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Post by razorbacker on Mar 5, 2024 18:25:42 GMT
Beat Happening was a indie pop band formed in Olympia, Washington, in 1982.
Though not officially broken up, the band has not performed together in public since the early 1990s, which sounds to me like broken up.
Broken up or not, the group remains just 3 people:
Calvin Johnson guitar & vocals. At one point Courtney Love as the vocalist in Hole has the line: 'I went to school with Calvin,' a reference to Johnson's influence within the burgeoning Olympia indie music scene. In 1993, Johnson had a restraining order placed on Love for harassment and assault.
Heather Lewis drums, guitar & vocals. Though she was Beat Happening's drummer, the band didn't own a drum set for much of its existence. Instead, she would borrow drums from touring bands, or create impromptu drum sets out of garbage cans or cardboard boxes.
Bret Lunsford guitar & drums. Lunsford owns and operates Knw-Yr-Own Records, an independent label based in Lunsford's hometown of Anacortes, Washington, and manages What the Heck Fest, an annual music festival featuring independent and local musicians. He is also a writer of cultural criticism, and author of Images of America, Anacortes.
While together, unofficially not broken up, the band released 5 studio albums. This song comes from Jamboree. It was their 2nd studio album & came out in 1988. The album got really strong reviews, but did not chart & it seems as though there were no singles released. But evidently it was one of Kurt Cobains’ favorite albums.
Indian Summer by Beat Happening
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Post by razorbacker on Mar 6, 2024 12:01:35 GMT
Jamie Lidell, is an English musician, soul singer and podcast host from Cambridgeshire, England. He is 50 years old & currently lives in Nashville. His real name is Jamie Alexander Lidderdale.
He released his 7th & most recent album in 2016. The song linked to here comes from Jim. It was his 4th album & was released in 2018. It peaked at number 8 on the UK Independent Albums Chart as well as number 183 on the Billboard 200 chart, it has been his only album to chart here in the US. The song was released as the 2nd single from the album, but neither one charted.
Following the release of the album, he commented: I want it to be about music, I think every musician does. But I think inevitably it ends up becoming about personality, which is what gives rise to the music, so people want to make sure that they get a bit of both. The more things do well, the more people want to know why it does well.
Jim won the 8th Annual Independent Music Awards for Best Pop/Rock Album in 2009.
Another Day by Jaime Lidell
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Post by razorbacker on Mar 6, 2024 22:48:46 GMT
Bob Dylan has been a pretty busy guy. He has released 40 studio albums, 98 singles, 19 extended plays, 54 music videos, 16 live albums, 17 volumes comprising The Bootleg Series, 31 compilation albums, 25 box sets, 7 soundtracks as main contributor, 17 music home videos and 2 non-music home videos.
This song comes from Bringing It All Back Home. It was his 5th studio album & was released in March 1965. The was hi's first album to incorporate electric instrumens, which caused controversy and divided many in the contemporary folk scene.
The album reached No. 6 on Billboard's Pop Albums chart, it was his 1st to break into the US Top 10 & has been certified Platinum. The album included the single Subterranean Homesick Blues, his 1st Top 40 hit in the United States, peaking at number 39 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Maggies Farm was released as a single in the UK, but not here in the states. However, the song is at the center of the fervor that surrounded Dylan after his electric set at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival; it was that set's performance of "Maggie's Farm," much faster and more aggressive than on the Bringing It All Back Home recording and featuring prominent lead electric guitar by Mike Bloomfield, that caused the most controversy.
The album also included Mr. Tambourine Man which went on to become a hit for The Byrds. The song linked to here was not a hit for Bob, but was covered by many artists including The Byrds & Them featuring Van Morrison.
Bob recorded the song on January 15, 1965, the same day as "Gates of Eden," "It's Alright Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)," and "Mr. Tambourine Man."
Over the years, many critics and historians have made their case for who the "real" Baby Blue was. Folk musicians John Baez, David Blue, and Paul Clayton have all been floated as suspects, but thus far none of it has amounted to much beyond loose conjecture.
It’s All Over Now Baby Blue by Bob Dylan
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Post by razorbacker on Mar 7, 2024 11:55:15 GMT
Eddy Duchin was a jazz pianist and bandleader during the 1930s and 1940s. He was from Cambridge, Mass.. He died at age 41 of acute myelogenous leukemia on February 9, 1951.
He attended the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and was originally a pharmacist before turning to music and beginning his new career with Leo Reisman's orchestra at the Central Park Casino in New York, where he became popular in his own right.
He was an actor and composer, known for The Hit Parade (1937), and Coronado (1935). His music can also be heard in Harlem Nights (1989).
