. The song linked to here was the opening track to their 2nd studio album. It was called A Northern Soul & was released in 1995. Neither the album nor any of the singles charted here in the states.
Once they did hit it big with their 3rd album & that nominated single, they waited a further 9 years before releasing their 4th album & by that time the bloom was off the rose.
A New Decade by The Verve
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Post by razorbacker on Dec 4, 2023 18:19:16 GMT
Sandy Nelson was a drummer from Santa Monica, California. He died on February 14, 2022, at the age of 83 from complications of a stroke he had in 2017.
Yesterday we heard from a trumpet player with 1 arm, today we get music from a drummer that lost a leg. Near the end of 1963 he was in a motorcycle accident. The injuries caused the amputation of his right foot and part of his leg. But, just like the trumpet player, Sandy continued on & released multiple albums into the 1970’s.
He was one of the best-known rock and modern jazz drummers of the late 1950s and early 1960s. He had several solo instrumental Top 40 hits and released over 30 albums. But, as a session drummer he also played on the Teddy Bears' "To Know Him Is To Love Him" (1958), The Hollywood Argyles' "Alley Oop" (1960) and Kathy Young and the Innocents' "A Thousand Stars" (1960).
He released this song as a single in 1962 with a B side called Rompin & Stompin. The single charted at #75.
All Night Long by Sandy Nelson
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Post by razorbacker on Dec 5, 2023 12:45:35 GMT
This song seems to have been covered by everyone but me. I have 8 different versions but we have to begin with the version by the guy that wrote it.
"Dizzy" Gillespie was a jazz trumpeter, bandleader, composer, educator and singer from Cherwaw, South Carolina. He died of pancreatic cancer on January 6, 1993, at the age of 75. His full name was John Birks Gillespie
In the 1940s, he & Charlie Parker, became a major figures in the development of bebop and modern jazz. He taught and influenced many other musicians, including trumpeters Miles Davis, Jon Faddis, Fats Navarro, Clifford Brown, Arturo Sandoval, Lee Morgan, Chuck Mangione, and balladeer Johnny Hartman.
In 1989, he was awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. The next year, at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts ceremonies celebrating the centennial of American jazz, he received the Kennedy Center Honors Award and the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers Duke Ellington Award for 50 years of achievement as a composer, performer, and bandleader.
In 1989, he was awarded with an honorary doctorate of music from Berklee College of Music.
His list of albums goes on & on, not only his own albums, but appearances with other musicians. He has played on music from Duke Ellington to Chaka Khan, from Coleman Hawkins to Aretha Franklin, from Chuck Mangione to The Manhattan Transfer, which all points to his versatility.
He wrote this song somewhere around 1940 & originally called it Interlude. It appears as though he 1st recorded it in 1945. He said the tune was composed at the piano at Kelly's Stables in New York. He gave Frank Paparelli co-writer credit in compensation for some unrelated transcription work, but Paparelli had nothing to do with the song. "A Night in Tunisia" was one of the signature pieces of Gillespie's bebop big band, and he also played it with his small groups.
In January 2004, The Recording Academy added the 1946 version to the Grammy Hall of Fame.
A Night In Tunisia by Dizzy Gillespie
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Post by razorbacker on Dec 5, 2023 18:48:10 GMT
This Mortal Coil was a British music collective led by Ivo Watts-Russell, founder of the British record label 4AD.
Watts-Russell and John Fryer were the only two official members but the band featured a large rotating cast of supporting artists, many of whom were otherwise associated with 4AD, including members of Cocteau Twins, Pixies and Dead Can Dance. The project became known for its gothic,dream pop sound.
The group name is taken from lyrics to the song Dream Within A Dream by Spirit ("...Stepping off this mortal coil will be my pleasure..."), which in turn is a quote from Shakespeare's Hamlet ("... what dreams may come, when we have shuffled off this mortal coil...").
The group released 3 studio albums with a different cast on each one. This song appears on their 1st album. It was called It'll End in Tears & was released in 1984. In 2018, Pitchfork ranked It'll End in Tears at number 8 on its list of "The 30 Best Dream Pop Albums"
The song was written by Roy Harper & sung by vocalist Elizabeth Fraser.
Roy Harper began his recording career in 1966 with an album called Sophisticated Beggar. On 30 January 2013, he was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall.
Elizabeth Fraser is a Scottish singer. She was the vocalist for the band Cocteau Twins who achieved international success from the mid-1980s to the late 1990s.
Another Day by This Mortal Coil
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Post by razorbacker on Dec 6, 2023 12:04:16 GMT
Yesterday we heard the guy that wrote this song perform it on the trumpet. Today we hear another take with the piano being the featured instrument.
"Bud" Powell was a jazz pianist and composer from Harlem. He died in 1966 of tuberculosis, malnutrition, and alcoholism, he was just 41. His full name was Earl Rudolph Powell.
