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Post by razorbacker on Aug 17, 2024 17:28:26 GMT
Wishbone Ash is a British rock band formed in 1969 in Torquay, Devon, England. They are still active today with guitar player Andy Powell as the only remaining original member. After the band members wrote several suggested band names on two sheets of paper, Martin Turner picked one word from each list – 'Wishbone' and 'Ash'.
The band formed when bass player & lead vocalist Martin Turner and drummer Steve Upton set up auditions for a guitarist and subsequently ended up with two guitarists because they could not decide between the two. So as a result, guitarists/vocalists Andy Powell and Ted Turner completed the original line-up.
Both Andy Powell and Ted Turner were voted "Two of the Ten Most Important Guitarists in Rock History" (Traffic magazine 1989). Melody Maker (1972) described Powell and Turner as "the most interesting two-guitar team since the days when Beck and Page graced The Yardbirds".
They have released 24 studio albums, 12 Live albums & 20 singles. Their most recent album came out n 2020.
This song comes from their 3rd studio album. It was called Argus & came out in 1972. It wasn’t their highest charting album, landing at #169, but it was their most commercially successful album, & has been certified Gold. Over the years it has become the quintessential Wishbone Ash recording, the one that best realized the group's complex vision.
The album cover was designed by Storm Thorgerson and it features a warrior overlooking a landscape at the Gorges du Verdon in Provence, France. The costume was borrowed from the wardrobe of Ken Russell’s 1971 film The Devils and to this day, the identity of the person wearing the costume remains unknown.
Time Was by Wishbone Ash
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Post by razorbacker on Aug 18, 2024 11:07:47 GMT
Joni Mitchell 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.
She has won 11 Grammy Awards during her career (ten competitive, one honorary), she won the first in 1969 for the album from which the song linked to here belongs. The album won a Grammy Award for Best Folk Performance.
Clouds was here 2nd album & was released on May 1, 1969. The album charted at #31 & has been certified Gold. It was recorded at A&M Studios in Hollywood, she played acoustic guitar and keyboards; she was joined by Stephen Stills who played guitar & bass.
She wrote "Both Sides, Now" after reading Saul Bellow's 1959 novel Henderson the Rain King on a plane and drawing on a point in the novel where the protagonist is looking at clouds from a plane. The coincidence inspired the song's lyric about looking at clouds from both sides as a metaphor for life's ambiguities and mysteries, as she explained in a 1967 interview, "I dreamed down at the clouds, and thought that when I was a kid I had dreamed up at them, and having dreamed at the clouds from both sides as no generation of men has done, one should be able to accept his death very easily."
Both Sides Now by Joni Mitchell
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Post by razorbacker on Aug 18, 2024 17:21:49 GMT
America released Hearts in 1975. It was their 5th studio album. This was the 2nd of 7 consecutive albums to be produced by George Martin after his Beatles time had expired.
The album charted at #4 & has been certified Gold. It included the #1 hit Sister Golden Hair. Also released as singles were Daisy Jane #20 on the pop chart #4 over on AC & Woman Tonight #44 on the pop chart.
All three of the members wrote songs for the album. The song linked to here was written by Dan Peek. Dan eventually left the band to focus on a solo career in Contemporary Christian music. He is the only one of the 3 to have passed away. He died in his sleep of uremic pericarditis on July 24, 2011, at the age of 60.
The album cover was designed by Phil Hartman, who eventually left graphic design to pursue acting.
Tomorrow by America
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Post by razorbacker on Aug 19, 2024 11:05:41 GMT
Lee Morgan was a jazz trumpeter and composer from Philadelphia.
He was killed in the early hours of February 19, 1972, at Slugs' Saloon, in New York City's East Village where his band was performing. Following an altercation between sets, his live-in girlfriend, Helen Moore, shot him. The injuries were not immediately fatal, but the ambulance was slow in arriving on the scene as the city had experienced heavy snowfall that resulted in difficult driving conditions. They took so long to get there that he bled to death. He was 33.
He came to prominence in his late teens, recording with bandleaders like John Coltrane, Curtis Fuller, Dizzy Gillespie, Hank Mobley and Wayne Shorter, and playing in Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers.
He was a sideman on tons of albums by other artists all during his career but he also had a band of his own. This song comes from one of his albums called The Sidewinder. It was released in 1964. The title track would go on to become a jazz standard, and was released as a single reaching number 81 on the Billboard Hot 100 in January 1965.The album hit #25 on the Billboard chart.
Earlier this year the album was selected to the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, and/or aesthetically significant".