By the mid-1950s, Columbia Pictures, having enjoyed success with musical biographies, mounted a feature film based on the bandleader's life. The Eddy Duchin Story (1956) is a fictionalized tearjerker, with Tyrone Power in the title role, and piano dubbed by Carmen Cavallaro. Also starring in the movie were Kim Novak & James Whitmore. It did well with movie goers.
There isn’t much info on this guy, probably due to his short life & recording career, but it appears as though this song was recorded in 1940.
April In Paris by Eddy Duchin
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Post by razorbacker on Mar 7, 2024 18:41:08 GMT
The Rascals (initially known as the Young Rascals) are a rock band, formed in Garfield, New Jersey in 1965.
The original members of the band were Felix Calvaliere (vocals & keyboards), Gene Cornish (vocals, guitar, bass guitar & harmonica), Eddie Brigatti (vocals & percussion), & Dino Danelli (drums). Felix Calvaliere age 81 & Gene Corninsh age 79 are still together as a group. Dino Danelli died in 2022 age 78 & Eddie Brigatti is now 78 but still with us.
The Rascals were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on May 6, 1997. Steve Van Zandt gave the induction speech and presented the award. All four original members appeared together to perform "Good Lovin'", "Groovin'", "How Can I Be Sure?", and "People Got to Be Free".
They were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2005.
Eddie Brigati and Felix Cavaliere were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame on June 18, 2009.
Their hit single "Groovin'" has been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
This song was included on Collections. It was their 2nd album & was released on January 9, 1967. The album charted at #15 on the Billboard Top 200 & has been certified Gold.
This song was written by those Hall Of Fame guys Felix Cavaliere and Eddie Brigati. The single hit #16 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, #17 on the Cashbox Top 100 chart, and #33 on the Hot R&B Singles chart.
I’ve Been Lonely Too Long by The Rascals
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Post by razorbacker on Mar 8, 2024 12:24:16 GMT
The Moffs were a psychedelic rock band formed in Sydney in 1984.
They seem to have broken up & re formed many times with many different members over the years. The band was formed by high school friends Tom Kazas and David 'Smiley' Byrnes, & Tom Kazas looks to have been the only one to remain throughout all the iterations.
The original band consisted of Tom Kazas - guitars, lead vocals, mellotron, piano, extras, David Byrnes – bass guitar, backing vocals, extras, Nick Potts – organ, harmonica, & Alan Hislop – drums.
This song was 1st recorded & released as a single back in 1985 when all the original members were still there. Information is so sparse on the band that I can find no info on whether or not it ever charted, but it is supposedly their most famous record.
Another Day In The Sun by The Moffs
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Post by razorbacker on Mar 8, 2024 18:32:55 GMT
Clint Black is a country singer, songwriter, musician, actor, and record producer, born in Long Branch, New Jersey but raised in Katy, Texas. He turned 62 just 4 days ago.
He has been married to actress Lisa Hartman since 1991 & they now live in Nashville.
RCA Records often pushed him to record the material of other artists, he refused. He recorded only his own songs until 2007, when he released the single "The Strong One".
His discography consists of 14 studio albums, 8 compilation albums, 1 extended play and 50 singles. All of his RCA albums are all certified gold or higher. He has had 13 #1 hits on the Hot Country Songs charts and 15 others to go Top 10.
This was the title song to his debut album released May 2, 1989. The album got to #1 & has been certified at 3 X Platinum. They released 5 singles from the album. There was A Better Man, Killin Time, Nobody’s Home, & Walkin Away, all of which got to #1 on the Country chart & the final single Nothing’s News landed at #3.
This song was the 2nd single released & it has been certified Platinum.
Killin Time by Clint Black
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Post by razorbacker on Mar 8, 2024 18:35:12 GMT
Clint Black is a country singer, songwriter, musician, actor, and record producer, born in Long Branch, New Jersey but raised in Katy, Texas. He turned 62 just 4 days ago.
He has been married to actress Lisa Hartman since 1991 & they now live in Nashville.
RCA Records often pushed him to record the material of other artists, he refused. He recorded only his own songs until 2007, when he released the single "The Strong One".
His discography consists of 14 studio albums, 8 compilation albums, 1 extended play and 50 singles. All of his RCA albums are all certified gold or higher. He has had 13 #1 hits on the Hot Country Songs charts and 15 others to go Top 10.
This was the title song to his debut album released May 2, 1989. The album got to #1 & has been certified at 3 X Platinum. They released 5 singles from the album. There was A Better Man, Killin Time, Nobody’s Home, & Walkin Away, all of which got to #1 on the Country chart & the final single Nothing’s News landed at #3.
