tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20747854522856911322024-03-08T08:07:25.555-05:00Big-70sMusic Video's from the 70's along with information about the bands.Excel Professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01386313437407814163noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2074785452285691132.post-23683176695316838312007-05-14T07:26:00.000-05:002007-05-14T07:30:14.696-05:00Paper Lace<object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/KX-JeV37Uqw"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/KX-JeV37Uqw" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350"></embed></object><br />Billy Don't Be A Hero<br /><br />Paper Lace was a <a title="Nottingham, England" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nottingham%2C_England">Nottingham</a> based <a title="Pop music" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pop_music">pop</a> <a title="Band (music)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Band_%28music%29">group</a>, formed in 1969. They are known to <a title="United States" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States">Americans</a> as a classic <a title="One-hit wonder" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One-hit_wonder">one-hit wonder</a>; however, in the <a title="United Kingdom" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdom">UK</a> they were a "classic two and a half hit wonder" (Sendra, 2006). The core of the band originally formed in 1967 as Music Box, but changed their name to Paper Lace when Phil Wright joined as <a title="Drummer" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drummer">drummer</a> and lead <a title="Singer" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singer">singer</a>.<br /><br /><a name="Career"></a><strong>Career<br /></strong>The band took their name from <a title="Lace" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lace">lace</a> products created from a special grade of high quality <a title="Paper" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paper">paper</a> manufactured in Nottingham; their hometown. Paper Lace was one of hundreds of pop bands in England looking for the big time while slogging their way through small <a title="Night club" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Night_club">club</a> <a title="Concert" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concert">gigs</a> and brief <a title="Television" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Television">television</a> appearances. A season at Tiffany's, a <a title="Rochdale" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rochdale">Rochdale</a> club, led to more television appearances, but a passport to the charts did not arrive until a 1974 victory on <a title="Opportunity Knocks" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Opportunity_Knocks">Opportunity Knocks</a>, the <a title="ITV" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ITV">ITV</a> talent contest series (Larkin, 2005).<br /><br />According to drummer and lead singer Phil Wright:<br />"Opportunity Knocks was pretty much the 70s version of <a title="The X-Factor" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_X-Factor">The X-Factor</a> (or American Idol). There was a huge audition week in 1970 at the Bridgford Hotel, which is now the Rushcliffe Borough Council building near the City Ground. And there were thousands of people queuing up. We turned up in our best suits, did a few numbers, and were told that they liked us but not to expect to go on straight away. When they finally got back to us in 1973, we thought; do we really need this now? But they were getting viewing figures of 7 million, so we went for it. And we won five weeks on the trot! There were two songwriters (Mitch Murray and Peter Callender) who got in touch with our management and offered us the above video "Billy Don’t Be A Hero", with the possibility of more songs if it took off. We went down, recorded it, and they said "Hey, this is a great song, it’s going to be a hit". And the song proved to be stronger than the band, because everyone knows it, they just can’t remember who recorded it. Except in Nottingham, of course…" (Needham, n.d.)<br /><br />Thanks to that show, <a title="Songwriter" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Songwriter">songwriters</a>/<a title="Record producer" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Record_producer">producers</a>, <a title="Mitch Murray" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mitch_Murray">Mitch Murray</a> and Peter Callender quickly signed them. The smash hit "<a title="Billy Don't Be A Hero" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Don%27t_Be_A_Hero">Billy Don't Be A Hero</a>" stayed three weeks at <a title="Chart-topper" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chart-topper">Number one</a> on the <a title="UK Singles Chart" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UK_Singles_Chart">UK Singles Chart</a> in March 1974. It was followed by an equally catchy story song, which reached the Number 3 called "<a title="The Night Chicago Died" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Night_Chicago_Died">The Night Chicago Died</a>". Another hit, "The Black-Eyed Boys", took Paper Lace to Number 11 in late 1974 (Paper Lace, 2003).<br /><br />With their subject matter about the <a title="Vietnam War" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam_War">Vietnam War</a>, it was logical that "Billy Don't Be A Hero" should become a hit in the <a title="United States" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States">United States</a>; however, <a title="Bo Donaldson and the Heywoods" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bo_Donaldson_and_the_Heywoods&action=edit">Bo Donaldson and the Heywoods</a> were the first to release "Billy" in the United States, and Paper Lace had to be content with a #96 placing. Although, the follow-up song, "The Night Chicago Died", set in the <a title="Prohibition" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prohibition">Prohibition</a> era with reference to <a title="Al Capone" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al_Capone">Al Capone</a>, was untroubled by any such competition and topped the <a title="Billboard Hot 100" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billboard_Hot_100">Billboard Hot 100</a> (Larkin, 2005).<br /><br />According to Phil Wright,<br />"Well, that [Chicago song] was even more successful. Number 1 in America. I got a platinum disc for that…and I certainly didn’t give that away! I remember us being on <a title="Top Of The Pops" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Top_Of_The_Pops">Top Of The Pops</a> and <a title="Elton John" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elton_John">Elton John</a> shaking my hand backstage and congratulating us on a US No.1, which he hadn’t achieved at the time! The really strange thing was we couldn’t even perform the song in America, due to some contractual hassles. And the label told us that they could make it a hit without us having to be there. We did a few radio stations, but that’s all." (Needham, n.d.)