The players are Lee Morgan – trumpet, Joe Henderson – tenor saxophone, Barry Harris – piano, Bob Cranshaw – double bass, & Billy Higgins – drums.
Boy What A Night by Lee Morgan
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Post by razorbacker on Aug 19, 2024 17:29:20 GMT
Sir Elton Hercules John CH CBE is a British singer, songwriter and pianist from Pinner, Middlesex, England. He turned 77 in March. His real name is Reginald Kenneth Dwight
Elton was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility in 1994. He and Bernie Taupin had already been inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1992.
His awards include the Academy Award for Best Original Song for "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" from The Lion King, the 1994 Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song for "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" from The Lion King, and the 2000 Tony Award for Best Original Score for Aida, all of which he shared with Tim Rice. The 2019 Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song and Academy Award for Best Original Song both went to John for "(I'm Gonna) Love Me Again", shared with Bernie Taupin.
During his career he has released 31 studio albums, 5 Live albums, & 10 Soundtrack albums. He has sold over 300 million records worldwide, with 80 million of those being sold in the United States, making him the 6th-best-selling male solo artist in history. He has accumulated 9 No. 1 singles and 7 No. 1 albums on Billboard 200. He is also Billboard's greatest male solo artist on the Hot 100 of all time (third overall, behind the Beatles and Madonna).
This song comes from Blue Moves. It was his 11th studio album, it was a double album & was released on 22 October 1976. The album charted at #3 & has been certified Platinum. It included the singles “Sorry Seems To Be The Hardest Word” #6 on the Hot 100 & #1 on the Adult Contemporary charts & a platinum selling single, “Bite Your Lip, Get Up & Dance” #28, & Crazy Water which charted in the UK but was not released here in the states.
The album got some not so good reviews with statements including “nowhere near enough good songs to justify the extended length”, "impossibly weepy" and "excessive" & the album showed the "inevitable fatigue" of John's "immense creativity".
Tonight by Elton John
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Post by razorbacker on Aug 20, 2024 11:16:40 GMT
Timothy B. Schmit is a musician, singer, and songwriter from Oakland, California. He will turn 77 at the end of October.
Good old Randy Meisner quitting a group was a career boost for Timothy B.
In 1968, Schmit auditioned for Poco but was turned down in favor of founding member Randy Meisner. When Meisner quit the band in 1969, Schmit replaced him on bass and vocals. He appeared on nine of Poco's studio albums.
In 1977, Schmit joined the Eagles after the Hotel California tour, replacing Randy Meisner on bass/vocals, as he had done in Poco, after Meisner quit.
In 1998, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of the Eagles.
He has also worked for decades as a session musician and solo artist. He also toured with Toto in 1982 and with Jimmy Buffett in 1983, 1984, and 1985 as a member of the Coral Reefer Band and coined the term "Parrotheads" to describe Buffett's fans. He was a member of Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band in 1992. In 1993, he contributed background vocals to several tracks on Clint Black's No Time to Kill.
This song comes from his 2nd solo album, it was called Timothy B. and it was released in 1987. The album peaked at #106 on the Billboard 200 chart, and the single, "Boys Night Out", hit #25 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, becoming his best selling single.
Boys Night Out by Timothy B. Schmit
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Post by razorbacker on Aug 20, 2024 17:30:04 GMT
Gene Pitney was a singer, songwriter and musician from Hartford, Connecticut. He was touring the UK in the spring of 2006 when his manager found him dead in his hotel room following a concert in Cardiff, Wales, on April 5. An autopsy found the cause of death to be a heart attack and that he had severely occluded coronary arteries. He was 66.
He had 16 top-40 hits in the United States, four in the top ten. In the United Kingdom, he had 22 top-40 hit singles, including 11 in the top ten.
Among his most famous hits are "Town Without Pity", "(The Man Who Shot) Liberty Valance", "I'm Gonna Be Strong", "It Hurts to Be in Love", "Something's Gotten Hold of My Heart", & the song linked to here.
He also wrote the hits "Rubber Ball" recorded by Bobby Vee, "Hello Mary Lou" by Ricky Nelson, and "He's a Rebel" by the Crystals.
He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002.
This song hit #17 for him when he released it as a single in October, 1963.
Twenty Four Hours From Tulsa by Gene Pitney
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Post by razorbacker on Aug 21, 2024 11:15:32 GMT
Moondance was the 3rd studio album by Van Morrison. It was released on 27 January 1970.
Due to the abstract folk jazz compositions of his previous album Astral Weeks, & the lack of commercial success, the songs on this album were more formally composed & accessible. Moondance became an immediate critical and commercial success. It helped establish Van as a major artist in popular music, while several of its songs became staples on FM radio in the early 1970s.