After a performance with the Williams' band in 1945, Bud was apprehended, drunk, by the private railroad police. He was beaten by them and incarcerated briefly by the city police. Ten days after his release, his headaches persisted and he was hospitalized at Bellevue, an observation ward, and then in a state psychiatric hospital sixty miles away. That was followed by years of electroconvulsive therapy treatments and hospitalization. All that impacted his health during the latter half of his career, but he continued to compose, record, and perform until shortly before his death in 1966.
A pioneer in the development of bebop, jazz critics have commented that his compositions and playing style "greatly extended the range of jazz harmony," and his application of complex bebop phrasing to the piano influenced both his contemporaries and later jazz pianists.
Bill Evans, who described Powell as his single greatest influence, paid the pianist a tribute in 1979: "If I had to choose one single musician for his artistic integrity, for the incomparable originality of his creation and the grandeur of his work, it would be Bud Powell. He was in a class by himself". Herbie Hancock said of Powell, in a Down Beat magazine interview in 1966: "He was the foundation out of which stemmed the whole edifice of modern jazz piano".
This version of the song was included on The Amazing Bud Powell, Vol. 1, it was released in April 1952. Every rating service that voiced an opinion, gave the album the highest ratings possible.
The players on the song are Bud Powell on Piano, Tommy Potter on Bass & Roy Haines on Drums.
A Night In Tunisia by Bud Powell
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Post by razorbacker on Dec 6, 2023 18:30:40 GMT
After spending the Night in Tunisia, we now take a quick trip around the world.
Prince Rogers Nelson was a singer, songwriter, musician, record producer, and actor from Minneapolis. He died of an accidental fentanyl overdose in 2016 at the age of 57.
He was named after his father's most popular stage name, Prince Rogers, which his father used while performing with Prince's mother in a jazz group called the Prince Rogers Trio. In 1991, Prince's father told A Current Affair that he named his son "Prince" because he wanted Prince "to do everything I wanted to do". Prince was not fond of his name and wanted people to instead call him "Skipper", a name which stuck throughout his childhood.
He has won 7 Grammy Awards, 7 Brit Awards, 6 American Music Awards, 4 MTV Video Music Awards, an Academy Award (for Best Original Song Score for the film Purple Rain), and a Golden Globe Award.
Two of his albums, Purple Rain and Sign o' the Times have been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. At the 28th Grammy Awards, he was awarded the President's Merit Award.
He was also honored with the American Music Award for Achievement and American Music Award of Merit at the American Music Awards of 1990 and American Music Awards of 1995 respectively. At the 2013 Billboard Music Awards, he was honored with the Billboard Icon Award.
In 2019, the 1984 film Purple Rain was added by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Film Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".
He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004, the UK Music Hall of Fame in 2006, and the Rhythm and Blues Music Hall of Fame in 2016, and was inducted twice into the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame in 2022.
This was the title song to his 7th studio album. It was released in 1985, just a few months after Purple Rain. The album got all the way to the top of the charts & has been certified as Double Platinum. It included the hit singles Raspberry Beret #2, Pop Life #7, America #46 & Paisley Park which charted in the UK but was not released as a single here in the states.
Around The World In A Day by Prince
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Post by razorbacker on Dec 7, 2023 12:21:43 GMT
So, we are going to spend another Night In Tunisia, as we get to actually see some of these folks play live & this time the song highlight comes from the drummer.
Arthur Blakey was a jazz drummer and bandleader from Pittsburgh. He died on October 16, 1990, of lung cancer, five days after his 71st birthday.
He had a career as a solo artist, as the leader of The Jazz Messengers & he also worked with bebop musicians Thelonious Monk, Charlie Parker, and Dizzy Gillespie.
In the mid-1950s, Horace Silver and Blakey formed the Jazz Messengers, a group that he was associated with for the next 35 years. The group was formed as a collective of contemporaries, but over the years the band became known as an incubator for young talent, including Freddie Hubbard, Wayne Shorter, Lee Morgan, Benny Golson, Kenny Dorham, Hank Mobley, Donald Byrd, Jackie McLean, Johnny Griffin, Curtis Fuller, Chuck Mangione, Chick Corea, Keith Jarrett, Cedar Walton, Woody Shaw, Terence Blanchard, and Wynton Marsalis.
Art was inducted into the Down Beat Jazz Hall of Fame in 1981. Posthumously, he was inducted into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame in 1991 and the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998 and 2001. He was awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2005.
During his career he released 10 studio albums, & 3 Live albums. But there were also 68 albums with The Jazz Messengers. In 1958 when this concert happened the performers on stage were Drums: Art Blakey, Trumpet: Lee Morgan, Sax: Benny Golson, Piano: Bobby Timmons, Bass: Jymie Merritt.
