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Post by razorbacker on Feb 19, 2024 18:15:40 GMT
Bananarama is a British-Irish girl group formed in London in 1980.
The group, originally consisted of friends Sara Dallin, Siobhan Fahey, and Keren Woodward. Fahey left the group in 1988 and was replaced by Jacquie O'Sullivan until 1991, when Sara & Keren became a duo & they continue on.
Not only do they continue on they even won an Album Of The Year Award from Classic Pop Readers in 2020 for their 11th album, In Stereo. They released their 12th & most recent album in 2022.
During their career they have released 12 studio albums, 2 live albums, 16 compilation albums, 2 extended plays, & 51 singles.
This song comes from their self titled 2nd studio album & was released in 1984. This song became their breakthrough hit in the U.S. as the single got to #9 on the Hot 100. It was the 1st single from the album that also included Robert DiNiro’s Waiting #95, & The Wild Life #70.
The album included the 3 original members of the group & they all get writing credits for the song.
Cruel Summer by Bananarama
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Post by razorbacker on Feb 20, 2024 12:17:38 GMT
Paul McCartney is a little known English singer, songwriter and musician from Liverpool, England. He will be 82 in June.
After the Beatles disbanded, he debuted as a solo artist with the 1970 album McCartney and went on to form the band Wings with his wife, Linda, and Denny Laine. Under McCartney's leadership, Wings became one of the most successful bands of the 1970s.
As a solo artist & Wings member he has released 26 studio albums, 4 compilation albums, 9 live albums, 37 video albums, 2 extended plays, & 111 singles.
This song was released as the A-side of a non-album single in February 1971. It was his debut single as a solo artist following the Beatles break-up in 1970.
The song got to #5 on the Hot 100 & hit the top 10 in many countries around the world. All this despite the critics hating it & saying such things as:
It was called irrelevant and as a song that conveyed McCartney's bourgeois sensibilities and focus on conservative values. One reviewer likened it to an advertising jingle for underarm deodorant. Beatles biographer Nicholas Schaffner described the song's reception: "Many of the rock critics, out for McCartney's blood, dismissed 'Another Day' as 'Paulie picking his nose.' More charitable observers trilled along with the chorus: 'It's just another song.'"
And the song is referenced in John Lennon's 1971 song "How Do You Sleep?" John describes McCartney's new music as Muzak and, in the second verse, he sings: "The only thing you done was yesterday / And since you've gone you're just another day".
Another Day by Paul McCartney
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Post by razorbacker on Feb 20, 2024 18:08:13 GMT
Jim Carroll was an author, poet, and punk musician from New York City. He died of a heart attack on September 11, 2009, at the age of 60.
He is probably best remembered for his 1978 autobiographical work The Basketball Diaries, which inspired a 1995 film of the same title that starred Leonardo DiCaprio as Carroll. Diaries is an edited collection of the diaries he kept during his high school years; it details his sexual experiences, his high school basketball career, and his addiction to heroin.
In 1978, after he moved to California to get a fresh start since overcoming his heroin addiction, he formed Amsterdam, a new wave/punk rock group, with encouragement from Patti Smith, with whom he once shared an apartment in New York City, along with Robert Mapplethorpe.
This song comes from his 1980 debut album called Catholic Boy. The album included his song, "People Who Died", which is a catalogue of young people he knew growing up who met tragic ends. The album cover shows him standing with his parents, photographed by Annie Leibovitz, outside their apartment block on the corner of Cumming Street and Seaman Avenue in Manhattan, New York City.
The album got really positive reviews & ended up at #73 on the Top 200. The musicians playing on the song include Jim Carroll – vocals, Brian Linsley – guitar, Steve Linsley – bass, Terrell Winn – guitar, & Wayne Woods – drums.
Day & Night by The Jim Carrol Band
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Post by razorbacker on Feb 21, 2024 12:14:32 GMT
Juice Newton is a pop and country singer, songwriter, and musician from Lakehurst, New Jersey. She celebrated her 72nd birthday 3 days ago. Her real name is Judith Kay Newton.
She won her only Grammy Award in 1983 for Best Female Vocal Performance for her song Break It To Me Gently.
She has several Gold and Platinum records including Juice, Quiet Lies and her first Greatest Hits album. During the 1980s, she charted 14 top 10 hits across the Billboard Country, AC, and Hot 100 charts, with many of the recordings achieving crossover success and six of the songs hitting the No. 1 position.
During her career she has released 17 studio albums, 1 live album, 10 compilation albums, 39 singles, 1 video album, & 9 music videos.
The song linked to here comes from Juice. It was her 6th studio album and was released in February 1981. It was her first major international success. The album landed at #22 on the Top 200 & #4 on the Country albums chart & it has been certified platinum.