The album landed at #29 & has been certified Platinum. They released just 1 single from the album, Come Running charted at #39, but the album included Moondance, And It Stoned Me, Crazy Love, Into The Mystic, & Caravan all of which are often played on the radio.
Of the song linked to here, Van has this to say: I was in Boston and having a hard job getting myself up spiritually...Then one day this song came on the FM station and it had this particular feeling and this particular groove and it was totally fresh. It seemed to me like things were making sense....I didn't know who the hell the artist was. It turned out to be The Band. I looked up at the sky and the sun started to shine and all of a sudden the song just came through my head. I started to write it down, right from "When all the dark clouds roll away"....The song (on FM radio) was either "The Weight" or "I Shall Be Released".
Brand New Day by Van Morrison
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Post by razorbacker on Aug 21, 2024 17:58:01 GMT
ABC is an English pop band that originated in Sheffield in 1980. The band is still up & running but the only original member remaining is Martin Fry.
The band's classic formation featured Martin Fry as the lead vocalist, Mark White on guitar and keyboards, Stephen Singleton playing the saxophone, and David Palmer on drums.
During their career they have released 9 studio albums with the most recent one coming in 2016. This song comes from their debut album. It was called The Lexicon Of Love & was released in 1982. It hit the top 10 in multiple countries, but could manage only a #24 chart position here in the states. There were 4 singles released but just 2 of them charted here, Poison Arrow #25 & The Look Of Love #18.
The album got sterling reviews & was ranked as the 4th best album of the 1980's by Record Mirror in December 1989. In 2024, Uncut placed it at number 26 on their list "The 500 Greatest Albums of the 1980's"
They have had multiple top 10 hits here in the states, but none bigger than When Smokey Sings which hit #5 in 1987.
Valentines Day by ABC
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Post by razorbacker on Aug 22, 2024 11:23:21 GMT
The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. Within a few months of their first gig, the line-up settled as Sting (lead vocals, bass guitar, primary songwriter), Andy Summers (guitar) and Stewart Copeland (drums, percussion), and remained unchanged until they called it quits in 2008.
They have won 5 Grammy Awards & were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2003.
During their career they released just 5 studio albums. This song was included on their 2nd album. It was called Reggatta De Blanc & was released in 1979. The album hit #1 in many countries, but stalled out at #25 here in the states. Even though it didn’t chart as well here, it has sold over a million copies & been certified Platinum.
The singles released were Message In A Bottle #74, Walking On The Moon hit #1 in the UK but did not chart here, Bring On The Night charted only in France, & The Bed’s Too Big Without You which didn’t chart anywhere.
The title track earned the band their first Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance.
Bring On The Night by The Police
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Post by razorbacker on Aug 22, 2024 20:49:06 GMT
Junior Walker, was a multi-instrumentalist (primarily saxophonist) and vocalist born in Blytheville, Arkansas but raised in South Bend, Indiana. He died of cancer at the age of 64 in 1995.
His career started when he developed his own band in the mid-1950s as the Jumping Jacks. His longtime friend and drummer Billy Nicks formed his own group, the Rhythm Rockers. When Nicks was drafted into the Army, Walker convinced the band to move from South Bend to Battle Creek, Michigan. While performing in Benton Harbor, Walker found a drummer, Tony Washington, to replace Nicks. Eventually, Fred Patton left the group, and Victor Thomas stepped in. The Rhythm Rockers name was changed to "The All Stars."
The group would eventually win 3 Grammys. "Shotgun" - Best Rhythm and Blues Recording (1965), "What Does It Take" - Best R&B Instrumental Performance (1969), & "Wishing on a Star" - Best R&B Instrumental Performance (1979).
"Shotgun" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2002.
This song comes from the groups 8th album. It was called Moody Jr. & came out in 1979. It charted at #142 on the top 200 & #22 on the R&B charts.
Jr. set off on a solo career in 1979 but he was not successful & reformed the band in 1980.
If you remember Foreigners hit single Urgent, that is Jr. playing the sax.
Walk In The Night by Jr. Walker
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Post by razorbacker on Aug 23, 2024 10:50:26 GMT
Gregg Karukas is a smooth jazz pianist from Bowie, Maryland. He will turn 68 this year.
He first gained attention in Washington, D.C., then moved to Los Angeles in 1982. He backed Melissa Manchester. He was a co-founder the Rippingtons when they recorded their first album, Moonlighting, in November 1985. He has worked as a sideman with Larry Carlton, Jeffrey Osborne, George Duke, Rick Braun, Brenda Russell, Craig Chaquico, Boney James, and Peter White.