I have to admit, Jazz is a tough genre for me to understand, but watching musicians this good is well worth the effort.
A Night In Tunisia by Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers
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Post by razorbacker on Dec 7, 2023 18:16:32 GMT
American Flyer was a folk rock supergroup formed in 1976.
The group consisted of Craig Fuller. He had previously been a member of Pure Prairie League & was the writer & vocalist of their biggest hit, Amie. After the breakup of American Flyer he went on to front Little Feat. He is still with us & turned 74 on his last birthday.
Eric Kaz had previously been a member of Blues Magoos. He never had much mainstream success as a musician but his fame comes as a songwriter. He wrote Love Has No Pride for Linda Ronstadt, Winter Light for Linda & Sarah Brightman, Cry Like A Rainstorm, Angel, & River Of Tears for Bonnie Raitt, Gotta Get Away for Randy Meisner, I Cross my Heart for George Strait & I’m Gone for Allison Krauss. His songs have also been recorded by Kim Carnes, Tanya Tucker, Suzy Bogguss, Cher & Joan Baez among many others. He will turn 78 in January.
Steve Katz of Blood, Sweat & Tears & The Blues Project. He was also a producer & produced Rock & Roll Animal & Sally Can’t Dance for Lou Reed, he eventually became East Coast Director of A&R and later Vice President of Mercury Records & a professional photographer. He was 78 his last birthday.
Doug Yule who was a part of The Velvet Underground from 1968 to 1973. When John Cale left the Velvet Underground, Yule joined the band as Cale's replacement. Yule made his first studio appearance on their third album, The Velvet Underground. Doug will turn 77 in February.
This song comes from their self titled 1st album. It was released in 1976 & had a guy named George Martin on hand as their producer.
The album got really good reviews but didn’t attract much of an audience, just enough to give them the opportunity to record a 2nd & final album. I have this album on vinyl. I really liked it.
This song was written by Steve Katz.
Back in 57 by American Flyer
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Post by razorbacker on Dec 8, 2023 12:27:24 GMT
We have heard this song highlighted on the trumpet, the piano, & the drums, so we will hear it for the final time with a little bit of all the above & then some.
Arturo Sandoval is a Cuban-American jazz trumpeter, pianist, timbalero, and composer born in Artemisa, Cuba. He just turned 74 a couple of weeks back.
While living in his native Cuba, he was influenced by jazz musicians Charlie Parker, Clifford Brown, and Dizzy Gillespie. In 1977 he met Gillespie, who became his friend and mentor and helped him defect from Cuba while on tour with the United Nations Orchestra. He became an American naturalized citizen in 1998.
He wrote the score for a film about his life & won an Emmy Award. His compositions and performances can be heard on The Mambo Kings, which was nominated for a Grammy Award in 1992 for Best Instrumental Composition Written for a Motion Picture or for Television.
He was presented with the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Obama in 2013.
His recorded history & the other artists he has played with goes on & on. But this particular video includes a cast of participants from all over the world. There are musicians from 16 countries all performing together over a video connection.
This had to be a difficult thing to pull off, but the results are pretty cool.
A Night In Tunisia by Arturo Sandoval and the Chad LB Global Big Band
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Post by razorbacker on Dec 8, 2023 18:51:57 GMT
And now we have a biographical song from the newly minted Time Person Of the Year.
Taylor Swift is a singer-songwriter from West Reading, Pennsylvania. All that she has accomplished & she won’t turn 34 until next week.
She has sold over 200 million records globally, making her one of the best-selling musicians ever. She is the most-streamed woman on Spotify and Apple Music, the highest-grossing female performer ever, and the first billionaire with music as the main source of income.
She is the Time Person of the Year (2023), & has appeared in lists such as Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Songwriters of All Time, Billboard's Greatest of All Time Artists, and the World's 100 Most Powerful Women by Forbes.
She has won 12 Grammy Awards (including three Album of the Year wins), a Primetime Emmy Award, 40 American Music Awards (including Artist of the Decade – 2010s), 39 Billboard Music Awards, 23 MTV Video Music Awards, three IFPI Global Recording Artist of the Year awards, and 111 Guinness World Records. She is a philanthropist and an advocate of artists' rights and women's empowerment.
Her current tour is set to become the highest grossing tour in history. Tickets at every venue sold out in hours. StubHub noted that the Eras Tour ticket sales were "tracking to be the best-selling of any artist [they've] seen".
During her short career she has released 10 studio albums, 4 re-recorded studio albums, 5 extended plays, and 4 live albums.
This song comes from Fearless. It was her 2nd studio album. The album landed at #1 in multiple countries & topped 3 separate US Billboard charts. It has been certified as 7 times Platinum. The album came out in 2008.
