Published at January 21, 2010
in 1 and 4.
In 1992, Henryk Gorecki’s Third Symphony was released in remembrance of those whose lives were lost in the holocaust. The sheer size of its success could never have been anticipated.
Gorecki had actually written the symphony fifteen years earlier, but it had gone largely unnoticed. In fact, most of his work had been overlooked by everyone except a few devout followers. But with his Third Symphony (entitled; ‘Symphony of Sorrowful Songs’), he managed to connect with an enormous amount of Continue reading ‘Classic Albums - Symphony Of Sorrowful Songs.’
Published at January 8, 2010
in 1 and 4.
If I were going name a singer/songwriter from the last forty-odd years who had truly helped to change the face of modern music then David Bowie would have to be one of my first choices. He has done so many songs in so many styles; he has set trends and broken down boundaries. Rather than trying to think of what genres he has worked in it would be far easier to try and list the ones that he has not Continue reading ‘Classic Albums - Diamond Dogs.’
Published at December 19, 2009
in 1 and 4.
When you think about movie soundtracks, it is not going to be very long before you come up with the name of Ennio Morricone.
His prolific career has seen him compose the music for around two-hundred films and many television dramatisations. In the world of movie soundtracks there are not many people who have this amount of work in their portfolio…
Morricone is still best known for his first big break; the trilogy of spaghetti westerns by Sergio Leone. Just Continue reading ‘The Genius of Ennio Morricone.’
Published at December 19, 2009
in 1 and 4.
The late 1980s brought about the Dance music scene along with several sub-categories. Suddenly the dance beat could be heard everywhere you went and even artists in other genres were caught up in its commercial possibilities.
It seemed, for a while, that everyone was being affected/infected by its sound. Even bands like The Cure got caught up with it and caused them to release ‘remixes’ of old songs on a rather naff collection called; ‘Mixed Up’ If an artist had Continue reading ‘How Dance Music Grew Up.’
Published at December 16, 2009
in 1.
When Wishbone Ash released their third album in 1972 it soon became clear that it was something rather special. Their previous albums had done reasonably well in the UK chart, but ‘Argus’ peaked at number three.
Wishbone Ash had already gained quite a following by the early seventies but ‘Argus’ suddenly attracted an even larger fan base. It is one of the most successful Prog Rock records that have ever been recorded and it went on to influence many new Continue reading ‘Classic Albums - Argus.’
Published at December 15, 2009
in 1.
The Cure are an incredibly influential band. They have recorded thirteen studio albums to date and written songs in several different styles including; Pop, Punk, Goth and Alternative Rock. They are very transient in their song writing, constantly experimenting with new ideas. Even so, whatever type of song it is they record; it is blatantly obvious that Robert Smith is at the helm. But, personally speaking, I think that their Goth stuff will always be their greatest material.
They first Continue reading ‘The Darkest Years of ‘The Cure’.’
Published at December 11, 2009
in 1.
Music videos have now been around for a great many years. If you are in a band and you want your new single to have an accompanying video that is different and original then you will have your work cut out. The trouble is that so many things have been done before (and some things have been done again and again…).
Singers or bands that have a teenage target audience will often set out to shock. This is partly marketing Continue reading ‘The Role Of The Music Video.’
Published at December 2, 2009
in 1.
This post about Portishead was a nice surprise! Until I read this, I didn’t know anything about them starting work on their fourth album. Let’s hope that after the success of ‘Third’ they are back on track with their creativity; it was a horribly long wait for another album after they finished their second one…
I did know that Adrian Utley was recording an album with his side project; ‘Beak’. There are a couple of tracks that can be heard Continue reading ‘Please Release Me.’
Published at November 10, 2009
in 1.
Out of all of the singer-songwriters in my music collection I think that my absolute favourite would have to be Cat Stevens. The songs that he wrote in the seventies are just as relevant today as they were back then. Much of this is because he wrote about subjects that are timeless. A good example of this is, ‘Father and Son’. This song is sung from two different viewpoints; that of the father and that of the son. But it Continue reading ‘The Searching of Cat Stevens.’
Published at October 27, 2009
in 1 and 4.
Have you ever wondered what sort of sound you would get if you crossed ‘The Eagles’ with a Death Metal Band? No, I can’t say that it is something that has been on my mind either… until now.
This blog has links to several videos by ‘The Eagles of Death Metal’. They are a decent little rock band and they have some really catchy tunes.
Apparently, the singer has got quite a reputation for encouraging the audience to get involved Continue reading ‘The Eagles Have Landed.’
