Why I Love Music

ABBA…

2008-07-16T13:49:00.027-04:00

Numerous web sites, Mamma Mia - The Movie - Official Web Site, Internet Movie Data Base - ABBA, Mamma Mia - The Musical & ABBA - The Official Web Site were quite helpful in preparing my tribute to ABBA. Please click on the hyperlinks to enjoy these web sites.

They have a great web site, click on the hyperlink, ABBA - The Official Web Site. If your speakers are on, music will start playing once the site opens.

ABBA is an acronym for the first letter of the first names, of the four band members, Agnetha Faltskog, Bjorn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad.

The ABBA story began in June 1966 when Bjorn Ulvaeus (born 1945) met Benny Andersson (born 1946) for the first time. Björn was a member of The Hootenanny Singers, a very popular folk music group, while Benny played keyboards in Sweden’s biggest pop group of the 1960s, The Hep Stars.

The pair wrote their first song together later that year, and by the end of the decade they had established a regular partnership as composers. By that time, Benny had left The Hep Stars, while The Hootenanny Singers only existed in the recording studio. The Hootenanny Singers released their records on the Polar Music record label, owned by Stig Anderson (1931–1997), who was to become ABBA’s manager. Stig also contributed lyrics to many ABBA hits during the first years of the group’s career.

In the spring of 1969, Björn and Benny met the two women who were to become not only their fiancées but also the other half of ABBA. Agnetha Faltskog (born 1950) had been a successful solo singer since releasing her first single in 1967. She and Björn were married in July 1971. Anni-Frid Lyngstad (born 1945), also known as Frida, started her recording career shortly before Agnetha. Frida was of Norwegian origin, but had moved to Sweden at a very early age. Benny and Frida didn’t get married until October 1978.

At first, the four members collaborated musically mainly by contributing songs, instrumental backing, production work or backing vocals to the recordings they each made as solo or duo acts. In 1970, the attractive sound of their four voices combined gave them the idea to put together the cabaret act Festfolk (which had the double meaning "engaged couples" and "party people"). This first attempt failed, but in the spring of 1972 they recorded a song called ‘People Need Love’, garnering a medium-sized hit in Sweden. At this time they called themselves Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Anni-Frid.

Encouraged by this success, they entered the 1973 Swedish selections for the Eurovision Song Contest with the song ‘Ring, Ring’. They finished third, but the single and the album of the same name competed for the top positions on the Swedish chart. ‘Ring, Ring’ also became a hit in several other European countries.

The group entered the selections again in 1974, this time with ‘Waterloo’, which took them all the way to the finals in Brighton, England. By this time they had changed their name to ABBA, an acronym of their first names. ABBA was also the name of a Swedish canned fish company, which luckily agreed to lending their name to a pop group. The Eurovision Song Contest on April 6, 1974 turned out to be the most famous moment in ABBA history, when the group won the international juries over with ‘Waterloo’.

Soon after this triumph, ‘Waterloo’ was Number One on the charts all over Europe, and even reached the US Top Ten. The album of the same name was also a huge hit in Sweden. However, the "stigma" of being winners of the Eurovision Song Contest made it difficult for ABBA to be taken seriously when they tried to follow this first success. It was not until some 18 months later that they got a major worldwide hit again with ‘SOS’, taken off their third album, simply titled ABBA.

‘Mamma Mia’, also taken from ABBA, returned the group to the UK Number One spot, which they occupied a total of nine times between 1974 and 1980. ‘Mamma Mia’ was also a Number One hit in Australia, which was the first territory to release it as a single in August 1975. Over the next few years, Australia would be caught up in a virtual ABBA fever, giving the group a total of six Number One hits.

1976 was the year when ABBA finally and firmly established themselves as one of the most popular groups in the world. The different greatest hits compilations released in the UK and Australia this year (Greatest Hits and The Best Of ABBA respectively) are still among the best-selling albums of all time in those territories. Classic single releases such as ‘Fernando’ and ‘Dancing Queen’ topped the charts all over the world. In April 1977, ‘Dancing Queen’ became ABBA’s only US Number One.

In late 1976 ABBA’s fourth album, Arrival, was released. The album stormed up the charts and spawned hits such as ‘Money, Money, Money’ and ‘Knowing Me, Knowing You’. This was followed by a concert tour of Europe and Australia between January and March 1977. The tour was a complete success with capacity houses everywhere. When the tour reached Australia, work was also begun on the feature film ABBA - The Movie. The première of the film in December 1977 coincided with the release of ABBA - The Album. Hits from the album included ‘The Name Of The Game’ and ‘Take A Chance On Me’.

The spring of 1978 saw the group embarking on a major promotional campaign in the USA, leading to a Top Three single with ‘Take A Chance On Me’ and a Top Twenty entry for ABBA - The Album. The hit singles ‘Summer Night City’ and ‘Chiquitita’ were followed by ABBA’s sixth album, Voulez-Vous, released in April 1979. Earlier that year, Björn and Agnetha announced their divorce. This did not mean the end of ABBA, but it did overthrow their image of two happy, music-making couples.

ABBA’s single ‘Gimme ! Gimme ! Gimme ! (A Man After Midnight)’ was released in the autumn of 1979, coinciding with a major tour of Canada, the United States and Europe. Around the same time a second compilation album, Greatest Hits Vol. 2, became an international success.

In March 1980, ABBA took their tour to Japan for what turned out to be their very last live concerts. The rest of the year was devoted to the recording of ABBA’s next album, Super Trouper, containing classic hits like ‘The Winner Takes It All’ and the title track.

In February 1981, the final blow was dealt to ABBA’s happy-couples image of the 1970s, when Benny and Frida announced their divorce. This event still didn’t stop the foursome from working together. At the end of the year, ABBA’s eighth album, The Visitors, was released. ‘One Of Us’ was the biggest hit off the album.

1982 saw the energy gradually running out of the group, as Björn and Benny set their sights on writing Chess The Musical (containing the hit “One Night In Bangkok,” by Murray Head) and Agnetha and Frida were reviving their solo careers. The only ABBA LP release this year was a compilation double album of their hit singles, entitled The Singles – The First Ten Years, including two new songs. Although the single ‘The Day Before You Came’ was one of the group’s most accomplished recordings it failed to become a worldwide hit on the scale that they had been used to. At the end of 1982, ABBA decided to take a break. If they wanted to they could always get back together after a few years, they reasoned.

Twenty-five years after ABBA’s “temporary break”, there still has been no ABBA reunion. But the group’s music lives on: the 1990s saw the beginning of a major revival, with successful cover versions and high-profile movies using ABBA songs on their soundtracks attracting a great deal of attention. The compilation CD ABBA Gold - Greatest Hits, released in 1992, has sold 26 million copies to date.

The 1993 companion album, More ABBA Gold – More ABBA Hits, went on to sell 2.5 million copies. The box set Thank You For The Music followed in 1994, containing all the hits, selected album tracks, plus rare and previously unreleased recordings.

1999 saw the London première of the hugely successful Mamma Mia - The Musical !, based on the songs of ABBA. The musical opened on Broadway two years later, and today it is the world’s most popular show, having been seen by more than 30 million people. The fifth anniversary of the musical in London in 2004 was attended by Björn, Benny and Frida of ABBA, while the Swedish première in ABBA’s home country of Sweden in February 2005 was attended by all four members of the group. Mamma Mia - The Musical! shows no signs of slowing down: a movie version, starring Meryl Streep and Pierce Brosnan, opens in July 2008.

Since the start of the 21st Century, Universal Music has continually upgraded the ABBA catalogue. So far, ABBA’s eight original studio albums have been reissued with additional bonus tracks, revised artwork and expanded booklets (Waterloo, Arrival and ABBA - The Album have since been released as expanded Deluxe Editions, featuring DVDs containing previously unissued television performances and other rarities). The compilation albums ABBA Gold - Greatest Hits and ABBA ORO - Grandes Exitos have been reissued with revised booklets and updated liner notes, and a double-CD compiling all ABBA singles, The Definitive Collection, has sold more than 1 million copies. A comprehensive box set, The Complete Studio Recordings, was released in 2005, receiving spectacular press reviews.

ABBA’s videos have been collected on two different DVD releases: The Definitive Collection and ABBA Gold, featuring the cleaned-up and remastered original film clips. The two live concert films ABBA - The Movie and ABBA In Concert have been restored and re-released on DVD, with bonus material. Other DVD releases include the official documentary Super Troupers and the short film The Last Video, which featured cameo appearances from the ABBA members.

June 2009 sees the opening of ABBA the Museum in Stockholm. The permanent museum is endorsed by the former members of the band, who are also contributing items to the exhibition.

Agnetha Fältskog's biography…

Agnetha Åse Fältskog was born on April 5, 1950 in the town of Jönköping in Sweden. At the age of six she wrote her first song, ’Två små troll’ (”Two Little Trolls”). Agnetha was 16 when she started singing in a dance band called Bernt Enghardts. A song she wrote for the band, ’Jag var så kär’ (”I Was So In Love”), became her first single. This 1967 debut record became a number one hit on the Swedish charts. The following few years were followed by several singles, albums and even a number of German-language recordings released in West Germany. In 1969 Agnetha became romantically involved with Bjorn Ulvaeus and they got engaged in April 1970. In November the pair staged a cabaret show together with Björn’s songwriter partner, Benny Andersson, and his fiancée, Anni-Frid Lyngstad. On July 6, 1971, Björn and Agnetha got married. In early 1972, Agnetha auditioned for the part of Mary Magdalene in the Swedish stage version of the musical ’Jesus Christ Superstar’. She got the part, although two other girls alternated with her during the course of the show’s duration. After that, and for a decade onwards, Agnetha was mainly occupied by her work with ABBA. During this period she also released her Swedish-language solo album Elva kvinnor i ett hus (”Eleven Women In One House”). All music had been written and produced by Agnetha herself (except her Swedish version of ABBA’s ’ SOS’), with lyrics by Bosse Carlgren. As ABBA began to slowly dissolve during 1982, Agnetha made her debut as actress in the Swedish movie Raskenstam. In January 1983 she started recording her first English language solo album, Wrap Your Arms Around Me, produced by Mike Chapman. Her second international solo album, Eyes Of A Woman, was released in 1985. The producer was Eric Stewart. Agnetha’s third and final English-language solo album to date was the 1987 release I Stand Alone, produced by Peter Cetera. The album entered the Swedish charts at number one. After that, Agnetha withdrew from public life. 1996 saw the release of the compilation album ’My Love, My Life’, with tracks selected by Agnetha herself. At the same time her authorized biography ’As I Am’ was published. In 2004 Agnetha made a comeback as a recording artist with a brand new CD, My Colouring Book, consisting of cover versions of some of her favorite songs. However, since then she has kept a low profile, and it is not known whether she will record again. ‘Can't Shake Loose’, written by Russ Ballard, who’d penned the previous year’s Anni-Frid Lyngstad hit, ‘I Know There's Something Going On,’ gave Agnetha her biggest solo success in the United States, where it reached the Top 30.

Björn Ulvaeus's biography…

Björn Kristian Ulvaeus was born in Gothenburg on April 25, 1945. In the mid-Fifties Björn fell in love with rock’n’roll and skiffle. By the early Sixties he was a member of a folk group called the West Bay Singers. In 1963 they entered a talent contest arranged by Swedish radio. This led to discovery by songwriter and publisher Stig Anderson and his partner, Bengt Bernhag. Stig and Bengt had recently started a record company called Polar Music. The band acquired a new name, the Hootenanny Singers, and quickly became one of Sweden’s most popular groups of the Sixties. In 1966, Björn had a chance meeting with Benny Andersson, himself a member of Sweden’s number one pop group, The Hep Stars. They hit it off and wrote their first song together, ’Isn’t It Easy To Say’. Björn recorded a couple of solo singles in the late Sixties, at which point he also started concentrating more on his collaboration with Benny Andersson. In 1970 the pair started releasing records as a duo and also staged a cabaret show together with their fiancées, Agnetha Faltskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. On July 6, 1971, Björn and Agnetha got married. From 1972 and a decade onwards Björn was occupied by his work with ABBA. In 1983 Björn and Benny started writing Chess The Musical with lyricist Tim Rice. A concept album was released in the autumn of 1984, and in May 1986 the musical opened in London’s West End. In 1988 Chess The Musical received its Broadway première. A reworked version of the musical opened in Stockholm, Sweden in 2002. By 1990, Björn and Benny had decided to write a new musical. This time they wanted to write exclusively in Swedish, and they chose the Emigrants novel series by author Vilhelm Moberg as basis for their work. The musical Kristina från Duvemåla (Kristina From Duvemåla) opened in October 1995. The show ran for three and a half years at various theatres in the Swedish cities of Malmö, Gothenburg and Stockholm. Recently, Björn has involved himself heavily in the staging of Mamma Mia - The Musical !, a musical based on ABBA songs. The show opened in London, England in April 1999 and has since then been staged virtually everywhere, even being turned into a movie which opens in July 2008.

Benny Andersson's biography…

Göran Bror Benny Andersson was born December 16, 1946 in Stockholm. At the age of six he got his first accordion and started playing together with his father Gösta and his grandfather Efraim. Benny also learned how to play the piano. He became a member of The Hep Stars in October 1964. The following year the band achieved their breakthrough and quickly became Sweden’s number one pop group of the 1960s. In 1966, Benny had a chance meeting with Bjorn Ulvaeus, himself a member of the folk group the Hootenanny Singers. They hit it off and wrote their first song together, ’Isn’t It Easy To Say’. In August 1969, Benny left The Hep Stars after a turbulent few years of financial problems and musical differences. Instead, he intensified his working relationship with Björn. The pair was writing songs for other artists and also started recording as a duo. Around the same time Benny met Anni-Frid Lyngstad and got engaged to her – they were eventually married in 1978. In November 1970, Benny, Frida and Björn staged a cabaret show together with Björn’s fiancée, Agnetha Faltskog. In 1972, the first ABBA record was released, and Benny was occupied by his work with the group for the following decade. In 1983 he started working on Chess The Musical together with Björn and lyricist Tim Rice. A concept album was released in the autumn of 1984, and in May 1986 the musical opened in London’s West End. In 1988 Chess The Musical received its Broadway première. A reworked version of the musical opened in Stockholm, Sweden in 2002. By 1990, Björn and Benny had decided to write a new musical, based on the Emigrants novel series by Swedish author Vilhelm Moberg. The musical Kristina från Duvemål (Kristina From Duvemåla) opened in October 1995. The show ran for three and a half years at various theatres in the Swedish cities of Malmö, Gothenburg and Stockholm. Parallel with this, Benny released two Swedish solo albums in the late 1980s. In 2001 he formed the highly successful Benny Anderssons orkester ("The Benny Andersson Orchestra"), which has released four albums, topping the Swedish album charts twice and performing a select number of concerts in Sweden and abroad. Benny has also been busy composing songs for the stage, the cinema and even an official Swedish hymn. While Bjorn Ulvaeus has been heavily involved in Mamma Mia - The Musical!, Benny has kept his commitment on a lower level. However, he produced and played on the soundtrack for the 2008 movie version of the musical.