Gregg has received multiple Best Keyboardist nominations at the Oasis and National Smooth Jazz Awards.
He won the Grammy Award for Best New Age Album in 2013 for an album he co wrote, produced, arranged & engineered called Echoes Of Love with Omar Akram.
This song comes from his 2002 album called Heatwave. His most recent album was released in 2021.
Brooklyn Nights by Gregg Karukas
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Post by razorbacker on Aug 23, 2024 18:54:49 GMT
Nico, was a German singer, songwriter, actress, and model from Cologne, Germany. She died in 1988 of head injuries suffered in a fall off her bicycle. She was 49.
She was originally a vocalist with the Velvet Underground. She sang on their debut album in 1967. When her friend Jim Morrison, suggested that she start writing her own material she composed songs on a harmonium, not traditionally a rock instrument. John Cale of the Velvet Underground became her musical arranger and producer.
This song comes from Chelsea Girl, it was her debut solo album and was released in October 1967. Members of The Velvet Underground contributed songs to the album as did Jackson Browne who wrote 3 of the songs & he also backs her on guitar.
This one was written by John Cale who also plays guitar on the song.
Reviewer Richard Goldstein describes Nico as "half goddess, half icicle" and writes that her distinctive voice "sounds something like a cello getting up in the morning."
She was dissatisfied with the finished album. Recalling the sessions in 1981, she stated: I still cannot listen to it, because everything I wanted for that record, they took it away. I asked for drums, they said no. I asked for more guitars, they said no. And I asked for simplicity, and they covered it in flutes! ... They added strings and – I didn't like them, but I could live with them. But the flute! The first time I heard the album, I cried and it was all because of the flute.
The music press was much more positive in their reviews with multiple 9 & 10 star ratings.
Winter Song by Nico
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Post by razorbacker on Aug 24, 2024 11:08:18 GMT
Love is a rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1965. They have split up & reformed many times over the years, but they are currently active. Led by Arthur Lee, the band's primary songwriter, they were one of the first racially diverse American rock bands.
Lead guitar player Johnny Echols is the only original still with the band. Arthur Lee passed away in 2006, Bryan MacLean & Ken Forsi both died in 1998.
They started playing the Los Angeles clubs in April 1965 and became a popular local attraction. The band lived communally in a dilapidated mansion that the band was allowed to live in if they did the maintenance and paid the taxes.
This song comes from their 3rd studio album. It was called Forever Changes & came out in 1967. The album charted only at # 154 but over the years, it has become recognized as an influential document of 1960s psychedelia and named among the greatest albums of all time by a variety of publications.
In 2008, the album was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame and in 2011, it was added to the National Recording Registry.
Bummer In The Summer by Love
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Post by razorbacker on Aug 24, 2024 17:25:37 GMT
The Carpenters released this song as a single in 1973. It went to #2 on the Hot 100 but spent 3 weeks at #1 on the Adult Contemporary Chart. It has been certified Platinum.
Richard wrote the music & lyricist John Bettis added the words. The two of them also wrote "Top of the World", "Only Yesterday", & "Goodbye to Love, all hits for the Carpenters.
John Bettis was pretty prolific as a song writer. He later wrote hits for other artists including Madonna ("Crazy for You"), Michael Jackson ("Human Nature"), The Pointer Sisters ("Slow Hand"), Conway Twitty ("Slow Hand"), Diana Ross ("When You Tell Me That You Love Me"), Jennifer Warnes ("Nights Are Forever"), Peabo Bryson ("Can You Stop the Rain"), George Strait ("Heartland"), Juice Newton ("Heart of the Night"), Ronnie Milsap ("Only One Love in My Life"), Barbara Mandrell ("One of a Kind Pair of Fools"), 38 Special ("Like No Other Night"), New Kids on the Block ("If You Go Away"), Donna Summer ("The Woman in Me"), Barbra Streisand ("Sweet Forgiveness"), Whitney Houston ("One Moment in Time").
The Carpenters had multiple singles that stalled out at #2. Other than the one linked to here, We’ve Only Just Begun, Rainy Days & Mondays, Superstar, & Hurting Each Other, all just missed out on the top of the charts.
Yesterday Once More by The Carpenters
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Post by razorbacker on Aug 25, 2024 11:01:01 GMT
"Jimi" Hendrix was a guitarist, songwriter and singer from Seattle. He became one of the early members of Club 27 after his accidental death in London from barbiturate-related asphyxia in September 1970.
The Jimi Hendrix Experience was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1992. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame describes him as "arguably the greatest instrumentalist in the history of rock music."
