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Saturday, May 28, 2011

This Day In Music History

1964, Cilla Black was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'You're My World'. The singers second and last No.1.

1964, The BBC received over 8,000 postal applications for tickets for The Rolling Stones appearance on Juke Box Dury.

1966, Herb Alpert And The Tijuana Brass went to No.1 on the US album chart with 'What Now My Love', setting a new American record with four albums in the US Top Ten. The other three were; ‘South of the Border’, ‘Going Places’ and ‘Whipped Cream and Other Delights’.

1966, Percy Sledge started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'When A Man Loves A Woman'. A No.4 hit on the UK chart and No.2 when re-issued in 1987.

1966, All four Beatles spent the day with Bob Dylan in his room at the Mayfair hotel in London, England.

1977, Sting, Stewart Copeland and Andy Summers played together for the first time when they performed as part of Mike Howletts band, Strontium 90 in Paris France.

1983, Actress and singer Irene Cara started a six week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Flashdance...What A Feeling'. Taken from the film 'Flashdance', a No.2 hit in the UK. Cara had also appeared in TV's 'Roots' and 'The Next Generation'.

1988, George Michael started a three week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'One More Try'.

2000, Britney Spears was at No.1 on the US album chart with 'Oops!... I Did It Again'.

2009, Depeche Mode singer Dave Gahan had surgery to remove a cancerous tumour in his bladder. The band who were currently on a world tour cancelled several shows because of the 47-year-old's ongoing health problems.

1910, Born on this day, T- Bone Walker, US blues guitarist, influenced Albert Collins, BB King, Buddy Guy, Freddy King. Died on 16th March 1975.

1917, Born on this day, Papa John Creech – violinist with Jefferson Airplane and Hot Tuna. Died in 1994 aged 76.

1944, Born on this day, Gladys Knight, singer, The Pips, (1973 US No.1 single 'Midnight Train To Georgia', 1975 UK No.4 single 'The Way We Were' plus 20 other UK Top 40 singles).

1945, Born on this day, John Fogerty, guitar, vocals, Creedence Clearwater Revival, (1969 UK No.1 and US No.2 single 'Bad Moon Rising', plus ten other US Top 30 hits, 1970 US & UK No.1 album 'Cosmo's Factory'). Solo and The Blue Ridge Rangers.

1949, Born on this day, Wendy O. Williams – singer with The Plasmatics, a New York punk band who had the 1980 UK No. 55 single ‘Butcher Baby’. She died from self-inflicted gunshot wounds on April 6th 1998.

1955, Born on this day, John McGeoch, guitar, member of Magazine, (1978 UK No.41 single 'Shot By Both Sides'). Also worked with Siouxsie And The Banshees, Armoury Show, Public Image Ltd. Died in his sleep 5th March 2004 aged 49.

1959, Born on this day, Steve Harrington (Steve Strange), vocals, Visage, 1980 UK No.8 single, 'Fade To Grey'.

1962, Born on this day, Roland Gift, singer, Fine Young Cannibals, (1989 US No.1 & UK No.5 single 'She Drives Me Crazy').

1968, Born on this day, Kylie Minogue, Australian singer, actress, (1988 UK No.1 single 'I Should Be So Lucky' plus over 20 other UK Top 40 hit singles).

The Connells - '74-'75

The Connells are an American band from Raleigh, North Carolina. They play a guitar-oriented, melodic, power pop style of rock music with introspective lyrics that reflect the American South. The band continues to play to this day. Quite popular in Europe, the band has produced several hit songs over the years.

Guitarist Mike Connell formed the band in 1984 along with his brother David Connell on bass, Doug MacMillan on vocals, and future filmmaker John Schultz on drums. This initial four-person line-up was quickly supplemented by the addition of George Huntley on second guitar, keyboards, and vocals. Around the same time, former Johnny Quest drummer Peele Wimberley replaced Schultz, finalizing the "classic" line-up of the band.

From the beginning of the group, Mike Connell wrote both the music and the lyrics of the majority of the band’s songs, although he was not the band's primary lead singer. Connell’s influences included the 1960s guitar pop of his childhood, including The Byrds and The Beatles.