Anni-Frid Lyngstad's biography…

Anni-Frid Synni Lyngstad, better known simply as Frida, was born November 15, 1945 in Ballangen outside of Narvik, Norway. At the age of 11 she made her stage debut at a Red Cross charity event. Two years later, she started working as an underage vocalist in a dance band, and performed with different bands for a decade. On September 3, 1967, Frida won a talent contest in Stockholm. Immediately after her victory she appeared on national television singing her winning song. Soon afterwards Frida signed to EMI records. Frida didn’t have much commercial success as a recording artist up to the early Seventies, but she was a fairly well-known stage artist. In 1970 she was part of a cabaret show together with her fiancé, Benny Andersson, along with Bjorn Ulvaeus and his fiancée, Agnetha Faltskog. From 1972 and for the next decade Frida was mainly occupied by her work with ABBA, although she released the Swedish-language solo album Frida ensam (”Frida Alone”) in 1975. In February 1982 Frida started recording her first English language solo album Something’s Going On, produced by Phil Collins. This was followed by the 1984 album Shine, produced by Steve Lillywhite. But then Frida withdrew from the public for a number of years. In the early 1990s she devoted most of her time to environmental issues, but in 1996 she made a comeback with the Swedish language album Djupa andetag (”Deep Breaths”). This remains Frida’s latest solo album so far. Today she leads a low-key life, devoting herself to charity work. However, Frida has guested on records by other artists: her most recent recording was the lead vocal on the song ‘The Sun Will Shine Again’, included on former Deep Purple keyboard player Jon Lord’s 2004 album Beyond The Notes. In 2005 her albums for Polar Music (Frida ensam, Something’s Going On and Shine) were re-released with bonus tracks. Along with an expanded edition of Djupa andetag, the albums were also included in the box set Frida 4xCD 1xDVD, which featured a DVD of promo clips, television appearances and a brand new interview with Frida.

Mamma Mia! – The Movie…

In July 2008, the star-studded film version Mamma Mia - The Movie - Official Web Site, of Mamma Mia - The Musical, opens in cinemas all over the world.

For the past ten years, it’s highly unlikely you’re not familiar with the global success story that is Mamma Mia - The Musical ! After opening in London, England on April 6, 1999, the musical – about a single mother, her daughter, and three possible dads invited by the daughter to her wedding – has become a success beyond all comprehension. Mamma Mia - The Musical ! has played in innumerable stagings all over the world, and has so far been seen by more than 30 million people.

“I knew early on that there would be a film sooner or later, although I don’t remember the exact turning-point”, says former ABBA member Bjorn Ulvaeus. According to Bjorn Ulvaeus those fears had been overcome just a few years later. “It used to be that one wouldn’t make a film until ‘the stage musical has had its run’,” he explains, “but that rule has been abandoned these days. There doesn’t seem to be a particular timing that is exactly right, but there is plenty of evidence that the stage version benefits from a film version, no matter what kind of business the latter does. ‘The Phantom Of The Opera’ is an example of that. It was about to close on Broadway when the film – which wasn’t a major success – opened, but it could continue after all the media exposure from the film.”

The production company responsible for bringing Mamma Mia! to the screen was Playtone, founded by Hollywood star Tom Hanks and producer Gary Goetzman. And although it was clear from the outset that Hanks himself would not star in the movie, many of the original production team from the stage version would be on board: for instance, original director Phyllida Lloyd would make her debut as film director – said Bjorn Ulvaeus about Lloyd, “If there’s anyone who knows this story, it’s her” – and Catherine Johnson, who wrote the so-called book (the musical manuscript), would write the screenplay.

Johnson certainly never thought twice about grabbing this opportunity to transfer her story to the screen. “I relished the challenge!” she enthuses. “I love movies, I want to write movies, this was an unmissable opportunity for me – and of course I felt ‘no-one knows these characters like I do, it has to be me writing the screenplay’.” That said, Johnson certainly had to find a unique way of approaching the process of screen writing, balancing the appeal of the original stage show against the opportunities afforded by a cinematic context. “What took me some time to accept is that the show has a very solid structure”, she admits. “My early drafts of the screenplay tried to move away from that and everything became over-complicated. I was excited to be doing something different and trying to re-write every line, but as they say ‘if it ain’t broke ...’”

In January 2007 it was announced that none other than Meryl Streep – one of the most famous and well-respected American actresses of the past three decades – had signed on to play the lead role of Donna. Well before the movie version Streep had made it clear that she was a fan of the musical, sending her compliments to the cast after seeing a Broadway performance. Naturally, the production team took note. When Streep was asked whether she would like to appear in the movie version, her reply was more enthusiastic than the production team had dared hope for: “Are you kidding? I AM Mamma Mia!”

With Streep on board, there were no problems in attracting a stellar cast for all the main characters. It was soon announced that Pierce Brosnan, Colin Firth and Sweden’s own Stellan Skarsgard would play the three possible dads, while Julie Walters and Christine Baranski would take on the parts of Donna’s friends. Amanda Seyfried had landed the part as Sophie, Donna’s daughter, with Dominic Cooper cast as Sophie’s boyfriend, Sky. “What a kick in the pants, to be able to go off and spend time with Meryl on some Greek island, singing ABBA songs”, said an impressed Pierce Brosnan.

Although few of the cast members are known as singers, the producers obviously did their casting with an important but often overlooked truth about musicals at the back of their minds, namely that it’s more crucial that the actors can be believable as their characters – and deliver lyrics like they really mean them – than that their voices are what may be described as traditionally “pretty”. That said, the actors’ vocal qualities were obviously a consideration, and in interviews especially Colin Firth and Stellan Skarsgard have been quite self-deprecating as to their singing abilities. However, ABBA’s Benny Andersson had complete faith in them and was 100 per cent satisfied with the end result. “They were primarily chosen for their qualities as actors,” he said, “but if they hadn’t been able to sing they wouldn’t have got the parts.”

It was self-evident that Benny Andersson – the man who, in partnership with Bjorn Ulvaeus, wrote and produced all of ABBA’s recordings way back when – would be in charge of the soundtrack recording. To get that authentic feel, a selection of the original musicians ABBA used on their recordings were asked to take part in the Mamma Mia! recordings: at the core during the sessions were bassist Rutger Gunnarsson, guitarist Lasse Wellander and drummer Per Lindvall, with Benny himself on keyboards. Benny describes the experience of reworking the old ABBA songs with the original musicians as “very pleasurable”. It probably says something about the musicians’ professionalism and familiarity with the material that everything went much quicker than anyone had expected. “I had counted on recording everything in three weeks – it took five days”, Benny notes.

When the stage version of Mamma Mia! was put together, the original ABBA backing track tapes were retrieved and the music on them faithfully transcribed, in order that the arrangements would be as close to the ABBA sound as it was. But now, revisiting songs that were originally recorded more than a quarter of a century ago, was Benny ever tempted to add something new to his tunes? “I’ve tried to keep as close to the original recordings as possible”, he explains, “but sometimes you get the urge [to change things] when a new thought pops up! However, the result is very close to ‘reality’.”

With the soundtrack in place, shooting could finally start – first on location on the Greek islands of Skopelos and Skiathlos, and then at Pinewood Studios in England. By the way, both Björn and Benny were present for parts of the filming and they each have their own cameo appearance in the movie.

Judging by trailers and advance buzz, it seems Mamma Mia! will become one of the major hits of 2008 – thus continuing what has turned out to be the greatest musical success story of the past decade. And in July, you may find out for yourself what the movie version of Mamma Mia! is really like.

Mamma Mia - The Movie, debuted in the U.K. on July 10^th. It debuts in the United States on July 18^th. See Mamma Mia - The Movie for details.

Discography:

ABBA Number Ones - 2006

The Complete Studio Recordings - 2005

The Definitive Collection - 2001

ABBA ORO - Grandes Exitos - 1999

Thank You For The Music - 1994

More ABBA Gold – More ABBA Hits - 1993

ABBA Gold - Greatest Hits - 1992

ABBA Live - 1986

The Singles – The First Ten Years - 1982

The Visitors – 1981

Gracias Por La Música - 1980

Super Trouper – 1980

Greatest Hits Vol. 2 - 1979

Voulez-Vous – 1979

ABBA - The Album – 1977

Arrival – 1976

ABBA – 1975

Greatest Hits - 1975

Waterloo - 1974

Ring Ring - 1973

ABBA is one of my all-time favorite artists. They have many great songs, such as Chiquitita, Dancing Queen, Does Your Mother Know, Fernando, Gimme ! Gimme ! Gimme ! (A Man After Midnight), Honey Honey, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Have A Dream, Knowing Me, Knowing You,Lay All Your Love On Me, Mamma Mia, Money, Money, Money, Ring, Ring, SOS, Super Trouper, Take A Chance On Me, The Name Of The Game,The Winner Takes It All, Waterloo, and When I Kissed The Teacher, among others…

I also have a copy of the terrific rock band, U2, doing a solid cover version, of ABBA’s Dancing Queen, my all-time favorite song.

Thank you, ABBA, for some fantastic music…

Billy Joel…

2008-07-16T06:07:00.013-04:00

Numerous web sites, Internet Movie Data Base - Billy Joel, Active Musician - Billy Joel Discography, AOL Music - Billy Joel, Starpulse.com - Billy Joel Discography, Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame - Billy Joel & Billy Joel - Official Web Site were quite helpful in preparing my tribute to Billy Joel. Please click on the hyperlinks to enjoy these web sites.

William Martin Joel, a classically trained pianist, “The Piano Man” was born 9 May 1949, Bronx, New York, USA. Joel was raised in the Long Island suburb of Hicksville, where he learned to play piano as a child. As he approached his adolescence, Joel started to rebel, joining teenage street gangs and boxing as a welterweight. He fought a total of 22 fights as a teenager, and during one of the fights, he broke his nose. For the early years of his adolescence, he divided his time between studying piano and fighting. Upon seeing The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1964, Joel decided to pursue a full-time musical career and set about finding a local Long Island band to join. Eventually, he found The Echoes, a group that specialized in British Invasion covers. The Echoes became a popular New York attraction, convincing him to quit high school to become a professional musician.

While still a member of The Echoes, Joel began playing recording sessions in 1965, when he was just 16 years old. Joel played piano on several recordings George "Shadow" Morton produced -- including the Shangri-Las' "Leader of the Pack" -- as well as several records released through Kama Sutra Productions. During this time, The Echoes started to play numerous late-night shows.

Later in 1965, The Echoes changed their name twice -- once to the Emeralds and finally to the Lost Souls. For two years, he played sessions and performed with the Lost Souls. In 1967, he left the band to join the Hassles, a local Long Island rock & roll band that had signed a contract with United Artists Records. The Hassles hit #112 on the Billboard Singles Charts in 1967 with "You've Got Me Hummin'." Billy Joel also performed under the name Bill Martin. In 1969, the Hassles broke up. Joel and the band's drummer, Jon Small, formed an organ and drums duo called Attila. In Attila, Joel played his organ through a variety of effects pedals, creating a heavy psychedelic hard rock album completely without guitars. On the cover of the band's eponymous album, both Joel and Small were dressed as barbarians; in an interview on the back of the album, Joel claimed to forget the name of his previous band and stated that he only "sweated" two things -- perfecting his sound and the war in Southeast Asia. Epic released Attila early in 1970, then, the duo broke up.

Joel also wrote rock criticism for a magazine called Changes and played on commercial jingles, including a Chubby Checker spot for Bachman Pretzels. Joel returned to playing music in 1971, signing a deal with Family Productions. Under the terms of the contract, Joel signed to the label, for life; the pianist was unaware of the clause at the time, but it would come back to haunt him -- Family Productions received royalties from every album Joel sold until the late '80s. Joel refashioned himself as a sensitive singer/songwriter for his debut album, Cold Spring Harbor, which was released in November of 1971. Due to an error in the mastering of the album, Cold Spring Harbor was released a couple of tape speeds too fast; the album remained in that bastardized form until 1984. Following the release of the album, Joel went on a small live tour, during which he would frequently delve into standup comedy.

On December 1, 1972: Having moved to the West Coast, a dispirited Billy Joel begins a six-month stint as a lounge pianist under the name Bill Martin. He encapsulates the experience in a song that will serve as his creative and commercial breakthrough, “Piano Man.” At the beginning of 1973, a radio station began playing a live version of "Captain Jack" that was recorded at a Philadelphia radio broadcast. Soon, record companies were eagerly seeking to sign the pianist, and he eventually signed with Columbia Records. In order for Joel to sign with Columbia, the major label had to agree to pay Family Productions 25 cents for each album sold, plus display the Family and Remus logos on each record Joel released.

By the end of 1973, Billy Joel's first album for Columbia Records, Piano Man, had been released. The record slowly worked its way up the charts, peaking at number 27 in the spring of 1974. The title track -- culled from experiences he had while singing at the Executive Room -- became a Top 40 hit single. At the end of the summer, Joel assembled a touring band and undertook a national tour, opening for acts like the J. Geils Band and the Doobie Brothers. By the end of 1974, he had released his second album, Streetlife Serenade, which reached number 35 early in 1975. After its success, Joel signed a contract with James William Guercio and Larry Fitzgerald's management company, Caribou, and moved from California to New York. Through songs like "Say Goodbye to Hollywood" and "New York State Of Mind," Joel celebrated the move his 1976 album Turnstiles.

Turnstiles stalled on the charts, only reaching number 122. Joel's next album would prove to be the make-or-break point for his career, and the resulting album, The Stranger, catapulted him into superstardom. The Stranger was released in the fall of 1977. By the end of the year, it peaked at number two and had gone platinum, and within the course of a year, it would spawn the Top 40 singles "Just the Way You Are" -- which would win the 1978 Grammy for Record of the Year and Song of the Year -- "Movin' Out" "She's Always a Woman," and "Only the Good Die Young." Over the next two decades, the album would sell over seven million copies. "Just the Way You Are" is one of the most covered and radio played songs of all-time. His Stranger album was the most successful album in Columbia Records history at the time.

Joel followed The Stranger with 52nd Street, which was released in the fall of 1978. 52nd Street spent eight weeks at number one in the U.S., selling over two millions copies within the first month of its release. The album spawned the hit singles "My Life," "Big Shot," and "Honesty," and won the 1979 Grammy award for Album of the Year.

In the spring of 1980, Joel released Glass Houses, theoretically a harder-edged album that was a response to the punk and new wave movement. Glass Houses reached number one in America, where it stayed for six weeks; the album spawned the Top 40 singles "You May Be Right" (number seven), "It's Still Rock'n'Roll to Me" (number one), "Don't Ask Me Why" (number 19), and "Sometimes a Fantasy" (number 36) and won the 1980 Grammy for Best Rock Vocal Performance, Male. In the fall of 1981, Joel released Songs in the Attic, a live album that concentrated on material written and recorded before he became a star in 1977. The album's "Say Goodbye to Hollywood" and "She's Got a Way" became Top 40 hits.

Songs in the Attic bought Joel some time as he was completing an album he had designed as his bid to be taken seriously as a composer. His new album, The Nylon Curtain, was finally released in the fall. A concept album about baby boomers and their experiences, the album earned him some of his better reviews, as well as spawning the Top 20 hits "Pressure" and "Allentown." Joel quickly followed the album in 1983 with the oldies pastiche An Innocent Man.

An Innocent Man restored Joel to his multi-platinum status, eventually selling over seven million copies and spawning the hit singles "Uptown Girl" (number three), "Tell Her About It" (number one), "An Innocent Man" (number ten), and "Keeping the Faith" (number 18). Several of the songs on the album were about model Christie Brinkley, who was engaged to Joel by the time the album was released. During 1983 and 1984, Joel became one of the first '70s stars to embrace MTV and music videos, shooting a number of clips for the album that were aired frequently on the network. Brinkley and Joel were married in the spring of 1985.

