Wednesday, August 23, 2006

Number 869 - Divinyls



Number 869

Divinyls

"I Touch Myself"

(1991)
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Genre:Alt Pop

"In 1991, the Divinyls stirred up a storm again with the song "I Touch Myself" and a video with a tied-up Amphlett back in fishnets. The ensuring controversy helped make the song a huge hit around the world: number one in Australia, Top Ten in America. By now there was no pretence of a "group" and the Divinyls' duo toured on the back of their hit with the help of session musicians. In recent years Amphlett has also indulged her talent for acting with her starring role in the Australian production of Blood Brothers and her stand-out portrayal of Judy Garland in the Peter Allen-inspired musical The Boy From Oz"
The Divinyls' Christina Amphlett is the most dynamic live female performer Australia has ever produced, let alone sent out into the world. With the help of an ever changing Divinyls lineup, Amphlett and guitarist Mark McEntee have created a legacy of powerful pop records.
Rolling Stone Top 500 Songs ranked this song at Number (Nope,its just not Rock & Roll yanno) and the Album ranked at Number (pass us a tissue would you)
This song has a crowbarred rating of 59.6 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 9:25 pm 0 comments

Saturday, June 28, 2008

Number 485 - Cold Chisel


Number 485

Cold Chisel

"Cheap Wine"

(1980)
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Genre:Rock
art by mrmateus
One of the greatest [if not the one] rock bands ever to come out of Australia and ... I stand by that statement. Even New Zealanders loved Cold Chisel, in fact, Kiwi's love Jimmy Barnes so much, that there was a movement to make him an honourary New Zealander. Trust me people of the world, this is a RARE event for any New Zealander to honour any Australian! New Zealand almost declared war against Australia in 1981 over a cricket match where Australia bowled underarm. [see video below] New Zealand quickly realised that any retaliation was futile as we didn't have an Air force [we still don't] and our Army consisted of 14 part time soldiers, often stoned and our Navy ships were designed pre WW I. [an exaggeration yes, but probably not lost with most NZ'ers] So what did New Zealand do? We did what any patriotic God fearing Kiwi would do ... we yelled obscenities at all Australians. [sigh] As for Cold Chisel, they were respected highly on both sides of the Tasman, it was a shame then that the American record labels rejected them becuase if they had been accepted Cold Chisel would have been bigger than INXS. >click here for the video of the Underarm Incident<
I see a Ninja!
Cold Chisel's following had been steadily building for a number of years when their third -- and slickest to date -- album, East, broke them through to a wider audience in 1980. More commercial without compromising on the rawness of their roots, the band hit pay dirt with a clutch of songs it seemed everybody could get into. The virtuosity of the Chisel's musical abilities still comes through on songs that were, nevertheless, compact enough to be radio-ready. The up-tempo loner anthem "Standing on the Outside," the enchanting ballad and breakthrough single "Choirgirl," and the tongue-in-cheek "Ita" all had the hooks to land a singalong audience. On "Star Hotel," the sonic fury of the chorus captures the essence of the subject matter: a wild street battle between angry pub patrons and police that took place in the city of Newcastle, Australia, in September 1979.
Jimmy Barnes
And the customary, all-out rockers are here, as well: "Rising Sun" (singer Jimmy Barnes' love-lost song about his Asian girlfriend) and the rousing closer "My Turn to Cry." As always, the rhythm section gymnastics of drummer Steven Prestwich and bassist Phil Small provide an alternately swift and delicate undercurrent for Ian Moss' guitar heroics, Don Walker's exuberant piano playing, and Barnes' banshee wails. Walker still holds down the job of head songwriter, but the duties are more shared on this album: five of the 12 tracks were written by the other members of the band with Barnes penning two and Prestwich, Small, and Moss one each. The album peaked at number two on the Australian national charts and even broke into the Billboard 200. With East, Cold Chisel signaled that they had moved on up without selling out. The glory days had come at last. [Note: The 1999 re-release contains three bonus tracks and multimedia features.] ~ [Adrian Zupp, All Music Guide]
Ozzie Roll Call
For INXS see Number 551 & #719
For AC/DC see Number 552
For Men At Work see Number 498
For Tina Arena see Number 510
For Little River Band see Number 550
For The Angels see Number 562
For Mondo Rock see Number 693 & #993
For Nick Cave see Number 701
For Hunters & Collectors see Number 720
For Mental As Anything see Number 942
For Air Supply see Number 645
For Australian Crawl see Number 968
For Choirboys see Number 833
For Daryl Braithwaite see Number 731
For The Divinyls see Number 869
For Helen Reddy see Number 1000
For Joe Dolce see Number 801
For Kylie Minogue see Number 886
For Olivia Newton John see Number 985
For Rick Springfeild see Number 724
For Savage Garden see Number 807 & #936
[That is one impressive list! Who says I don't love Australia? And thats not even including what OZ artists I have in the Mellow Mix Volumes]
Rolling Stone have no view on Cold Chisel [gasp]
Rolling Stone magazine deemed their '485th Song of all Time' was "Graceland" by Paul Simon. Paul Simon has appeared in The Definitive 1000 @ Number 742 & #468
Other songs with reference to Cold Chisel #785, #833
Rolling Stone Top 500 Songs ranked this song at Number (We don't even know the group) the Album ranked at (Are they from Iceland?)
This song has a crowbarred rating of 76 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 12:18 pm 0 comments