This song was the 2nd single released & it has been certified Platinum.
Killin Time by Clint Black I have no idea why that video won't appear.
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Post by razorbacker on Mar 8, 2024 18:36:37 GMT
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Post by razorbacker on Mar 9, 2024 12:28:10 GMT
Phil Collins is an English singer, drummer, songwriter, record producer and actor from Wadsworth, London. He turned 73 in January.
He was the drummer and later became the lead singer of Genesis and had a successful solo career, achieving three UK number one singles and seven US number one singles as a solo artist.
He has won multiple Grammy Awards during his career including a Record of the Year in 1991 for the song linked to here. The song comes from the album But Seriously, which was nominated for Album Of The Year but lost out to Back On The Block by Quincy Jones.
As a solo artist, Phil has released 8 studio albums, 1 live album, 5 compilation albums, 2 remix albums, 2 soundtrack albums, 2 box sets, 50 singles, 18 video albums, and 41 music videos.
But Seriously was his 4th studio album. The album hit #1 in every country possible except #4 in Hungary & #14 in Japan. It has sold millions of copies worldwide & has been certified 4 X Platinum here in the states.
The song hit #1 here in the states & was sitting at #1 on the charts of Dec. 31, 1989, so it was the final #1 hit of the decade.
The people you hear on the song include : Phil Collins – vocals, keyboards, drums, Roland TR-808 drum machine, David Crosby – backing vocals, Dominic Miller – electric guitar, classical guitar & Leland Sklar – bass.
Another Day In Paradise by Phil Collins
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Post by razorbacker on Mar 9, 2024 18:23:22 GMT
The Left Banke was a baroque pop band, formed in New York City in 1965.
The original lineup consisted of keyboard player/songwriter Michael Brown, drummer/singer George Cameron, bass guitarist/singer Tom Finn, singer Steve Martin (a.k.a. Steve Martin Caro), and drummer Warren David-Schierhorst.
There were breakups & reunions & more breakups & more reunions over the years.
Their two biggest hit singles were "Walk Away Renée" and "Pretty Ballerina". Renee was the girlfriend of guitar player Tom Finn, but keyboard player Michael Brown fell in love with her & wrote both of those songs about her.
According to Finn: We never had a plan to be a group, but Michael had the keys to his father's recording studio. I'd bring my girlfriend Renee along, and Michael fell for her, getting his heart broken, but writing these amazing melodies. Once Michael's father caught us in the studio and heard us, he wanted to get in on the action. That started things rolling but it was also the kiss of death.
Needless to say, the tension between band members led to a quick breakup & by the time Walk Away Renee became a hit, the original band had already dissolved.
Pretty Ballerina had already been recorded & was released as their 2nd single. It got to #15 in 1967. The song linked to here was the “B” side to Pretty Balerina.
Lazy Day by The Left Banke
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Post by razorbacker on Mar 10, 2024 11:20:48 GMT
Bill Withers Jr. was a singer/ songwriter from Slab Fork, West Virginia. He died from heart complications in a Los Angeles hospital on March 30, 2020, at age 81.
Bill won 3 Grammy Awards and was nominated for six more. All 3 of his wins were for Best Rhythm & Blues Song. He won in 1971 for Ain’t No Sunshine, in 1981 for Just The Two Of Us & in 1987 for Lean On Me.
He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2005 and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2015. Lean On Me & Ain’t No Sunshine have been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
His catalog consists of 8 studio albums, 1 live album, 10 compilation albums and 34 singles. This song comes from Still Bill. It was his 2nd studio album & was released in 1972. The album got to #4 on the Top 200 & #1 on the Soul Albums Chart. It has been certified Gold.
The album included the hit singles Lean On Me which hit #1 on both the Pop & R&B Charts & Use Me which got to #2 on both charts.
Musicians playing on the album were from the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band.
Another Day To Run by Bill Withers
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Post by razorbacker on Mar 10, 2024 17:31:16 GMT
Benny Carter was a jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, trumpeter, composer, arranger, and bandleader from The Bronx. He died at the age of 95 on July 12, 2003, from complications of bronchitis.
He is certainly a well honored musician.
He was inducted into the DownBeat Jazz Hall of Fame in 1977, & given a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1987. In 1994 he won a Grammy for his solo on "Prelude to a Kiss" He was a Kennedy Center Honoree in 1996 and received honorary doctorates from Princeton, Rutgers, Harvard, and the New England Conservatory of Music. In 2000, he was given the National Medal of Arts by President Bill Clinton.
His 75th birthday was commemorated by a radio station in New York that played his music nonstop for over a week.