Joel released a double-album compilation, Greatest Hits, Vols. 1 & 2 in the summer of 1985. Two new songs -- the Top Ten "You're Only Human (Second Wind)" and the Top 40 "The Night Is Still Young" -- were added to the hits collection; the album itself peaked at number six and would eventually sell over ten million copies. In the summer of 1986, Joel returned with the Top Ten single "Modern Woman," which was taken from the soundtrack of Ruthless People. "Modern Woman" was also a teaser from his new album, The Bridge, which was released in August. The Bridge was another success for Joel, peaking at number seven, selling over two million copies, and spawning the Top 40 hits "A Matter of Trust" (number ten) and "This Is the Time" (number 18), as well as "Big Man On Mulberry Street," which was used as the basis for an episode of the popular Bruce Willis/Cybill Shepherd television series Moonlighting.

In the spring of 1987, Joel embarked on a major tour of the U.S.S.R. His Leningrad concert was recorded and released in the fall of 1987 as the live double album Kohuept, which means concert in Russian. Joel was quiet for much of 1988, only appearing as the voice of Dodger in the Walt Disney animated feature Oliver and Company.

Joel released his 12th studio album, Storm Front, in the fall of 1989. It was preceded by the single "We Didn't Start the Fire," whose lyrics were just a string of historical facts. The single became a huge hit, reaching number one and inspiring history students across America. Storm Front marked a significant change for Joel -- he fired his band, keeping only Liberty DeVito, and ceased his relationship with producer Phil Ramone, hiring Mick Jones of Foreigner to produce the album. Storm Front was another hit for Joel, reaching number one in the U.S. and selling over three million albums.

During 1990, Joel undertook a major U.S. tour, which ran well into 1991. On June 22-23, 1990, Billy Joel is the first rock act to perform at New York’s Yankee Stadium, selling out the 100,000+ sports venue for back-to-back shows. A concert video, ‘Live at Yankee Stadium’, is culled from the shows. At the end of the year, the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences honored Joel with a Grammy Living Legend award; that same year, Quincy Jones, Johnny Cash, and Aretha Franklin were also given the honor.

Following the Storm Front world tour, Joel spent the next few years quietly. In 1991, he was awarded an honorary doctorate by Fairfield University in Connecticut.

Billy Joel was inducted in the Songwriters Hall of Fame 1992. He writes all of his songs single-handedly.

He ditched writing new pop music to compose classical music instead during the mid 90s. Billy's half-brother is the famous concert pianist Alexander Joel. Joel still performs pop songs at his concerts.

Joel returned in the summer of 1993 with River of Dreams, which entered the charts at number one and spawned the Top Ten title track. In 1996, he gave a series of lectures at a variety of American colleges. Billy Joel was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame - Billy Joel, as a performer, on March 15, 1999, at the fourteenth annual induction dinner. Ray Charles is his presenter. He performed at the 1999 New Year's Eve Party in Times Square, and 2000 Years: The Millennium Concert, a live album of this concert, was released early the following year.

His next studio record, Fantasies & Delusions, arrived in 2001 and was his first album of his own classical compositions. A year later, Twyla Tharp choreographed and directed Movin' Out, a Broadway musical based on Joel's music. It received 10 Tony nominations for the 2003 Tony Awards including: Best New Musical, Best Performance by a Leading Actor in a Musical, Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical, Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Musical, Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical, Best Direction of a Musical, Best Choreography, and Best Orchestrations. Out of the 10 nominations "Movin' Out" received two Tony's, one went to Tharp for Best Choreography, and the other went to Joel himself for Best Orchestrations.

Joel was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame in 2004. It is placed outside Pantages Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard.

In November of 2005, his four-CD/one-DVD career retrospective My Lives was released. Live in Madison Square Garden NYC and the accompanying 12 Gardens Live arrived in 2006.

Joel's music consistently demonstrates an affection for Beatlesque hooks and a flair for Tin Pan Alley and Broadway melodies. His diverse influences include Beethoven, Frankie Valli, Paul McCartney, The Beatles, Phil Spector, Ray Charles, Burt Bacharach, Dave Brubeck, George Gershwin, and Fats Domino, whom Joel inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1986. His daughter, with Christie Brinkley, Alexa Ray Joel, was named after piano legend Ray Charles. His fusion of two distinct eras made him a superstar in the late '70s and '80s, as he racked an impressive string of multi-platinum albums and hit singles.

As an artist, Joel has stated that his goal is to make music that “meant something during the time in which I lived...and transcended that time.” Joel’s popularity is such that he tied the Beatles for the most multi-platinum albums in the U.S. With the success of “Piano Man"-a slice-of-life autobiography, written about Joel’s extended gig as a lounge pianist-Joel inaugurated a staggering run of hit singles. Between 1974 and 1993, Joel placed at least one single in the Top Forty in every year but three. To date, 13 of Joel’s 33 hits have made the Top Ten, and three of them-"It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me” (1980), “Tell Her About It” (1983) and “We Didn’t Start the Fire” (1989)-reached #1.

From romantic balladry to hard-rocking material, with elements of jazz, pop and soul thrown into the mix, Joel has applied his skills in a diversity of settings. He is the pop crooner of “Piano Man” and the jazz-tinged romantic of “Just the Way You Are.” Yet he’s also capable of harder-rocking fare (Glass Houses), production-heavy pop with a Sixties influence (The Nylon Curtain) and vocal-group soul and doo-wop (An Innocent Man). Joel is one of the very few artists to have top ten hits in the 70s, 80s, and 90s.

Subsequently, Joel has toured with Elton John and on his own. Billy Joel is currently on tour, and will be the final concerts at Shea Stadium, in Flushing, Queens, New York, tonight, July 16, 2008 and July 18, 2008.

Discography:

12 Gardens Live - Release Date: June 13, 2006

My Lives (2005)

Movin' Out (2002)

Piano Man/52nd Street/Kohuept (Live)... (2002)

The Essential Billy Joel (2001)

Fantasies & Delusions - Release Date: September 28, 2001
2000 Years: The Millennium Concert - Release Date: May 02, 2000

The Bridge/Storm Front... (1998)

Greatest Hits Vol. 3 (1997)

The Complete Hits Collection 1973-97 (1997)

Greatest Hits Volume III (1997)

River of Dreams - Release Date: August 10, 1993
Storm Front - Release Date: 1989
KOHUEPT (Live in Leningrad) - Release Date: 1987
Bridge - Release Date: 1986

Greatest Hits Vols. 1 & 2 (1985)

Innocent Man - Release Date: 1983
Nylon Curtain - Release Date: 1982
Songs in the Attic - Release Date: 1981
Glass Houses - Release Date: 1980

52nd Street - Release Date: 1978

Stranger- Release Date: 1977

Turnstiles - Release Date: 1976

Streetlife Serenade - Release Date: 1974

Piano Man - Release Date: 1973

Cold Spring Harbor - Release Date: 1971

Billy Joel has a lot of quality songs, such as Allentown, Big Man On Mulberry Street, Goodnight Saigon, Movin' Out, My Life, New York State Of Mind, Pressure, Uptown Girl, and Baby Grand, with the legendary, Ray Charles, among others…

Thank you, Billy, for some great music…

Supertramp…

2008-07-15T12:21:00.012-04:00

Numerous web sites, Supertramp Official Web Site, MSN Music - Supertramp, Google - Music & Lyrics Freak - Supertramp were quite helpful in preparing my tribute to Supertramp. Please click on the hyperlinks to enjoy these web sites.

Supertramp is an English progressive rock and pop band that had a series of top-selling albums in the 1970s. The name Supertramp, was taken from W. H. Davies' 1908 novel ''The Autobiography of a Super-Tramp''.

Their early music included ambitious concept albums, but they are best known for their later, somewhat Beatlesque pop songs including "Dreamer", "Goodbye Stranger", "Give A Little Bit", and "The Logical Song".

Once upon a time in 1969, a young Dutch millionaire by the name of Stanley August Miesegaes gave his acquaintance, vocalist and keyboardist Rick Davies, a "genuine opportunity" to form his own band; he could form the band of his dreams, and Miesegaes would pay for it. After placing an ad in Melody Maker, Davies assembled Supertramp alongside co-founders Roger Hodgson (vocals, piano, guitar, cello), Richard Palmer (vocals, guitar, balalaika), and former stage actor Robert Millar (percussion, harmonica).

Supertramp released two long-winded progressive rock albums before Miesegaes withdrew his support, and by early 1972, Davies and Hodgson were the only founding members remaining. The pair began an extensive search for replacements and soon pieced together the lineup that would be responsible for Supertramp's definitive sound, comprising new members Doug Thomson (bass), Bob Siebenberg (percussion), and John Helliwell (woodwinds, saxophone, keyboards).

Supertramp has had many members throughout the years, including Roger Hodgson (vocals, guitars, keyboard (to 1983), replaced by Carl Verheyen), Bob Benberg, Kevin Currie (percussion), Rick Davies (vocals, piano, harmonica), Frank Farrell (harmony vocals, bass, piano, accordion), Mark Hart (vocals, keyboards, guitars), John Helliwell (saxophone, woodwinds), Bob Miller, Richard Palmer (vocals, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, balalaika), Bob Siebenberg (drums, percussion), Carl Verheyen (guitars), Dave Winthrop (vocals flutes, saxophones), Dougie Thomson (bass replaced by Cliff Hugo), Robert Millar (musician) - percussion, harmonica, Cliff Hugo – (bass), Tom Walsh_(musician) - percussion, some drums; and Lee Thornburg – (background vocals, trombone, trumpet).

With no money or fan base to speak of, the expanded Supertramp was forced to redesign their sound. Coming up with a more pop-oriented form of progressive rock, the band had a hit with their third album, Crime Of The Century. Throughout the decade, Supertramp had a number of best-selling albums, culminating in their 1979 masterpiece Breakfast In America. Breakfast In America marked their first album that tipped the scale completely in the favor of pop songs; on the strength of the hit singles "Goodbye Stranger," "The Logical Song," and "Take The Long Way Home," it sold over 18 million copies worldwide. After that album, Supertramp continued to develop a more R&B-flavored style; the change in direction was successful on 1982's Famous Last Words. Hodgson left in 1983 to mount a solo career, and Supertramp continued to sporadically record and tour into the 21st century.

Discography:

Live, 1997 - 2006

Retrospectacle: The Supertramp Anthology – 2005

Inside Supertramp 1974-1978: An Independant Critical Review - 2004

Slow Motion - 2002

Is Everybody Listening? - 2001

The Very Best of Supertramp, Vol. 2 - 2000

It Was the Best of Times – 1999

Some Things Never Change - 1997

The Autobiography of Supertramp - 1994

The Very Best of Supertramp – 1992

Classics, Vol. 9 – 1987

Free as a Bird – 1987

Brother Where You Bound - 1985

...Famous Last Words... - 1982

Paris - 1980

Breakfast in America - 1979

Even in the Quietest Moments... – 1977

Crisis? What Crisis? - 1975

Crime of the Century – 1974

Indelibly Stamped – 1971

Supertramp - 1970

Supertramp has a lot of quality songs, such as Breakfast In America, Cannonball, Dreamer, Give A Little Bit, Goodbye Stranger, It's Raining Again, My Kind Of Lady, Oh, Darling, Take The Long Way Home and The Logical Song, among others…

Thank you, Supertramp, for some great music…

Eddie Money…

2008-07-15T09:26:00.013-04:00

Numerous web sites, Eddie Money Official Web Site, All Access Magazine Interview With Eddie Money, Musician Guide - Eddie Money, Eddie Money At My Space, Internet Movie Data Base - Eddie Money, Yahoo ! Music - Eddie Money & Rolling Stone – Eddie Money Discography were quite helpful in preparing my tribute to Eddie Money. Please click on the hyperlinks to enjoy these web sites.

Eddie Money arrived in the late '70s at the height of album rock's popularity. Money had a knack for catchy, blue-collar rock & roll, which he delivered with a polished, radio-friendly finesse. Seeming to come out of nowhere with his 1977 self-titled debut, Money had actually been a fixture around the San Francisco rock scene for several years. With the assistance of a big name concert promoter, he attained major-label stardom.

In the early MTV era, he filmed a series of funny narrative videos, something his peers were reluctant to due. In the late '80s, hits like "Take Me Home Tonight" and "Walk On Water" reached the Top Ten.

Initially, Eddie Mahoney was going to follow in his father's footsteps and become a Brooklyn cop. His brother is a retired Sergeant from the NYPD. He attended Island Trees High School in Levittown, Long Island, NY. He attended the New York Police Academy during the early '70s, as a New York City Police Dept. Patrolman, but at night, he sang in rock & roll bands under the name Eddie Money.

To the dismay of his parents, he began singing in rock bands while still in high school. He stayed out of the Vietnam War by enrolling in the New York Police Academy and continued to sing in local combos while serving as a police cadet. Soon, however, Money's antiestablishment philosophy and growing interest in the world of rock and roll clashed with the beliefs of his parents' generation. "I grew up with respect for the idea of preserving law and order, and then all of a sudden cops became pigs and it broke my heart," Money told Rolling Stone reporter Mikal Gilmore in 1978. "It was just a goddamn shame that getting high was illegal." One day he typed up a written defense of a certain unnamed drug on police stationery and found himself booted out of the academy.

Deciding to make a go of a career in music, Money relocated to the San Francisco Bay area, where he was finally free to grow his hair long. He sold blue jeans and got his first big break when he joined Big Brother And The Holding Company, singer Janis Joplin's backing band, shortly after her demise. In 1975, after singing for a number of years in different bands, and rearranging the Mahoney surname into "Money," he became involved with popular Bay Area concert promoter Bill Graham's management company. The two had met after Money performed in a battle of the bands at one of Graham's venues, and the elder statesman of rock quickly became a friend, manager, and mentor to Money. Graham helped him negotiate a recording contract with Columbia Records. The singer's first release, 1977's Eddie Money, catapulted him to overnight stardom.

His backing band featured musicians fresh from their work with the Steve Miller Band, best known for their hit "Keep On Rocking Me, Baby." The first two singles from Money's first record, "Baby Hold On" and "Two Tickets To Paradise" reached Number 11 and Number 22 on the 1978 charts respectively. Heavy touring followed, including opening dates for the legendary rock band Santana.

During the early '80s, Money began to make funny narrative videos, which became staples on early MTV and made "Shakin'" and "Think I'm In Love" hits. As only one example of his cross-generational influence, his hit single “Shakin'” is featured in the hit video game series Guitar Hero Encore on the “Rocks the 80s” edition.

Money released, in the summer of 1982, “No Control.” Of the album's best-known single, "Think I'm In Love," High Fidelity contributor Chuck Eddy opined that the song's "traction comes from how the initial mythological acoustica lures you siren-style toward the hard-boiled fuzz riff, which comes and goes."

Money recorded a series of albums for Columbia during the 1980s, including 1984's Where's The Party ?, the 1986 hit Can't Hold Back, and Nothing to Lose, which featured the Top Ten "Walk On Water," released in 1988. He had a hit, with Ronnie Spector, "Take Me Home Tonight," as well as the Top 20 "I Wanna Go Back." A greatest hits package, "Peace in Our Time," taken from the 1989 Greatest Hits: Sound Of Money, reached number 11 the next year.

This period of Money’s life was also marked by tragedy, however, when longtime friend Bill Graham died in a 1991 helicopter accident. An eighth studio album, Right Here, arrived in the same year, with the track "I'll Get By" dedicated to the late Graham. In 1992 Money released an acoustic effort entitled Unplug It In.

