Thursday, July 12, 2012
Marshall Tucker Band - Heard It In A Lovesong (video slideshow)
The Marshall Tucker Band is an American Southern rock band originally from Spartanburg, South Carolina. The band's blend of rock, rhythm and blues, jazz, country, and gospel[1] helped establish the Southern rock genre in the early 1970s.While the band had reached the height of its commercial success by the end of the decade, the band has recorded and performed continuously under various lineups for nearly 40 years.
The original lineup of the Marshall Tucker Band, formed in 1972, included lead guitarist, vocalist, and primary songwriter Toy Caldwell (1947--1993), keyboard player and vocalist Doug Gray (b. 1948), flutist Jerry Eubanks (b. 1950), rhythm guitarist George McCorkle (1946--2007), drummer Paul Riddle (b. 1953), and bassist Tommy Caldwell (1949--1980).
They signed with Capricorn Records and in 1973 released their first LP, The Marshall Tucker Band. After Tommy Caldwell was killed in an automobile accident in 1980, he was replaced by bassist Franklin Wilkie. Most of the original band members had left by the mid-1980s to pursue other projects.
The band's lineup as of 2009 consists of Gray on vocals, guitarist Stuart Swanlund, keyboard player and flutist Marcus James Henderson, guitarist Rick Willis, bassist Pat Elwood, and drummer B.B. Borden
U2 - One - HD
"One" is a song by Irish rock band U2. It is the third track from their 1991 album Achtung Baby, and it was released as the record's third single in March 1992. During the album's recording sessions at Hansa Studios in Berlin, conflict arose between the band members over the direction of U2's sound and the quality of their material. Tensions almost prompted the band to break up until they achieved a breakthrough by improvising "One"; the song was written after the band members found inspiration from a chord progression that guitarist The Edge composed. The lyrics, written by lead singer Bono, were informed by the band members' fractured relationships and the German reunification. Although the lyrics ostensibly describe "disunity", they have been interpreted in other ways.
"One" was released as a benefit single, with proceeds going towards AIDS research. The song reached number one in the Irish Singles Charts on 5th March 1992. It peaked at number seven in the UK Singles Chart and at number ten on the Billboard Hot 100. It topped the US Billboard Album Rock Tracks and Modern Rock Tracks charts. In promotion of the song, the band had several music videos filmed, although they were not pleased until the third video was created. The song has since been acclaimed as one of the greatest songs of all time, and it is consistently featured in listener and critic polls. The song has been played by U2 at every one of their tour concerts since the song's live debut in 1992, and it has appeared in many of the band's concert films. In a live setting, "One" is often used by the band to promote human rights or social justice causes, and the song lends its namesake to Bono's charitable organization, the ONE Campaign. In 2006, U2 re-recorded the song as part of a duet with contemporary R&B singer Mary J. Blige on her album The Breakthrough.
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Lemar - It's Not That Easy (photoshoot video)
"It's Not That Easy" is the first single taken from British R&B singer Lemar's third album The Truth About Love.
Before the single's release, "It's Not That Easy" made the top 3 of the UK radio airplay chart and the top 10 of the TV airplay chart. The week prior to the single's physical release, "It's Not That Easy" entered the top 75 at #41 on downloads alone. In its second week on the chart, once the physical CD and vinyl formats were in store, the single launched Lemar back into the top ten of the UK singles chart, after his previous single, "Don't Give It Up", peaked outside the top twenty. "It's Not That Easy" peaked at #7.
Peter Bjorn och John - Young Folks (bnw glamour slideshow)
"Young Folks" is the first single from Peter Bjorn and John's third album, Writer's Block (released in 2006). The single features Victoria Bergsman of The Concretes as a guest vocalist.
Mariah Carey & Whitney Houston - When You Believe
"When You Believe" is an Academy Award-winning song by American recording artists Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston. The song was written and composed by Stephen Schwartz for the 1998 DreamWorks animated feature The Prince of Egypt. A version of "When You Believe" was produced as a single with additional music by writer-producer Babyface for the film's soundtrack album. Additionally, the song was featured on Houston's fourth studio album, My Love Is Your Love and Carey's first compilation album, Number 1's. The song was described as a big ballad, with meaningful and inspirational lyrics, describing the ability each person has to achieve miracles when they reach out to God and believe.