This song comes from his 1952 album called Alone Together. The folks playing on the record include: Alto Saxophone: Benny Carter, Piano: Oscar Peterson, Bass: Ray Brown, Guitar: Barney Kessel, & Drums: Buddy Rich.
The song itself was written by Jerome Kern& Ira Gershwin for the 1944 movie Cover Girl starring Rita Hayworth & Gene Kelly. The song was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1944 but lost out to “Swinging on a Star”, from Going My Way.
Long Ago & Far Away by Benny Carter
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Post by razorbacker on Mar 11, 2024 11:23:44 GMT
David Ackles was a singer-songwriter, pianist, and child actor from Rock Island, Illinois. He died of lung cancer on March 2, 1999, at the age of 62.
For a few years David was a child actor, appearing in six of the eight films in Columbia Pictures' Rusty children's film series made from 1945 to 1949. He played the character "Peanuts" in the second film in the series (1946's The Return Of Rusty, directed by William Castle) and the uncredited role of Roger "Tuck" Worden in the last five.
He began his recording career as a staff songwriter for Jac Holzman at Elektra Records. None of the songs he wrote were right for any of Elektra's artists, and Holzman suggested that Ackles record his own work.
During his short career he released just 4 albums between 1968 – 73. This song comes from his 1972 album called American Gothic. The album got to #167 on the Top 200. He had a pretty famous producer, a guy named Bernie Taupin.
The album got decidedly mixed reviews but AllMusic wrote "American Gothic remains one of those great albums that never found its audience. It waits to be rediscovered."
It was included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. Mojo called it "one of the most beautiful but rarely heard albums of his era".
I still have a vinyl copy of this album & listened to it for the 1st time in 50 + years just last week. I liked it more this time around than I did when I originally bought it. Perhaps I was one that rediscovered it.
Another Friday Night by David Ackles
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Post by razorbacker on Mar 11, 2024 17:40:10 GMT
Mariah Carey is a singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress from Huntington, New York. She will turn 55 in 2 weeks.
She is noted for her songwriting, five-octave vocal range, melismatic singing style and signature use of the whistle register.
She has won 5 Grammy Awards but that is just a small fraction of the 168 awards she has won worldwide.
During her career she has released 15 studio albums, 2 soundtrack albums, 8 compilation albums, 4 extended plays, and 1remix album. She is one of the best-selling music artists of all-time, having sold over 220 million records globally. She was presented with the Millennium Award at the 2000 World Music Awards for becoming the best-selling female artist of the millennium.
This song comes from her self titled debut album released on June 12, 1990. The album landed at #1 here in the US & in many other countries. It has been certified 9 X Platinum here & has sold over 15 million units worldwide.
This was the 2nd of four #1 hit singles to come from the album. Those 4 songs were Vision Of Love, Love Takes Time, Someday, & I Don’t Wanna Cry.
The song was recorded at the last minute when the album was already considered complete and being processed for release. She played the song's demo to former Columbia CEO Don Ienner while on an airplane. Ienner and other officials immediately insisted the song be included on her upcoming album, even though the album was already going through final stages of completion. however, due to its late addition, it was not listed as such on early pressings of the album.
Love Takes Time by Mariah Carey
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Post by razorbacker on Mar 12, 2024 11:10:56 GMT
James Taylor is a singer-songwriter and guitarist from Boston. As fate would have it, today is his 76th birthday. Happy Birthday JT.
James is a six-time Grammy Award winner.
He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame & the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2000. Into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame in 2009. Into the Hit Parade Hall of Fame in 2010. He was given the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015 & in 2016 he was a one of the Kennedy Center Honorees.
During his career he has released 20 studio albums, 6 compilation albums, at least 5 live albums, 1 tribute album, 9 video albums, 1 extended play, and 42 singles. Every album that he released from 1977 to 2007 sold over 1 million copies.
This song comes from JT. It was his 8th studio album & was released on June 22, 1977 The album peaked at number 4 on the Billboard 200 albums chart & has been certified as Triple Platinum. It was his highest-charting album since Mud Slide Slim and the Blue Horizon.
At the 20th Annual Grammy Awards, the album was nominated for a Grammy Award for Album of the Year, but lost to Rumors by Fleetwood Mac. The album was produced by Peter Asher of Peter & Gordon fame & included a bunch of The Wrecking Crew on the instruments. Linda Ronstadt & his then wife Carly Simon provided backing vocals. The album included the singles, Handy Man which landed at #4, Your Smiling Face #20 & Honey Don’t Leave LA #61.
Even though the album didn’t win the Grammy, Handy Man did. The song won for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.