Money's career took an unexpected turn in 1995 when Graham's surviving namesake management company reactivated the Wolfgang Records label (a defunct imprint of Columbia originally started by Graham), and Money became the first artist in their repertoire. Issuing Love And Money in the spring of 1995 heralded a comeback of sorts for Money. The record's first single, "After This Love Is Gone," was lauded as "a chugging, rock-edged pop ballad" by Billboard magazine. Two other tracks, "Died a Thousand Times" and a cover of '70s soul singer Isaac Hayes's "Run Your Hurt Away," with its lyrics about resurrecting one's life, seemed to best reflect the renewal of Money's career and personal life.

If you would like to see him in concert, Eddie Money Currently On Tour - Click Here. His band consists of Randy Forester (keyboards), Tommy Girvin (guitar), Lee Beverly (bass), & Glenn Symmonds (drums).

Eddie is still going strong after all these years. He’s on tour, his daughter, Jesse, who also sings, on tour with him. His most recent album, “Wanna Go Back,” hit stores on March 13, 2007. The album’s music is influenced mainly by the music from the ‘60s, to include such classics as Jackie Wilson's "Higher & Higher," Sam & Dave's "Hold On I'm Comin," and The Foundations’ "Baby Now That I Found You."

He donates a portion of his merchandise proceeds to the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation and performs at fundraisers for local schools every year. In November 2007, Eddie teamed up with Warrior Custom Golf Clubs and UPS to present the Eddie Money Celebrity Shootout, which raised funds for multiple charities.

Discography…

Wanna Go Back - 2007

We Are The '80s - 2006

Let's Rock & Roll The Place - 2003

The Essential Eddie Money - 2003

Then And Now - 2003

The Best Of Eddie Money - 2001

The ABC Rarities - 1999

Ready Eddie - 1999

Demeter - 1998

Roy Rogers Tribute - 1998

Greatest Hits Live: The Encore Collection - 1998

Shakin' With The Money Man - 1997

Super Hits - 1997

Eddie Money/Life For The... - 1997

Good as Gold - 1996

Love and Money - 1995

Right Here - 1991

Greatest Hits: Sound Of Money - 1989

Can't Hold Back - 1986

Where's the Party - 1985

No Control - 1982

Playing For Keeps - 1980

Life For The Taking - 1978

Eddie Money - 1977

Eddie Money has a lot of quality songs, such as Baby Hold On, Shakin', Take Me Home Tonight, Think I'm In Love, Two Tickets To Paradise, Walk On Water, and Where's The Party ?, among others…

Thank you, Eddie, for some great music…

The Hollies…

2008-07-14T05:02:00.016-04:00

Numerous web sites, The Hollies' Official Web Site, Rolling Stone - The Hollies, Song Facts - He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother, Rolling Stone - The Hollies - Discography & Sing365 - The Hollies were quite helpful in preparing my tribute to The Hollies. Please click on the hyperlinks to enjoy these web sites.

The Hollies were formed in Manchester, England, in 1962, by childhood friends Allan Clarke (b. 15 April 1942, Salford, Lancashire, England; vocals), and Graham Nash (b. 2 February 1942, Blackpool, Lancashire, England; vocals/guitar). They had already been singing together locally for a number of years as a semi-professional duo under a number of names such as The Guytones, The Two Teens and Ricky And Dane. They enlarged the group by adding Eric Haydock (b. 3 February 1943, Burnley, Lancashire, England; bass) and Don Rathbone (drums), to became the Fourtones and then The Deltas.

Following the recruitment of local guitar hero Tony Hicks from the Dolphins (b. 16 December 1943, Nelson, Lancashire, England) they became The Hollies. Almost immediately they were signed to the same label as The Beatles, the prestigious Parlophone. The Hollies' mid-'60s hits were British Invasion pop of the cute school, sweet-voiced, upbeat, and ultra crafted. Their first two singles were covers of The Coasters' '(Ain't That) Just Like Me' and 'Searchin''. Both made the UK charts and the group set about recording their first album. At the same time Don Rathbone left to become their road manager and was replaced by Bobby Elliott (b. 8 December 1942) from Shane Fenton (Alvin Stardust) And The Fentones. The group's excellent live performances throughout Britain had already seasoned them for what was to become one of the longest beat group success stories in popular music.

They crooned about teenagers in love on hit singles including "Stop Stop Stop" and "Dear Eloise," in addition to songs by non-Hollies such as Graham Gouldman (later a founding member of 10CC), who provided such valentines as "Here I Go Again," "Look Through Any Window," and "Bus Stop."

Their first two albums contained the bulk of their live act and both albums became long-time residents in the UK charts. Meanwhile, the band was enjoying a train of singles hits that continued from 1963-74, and their popularity almost rivaled that of The Beatles and Rolling Stones. Infectious, well-produced hits such as Doris Troy's 'Just One Look', 'Here I Go Again' and the sublime 'Yes I Will' all contained their trademark soaring harmonies. The voices of Clarke, Hicks and Nash combined to make one of the most distinctive sounds to be heard in popular music.

As their career progressed the aforementioned trio developed into a strong songwriting team, and wrote most of their own b-sides (under the pseudonym 'L. Ransford'). On their superb third collection, Hollies in 1965, their talents blossomed with 'Too Many People', an early song about over-population. Their first UK number 1 came in 1965 with 'I'm Alive' and was followed within weeks by Graham Gouldman's uplifting yet simple take 'Look Through Any Window'. By Christmas 1965 their recording of George Harrison’s 'If I Needed Someone' just scraped the UK Top 20.

Early in 1966, the group enjoyed their second number 1, 'I Can't Let Go', which topped the New Musical Express chart jointly with the Walker Brothers ''The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore'. 'I Can't Let Go', co-written by Chip Taylor, had already appeared on the previous year's Hollies and was one of their finest recordings, combining soaring harmonies with some exceptionally strong, driving guitar work.

The enigmatic and troublesome Eric Haydock was sacked in April 1966 and was replaced by Hick's former colleague in the Dolphins, Bernie Calvert (b. 16 September 1942, Brierfield, Lancashire, England). The Hollies success continued unabated with Graham Gouldman's 'Bus Stop', the exotic 'Stop Stop Stop!' and the poppier 'On A Carousel', all UK Top 5 hits, and (at last) became major hits in the US charts. The Hollies were quick to join the 'flower power' bandwagon, as a more progressive feel had already pervaded their recent album, For Certain Because, but with Evolution, their beads and kaftans were everywhere. That same year (1967) they released the excellent Butterfly.

It marked two distinct types of songs from the previously united team of Nash/Clarke/Hicks. On one hand there was an Allan Clarke influenced song, 'Charlie And Fred', and on the other an obvious Graham Nash composition like 'Butterfly'. Graham Nash took a more ambitious route. His style was perfectly highlighted with the exemplary 'King Midas In Reverse', (UK number 18) an imaginative song complete with brass and strings. The following year during the proposals to make Hollies Sing Dylan, Graham Nash departed for Crosby, Stills & Nash, in 1968, but The Hollies, with ex-Swinging Blue Jean Terry Sylvester, of the Escorts, added on second lead vocal, persevered.

The '70s found them scoring big with "Long Cool Woman In A Black Dress," "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother," and "The Air That I Breathe."

Allan Clarke was devastated by the departure of his friend of more than 20 years and after seven further hits, Allan Clarke decided to leave for a solo career. The band soldiered on with the strange induction of Mickael Rickfors from Sweden. In the USA the million-selling 'Long Cool Woman In A Black Dress' narrowly missed the top spot, ironic also because Allan Clarke was the vocalist on this older number taken from the successful album Distant Light.

Allan Clarke returned after an abortive solo career which included two albums, My Real Name Is 'Arold and Headroom. The return was celebrated with the worldwide hit, 'The Air That I Breathe', composed by Albert Hammond. Over the next five years The Hollies pursued the supper-club and cabaret circuit as their chart appearances began to dwindle. In 1981, Terry Sylvester and Bernie Calvert left the group. Sensing major problems ahead, EMI suggested they put together a Stars On 45-type segued single. The ensuing 'Holliedaze' was a hit, and Graham Nash was flown over for the television promotion. This reunion prompted the album What Goes Around, which included a minor hit with the Supremes' 'Stop In The Name Of Love'.

Following this, The Hollies went back to the oldies path, until in 1988 a television beer commercial used 'He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother', and once again they were at the top of the charts for the first time in over a dozen years. In 1993 they were given an Ivor Novello award in honor of their contribution to British music. The mid-90s lineup in addition to Clarke, Elliott and the amazingly youthful Hicks featured Alan Coates (guitar), Ray Stiles (bass) and Ian Parker (keyboards). The Hollies' catalogue of hits, like those of The Beach Boys, The Beatles and The Kinks will continue to be reissued for future generations. Their longevity is assured as their expertly crafted, harmonic songs represent some of the greatest music of all mid-60s pop.

Of the abundant compilations, Epic Anthology and Classic Masters are the strongest. Archive Alive ! features a fine 1983 concert: It's amazing that they could pull off those complex harmonies live. What Goes Around is a nice reunion album of almost all the original members on the 20th anniversary of The Hollies' founding.

The Hollies are currently on tour, world wide, click here for The Hollies' Tour Information.

The Hollies - Discography…

Main Releases

"Epic Anthology": From The Original Master Tapes! - 2008

Romany (Expanded Edition) - 2008

Buddy Holly (Expanded Edition) - 2008

Hollies/Would You Believe? - 2007

Reunion - 2004

Long Road Home-the 40th Anniversary Collection - 2003

Greatest Hits (2CD) - 2003

Best of the Hollies [Collectables] - 2003

Classic Masters - 2002

What Goes Around... [Bonus Track] - 2002

Greatest Hits (Epic) - 2002

Super Hits - 2001

Take Two - 2001

Best of the 70's - 2000

Best of the 60's - 2000

The Mikael Rickfors Years - 2000

Archive Alive! - 1997

The Midas Touch - 1995

30th Anniversary Collection 1963-1993 - 1993

All Time Greatest Hits - 1990

Epic Anthology - 1990

The EP Collection - 1987

The Best of the Hollies, Vol. 2 - 1983

Live Hits - 1977

Greatest Hits - 1973

Distant Light - 1972

Moving Finger - 1970

Confessions of the Mind - 1970

Dear Eloise/King Midas In Reverse - 1967

Evolution - 1967

Butterfly - 1967

In the Hollies Style - 1964

Stay with the Hollies - 1964

The Hollies have a lot of terrific songs, such as Bus Stop, He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother, Just One Look, Long Cool Woman In A Black Dress, and The Air That I Breathe, among others…

Thank you, to The Hollies, for some beautiful music…

I can’t think of a better way to close out this tribute, than to further explain their best song, He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother. I’ve always loved the song, but, this song now has a deeper meaning. A dear friend of mine was in mourning, over the loss of his brother, who passed away, way too young. My friend, at his brother’s funeral service, explained how much his brother meant to him, then, as a beautiful, moving tribute, played this song, to show respect. Now, every time I hear this song, I think of his brother, and how proud I am of my friend, for such a touching tribute.

This song, He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother, was the only songwriting collaboration between veteran songwriters Bobby Scott ("A Taste of Honey") and Bobby Russell ("Little Green Apples"). Bobby Russell, who wrote the lyrics, was married to Vicki Lawrence, and wrote her #1 hit "The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia." He died of a heart attack in 1992. Bobby Scott was a piano player, singer, and producer. He did a lot of work with Mercury Records on sessions for artists like Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye and Bobby Darin. In 1990, he died of cancer.

The title came from the motto for Boys Town, a community formed in 1917 by a Catholic priest named Father Edward Flanagan. Located in Omaha, Nebraska, it was a place where troubled or homeless boys could come for help. In 1941, Father Flanagan was looking at a magazine called The Messenger when he came across a drawing of a boy carrying a younger boy on his back, with the caption, "He ain't heavy Mr., he's my brother." Father Flanagan thought the image and phrase captured the spirit of Boys Town, so he got permission and commissioned a statue of the drawing with the inscription, "He ain't heavy Father, he's my brother." The statue and phrase became the logo for Boys Town. In 1979, girls were allowed and the name was eventually changed to Girls And Boys Town. The logo was updated with a drawing of a girl carrying a younger girl added.

“He Ain't Heavy He's My Brother” (words by Bobby Scott and Bobby Russell)

The road is long
With many a winding turn
That leads us to who knows where
Who knows when
But I'm strong
Strong enough to carry him
He ain't heavy, he's my brother

So on we go
His welfare is of my concern
No burden is he to bear
We'll get there
For I know
He would not encumber me
He ain't heavy, he's my brother

If I'm laden at all
I'm laden with sadness
That everyone's heart
Isn't filled with the gladness
Of love for one another

It's a long, long road
From which there is no return
While we're on the way to there
Why not share
And the load
Doesn't weigh me down at all
He ain't heavy, he's my brother

He's my brother
He ain't heavy, he's my brother...

R.I.P. Mark…

Dire Straits…

2008-07-13T06:26:00.013-04:00

Numerous web sites, VH1 - Dire Straits, & 8notes.com - Dire Straits were quite helpful in preparing my tribute to Dire Straits. Please click on the hyperlinks to enjoy these web sites.

Dire Straits are a British rock band, formed in 1977 by Mark Knopfler (guitar and vocals), David Knopfler (guitar), John Illsley (bass) and Pick Withers (drums), and managed by Ed Bicknell. In an era when punk rock reigned, they played subdued, almost old-school rock and roll. Mark Knopfler (the band's front man) was heard to have asked pub managers to turn down the sound, so people could talk over the music, while they were still in their early days. Despite this complete antithesis to popular culture at the time, Dire Straits still became hugely successful.

If anything, the band was a direct outgrowth of the roots revivalism of pub rock, but where pub rock celebrated good times, Dire Straits were melancholy. Led by guitarist/vocalist Mark Knopfler, the group built their sound upon the laid-back blues-rock of J.J. Cale, but they also had jazz and country inflections, occasionally dipping into the epic song structures of progressive rock. The band's music was offset by Knopfler's lyrics, which approximated the winding, stream-of-conscious narratives of Bob Dylan. As their career progressed, Dire Straits became more refined and their new maturity happened to coincide with the rise of MTV and the compact disc. These two musical revolutions, from the mid-'80s, helped make Dire Straits' sixth album, Brothers in Arms, an international blockbuster. The band, along with Eric Clapton, Phil Collins, and Steve Winwood, become one of the leaders of a group of self-consciously mature veteran rock & rollers in the late '80s that designed their music to appeal to aging baby boomers. Despite the band's international success, they couldn't sustain their stardom, waiting a full six years to deliver a follow-up to Brothers in Arms, by which time their audience had shrunk significantly.

Knopfler (born August 12, 1949) was always the main force behind Dire Straits. The son of an architect, Knopfler studied English literature at Leeds University and worked briefly as a rock critic for the Yorkshire Evening Post while at college. He began teaching English after his graduation, leading a pub rock band called Brewer's Droop at night. By 1977, Mark was playing with his brother David (guitar) and his roommate John Illsley (bass). During the summer of 1977, the trio cut a demo with drummer Pick Withers. A London DJ named Charlie Gillett heard the demo and began playing "Sultans of Swing" on his BBC show Honky Tonkin'. Following a tour opening for Talking Heads, the band began recording their debut for Vertigo Records with producer Muff Winwood in early 1978. By the summer, they had signed with Warner in America, releasing their eponymous debut in the fall. Thanks to the Top Ten hit "Sultans of Swing," Dire Straits was a major success in both Britain and America, with the single and album climbing into the Top Ten on both sides of the Atlantic.