It included the hit singles Love Story #4 on the Hot 100 but #1 on other US charts & 8 times Platinum. White Horse #13 but at the 2010 Grammy Awards, the song won Best Country Song and Best Female Country Vocal Performance, it is 2 times Platinum. You Belong With Me #2 & 7 times Platinum. Fifteen #55 but again 2 times Platinum Fearless #18 & also a Platinum seller.
This song is dedicated to her parents with most of the verses being to her mother. This video was edited by Taylor & released on May 1, 2009, as part of a special Mother's Day promotion through Big Machine Records.
Best Day by Taylor Swift
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Post by razorbacker on Dec 9, 2023 12:40:34 GMT
The Cure have been nominated for Best Alternative Music Album at the Grammys twice. They were nominated in 1993 for Wish but lost out to Bone Machine by Tom Waits. Then they were nominated again in 2001 for Bloodflowers but lost that time to Kid A by Radiohead.
But they are still regarded as one of the most influential alternative artists of the 1980s and 1990s. They were one of the first alternative bands to have chart and commercial success in an era before alternative rock had broken into the mainstream. Pitchfork dubbed the Cure the "unlikeliest alt-rock heroes" of the 1980s, and included their albums The Head on the Door and Disintegration in their list of the decade's 200 greatest albums.
And so, The Head On The Door is where we come in. This song was included on that 1985 album. It was their 6th studio album & it charted at #59 in the US. It has been certified Gold. It was their 1st album to feature drummer Boris Williams & also their 1st album where all the songs were written by singer and guitarist Robert Smith.
The album included the singles In Between Days, which barely made a dent here in the states, charting at #99 & Close To Me, which failed to chart at all.
A Night Like This by The Cure
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Post by razorbacker on Dec 9, 2023 18:23:50 GMT
Jimmie Lunceford was a jazz alto saxophonist and bandleader from Fulton, Mississippi. He collapsed during an autograph session at a local record store & died while being taken by ambulance to the hospital in 1947. He was just 45.
Lunceford's orchestra differed from other bands of the time because it was better known for its ensemble more than for its solo work. Additionally, he was known for using a two-beat rhythm, called the Lunceford two-beat, as opposed to the standard four-beat rhythm. This distinctive "Lunceford style" was largely the result of the imaginative arrangements by trumpeter Sy Oliver, which set high standards for dance-band arrangers of the time.
Johnny Mercer and Harold Arlen wrote this song which became the title song from the movie “Blues In The Night”. Over the years it has become a pop standard and is generally considered to be part of the Great American Songbook.
Jimmie Lunceford's two-sided single was recorded on December 22, 1941. Starting January 31, 1942, it ran 10 weeks on the chart, peaking at #4. It went on to sell one million copies.
Blues In The Night by Jimmie Lunceford & His Orchestra
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Post by razorbacker on Dec 10, 2023 12:47:55 GMT
Shalamar is an R&B and soul music vocal group from LA.
They were originally a disco-driven group created by Soul Train booking agent Dick Griffey and show creator and producer Don Cornelius.
The first hit credited to Shalamar was "Uptown Festival" (1977), which was recorded at Ike & Tina Turner's studio in 1976. It was released on Soul Train Records. Its success inspired Griffey and Don Cornelius to replace session singers with popular Soul Train dancers Jody Watley and Jeffrey Daniel, to join original Shalamar lead singer Gary Mumford. Gary Mumford was quickly replaced by Howard Hewett.
This is yet another one of those groups that has broken up & re formed many times but it appears as though they are active again & have been since 1999. Carolyn Griffey has replaced Jody Watley in the trio.
This song comes from Friends. It was the 6th album by the group & was released in 1982. The album includes the 'classic' Shalamar line-up of Jeffrey Daniel, Howard Hewett and Jody Watley. It topped the R&B chart and peaked at #35 on the top 200 Billboard chart. It would eventually be certified Platinum.
This was the 1st song on the album & the 2nd song to be released as a single. It got to 44 on the Hot 100, 15 on the Dance Charts & #8 on the Hot Soul Singles.
A Night To Remember by Shalamar
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Post by razorbacker on Dec 10, 2023 17:36:30 GMT
The Eagles are a rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1971.
There is a long history of the ins & outs & fights & arguments among the members of this band but they have kept on going & are still out there touring & singing.
The band has won multiple Grammy Awards & were nominated for Best New Artist in 1973 but lost out to America.
They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998 & the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2001.
On December 7, 1999, the Recording Industry of America honored the group with the Best Selling Album of the Century for Their Greatest Hits (1971–1975).
The group was chosen for the 2015 Kennedy Center Honors to be held on December 6 of that year, but postponed the award for a year because of Glenn Frey's poor health, he died a month later.
This song comes from their self - titled debut album from 1972. The album got to #22 & has been certified Platinum. It included the hit singles Take It Easy (it hit #12 & is listed as one of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll), Witchy Woman got to #9 & Peaceful Easy Feeling #22.