<br />The group released two <a title="Album" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Album">albums</a>, Paper Lace and Other Bits of Material (1974) and the strangely titled second album, First Edition (1975); however, they quickly faded from the public eye as the band's popularity waned. Philip Wright and Cliff Fish carried on as Paper Lace, with other <a title="Musician" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musician">musicians</a> filling in for the missing band members. In 1978, they surfaced briefly with a sing-along version of "<a title="We've Got the Whole World in Our Hands" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=We%27ve_Got_the_Whole_World_in_Our_Hands&action=edit">We've Got the Whole World in Our Hands</a>" with their local football team, <a title="Nottingham Forest F.C." href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nottingham_Forest_F.C.">Nottingham Forest Football Club</a> (Sendra, 2006). The <a title="'7" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/7%22_single">7" single</a>, with "The Nottingham Forest March" as the <a title="A-side and B-side" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A-side_and_B-side">B-side</a>, reached Number 24 in the UK chart.<br /><br />In 1997, Wright rejoined Sons and Lovers, the band he left to join Paper Lace; however, he does occasional gigs billed as Philip Wright's Paper Lace.<br /><br />They were the most successful band Nottingham ever produced and were invited to perform on the <a title="Royal Variety Performance" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Variety_Performance">Royal Variety Performance</a> in front of the <a title="Queen Mother" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_Mother">Queen Mother</a> (Paper Lace, 2003).<br /><br /><a name="Discography"></a><strong>Discography<br /></strong><a name="Albums"></a><strong>Albums</strong><br />1974 — Paper Lace — U.S. #124<br />1975 — First Edition — Did not chart<br />2003 — And Other Bits of Material<br /><br /><a name="Singles"></a><strong>Singles<br /></strong><a title="April 27" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/April_27">April 27</a>, <a title="1974" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1974">1974</a> — "Billy Don't Be A Hero" — U.S. #96<br /><a title="June 15" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/June_15">June 15</a>, <a title="1974" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1974">1974</a> — "The Night Chicago Died" — U.S. #1<br /><a title="October 12" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/October_12">October 12</a>, <a title="1974" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1974">1974</a> — "The Black Eyed Boys" — U.S. #41<br /><br /><a name="Trivia"></a><strong>Trivia<br /></strong>On the <a title="December 22" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/December_22">December 22</a>, <a title="2006" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006">2006</a> edition of <a title="Friday Night with Jonathan Ross" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friday_Night_with_Jonathan_Ross">Friday Night with Jonathan Ross</a>, the <a title="Jonathan Ross" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Ross">host</a> revealed himself to be a fan of the band, and joked with guest <a title="Richard Hammond" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Hammond">Richard Hammond</a> about being the only person in the studio able to remember them.<br /><br /><a name="Band_members"></a><strong>Band members<br /></strong>Michael Vaughn (born <a title="July 27" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/July_27">27 July</a> <a title="1950" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1950">1950</a>, in <a title="Sheffield, England" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheffield%2C_England">Sheffield, England</a>) — guitar<br /><a title="Chris Morris" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Morris">Chris Morris</a> (born <a title="November 1" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/November_1">1 November</a> <a title="1944" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1944">1944</a>, in Nottingham, England) — guitar<br />Carlo Santanna (born <a title="July 29" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/July_29">29 July</a> <a title="1947" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1947">1947</a>, near <a title="Rome, Italy" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rome%2C_Italy">Rome, Italy</a>) — guitar<br />Philip Wright (born <a title="April 9" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/April_9">9 April</a> <a title="1946" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1946">1946</a>, in <a title="St Annes, Nottingham" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=St_Annes%2C_Nottingham&action=edit">St Annes, Nottingham</a>, England) — drums / lead vocals<br />Cliff Fish (born <a title="August 13" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/August_13">13 August</a> <a title="1949" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1949">1949</a>, in <a title="Ripley, Derbyshire" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ripley%2C_Derbyshire">Ripley, Derbyshire</a>, England) — bass<br />Jonathan Arendt (born <a title="August 13" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/August_13">13 August</a> <a title="1949" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1949">1949</a>, in <a title="Tokyo" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokyo">Tokyo</a>, <a title="Japan" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan">Japan</a>) — bass<br /><br /><a name="References"></a><a name="External_links"></a><strong>External links<br /></strong><a title="http://www.sonsandlovers.co.uk/PAPER%20LACE.htm" href="http://www.sonsandlovers.co.uk/PAPER%20LACE.htm">Paper Lace site</a>Excel Professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01386313437407814163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2074785452285691132.post-1088381801334180372007-05-02T11:54:00.000-05:002007-05-02T11:59:30.197-05:00Redbone<object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/0NLXgS6IA_0"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/0NLXgS6IA_0" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" width="425" height="350"></embed></object><br />Come And Get Your Love<br /><br />Redbone was an <a title="USA" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USA">American</a> <a title="Rock and roll" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_and_roll">rock</a> group that was most active in the <a title="1970s" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1970s">1970s</a>. The band was formed initially in <a title="1968" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1968">1968</a> in <a title="Los Angeles" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Angeles">Los Angeles</a>, <a title="California" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California">California</a> by the brothers <a title="Pat Vasquez" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Pat_Vasquez&action=edit">Pat Vasquez</a> (bass and vocals) and <a title="Lolly Vasquez" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lolly_Vasquez&action=edit">Lolly Vasquez</a> (guitar and vocals). The name <a title="Redbone (ethnicity)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redbone_%28ethnicity%29">Redbone</a> itself is a joking reference to a Cajun term for a mixed-race person; the band's members being of mixed blood ancestry. The band referenced Cajun and New Orleans culture many times in their lyrics and performing style. Pat and Lolly adopted the stage surname Vegas prior to the formation of the Redbone band, in part to downplay the Latin association of their birth surname, Vasquez.