His music has received a number of Grammy Hall Of Fame awards, starting with a Lifetime Achievement Award in 1992, followed in 1999 for his albums Are You Experienced and Electric Ladyland. Axis: Bold as Love received a Grammy in 2006. His original composition, "Purple Haze", was installed into the Grammy Hall Of Fame in 2000. His recording of Dylan's "All Along the Watchtower" was installed in 2001. His rendition of "The Star-Spangled Banner" was honored with a Grammy in 2009.
During his short time, he was able to release 3 studio albums, 3 Live albums & 24 singles. This song was a part of Electric Ladyland. It was his 3rd & final studio album & was released on October 16, 1968. It was a double album & the only record from the Experience with production solely credited to Hendrix. It was their most commercially successful release and their only #1 album. It has been certified 2 X Platinum.
This song was the 4th & final single from the album. It was originally a B side to All Along The Watchtower, it did not chart. Backing vocals on the song are handled by the Sweet Inspirations. The group at various times included Dee Dee Warwick, Dionne Warwick, Doris Troy & Cissy Houston.
Burning Of The Midnight Lamp by Jimi Hendrix
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Post by razorbacker on Aug 25, 2024 17:34:13 GMT
Abbey Road was the 11th studio album by the Beatles. It was released on 26 September 1969. It is the last album the group recorded, although Let It Be was the last album they released before their break-up in April 1970.
The album landed at #1 almost everywhere & has been certified at 12 X Platinum in the US & sold over 31 million copies worldwide.
Apple Records creative director Kosh designed the album cover. It is the only original UK Beatles album sleeve to show neither the artist name nor the album title on its front cover, which was Kosh's idea, despite EMI saying the record would not sell without this information. He later explained that "we didn't need to write the band's name on the cover [...] They were the most famous band in the world".
The song is the first part of the medley on side two and was recorded in stages between May and August that year. It was written by Paul when he was staying in New York in March 1969 shortly after his wedding to Linda. This was during a break following the Get Back/Let It Be sessions. Realizing that Abbey Road could be the group's last album, McCartney and George Martin decided to combine various portions of tracks into a medley, which would act as a climactic finale of the group's career.
This was me directly lambasting Allen Klein’s attitude to us: no money, just funny paper, all promises and it never works out. It’s basically a song about no faith in the person, that found its way into the medley on Abbey Road. John saw the humor in it. Paul McCartney
You Never Give Me Your Money by The Beatles
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Post by razorbacker on Aug 26, 2024 10:35:18 GMT
Lady Gaga is a singer-songwriter and actress from Manhattan. She turned 38 in March. Her real name is Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta.
She started performing as a teenager by singing at open mic nights and acting in school plays. She studied at Collaborative Arts Project 21 before leaving to pursue a music career.
After a contract cancellation by Def Jam Recordings, she worked as a songwriter for Sony/ATV Music Publishing. In 2007, she signed with Interscope Records and KonLive Distribution. Her breakthrough came the following year with her debut studio album, The Fame, and its number-one singles "Just Dance" and "Poker Face".
She has won 13 Grammy Awards, an Academy Award, 2 Golden Globe Awards, a BAFTA Award, 3 Brit Awards, 16 Guinness World Records, and the inaugural Songwriters Hall of Fame's Contemporary Icon Award.
During her career she has sold over 130 million albums but she has released just 7 studio albums, 2 soundtrack albums & 39 singles.
Evidently this song was recorded in 2013 & scheduled for her 3rd & upcoming album, ARTPOP, but the song did not make the final cut for the album.
Brooklyn Nights by Lady Gaga
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Post by razorbacker on Aug 26, 2024 17:21:51 GMT
Arthur Blakey was a jazz drummer and bandleader, he passed away in 1990 at the age of 71.
The Jazz Messengers nurtured and influenced many of the key figures of the hard bop movement of the late 1950s to early 1960s, and of the Neotraditionalist movement of the 1980s and 1990s, both of which had the Jazz Messengers in a stylistically seminal role.
The "Jazz Messengers" name was first used for the group in 1954. Their discography consists of 47 studio albums, 21 live albums, 2 soundtracks, 6 compilations, and one boxed set.
There have been a lot of different members of the group over the years including Donald Byrd, Chick Corea, Keith Jarrett, & McCoy Tyner among tons of others. Art was the only one that was there from beginning to end.
This recording includes: Drums: Art Blakey, Bass Jymie Merritt, Piano: Cedar Walton, Tenor Saxophone: Wayne Shorter, Trombone: Curtis Fuller, & Trumpet: Freddie Hubbard.