The album received two "Best Female Vocalist" Grammy Award nominations (in the Pop and Country categories, respectively) neither of which she won. She lost to Lena Horne for The Lady & Her Music & Dolly Parton for 9 to 5, respectively.
This was the 1st single released. It charted at 4 on the Hot 100 & 22 over on country, but the album also included the hits Queen Of Hearts #2 & 14 & The Sweetest Thing #7 & 1.
The song was used in the opening credits montage for the 2016 film Deadpool, & re-charted on the Billboard Country chart, reaching #43.
Angel Of The Morning by Juice Newton
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Post by razorbacker on Feb 21, 2024 18:19:22 GMT
Henry Mancini was a composer, conductor, arranger, pianist and flutist from Maple Heights, Ohio. He died of pancreatic cancer in LA on June 14, 1994, he was 70. His real name was Enrico Nicola Mancini.
He has been cited as one of the greatest composers in the history of film. He won 4 Academy Awards, a Golden Globe, and 20 Grammy Awards, plus a posthumous Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1995.
His works include the theme and soundtrack for the Peter Gunn television series as well as the music for The Pink Panther film series ("The Pink Panther Theme") and "Moon River" from Breakfast at Tiffany's. The Music from Peter Gunn won the inaugural Grammy Award for Album of the Year.
He released this song as a single in 1963 & it landed at 33 on the Hot 100 & 10 on the Adult Contemporary chart.
The title originally came from a 1958 teleplay starring Cliff Robertson, Piper Laurie & Charles Bickford. The play was adapted into a movie in 1962 starring Jack Lemon, Lee Remick, Charles Bickford & Jack Klugman. Henry wrote the music to the soundtrack. Lyrics were added by Johnny Mercer, which we will hear at a later date.
The song won the Oscar for Best Song, & 2 Grammys for Song Of the Year & Record Of The Year.
Days Of Wine & Roses by Henry Mancini
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Post by razorbacker on Feb 22, 2024 12:21:01 GMT
Jimmy Clanton is a singer from Raceland, Louisianna. He became known as the "swamp pop R&B teenage idol". He turned 85 last September.
He was inducted into the Museum of the Gulf Coast Hall of Fame, which also has inducted such performers as Tex Ritter, Janis Joplin, ZZ Top and B. J. Thomas. On April 14, 2007, at a "Legends of Louisiana Celebration & Inductions" ceremony he was inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame.
Other than music he had the chance to star in a rock and roll movie produced by DJ Alan Freed called Go, Johnny, Go! and later starred in Teenage Millionaire, with music arranged and produced by Dr. John and arranger/trumpeter Charlie Miller.
His singles "Just a Dream," "A Letter to an Angel," "Ship on a Stormy Sea," and "Venus in Blue Jeans" each sold over one million copies, and were awarded gold discs.
This song was included on an album called Jimmy’s Blue. It was released as a single in 1960 & landed at #22. It was the 7th of 8 singles for him to hit the top 40. The song was written by Neil Sedaka & Howard Greenfield at the famous Brill Building.
Another Sleepless Night by Jimmy Clanton
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Post by razorbacker on Feb 22, 2024 18:23:03 GMT
Woody Herman was a jazz clarinetist, saxophonist, singer, and big band leader.
He became famous for leading groups called "The Herd", beginning in the late 1930s and was active until his death in 1987, he was 74.
He won 3 Grammy Awards. All were for Best Jazz Performance, he won in 1964, 1973 & 1974 & was nominated many other times. He was given a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1987.
During his career he released many albums beginning in 1940 & continuing into the late 1980’s. Many of those years saw him release multiple albums.
He co wrote the music to this song with Ralph Burns. Even though this is an instrumental version there are lyrics by Johnny Mercer. Instrumental & vocal versions of the song have been recorded many times over the years.
This version was recorded in 1947 & released as a single in 1948. The solo on Tenor Sax in Stan Getz & the Vibraphone is Terry Gibbs. He asked for lyrics to be added & he re recorded the song in 1952 & handled the vocals himself.
Early Autumn by Woody Herman
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Post by razorbacker on Feb 23, 2024 11:54:08 GMT
Dream Theater is a progressive metal band formed in 1985 in Boston. They are still active.
The band was originally called Majesty by the founding members, John Petrucci (guitar), John Myung (bass), Mike Portnoy (drums). They were all natives of Long Island & met while they attending Berklee College of Music. They dropped out to concentrate on the band. Petrucci and Myung have been the only two constant members.
They won the Grammy for Best Metal Performance for their song "The Alien" In 2020.
Their catalog consists of 15 studio albums, 1 extended play, 9 live albums, 1 compilation album, 8 video albums, 9 singles, and 21 music video. This song comes from Images and Words. It was their 2nd studio album & was released on July 7, 1992.