Dire Straits established Dire Straits as a major force on album-oriented radio in America, and their second album, Communiqué (1979), consolidated their audience, selling three million copies worldwide. As the group was recording its third album, Knopfler left the band to pursue a solo career; he was replaced by former Darling member Hal Lindes.

The third album, Making Movies featured keyboardist Roy Bittan (from Bruce Springsteen's band) and marked a move towards more complex arrangements and production which would continue throughout the band's career. Making Movies was a sizable hit in America and Britain, even though the band was criticized for musically treading water. Nevertheless, the record went gold on the strength of the radio and MTV hits "Romeo and Juliet" and "Skateaway." Dire Straits followed the album two years later with Love Over Gold, an album filled with long, experimental passages, plus the single "Private Investigations," which became a number two hit in the U.K. The album went gold in America and spent four weeks at number one in Britain. Shortly after the release of Love Over Gold, former Rockpile drummer Terry Williams replaced Withers.

During 1982, Knopfler began exploring musical avenues outside of Dire Straits, scoring the Bill Forsyth film Local Hero and playing on Van Morrison's Beautiful Vision. Apart from releasing the Twisting by the Pool EP early in 1983, Dire Straits were quiet for the majority of 1983 and 1984, as Knopfler produced Bob Dylan's Infidels, as well as Aztec Camera and Willy DeVille; he also wrote "Private Dancer” for Tina Turner's comeback album. In the spring of 1984, the band released the double album Alchemy: Dire Straits Live and by the end of the year, they had begun recording their fifth studio album with their new keyboardist, Guy Fletcher.

Released in the summer of 1985, Brothers in Arms was Dire Straits' breakthrough album, making the band international stars. Supported by the groundbreaking computer-animated video for "Money for Nothing," a song which mocked music videos, the album became a blockbuster, spending nine weeks at the top of the American charts and selling over nine million copies; in England, the album became the biggest-selling album of the '80s. "Walk Of Life" and "So Far Away" kept Brothers in Arms in the charts through 1986, and Dire Straits played over 200 dates in support of the album.

Aiding the success of Brothers in Arms was the fact that it was one of the first fully digitally recorded and produced albums available in the (then) new Compact Disc format. This had the accidental side effect of making it one of the 'must buy' albums for consumers wishing to demonstrate the new technology. Equally, the new format was an excellent showcase for Knopfler's meticulous production values on the earlier albums, leading many existing fans to repurchase the whole back catalogue. Partly as a result of this (and a successful appearance in Live Aid), Dire Straits were the biggest selling band in the world in the mid 1980s. The popularity of the band extends beyond the UK and US: in many parts of the world including India, Southeast Asia and Africa, Dire Straits has been one of the most well-known and admired western bands.

Once the tour was completed, Dire Straits went on hiatus for several years, as Knopfler produced records by Randy Newman and Joan Armatrading, scored films, toured with Eric Clapton, and recorded a duet album with Chet Atkins (Neck and Neck, 1990). In 1989, he formed the country-rock group Notting Hillbillies, whose sole album, Missing...Presumed Having a Good Time, became a British hit upon its spring 1990 release. During the extended time off, John Illsley recorded his second album; the first appeared in 1984.

In 1990, Knopfler reconvened Dire Straits, which now featured Illsley, Clark, Fletcher, and various session musicians. The band released On Every Street in the fall of 1991 to great anticipation. However, the album failed to meet expectations -- it only went platinum in America and it didn't crack the U.K. Top 40 -- and failed to generate a hit single. Similarly, the tour was a disappointment, with many tickets going unsold in both the U.S. and Europe. Once the tour was completed, the live album On the Night was released in the spring of 1993 and the band again went on hiatus. In 1996, Knopfler launched his solo career with Golden Heart.

The band's line-up changed over the years, but one constant was Mark Knopfler, who wrote most of the band's songs and acted as clear leader of the band. (The Sultans of Swing: The Very Best of Dire Straits album contains only two songs not credited to Knopfler alone: 'Money for Nothing', which is credited as co-written with Sting, in fact Sting, at the behest of Knopfler, merely added the line 'I want my MTV' in the style of The Police hit, 'Don't Stand So Close To Me'. 'Tunnel of Love', which contains an instrumental section based on music from Carousel but is otherwise all Knopfler's own work.)

Discography:

Private Investigations: The Best of Dire Straits & Mark Knopfler [Japan] - Released: 03.25.08

Sultans of Swing: Deluxe Sound & Vision - Released: 09.17.07

Private Investigations: The Best of Dire Straits & Mark Knopfler [Canada Single Disc] - Released: 11.15.05

Brothers in Arms [DualDisc] - Released: 07.26.05

Sultans of Swing: The Very Best of Dire Straits - Released: 11.10.98

Sultans of Swing: The Very Best of Dire Straits [Bonus Live Disc] - Released: 08.25.98

Live at the BBC - Released: 06.26.95

Brothers in Conversation - Released: 06.13.94

On the Night - Released: 05.11.93

On the Night: Encores - Released: 01.01.93

On Every Street - Released: 09.01.91

Money for Nothing - Released: 10.01.88

Interview Disc - Released: 01.01.87

Brothers in Arms - Released: 05.01.85

Alchemy: Dire Straits Live - Released: 03.01.84

Twisting by the Pool - Released: 02.01.83

Love Over Gold - Released: 09.01.82

Making Movies - Released: 10.17.80

Dire Straits/Making Movies - Released: 01.01.80

Communiqué - Released: 06.01.79

Dire Straits - Released: 10.01.78

Dire Straits [Germany] - Released: 01.01.78

Dire Straits have a lot of quality songs, such as Brothers In Arms, Money for Nothing, So Far Away, Sultans of Swing, and Walk Of Life, among others…

Thank you, Dire Straits, for some great music…

Jackson Browne…

2008-07-12T12:26:00.017-04:00

Numerous web sites, Jackson Browne's Official Web Site, Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame - Jackson Browne, AOL Music - Jackson Browne & Rolling Stone - Discography were quite helpful in preparing my tribute to Jackson Browne. Please click on the hyperlinks to enjoy these web sites.

Jackson Browne (born October 9, 1948, on a U.S. Army base in Heidelberg, West Germany), has written and performed some of the most literate and moving songs in popular music and has defined a genre of songwriting charged with honesty, emotion and personal politics. He's been honored with inductions into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame (2004) and the Songwriter's Hall Of Fame (2007). At the latter ceremony, Jackson performed his song "Lives In The Balance," which Songwriter's Hall Of Fame notes is, "a fitting example of how his social and political activism has influenced much of his work."

Browne was a member of The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, and was influenced by: Bob Dylan, The Beatles, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, and The Byrds.

Jackson Browne has been both an introspective, cerebral songwriter and a politically attuned voice of conscience. He emerged in the early Seventies as a soul-baring young folksinger whose songs dealt with riddles of romance and existence. In his middle period he became a more extroverted rock and roller. Later work grew more topical in nature as Browne sang of political and social realities within and beyond our borders. “In a way, I don’t choose what I write about - my subjects kind of choose me,” this vanguard singer/songwriter explained in 1993. “It’s a healing thing, a way of confronting what’s important in my life at the time.”

Browne's most recent album is 2008’s Jackson Browne Solo Acoustic Vol. 2, featuring twelve career-spanning songs recorded at recent concerts in the U.S., the U.K. and Australia; Like it's predecessor, Vol. 1, Jackson performs alternatively on guitar and piano. One cut, "Something Fine," reaches back to his landmark 1972 self-titled debut album, about which Rolling Stone wrote in its original review, "Jackson Browne's sensibility is romantic in the best sense of the term: his songs are capable of generating a highly charged, compelling atmosphere throughout, and - just as important - of sustaining that pitch in the listener's mind long after they've ended."

That feeling radiates through Jackson Browne Solo Acoustic Vol. 2, which also captures lively exchanges between Jackson and his audiences. Other highlights include "Redneck Friend" from his second album, For Everyman, and four songs from Browne's most recent studio album, 2002's The Naked Ride Home: "Never Stop," "The Night Inside Me," "My Stunning Mystery Companion" and "Casino Nation" (for which Browne recently produced a video). Also featured are "In The Shape Of A Heart," from Lives In The Balance, "Sky Blue And Black" from 1993's I'm Alive, "Alive In The World" from '96's Looking East and the 1982 Top 10 hit "Somebody's Baby," originally featured on the Fast Times At Ridgemont High soundtrack.

The album follows up 2005's critically acclaimed and GRAMMY®-nominated Jackson Browne – Solo Acoustic, Vol. 1, which featured the recording debut of "The Birds Of St. Marks," a previously unrecorded song dating back to the '60s. Other recent Browne recordings include his version of John Lennon's "Oh My Love," heard on the 2007 compilation Instant Karma - Amnesty International Campaign To Save Darfur.

Tracing the roots of Browne's career leads back to the mid-'60s and Los Angeles/Orange County folk clubs. Born in Germany to American parents, Jackson’s family returned to Los Angeles when he was three, and, except for a brief period in NYC in the late 1960s, he has always lived in Southern California.

In 1966, Jackson Browne signs a songwriting contract with Elektra Records, which led to demo recordings of 30 original songs. During this period, other performers discovered his material. Browne seemed far wiser than his years on such early gems as “These Days” and “Shadow Dream Song,” which were recorded by Tom Rush, Nico, Gregg Allman, and The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.

Browne signed with David Geffen’s Asylum label in 1971. In fact, Geffen’s desire to show Browne’s talent to the world is a major reason he launched Asylum, which would become home to the Eagles, Joni Mitchell, Tom Waits and others. “It was my literary period,” Browne told Rolling Stone. “Long-form rambling songs in iambic pentameter with the run-on philosophical attitude. I was searching bleary-eyed for God in the crowds.”

His integral presence in the coffeehouse scene there ultimately led to his celebrated January 2, 1972 debut album on David Geffen's Asylum Records, Jackson Browne. The now-classic LP introduced ten original songs, including "Rock Me On The Water," and "Jamaica Say You Will," featuring David Crosby on harmony vocals. Crosby and Graham Nash sang on "Doctor My Eyes," the album's first single, which became a #8 hit on Billboard's pop singles chart.

Browne's October 15, 1973 follow-up, For Everyman, included "These Days" and also "Take It Easy," co-written with Glenn Frey, which had been The Eagles' debut single and breakthrough hit the year before. September 19, 1974's Late For The Sky, cited by Rolling Stone that year as one of the '100 Best Albums,' and again in 1997 as one of the "200 Essential Rock Collection Albums," and in 2003 as one of the '500 Greatest Albums Of All Time', was Jackson's confessional masterpiece of lyrical introspection.

Two years passed before the release of The Pretender, November 20, 1976, a cathartic album that had “the right blend of pessimism and endurance,” according to Browne. His first wife, Phyllis, took her life early in its making, and Browne, after a period of mourning, responded with songs of painful, unflinching autobiography, including “Your Bright Baby Blues,” “Here Come Those Tears Again” and “Sleep’s Dark and Silent Gate.” The popular title track made a compelling statement about the collision between soul and commerce that left many “caught between the longing for love and the struggle for the legal tender.” It was a breakthrough album, Jackson's first to chart in the Billboard Top 10, peaking at #5.

On the heels of that success came what stands as Jackson's top-selling album, December 6, 1977's 7X platinum, life-on-the-road concept opus, Running On Empty. It stays on the charts for over a year, peaking at #3. Running On Empty was brilliantly conceived, an audio-verite tour documentary drawn from concert performances and various settings on the road. His fine-tuned band included guitarist David Lindley - Browne’s chief accompanist since For Everyman - whose parts perfectly suited Browne’s songs. Their high-spirited performances of “Running On Empty” (#11) and the soulful oldie “Stay” (#20) made a 7X platinum phenomenon of Running On Empty. It sold more than 7 million copies. Moreover, the album further moved Browne from a folk-ish orientation to harder-rocking fare.

Browne's next project was the all-star series of concerts organized by Bonnie Raitt, Graham Nash, John Hall and Jackson on September 19, 1979 to benefit MUSE (Musicians United for Safe Energy). The first in a series of antinuclear concerts is held at New York City’s Madison Square Garden. A three-record set, No Nukes/The MUSE Concerts for a Non-Nuclear Future, will reach #19. In addition to serving on the board of MUSE, Jackson helped edit and compile 1980's 3-LP live album from those shows. No Nukes/The MUSE Concerts for a Non-Nuclear Future featured a line-up including Bruce Springsteen, The Doobie Brothers, Carly Simon, James Taylor, Ry Cooder, Chaka Khan, Peter Tosh, and Tom Petty, among others. The album, which includes Jackson’s "Before The Deluge," climbed to #23 on Billboard's pop chart. Currently, Browne, Raitt and Nash are mobilizing behind Nukefree.org, opposing federal bail-out of the nuclear industry.

Jackson's studio work continued with June 27, 1980's Hold Out, a #1 album, his first, featuring the hits "Boulevard" and "That Girl Could Sing." In 1982, Browne scored the biggest hit of his career, a #7 hit, with the single "Somebody's Baby," from the soundtrack for Fast Times At Ridgemont High. 1983's Lawyers in Love also spawned several popular singles, including "Tender Is The Night" and "For A Rocker."

On February 18, 1986, Jackson continued to develop his social focus with Lives In The Balance, his fourth consecutive Top Ten album. This topical disc was included in Rolling Stone's 1986 'Best 100 Albums,' and again in their 1990 special issue of '100 Greatest Albums of the 1980s.' 1989's World In Motion was a call to action even more explicitly political than its predecessor. Music journalist David Fricke defined the set as, "one of universal truths bound together by a highly personal focus." I'm Alive evidenced a striking return to the personal and romantic subject matter that characterized Jackson's earlier work. Released on October 11, 1993, and widely considered a career highlight, the disc found Jackson revisiting matters of the heart and soul, on tracks including "My Problem Is You" and "Sky Blue and Black." On February 13, 1996's Looking East, he addresses various aspects of personal growth and social struggle, and their interconnectedness in the world around him.

September 24, 2002 marked the release of The Naked Ride Home, Jackson's first suite of all new songs since Looking East, and one of the most eclectic of his career, exploring the human condition with a grace and insight that he has made his trademarks. When it came out, MOJO wrote, "For those who still think it's possible that love might be the answer to at least some of our problems, this could be the album of the year."

Jackson Browne's overall body of work was celebrated in 2004 with the release of Elektra-Rhino's 2CD compilation The Very Best Of Jackson Browne, featuring 32 songs selected from throughout his career. The one earlier compilation of Jackson's work is Elektra's 1997 single-disc overview The Next Voice You Hear: The Best Of Jackson Browne.

As influential and enduring as his music is Browne's legacy as an advocate for social and environmental justice. In 2007, he received the Chapin-World Hunger Year Harry Chapin Humanitarian Award. In 2004, Jackson was named an honorary Doctorate of Music by Occidental College in Los Angeles, for "a remarkable musical career that has successfully combined an intensely personal artistry with a broader vision of social justice." In 2002, he was the fourth recipient of the John Steinbeck Award, given to artists whose works exemplify the environmental and social values that were essential to the great California-born author.

On March 15, 2004, Jackson Browne is inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, as a performer, at the nineteenth annual induction dinner. Bruce Springsteen is his presenter.

