Wednesday, August 09, 2006

Number 922 - Uriah Heep


Number 922

Uriah Heep

"Wizard"

(1972)
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................Genre: Hard Rock...............

Would you believe i saw these guys way back in the early 80s!
Whaddya mean yes? Hell we get bugger all Rock acts here in Dirkadirkastan (New Zealand). We are lucky if if we get Boney M! (we did ~ it was dreadful, they played Brown Girl in The Ring 6 times... UGH).

Uriah Heep were at their best in '72, The album "Wizzards & Demons" was their " Sgt Peppers" or "Black Album" and the song itself is cleverly crafted from accoustic to electric all in 2 minutes 59 secs. Clever wee bastiches.

"This is the album that solidified Uriah Heep's reputation as a master of gothic-inflected heavy metal. From short, sharp rock songs to lengthy, musically dense epics, Demons and Wizards finds Uriah Heep covering all the bases with style and power. The album's approach is set with its lead-off track, "The Wizard": it starts as a simple acoustic tune but soon builds into a stately rocker that surges forth on a wall of sound built from thick guitar riffs, churchy organ, and operatic vocal harmonies. "

Isnt that what i said ? Just not so eloquently, Ok right.

Rolling Stone Top 500 Songs ranked this song at Number (Nope, They hated it) and the Album ranked at Number (Nope, didn't know it was out yet)

Search Artist here
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posted by crowbarred at 8:34 pm 0 comments

Sunday, August 03, 2008

Number 470 - Laurie Anderson


Number 470

Laurie Anderson

"O Superman"