It is the first release to feature James LaBrie on vocals. After Charlie Dominici's departure, LaBrie was named their new lead singer, and has remained with them ever since. Since its release, the album has maintained its position as the band's most commercially successful studio album, and the song "Pull Me Under" is the only Top 10 hit the band has had to date.
The album charted at #61 on the top 200 & has been certified gold. It included the singles Pull Me Under #10 on the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks Chart, Take The Time #29 & the song linked to here which hit #22.
The song was written by guitarist John Petrucci. He wrote it about his father who had been diagnosed with cancer.
Another Day by Dream Theater
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Post by razorbacker on Feb 23, 2024 17:21:38 GMT
Formed in Los Angeles in 1965, The Doors consisted of Jim Morrison (vocals), Ray Manzarek (keyboards), John Densmore (drums), and Robby Krieger (guitar).
Jim Morrison is of course one of the founding members of Club 27, passing away in Paris in 1971. Ray Manzarek died in Germany in 2013, he was 74. John Densmore is still alive & living in LA, he is now 79. Robby Krieger is also still living in LA & is also 79.
During their short career The Doors released 9 studio albums with the 1st two coming in 1967 & the final one released in 1978 after a 7 year hiatus & post Jim Morrison.
This song comes from their self - titled debut album from 1967. The album & the single "Light My Fire" have been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. In 2015, the Library of Congress selected this album for inclusion in the National Recording Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". The album landed at #2 on the top 200 & has been certified 4 X Platinum.
The opening track was Break On Through, it was released as their 1st single but it failed to hit the Hot 100 stalling out at #126. The song linked to here was the B side to that single.
Critics were mixed: PopMatters critic Andy Hermann declared "End of the Night" as one of the "weirder" and moodier songs in the Doors' catalogue. In an AllMusic album review of The Doors, critic Richie Unterberger described the song's melody as being "mysterious", and noted that it was one of several tunes of the album besides "Light My Fire" that "also had hit potential". Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine praised Krieger’s guitar solo, for being "sufficiently trippy," but he wrote that the song was "less ambitious (and less successful)" than the other album tracks.
End Of The Night by The Doors
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Post by razorbacker on Feb 24, 2024 12:29:35 GMT
Chuck Jackson was a R&B singer from Winston, Salem, North Carolina. He died just over a year ago at the age of 85.
He was given a Pioneer Award from the Rhythm and Blues Foundation in 1992 & was inducted into the Rhythm and Blues Hall of Fame in 2015.
This song was written by Burt Bacharach & Bob Hillard. It was the title song to Chuck’s 2nd album & was released in 1962. The single got to #23 on the Hot 100 & #2 over on the R&B Charts. It was the biggest hit of his career. It was the last of just 2 Top 40 hits for him, even though he continued releasing new music as late as 1980.
The song has been recorded many times over the years but became a multiple chart #1 hit single in 1982 for Ronnie Milsap.
Any Day Now by Chuck Jackson
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Post by razorbacker on Feb 24, 2024 18:51:31 GMT
Survivor is a rock band formed in Chicago in 1978. They are still active but with a different lineup than they started with.
The band name refers to Jim Peterik as a "survivor". Drummer Gary Smith and bassist Dennis Keith Johnson had both been members of Bill Chase's jazz-rock fusion band Chase; Peterik had worked with Chase in 1974. The inspiration for the new band's name was Jim's escape from death when he was unable to make a guest appearance at a Chase concert scheduled for Jackson, Minnesota on August 9, 1974. He ended up not being on the plane that crashed, killing Bill Chase and most of his band.
The band has released 8 studio albums & 24 singles over the years, but there has been nothing new since 1986. This song comes from Vital Signs. It was their 5th album & came out in 1984. It was their first album with new vocalist Jimi Jamison. The album was their second most successful in the U.S., reaching #16 on the Billboard album charts and has been certified platinum.
The album includes the singles "I Can't Hold Back" which peaked at #13 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, "High on You" reached #8, "The Search Is Over" #4 and the song linked to here which got to #53.
The band has had many members over the years, but here is the lineup for this album. Jimi Jamison – lead vocals, Jim Peterik – keyboards, backing vocals, Frankie Sullivan – guitars, backing vocals, Stephan Ellis – bass, & Marc Droubay – drums.
First Night by Survivor
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Post by razorbacker on Feb 25, 2024 12:01:32 GMT
Anne Murray is a Canadian pop, country, and adult contemporary vocalist from Springhill, Nova Scotia. She will turn 79 in June.
She was the first Canadian female solo singer to reach No. 1 on the U.S. charts and also the first to earn a Gold record for one of her signature songs, "Snowbird" (1970). She is the first woman and the first Canadian to win Album of the Year at the Country Music Association Awards for her 1983 album A Little Good News.