This album still featured the original 4 members of the band including Glenn Frey, Don Henley, Bernie Leadon & Randy Meisner.
Glenn Frey died on January 18, 2016, at the age of 67, from complications of rheumatoid arthritis, acute ulcerative colitis and pneumonia. Don Henley turned 76 last July. Bernie Leadon turned 76, 3 days before Don Helney. Randy Meisner died last July at the age of 77 due to complications associated with COPD.
This song was written by Glenn Frey.
Chug All Night by The Eagles
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Post by razorbacker on Dec 11, 2023 11:58:47 GMT
Depeche Mode is an English electronic music band formed in Basildon, Essex in 1980.
Originally formed by the lineup of Dave Gahan, Martin Gore, Andy Fletcher and Vince Clarke, Gahan and Gore are the two original members still with the group. Andy Fletcher passed away in 2022, Vince Clarke left the band but went on to become a member of many other groups as well as collaborating on & producing recordings from many other artists, he is now 63 & living in Maine.
The band has been nominated for 5 Grammy awards but have yet to win.
They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2020.
The groups catalog consists of 15 studio albums, 7 live albums, 10 compilation albums, 16 box sets and 60 singles. Their most recent album came out just this past March. This song comes from their Black Celebration collection that was released in 1986. It was their 5th studio album. The album charted really well in many European countries, but topped out at #90 here in the states even though it has been certified as a Gold record.
Andy Fletcher was still involved with the band at this time, Vince Clarke had been replaced with Alan Wilder.
This song was the 3rd of 4 singles released. None of the other 3 charted here in the states & the song linked to here charted only on the US Dance Charts where it landed at #34.
They are currently on tour & will be in & around the LA area for the next week or so beginning tomorrow night.
A Question Of Time by Depeche Mode
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Post by razorbacker on Dec 11, 2023 18:21:28 GMT
Buck Owens was a musician, singer, songwriter, and band leader from Sherman, Texas. He died in his sleep of an apparent heart attack at his ranch just north of Bakersfield on March 25, 2006, only hours after performing at his club. He was 76 years old. His full name was Alvis Edgar Owens Jr.
Buck and the Buckaroos had 21 No. 1 hits on the country music chart. He pioneered what came to be called the Bakersfield sound, named in honor his adopted home and the city from which he drew inspiration for what he preferred to call "American music".
He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1996. He was also inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.
His catalog consists of 39 studio albums, 16 compilation albums, 9 live albums & 97 singles.
Buck wrote this song & included it on his 1964 album, I’ve Got A Tiger By The Tail. The song was released as the “B” side to the albums title track which hit #1 on the Country chart.
The song has been covered by many artists, but none quite as successfully as Ray Charles who won two Grammy Awards with his version in 1967.
Cryin Time by Buck Owens
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Post by razorbacker on Dec 12, 2023 12:48:30 GMT
The Pogues were an Anglo-Irish Celtic punk band fronted founded in King's Cross, London, in 1982.
The band was originally named Pogue Mahone—an anglicisation, from James Joyce's novel Ulysses, of the Irish phrase póg mo thóin, meaning "kiss my arse". After gaining wider attention as an opening act for The Clash on their 1984 tour, they shortened their name to the Pogues—to circumvent BBC censorship, following complaints from Scottish Gaelic speakers.
This band has had a lot of members over their career & a lot of them have already departed this earth. Shane MacGowan, the guy that wrote & sings the song linked to here died from pneumonia just 3 weeks ago, he was 65. Bass player Daryl Hunt died in 2022, he was 72. Multi - instrumentalist Phillip Ryan died of cancer in 2013, he was 56. Vocalist & guitar player Joe Strummer died of a heart attack in 2002 at the age of 50.
This song was 1st included on Poguetry in Motion. It was an EP released in 1986. The song was released as a single but charted only in Ireland & the UK.
Songwriter Shane MacGowan and producer Elvis Costello clashed over the final mix of the song, with MacGowan preferring a mix featuring a cornet, and Costello preferring a version with oboe. The cornet version was used, except for Canadian editions of the EP, which used the oboe version.
A Rainy Night In Soho by The Pogues
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Post by razorbacker on Dec 12, 2023 18:30:51 GMT
The Mahavishnu Orchestra was a jazz fusion band formed in New York City in 1971.
The group underwent several line-up changes throughout its history across its two periods of activity, from 1971 to 1976 and from 1984 to 1987. With its first line-up consisting of guitarist John McLaughlin, drummer Billy Cobham, keyboard player Jan Hammer, violinist Jerry Goodman, and bassist Rick Laird, which is the lineup heard on the song linked to here.
This song comes from their debut album called The Inner Mounting Flame, it was released in 1971. It landed at #82 on the top 200 & #11 on the Jazz albums charts.