(1981)
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Genre:Electronica
Ready for the Olympics Mr. Almighty?
Not like I'll get time to watch them, hell I don't get time to scratch myself anymore, let alone watch tv, (lol) I'm sure you'll keep me informed on how we're doing.
I have no clue what's happening in the world today, sad really when work takes your life so totally over that you don't have time to catch up with news, friends or family. I had to make an appointment with my daughter just to see my grandbabies, how freaking sad is that?
I guess I need to find myself a fella that can keep me in the lifestyle I've become accustomed to, so I can cut down my working…… not!!
Ok I'm done rambling for now, lets get down to business. ~ TEZ
Bizarre? me? not even
After briefly entering the mainstream pop radar in 1981 with her lone hit "O Superman," Laurie Anderson enjoyed a public visibility greater than virtually any other avant-garde figure of her era. Her infrequent forays into rock aside, Anderson nevertheless remained firmly grounded within the realm of performance art, her ambitious multimedia projects encompassing not only music but also film, mime, visual projections, dance, and -- most importantly -- spoken and written language, the cornerstone of all of her work. Born in the Chicago suburb of Glen Ellyn, IL on June 5, 1947, she studied violin as a teen; relocating to New York City at age 20, she later attended Barnard College, graduating with a B.A. in art history in 1969. After earning an M.F.A. in sculpture from Columbia University in 1972, Anderson taught art history and Egyptian architecture at City College; she mounted her first public performances a year later.
Mr & Mrs Lou Reed
By 1976, Anderson was regularly mounting performances in museums, concert halls and art festivals throughout North America and Europe; claiming to base all of her projects on the power of words and language, her work also emphasized visual imagery and cutting-edge technology, with pieces like 1980's "Born, Never Asked" written for both orchestra and electronics. A year later Anderson recorded "O Superman" for the tiny New York label 110 Records; an eleven-minute single built around electronic drones and featuring opaque lyrics half-spoken and half-sung (in a voice sometimes electronically treated), this most unlikely hit became a smash in Britain, where it reached the number two spot on the national pop charts. Warner Bros. soon signed Anderson to record a full-length LP, and in 1982 she issued Big Science, a work drawn from a much larger project, the seven-hour multi-media performance United States.
artist supreme
With 1984's Mister Heartbreak, Anderson produced her most overtly pop-oriented work, teaming with artists including Peter Gabriel and Adrian Belew; the end result even reached the American Top 100. That same year she also issued United States Live, a recorded document of the complete performance spread across a five-LP set. Anderson's next project, Home of the Brave, was a concert film; a year later, she also scored the Jonathan Demme/Spaulding Gray film Swimming to Cambodia. A proper studio album, Strange Angels, did not follow until 1989; the next several years were devoted to performance tours, including 1990's "Empty Places," 1991's "Voices from the Beyond" and 1993's "Stories from the Nerve Bible." In 1994, Anderson teamed with producer Brian Eno for Bright Red, also featuring her boyfriend Lou Reed; the following year she released the LP The Ugly One with Jewels as well as Puppet Motel, a CD-ROM confirming her ongoing interest in the latest technology. ~ [Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide]
For Lou Reed see Number 922
For related Lou Reed see Number 953
Explain "O Superman"
Anderson constructed the song as a cover of the aria "O Souverain, o juge, o père" (O Sovereign, O Judge, O Father) from Jules Massenet's 1885 opera Le Cid. She got the idea after listening to a recording of the aria made by African-American tenor Charles Holland, whose career was hampered for decades by racism in the classical music world. The first lines ("O Superman / O Judge / O Mom and Dad") especially echo the original aria ("O Souverain / o juge / o père"). (Susan McClary suggests in her book Feminine Endings that Anderson is also recalling another opera by Massenet; his 1902 opera, Le jongleur de Notre-Dame. The opera is one in which the arms of the mother—the Virgin Mary—embrace/bless the dying Rodrigo. In this way, it may not have been simply a "cover" of the Le Cid aria.)
Overlaid on a sparse background of two alternating chords formed by the repeated spoken syllable "Ha," the text of "O Superman" is spoken through a vocoder. A saxophone is heard as the song fades out, and a sample of tweeting birds is subtly overlaid at various points within the track.
O Superman
As part of the larger work United States, the text addresses issues of technology and communication, quoting at various points answering machine messages and (what is falsely perceived to be) the United States Postal Service creed: "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night shall stay these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds." This line is in fact the inscription over the entrance of the James Farley Post Office in New York and is derived from a line in Herodotus' Histories (8.98), referring to the ancient courier service of the Persian Empire. All of this is in the context of an attack by American planes and arms. Several times, including in an interview with the Australian magazine Bulletin (22 January 2003), Anderson has claimed that the song is connected to Iran-Contra affair occurring when she wrote it. However, because the song was released in 1981 and the first public reporting of the weapons-for-hostages deal happened on November 3, 1986, this could not be true. It is also possible that Anderson simply used the wrong term for the original Iran hostage crisis which took place in 1979-1980, a time frame which does more closely fit Anderson's description.
"O Superman" did not appeal to all listeners. According to the 1982 book The Rock Lists Album, compiled by John Tobler and Allan Jones, polls conducted by several unidentified British newspapers saw "O Superman" voted readers' least favorite hit single of 1981 (even though the song had been championed by John Peel & Crowbarred). ~ [Source:Wikipedia]
What does Rolling Stone think of Laurie Anderson?
Avant-garde performance artist Laurie Anderson had a British pop hit with her 1981 recording "O Superman" (b/w "Walk the Dog"). Like all her music, "O Superman" was just one aspect of a larger multimedia oeuvre - in this case a seven-hour work in four parts called United States, I-IV, which premiered at the Brooklyn Academy of Music early in 1983. (A lavishly illustrated book about the show was published shortly thereafter, as well as the five-record United States Live.) With background music performed on various electronic keyboard instruments and woodwinds, and Anderson's speaking and singing voice (sometimes electronically treated), "O Superman" was one of the year's more unusual hits. ~ [Source:Rolling Stone -from The Rolling Stone Encyclopedia of Rock & Roll, Simon & Schuster, 2001]
Rolling Stone magazine deemed their '470th Song of all Time' was "Free Man In Paris" by Joni Mitchell. Joni Mitchell has not appeared in The Definitive 1000.
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 4:40 pm 5 comments

Wednesday, August 09, 2006

Number 921 - The Go-Go's


Number 921

Go-Go's

"We Got The Beat"

(1981)
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................Genre: Alt Pop...............

Who thought the early 80's was so much fun eh? Well now you do. Everything goes around in cycles, we had the "" you have "". Its all Karma baby.
Gotta love the comments i have been getting by the way, it's so good you all love music and have an opinion, its a shame some of you think advertising is more imortant. *Pass me a bucket*
Back to the music..............

"Although the relatively polished production belies the Go-Go's' punk roots, Beauty and the Beat remains one of the cornerstone albums of new wave, bristling with energy, revamped surf rock and girl-group hooks, and an intoxicating sense of fun. The infectious, bouncy "We Got the Beat" and the pulsating "Our Lips Are Sealed," which Jane Wiedlin co-wrote with Terry Hall, sent Beauty and the Beat to unexepected hit status, but they only scratch the surface of the wonderful pop songs that comprise the record. Nearly every song on the record is a delight, propelled by big, catchy hooks and an exuberant sense of fun. "Lust to Love," "Skidmarks on My Heart," "Tonite," and "Fading Fast" could have been hits in their own right, but as it stands, they help make Beauty and the Beat into a terrifically exciting pop album." ~ [Stephen Thomas Erlewine]

Rolling Stone Top 500 Songs ranked this song at Number (Nope, They hated it) and the Album ranked at Number 413 (YaY)
This song has a crowbarred rating of 55.2 out of 108
Search Artist here
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Maungarei
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posted by crowbarred at 8:42 pm 0 comments

Number 923 - David Gilmour


Number 923

David Gilmour

"Murder"

(1984)
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................Genre: Rock...............