Children Of The Night by Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers
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Post by razorbacker on Aug 27, 2024 11:05:36 GMT
The Stranglers are an English rock band, formed as the Guildford Stranglers in Guildford, Surrey, in early 1974.
The band is still out there but Jean-Jacques Burnel is the only original member still with the band. They are one of the longest-surviving bands to have originated in the UK punk scene.
During their career they have released 18 studio albums, 20 Live albums & 51 singles. They have charted just 1 album here in the states, but that didn’t happen until their 9th album was released in 1986.
This song comes from their 2nd studio album. It was called No More Heroes & it came out in 1977. The album was featured in the first episode of the BBC fantasy crime drama series Ashes to Ashes and in the third episode of the second season of the American TV show Queer as Folk.
The album got pretty decent reviews but The Oakland Tribune likened the band to "Capt. Beefheart backed by the Ramones."
Two singles were released “Something Better Change” & “No More Heroes”. Neither one charted here, in fact that have never had a chart hit here in the states.
At the time of this record the band included: Hugh Cornwell – guitars, lead and backing vocals, Jean-Jacques Burnel – bass guitar, lead and backing vocals, Dave Greenfield – keyboards (Hammond L100 Organ, Hohner Cembalet electric piano, Minimoog synthesizer), lead and backing vocals (he passed away in 2020), & Jet Black – drums, percussion (he died in 2022).
Burning Up Time by The Stranglers
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Post by razorbacker on Aug 27, 2024 17:25:40 GMT
Bruce Springsteen released this song in 1984 as the 1st single off of his Born To Run album. The single landed at #2 becoming his highest charting hit ever. It has been certified 4 X Platinum.
The album was his 7th studio album & it hit #1 almost everywhere it sold including here in the states where it has been certified 17 X Platinum. It has sold over 30 million copies worldwide. It was inducted into the Grammy Hall Of Fame in 2012.
The record also included the singles Cover Me, written for Donna Summer but kept for himself #7, Born In The USA #8 & ranked 275th on Rolling Stone's list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time", I’m On Fire #6, Glory Days #5, I’m Goin Down #9, & My Hometown #7. Every single released hit the Top 10.
The video for the song was directed by Brian De Palma. It was shot at the Saint Paul Civic Center in Saint Paul, Minnesota, on June 28 and 29, 1984. The first night was a pure video shoot, the second was on the opening date of the Born in the U.S.A. Tour. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band performed the song twice during that show to allow De Palma to get all the footage he needed. The video is a straight performance video, with Springsteen not playing a guitar, allowing him to invite a young woman from the audience, performed by Courteney Cox, to dance along with him on the stage at the end. Although De Palma had told him that it was she whom he was supposed to select, Springsteen thought she was just a pre-selected fan attending and did not know until afterward that she was a professional actress, brought in from New York City, who had already played in As the World Turns.
Dancing In The Dark by Bruce Springsteen
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Post by razorbacker on Aug 28, 2024 11:10:45 GMT
Kenny G, is a smooth jazz saxophonist, composer, and producer from Seattle, Washington. He turned 68 in June. His full name is Kenneth Bruce Gorelick.
His professional career began with Barry White's The Love Unlimited Orchestra at age 17. He played with the Seattle funk band Cold, Bold & Together before joining the Jeff Lorber Fusion in 1980. His solo career took off after signing with Arista Records in 1982.
He has been nominated for 16 Grammy Awards but has won just once, that was in 1994 when he took home the award for Best Instrumental Composition for the song Forever In Love.
There are two sides to the Kenny G. story.
Pat Metheny stated that the "controversy" that has surrounded Kenny G "among musicians and serious listeners" is due to the fact that "he sells an enormous amount of records while not being anywhere near a really great player in relation to the standards that have been set on his instrument over the past sixty or seventy years".
Branford Marsalis, says that he was refusing to "fight that silly war between jazz and smooth jazz", called on G's critics as follows: "When all these jazz guys get in a tizzy over Kenny G, they need to leave Kenny alone. He's not stealing jazz. The audience he has wouldn't be caught dead at a real jazz concert or club. It's not like some guy says, 'You know, I used to listen to Miles, Trane and Ornette. And then I heard Kenny G, and I never put on another Miles record.' It's a completely different audience."
During his career he has released 16 studio albums, 3 Live albums & 41 singles. This song comes from Breathless. It was his 6th studio album & was released in November 17, 1992. The album landed at #1 on the Contemporary Jazz Albums chart and number 2 on the Billboard 200 and R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts. It has sold over 40 million copies worldwide & has been certified with Diamond status here in the states with sales of over 12 million..