Anne has won four Grammys including the Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance in 1979. She has also received a record 24 Juno Awards, 3 American Music Awards, 3 Country Music Association Awards, and 3 Canadian Country Music Association Awards. She has been inducted into the Canadian Country Music Hall of Fame, the Juno Hall of Fame, the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame, and Canadian Broadcast Hall of Fame.
During her career she has released 32 studio albums, 15 compilation albums and 76 singles. This song comes from Where Do You Go When You Dream. It was her 18th studio album & was released in 1981. The album landed at #4 on the US Country chart & #55 on the Top 200 albums charts & has been certified Gold.
It included the hit singles Blessed Are the Believers, her 6th #1 Country hit & #34 on the Hot 100, We Don’t Have To Hold Out #16 on Country #33 on Adult Contemporary, It’s All I Can Do #9 on Country #14 on AC, & the song linked to here #4 on Country #11 on AC & #44 on the Hot 100.
Another Sleepless Night by Anne Murray
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Post by razorbacker on Feb 25, 2024 18:26:59 GMT
Isaac Hayes was a singer, songwriter, composer, and actor from Covington, Tennessee. He died on August 10, 2008, medical examiners listed a recurrence of a stroke as the cause of death, he was 10 days shy of turning 66.
He was one of the creative forces behind the Southern soul music label Stax Records, serving as both an in-house songwriter and as a session musician and record producer, teaming with his partner David Porter during the mid-1960s. The two were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2005 in recognition of writing scores of songs for themselves, the duo Sam & Dave, Carla Thomas, and others.
He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002.
He won an Oscar & a Grammy for the theme to the movie Shaft, & that also got him inducted into the Online Film & Television Hall Of Fame.
He was a producer that contributed to many albums & singles out of Memphis, but as an artist he released 20 studio albums, 3 Soundtrack albums & 31 singles. This song comes from Black Moses. It was his 5th album & was released in 1971. The album hit #10 on the top 200 & #1 on the R&B chart.
The album won the 1973 Grammy for Best Pop Instrumental Performance by an Arranger, Composer, Orchestra and/or Choral Leader.
For The Good Times by Isaac Hayes
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Post by razorbacker on Feb 26, 2024 12:40:21 GMT
Charlie Parker was a jazz saxophonist, band leader and composer from Kansas City, Kansas. He died on March 12, 1955. The official causes of death were lobar pneumonia and a bleeding ulcer, but he also had an advanced case of cirrhosis and had suffered a heart attack. The coroner who performed his autopsy mistakenly estimated him to be between 50 and 60 years of age. He was just 34!
He began playing the saxophone at age 11, and at age 14 he joined his high school band In the mid-1930s he mastered improvisation and developed some of the ideas that led to the later development of bebop. In an interview with Paul Desmond, Parker said that he spent three to four years practicing up to 15 hours a day.
He was inducted into the Big Band & Jazz Hall Of Fame in 1979, & was presented with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1984.
4 of his recordings have been installed into The Grammy Hall Of Fame. His 1950 record Charlie Parker With Strings was inducted in 1988. 1946 Ornithology inducted in 1989, 1953 Jazz At Massery Hall in 1995 & 1945 Billies Bounce in 2002.
This song was included on his album Charlie Parker With Strings. It was recorded in 1949 & released in 1950.
The players are Charlie Parker - alto saxophone; Mitch Miller - oboe; Bronislaw Gimpel, Max Hollander, Milton Lomask - violins; Frank Brieff - viola; Frank Miller - cello; Myor Rosen - harp; Stan Freeman - piano; Ray Brown - bass; Buddy Rich - drums; Jimmy Carroll - arranger and conductor.
April In Paris by Charlie Parker
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Post by razorbacker on Feb 26, 2024 18:33:17 GMT
Dorothy Moore is a blues, gospel, and R&B singer from Jackson, Mississippi. She turned 77 last October.
Her father performed under the stage name Melvin Henderson as a member of the Five Blind Boys of Mississippi.
She has had four Grammy nominations but has not yet won.
She serves on the National Advisory Board of the MS Grammy Museum in Cleveland. She has been inducted into the MS Musicians Hall of Fame, Lifetime Achievement Award Monterey Bay Blues Festival, James Brown Heritage Jus' Blues Award 2009, the Blues Foundation Board of Directors Award 2006-2012, nominated for two Blues Music Awards 2013, Mississippi Arts Commission Achievement Award, MS Blues Trail Markers. On June 6, 2015, she was inducted into the Official Rhythm & Blues Music Hall of Fame in Clarksdale.
This song comes from her 2nd album. It was called Misty Blue & was released in 1976 after a 10 year absence. The album got to #29 on the top 200 & #10 on the R&B charts. It included her most popular song, Misty Blue which got to #3 on the Hot 100 #14 on the Adult Contemporary Chart & #2 on the R&B Chart. The song linked to here was also released as a single & hit #58, 46 & 7 on those same charts respectively.