Jackson Browne is currently working on a new studio album, Jackson Browne Solo Acoustic, Vol. 2 (2008), the second in a series of live albums recorded at recent solo concerts in the U.S., the U.K. and Australia. Building on 2005's critically acclaimed and GRAMMY®-nominated Jackson Browne Solo Acoustic, Vol. 1, the album features twelve career spanning songs, with Browne alternately on both guitar and piano. Also like its predecessor, VOL. 2 features lively exchanges between Jackson and his audiences. The disc will be available on the artist's own Inside Recordings label, with distribution through ADA. He is currently on tour with David Crosby & Graham Nash, Bonnie Raitt, Los Lobos and more.

Discography:

Solo Acoustic Volume 2 - 2008

Solo Acoustic, Vol. 1 - 2005

The Very Best Of Jackson Browne - 2004

The Naked Ride Home - 2002

The Next Voice You Hear: The Best of Jackson Browne - 1997

The Next Voice You Hear - The Best Of Jackson Browne - 1997

Looking East [Enhanced] - 1996

Looking East - 1996

I'm Alive - 1993

World In Motion - 1989

Lives In The Balance - 1986

Lawyers In Love - 1983

Hold Out - 1980

Running On Empty - 1978

The Pretender - 1976

Late for the Sky - 1974

For Everyman - 1973

Jackson Browne (Saturate Before Using) - 1972

Jackson Browne has a lot of quality songs, such as Boulevard, Doctor My Eyes, Running On Empty, Somebody's Baby, Stay, Tender Is The Night, and The Pretender, among others…

Thank you, Jackson, for some great music…

David Bowie...

2008-07-12T05:47:00.020-04:00

Numerous web sites, The Official David Bowie Web Site, Internet Movie Data Base - David Bowie, Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame - David Bowie & Rolling Stone Discography - David Bowie were quite helpful in preparing my tribute to David Bowie. Please click on the hyperlinks to enjoy these web sites.

David Bowie (nicknames: “Thin White Duke,” & “Ziggy Stardust,”) is widely regarded as one of the most influential writers of pop music. Born David Robert Hayward-Jones, 8 January 1947, Brixton, London, England, UK, he changed his name to Bowie in the 1960s, to avoid confusion with the then well-known Davy Jones (lead singer of The Monkees).

David Bowie is rock’s foremost futurist and a genre-bending pioneer, chameleon, and transformer. His innovations have created or furthered several major trends in rock and roll, including glam-rock, art-rock and the very notion of the self-mythologized, larger-than-life rock star. Bowie is known for his constantly changing physical appearance, wide ranging vocals, and one permanently dilated pupil, which gives him the appearance of different colored eyes. He cites Little Richard as his first musical influence.

The 1960s, for Bowie, was an era in which he was a struggling artist, awaiting his breakthrough. He dabbled in many different styles of music (without commercial success), and other art forms such as acting, mime, painting, and playwriting.

In 1968 while he was still a struggling artist, Bowie wrote some English lyrics to a French song titled "Comme d'Habitude" (As Usual). His version, "Even a Fool Learns to Love", never did get recorded. But when the French melody caught the attention of Paul Anka, he reworked the lyrics and the song became "My Way". Of course, when Frank Sinatra recorded "My Way" his way, it turned to gold.

He finally achieved his commercial breakthrough in 1969 with the song "Space Oddity," which was released at the time of the moon landing. On September 20, 1969, it hits #5 on the UK charts. Despite the fact that the literal meaning of the lyrics relates to an astronaut who is lost in space, this song was used by the BBC in their coverage of the moon landing, and this helped it become such a success.

On December 11, 1971, David Bowie releases ‘Hunky Dory,’ which contains the classic “Changes.”

In 1972, Bowie created "Ziggy Stardust," a concept album about a space-age rock star. This album was followed by others in a similar vein, rock albums built around a central character and concerned with futuristic themes of Armageddon, gender dysfunction/confusion, as well as more contemporary themes such as the destructiveness of success and fame, and the dangers inherent in star worship.

On September 12, 1972, Mott The Hoople’s “All The Young Dudes,” a glam-rock anthem penned and produced by David Bowie, hits #3 in the UK.

On March 31, 1973, Lou Reed’s “Walk On The Wild Side,” a musical tour of the New York demimonde from the David Bowie-produced ‘Transformer,’ becomes a Top Forty hit. On April 28, 1973, “Walk On The Wild Side,” produced by Bowie, hits #16.

On September 20, 1975: “Fame,” a song from David Bowie’s ‘Young Americans’ album, tops the US singles charts. It is co-written by Bowie, John Lennon and guitarist Carlos Alomar.

He also appeared in his first major film, The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976). The following year, he released "Station to Station," containing some of the material he had written for the soundtrack to this film (which was not used). On February 7, 1976, David Bowie’s ‘Station to Station’ enters the album charts. It is the highest-charting album of Bowie’s career, peaking at #3. He fled back to Europe, finally settling in Berlin, where he changed musical direction again and recorded three of the most influential albums of all time, an electronic trilogy with Brian Eno "Low, Heroes and Lodger." Towards the end of the 1970s, he recorded the album many of his fans consider his best, the Japanese-influenced "Scary Monsters." Around this time, he played the Elephant Man on Broadway, to considerable acclaim.

On January 10, 1977, David Bowie wins the US Academy of Science Fiction Fantasy and Horror Films Best Actor Award for ‘The Man Who Fell to Earth’.

On February 12, 1997, Bowie unveiled his star on Hollywood’s "Walk of Fame."

On May 11, 1977, Iggy Pop releases ‘The Idiot’ and it hits #30 in the UK and #32 in the US. The album is produced by David Bowie.

On September 11, 1977, David Bowie records his guest appearance on ‘Bing Crosby’s Merrie Olde Christmas’. Bowie and Bing perform a duet of “The Little Drummer Boy.”

On November 6, 1977, Iggy Pop releases ‘Lust for Life’. The album is produced by David Bowie.

March 1, 1982: Pete Townshend, Stevie Nicks, Mick Jagger, Adam Ant, Pat Benatar, the Police and David Bowie kick off the “I Want My MTV” advertising campaign.

The next few years saw something of a drop-off in his musical output as his acting career flourished, culminating in his acclaimed performance in Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence (1983). Musically, Bowie’s commercial masterstroke came in 1983 with “Let's Dance,” an accessible set of modern-minded dance music that gave Bowie his second #1 hit with the brassy, swaggering title track, as well as “China Girl” (#10) and “Modern Love” (#14). On May 15, 1983, “Let's Dance”, featuring Stevie Ray Vaughan on guitar, is David Bowie’s first #1 hit in both the US and UK. The tour which followed, "Serious Moonlight," was his most successful ever. Finally, in the late 1980s, he turned his back on commercial success and his solo career, forming the hard rock band, Tin Machine, who had a deliberate limited appeal.

He turned down the role of Max Zorin for the 1985 James Bond film A View to a Kill (1985), citing his lack of enthusiasm for recent Bond villains. The part went to Christopher Walken instead.

On June 10, 1989, ‘Tin Machine,’ the first of three albums by Tin Machine, a quartet that includes David Bowie, is released. The other are ‘Tin Machine II’ (1991) and the live ‘Oy Vey, Baby’ (1992).

He also turned down the role of Captain Hook in Hook (1991).

In 1992, Bowie again changed direction and re-launched his solo career with "Black Tie White Noise," a "wedding" album inspired by his recent marriage to Iman. On September 26, 1995, he renewed his working relationship with Brian Eno to record "Outside,” a challenging and unconventional “gothic hyper-drama." This album has now taken its place with his classic albums. In a career spanning four decades, Bowie has influenced the course of popular music several times and influenced several generations of musicians. His promotional videos in the 1970s and 80s are regarded as ground-breaking, and as a live concert act, he is regarded as the most theatrical of them all.

Bowie (vocals, guitar, saxophone, keyboards) was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, as a performer, on January 17, 1996, at the eleventh annual induction dinner. Madonna and David Byrne are his presenters.

He was loosely the basis for the film Velvet Goldmine (1998).

On September 11, 1998, the entrepreneurial David Bowie, becomes the first rock star to become Internet Service Provider (ISP), BowieNet.

On October 5, 1999, ‘hours...’ a pensive, end-of-the-millennium album by David Bowie, is released.

Bowie is credited as himself in Zoolander (2001). He is the judge of the fashion "walk-off" between Owen Wilson and Ben Stiller.

In March, 2003, his 1972 album "The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars” was voted 8th in Classic Rock Magazine's list of the 30 greatest concept albums of all time. He was voted the 39th Greatest Artist in Rock 'n' Roll by Rolling Stone. He shares a birthday with 3 other Rock and Roll Hall of Fame members: Elvis Presley, The Doors guitarist Robby Krieger and legendary promoter Bill Graham. He also shares it with director John McTiernan and actress Ami Dolenz.

He is ranked #12 on VH1's 100 Sexiest Artists, and #7 on VH1's 100 Greatest Artists of Rock & Roll.

Bowie played Serbian/American scientist and inventor Nikola Tesla in The Prestige (2006).

He has performed with (on separate occasions) Queen, Mick Jagger, Lou Reed, Iggy Pop, Al B. Sure! , Tina Turner, Annie Lennox, Nine Inch Nails and Bing Crosby.

David Bowie’s Discography…

There are so many David Bowie CD’s, and Greatest Hits Compilations, that instead of listing each one, or, possibly listing many, and forgetting some, I will include a hyperlink, Rolling Stone Discography - David Bowie. Click on the hyperlink to see the MANY David Bowie recordings…

David Bowie has a lot of quality songs, such as America, Changes, China Girl, Dancing In The Streets, Fame, Heroes, Let’s Dance, Major Tom, Modern Love, “Rebel, Rebel,” Young Americans and Peace On Earth – Little Drummer Boy (with the legendary Bing Crosby), among others…

Thank you, Mr. Bowie, for some great music…

Blondie…

2008-07-11T14:19:00.017-04:00

Numerous web sites, Official Blondie Web Site, Blondie At My Space, Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame - Blondie, Rolling Stone - Discography of Blondie, & Starpulse - Blondie were quite helpful in preparing my tribute to Blondie. Please click on the hyperlinks to enjoy these web sites.

Inducted, Deborah Harry (vocals; born July 1, 1945), Clem Burke (drums; born November 24, 1955), Jimmy Destri (keyboards; born April 13, 1954), Nigel Harrison (bass; born April 24, 1951), Frank Infante (guitar; born November 15, 1951), Chris Stein (guitar; born January 5, 1950), Gary Valentine (bass; born December 24, 1955) into the prestigious Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2006, as performers, on March 13^th,at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s 21st annual induction dinner. Shirley Manson, of Garbage, is their presenter.

Blondie emerged as the great pop icons of New York's celebrated late '70s new wave punk scene by defying easy categorization. They wrote great rock hooks and brilliant, ironic lyrics. They had the hippest clothes and the coolest hair. Deborah Harry went from the pages of Punk magazine to being on the cover of just about every mainstream publication on the newsstands.

Striking a balance between edginess and catchiness, Blondie enjoyed hit records and artistic credibility - a best-of-both-worlds situation that few others (the Police, The Cars and Talking Heads come to mind) pulled off in that era. Blondie could number Robert Fripp and David Bowie among their pals, and they fearlessly dabbled in such genres as reggae, rap, disco and a touch of the avant-garde. Yet they also maintained ties to the tuneful, ear-catching Sixties pop aesthetic.

Blondie’s origins lay in the glam-rock era of the early Seventies, when David Bowie, the New York Dolls and Lou Reed were jolting the rock scene with sexual ambiguity and campy behavior. In 1973, Harry - who’d worked as a Playboy bunny and tended bar at Max’s Kansas City - joined the Stilettos, a group fronted by three female singers. When Chris Stein joined, the seeds were sown for Blondie, which began performing under that name. The lineup stabilized with vocalist Harry, guitarist Stein, keyboardist Jimmy Destri, bassist Gary Valentine and drummer Clem Burke.

The band played the fabled New York downtown circuit of CBGB's, Max's Kansas City and Mothers, amassing a major following before recording their first album Blondie in 1976 for the Private Stock label. It was released in 1977 and was well received as the band toured in support of Iggy Pop and David Bowie.

In the summer of 1977, they released their second album, Plastic Letters, and toured Europe and Asia. In March '78, the single "Denis" hit #2 in the U.K. That summer, the band worked with producer Mike Chapman to hone their radio sound and create the album Parallel Lines, with the single "Picture This" going #12 in the U.K. and the follow-up, "Hanging on the Telephone," hitting #5. Blondie had their first #1 record in the U.S. with "Heart Of Glass," which also sold over a million copies in the U.K., with the album moving more than 20 million copies worldwide. The fourth single from Parallel Lines, "Sunday Girl," also hit #1 in the U.K.

Someone forgot to tell Blondie that New Wave bands weren’t supposed to have hit records. Their conquest was no minor feat, as it meant overcoming music-industry wariness about punk and New Wave, which challenged the established order. Blondie seemed more accessible than some of their radical colleagues, since they drew upon Sixties subgenres - girl-group pop and garage-rock - that had a still-familiar ring. At the same time, they spiked their songs with New Wave freshness, vibrancy and attitude. In so doing, Blondie helped usher in a changing of the guard.

One of the most popular bands of the New Wave era, Blondie hit the scene with visually arresting front woman Deborah Harry, a former Playboy Bunny. Her bleached-blond hair and full, pouty lips made her look the part of a new age Marilyn Monroe with a hint of punk hauteur (which paved the way for Madonna’s more risqué approach). “Looks have been one of the most saleable things ever,” Harry told journalist Karen Davis. “When I woke up to that, mine helped a lot.” Blondie’s striking visual image was bolstered by hooky, retro-chic pop tunes and canny art-rock leanings.

In the summer of 1978, Blondie is joined onstage at CBGB by Robert Fripp (of King Crimson) for an impromptu run-through of Donna Summer’s “I Feel Love.” The gesture presages their arty embrace of disco with “Heart Of Glass” in the coming year.

In September 1979, the band's fourth album, Eat to the Beat, was released, along with the first-ever album-length video. Before year's end, Blondie continued their chart presence in the U.K. with the #2 hit "Dreaming." By February '80, they landed another #1 U.K. single in "Atomic" and two months later scaled the U.S. charts a second time with "Call Me," from the Paul Schrader film, American Gigolo. Produced by Giorgio Moroder - the top Eurodisco producer - “Call Me” became Blondie’s second Number One single and stayed on top for six weeks. All of a sudden, a Lower East Side band who’d come up through the ramshackle CBGB’s scene found themselves with two Number One disco hits, which occasioned some backlash. Blondie stuck to their guns.

“We really tried to vary our music and not mimic ourselves,” Harry told Billboard. “We tried to be a little daring.” That venturesome spirit was further evident on Eat to the Beat (1979) and Autoamerican (1980). The latter album took a wide-angle view of popular music, and their fearless cross-pollination earned them two more chart-toppers: “The Tide Is High” (originally by Jamaica’s Paragons) and “Rapture” (which did for rap what “Heart of Gold” had done for disco). The inspiration for Harry’s offbeat rap was the campy science-fiction film Attack of the Giant Ants. Rap had theretofore been an underground phenomenon in and around New York, and Blondie’s hybrid rock-rap gave many listeners their first exposure to the genre.

The fifth Blondie album, Autoamerican, produced the #1 U.K. smash, "The Tide Is High," which duplicated that feat in the U.S. The band appeared on the popular TV show Solid Gold, and soon the album was solid platinum. Debbie released her first solo album, Koo Koo, produced by Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards of Chic and featuring a cover by H.R. Giger, the Academy Award winning sci-fi artist who created the Alien creature.