The album included that Grammy Winning song mentioned above.
The song linked to here was released as a single. It peaked at number 25 on the Hot 100 chart and number 37 on the R&B Singles. On the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart, it spent two weeks at number one.
Maybe Branford Marsalis is on to something. That is Peabo Bryson on lead vocals.
By The Time This Night Is Over by Kenny G.
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Post by razorbacker on Aug 28, 2024 17:27:36 GMT
Generation X was an English punk rock band, formed in London in 1976.
They introduced us to vocalist & frontman Billy Idol.
The band broke up & reformed a couple of times but split for good in February 1981. Its last public performances were an appearance on BBC Television's Oxford Road Show. There were a couple of reunion shows though. On 20 September 1993, during the England leg of Idol's 'No Religion' tour, the late 1970s Generation X reformed for a one-off performance at the Astoria Theatre in London's West End.
On 30 October 2018, Billy Idol and Tony James along with Steve Jones and Paul Cook, formerly of the Sex Pistols, performed a free entry gig at The Roxy in Hollywood under the name Generation Sex, playing a combined set of the two former bands' material.
Their recording career consisted of 4 studio albums, 3 Live albums & 11 singles. This song was a non-album cut that was released in 1977 as the B side to a single called Your Generation.
Other than Billy Idol, the lineup at this point is difficult to determine. The song was released before their 1st album & the lineup by that time had already changed.
Day By Day by Generation X
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Post by razorbacker on Aug 29, 2024 11:22:46 GMT
Neil Sedaka is a singer, songwriter and pianist from Brooklyn. He turned 85 in March.
As a performer & as a songwriter he has sold millions of records worldwide and has written or co-written over 500 songs for himself and other artists, He was a long time collaborator with lyricists Howard Greenfield.
When he was 13, a neighbor heard him playing and introduced him to her 16-year-old son, Howard Greenfield, an aspiring poet and lyricist. They became two of the Brill Building's composers. The two of them wrote the song linked to here.
He released this song as a single in 1960 & it hit #4 becoming his 3rd top 10 hit & his biggest hit up to that point.
His first top 10 hit was Oh! Carol, in addition, the B-side, "One Way Ticket", reached No. 1 on the pop charts in Japan. Neil had dated Carole King when he was still at high school, which gave him the idea to use her name in the song.
For Calendar Girl he took inspiration from multiple sources for the music, incorporating a shuffle beat after hearing "Personality" by Lloyd Price, a chord progression that was common in the music of Al Jolson and Eddie Cantor, along with another progression from the end of Ricky Nelson's hit record "Travelin' Man."
Calendar Girl by Neil Sedaka
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Post by razorbacker on Aug 29, 2024 17:18:45 GMT
Collective Soul is a rock band originally from Stockbridge, Georgia, formed in 1992.
Now based in Atlanta, the group consists of the brothers Ed (lead vocalist) and Dean Roland (rhythm guitarist), Will Turpin (bassist), Johnny Rabb (drummer), and Jesse Triplett (lead guitarist). Ed & Dean are the only two original members that remain involved.
They have won a few awards over the years including The Billboard Top Rock Song of The Year in 1995 for the song linked to here.
They have released 12 studio albums, 2 Live albums & 38 singles. This song comes from their 2nd self titled album & is referred to as The Blue Album. It came out in 1995. The album got to #23 on the top 200 albums chart & has been certified 3 X Platinum.
This was the 2nd single released. It peaked at number 20 on the Hot 100 & sat #1 on the Album Rock Tracks chart for nine weeks, becoming that chart's most successful song of 1995.
In a December 2017 interview with Songfacts, lead singer Ed Roland explained the inspiration behind it: We were going through a tough time with our first manager, and I just felt like at the time, a lot of stuff happened really quickly. You've got to remember, we had a hit song before we had a label or even a true band. So, that relationship started to deteriorate. And while we were in the studio, it came pretty natural. I just wanted to talk about how I felt I was being used and whatever I did was not good enough ever.
December by Collective Soul
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Post by razorbacker on Aug 30, 2024 10:55:21 GMT
The Starland Vocal Band won the Grammy in 1977 for Best New Artist & another one for Best Arrangement For Voices for their #1 hit single Afternoon Delight. And then they were barely heard from again. For that Best New Artist win they beat out Boston, The Brothers Johnson, Dr. Buzzards Original Savannah Band & Wild Cherry.
The song linked to here came from their 1976 debut album. It was the follow up to Afternoon Delight & it peaked at #66. They released it again in 1977 as a “B” side to a re release of Afternoon Delight, neither side charted that time.