<br /><br />Redbone played primarily rock music with R&B, Cajun, Jazz, tribal, and Latin roots. Redbone had their first commercial success with the single "Maggie" from their second album, <a title="Potlatch" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potlatch">Potlatch</a>, in <a title="1970" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1970">1970</a>, and had two other single hits - "The Witch Queen of New Orleans" in <a title="1971" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1971">1971</a> and the above video "Come and Get Your Love" in <a title="1974" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1974">1974</a>. "Come and Get Your Love" was covered by the <a title="Real McCoy (band)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Real_McCoy_%28band%29">Real McCoy</a> in 1995 and by <a title="René Dif" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ren%C3%A9_Dif">René Dif</a> & Chrystal Cherry in 2002. Its chorus was used by <a title="Cyndi Lauper" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyndi_Lauper">Cyndi Lauper</a> in the 1994 remake of her earlier hit '<a title="Girls Just Want to Have Fun (song)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Girls_Just_Want_to_Have_Fun_%28song%29">Girls just wanna have fun</a>', which she cunningly retitled 'Hey now (Girls just wanna have fun)'.<br /><br />Guitarist Lolly Vegas was one of the first guitarists to make extensive use of the distinctive Leslie rotating speaker effect in his electric guitar amplification setup. Vegas played distinctive, improvised, jazz-influenced guitar parts and solos, which are particularly identifiable due to the <a title="Leslie speaker" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leslie_speaker">Leslie speaker</a> effect that Vegas so often employed. Drummer Pete DePoe is credited with pioneering the "King Kong" style of drumming, which features sharply accented <a title="Polyrhythms" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polyrhythms">polyrhythms</a> involving the <a title="Bass guitar" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bass_guitar">bass</a> and <a title="Snare drum" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snare_drum">snare drums</a>. DePoe's "King Kong" signature style is similar to <a title="Funk" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Funk">funk</a> styles of drumming practiced by other contemporary drummers. The band referred to DePoe's "King Kong Beat" in their lyrics to the song "Prehistoric Rhythm" on their debut album.<br /><br />In 1973 Redbone released the politically oriented "We were all wounded at <a title="Wounded Knee Massacre" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wounded_Knee_Massacre">Wounded Knee</a>", recalling the massacre of <a title="Lakota people" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lakota_people">Lakota</a> <a title="Sioux" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sioux">Sioux</a> Indians by the Seventh <a title="Cavalry" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cavalry">Cavalry</a> in <a title="1890" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1890">1890</a>. The song ends with the subtly altered sentence "We were all wounded by Wounded Knee". The song reached the number one chart position across <a title="Europe" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europe">Europe</a> but didn't chart in the USA where it was initially withheld from release and then banned by several radio stations.<br /><br />The lineup of Redbone was not constant. Original drummer Pete DePoe left to live with his aging family after making several albums and touring with the band. He was replaced on drums by Butch Rillera. Redbone went on to make several albums and tour extensively after DePoe left the band, and the band realized commercial success with the songs "Come and Get Your Love" and "We Were All Wounded At Wounded Knee."<br /><br /><a title="Tony Bellamy" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tony_Bellamy&action=edit">Tony Bellamy</a> (guitar, piano and vocals) was part of the band's core membership from its inception through to their heyday until he was forced to retire due to illness. The Vegas brothers were essentially the core of the band from its inception onwards.<br /><br />The band's current remaining membership is led by Pat Vegas alone (Lolly left in <a title="1995" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1995">1995</a>, Tony Bellamy sometime after that), <a title="Raven Hernandez" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Raven_Hernandez&action=edit">Raven Hernandez</a> (guitar, vocals and songwriter) joined Redbone in <a title="1996" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1996">1996</a> to replace Lolly Vegas after he suffered a stroke that left him unable to tour with the band. Although Redbone has had some limited activity in recent years, their songwriting and touring output is very minimal compared to the band's heyday in the early 1970s. An attempt by Pat Vegas and original drummer Pete 'Last Walking Bear' DePoe to organize a reunion tour in 2003 did not materialize.<br /><br />Evidence suggests the existence of an "imposter band" illegally touring the United States and posing as Redbone under the name (or alias) "Denny Freeman." Freeman, who Pat Vegas confirmed to be unaffiliated with Redbone in an interview with the <a title="Montana Standard" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montana_Standard">Montana Standard</a>, most recently defrauded the county-fair board of the Butte Silver-Bow County Fair in <a title="Butte, Montana" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butte%2C_Montana">Butte, Montana</a> under pretenses of being a co-founding member of Redbone, yet he was never a band member.<a title="http://www.mtstandard.com/articles/2006/08/11/newsbutte_top/20060811_newsbutte_top.txt" href="http://www.mtstandard.com/articles/2006/08/11/newsbutte_top/20060811_newsbutte_top.txt">(News Article)</a> Denny Freeman is a known smalltime con who has defrauded others in the past, also claiming to be a founding member of Seals and Crofts.<br /><br />Tony Bellamy formed in the 80´s a 13-piece band called Bimbam together with his cousin Butch Rillera. This band performed several times at Medley´s in Fountain Valley, CA.<br />The Little Rock, Arkansas-based wireless telecommunications company <a title="Alltel" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alltel">Alltel</a> uses "Come and Get Your Love" as the main jingle for its US television commercials.