The band produced The Hunter in 1982, which included the single "Island of Lost Souls," their final U.S. hit before Chris was felled by a rare and often fatal genetic disease, pemphigus, which led to a sudden hiatus for the group.

Debbie went on to appear in numerous films and plays and to create music in various contexts. In recent years she has been the featured vocalist of the Jazz Passengers. Jimmy left music for a while to become a family man and contractor. Chris produced various bands in New York. Clem continued to record and tour with top acts. Sixteen years later the band members were used to being apart, but miraculously they were still talking. The friendships were still there. The doors were ajar. Responding to a request, they reformed to play a concert and had so much fun and found so much chemistry remaining that they decided to try to make some new music. That worked out so well that they re-formed and made a new album, No Exit, the seventh Blondie studio album, produced by Craig Leon, who had actually produced the band's first single, "X-Offender," and worked on the first album assisting producer Richard Gottehrer.

On June 28, 1990: The Ramones, Deborah Harry, and Talking Heads alums Jerry Harrison and the Tom Tom Club kick off their “Escape from New York” tour, revisiting the glory days of CBGB’s.

No Exit was a perfect, up-to-date evolution of Blondie - a great collection of perfectly crafted pop songs. The trademark elements were still there: that perfect, propulsive beat; Debbie's unmistakable voice, seductive, soulful yet ironic; atmospheric keyboards, sometimes lush, sometimes eerie; and brilliantly articulated guitar lines. It was an auspicious return, highlighted by the hit "Maria," which went to #1 in 14 countries. On February 13, 1999, “Maria,” enters the U.K. singles chart at Number One, making them the first act to have chart-topping singles in three different decades. The album sold more than two million units worldwide and, behind it, the band completed two tours of the U.S, the U.K. and Europe. The band returned with The Curse of Blondie, their 11th album, featuring 14 powerful new songs - probably the most musically varied and experimental album in the group's history.

Blondie's Live By Request CD and DVD came out on September 14, 2004, and the band released their Greatest Hits: Sight and Sound CD/DVD in the U.K. (which quickly went gold) to coincide with a British tour in November-December 2005. The package came out in the U.S. in spring 2006 on Capitol/EMI Music Catalog Marketing. Aside from including the groundbreaking videos made by the group between 1977-1982, the CD/DVD features the bonus track and video of "Rapture Riders," a mash-up of "Rapture" and The Doors' "Riders on the Storm." The group's Capitol/EMI Music Catalog Marketing release, The Best of Blondie, has been certified double platinum by the RIAA for sales of more than two million. One of the plaques was auctioned off to raise money to help the legendary CBGB's club in an attempt to stave off eviction from its downtown location.

In 2008, EMI will celebrate the 30-year anniversary of Blondie's Parallel Lines with a re-release of the iconic album that gave the band their first #1 hit in the U.S., "Heart Of Glass," and went on to sell over 20 million copies - an extraordinary feat achieved only by an elite club of artists. The reissue contains all the original classic tracks, along with instrumental versions, some vintage recordings previously available only on vinyl, plus exclusive video content. The timeless band that broke records and crossed boundaries with their unique style and music will hit the road again for a tour that will take them across the U.S. and Europe from summer through the end of the year. Debbie is rightfully proud of the band's hard work and accolades: "The guys have gotten really good at what they do. I mean, they always were good players and songwriters, but I think now you could say they're accomplished."

Blondie is currently on tour, world wide. Go to the Official Blondie Web Site for details.

Blondie - Discography

Main Releases

Parallel Lines: Deluxe Collector's Edition - 2008

Remixed Remade Remodeled: The Blondie Remix Project - 2006

Blondie: The Rhapsody Interview - 2006

Greatest Hits: Sound & Vision - 2006

The Best Of Blondie - 2005

Live By Request - 2004

Singles Box - 2004

The Curse Of Blondie - 2004

Best of Blondie [Collectables] - 2003

Greatest Hits - 2002

Exodus - 2002

Eat to the Beat [Bonus Tracks] - 2001

Blondie Is the Name of a Band - 2000

No Exit - 1999

Live in New York - 1999

Definitive Underground: Drum N Bass - 1999

Swing This, Baby!, Vol. 2 - 1999

Beautiful (Remix Album) - 1998

Picture This Live -1997

Denis - 1995

The Remix Project - 1995

The Platinum Collection - 1994

Blonde And Beyond: Rarities & Oddities - 1993

The Hunter - 1982

Once More Into The Bleach - 1980

Autoamerican - 1980

Eat To The Beat - 1979

Parallel Lines - 1978

Plastic Letters - 1977

Blondie - 1976

Blondie has a lot of quality songs, such as Call Me, Heart Of Glass, Maria, One Way Or Another, Rapture and The Tide Is High, among others…

Thanks, Blondie, for some great music…

Guns N’ Roses…

2008-07-09T14:34:00.027-04:00

Numerous web sites, Guns N' Roses Official Site, The Rock Radio - Guns N' Roses, Guns N' Roses On My Space, 8notes.com - Guns N' Roses, VH1 - Guns N' Roses & Rolling Stone - Guns N' Roses Discography were quite helpful in preparing my tribute to Guns N’ Roses. Please click on the hyperlinks to enjoy these web sites.

Guns N' Roses is an American hard rock band, one of the most popular rock and roll bands ever. At a time when pop was dominated by dance music and pop-metal, Guns N' Roses brought raw, ugly rock & roll crashing back into the charts.

While Slash and Izzy Stradlin ferociously spit out dueling guitar riffs worthy of Aerosmith or the Stones, Axl Rose screeched out his tales of sex, drugs, and apathy in the big city. Meanwhile, bassist Duff McKagan and drummer Steven Adler were a limber rhythm section who kept the music loose and powerful. Guns N' Roses' music was basic and gritty, with a solid hard, bluesy base; they were dark, sleazy, dirty, and honest -- everything that good hard rock and heavy metal should be. There was something refreshing about a band who could provoke everything from devotion to hatred, especially since both sides were equally right. There hadn't been a hard rock band this raw or talented in years, and they were given added weight by Rose's primal rage, the sound of confused, frustrated white trash vying for his piece of the pie. As the '80s became the '90s, there simply wasn't a more interesting band around, but owing to intra-band friction and the emergence of alternative rock, Rose's supporting cast gradually disintegrated, as he spent years in seclusion.

The band's 1987 major label debut, Appetite for Destruction, gained them world notoriety with its infamously self-destructive attitude while their 1991 second major effort, the simultaneous album releases of Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II, and subsequent tour cemented the band's place as a heavily influential and permanent member of rock and roll history.

Current members are (William Bailey) Axl Rose-vocals (1985-), Tommy Stinson- Bass (1997-), Brian Mantia - Drums (2001-), Richard Fortus- Guitars (2002-), Robin Finck- Guitars (2002-), Dizzy Reed-Keyboards (1990) and Chris Pittman-live keyboards and Sound Effects (1998-).

Past Guns N' Roses members include Tracii Guns, guitar (1985), Robbie Gardner, drums (1985), (Saul Hudson) Slash, guitars (1985-1996), Duff McKagan, bass (1985-1997), (Jeffrey Isbell) Izzy Stradlin, guitar (1985-1991), Gilby Clarke, guitar (1991-1994), Steven Adler, drums (1985-1990), Matt Sorum, drums (1990-1997), Paul Huge, guitar (1994-2002), Josh Freese, drums (1997-2000), Buckethead, guitar (2000-2004).

Originating in Los Angeles in June 1985, Guns N' Roses' unique style incorporated punk, blues, thrash, and other genres of music into what was popular at the time: hair metal. The band was formed by singer Axl Rose, guitarist Tracii Guns, guitarist Izzy Stradlin, bassist Duff McKagan, and drummer Robbie Gardner. The name was derived from a combination of Guns and Rose's pseudonymous last names, while earlier band names in the same vein had been Rose and Hollywood Rose. Fans often shorten the name to the 'Gunners'.

When guitarist Tracii Guns and drummer Robbie Gardner could not attend the Guns N' Roses’ first show (in Seattle), Axl Rose called extremely talented guitarist, Slash, and drummer Stephen Adler, who he had met recently, and asked if they would play. The two agreed and the band's original line-up was finalized.

The band released a self-produced EP, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Live_Like_a_Suicide_%28album%29, in 1986. Copies of the EP reached Geffen Records executives who soon signed the band. Appetite for Destruction, Guns N' Roses’ Geffen debut, was released on August 21, 1987. The album sold 20 million copies, had three top 10 singles, and hit #1 on the charts. Appetite for Destruction remains as one of the best selling debut album of all-time.

Guns N' Roses' next release was the acoustic cd G N' R Lies in 1988 which hit #2 on the music charts. Contributing Welcome to the Jungle to the soundtrack of movie The Dead Pool (in the Dirty Harry series) gave the band a couple of seconds onscreen in the movie.

In 1989, Guns N' Roses were presented with the American Music Award for favorite Pop/Rock single for Sweet Child O' Mine. At the televised annual award show in 1989, Duff McKagan and Slash appeared intoxicated and used strong language while accepting the award for Best Heavy Metal Album for Appetite for Destruction, and Best Heavy Metal Song for Paradise City. Because of the incident, subsequent American Music Award shows have been broadcast using a five second delay.

Shortly after the release of 'G N' R Lies', drummer Stephen Adler was dismissed from the band, reportedly due to his unwillingness to address his heroin addiction. Other members addressed their addiction after Axl Rose spoke up about them 'dancing with Mr. Brownstone' during their opening set for the Rolling Stones. In 1990 Guns N' Roses returned to the studio with new drummer Matt Sorum and keyboardist Dizzy Reed to begin work on the band's most ambitious undertaking yet. On September 17, 1991 they released Use Your Illusion I and Use Your Illusion II, which debuted as #2 and #1 on the charts.

After the release of the Use Your Illusion albums Guns N' Roses went on a 28-month-long world tour, during which Izzy Stradlin quit the band and was replaced by Gilby Clarke. The tour included The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert. During this time, November Rain became the most requested video on MTV, eventually winning a VMA for best cinematography.

In 1993, Guns N' Roses released a collection of mostly punk covers entitled The Spaghetti Incident?. This album did not match the success of the Illusion albums and tensions were ever increasing in the band. In 1994 Axl Rose fired Gilby Clarke. That same year, a cover version of The Rolling Stones' Sympathy for the Devil was recorded by the band, joined by Paul Huge (replacing Gilby Clarke), for the movie Interview with the Vampire. Several members started up their side projects (such as Slash with Slash's Snakepit and Duff McKagan in the Neurotic Outsiders). In 1996, Slash quit the band, citing creative differences with Axl Rose. Within the following year, Duff McKagan and Matt also left the band, which left Axl Rose as the sole original member.

In 1998, Axl Rose returned to the studio accompanied by drummer Josh Freese (of the Vandals), bassist Tommy Stinson (formerly of The Replacements), guitarist Robin Finck (formerly of Nine Inch Nails), guitarist Paul Huge (aka Paul Tobias), and keyboardist Dizzy Reed.

In 1999, the band released one new song, Oh My God, which was included on the soundtrack to the 1999 Arnold Schwarzenegger film End of Days. This song was intended to be a prelude for a new album, Chinese Democracy. Guns N' Roses also released Live Era 87-93, which was a collection of songs the original lineup recorded on the road between 1987 and 1993. Later that year, Finck returned to Nine Inch Nails briefly to record 'The Fragile.'

In 2000, avant garde guitarist Buckethead joined Guns N' Roses.

The revised lineup returned to the stage in January of 2001 with two well-received concerts, one in Las Vegas and one in Rio de Janeiro. Consisting of Axl Rose, guitarists Buckethead, Robin Finck, and Paul Huge, bassist Tommy Stinson, keyboard players Dizzy Reed and Chris Pittman, and drummer Brain (formerly of Primus), the band played a mixture of old hits as well as new songs from their forthcoming album. The new lineup played two shows in Las Vegas at the end of 2001. During 2002, guitarist Paul Huge left the band and was replaced by Richard Fortus, formerly of the band Love Spit Love. The band then played several shows in August of 2002, headlining festivals and concerts in Asia and Europe, and then making their way to New York for a surprise appearance at the MTV Video Music Awards.

A U.S. tour, the band's first since 1993, was planned. The tour got off to a bad start. The opening show in Vancouver was cancelled by the venue due to Axl Rose not showing up in a timely manner. A riot ensued. Subsequent shows went on as planned. The tour was met with mixed results. Some concerts in smaller markets did not sell out, while shows in larger markets such as New York and Boston sold out in minutes. Due to a no show by Axl Rose in Philadelphia and the resulting riot by fans, Clear Channel, the tour's promoter, cancelled all remaining shows of the tour. As of February 2005 the band has not played a show since their December 5, 2002 concert at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

Reports issued by the band in 2001 and 2002 claimed that Chinese Democracy was to be released later that year by Interscope/Geffen Records, with whom they had apparently patched up their differences (if any). It is set to release in 2005. Despite Axl Rose's protests, legal and otherwise, Geffen released a greatest hits album on March 23rd. Similarly, Cleopatra records released 'Hollywood Rose: The Roots of Guns N' Roses' in early summer. Again, Axl Rose failed to stop its release.

In 2002, Q magazine named Guns N' Roses in their list of the '50 Bands To See Before You Die', although this was as part of a sub-list of '5 Bands That Could Go Either Way'.

In March 2004, Buckethead left the band, causing Axl Rose to cancel their May 30th appearance at Rock in Rio 4 in Lisbon, Portugal.

Former Guns N' Roses members Slash, Duff McKagan, and Matt Sorum from the Cult, formed the band Velvet Revolver with Scott Weiland (formerly of Stone Temple Pilots) in 2003. The band contributed a song to the Hulk's soundtrack before releasing their first album, Contraband, in June 2004. Contraband debuted at #1 on the music charts. The band toured briefly before the release of the album and in the winter of 2004/2005. Izzy Stradlin continues to release solo albums and occasionally collaborates on songs with Velvet Revolver. Steven Adler tours with his band Adler's Appetite (formerly Suki Jones) and has plans to record with this band.

Guns N’ Roses Discography…

Main Releases

Greatest Hits - 2004

Live Era: '87-'93 [Clean] - 1999

G N' R Lies [Gold] - 1999

Live Era '87-'93 - 1999

Interview with the Vampire - 1995

The Spaghetti Incident ? - 1993

Use Your Illusion I - 1991

Use Your Illusion II - 1991

G N' R Lies - 1988

Appetite for Destruction - 1987

Appetite for Destruction [Edited] - 1987

Compilations

A Rock Tribute To Guns N' Roses - 2002

10 Years Of Terror - vol 1 - 2002

Burning Hearts, Vol. 1 - 2000

End Of Days - 1999

Can't Hardly Wait - 1998

Grosse Pointe Blank - 1997

Days of Thunder - 1991

Nobody's Child: Romanian Angel Appeal - 1990

Lean on Me - 1989

Baseball closers are known for having theme music blasted at their home parks, as they enter a game. When Eric Gagne would enter games at Dodger Stadium, "Welcome To The Jungle" would be blasted out of the speakers behind center field, and an onslaught of blue and white cartoon Gagne heads would overrun the scoreboard, in a hallucinatory montage, as the crowd would be whirled into a maniacal frenzy. That’s what Guns N' Roses music can do at a party, it whirls a crowd of people into a maniacal frenzy. That’s one reason I love Guns N' Roses.

My favorite Guns N' Roses songs include Knockin' On Heaven's Door, Live And Let Die, Paradise City, Sweet Child O' Mine and Welcome To The Jungle.