Imagine Pink Floyd doing a "Unplugged MTV Special"? Well this is the closest your gonna get so enjoy it.

"David Gilmour released his second solo venture in 1984, following the apparent dissolution of Pink Floyd. He had released a record on his own in 1978, but About Face is much more accessible. Gilmour has a stellar band backing him, including Jeff Porcaro (drums), Pino Palladino (bass), and Anne Dudley (synthesizer). The songs on About Face show a pop sensibility that Pink Floyd rarely was concerned with achieving. Although the album didn't attract the attention of a Floyd release, several cuts did manage to get airplay. "Until We Sleep" is rife with shimmering synthesizers and cavernous drums, and "Blue Light" was a minor pop hit, with Gilmour's trademark delay-drenched guitar giving way to a driving, horn-laced rocker. Pete Townshend wrote two of the tracks: "Love on the Air" and the propulsive "All Lovers Are Deranged." Of course, there's more than enough of Gilmour's fluid guitar playing to satisfy, including the gorgeous "Murder," a gentle acoustic track that explodes with some fiery organ by Steve Winwood and concludes with a fierce coda. About Face is well-honed rock album that is riveting from beginning to end". ~ Tom Demalon

I am the lucky owner of a " DVD" Whoopee you say, but Whoopee it is. I listened to Gilmour closely, and it is no wonder he is one of the "Great 20th Century Guitarists of all time", he is the sound of Pink Floyd. One day you will play a Pink Floyd song to your Grandchildren and you will be proud of the fact that they were a part of your generation.

For Steve Winwood see Number 622
For Pink Floyd see Number 497 & MM vol 1 #138

Rolling Stone Top 500 Songs ranked this song at Number (Nope, They hated it) and the Album ranked at Number (Nope, didn't know it was out yet)
This song has a crowbarred rating of 55.2 out of 108
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Maungarei
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posted by crowbarred at 7:54 pm 0 comments

Saturday, November 10, 2007

Number 539 - Queen


Number 539

Queen

"Killer Queen"

