Thursday, August 31, 2006

Number 856 - Peter Cetera



Number 856

Peter Cetera

"Glory Of Love"

(1986)
.
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Genre:Soft Rock
I am the voice of Chicago!
No, he is not the Mayor of Chicago, just more popular.
Peter Cetera's journey of music kicked of in 60s being the frontman for a group called "The Exceptions". In 1967 he was "poached" to join a band called the "Chicago Transit Authourity" (ick) just to play the bass.
They changed their name to just "Chicago" (wise move) and not long after allowed Peter Cetera to take over the main vocals (even wiser move).
The rest, as they say in Bollywood, was history...........
"By the early 1970s, Chicago was among the most popular acts in America, their brand of muscular jazz-rock spawning such major hits as "Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is?" and "Saturday in the Park," many of them featuring Cetera on vocals. In 1976 he penned the gossamer ballad "If You Leave Me Now," and when it hit number one, most of Chicago's subsequent work followed in the same soft-rock style. Although the band's fortunes dwindled over the remainder of the decade, in 1982 they returned to the top of the charts with "Hard to Say I'm Sorry"; several more smashes, including "Hard Habit to Break" and "You're the Inspiration," were to follow. Although Cetera recorded his eponymously titled solo debut in 1981, he remained with Chicago full-time until 1985. Upon quitting the band, he soon returned to the top of the charts with "The Glory of Love," the first single from his album Solitude/Solitaire as well as the theme to the film The Karate Kid Part II; that same year he scored another number one smash, "The Next Time I Fall," a duet with Amy Grant. A year later he produced Agnetha Faltskog's I Stand Alone, and upon resurfacing in 1988 with One More Story, Cetera scored with another duet, "After All," this one recorded with Cher. After a four-year hiatus, he issued World Falling Down, his final release for Warner Bros.; One Clear Voice followed in 1995. In 1997, Cetera released You're the Inspiration, a collection of past hits and new material. Cetera stepped out of the limelight for a few years to enjoy his life and his family, and returned in 2001 with Another Perfect World"
Rolling Stone Top 500 Songs ranked this song at Number (Believe it or not, Rolling Stone didnt like Chicago either) and the Album ranked at Number (Sorry, to succesful to be in our list)
This song has a crowbarred rating of 60.7 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 6:27 pm 0 comments

Sunday, August 03, 2008

Number 471 - Mr Mister


Number 471

Mr Mister

"Kyrie"