The album peaked at #20, the follow up album peaked at 104 & then nothing.
However, while they were hot they had the opportunity to host a variety show, The Starland Vocal Band Show, that ran on CBS for six weeks in the summer of 1977. David Letterman was a writer and regular on the show.
California Day by The Starland Vocal Band
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Post by razorbacker on Aug 30, 2024 17:39:08 GMT
Charley Musselwhite came to prominence, along with Mike Bloomfield, Paul Butterfield, and Elvin Bishop, as a pivotal figure in helping to revive the Chicago Blues movement of the 1960s. He was reportedly the inspiration for Elwood Blues, in the 1980 film, The Blues Brothers. Charley is still with us & will be 81 next January.
In 2014 and 2015, he won a Blues Music Award in the category Best Instrumentalist – Harmonicist. At the 40th Blues Music Awards ceremony in 2019, his joint composition with Ben Harper, "No Mercy In This Land", was named as 'Song of the Year'. In 2023, he won another Blues Music Award with the 'Acoustic Album of the Year' title for his LP, Mississippi Son.
This song comes from his debut Album "Stand Back! Here Comes Charley Musselwhite's Southside Band", released in 1967.
Other than Charley on vocals & harmonica, the Southside Band included, Bob Anderson bass, Fred Below drums, Barry Goldberg organ, piano, keyboards, & Harvey Mandel guitar.
Early In The Morning by Charley Musselwhite
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Post by razorbacker on Aug 31, 2024 11:13:34 GMT
Sweet is a British glam rock band that formed in London in 1968. They split in 1982, reformed in 1985 & are still going at it. They are now known as Andy Scotts Sweet & he is the lone original member involved.
Their best-known line-up consisted of lead vocalist Brian Connolly, bassist Steve Priest, guitarist Andy Scott and drummer Mick Tucker. This is the lineup heard here.
During their career they have released 15 studio albums, with the most recent one coming in 2013, 11 Live albums & 52 singles.
This song comes from their 1978 album called Level Headed. It was their 6th studio album & the last one to feature the classic Sweet line-up, as Brian Connolly departed around a year after the album's release, in order to embark on a solo career. The remaining trio of Steve Priest, Andy Scott, and Mick Tucker continued, and delivered three more albums before breaking up in 1981.
The album landed at #52 here in the states. It featured the singles Love Is Like Oxygen which hit #8 & became their final top 40 hit. They followed up with the song linked to here. It stalled out at #76.
California Nights by Sweet
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Post by razorbacker on Aug 31, 2024 17:12:31 GMT
The Chantels are a female pop group from The Bronx.
The girls were all students at St. Anthony of Padua Church and school in the Bronx in the early 50’s. The original five members consisted of Arlene Smith (lead), Sonia Goring Wilson, Renée Minus White, Jackie Landry Jackson. and Lois Harris.
They were the 3rd African-American girl group to enjoy nationwide success, preceded by The Teen Queens and The Bobbettes. Like so many of these groups, there is still a version of them out there. Sonia Goring Wilson & Renée Minus White are the two original members still involved & they are both into their 80’s.
They were discovered by Richard Barrett, lead singer of the Valentines, they were signed to End Records in 1957.
The group was inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 2002. In 2001 and 2009 they made the final ballot for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but didn’t gain entry.
They released this song as a single in 1958. It came in at #39 & was the 2nd of 3 top 40 hits they had during their career. It was included on We Are The Chantels, their 1st album.
Every Night by The Chantels
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Post by razorbacker on Sept 1, 2024 11:03:36 GMT
"T-Bone" Walker was a blues musician, composer, songwriter and bandleader from Linden, Texas. He died following the effects of a 2nd stroke in March 1975, at the age of 64. His real name was Aaron Thibeaux Walker.
He was a pioneer and innovator of the jump blues, West Coast blues, and electric blues sounds.
He began his career as a teenager in Dallas in the 1920s. His mother and stepfather were musicians, and Blind Lemon Jefferson, a family friend, sometimes came over for dinner. He left school at the age of 10, and by 15, he was a professional performer on the blues circuit.
He wrote this song & recorded it multiple times but his 1st go round came as the title song to an album from 1947. He released that version as a single & it entered Billboard's Most Played Juke Box Race Records chart on January 24, 1948, and reached #5 during a six-week stay. It was his second highest charting single.
The song was inducted into the Blues Foundation Blues Hall of Fame in the "Classic of Blues Recording — Single or Album Track" category. Writing for the foundation, Jim O'Neal called it "one of the most influential records not only in blues history, but in guitar history".
Call It Stormy Monday by T. Bone Walker
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