<br /><br /><strong>Discography<br /></strong>Potlach (<a title="1970" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1970">1970</a>)<br />Redbone (<a title="1970" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1970">1970</a>)<br />Already Here (<a title="1972" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1972">1972</a>)<br />Message From a Drum (<a title="1972" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1972">1972</a>)<br />Beaded Dreams Through Turquoise Eyes (<a title="1974" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1974">1974</a>)<br />Wovoka (<a title="1974" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1974">1974</a>)<br />Come & Get Your Redbone (compilation, <a title="1975" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1975">1975</a>)<br />The Best of Redbone (compilation, <a title="1976" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1976">1976</a>)<br />Cycles (<a title="1978" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1978">1978</a>)<br />Redbone Live (<a title="1994" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1994">1994</a>)<br />Great Songs (Come and Get Your Love) (compilation, <a title="1995" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1995">1995</a>)<br />Golden Classics (compilation, <a title="1996" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1996">1996</a>)<br />To the Bone (compilation, <a title="1998" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1998">1998</a>)<br />Redbone and <a title="Wet Willie" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wet_Willie">Wet Willie</a>: Take Two (<a title="2002" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2002">2002</a>)<br />The Essential Redbone (compilation, <a title="2003" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2003">2003</a>)<br /><br />Note: One of the Drummers in the 1970's was George Spannos, who released his own hit album "Passion in the Dark" in 1983, under the name <a title="Danny Spanos" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danny_Spanos">Danny Spanos</a>, with a top 40 hit single "Hot Cherie”.Excel Professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01386313437407814163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2074785452285691132.post-32683325422000398712007-04-12T15:01:00.000-05:002007-04-12T15:04:15.165-05:00Captain and Tennille<p><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/wEWU25aN67U" width="425" height="350" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent"></embed><br />Love Will Keep Us Together<br /><br />The Captain & Tennille are a husband and wife <a title="United States" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States">US</a> <a title="Pop music" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pop_music">pop music</a> duo who achieved success during the 1970s with a string of bright, catchy pop songs. The duo consists of "The Captain", <a title="Daryl Dragon" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daryl_Dragon">Daryl Dragon</a> (born <a title="August 27" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/August_27">August 27</a>, <a title="1942" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1942">1942</a>), and "Tennille", <a title="Toni Tennille" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toni_Tennille">Toni Tennille</a> (born <a title="May 8" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May_8">May 8</a>, <a title="1940" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1940">1940</a>) (for years her birth year was erroneously publicized as being 1943).</p><p><strong>Early history and collaboration<br /></strong>Dragon and Tennille met in 1971 in <a title="San Francisco" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Francisco">San Francisco</a>, Dragon had been performing for a few years as a keyboardist for <a title="The Beach Boys" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beach_Boys">The Beach Boys</a>, and Tennille was staging a musical she had written called Mother Earth at the <a title="http://www.marinesmemorialtheatre.com/" href="http://www.marinesmemorialtheatre.com/">Marines Memorial Theatre</a>. Tennille hired Dragon as a musician for the production after which, in turn, Dragon helped Tennille land a gig as a touring keyboardist with <a title="The Beach Boys" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beach_Boys">The Beach Boys</a>.</p><p>They soon discovered they made a great team on their own and began performing on a regular basis at The Smokehouse club in <a title="Encino, California" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Encino,_California">Encino, California</a> (<a title="Los Angeles" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Angeles">Los Angeles</a>), initially billed as The Dragons. Their popularity as a musical duo reached unprecedented heights for The Smokehouse which, after Dragon & Tennille released an early version of The Way I Want To Touch You on their own label (Butterscotch Castle Records) as Captain & Tennille, eventually led to a recording contract with <a title="A&M Records" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A&M_Records">A&M Records</a>.</p><p>Their first single and above video was a <a title="Cover version" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cover_version">cover version</a> of <a title="Neil Sedaka" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neil_Sedaka">Neil Sedaka's</a> "<a title="Love Will Keep Us Together" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love_Will_Keep_Us_Together">Love Will Keep Us Together</a>." The song contained a verbal acknowledgment to its composer, as The Captain & Tennille worked the line "Sedaka is back" into the fadeout. The song spent four weeks at number one in the US in the summer of <a title="1975" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1975">1975</a> and became the top selling single of the year. They also received a <a title="Grammy Award" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grammy_Award">Grammy Award</a> for Record of the Year for this recording, which also gave Sedaka his first Grammy.</p><p>They married on November 11, 1975 (As with Toni's age, their publicist encouraged another public relations "lie" in saying they were married on Valentine's Day of 1974.).</p><p><strong>Popular success<br /></strong>Over the next few years Captain & Tennille released a string of hit singles including The Way I Want To Touch You, Lonely Night (Angel Face), Shop Around, <a title="Muskrat Love" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muskrat_Love">Muskrat Love</a>, and You Never Done It Like That. Such was their level of success that they were given their own <a title="Television show" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Television_show">television show</a>, but they were not happy with its format and asked to be released from their contract. They also left A&M when it began to turn its attentions to the newly signed <a title="Punk rock" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punk_rock">punk rock</a> act <a title="Sex Pistols" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sex_Pistols">Sex Pistols</a> at the expense of acts such as the <a title="Carpenters" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carpenters">Carpenters</a> and themselves.</p><p>In July 1976 Captain & Tennille were invited by First Lady <a title="Betty Ford" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betty_Ford">Betty Ford</a> to perform in the East Room of the <a title="White House" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_House">White House</a> in the presence of <a title="Queen Elizabeth II" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_Elizabeth_II">Queen Elizabeth II</a> and <a title="Gerald Ford" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerald_Ford">President Ford</a> during the Bicentennial celebration. One of their songs was "Muskrat Love."