Thursday, August 24, 2006

Number 868 - Doobie Brothers



Number 868

Doobie Brothers

"Blackwater"

(1974)
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Genre:Classic Rock

I like to hear some funky Dixieland/Pretty Mama, come and take me by the hand.
Oh, by the hand (hand - honky tonk)/Take me by the hand (honky tonk - pretty mama)
Come and dance with your Daddy (with you) all night long.

It may be pretty odd lryics to Generation Y, but the melody proved to be a standout. So much of a standout it earnt Doobie Brothers a Number 1 Hit in 1974.
"Their first number one single, "Black Water," featured heavy contributions from former Steely Dan member Jeff "Skunk" Baxter. Jeff "Skunk" Baxter who officially joined the Doobie Brothers for 1975's Stampede. Prior to the album's spring release, Johnston was hospitalized with a stomach ailment, and was replaced for the supporting tour by keyboardist/vocalist Michael McDonald, who had also worked with Steely Dan" "As one of the most popular Californian pop/rock bands of the '70s, the Doobie Brothers evolved from a mellow, post-hippie boogie band to a slick, soul-inflected pop band by the end of the decade. Along the way, the group racked up a string of gold and platinum albums in the U.S., along with a number of radio hits like "Listen to the Music," "Black Water" and "China Grove."
For more Doobie Brothers see Number 776
For Steely Dan see Number 907
Rolling Stone Top 500 Songs ranked this song at Number (Gasp! R.S gave them the bird) and the Album ranked at Number (Disowned, Tsk)
This song has a crowbarred rating of 59.6 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 7:10 pm 0 comments

Wednesday, August 23, 2006

Number 870 - Dean Martin



Number 870

Dean Martin

"Volare"

(1958)
.
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Genre:Crooner
Raise your glasses Ladies & Gentleman (actually hide the glasses, its been a while since he has had one) its one of the original "Brat Pack" ..... Mr Dean Martin.
Personally i have always enjoyed Dean Martin as an actor rather than a singer. His on screen hi-jinx with Jerry Lewis were a hoot when i was growing up as a kid. Irony was while Jerry acted to appear drunk, Dean just pretended to be sober.
7.06.17 to 25.12.95
"Never totally comfortable in films, Martin still wanted to be known as a real actor. So, though offered a fraction of his former salary to co-star in the war drama The Young Lions (1957), he eagerly agreed in order that he could be with and learn from Marlon Brando and Montgomery Clift. Tony Randall already had the part, but talent agency MCA realised that with this movie, Martin would become a triple threat: they could make fortunes from his work in night clubs, movies, and records, so they engineered Randall's replacement, giving Martin one of the plum dramatic roles of the decade. The film turned out to be the cornerstone of Martin's spectacular comeback; by the mid-'60s, he was a top movie, recording, and nightclub attraction, even as Lewis' star had begun to fade. He was also acclaimed for his performance as Dude in Rio Bravo (1959), directed by Howard Hawks and also starring John Wayne and fellow singer Ricky Nelson. Martin later teamed up again with Wayne in The Sons of Katie Elder (1965), where they were somewhat unconvincingly cast as brothers."
"Martin's even-keel world began to crumble in 1987, when his son Dean Paul Martin was killed in a plane crash. A much-touted tour with old pals Sammy Davis Jr. and Frank Sinatra in 1988 sputtered out, with Martin's heart just not into a Rat Pack reunion. On one occasion he infuriated Sinatra when he flicked a lit cigarette butt into the audience, and on another occasion he turned to Sinatra, ignoring the audience, and muttered "Frank, what the hell are we doing up here?"
Martin died of respiratory failure on Christmas morning 1995. The lights of the Las Vegas Strip were dimmed in his honor. In 2005, Las Vegas renamed Industrial Road "Dean Martin Drive".
For Frank Sinatra see Number 933
Rolling Stone Top 500 Songs ranked this song at Number (Nope, wasn't in English) and the Album ranked at Number (Nope, but hell the Jerry fella sure was funny)
This song has a Crowbarred rating of 59.6 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 8:30 pm 0 comments