Another Grey Morning by James Taylor
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Post by razorbacker on Mar 12, 2024 16:49:09 GMT
Henry Mancini was nominated for 72 Grammy Awards and won 20. He was nominated for 18 Academy Awards and won 4. He also won a Golden Globe Award and was nominated for two Emmy Awards.
In 1961, he won two Academy Awards, one for "Moon River" for Best Original Song and one for Best Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture for the movie Breakfast at Tiffany's. In 1962, he won Best Original Song again, this time for "Days of Wine and Roses". He won Best Original Song Score and Its Adaptation or Best Adaptation Score again in 1982 for the movie Victor/Victoria.
He wrote the soundtracks for many great movies & TV shows during his career, but he did not write the song linked to here. This one goes out to John Barry. The song won the Grammy for Best Instrumental Theme, but the film was not done winning music awards. Henry Neil wrote the song Everybody’s Talkin & the song won the Grammy that year for Best Contemporary Vocal Performance Male, from Harry Nilsson.
The film won the Oscar that year for Best Picture. It stars Dustin Hoffman and Jon Voight, with supporting roles played by Sylvia Miles, John McGiver, Brenda Vaccaro, Bob Balaban, Jennifer Salt and Barnard Hughes. Bob Dylan wrote the song Lay Lady Lay to be a part of the soundtrack, but he didn’t finish it in time for inclusion.
Henry included this version on his Six Hours Past Sunset album released 1969.
Midnight Cowboy by Henry Mancini
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Post by razorbacker on Mar 13, 2024 11:11:54 GMT
Ben Harper is a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from Pomona, California. He turned 54 last October.
He plays a mix of blues, folk, soul, reggae, and rock music, as can be witnessed by the Grammy Categories he has won in.
He is a three-time Grammy Award winner and seven-time nominee, with awards for Best Pop Instrumental Performance and Best Traditional Soul Gospel Album in 2004 and Best Blues Album in 2013.
He won in 2005 for Best Pop Instrumental Performance of his song 11th Commandment (beating such artists as Herb Alpert, Bruce Hornsby, Brian Setzer & George Benson), He also won in 2005 for Best Traditional Soul & Gospel Album for There Will Be The Light with The Blind Boys Of Alabama & he won in 2014 for Best Blues Album for Get Up With Charley Musselwhite.
During his career he has released 17 studio albums, 5 live albums, 2 digital albums, 3 concert films and 3 miscellaneous albums.
This song was included on Fight For Your Mind. It was his 2nd studio album & was released in 1995. The album did not chart here in the states, but it has been certified Gold.
Another Lonely Day by Ben Harper
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Post by razorbacker on Mar 13, 2024 19:05:27 GMT
The Jam was an English rock band formed in 1972 at Sheerwater Secondary School in Woking, Surrey.
They were active for 10 years & consisted of Paul Weller – vocals, lead guitar, bass guitar, keyboards, backing vocals, Rick Buckler – drums, percussion, Bruce Foxton – vocals, bass guitar, rhythm guitar, backing vocals. Other players came & went, but those three were there for the entirety.
They released 18 consecutive top 40 singles in the United Kingdom, from their debut in 1977 to their break-up in December 1982, including four #1 hits.
During their career they released 6 studio albums, 5 live albums, 13 compilation albums, 6 videos, 3 extended plays, 18 singles, and 3 B-sides. This song comes from Sound Effects. It was their 5th studio album & was released on 28 November 1980. The album became their highest charting effort here in the states when it peaked at #72. It included 2 singles only one of which landed here. Start hit #75 on the US Dance Charts but that was the extent of their successes. The band was big in the UK, but never really broke through here.
Monday by The Jam
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Post by razorbacker on Mar 14, 2024 11:20:03 GMT
The Tragically Hip, or known by fans as the Hip, were a Canadian rock band formed in Kingston, Ontario in 1984, consisting of vocalist Gord Downie, guitarist Paul Langlois, guitarist Rob Baker (known as Bobby Baker until 1994), bassist Gord Sinclair, and drummer Johnny Fay. The band split after Downie died on October 17, 2017 of brain cancer. He was 53.
They released 13 studio albums, 1 live album, 1 EP, and over 50 singles over a 33-year career. 9 of their albums have reached No. 1 on the Canadian charts. They have received numerous Canadian music awards, including 17 Juno Awards. Between 1996 and 2016, they were the best-selling Canadian band in Canada and the fourth best-selling Canadian artist overall in Canada.