The album got the highest reviews possible from everyone that rated it including this review for Allmusic...Richard S. Ginell wrote that The Inner Mounting Flame "is the album that made John McLaughlin a semi-household name, a furious, high-energy, yet rigorously conceived meeting of virtuosos that, for all intents and purposes, defined the fusion of jazz and rock a year after Miles Davis' Bitches Brew breakthrough".
Dawn by The Mahavishnu Orchestra
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Post by razorbacker on Dec 13, 2023 11:49:24 GMT
Roxy Music is an English rock band formed in 1971 by lead vocalist and principal songwriter Bryan Ferry and bassist Graham Simpson.
It seems as though the British Press have some pretty high opinions of them.
In 2005, Tim de Lisle of The Guardian argued that Roxy Music are the second most influential British band after the Beatles. He wrote, "Somehow, in a landscape dominated by Led Zeppelin at one end and the Osmonds at the other, they managed to reach the Top 10 with a heady mixture of futurism, retro rock n roll, camp, funny noises, silly outfits, art techniques, film references and oboe solos.
And In 2019, The Economist also described them as "the best British art-rock band since the Beatles", arguing that "among English rock acts of that time, their spirit of adventure and their impact" was "surpassed only" by David Bowie. Bowie himself cited Roxy Music as one of his favorite British groups and in a 1975 television interview described Bryan Ferry as "spearheading some of the best music to come out of England."
During their career they released 8 studio albums, 9 Live albums & 26 singles. Despite the fact that they are still around, they have not released an album of new music since Avalon in 1982. This song comes from their Country Life Album. It was their 4th studio album & was released in 1974.
The album landed at #37 in the US but got to #3 in The UK where it has also been certified Gold.
At the time of this release the lineup consisted of Bryan Ferry – vocals, keyboards, harmonica, Andy Mackay – oboe, saxophone, Phil Manzanera – guitar, Paul Thompson – drums, Eddie Jobson – strings, synthesizer, keyboards, John Gustafson – bass guitar. The final two listed are no longer with the band but the other 4 are.
The album was ranked number 387 on Rolling Stone's list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. It was one of four Roxy Music studio albums that made the list (For Your Pleasure, Siren and Avalon being the others).
A Really Good Time by Roxy Music
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Post by razorbacker on Dec 13, 2023 18:23:27 GMT
Lana Del Rey, is a singer-songwriter from New York City. She turned 38 last June. Her real name is Elizabeth Woolridge Grant.
She has won a lot of awards from a lot of organizations all over the world. She has been nominated for 6 Grammy Awards without winning. But, that may change this year as she is nominated for 5 more in the upcoming awards.
She has been mentioned as an influence by a number of artists including Billie Eilish, and Olivia Rodrigo.
She has also received praise from older artists, some of whom have been inspirations to her, including Bruce Springsteen, Stevie Nicks, Joan Baez, Elton John, Courtney Love, and directors David Lynch and John Waters.
He catalog so far consists of 9 studio albums, 3 extended plays, 38 singles, 18 promotional singles and 1 box set.
This is a cover version of a song written by the members of the group Sublime & it also samples Summertime written by George & Ira Gershwin. Lana included it on her 6th studio album. The album was called Norman Fucking Rockwell & was released in 2019.
The album hit #3 on the Top 200, but topped the Alternative Albums Charts & has been certified Gold. At the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards, it was nominated for Album of the Year, while the title track received a nomination for Song of the Year. Norman Fucking Rockwell! was frequently listed by numerous publications as the best album of 2019, and since its release has been regarded as one of the greatest albums of the 2010s as well as a career highlight for Lana. Rolling Stone included the album in their 2020 updated list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
The song got to #59 on the Hot 100 but hit #1 on the Rock Airplay chart. This video has 16 million views, don't remember ever having one like that before.
Doin Time by Lana Del Rey
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Post by razorbacker on Dec 14, 2023 12:38:14 GMT
Chad & Jeremy were a British duo consisting of Chad Stuart and Jeremy Clyde, who began working together in 1962. After some commercial failures and divergent personal ambitions, they disbanded in 1968.
Chad Stuart died in 2020, from pneumonia following a fall. For those that watch General Hospital, Chad is the real life father of James Patrick Stuart, or Valentin Cassidine. Jeremy is still active & currently on tour.
They had their first hit song in the UK with "Yesterday's Gone" (1963). The song became a hit in the United States in 1964 as part of the British Invasion.They had a string of hits in the United States, including "Willow Weep for Me", "Before and After", and their biggest hit, "A Summer Song".
This song was included on their 1st album. It was called Yesterday's Gone & was released in 1964. There were 4 singles released, Yesterday’s Gone came 1st & landed at #21, Like I Love You Today was next, but it did not chart here in the states, the final single was Willow Weep For Me which got to #15.