(1974)
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Genre:Rock
Mii on Wii
Gazza here .... also known as Bowling King! Poozer crowbarred has let me graciously !$^*%#^ (whatever) write about the one and only supergrup QUEEN. Frag the Led Heads and their one and only reunion concert. Lucky them, its not if we can dig up ole Freddy Mercury and plonk his bones on Wembly Stadium and perform isit? One would imagine in a coupla hundred years they can DNA Mercury and grow a new one in a test tube. Hmmm .... sort of like a Thermometer!
Killer Queen is a killer track although personally i prefer "Tie Ya Mother Down" now theres a knees up. By the way, here are some facts for crowbarred to stick in his pipe since he loves rubbing his precious Beatles in my ^&%*&^$$ face ..... Queen was voted in 2007 by the BBC as being the "Best British Band Of All Time". Also in 1999 by Music Of The Millennium "The band was voted the greatest band in music history" and lastly, in 2005 - The band's performance at Live Aid is voted two times by a large selection of musicians and critics to be the greatest live show of all time by Queen! Fraggin' bliss ~ Gazza
Queen II was a breakthrough in terms of power and ambition, but Queen's third album Sheer Heart Attack was where the band started to gel. It followed quickly on the heels of the second record - just by a matter of months; it was the second album they released in 1974 - but it feels like it had a longer incubation period, so great is the progress here. Which isn't quite to say that Sheer Heart Attack is flawless - it still has a tendency to meander, sometimes within a song itself, as when the killer opening "Brighton Rock" suddenly veers into long stretches of Brian May solo guitar - but all these detours do not distract from the overall album, they're in many ways the key to the record itself: it's the sound of Queen stretching their wings and as they learn how to soar to the clouds.
art by st-solid-snake
There's a genuine excitement in hearing all the elements to Queen's sound fall into place here, as the music grows grander and catchier without sacrificing their brutal, hard attack. One of the great strengths of the album is how all four members find their voice as songwriters, penning hooks that are big, bold, and insistent and crafting them in songs that work as cohesive entities instead of flourishes of ideas. This is evident not just in "Killer Queen" - the first, best flourishing of Freddie Mercury's vaudevillian camp - but also on the pummeling "Stone Cold Crazy," a frenzied piece of jagged metal that's all the more exciting because it has a real melodic hook. Those hooks are threaded throughout the record, on both the ballads and the other rockers, but it isn't just that this is poppier, it's that they're able to execute their drama with flair and style.
Queen Crest
There are still references to mystical worlds ("Lily of the Valley," "In the Lap of Gods") but there's not the fantasy does not overwhelm as it did on the first two records; the theatricality is now wielded on everyday affairs, which ironically makes them sound larger than life. And this sense of scale, combined with the heavy guitars, pop hooks and theatrical style, marks the true unveiling of Queen, making Sheer Heart Attack as the moment where they truly came into their own. ~ [Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide]
What does Brian May think about Killer Queen?
Brian May
'Killer Queen' was the turning point. It was the song that best summed up our kind of music, and a big hit, and we desperately needed it as a mark of something successful happening for us... I was always very happy with this song. The whole record was made in a very craftsmanlike manner. I still enjoy listening to it because there's a lot to listen to, but it never gets cluttered. There's always space for all the little ideas to come through. And of course I like the solo, with that three-part section, where each part has its own voice. What can say? It's vintage Queen. The first time I heard Freddie playing that song, I was lying in my room in Rockfield [a residential recording studio in Wales], feeling very sick. After Queen's first American tour I had hepatitis, and then I had very bad stomach problems and I had to be operated on. So I remember just lying there, hearing Freddie play this really great song and feeling sad, because I thought, 'I can't even get out of bed to participate in this. Maybe the group will have to go on without me.' No one could figure out what was wrong with me. But then I did go into the hospital and I got fixed up, thank God. And when I came out again, we were able to finish off 'Killer Queen.' They left some space for me and I did the solo. I had strong feelings about one of the harmony bits in the chorus, so we had another go at that too.~ [Source:Wikipedia]
Side note:Mercury commented that the influences he received for the track included early Beatles records, Beach Boys and (lyrically) Noel Coward. He wrote the lyrics first before adding the complex musical arrangements. The recording features elaborate 4-part vocal harmonies (particularly in the choruses, and also providing backing parts in the verses), and also an elaborate multitracked guitar solo by Brian May.
For more Queen see Number 805, Number 799 & Number 747
For the Beatles see Number 947, 894 & 587
For Led Zeppelin see Number 957 & Number 577
For Beach Boys see Number 714, 641, 576 & 560
What does Rolling Stone think about Queen?
Queen—on the record and on the jacket, too—makes no concessions to moderation. This quartet, bejeweled and mascaraed, projects a correspondingly shrill surliness in its dramatically technologized rock & roll. And Queen makes unusually crisp, dense recordings — the group's three albums vibrate with multilayered electric guitars and unearthly overdubbed vocal harmonies (which have the unfortunate tendency to sound at times like Uriah Heep's). But there's more to Queen than rouge and chrome. The group's main writers, singer Freddie Mercury and guitarist Brian May, work in a sophisticated, glib style and the material's wittiness lifts the ponderously thick music like flaps on a jumbo jet. On Sheer Heart Attack, "Killer Queen" (which would seem from the title to be a sonic blitzkrieg) and "Bring Back That Leroy Brown" are surprisingly light showcases for Queen's wit and vocal dexterity, calculated — like everything this band has ever done—to turn heads in surprise and wonder.
I don't know how May and his band have managed to escape the attention of the American rock audience for so long, but Silk Torpedo should change that. And Freeway Madness and Parachute (both now deleted) will surely be regarded as two-dollar bin finds once the word gets out on this superior band. The Pretty Things have refined risk taking into an accessible style, and they take their chances with as much confidence, ease and effectiveness as any band now working in British rock. [Source:RS 186]
For Uriah Heep see Number 922
Artist Fact File
Name:Queen........................Related to³:No-one
Yrs Active:1970 to 1991...........Site:www.queenonline.com
Best Song¹:Bohemian Rhapsody......#1fan:www.queenworld.com
Best Album²:Sheer Heart Attack....Grammy Awards:0
Albums Sold:300 Million +.........Next best thing:Van Halen
¹Number of downloads WINMX ²Artistdirect choice ³Associated acts or collaborations
Rolling Stone Top 500 Songs ranked this song at Number (Thermometer??) and the Album ranked at Number (Not even)
This song has a crowbarred rating of 73.9 out of 108 pts

,, , , , , , , , , ,
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posted by Gazza at 11:30 pm 0 comments