This song was included on their debut album released in 1989. The album was called Up To Here. It hit #80 in Canada & #170 here in the states. The album helped the band to a Juno Award for Most Promising Artist. Every album after this one hit the top 3 in Canada but they never got any higher that 129 on the Top 200 here.
The band members are all credited with writing the music, Gord Downie added the lyrics.
Another Midnight by The Tragically Hip
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Post by razorbacker on Mar 14, 2024 17:19:25 GMT
The Fugs are a rock band formed in New York City in late 1964, by poets Ed Sanders and Tuli Kupferberg, with Ken Weaver on drums. Soon afterward, they were joined by Peter Stampfel and Steve Weber of The Holy Modal Rounders. The band split in 1969 but reformed in 1984 & seem to be an ongoing project.
Tuli Kupferberg named the band from a euphemism for f*&k used in Norman Mailer's novel The Naked and the Dead.
The band was one of the leaders of the underground scene of the 1960s and became an important part of the American counterculture of that decade. They were described in their AllMusic profile as "arguably the first underground rock group of all time". The group is known for its comedic, even lewd, nature but also earned fame through its persistent anti-Vietnam War sentiment during the 1960s.
They seem to have garnered some unwanted recognition:
Some 1969 correspondence, found inside an FBI file on The Doors, called The Fugs the "most vulgar thing the human mind could possibly conceive". On the other hand, author Tom Robbins wrote of them in 1968, "Incongruously… this trio of hairy gross ginch gropers is the most intellectual, sophisticated and literary ensemble in rock."
The band has released 13 studio albums with the most recent one coming just last year. This song comes from their 1969 release called The Fugs 2nd Album, but from what I can see it looks to have been their 3rd album. It was their 2nd album on the Decca label. Regardless, it was their highest charting album coming in at #95.
In 2003, David Bowie included it in a list of 25 of his favorite albums, "Confessions of a Vinyl Junkie".
Morning, Morning by The Fugs
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Post by razorbacker on Mar 15, 2024 11:28:20 GMT
Days of Future Passed was the 2nd album and 1st concept album by The Moody Blues. It was released in November 1967.
It was also the 1st of their albums to chart here in the states as it landed at #3 & has been certified Platinum.
Speaking of 1st, this album had a lot of them. It was their first with guitarist and singer Justin Hayward in place of Denny Laine and bassist John Lodge in place of Clint Warwick. The album is also their first to feature longtime producer and collaborator Tony Clarke and the first to feature keyboardist Mike Pinder on Mellotron.
The album features original compositions expressing the day in a life of an everyday person, interspersed with orchestral interludes arranged and conducted by Peter Knight and performed by the London Festival Orchestra.
It included the singles Nights In White Satin & Tuesday Afternoon. The album was a modest success at first release. Nights In White Satin was released in 1967 & failed to hit the Hot 100 stalling out at #103, the song was released again in 1972 & went to #2 thereby propelling the album to greater success. Tuesday Afternoon was more successful on 1st release going to #24.
John Lodge speaks about the concept: "Ultimately, it was agreed that the record would be a concept album tracking a day in the life of Everyman, with original songs relating to different parts of the day performed in chronological order, introduced and interspersed with orchestral music. Considering that all five members of the group wrote material for the album prior to the concept being established, it's remarkable how seamless the execution of it was.
Flute player Ray Thomas wrote this song as one of his contributions to the album. Ray passed away in 2018 at the age of 76. He was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, as a member of the band, in April 2018.
Another Morning by The Moody Blues
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Post by razorbacker on Mar 15, 2024 17:23:43 GMT
Don Costa was a musician, conductor and record producer from Boston. He died of a heart attack on January 19, 1983, he was 53.
He is one of those guys that seemed to be behind the scenes on tons of recordings by other people. Like playing the guitar on Vaughn Monroe's hit record "Ghost Riders in the Sky".
He discovered Paul Anka and worked on several hit albums by Frank Sinatra, including Sinatra and Strings and My Way. In 1963, he discovered Trini Lopez working at PJ's, a Hollywood nightclub.
He arranged & produced hits for Steve Lawrence and Edie Gormé, Lloyd Price, George Hamilton IV, Paul Anka, Barbra Streisand, Sarah Vaughan & Tony Bennett, just to name a few.
He got a Grammy nomination for orchestrating Sinatra’s , "Theme from New York, New York". This song was written by Manos Hatzidakis and first sung by Melina Mercouri in the film of the same name. The song won the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1960, a first for a foreign-language picture "Never on Sunday" sold over one million copies and was awarded a gold disc.
Don Costa’s version of the song hit #19 in 1960 & went on to sell over a million copies.