The song linked to here was their 3rd single, it hit #7 & became their biggest hit ever. Chad co – wrote it with Clive Metcalfe & Keith Noble.
In a bit of off beat history, "A Summer Song" was played on Juke Box Jury and guest-judge Ringo Starr assessed the track as a "miss", with no U.S. hit potential.
It is now considered one of the signature songs of the British Invasion. When Gary James asked him about it, Chad suggested: "The American market was bigger. [...] You'd never hear something that sweet in the British charts. [...] For some reason in America it worked."
A Summer Song by Chad & Jeremy
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Post by razorbacker on Dec 14, 2023 18:45:04 GMT
The Monkees were a pop rock band formed in Los Angeles in the mid-1960s. The band consisted of Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones, Michael Nesmith, and Peter Tork.
Originally they were a fictional band created for the NBC television sitcom The Monkees. Music credited to the Monkees appeared in the sitcom and was released on LPs and on singles beginning in 1966, and the sitcom aired from 1966 to 1968.
At first, the band members' musical contributions were primarily limited to lead vocals and the occasional composition, with the remaining music provided by professional songwriters and studio musicians. Though this arrangement yielded multiple hit albums and singles, the band members revolted and, after a brief power struggle, gained full control over the recording process in 1967. With widespread allegations that the band members did not play their own instruments—followed by the cancellation of The Monkees, diminishing success on the charts, and waning popularity overall—band members began to leave the group. They officially broke up in 1970.
Spurred by the success of the band was one of the most successful groups of the 1960s. With international hits, four chart-topping albums and three chart-topping songs ("Last Train to Clarksville", "I'm a Believer", and "Daydream Believer"), the band sold more than 75 million records worldwide.
This song was on their 4th studio album. It was called Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd. & was released in 1967. The album hit #1 in the US & has been certified as Double Platinum. It included the hit singles Words which got to #11 & Pleasant Valley Sunday #3. During the studio sessions they also recorded "Daydream Believer", but it did not make the cut for the album.
There are a lot of folks playing on this song, but The Monkees do indeed play their own instruments. Mike on guitar & lead vocals, Micky plays drums, Davy on percussion & Peter is on keyboards. Backing vocals are provided by Harry Nilsson.
The title is from a novel by sci-fi author Robert Heinlein.
The Door Into Summer by The Monkees
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Post by razorbacker on Dec 15, 2023 12:32:35 GMT
Stan Getz was a jazz saxophonist from Philadelphia. He died of liver cancer on June 6, 1991, at the age of 64. His real full name was Stanley Gayetski.
He began his career & came to prominence in the late 1940s with Woody Herman's big band. He has been described by critic Scott Yanow as "one of the all-time great tenor saxophonists".
He won 5 Grammy Awards between 1962 & 1991 including 1 for Record Of The Year & 1 for Album Of The Year.
During his career he released multiple albums almost every year between 1947 & 1990. There have also been around 20 that were released posthumously. None of that includes all the compilations, jam sessions, & work as a side man that he can be heard on.
This song comes from one of his own projects & an album called Focus. It came out in 1961.
The album is a suite which was originally commissioned by Stan from composer and arranger Eddie Sauter, who wrote all the music on the album. Widely regarded as a high point in both men's careers, Stan later described Focus as his favorite among his own records. Critic Stephen Cook describes Focus as "admittedly Getz's most challenging to date and arguably his finest moment".
A Summer Afternoon by Stan Getz
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Post by razorbacker on Dec 15, 2023 18:26:39 GMT
Richard Marx is a pop rock singer-songwriter from Chicago. He just turned 60 this past September.
His first number one as a songwriter came in 1984 with "What About Me?", which was recorded by Kenny Rogers, Kim Carnes, and James Ingram, and topped the US and Canadian Adult Contemporary charts.
He has won multiple ASCAP Pop Music Awards & been nominated for 5 Grammy’s winning the Song Of The Year Award in 2004 for Dance With my Father.
As a songwriter his songs have been recorded by such diverse artists as The Tubes, Sarah Brightman, SheDaisy, Barbra Streisand, N Sync, Natalie Cole & Josh Groban just to name a few.
His recording catalog includes 12 studio albums, 3 live albums and 91 singles. This song comes from his self – titled debut studio album it came out in 1987.
The album landed at #8 on the Top 200 & has been certified Triple Platinum. There were 4 singles released, Don’t Mean Nothing was his debut & it got all the way to #3, it was followed by Should’ve Known Better which also got to #3, the final single was Hold Onto The Nights which became his 1st #1 & the song linked to here was the 3rd single & it peaked at #2.