</p><p><a title="Neil Bogart" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neil_Bogart">Neil Bogart</a> signed them to a contract with <a title="Casablanca Records" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Casablanca_Records">Casablanca Records</a>, and they reached number one with their first single <a title="Do That to Me One More Time" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Do_That_to_Me_One_More_Time">Do That to Me One More Time</a> in January <a title="1980" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1980">1980</a>. Subsequent singles achieved only moderate success, and when Bogart died in <a title="1982" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1982">1982</a>, the company went bankrupt, and the duo were left without a record company. They signed with <a title="CBS Records" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CBS_Records">CBS Records</a> but, not being able to find a niche there, were released from their contract.</p><p>Captain & Tennille appeared on many television <a title="Talk show" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk_show">talk shows</a> of the era; one memorable appearance as guest hosts of <a title="The Mike Douglas Show" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mike_Douglas_Show">The Mike Douglas Show</a> in July <a title="1981" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1981">1981</a> had them hear <a title="Do That to Me One More Time" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Do_That_to_Me_One_More_Time">Do That to Me One More Time</a> being "sung" by a home computer.</p><p>During the duo's period of highest popularity, Tennille also worked as a session singer (most frequently partnered with Beach Boy Bruce Johnston), performing backup on no fewer than three <a title="Elton John" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elton_John">Elton John</a> albums including <a title="Caribou (album)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caribou_(album)">Caribou</a>, Blue Moves, and 21 At 33 (some vocally arranged by Dragon) and most notably (and prominently) on the classic "<a title="Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don">Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me</a>." She also appeared as a backup vocalist on tracks by <a title="Art Garfunkel" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_Garfunkel">Art Garfunkel</a> and <a title="The Beach Boys" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beach_Boys">The Beach Boys</a>, as well as <a title="Pink Floyd" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pink_Floyd">Pink Floyd</a> for whom she performed backing tracks on <a title="The Wall" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wall">The Wall</a> album.</p><p><strong>More recent activities<br /></strong>Throughout the '90s, they continued to perform various concert dates at venues around the world, frequently at <a title="Harrah's Lake Tahoe" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harrah">Harrah's Lake Tahoe</a> which was close to their home in northwestern Nevada. One of the most lauded of their appearances in this decade occurred when they played a one-time-only date at the <a title="House of Blues" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_Blues">House of Blues</a> on the <a title="Sunset Strip" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunset_Strip">Sunset Strip</a> in Los Angeles in 1995 as part of their 20th anniversary as an act.</p><p>At the same time throughout the 1980s and '90s, Tennille enjoyed a second career as a <a title="Big band" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_band">big band</a> and <a title="Pop standard" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pop_standard">pop standards</a> singer, mimicking the success of pop colleague <a title="Linda Ronstadt" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linda_Ronstadt">Linda Ronstadt</a>. She released several albums and performed with orchestras throughout the country, which she still does to this day.</p><p>She also enjoyed a year as the star of the <a title="Broadway theatre" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broadway_theatre">Broadway</a> tour of <a title="Victor/Victoria" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victor/Victoria">Victor/Victoria</a>. At the end of that project, she and Dragon were to have embarked on a 25th anniversary tour; however, the stresses of the road proved too demanding and the Captain & Tennille instead put an indefinite hold on their career as a performing duo.</p><p>Nevertheless, Captain & Tennille's popularity remained evident in the release of their Ultimate Collection: The Complete Hits on <a title="Hip-O Records" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hip-O_Records">Hip-O Records</a> (a subsidiary of <a title="Universal Records" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_Records">Universal Records</a>) in 2001 and More Than Dancing...Much More, a 2002 compact disk. The latter contains what was originally their final album in 1982, More Than Dancing, which at that time was released only in Australia, and is combined with selected tracks from their 1995 20 Years Of Romance, originally on "K-Tel" (re-recordings of their songs, and cover versions of others), as well as five tracks never-before-released on vinyl or CD.</p><p>In November 2003, Tennille performed a <a title="Benefit concert" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benefit_concert">benefit concert</a> for the <a title="Reno" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reno">Reno</a>, Nevada, <a title="Chamber Orchestra" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chamber_Orchestra">Chamber Orchestra</a>, where her surprise guest was none other than Daryl Dragon. This was the first time they had publicly performed as Captain & Tennille in many years and, as a result, a live recording (their first), An Intimate Evening with Toni Tennille, was released to commemorate the event.</p><p>Toni Tennille returned to British airwaves and to club play when the mischievous electro-kitsch duo <a title="Bent (band)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bent_(band)">Bent</a> sampled a small portion of her vocals from Captain & Tennille's 1979 track, "Love On A Shoestring" (from the album <a title="Make Your Move" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Make_Your_Move">Make Your Move</a>), into their "Magic Love" single in 2003. An <a title="Ashley Beedle" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashley_Beedle">Ashley Beedle</a> <a title="Remix" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remix">remix</a> of the single considerably heightened the danceability of the originally <a title="Ambient" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ambient">ambient</a> track. Many in Great Britain knew the voice was vaguely familiar but couldn't place it (mostly having been born a generation too late to catch the Captain and Tenille on top 40 radio).