Friday, September 08, 2006

Number 834 - Headless Chickens



Number 834

Headless Chickens

"Cruise Control"

(1994)
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Genre:Alt Pop
"The Headless Chickens were formed in 1985, and were originally known as the International Headless Chickens, as a special project to perform at the multi-media event 'The Nitpickers Picnic'. Their first release was a track on the 1986 student radio compilation album 'Outnumbered By Sheep'.In 1987 The Headless Chickens won the Rheineck Rock Award. In the 1995 NZ Music Awards they were voted 'Top International Performer' and vocalist for some of their songs, Fiona McDonald won the 'Top Female Vocalist' category.'Cruise Control' reached #8 in the New Zealand singles chart. It was a trailer for 'Body Blow', the momentous album that followed.'Body Blow' sold to platinum, 'George' hit #1 and the Eskimos and Egypt remix of 'Cruise Control' reached #17 in Australia, where the Chickens have toured ten times.The group's most famous lineup - vocalist Fiona MacDonald, Chris, Grant, Michael and Bevan also toured the UK on the back of a club-hit remix of Fiona's song 'Juice', but there were quite a few other Chickens over the years.Among them, Rupert E. Taylor and Anthony Nevison left behind distinctive contributions - Stunt Clown's winsome 'Fish Song' and Body Blow's ribald 'Donde Esta La Pollo' respectively. Producer Rex Visible and engineer Angus McNaughton, both occasional members, and reliable tour buddies MC OJ & Slave, Stinky Jim and DJ Roger Perry also deserve special mention.The group's last major incarnation coalesced around the third album, 'Greedy': Chris, Angus, Bevan Larsen, Flex, Rachel Wallace and a chap called Roger.There were always a lot of people around, and the band was always a collaboration, in the way that making film is a collaboration. 'Body Blow' could have been half a dozen bands at once; any one song could be both sweet and sour. They looked like a rock band but Grant ran dance parties and they toured with house DJÂ’s and hip hop acts."
Hope the video i made is enjoyable. Seems Australia has lost a couple of Icons recently. We here in New Zealand will miss the likes of Steve Irwin and Peter Brock, both were immensely popular and respected here and will be sadly missed, and yes, even by me.
Rolling Stone Top 500 Songs ranked this song at Number (Cant even bother giving Rolling Stone shit) and the Album ranked at Number (...)
This song has a crowbarred rating of 62.3 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 11:21 pm 0 comments

Saturday, September 09, 2006

Number 833 - Choirboys



Number 833

Choirboys

"Run To Paradise"

(1987)
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Genre: Rock
"The Choirboys started on the Northern Beaches area of Sydney in 1979. The original members of the band were Mark Gable on vocals, Ian Hulme on bass, Lindsay Tebbutt on drums, and Brad Carr on guitar. They started jamming and writing songs, and playing together in venues around Sydney"
"The first single, "Never Gonna Die," reached #21 in the Australian single charts in 1983. Australian TV musical personality Ian "Molly" Meldrum said the album was "destined to become an Aussie classic." Cold Chisel invited the Choirboys to support them on their "Last Stand", their last tour for 15 years."
"The Choirboys returned to the live scene in 1986, opening for
Deep Purple on their tour. Brad Carr left the group to be replaced by Brett Williams. They returned to the studio to produce their second album Big Bad Noise with producer Peter Blyton. The first single "Run to Paradise" reached the top of the charts in late 1987 and continued in the charts in early 1988. Big Bad Noise went double platinum in Australia with singles "Boys Will Be Boys" and "Struggle Town" also reaching the top 10 of the singles charts"

For Deep Purple see Number 686

Rolling Stone Top 500 Songs ranked this song at Number (Isn't Choirboys from the Vatican?) and the Album ranked at Number ( yawn )
This song has a crowbarred rating of 62.4 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 8:58 am 0 comments

Thursday, September 07, 2006

Number 835 - Yngwie Malmsteen


Number 835

Yngwie Malmsteen

"Black Star"

(1984)
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Genre:Prog Rock
Yngwie Malmsteen is arguably the most technically accomplished hard rock guitarist to emerge during the '80s. Combining a dazzling technique honed over years of obsessive practice with a love for such classical composers as Bach, Beethoven, and Paganini, Malmsteen's distinctively Baroque, gothic compositional style and lightning-fast arpeggiated solos rewrote the book on heavy metal guitar. "Yngwie (pronounced "ING-vay") Malmsteen was born Lars Johann Yngwie Lannerback in Stockholm, Sweden, in 1963, later adopting his mother's maiden name following his parents' divorce. He was an unruly child, and his mother tried without initial success to interest him in music as an outlet. However, when seven-year-old Yngwie saw a television special on the death of Jimi Hendrix featuring live performance footage of Hendrix setting his guitar on fire, he became obsessed with the guitar, learning to play the music of both Hendrix and favourites Deep Purple. Through Purple guitarist Ritchie Blackmore's use of diatonic minor scales over simple blues riffs, Malmsteen was led toward classical music, and his sister exposed him to composers like Bach, Beethoven, Vivaldi, and Mozart. He spent hours practicing obsessively until his fingers bled, and by age ten, his mother allowed him to stay home from school to develop his musical talents, particularly since he was considered a behavioral nightmare. Also at age ten, Malmsteen became enamored of the music of 19th century violinist/composer Niccolo Paganini, as well as Paganini's flamboyant style and wild-man image; this would provide the blueprint for Malmsteen's synthesis of classical music and rock. By the time he was 18, Malmsteen was playing around Sweden with various bands attempting to find an audience for his technically staggering instrumental explorations, but most listeners preferred more accessible pop music; frustrated, Malmsteen sent demo tapes to record companies overseas. When Mike Varney, president of Shrapnel Records -- a label synonymous with the term "shredder" -- heard Malmsteen's tape, he invited the guitarist to come to the United States and join the band Steeler in 1981. "
"On June 22, 1987, a speeding Malmsteen crashed his Jaguar into a tree; in breaking the steering wheel with his head, he received a blood clot in his brain which nearly killed him and extensively damaged the nerves leading to his picking hand. In the course of recovery, he learned that his mother had died and that his manager had swindled him out of his earnings. Undaunted, Malmsteen regained the use of his hand and recorded Odyssey, his most accessible, radio-friendly collection to date; the single "Heaven Tonight" widened his audience beyond a devoted core of guitar fans and helped push the album into Billboard's Top 40."
"After several years in near obscurity, Malmsteen returned to the headlines in 2002, after a fellow airline passenger threw water on Malmsteen after he allegedly made a slanderous comment about homosexuals. This incensed Malmsteen, who had to be escorted away by security, all the while he screamed to the passenger that she had "unleashed the f***king fury". This stint proved to be so popular in revitalizing his career that his come back album in 2005 appropriated the phrases as its title. While his popularity has largely faded in the U.S. due to a backlash against the excesses of '80s shredders, Malmsteen still finds audiences in Europe and is more popular in Japan and Asia than ever."
Now that sounds like the true spirit of a Rocker! Now i am sure quite a few of you haven't ever heard his music before (even though he is world famous ~ go figure) but do give it a listen to.
Rolling Stone Top 500 Songs ranked this song at Number (Gee, the bio was right up thier alley too) the Album ranked at Number (Follow another cookie Hammy)
This song has a total rating of 62.3 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 10:04 pm 3 comments