Endless Summer Nights by Richard Marx
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Post by razorbacker on Dec 16, 2023 12:35:14 GMT
Dinah Washington was a singer and pianist from Tuscaloosa, Alabama. She died in her sleep early in the morning of December 14, 1963. An autopsy later showed a lethal combination of secobarbital and amobarbital, prescriptions for her insomnia and diet, which contributed to her death. She was just 39. Her real name was Ruth Lee Jones.
Primarily a jazz vocalist, she performed and recorded in a wide variety of styles including blues, R&B, and traditional pop music, and gave herself the title of "Queen of the Blues".
She was a 1986 inductee of the Alabama Jazz Hall of Fame, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993.
She won the 1959 Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance for What A Difference A Day Makes. She has 3 songs that have been installed into the Grammy Hall Of Fame. What A Difference A Day Makes & Unforgettable from 1959 & Teach Me Tonight from 1954.
This song comes from What a Diff'rence a Day Makes! It was her 10th studio album & was released in 1959.
The song itself was first recorded by Claude Thornhill and his Orchestra on November 11, 1946 & released as a single in January, 1947. It became permanently identified as the signature song for its vocalist, Fran Warren. Despite being covered by many artists & released as a single multiple times the song never made the Billboard Top 40.
A Sunday Kind Of Love by Dinah Washington
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Post by razorbacker on Dec 16, 2023 18:27:03 GMT
Little River Band is a rock band formed in Melbourne, Australia, in March 1975.
The 1976 line-up of Glenn Shorrock, Graeham Goble, Beeb Birtles, George McArdle, David Briggs and Derek Pellicci were inducted into the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) Hall of Fame at the 18th annual ARIA Music Awards of 2004.
The band is still active & will be touring in the US beginning in January, but none of those guys mentioned above are still with the band. Glenn Shorrock left in 1996 after his 2nd stint, Graeham Goble departed in 1992, Beeb Birtles left in 1983, George McArdle left really early in 1979, David Briggs exited in 1981 and Derek Pellicci spent two terms with the group but left for the final time in 1998.
They were nominated in 1979 for a Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo, Group or Chorus, for Lonesome Loser but lost out to Minute By Minute from The Doobie Brothers.
During their career they have released 18 studio albums, 4 live albums, numerous compilation albums & 39 singles, with their most recent album being released in 2020.
This song comes from After Hours, it was their 2nd studio album & was released in April 1976. The album did not chart in the US. The song linked to here was the only single released but it also failed to chart. This was the final album for 2 of the founding members: Ric Formosa (lead guitar) and Roger McLachlan (bass), exited stage right.
Every Day Of My Life by The Little River Band
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Post by razorbacker on Dec 17, 2023 12:27:16 GMT
Emerson, Lake & Palmer was an English progressive rock supergroup formed in London in 1970. The band consisted of Keith Emerson (keyboards) of The Nice, Greg Lake (vocals, bass, guitar, producer) of King Crimson, and Carl Palmer (drums, percussion) of Atomic Rooster. Keith Emerson passed away in 2016 of a self inflicted gunshot wound, he was 71. Greg Lake died 9 months later of cancer, he was 69. Carl Palmer is the only one still with us, he is now 73.
This song comes from Tarkus, it was their 2nd studio album & came out in 1971. The album went to #1 in the UK, becoming the only album by the band to do so. It was a top 10 album worldwide, including the US, where it peaked at number 9. It has been certified Gold in both the UK and US.
The album received generally unfavorable reviews from critics upon its release, & there is always that 1 guy:
David Lebin in Rolling Stone wrote: "Tarkus records the failure of three performers to become creators. Regardless of how fast and how many styles they can play. Emerson, Lake and Palmer will continue turning out mediocrity like Tarkus until they discover what, if anything, it is that they must say on their own and for themselves."
The album has been re mastered & has since been given multiple 5* & “A” level reviews.
Keith Emerson has been called "perhaps the greatest, most technically accomplished keyboardist in rock history". As can be heard on this song.
A Time & A Place by Emerson, Lake & Palmer
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Post by razorbacker on Dec 17, 2023 19:52:06 GMT
Kenny Loggins is a guitarist, singer, and songwriter from Everett, Washington. He will turn 76 in early January.
His early songs were recorded with the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band in 1970, which led to 7 albums with Jim Messina as Loggins and Messina from 1972 to 1977.
He has won 2 Grammys including Song Of The Year in 1980 as a co – writer with Michael McDonald for What A Fool Believes for The Doobie Brothers & Best Pop Male Vocal Performance in 1981 for This Is It.
During his career he has released 14 solo albums & 31 singles. He has also written all or parts of many soundtracks like Caddyshack, Footloose & Top Gun. This song was a part of the soundtrack to the 1996 film One Fine Day starring Michelle Pfeiffer & George Clooney. Strangely enough Kenny performed it but did not write it.The single got to #1 on the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart.
This is the first time he was featured without his facial hair. He had shaved prior to filming.
For The First Time by Kenny Loggins
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