Funny How Time Slips Away by Dorothy Moore
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Post by razorbacker on Feb 27, 2024 12:09:44 GMT
Percy Sledge was a R&B, soul and gospel singer from Leighton, Alabama. He died of liver cancer on April 14, 2015, at the age of 74.
Before his singing career took of he had been a hospital orderly in the early 1960s.
Percy is well represented in the Hall Of Fame world. He was an inaugural Rhythm and Blues Foundation Pioneer Award honoree in 1989. Inducted into the Alabama Music Hall of Fame in 1993. Inducted into the Carolina Beach Music Hall of Fame in November 2004. Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005. Inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame for his contributions by the State of Louisiana in May 2007. And in 2021, Inducted into the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame.
He released When A Man Loves A Woman as his 1st single in 1966 & it was his biggest hit single. His chart successes went on a downward trajectory after that. The song linked to here was released in 1969 & hit #86 on the Hot 100 & #35 on the R&B chart. He hits those charts again, just once more & that doesn’t happen until 1974. His last top 40 hit came in early 1968.
Any Day Now by Percy Sledge
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Post by razorbacker on Feb 27, 2024 18:08:05 GMT
Johnny Winter was a singer, guitarist, songwriter and record producer from Beaumont, Texas. He was found dead in his hotel room two days after his last performance, at the Cahors Blues Festival in France. The cause of death was not officially released. According to his guitarist friend and record producer Paul Nelson, Johnny died of emphysema combined with pneumonia. He was 70.
I reckon not to many rockers have experienced this: In 1996, Johnny and his brother Edgar filed suit against DC Comics and the creators of the Jonah Hex: Riders of the Worm and Such limited series, claiming, among other things, defamation: two characters named Johnny and Edgar Autumn in the series strongly resemble the Winters. The brothers claimed the comics falsely portrayed them as "vile, depraved, stupid, cowardly, subhuman individuals who engage in wanton acts of violence, murder and bestiality for pleasure and who should be killed." The California Supreme Court sided with DC Comics, holding that the comic books were deserving of First Amendment protection.
His recording career began at 15, when his band Johnny and the Jammers released "School Day Blues" on a Houston record label. He eventually released 19 studio albums, 9 Live albums & 25 singles.
This song comes from his self - titled 2nd album. It was released in 1969. The album charted at #24 on the top 200. Brother Edgar plays saxophone on the song.
The song has been recorded many times but was written & recorded first by John Lee "Sonny Boy" Williamson in 1937. That version was inducted into the Blues Foundation Hall of Fame in the "Classics of Blues Recordings – Single or Album Track" category in 1990.
Good Morning Little School Girl by Johnny Winter
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Post by razorbacker on Feb 28, 2024 12:16:46 GMT
John Lennon wrote this song & it was included on the Hard Days Night album from 1964. The album hit #1 all around the world including here in the states where it has been certified as 4 X Platinum.
The album included the singles Can’t Buy Me Love #1 & certified Gold, A Hard Days Night #1 & Gold, This Boy which stalled out a #53, & they closed it out with And I Love Her #12.
The song linked to here was not released as a single. It was the first song on side two of the album. It was written by John and recorded during the final session for the album. It was in an unfinished state when he brought it to the studio on the afternoon of 2 June 1964. They initially recorded seven takes of the rhythm track, plus vocals by John. The last-minute composition meant that The Beatles never got around to writing lyrics for the middle eight. Paul suggested a set of piano chords, to which they intended to add lyrics but failed to write any. The deadline for the album’s final mixes meant the song was released in its unintended state.
Any Time At All by The Beatles
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Post by razorbacker on Feb 28, 2024 18:06:05 GMT
Japan was an English new wave band formed in 1974 in Catford, South London. They had 2 different lives but have been disbanded since 1991. The band was initially nameless until the members opted to call themselves Japan. This name was intended to be temporary until they could think of something else, but ultimately became permanent.
The band began as a group of friends in the early 1970s. Brothers (birth surname Batt) David Sylvian (guitar and vocals) and Steve Jansen (drums), and bassist Mick Karn. Like so many other bands the members had met at school, Catford Boys', Brownhill Road, South London.
During their career they released 6 studio albums, 17 compilations albums, 1 live album, and 4 video releases. This song comes from Quiet Life. It was their 3rd studio album & was released on 17 November 1979. Evidently the album did not chart here in the states.
The album was a transition from the glam rock to a synth-pop style. Though sales were initially slow, it became the band's first album to chart and was later certified Gold by the British Phonographic Industry for sales in excess of 100,000 copies. It eventually hit #2 in the UK.
The players are Vocals: David Sylvian, Fretless Bass: Mick Karn, Keyboards: Richard Barbieri, Drums: Steve Jansen, & Guitar: Rob Dean.