Never On Sunday by Don Costa
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Post by razorbacker on Mar 16, 2024 11:28:50 GMT
The Doobie Brothers are a rock band formed in 1970 in San Jose, California. They are still at it, still on the road & just announced last week that they are going back into the studio to produce a new album with Michael McDonald.
They were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2004, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on November 7, 2020.
The group's 14 studio albums include six top-tens on the Billboard 200 album chart, including 1978's Minute by Minute, which reached number one for five weeks, and won the band a Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group, while the single "What a Fool Believes" from the album won three Grammys itself.
What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits was their 4th studio album & was released on February 1, 1974. The album landed at #4 & has been certified as Double Platinum.
The song linked to here was the first single from the album. Tom Johnston wrote it & had this to say "It's about losing a girl,". "I wrote the chords and played it on acoustic, and then producer Ted Templeman had some ideas for it, like running the acoustic guitar through a Leslie." The song did moderately well on the charts, peaking at No. 32. Record World said that it was "more melodic and easy-tempoed [than previous Doobie Brothers' hits], in tune with the pastoral weekend setting."
Tom Johnston blamed its relative lack of success on reaction from FM radio stations due to a certain line: "[the song] was doing real well [in single release], and then it got yanked off the radio for the line '…and the radio just seems to bring me down'".
They next released Eyes Of Silver which failed to hit the top 40, stalling out at #52 & then radio DJ’s discovered Black Water. That song was actually the “B: side to Another Park Another Sunday, DJ's discovered it when they flipped the single over, & when it was re released as an “A” side it took off & became their 1st #1 hit.
Another Park Another Sunday by The Doobie Brothers
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Post by razorbacker on Mar 16, 2024 18:33:30 GMT
Joni Mitchell has received many honors from her home country of Canada.
She was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 1981 and received the Governor General's Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement, Canada's highest honor in the performing arts, in 1996. She received a star on Canada's Walk of Fame in 2000. In 2002 she was named a Companion of the Order of Canada, Canada's highest civilian honor, making her only the third popular Canadian singer-songwriter (Gordon Lightfoot and Leonard Cohen being the other two) to receive this honor.
She has won 11 Grammy Awards during her career, the first in 1969 and the most recent in 2024 for Best Folk Album. She received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2002, with the citation describing her as "one of the most important female recording artists of the rock era" and "a powerful influence on all artists who embrace diversity, imagination and integrity".
She was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997, but did not attend the ceremony.
This song comes from her debut album from March 1968. It was called Song to a Seagull & it charted at #168. David Crosby produced the album & Stephen Stills is playing the bass on this song. The song was the 1st & only single released from the album, but it didn’t chart.
Record World said of the single that "The marvelous Joni Mitchell lights up the imagination with this provocative rock."
The album was dedicated to her Grade 7 English teacher, "Mr. Kratzmann, who taught me to love words".
Night In The City by Joni Mitchell
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Post by razorbacker on Mar 17, 2024 11:13:23 GMT
Chicago X (also known as "the Chocolate Album") is the 8th studio album by Chicago. It was recorded at Caribou Ranch and was released on June 14, 1976.
The album was nominated for a Grammy Award for Album of the Year, it lost out to Stevie Wonder & Songs In The Key Of Life. But, it won the Grammy Award for Best Album Package. The album charted at #3 & has been certified Double Platinum.
Everyone in this band was a song writer so they all get credits on almost every album. This song was written by keyboard player Robert Lamm, it was the 1st single released from the album & it got to #32 before it got eclipsed by If You Leave Me Now which hit #1 in multiple countries all around the globe.
The album is notable for the lead vocal debut of trombonist James Pankow. Different members tried to sing "You Are On My Mind," but Pankow felt they were not nailing it the way he heard it in his head as the song's composer, so producer Guercio said, "You sing it," and that effort landed on the final album. The song was the 3rd & final single from the album, reaching number 49 on the Billboard Hot 100 in April 1977.
So we got 3 singles, written by 3 different guys. Robert Lamm followed by Peter Cetera & ending with James Pankow.
Another Rainy Day In New York City by Chicago
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Post by razorbacker on Mar 17, 2024 17:24:56 GMT
Quarterflash was a rock group formed in 1980 in Portland, Oregon. They were together until 1985, then broke up & reformed in 1990 continuing along until 2019. The name of the group came from an Australian slang description of new immigrants as "a quarter flash, three quarters foolish", which the Rosses found in a book at producer John Boylan's house.
The band was originally made up of Orinda Sue "Rindy" Ross (lead vocals and saxophone) and her husband Marv Ross (guitars), along with Jack Charles (guitars), Rick DiGiallonardo (keyboards/synthesizers), Rich Gooch (electric bass), and Brian David Willis (drums and percussion).