<br />A brand-new path for the Captain & Tennille took place in October 2006 with the release of <a title="Cartoon Network" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cartoon_Network">Cartoon Network</a>'s new animated special "Casper's Scare School." Not only did the duo record two songs for the movie, they voiced the dialogue for the characters who sang the songs. Tennille portrayed Aunt Belle and Dragon was Uncle Murray, who together formed a two-head-on-one-body being known as The Ankle. The two songs they performed, "Why Does Love Make Me Feel So Good," and "World Without Fear," were written by Magnus Fiennes, younger brother of popular motion picture star <a title="Ralph Fiennes" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Fiennes">Ralph Fiennes</a>. The Captain & Tennille's co-stars on the show included <a title="Phyllis Diller" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phyllis_Diller">Phyllis Diller</a>, <a title="Jim Belushi" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Belushi">Jim Belushi</a>, <a title="Dan Castellaneta" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dan_Castellaneta">Dan Castellaneta</a>, and <a title="Bob Saget" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Saget">Bob Saget</a>.</p><p><strong>Popular uses and parodies in the media</strong><br />On the TV show <a title="MXC" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MXC">MXC</a>, the character "Captain Tenneal" is a spoof of the name of their act.<br />The singing duo have been referenced several times on the popular show <a title="The Simpsons" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Simpsons">The Simpsons</a>. In Episode 7 Season 16, <a title="Homer Simpson" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homer_Simpson">Homer</a> and <a title="Marge Simpson" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marge_Simpson">Marge</a> appear dressed as Captain and Tennille, respectively. Homer, in a captain costume, plays the piano to a lyrically different version of "Love Will Keep Us Together." In Episode 19 Season 9, Homer is assigned to a <a title="Nuclear submarine" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_submarine">nuclear submarine</a> under the command of "Captain Tennille." Also, in Episode 22 Season 9, the Simpsons celebrate the made-up holiday of "Love Day" by decorating their front yard with a mechanized string quartet (made to look like the <a title="Care Bears" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Care_Bears">Care Bears</a>) that played "Love Will Keep Us Together."<br />The song 'Love Will Keep Us Together' was used in a breakup scene in the 2001 film <a title="Get Over It (film)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Get_Over_It_(film)">Get Over It</a>.<br />The song 'Love Will Keep Us Together' played during the final credits of the 2005 film <a title="Mr. & Mrs. Smith" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr._&_Mrs._Smith">Mr. & Mrs. Smith</a>.<br />The song 'Do That To Me One More Time' is used in the 2003 '<a title="What's Love Got to Do With It? (Drew Carey Show episode)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=What%27s_Love_Got_to_Do_With_It%3F_%28Drew_Carey_Show_episode%29&action=edit">What's Love Got to Do With It?</a>' episode of <a title="The Drew Carey Show" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Drew_Carey_Show">The Drew Carey Show</a>. In a very humorous and somewhat disturbing scene, the <a title="Drew Carey" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drew_Carey">Drew Carey</a> character and an 11 year-old girl, Madison (portrayed by actress <a title="Emma Hunton" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Emma_Hunton&action=edit">Emma Hunton</a>), sing a karaoke duet of the song.<br />In the TV <a title="Sitcom" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sitcom">sitcom</a> <a title="Will & Grace" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will_&_Grace">Will & Grace</a>, <a title="Will Truman" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Will_Truman">Will Truman</a> sang "Love Will Keep Us Together" in the season 3 episode "<a title="An Old-Fashioned Piano Party" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/An_Old-Fashioned_Piano_Party">An Old-Fashioned Piano Party</a>."<br />They appeared in a <a title="Sprint PCS" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sprint_PCS">Sprint PCS</a> commercial in 2001.<br />In the TV sitcom <a title="Frasier" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frasier">Frasier</a>, <a title="Frasier Crane" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frasier_Crane">Frasier Crane</a> wrote a letter to his ex-wife Lilith that includes the phrase "love will keep us together" in the season 1 episode "<a title="The Show Where Lilith Comes Back" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Show_Where_Lilith_Comes_Back&action=edit">The Show Where Lilith Comes Back</a>." Several characters pointed out that his letter plagiarizes the song by Captain & Tennille.<br />In the 2006 <a title="South Park" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Park">South Park</a> episode "<a title="Cartoon Wars Part I" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cartoon_Wars_Part_I">Cartoon Wars Part I</a>", <a title="Family Guy" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Family_Guy">Family Guy</a>'s <a title="Peter Griffin" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Griffin">Peter Griffin</a> dressed up as Tennille to <a title="James T. Kirk" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_T._Kirk">Captain Kirk</a>'s Captain.<br />In the Season 4 Episode "Academic Decathlon" of <a title="Malcolm in the Middle" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malcolm_in_the_Middle">Malcolm in the Middle</a>, the song 'Love Will Keep Us Together' is playing as <a title="Lois Wilkerson" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lois_Wilkerson">Lois</a> pulls up to drive <a title="Malcolm Wilkerson" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malcolm_Wilkerson">Malcolm</a> home.<br />In the pilot of <a title="That 70s Show" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/That_70s_Show">That 70s Show</a>, "Love Will Keep Us Together" plays in the background of the Forman's party; <a title="Kitty Forman" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kitty_Forman">Kitty Forman</a> sings along for part of the song.<br />In the pilot of <a title="Arrested Development (TV series)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arrested_Development_(TV_series)">Arrested Development</a>, "Love Will Keep Us Together" plays when, during a yacht party, <a title="George Bluth Sr." href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Bluth_Sr.">George Bluth Sr.</a> announces that his wife, <a title="Lucille Bluth" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucille_Bluth">Lucille Bluth</a> will be taking over his company following his retirement.<br />In Series 3 of the anime and manga <a title="Jojo's Bizarre Adventure" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jojo">Jojo's Bizarre Adventure</a>, the protagonists face a deadly assassin Known as Captain Tennille.