Halloween by Japan
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Post by razorbacker on Feb 29, 2024 12:25:35 GMT
Duane Eddy is a rock and roll guitarist from Corning, New York. He will be 86 next month.
He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994, and the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum in 2008. Guitar Player Magazine presented him with the Legend Award in 2004.
He won the Grammy in 1986 for Best Rock Instrumental with the theme song from the TV show "Peter Gunn". He was featured on the song as it was performed by the British Synth group Art Of Noise.
This song comes from his 1958 debut album called Duane Eddy's "Have 'Twangy' Guitar Will Travel". He recorded with the band known as The Rebels — Al Casey on rhythm guitar, his wife Corki Casey also on rhythm guitar, Steve Douglas on saxophone, Buddy Wheeler on bass guitar, Mike Bermani and Bob Taylor on drums. The album spent 82 weeks on the Billboard charts during 1959-1960, & peaked at #5.
Five singles were released from the album & all five charted in the Hot 100. The singles included Moovin & Groovin #72, Rebel Rouser #6, Ramrod #27, Cannonball #15, & The Lonely One #23.
This song was first recorded way back in 1924 & has been recorded dozens of times including as late as 1985 by The Osmond Brothers.
Anytime by Duane Eddy
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Post by razorbacker on Feb 29, 2024 18:08:30 GMT
Paramore is a rock band formed in Franklin, Tennessee in 2004.
The band consists of lead vocalist Hayley Williams, guitarist Taylor York and drummer Zac Farro. Williams and Farro are founding members of the group, while York, a high school friend of the original lineup, joined in 2007. All the members of this group were between 14 & 15 when they began. Hayley Williams is the only member to appear on all of their albums.
They were nominated for Best New Artist at the 2008 Grammy Awards but they lost out to Amy Winehouse.
So far, they have released 6 studio albums, 2 Live albums & 27 singles. This song was included on After Laughter. It was their 5th studio album & was released on May 12, 2017. The album landed in the top 10 on 5 different US Billboard charts including a #6 on the Top 200. It has been certified Gold.
This song was the 1st of multiple singles released. They didn’t have much success on the Hot 100 but they did do well on the Rock Charts. This song came in at #6, it was followed up with Told You So #16, Fake Happy #33, Rose Colored Boy #27 & Caught in The Middle which did not chart.
The song has been certified Gold & Billboard ranked it at #2 of The 25 Best Rock Songs of 2017: Critics' Picks.
Hard Times by Paramore
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Post by razorbacker on Mar 1, 2024 12:01:14 GMT
There are many different versions of this song. It has been recorded many times, by many different artists.
Count Basie 1st recorded it back in 1955 & made it the title song for his new album. That version was installed into The Grammy Hall Of Fame in 1985. The album was recorded in 1955 and 1956.
All Music awarded the album 5 stars calling it "one of those rare albums that makes its mark as an almost instant classic in the jazz pantheon" and noting "April in Paris proved Count Basie's ability to grow through modern jazz changes while keeping the traditional jazz orchestra vital and alive".
Here is a Live version from 1965. During the 1960s, the band kept active with tours, recordings, television appearances, festivals, Las Vegas shows, and travel abroad, including cruises.
The song itself was written in 1932 for the Broadway musical Walk a Little Faster. The original 1933 hit was performed by Freddy Martin.
A revised arrangement of the song, played by the Count Basie Orchestra in a cameo appearance, is also featured in the 1974 film Blazing Saddles.
April In Paris by Count Basie
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Post by razorbacker on Mar 1, 2024 23:17:37 GMT
Grateful Dead was a rock band formed in 1965 in Palo Alto, California. Jerry Garcia died on August 9, 1995 & a few months later the remaining members decided to disband.
They came about during the rise of the counterculture of the 1960s. The band's founding members were Jerry Garcia (lead guitar and vocals), Bob Weir (rhythm guitar and vocals), Ron "Pigpen" McKernan (keyboards, harmonica, and vocals), Phil Lesh (bass guitar and vocals), and Bill Kreutzmann (drums). They were originally known as the Warlocks, & had played together in various Bay Area groups, including the jug band band, Mother McCree's Uptown Jug Champions. Phil Lesh was the last member to join the Warlocks before they changed their name to Grateful Dead.
Twelve members of the group (the eleven performing members plus songwriter Robert Hunter) were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1994. Bruce Hornsby was their presenter.
On February 10, 2007, they received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. The award was accepted on behalf of the band by Mickey Hart and Bill Kreutzmann.
In 2011, a recording of the their May 8, 1977, concert at Cornell University's Barton Hall was selected for induction into the National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress.
As long as the band was in existence, they were more of a touring band that a studio band. They released just 13 studio albums but their discography includes more than 200 albums, the majority of them recorded live in concert.