"'74–'75" is a 1993 single from the album Ring by the American band The Connells. The song became a big hit in Europe, particularly in Sweden and Norway where it topped the singles charts in 1995.

The accompanying music video was directed by Mark Pellington. It was shot at Needham B. Broughton High School in the band's hometown Raleigh, North Carolina in 1993, and featured members of the Class of 1975, juxtaposing yearbook pictures with footage of the same people as they appeared in 1993.

While not becoming a big hit in the band's native United States, the song became a Top 20 hit throughout Europe in early 1995, eventually spreading to the UK, where it became their first hit, peaking at number 14 in August. A re-release of the single there in March 1996 only managed number 21.

The Cranberries - Ode to My Family

The Cranberries are an Irish rock band formed in Limerick in 1989 under the name The Cranberry Saw Us, later changed by vocalist Dolores O'Riordan.

The band currently consists of O'Riordan, guitarist Noel Hogan, bassist Mike Hogan and drummer Fergal Lawler. Although widely associated with alternative rock, the band's sound also incorporates indie pop, post-punk, Irish folk and pop rock elements.

The Cranberries rose to international fame in the 1990s with their debut album, Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We?, which became a commercial success and sold over five million copies in the United States. The group was one of the most successful rock acts of the '90s and sold over 14.5 million albums in the United States alone.

The band has achieved four top 20 albums on the Billboard 200 chart (Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can't We?; No Need to Argue; To the Faithful Departed and Bury the Hatchet) and eight top 20 singles on the Modern Rock Tracks chart ("Linger", "Dreams", "Zombie", "Ode to My Family", "Ridiculous Thoughts", "Salvation", "Free To Decide" and "Promises").

In 2009 The Cranberries reunited and began a North American tour, followed by dates in Latin America and Europe in early 2010.They performed at the opening ceremony of the 2010 Irish Special Olympics games at Thomond Park on 9 June 2010, their first performance in their native city for over 15 years.

"Ode to My Family" is a 1994 song recorded by the Irish band The Cranberries. It was the second single from their second studio album No Need to Argue. It was released in 1994.

The song was a hit in most of the European countries where it was released, peaking at number four in France, its highest position in the various international charts. This ballad was nevertheless less successful than the previous Cranberries' single, "Zombie".

The song is about Dolores's yearning for her simple life as a child after having achieved success, and includes a string arrangement composed by O'Riordan.

The Cardigans - Erase/Rewind

The Cardigans are a Swedish band formed in the town of Jönköping in October 1992.[1]
Their debut album Emmerdale (1994) gave them a solid base in their home country and enjoyed some success abroad, especially in Japan.

It was not until their second album Life (1995) that an international reputation was secured. The band are best known outside of Sweden for their hit singles "Erase/Rewind" and "My Favourite Game" from the album Gran Turismo (1998) and "Lovefool" from the album First Band on the Moon (1996). Its inclusion in the soundtrack of William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet by director Baz Luhrmann secured their popularity.

"Erase/Rewind" is written by Peter Svensson and Nina Persson for The Cardigans' 1998 album Gran Turismo. The song is the album's second track, and was released as its second single. It was also featured in The Thirteenth Floor during the ending credits. The music video, which features science-fiction references to Star Wars and 2001: A Space Odyssey, was directed by Swedish director Adam Berg.

The song deals with a person who has changed its opinion about something what was being said to somebody else. The reason for this withdrawal from something which was "fine before" is that the person didn't want to grow, yet found out that a wrong direction was chosen. Therefore, the person has erased from what was being said and rewinded back to its initial point. The song also has a melody which is similar to "Stairway to Heaven" by Led Zeppelin in the verses.

Friday, May 27, 2011

This day in music history

 


1957, Buddy Holly and the Crickets released their first record, 'That'll Be The Day.' A UK No.1 and US No.3 hit.

1964, Eleven boys were suspended from a school in Coventry, England for having Mick Jagger haircuts.

1965, Sandie Shaw scored her second UK No.1 single with 'Long Live Love.'

1972, The Chi-lites went to No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Oh Girl', it made No.14 in the UK.