<br />In Nip/Tuck Series 2, When Christian parks his car outside and enters a garage, whilst his blind girlfriend is sitting inside the car, thieves decide to rob the car of its wheels and the spoiler (by jacking up the car) , the song playing is Love Will Keep Us Together.<br />On <a title="Mystery Science Theater 3000" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mystery_Science_Theater_3000">Mystery Science Theater 3000</a>, In the episode <a title="Attack of the Giant Leeches" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attack_of_the_Giant_Leeches">Attack of the Giant Leeches</a> The Mads are called Captain and Tennille.<br />In the second season of <a title="Scrubs (TV series)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scrubs_(TV_series)">Scrubs</a>, <a title="Dr. Cox" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr._Cox">Dr. Cox</a> refers to <a title="Dr. Kelso" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr._Kelso">Dr. Kelso</a> and Julie as the Captain and Tennille of the underworld.<br />In <a title="The Powerpuff Girls" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Powerpuff_Girls">The Powerpuff Girls</a>, in the episode "Jewel of the Aisle", an inept bank robber, posing as a cereal advertising mascot named "Lucky Captain Rabbit King" in order to infiltrate the Powerpuff Girls' house and recover a diamond from their cereal box, accidentally misidentifies himself as "The Captain N. Tennille".<br />Used to be introduced by Terry Wogan on BBC Radio 2 as "Captain and Toenail".<br />In the season 2 episode "Ted" of <a title="Buffy the Vampire Slayer" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buffy_the_Vampire_Slayer">Buffy the Vampire Slayer</a>, Willow and Xander discuss whether The Captain or Tennille were the head of the relationship.<br />The song "Love Will Keep Us Together" played in the movie "Click" when Michael Newman(Adam Sandler) travel to the past to his infancy.<br />In episode 8 of <a title="Yacht Rock" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yacht_Rock">Yacht Rock</a> the smooth musical duo is seen changing their name from "Dragon and Tennille" to "Captain and Tennille" with a corresponding change in headwear. </p><p><strong>Discography<br /></strong>Albums (Non-Greatest Hits):<br />1975: Love Will Keep Us Together - US #2<br />1976: Song Of Joy - US #9<br />1977: Come In From The Rain - US #18<br />1978: Dream - US #131<br />1979: Make Your Move - US #23<br />1980: Keeping Our Love Warm<br />1982: More Than Dancing [Australia only]<br />1995: Twenty Years Of Romance<br />2002: More Than Dancing...Much More [released worldwide, with additional tracks added to the original 1982 release]<br />2006: The Secret Of Christmas </p><p><strong>Singles</strong></p><p>Chart positions are from the US <a title="Billboard Hot 100" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billboard_Hot_100">Billboard Hot 100</a> and <a title="Adult Contemporary" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adult_Contemporary">Adult Contemporary</a> charts.<br />April 1975: <a title="Love Will Keep Us Together" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love_Will_Keep_Us_Together">Love Will Keep Us Together</a> <gold>- #1 Pop (4 wks.)/#1 AC (2 wks.) (also made UK #32)<br />August 1975: Por Amor Viviremos - #49 Pop (Spanish version of "Love Will Keep Us Together")<br />September 1975: The Way I Want To Touch You <gold>- #4 Pop/#1 AC (2 wks.) (also made UK #28)<br />January 1976: <a title="Lonely Night (Angel Face)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lonely_Night_%28Angel_Face%29&action=edit">Lonely Night (Angel Face)</a> <gold>- #3 Pop/#1 AC (1 wk.)<br />May 1976: <a title="Shop Around" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shop_Around">Shop Around</a> <gold>- #4 Pop/#1 AC (1 wk.)<br />September 1976: <a title="Muskrat Love" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Muskrat_Love">Muskrat Love</a> <gold>- #4 Pop/#1 AC (4 wks.)<br />March 1977: Can't Stop Dancin'- #13 Pop/#12 AC<br />June 1977: Come In From The Rain - #61 Pop/#8 AC<br />September 1977: Circles - #9 AC<br />April 1978: I'm On My Way - #74 Pop/#6 AC (also #97 Country)<br />August 1978: You Never Done It Like That - #10 Pop/#14 AC (also made UK #63)<br />December 1978: You Need A Woman Tonight - #40 Pop/#17 AC<br />October 1979: <a title="Do That to Me One More Time" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Do_That_to_Me_One_More_Time">Do That to Me One More Time</a> <gold>- #1 Pop (1 wk.)/#4 AC (also made UK #7)<br />March 1980: Love On A Shoestring - #55 Pop<br />May 1980: Happy Together (A Fantasy) - #53 Pop/#27 AC </p><p><strong>External links<br /></strong><a title="http://www.captainandtennille.net" href="http://www.captainandtennille.net/">Official site</a><br /><a title="http://tonitennille.net" href="http://tonitennille.net/">Toni Tennille's site</a><br /><br /></p>Excel Professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01386313437407814163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2074785452285691132.post-24798898009641461442007-04-11T14:45:00.000-05:002007-04-11T14:47:17.577-05:00The Knack<p><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/kXVitkINDp0" width="425" height="350" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent"></embed></p><p>My Sharona<br /><br />The Knack are a <a title="Los Angeles, California" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Los_Angeles%2C_California">Los Angeles</a>-based <a title="Rock band" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_band">rock band</a> that rose to fame with their first single, "<a title="My Sharona" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Sharona">My Sharona</a>", an international hit in 1979 (see <a title="1979 in music" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1979_in_music">1979 in music</a>).</p><p>The <a title="Power pop" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_pop">power pop</a> of "My Sharona", coupled with the band's "retro" '60s <a title="New wave music" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_wave_music">new wave</a> look, earned the band comparisons to the early <a title="Beatles" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beatles">Beatles</a>. Many music critics of the era disliked <a title="Disco" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disco">disco</a>, which dominated the music industry at the time, and were, at best, coolly receptive to other developing trends like <a title="Punk rock" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punk_rock">punk rock</a>, <a title="Hip hop music" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hip_hop_music">hip hop</a> and <a title="Heavy metal music" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heavy_metal_music">heavy metal music</a>. The Knack's power pop and <a title="Hard rock" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hard_rock">hard rock</a> influences earned them some critical credibility. After subsequent albums, there was a critical backlash against the band and they broke up amidst internal squabbles. They have re-united periodically over the years and in 2001 put out a studio album <a title="Normal As The Next Guy" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Normal_As_The_Next_Guy&action=edit">Normal As The Next Guy</a> and a live DVD <a title="Live From The Rock N'Roll Funhouse" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Live_From_The_Rock_N%27Roll_Funhouse&action=edit">Live From The Rock N'Roll Funhouse</a>. As of <a title="2005" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2005">2005</a>, The Knack are still active and play at various venues.