(1986)
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.
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Genre:Soft Rock
Mortlock practicing the Haka?
How's those Wallabies eh??
Poor ol' All blacks, great game though.
We Aussies, tend to kick arse when it comes to the Kiwi's, go figure!!!One has to question, how the Olympics will go, I'm safely betting that Aussieland kicks Kiwi land's arse, yet again!! ..I love my Kiwi friends; Mr. Almighty is just one of them. ~ TEZ
Lounging around
Mr. Mister was formed in 1982 by bassist/lead vocalist Richard Page and keyboardist/vocalist Steve George, boyhood friends from Phoenix, AZ, and accomplished session men. The two had previously played together in a jazz fusion outfit called Pages, which recorded three major-label albums from 1979-1981 (the final one being more pop/rock-oriented). Plagued by a lack of sales, an abundance of personnel shifts, and an uncertainty over direction, the group disbanded by the end of 1981, and Page and George returned to their session careers (they'd previously done vocals on Village People records, among others). The two wrote songs and offered backup for artists including REO Speedwagon, John Parr, Chaka Khan, the Pointer Sisters, Donna Summer, Al Jarreau, and Kenny Loggins, and conceived the idea for their own band while on tour with Andy Gibb. The first to join was guitarist Steve Farris, who had been working with Eddie Money; next was drummer Pat Mastelotto, who had done numerous sessions for producer Mike Chapman. Page's cousin, lyricist John Lang, was invited to collaborate on material as he had done for Pages, and the group quickly landed a deal with RCA on the strength of several showcase concerts.
Hair dressers were busy in the 80s
Mr. Mister's debut album, I Wear the Face, was released in 1984, producing one chart single, "Hunters of the Night," which failed to reach the Top 40. It didn't sell very well, which made the band's breakthrough with their sophomore effort all the more surprising. Welcome to the Real World, issued in May 1985, perfected the band's blend of Genesis-style pop, swirling keyboard textures, slightly spiritual lyrics, and polished studio craft. Page had turned down offers to join Toto and Chicago, and his faith in Mr. Mister was justified with the release of the album's first single, "Broken Wings." It took a few months to catch on, but helped by the band's prominent tour slots, it climbed all the way to the top of the pop charts before year's end, and was nominated for a Grammy for Best Pop Vocal Group. The follow-up, "Kyrie," duplicated that feat in March 1986, and Welcome to the Real World topped the album charts the same week, on its way to platinum sales. Third single "Is It Love" reached the Top Ten, and the band consolidated their success with appearances at several awards shows and benefit concerts.
Classic 80s coverwork
The individual members' musical pedigrees ensured that they wouldn't be wanting for work. Mastelotto played drums on XTC's Oranges and Lemons (among many other albums), and joined King Crimson in 1994; he also plays in the progressive/experimental rock band Mastica. Page co-wrote Madonna's 1994 hit ballad "I'll Remember," which led to his forming the group Third Matinee with Madonna producer Patrick Leonard. They released an album in 1994 but broke up the following year, and Page issued his solo debut, Shelter Me, in 1996; he eventually moved into Disney musicals, among other vocal gigs. Lang formed the post-grunge band Djinn, which released Radio Beirut in 1995. George served as Kenny Loggins' music director from 1991-1997, and subsequently toured with Jewel. Farris toured with Whitesnake in 1997, and recorded with Tori Amos, 4 Non Blondes, and others. ~ [Steve Huey, All Music Guide]
For the Village People see Number 962, #973 & #988
For Genesis see Number 684
For Chicago see Peter Cetera Number 856
For XTC see Number 773
For Madonna see Number 478 & #571
For more Madonna visit Mellow Mix Vol 1 #077
For Jewel visit Mellow Mix Vol 1 #090
For Whitesnake see Number 487
For Toto see Number 956
What is a Kyrie ????
The words to "Kyrie" were written by lyricist John Lang who co-wrote the songs on all of Mr. Mister's albums. The music was composed by Richard Page and Steve George while on tour with Adam Ant, and according to Page it is essentially a prayer.
The song's lyrics cleverly uses the phrase "Kyrie eleison" :
"Kyrie eleison down the road that I must travel
Kyrie eleison through the darkness of the night"
The video for this song was directed by Nick Morris, and features the band in performance mixed with footage taken at the tail end of their Fall 1985 tour with Tina Turner.
There is an urban legend that singer Richard Page wrote this song while lying in a hospital bed following an unprovoked attack. John Lang has stated that he was the one who was attacked, three years before "Kyrie" was written, and that the incident has nothing to do with the song. ~ [Source Wikipedia]
For Adam & The Ants see Number 763
For Tina Turner see Number 756
What does Rolling Stone think all about this then?
The idea for Mr. Mister germinated while founding members Richard Page and Steve George were touring as part of Andy Gibb's backing band. Once back in L.A., the boys did a few showcases and since their atmospheric pop/rock perfectly reflected what was going on musically in the mid-1980s, they were signed. And while the band's future seemed sure-footed and full of potential, Mr. Mister's star faded after the two hits, "Broken Wings" and "Kyrie." ~ [Source:Rolling Stone]
Rolling Stone magazine deemed their '471st Song of all Time' was "On The Road Again" by Willie Nelson. Willie Nelson have appeared in The Definitive 1000 @ #664
Rolling Stone Top 500 Songs ranked this song at Number (If it aint on the cover...) and the Album ranked at (....then it aint in the countdown)
This song has a crowbarred rating of 76.4 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 Tez at 11:30 am 2 comments

Thursday, August 31, 2006

Number 855 - Ocean Colour Scene



Number 855

Ocean Colour Scene

"The Day We Caught The Train"

(1996)
.
Genre:Britt pop
This song sounds like....
Go on, say it, i know your dying to. If you don't know what i'm talking about watch the video first. (Ok which one of you poozers said "crap" huh)
Yes it does indeed sound like a song sung by a very successful British band from the 60's.
Lets put it in to perspective shall we? Lets look at some other Beatle clones or admirers of the 90's, however you want to put it.
Oasis did it. Jesus Jones did it, even Hootie & The Blowfish did it, but hey guess what? They also did it... sucessfully. And why not? Its a proven winner. I bet other people could think of half a dozen more artists. (Let me know if you can think of any more)
"Falling between the energetic pop/rock of mod revival and the psychedelic experimentations of Traffic, Ocean Colour Scene came to be one of the leading bands of the traditionalist, post-Oasis British rock of the mid-'90s. Although they had formed in the late '80s and had several hits during the height of Madchester in the early '90s, the band didn't earn a large following until 1996, when their second album, Moseley Shoals, became a multi-platinum success story in the U.K. "
"Their ascent was greatly aided by Paul Weller and Oasis' Noel Gallagher, who both publicly praised Ocean Colour Scene for keeping the flame of real rock & roll burning during the '90s. And, according to one specific definition, they were right, since Ocean Colour Scene was nothing if not rock & roll traditionalists, drawing heavily from British Invasion pop, psychedelia, soul, R&B, and blues-rock to create a reverential homage to classic rock. Their devotion to trad rock may have earned them decidedly mixed reviews, but that was the very thing that earned them a sizable following."
Ah Rock music and its ironies, gotta love it.
For Oasis see Number 574
For Jesus Jones see Number 638
For Hootie & The Blowfish see Number 559
For more Hootie & The Blowfish visit Mellow Mix Vol 1 #135
Rolling Stone Top 500 Songs ranked this song at Number (We love only the Beatles) and the Album ranked at Number (Give us a break, they arent even named after an insect)
This song has a crowbarred rating of 60.8 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 7:03 pm 2 comments