The song received generally mixed reviews from contemporary music critics. "When You Believe" experienced moderate success on the US Billboard charts, peaking at only number fifteen on the Hot 100, despite heavy media attention and live promotion. The song however, achieved strong charting throughout Europe and other worldwide regions, peaking within the top five in Belgium, France, Italy, The Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. Due to strong single sales in Europe and the US, the song was received various certification awards throughout many major music markets.
"When You Believe" was awarded the Academy Award for Best Original Song at the 71st annual ceremony on March 21, 1999. Prior to their performance of the song that night, Schwartz left Babyface's name off the nomination submission sheet. He felt that because the additions Babyface added to the song weren't featured in the actual film version, he didn't deserve writing credits. However, while Babyface did not receive the Oscar, Carey and Houston performed his version of the song, because they were more familiar with it than the one in the film. Prior to their performance at the Academy Awards, they sang it on November 26, 1998 on The Oprah Winfrey Show, promoting the song, as well as both their albums.
The song featured two music videos. The first and most commonly seen video was filmed at Brooklyn Academy of Music performing arts center. The video features both females, and begins with Houston and Carey performing in a large auditorium, giving the allusion of a concert. Towards the end of the video, clips of the film are projected onto a large screen at the concert, whole they belt out the final verse. The alternate video features a similar synopsis, with both singers performing on a large stage an old Egyptian pyramid. The main difference however, is the fact that no film clips are played in the video and there is no audience present.
Billy Idol - Eyes Without A Face (glamour slideshow)
Released on May 29, 1984, this was the second single from the Rebel Yell album. It was very successful and reached a high of #4 on the Billboard Charts, becoming Idol's first Top 10 hit in the U.S.
In the liner notes for the Expanded Edition of Rebel Yell, Billy Idol notes that this song was one of the first three written for the album (the other two being the title track and "(Do Not) Stand In The Shadows.") The original track was recorded in Studio A at Electric Lady Studios in New York, with a Linn drum machine and the bass parts played by Steve Webster.
The song is notable for the female voice of Perri Lister that sings 'Les yeux sans visage' (French for 'eyes without a face') as a background chorus.
Journey - Send Her My Love
"Send Her My Love" is a 1983 song by the American rock band Journey. Released in September of that year as the fourth single from their album Frontiers, this Cain/Perry-penned ballad went to number 23 on the U.S. pop charts later that same year.
Psychedelic Furs - The Ghost In You HD
The Psychedelic Furs are an English post-punk/New Wave band founded in 1977. Led by singer Richard Butler and his brother Tim on bass guitar, the Psychedelic Furs are one of the many acts spawned from the British post-punk scene. Their music went through several phases, from an initially austere art rock sound, later touching on new wave and hard rock.
They scored several hits in their early career, but were launched to international attention in 1986 when the film director John Hughes borrowed their song title "Pretty in Pink" for his movie of the same name. A newly recorded version of the song became the Psychedlic Furs' biggest hit to that time. "Heartbreak Beat", from their 1987 album Midnight to Midnight, was to be the Furs' biggest Top 40 entry in the US.
The Psychedelic Furs went on hiatus in 1991, and the Butler brothers formed a new band called Love Spit Love. The Psychedelic Furs later regrouped in 2001 and continue to perform around the world.
"The Ghost in You" is a song by The Psychedelic Furs. It was written by Richard Butler and his brother Tim Butler, and later released in their album Mirror Moves. It was released as the second single from the album and charted in both the U.S. Pop charts (#59) and the UK Singles Chart (#68).
Cover versions have been later recorded and included on the soundtrack of popular films:
By Counting Crows for the film Clueless
By Mark McGrath of Sugar Ray for the film 50 First Dates
Robyn Hitchcock has also covered the song. Vernian Process covered it on their 2006 album Catalysts. Duncan Sheik has covered the song on his 2009 album Whisper House and again in 2011's Covers 80's, as well as BT for his 2010 album These Hopeful Machines. Steve Hogarth from Marillion has covered it a few times in his h Natural shows, and it's on the first of the h Natural DVDs.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)