Saturday, September 09, 2006

Number 829 - Deep Blue Something


Number 829

Deep Blue Something

"Breakfast at Tiffany's"

(1996)
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Genre:Alt Pop
"Deep Blue Something was formed by four students at the University of North Texas in Denton, northwest of Dallas: Todd Pipes (vocals/bass), his brother Toby (guitar/ vocals), Kirk Tatom (guitar), and John Kirtland (drums). After graduating, they played around the Southwest, and recorded a disc titled 11th Song, which they sold at shows during 1993. Their next recording, Home, appeared on the local RainMaker label in October 1994, and represented a significant upgrade in production value. On its strength, Deep Blue Something was signed by Interscope, which released a modified version of the album in June 1995, followed by the single "Breakfast at Tiffany's." Though the group considered themselves an alternative band with gothic elements, "Breakfast at Tiffany's" took off as a pop single, reaching the Top Five by the end of 1995. Others found them alternative enough to be objectionable, however: Todd Pipes was fired from his job as an English teacher at a private Christian school when the song began to get local radio play and parents complained that their children were being taught by a rock & roller. Though Home achieved gold-record status, Deep Blue Something's sophomore release was a long time coming: the band parted ways with Interscope and went on creative hiatus for several years. They eventually signed with the Aezra label (a subsidiary of EMI) for their second proper album; titled simply Deep Blue Something, the record was finally released in mid-2001"
A one hit wonder? Probably. Whatever the outcome for Deep Blue Something at least they can be proud of the one song that made them famous.I class them up above as Alternative Pop in recognition rather than just rate them as the dreaded Pop catagory. (Sinister)
Rolling Stone Top 500 Songs ranked this song at Number (Come on pull the other nut) and the Album ranked at Number (We don't care the public liked it, we are the Rolling Stone yanno, we tell them what they have to like)
This song has a crowbarred rating of 62.5 out of 108

Search Artist here
1-2-3-A-B-C-D-E-F-G-H-I-J-K-L-M-N-O-P-Q-R-S-T-U-V-W-X-Y-Z

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posted by crowbarred at 9:10 pm 0 comments

Number 830 - Sade

Number 830

Sade

"Your Love Is King"

(1984)
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................Genre: R&B...............
Ahhhh, that voice. Man! Sade was a lone distinctive voice in the 80's, her songs were sexy and moody. You almost ever feared meeting her! (Gulp)
Sultry? Moi?
" When Sade first came on the recording scene in the '80s, her record company, Epic, made a point of printing "pronounced shar-day" after her name on the record labels of her releases. Soon enough the world would have no problem in correctly pronouncing her name. Her debut album, Diamond Life (with overall production by Robin Millar), went Top Ten in the U.K. in late 1984. January 1985 saw the album released on CBS' Portrait label and by spring it went platinum off the strength of the Top Ten singles "Smooth Operator" and "Hang on to Your Love." Her third album, Promise (November 1985), featured "Never As Good As the First Time" and arguably her signature song, "The Sweetest Taboo," which stayed on the U.S. pop charts for six months. Sade was so popular that some radio stations reinstated the '70s practice of playing album tracks, adding "Is It a Crime" and "Tar Baby" to their play lists. In 1986, Sade won a Grammy for Best New Artist. "
"Sade issued Lovers Rock in fall 2000 and incoporated more mainstream elements than ever before. Debut single "By Your Side" was also a hit among radio and adult-contemporary listerners. The following summer, Sade embarked on her first tour in more than a decade, selling out countless dates across America. In early 2002, she celebrated the success of the tour by releasing her first ever live album and DVD, Lovers Live" ~ [Source: artistdirect.com]

Need more information on the song "Your Love Is King"? Here are some SongFacts for you to ponder over! Click here > Fact Stuff

Official Website for Sade @ This addy & for other Information/Biography click this link > Here ~ crowbarred [because power is knowledge]

Rolling Stone Top 500 Songs ranked this song at Number (Nope, They hated it) and the Album ranked at Number (Please everyone, Rolling Stone are overworked)
This song has a Definitive 1000 rating of 62.5 out of 108
Search Artist here:1-2-3-A-B-C-D-E-F-G-H-I-J-K-L-M-N-O-P-Q-R-S-T-U-V-W-X-Y-Z