Workingman’s Dead was their 4th studio album. It was recorded in February 1970 and originally released on June 14, 1970. The album landed at #27 on the Top 200 & was finally certified Platinum in 1986.
The only single released from the album was Uncle John’s Band. It was the group's first chart hit peaking at No. 69 on the Billboard Hot 100, it had a greater impact on progressive rock radio stations and others with looser playlists. At a time when the band was already an underground legend, "Uncle John's Band" (and to some degree its album mate "Casey Jones") was the first time many in the general rock audience actually heard the band's music.
High Time by The Grateful Dead
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Post by razorbacker on Mar 2, 2024 12:48:12 GMT
After all this time I haven’t had the opportunity to post something from Elvis. So today ends the drought.
He was known as the "King of Rock and Roll", & is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Elvis, on guitar and accompanied by lead guitarist Scotty Moore and bassist Bill Black, was a pioneer of rockabilly. In 1955, drummer D. J. Fontana joined to complete the lineup of his classic quartet.
He has sold about 500 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling music artists of all time. Elvis holds the records for most songs charting in Billboard's top 40 (115) and top 100 (152), according to chart statistician Joel Whitburn.
During his career he released 22 studio albums, 8 Live albums, 18 Soundtrack albums & 117 singles. Many of those singles charted both the A & B sides.
This song was included on From Elvis in Memphis. It was his 9th studio album & was released on June 2, 1969. It was recorded at American Sound Studio in Memphis in January and February 1969 under the direction of producer Chips Moman and backed by the studio house band, informally known as the Memphis Boys.
The album landed at #13 on the Billboard 200, #2 on the country charts and #1 in the United Kingdom, and its single "In the Ghetto" reached #3 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album was certified gold in 1970.
The album has been historically treated extremely well: PopMatters has described it as "some of the best music Elvis Presley ever made". Sputnik Music's reviewer considered that the album "rivaled" Presley's early recordings in "terms of historical importance and innovation", and was "downright essential, for any Elvis fan and for any music fan".
The song linked to here was released as the B side to In The Ghetto, it did not chart on it’s own, but In The Ghetto slayed charts all over the world.
Any Day Now by Elvis Presley
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Post by razorbacker on Mar 2, 2024 19:15:25 GMT
Sylvia Syms was a jazz singer from Brooklyn. She died of a heart attack while on stage in the Oak Room at the Algonquin Hotel in New York City on May 10, 1992. She was 74.
As a teenager, she went to jazz nightclubs on New York's 52nd Street and received informal training from Billie Holiday. She made her debut in 1941 at Kelly's Stable. In 1948, performing at the Cinderella Club in Greenwich Village, she was seen by Mae West, who gave her a part in a show she was doing. Among others who observed her in nightclubs was Frank Sinatra who considered her the "world's greatest saloon singer." He conducted her 1982 album, Syms by Sinatra.
This is a song from the musical My Fair Lady, with music written by Frederick Loewe and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner, published in 1956. The song was first performed by Julie Andrews in the original Broadway production of My Fair Lady.
Sylvia’s version was recorded in 1956 & sold over a million copies.
I Could Have Danced All Night by Sylvia Syms
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Post by razorbacker on Mar 3, 2024 12:23:51 GMT
For anyone that ever watched American Idol you have heard the judges say time & time again, “You have to make the song your own.” Well, we have heard this song many times before & no one made it there own quite like Thelonious Monk does.
In 1993, he was awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2006, he was awarded a special Pulitzer Prize for "a body of distinguished and innovative musical composition that has had a significant and enduring impact on the evolution of jazz".
The Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz was established in 1986 by the Monk family and Maria Fisher. Its mission is to offer public school-based jazz education programs for young people around the globe, helping students develop imaginative thinking, creativity, curiosity, a positive self-image, and a respect for their own and others' cultural heritage. In addition to hosting an annual International Jazz Competition since 1987, the institute also helped, through its partnership with UNESCO, designate April 30, 2012, as the first annual International Jazz Day. It was renamed the Herbie Hancock Institute of Jazz in 2019.
This song comes from an album called Thelonious Himself. It was released in 1957 by Riverside Records. It was his 4th album for the label. The album features him playing solo piano, except for the final track, "Monk's Mood", which features John Coltrane on tenor saxophone and Wilbur Ware on bass.
Music critic Robert Christgau said Thelonious Himself is "probably [Monk's] best" solo album, while Down Beat magazine gave it five stars and called it "highly recommended".
April In Paris by Thelonious Monk
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Post by razorbacker on Mar 3, 2024 18:48:05 GMT
Barry & the Tamerlanes were a doo-wop trio from Los Angeles, California.
This was their only hit single, so they were true 1 Hit Wonders. It was released in 1963 & spent 10 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, peaking at No. 21, & No. 23 on Billboard's Hot R&B Singles chart.