These guys flat-out know how to rock. They can bring it, and their music should be a staple at any party.

Thanks for the killer tunes, boys…

Marvin Gaye…

2008-07-09T07:44:00.017-04:00

Numerous web sites, Soul Walking - Marvin Gaye, History Of Rock - Marvin Gaye, Rolling Stone - Marvin Gaye Discography & Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame - Marvin Gaye were quite helpful in preparing my tribute to Marvin Gaye. Please click on the hyperlinks to enjoy these web sites.

With a career that spanned the entire history of rhythm and blues, from '50s doo wop to '80s soul, Marvin Gaye exemplified the maturation of romantic black pop into a sophisticated form spanning social and sexual politics, Marvin Gaye was one of the most consistent and enigmatic of the Motown hit makers. He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame - Marvin Gaye, as a performer, in 1987.

Biographer David Ritz said of Gaye, “His music was cathartic. His songs were prayers, meditations, strategies for survival.”

He was born Marvin Pentz Gay Jr., April 2nd 1939, Washington, D.C., U.S.A. and died April 1^st, 1984, Los Angeles, U.S.A. (A horrible April Fools’ Day announcement, which I wish was an ill-timed joke.)

Marvin Gaye's contribution to Black Music over the past four decades is immeasurable. Marvin Gaye made a huge contribution to soul music in general and the Motown sound in particular. As one of Motown’s renaissance men, Gaye could do it all. He wrote, produced and played a variety of instruments. Most of all, Gaye possessed a classic R&B voice that was edged with grit yet tempered with sweetness. A musical visionary, he conceived of albums as something more than individual songs, whether it be his early collections of show tunes and standards or later thematic masterworks about the state of the world (What’s Going On?), sexual politics (Let’s Get It On) and marriage (Here, My Dear).

Marvin Gaye was named after his father, a minister and preacher in the Apostolic Church, with the obscure House of God, a small, charismatic sect that combined elements of Orthodox Judaism and fundamentalist Christianity. His mother worked as a domestic and raised Marvin and his four siblings. Gaye was three years old when he began singing in his father's church choir and was soon playing the organ and drums, too. The influence of the church in his early years played a formative role in his musical career, particularly from the 70's onwards, when his songwriting shifted back and forth between mainstream and religious topics.

Gaye sought to escape from his father’s stern hand and the harsh realities of ghetto life through music. His musical tastes were shaped by such R&B artists as Rudy West (of the Five Keys), Clyde McPhatter (of the Drifters), Ray Charles and Little Willie John. He cited “God Only Knows,” by the Capris, as critical to his musical awakening.

Gaye returned to his hometown of Washington, D.C. and started signing in a street corner doo wop group, The Rainbows. Marvin abandoned a place in his father's church choir, and in 1957, he joined the Marquees, with school chums Reese Palmer, James Nolan and Chester Simmons. Their lone single, “Wyatt Earp,” was produced by Bo Diddley, for the Okeh label.

The following year the group was taken under the wing of producer and singer Harvey Fuqua, who utilized them to reform his doo-wop outfit the Moonglows his backing group. However, in 1960, the group soon broke up and Fuqua moved to Detroit to form Tri-Phi Records with his girlfriend Gwen Gordy, bringing Marvin with them. It was Gwen that introduced Gaye to her brother Berry Gordy at Motown Records’ 1960 Christmas party. Soon Gaye was signed to his new Motown Tamla label in 1961. Gaye started as a session drummer at Motown, playing on all the early hits by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles.

Marvin added an 'e' to his surname (the word 'gay' was taking on newer meanings and Gaye was concerned about his reputation considering the flamboyant dress sense of his father) and began his career as a jazz singer. In 1961, he married Gordy's sister, Anna, and was offered a solo recording contract.

Though he initially envisioned himself a supper-club singer and dreamed of becoming “the black Frank Sinatra,” Gaye succeeded at Motown as a soul man who aimed his talent at a younger audience.

On December 8, 1961: The Soulful Moods of Marvin Gaye, an album of jazz-pop standards and Gaye’s debut, is released. In 1962 he was persuaded to record R & B, and notched up his first hit single with the confident 'Stubborn Kind Of Fellow', a top 10 R & B hit. This record set the style for the next three years, as Gaye enjoyed hits with a series of energetic, dance songs that cast him as a smooth soul figure. Over the next ten years working with nearly every producer at Motown, including Holland-Dozier-Holland, Smokey Robinson, and Norman Whitfield, Gaye had over twenty hits. Specializing in mid-tempo ballads, he also had dance hits: "Hitch Hike," (#30, 1963), "Can I Get a Witness" (#22, 1963), and "Baby Don't Do It" (#27, 1964).

Gaye favored romantic and sometimes sensual ballads and felt that his desire to move into a more mainstream, sophisticated style was hampered by Motown's demand for hits. For a singer as unenthusiastic as Gaye later claimed to be, he gave almost every song an inspired reading. His Top Ten Hits include "Pride and Joy," (#10, 1963), "I'll Be Doggone" (#8, 1965), "Ain't That Peculiar" (#8, 1965), and "How Sweet It Is to Be Loved By You" (#6, 1965). Among his other thirty nine Top Forty singles of this period were "Try It Baby" (#15, 1964) with background vocals by the Temptations, "You're A Wonderful One" (#15, 1964, with backing vocals by the Supremes).

He also continued to work behind the scenes at Motown, co-writing Martha And The Vandellas' hit 'Dancing In The Street', and playing drums on several early recordings by Little Stevie Wonder.

On April 15, 1964, “Together”, an album of duets by Marvin Gaye and Mary Wells, is released. It is Gaye’s fifth album and first to make Billboard’s Top 200 album chart.

His status as Motown's best-selling male vocalist left him free to pursue different avenues on his albums, which in 1965 included a tribute to the late Nat 'King' Cole and a collection of Broadway standards.

To capitalize on his image as a ladies' man, Motown teamed Gaye with their leading female vocalist, Mary Wells, for some romantic duets.

When Wells left Motown in 1964, Gaye recorded with Kim Weston until 1967, when she was succeeded by Tammi Terrell. On July 15, 1967: “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” the first of many duets by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, peaks at #19. The Gaye / Terrell partnership represented the peak of the soul duet, as their voices blended sensuously on a string of hits written specifically for the duo by Ashford And Simpson. Terrell developed a brain tumor in 1968, and collapsed onstage in Gaye's arms.

Records continued to be issued under the duo's name, although Simpson allegedly took Terrell's place on some recordings.

Through the mid-60's, Gaye allowed his duet recordings to take precedence over his solo work, but in 1968 he issued 'I Heard It Through The Grapevine' (written by Whitfield / Strong), a song originally released on Motown by Gladys Knight And The Pips, although Gaye's version had actually been recorded first. It became the label's biggest-selling record to date. On December 14, 1968, Gaye’s version tops the R&B and pop charts for the first of seven weeks. It comes almost exactly a year after Gladys Knight and the Pips’ version of the song topped the R&B charts for six weeks.

Gaye followed up with another # 1, R & B hit, 'Too Busy Thinking 'Bout My Baby', but his career was derailed by the illness and eventual death of Terrell, who had been Gaye’s favorite duettist, who passed away three years after being diagnosed with a brain tumor, in March 1970. Devastated by the loss of his close friend and partner, Gaye spent most of 1970 in seclusion. Gaye remarked, “I felt that I had somehow died with her.” Gaye, who considered himself more of a recording than a performing artist in any case, didn’t take to the stage again for five years after her death.

Subsequently, he reinvented and asserted himself to the point where he and Stevie Wonder became Motown’s first truly autonomous artists. Gaye’s artistry reached its peak with 1971’s What’s Going On, an ambitious, nearly operatic concept album that mused deeply on such issues as Vietnam, drugs, inequality, the economy and the environment over a free-flowing musical backdrop that drew on jazz, pop and classical forms. Gaye referred to the album as a “gift from God,” and the album’s spiritual dimension found overt expression in his liner notes: “We’ve got to find the Lord. Allow him to influence us. I mean, what other weapons have we to fight the forces of hatred and evil?”

'What's Going On' was a set of recordings that Motown at first refused to release, but which eventually formed his most successful solo album. On 'What's Going On', a number 1 hit in 1971, and its two chart-topping follow-ups, 'Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)' and 'Inner City Blues', Gaye combined his spiritual beliefs with his increasing concern about poverty, discrimination and political corruption in American society. Gaye evolved a new musical style that influenced a generation of black performers. Built on a heavily percussive base, Gaye's arrangements mingled varying influences into his soul roots, creating an instrumental backdrop for his sensual, almost pleading vocals. These three singles were all contained on 'What's Going On', a masterpiece on which every track contributed to the overall message. Stevie Wonder and Smokey Robinson say that this is their favorite 'all time' LP. It is the first Motown album to include printed lyrics and to credit Motown’s house musicians by name. In 1994, Britain’s Q magazine noted that What’s Going On “did for soul what Blonde on Blonde and Sgt. Pepper had done for rock.” In 2000, fellow Motown icon Smokey Robinson commented, “What’s Going On is my favorite album of all time. More than that, it is the greatest album of all time.”

On May 1, 1972, Washington, D.C celebrates “Marvin Gaye Day,” an homage to Gaye and his new album, What’s Going On. That night, Gaye performs his first concert in nearly four years at the Kennedy Center.

Gaye composed the soundtrack to the 'blaxploitation' thriller 'Trouble Man'. His primarily instrumental score highlighted his interest in jazz, while the title song gave him with another hit single.

Gaye's next project saw him shifting his attention from the political to the sexual with 'Let's Get It On'. Its explicit sexuality marked a major change in Gaye's career. On September 8, 1973, “Let’s Get It On,” by Marvin Gaye, tops the singles charts for the first of two weeks.

Meanwhile, he continued to let Motown market him in a traditional fashion by agreeing to collaborate with Diana Ross on a sensuous album of duets in 1973, although the two singers allegedly did not actually meet during the recording of the project. On August 17, 1974, Marvin Gaye Live!, which documents the singer’s first concert in five years, reaches #8 on the album chart as his album of duets with Diana Ross descends after a nearly yearlong run.

The break-up of his marriage to Anna Gordy in 1975 delayed work on his next album. On August 26-27, 1976, Marvin Gaye performs sold-out shows on consecutive nights in London, one of which will be released the next year as Marvin Gaye Live at the London Palladium. 'I Want You' followed to critical acclaim in 1976. The album was written by Leon Ware, who had, originally, intended recording the material himself, but was persuaded by Marvin to allow him to record the set. The title track was another number 1 hit on the soul charts, as was his 1977 disco outing, 'Got To Give It Up', which on June 25, 1977, becomes Gaye’s third Number One pop single and twelfth R&B chart-topper.

In 1978 he fled the US mainland to Hawaii in a vain attempt to salvage his second marriage, to his wife Janice, whom he married in 1977. Gaye devoted the next year to the 'Here My Dear' double album, released in February of 1979, a bitter commentary on his relationship with his first wife. Its title was ironic. He had been ordered to give all royalties from the project to Anna as part of their divorce settlement. With this crisis behind him, Gaye began work on an album to be called 'Lover Man', but he cancelled its release after the lukewarm sales of its initial single, the sharply self-mocking 'Ego-Tripping Out', which he had presented as a duet between the warring sides of his nature.

In 1980, under increasing pressure from the Internal Revenue Service, Gaye moved to Europe where he began work on an ambitious concept album, 'In My Lifetime'. When it emerged on January 15, 1981, Gaye accused Motown of remixing and editing the album without his consent, of removing a vital question-mark from the title, and of changing his original cover artwork. The relationship between artist and record company had been shattered, and Gaye left Motown for Columbia in 1982.

Persistent reports of his erratic personal conduct and reliance on cocaine fuelled pessimism about his future career, but instead he re-emerged in 1982 with a new single, 'Sexual Healing', which combined his passionate soul vocals with a contemporary slow-dance backing. The subsequent album, 'Midnight Love', in October 1982, offered no equal surprises, but the success of the single seemed to herald a new era in Gaye's music. On November 6, 1982: “Sexual Healing” tops the R&B chart for the first of ten weeks. Early in 1983 it will peak at #3 on the pop chart. On February 23, 1983, “Sexual Healing,” wins Grammy Awards for Best Male Vocal Performance and Best Instrumental Performance. They are the first Grammys of Gaye’s career. He sang live at the Grammy broadcast and in 1983, in concert at the Radio City Music Hall. Also in 1983, he appeared in one of the more memorable segments of the Motown 25th anniversary television special.

Gaye returned to the USA, where he took up residence at his parents’ home, in Los Angeles. The intensity of his cocaine addiction made it impossible for him to work on another album, and he fell into a prolonged bout of depression. He repeatedly announced his wish to commit suicide in the early weeks of 1984, and his abrupt shifts of mood brought him into heated conflict with his father, rekindling animosity that had been there since Gaye's childhood. On April 1, 1984 - a Sunday morning, and the day before his forty-fifth birthday, Marvin Gaye was shot to death at point-blank range by his father after a violent argument, an awful end to the life of one of soul music's premier performers. Following a star-studded funeral, his ashes were scattered in the Pacific Ocean.

On January 21, 1987, Marvin Gaye is inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at the second annual induction dinner. Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson are his presenters.

On April 25, 1995: The Master 1961-1984, a four-disc overview of Marvin Gaye’s career, is released on Motown Records.

On February 28, 1996: Marvin Gaye posthumously receives the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences at the 38th annual Grammy Awards.

Motown and Columbia collaborated to produce two albums based on Gaye's unfinished recordings. 'Dream Of A Lifetime' mixed spiritual ballads from the early 70's with sexually explicit funk songs from a decade later, while 'Romantically Yours' offered a different reading of Gaye's original intentions in 1979 to record an album of big band ballads. In 1997, the album of 'big ballads' was issued under the title of 'Vulnerable'. Gaye once remarked, “Of all my albums, I love this one the most.”

On February 27, 2001, on the thirtieth anniversary of its original release, Marvin Gaye’s classic “What’s Going On,” is issued in a two-disc deluxe edition that includes alternate mixes and a historic 1972 performance.

Marvin Gaye's entire recorded output signifies the development of black music from raw rhythm and blues, through sophisticated soul to the political awareness of the early 70's, and the increased concentration on personal and sexual politics thereafter. Gaye's remarkable vocal range remains a testament for all subsequent soul vocalists, and his 'lover man' stance has been frequently mimicked.

Then, as you thought that that was the final word, Motown records embarked on a series of 'Deluxe' releases of Marvin's earlier material. One track, 'Where Are We Going?', created a great deal of interest. Written in part by the Mizell Brothers (Donald Byrd, Taste Of Honey, Bobbi Humphrey, Rance Allen etc.), the tune was heralded as the greatest release, of his, since Marvin's passing some 17 years earlier.

Marvin Gaye’s Discography…

There are so many Marvin Gaye CD’s, and Greatest Hits Compilations, that instead of listing each one, or, possibly listing many, and forgetting some, I will include a hyperlink, Rolling Stone - Marvin Gaye Discography. Click on the hyperlink to see the MANY Marvin Gaye recordings…

Marvin Gaye was an underrated legend. He has so many good songs. Among my favorites are Ain’t No Mountain High Enough, Ain’t Nothin’ Like The Real Thing, How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You), I Heard It Through The Grapevine, Let’s Get It On, Me And Mrs. Jones, Sexual Healing and What’s Going On ?

Thanks, Marvin, for some smooth, sweet sounding music…Rest in peace…