In a 1982 interview, Rindy said that she viewed the saxophone as an extension of her voice, enabling her to express things she could not express with her voice alone.
During their career they released 7 studio albums but each one did worse on the charts than the previous record until they didn’t chart at all from the 4th album on.
The song linked to here was the title song to Ron Howard's 1982 movie Night Shift. The single charted at #60 for the group.
The soundtrack also included the closing theme song, "That's What Friends Are For". It was written by Burt Bacharach and Carole Bayer Sager and performed by Rod Stewart but it became popular a few years later when covered by Dionne Warwick, Elton John, Gladys Knight, and Stevie Wonder.
The movie starred Henry Winkler along with Michael Keaton, in his first starring role, and Shelley Long. Also appearing are Richard Belzer and Clint Howard. There are brief scenes with a young Kevin Costner as "frat boy #1", Shannen Doherty as a Bluebird scout, Vincent Schiavelli as a man who delivers a sandwich, and Charles Fleischer as one of the jail prisoners.
Henry Winkler was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy, (he lost out to Dustin Hoffman for Tootsie). Michael Keaton won the Kansas City Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Night Shift by Quarterflash
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Post by razorbacker on Mar 18, 2024 11:15:01 GMT
The recording career of Sam Cooke includes 14 studio albums (including one collaborative album and two posthumous albums), 2 live albums, 49 singles, 13 compilations and 2 box sets.
He had 29 Top 40 hits & 20 singles in the Top Ten of Billboard's R&B chart.
This song comes from his final album. It was called Ain't That Good News & was released March 1964 before his death at the age of 33, it hit #34 on the Billboard Pop Albums chart.The album includes "A Change Is Gonna Come", one of his best-known songs. It was only a modest hit at the time but the song came to exemplify the Civil Rights Movement during the 1960s.
The song linked to here was the 1st single released & it got to #10 on the pop chart & #1 on the R&B Chart, they followed up with Good News #11, Good Times #11, & A Change Is Gonna Come #31.
Sam wrote the song while touring in England & staying in a hotel where no female guests were allowed. It has been covered many times including a #6 hit single in 1974 by Cat Stevens.
Another Saturday Night by Sam Cooke
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Post by razorbacker on Mar 18, 2024 17:09:50 GMT
Paul McCartney will turn 82 in June. Where have the years gone!? As an artist post Beatles he has released 26 studio albums, 4 compilation albums, 9 live albums, 37 video albums, 2 extended plays, 111 singles, 7 classical albums, 5 electronica albums, 17 box sets, and 79 music videos.
Give My Regards to Broad Street is his 5th solo studio album and the soundtrack to the film of the same name. The album reached number 1 on the UK chart & #21 in the US & has been certified Gold. It was produced by George Martin.
This was the only song to be released as a single. The majority of the album is a retrospective – sequenced in the order of the songs' appearance in the film – which features re-interpretations of many of his past classics from the Beatles and Wings. It was also to be his final album to be released under Columbia Records, which had been his US label for over five years.
The song was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song but lost out to I Just Called To Say I Love You by Stevie Wonder from The Woman In Red.
It was released as a single in 1984. It landed at #6 on the Hot 100. The song features David Gilmour on lead guitar, he was in a pretty good band of his own at one time. Gilmour told Jim Ladd that "No More Lonely Nights" was the last thing McCartney recorded for the film (late 1983/early 1984), and that he told McCartney to give his session fee to a charity of his choice.
No More Lonely Nights by Paul McCartney
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Post by razorbacker on Mar 19, 2024 11:20:17 GMT
Belle and Sebastian are a Scottish indie pop band formed in Glasgow in 1996. The group name comes from Belle et Sébastien, a 1966 children's book by French writer Cécile Aubry adapted from a television series of the same name. It is about a six-year-old boy and his Great Pyrenees dog named Belle.
The band is still an ongoing project. Original members still active include Stuart Murdoch – vocals, guitar, keyboards, Stevie Jackson – guitar, vocals, piano, Sarah Martin – vocals, violin, guitar, flute, keyboards, recorder, percussion, Chris Geddes – keyboards, piano, percussion, & Richard Colburn – drums, percussion.
During their career so far they have released 12 studio albums. They have always been critically lauded but that hasn’t resulted in any major commercial success. This song was included on The Life Pursuit. It was their 7th studio album & was released in 2006. The album landed at #65 on the US top 200 but got to #3 on the US Independent Albums Charts.
There were either no singles released here in the states or if there were they didn’t chart. None of their singles have charted here.
Another Sunny Day by Belle & Sebastian
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