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posted by crowbarred at 8:25 pm 0 comments

Number 828 - John Mellencamp



Number 828

John Mellencamp

"Pink Houses"

(1983)
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Genre:Rock
American Icon
Isn't he? And if not, why not? I believe John Cougar is more prolific as an artist than say Bruce Springsteen is. Before you start yelling Red White & Blue over that statement lets look at the facts...
"Since American Fool illustrated that John Cougar was becoming an actual songwriter, it's only proper that he reclaimed his actual last name, Mellencamp, for the follow-up, Uh-Huh. After all, now that he had success, he wanted to be taken seriously, and Uh-Huh reflects that in its portraits of brokenhearted life in the Midwest and its rumbling undercurrent of despair. Although his lyrics still have the tendency to be a little too vague, they are more effective here than ever before, as is his music; he might not have changed his style at all -- it's still a fusion of the Stones and Springsteen -- except that he now knows how to make it his own. Uh-Huh runs out of steam toward the end, but the first half -- with the dynamic rocker "Crumblin' Down," his best protest song, "Pink Houses," the punky "Authority Song," the melancholy "Warmer Place to Sleep," and the garage rocker "Play Guitar" -- makes the record his first terrific album"
Hang on, im just only warming up!
"Throughout his career, John Mellencamp has had to fight, whether it was for the right to record under his own name or for respect as an artist. Of course, he never made it easy on himself. Mellencamp began his career in the late '70s as a Bruce Springsteen clone called Johnny Cougar. As his career progressed, his music became more distinctive, developing into a Stonesy blend of hard rock and folk-rock. His musical development coincided with his growth in popularity -- by the time "Hurts So Good" and "Jack and Diane" became hits in 1982, Mellencamp had created his own variation of the heartland rock of Springsteen, Tom Petty, and Bob Seger. While he had the record sales, it took several years before rock critics took him seriously. For some artists, this would be easy to ignore, but Mellencamp had the desire to be a serious social commentator, chronicling the times and trials of Midwestern baby boomers. Scarecrow, released in 1985, fulfilled his wish of being taken serious, and every record he released after it was greeted warmly by critics. Furthermore, he sustained his popularity into the late '90s, only occasionally experiencing dips in record sales. "
"Mellencamp's next album, 1982's American Fool, became his breakthrough, both commercially and musically. More focused than his earlier records, American Fool rocketed to number one on the strength of the number two hit "Hurts So Good" and the number one single "Jack & Diane," both of which were supported by videos that became MTV favorites. The success of American Fool meant that he could add "Mellencamp" to his stage name, and 1983's Uh-Huh became the first album credited to John Cougar Mellencamp. Uh-Huh was released while American Fool was still high on the charts, and it became a hit, peaking at number nine and generating the Top Ten hits "Crumblin' Down" and "Pink Houses," as well as the Top 15 "Authority Song." He supported the album with his first headlining tour. "
"While he had commercial success, Mellencamp made his bid for critical acclaim with his next album, 1985's Scarecrow. Scarecrow displayed a greater social conscious and musical eclecticism, resulting in his best-reviewed -- as well as his biggest -- album to date. Peaking at number two, Scarecrow generated the Top Ten singles "Lonely Ol' Night," "Small Town," and "R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A." Following the release of the of Scarecrow, Mellencamp became an outspoken advocate of the American farmer, organizing Farm Aid with Willie Nelson and Neil Young."
Ok a concession (actually i knew all along) Springsteen is more important than Mellencamp but only just. And the point is Mellencamp is not far behind in the shadow of Springsteen and therefore must be considered seriously for iconic status. Critics would argue to the end of earth that they are different, but in reality they both give the same Social Commentary and both do it extremely well.
Rolling Stone Top 500 Songs ranked this song at Number 439 and the album at number (Hey at least we liked the song, so phooey)
This song has a crowbarred rating of 62.5 out of 108
Search Artist here:1-2-3-A-B-C-D-E-F-G-H-I-J-K-L-M-N-O-P-Q-R-S-T-U-V-W-X-Y-Z

underlay trademe

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posted by crowbarred at 10:59 pm 0 comments