Barry was the writer of the song he actually wrote it for The Cascades who did not record it.
"Barry" was Barry De Vorzon, who went on to considerable success as a film music composer; He wrote the soundtracks to many 1970s and 1980s films, and one of the tunes, "Cotton's Dream" (from Bless the Beasts and Children) was retitled "Nadia's Theme" and re-released by A&M Records for the television soap opera The Young and the Restless. "Nadia's Theme" hit No. 8 on the US Top 40 in 1976 and the album from which it was taken peaked at No. 42 on the Billboard 200; in 1977, it won a Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Arrangement.
The main title song, "Bless the Beasts and Children," was recorded by the Carpenters and received an Academy Award nomination.
In 1979 he wrote the music for the movie The Warriors.
He also co-wrote the Eagles' hit "In the City" with Joe Walsh.
The group's other members were Terry Smith and Bodie Chandler.
I Wonder What She’s Doing Tonight by Barry & The Tamerlanes
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Post by razorbacker on Mar 4, 2024 12:21:22 GMT
Arlo Guthrie is a folk singer-songwriter, actor from Brooklyn. He will be 77 in July.
His best-known work is "Alice's Restaurant Massacree", a satirical 18 minute talking blues song that has since become a Thanksgiving anthem. His song "Massachusetts" was named the official folk song of the state, in which he has lived most of his adult life.
During his career he has released 19 studio albums, 2 Live albums & 17 singles. There have been no new albums since 2009 & no singles since 1981. This song was the opening cut from his 3rd studio album. It was called Hobo’s Lullabye & came out in 1972. The album charted at #52 & included City Of New Orleans which became his only top 40 hit charting at #18.
The song goes all the way back to 1921 but was recorded in 1948 by Eddy Arnold who had a #17 country hit with it & re introduced it to the public, after years in obscurity.
Anytime by Arlo Guthrie
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Post by razorbacker on Mar 4, 2024 18:13:00 GMT
The Moody Blues is an English rock band formed in Birmingham in May 1964, the band is still touring.
They initially consisted of drummer Graeme Edge, guitarist/vocalist Denny Laine, keyboardist/vocalist Mike Pinder, multi-instrumentalist/vocalist Ray Thomas, and bassist/vocalist Clint Warwick. Laine and Warwick left the band by the end of 1966, being replaced by guitarist/vocalist Justin Hayward and bassist/vocalist John Lodge.
Graeme Edge passed away in 2021, he was 80. Ray Thomas died in 2018, he was 76. Justin Hayward is now 77, John Lodge is 80 & Mike Pinder is 82, those 3 are still with us.
The band is in the Vocal Group Hall of Fame. They were finally inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame in 2018.
They have released 16 studio albums, 8 Live albums, been a part of 25 compilations & have had 36 singles. This song comes from On The Threshold Of A Dream. It was their 4th studio album & it came out in 1969. The album got to #20 here in the states & has been certified Platinum.
This album, & their next one, To Our Children's Children's Children, was among the tapes carried by Apollo 15 astronaut Al Worden to the moon.
All members of the band had writing credits on the album. This song was written by Graeme Edge.
"In the Beginning" features three characters, listed as "First Man", "Establishment" and "Inner Man" in the printed lyrics provided in the album sleeve. Hayward takes the role of a slightly bemused lone person who confirms his own existence. Edge, a mocking establishment figure, confirms the first man's existence, but insists his purpose is to be a cog in a corporate machine. The first man thinks his existence is about more than that, finding encouragement from his "Inner Man, spoken by Pinder, who tells him to "keep cool" and "keep thinking free."
In The Beginning by The Moody Blues
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Post by razorbacker on Mar 5, 2024 12:26:06 GMT
Stan Kenton was a pianist, composer, arranger and band leader, from Wichita, Kansas. He died from the effects of a stroke in 1979, he was 67.
Stan was also a pioneer in the field of jazz education, creating the Stan Kenton Jazz Camp in 1959 at Indiana University.
He was inducted into the Downbeat Jazz Hall Of Fame in 1954.
He won back to back Grammy Awards in 1962 & 63 for Best Jazz Performance by An Orchestra for the albums West Side Story & Adventures In Jazz respectively.
His 1943 recording of Artistry In Rhythm was inducted into the Grammy Hall Of Fame in 1985 & the United States Library of Congress National Recording Registry in 2011.
This song comes from an album called Portraits On Standards released in 1953.
One of the writers of this song was E.Y. Yarburg. You may remember him as the guy that wrote the lyrics to the standards "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?" (with Jay Gorney), "April in Paris", and "It's Only a Paper Moon", as well as all of the songs for the film The Wizard of Oz, including "Over the Rainbow". Yes, there are lyrics, we just haven’t gotten to a vocal performance yet.
April In Paris by Stan Kenton
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