1977, The Sex Pistols single 'God Save The Queen' was released in the UK. Banned by TV and radio, high street shops and pressing plant workers refused to handle the record. It sold 200,000 copies in one week and peaked at No.2 on the UK charts behind Rod Stewart's 'I Don't Want to Talk About It'. There have been persistent rumours, (never confirmed or denied), that it was actually the biggest-selling single in the UK at the time, and the British Phonographic Industry conspired to keep it off the No.1 slot.

1983, The Smiths were at No.1 on the UK independent chart with their debut single 'Hand In Glove.'

1989, Cliff Richard released his one hundredth single, 'The Best Of Me', which became his 26th Top 3 UK hit.

1999, Winners at the Ivor Novello song writing awards included Rod Stewart who won a Lifetime Achievement Award, Robbie Williams and Guy Chambers won songwriters of the year and Chrissie Hynde won outstanding contribution to British Music.
2000, Paula Yates was awarded £400,000 ($680,000) in an out-of-court settlement from her boyfriend Michael Hutchence fortune. Hutchence had died in 1997 INXS singer Hutchence was found dead in his hotel suite in Sydney in 1997 aged 37.

2001, Christina Aguilera, Lil' Kim, Mya and Pink started a five week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Lady Marmalade.' A hit for LaBelle in 1975, this version was from the Baz Luhrmann film Moulin Rouge.

2005, Robbie Williams was voted into first place beating Elvis Presley, Jimi Hendrix and David Bowie to be named the best live solo artist. A UK nation-wide survey of 5,000 people saw the former Take That star beat music icons including Madonna, Michael Jackson and Bob Dylan. U2 were named best live band, ahead of Queen and Oasis, in a poll by Carling to celebrate the UK's live music scene.

2006, Red Hot Chili Peppers started a two-week run at No.1 on the US album chart with ‘Stadium Arcadium’ the bands ninth studio album, also a UK No.1.

2007, Saatchi & Saatchi were fired by Dr Martens for running an advertising campaign featuring dead rock stars such as Kurt Cobain and Sid Vicious wearing the brand's boots in heaven. David Suddens, the chief executive of Dr Martens parent company Airwear, said the brand had not commissioned the series of four print ads. "Dr Martens are very sorry for any offence that has been caused by the publication of images showing dead rock icons wearing Dr Martens boots."

2007, Maroon 5 started a two week run at No.1 on the UK album chart with their second album 'It Won't Be Soon Before Long.' Also a US No.1.

2008, Sir Paul McCartney was awarded an honorary Doctor of Music degree from Yale University in the United States. Yale's president, Richard Levin, said; The former Beatle had awakened a generation, giving a fresh sound to rock and roll and to rhythm and blues. A band played Hey Jude as Sir Paul, 65, walked on stage to accept his degree.

2008, UK High street chain Woolworths announced it would stop selling CD singles in its stores saying that the format was in "terminal decline" and would be removed from the shelves from August. Sales of CD singles had fallen sharply as the popularity of downloading music from the internet had increased.

1935, Born on this day, Ruby Lewis, The Drifters, (1960 US No.1 & UK No.2 single 'Save The Last Dance For Me'). He died on May 10th 1964.

1943, Born on this day, Priscilla White (Cilla Black), singer, TV presenter, 1964 UK No.1 single 'Anyone Who Had A Heart' plus 18 other UK Top 40 singles).

1956, Born on this day, Neil Finn, guitar, vocals, Split Enz, (1980 UK No.12 single 'I Got You'). Crowded House, (1992 UK No.7 single 'Weather With You'). Solo and Finn Brothers.
1957, Born on this day, Susan Dallion, (Siouxsie Sioux), vocals, Siouxsie And The Banshees, 1983 UK No.3 single 'Dear Prudence', plus over 15 other UK Top 40 singles). Also a member of The Creatures, (1983 UK No.14 single 'Right Now').
1966, Born on this day, Sean Kinney, Alice In Chains, (1993 UK No.19 single 'Would').

1975, Born on this day, Dre, (Andre Benjamin), Outkast, US rapper, 2001 US No.1 & UK No.2 single 'Ms Jackson.'