</p><p>Singer <a title="Doug Fieger" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doug_Fieger">Doug Fieger</a>, a native of <a title="Detroit, Michigan" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Detroit%2C_Michigan">Detroit, Michigan</a>, had previously played in a <a title="Country rock" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Country_rock">country rock</a> band called <a title="Sky (US band)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sky_%28US_band%29">Sky</a> as well as The Sunset Bombers. Fieger is the brother of Detroit-area attorney Geoffrey Fieger, best known for representing Dr. <a title="Jack Kevorkian" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Kevorkian">Jack Kevorkian</a> in a series of assisted suicide cases. Of the three other original members of the Knack (Berton Averre - Guitar, Prescott Niles - Bass, and <a title="Bruce Gary" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Gary">Bruce Gary</a> - Drums), Averre and Niles still currently play with The Knack.<br /><a title="Bruce Gary" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Gary">Bruce Gary</a> went on to become a respected producer (archive recordings of <a title="Jimi Hendrix" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimi_Hendrix">Jimi Hendrix</a> and new recordings of <a title="The Ventures" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ventures">The Ventures</a>) and a very successful sideman performing live and on studio sessions with artists such as <a title="Jack Bruce" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Bruce">Jack Bruce</a>, <a title="Mick Taylor" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mick_Taylor">Mick Taylor</a>, <a title="Bob Dylan" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Dylan">Bob Dylan</a>, <a title="George Harrison" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Harrison">George Harrison</a>, <a title="Spencer Davis" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spencer_Davis">Spencer Davis</a>, <a title="Stephen Stills" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Stills">Stephen Stills</a>, <a title="Rod Stewart" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rod_Stewart">Rod Stewart</a> and <a title="Sheryl Crow" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheryl_Crow">Sheryl Crow</a> - and he did not join the more recent Knack reunions.</p><p>Several drummers have played for the group since Gary's departure including <a title="Billy Ward" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Ward">Billy Ward</a> (Serious Fun album), <a title="Terry Bozzio" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Bozzio">Terry Bozzio</a> (Zoom album), and <a title="David Henderson" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Henderson">David Henderson</a> as 'Holmes Jones' (Normal as the Next Guy and Live at the Rock N Roll Funhouse albums). Currently <a title="Pat Torpey" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pat_Torpey">Pat Torpey</a> (Mr. Big) is playing the drums for the group.</p><p>All four original band members, including Bruce Gary, reunited in the studio on one occasion in recent years to record a track for a multi-artist compilation album saluting the British band <a title="Badfinger" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Badfinger">Badfinger</a>.</p><p>The Knack's original drummer <a title="Bruce Gary" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Gary">Bruce Gary</a> passed away from <a title="Lymphoma" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lymphoma">lymphoma</a> on August 22, 2006. He was 55.</p><p><strong>Parodies, samples and covers</strong><br />With both the notoriety gained from being an international hit, and its distinctive rock guitar <a title="Riff" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riff">riff</a> and signature drum sound, "My Sharona" has been the subject of numerous <a title="Parodies" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parodies">parodies</a>, tributes, and <a title="Sampling (music)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sampling_%28music%29">sampling</a>, including <a title="The Dead Kennedys" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dead_Kennedys">The Dead Kennedys</a> "My Payola" performance at the 1981 <a title="California Music Awards" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=California_Music_Awards&action=edit">California Music Awards</a> (then known as <a title="Bay Area Music Awards" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bay_Area_Music_Awards&action=edit">Bay Area Music Awards</a>), <a title="'" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%22Weird_Al%22_Yankovic">"Weird Al" Yankovic</a>'s "My Bologna", <a title="Cheech Marin" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheech_Marin">Cheech Marin</a>'s "My Scrotum" (from <a title="Cheech and Chong's Next Movie" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheech_and_Chong%27s_Next_Movie">Cheech and Chong's Next Movie</a>) and <a title="Run DMC" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Run_DMC">Run DMC</a>'s "It's Tricky". (for a longer list see article "<a title="My Sharona" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Sharona">My Sharona</a>").</p><p><strong>Discography<br /></strong><a id="Studio_albums" name="Studio_albums"></a>Studio albums<br /><a title="Get the Knack" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Get_the_Knack">Get the Knack</a> (1979) #1 (5 weeks) US, #65 UK 2x Platinum<br /><a title="...But The Little Girls Understand" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=...But_The_Little_Girls_Understand&action=edit">...But The Little Girls Understand</a> (1980) #15 US Gold<br /><a title="Round Trip" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Round_Trip&action=edit">Round Trip</a> (1981) #93 US<br /><a title="Serious Fun" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Serious_Fun&action=edit">Serious Fun</a> (1991)<br /><a title="Zoom (The Knack album)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Zoom_%28The_Knack_album%29&action=edit">Zoom</a> (1998)<br /><a title="Normal As The Next Guy" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Normal_As_The_Next_Guy&action=edit">Normal As The Next Guy</a> (2001)<br /><a title="Re-Zoom (Zoom with Bonus Tracks)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Re-Zoom_%28Zoom_with_Bonus_Tracks%29&action=edit">Re-Zoom (Zoom with Bonus Tracks)</a> (2003) </p><p><strong>Singles</strong><br />"My Sharona" (1979) #1 (6 weeks) US, #6 UK<br />"Good Girls Don't" (1979) #11 US, #66 UK<br />"Baby Talks Dirty" (1980) #38 US<br />"Can't Put A Price On Love" (1980) #62 US<br />"Pay The Devil" (1981) #67 US </p><p><strong>External links<br /></strong><a title="http://www.knack.com/" href="http://www.knack.com/">The Knack official website</a><br /><br /></p>Excel Professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01386313437407814163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2074785452285691132.post-40994894349207028492007-04-10T08:26:00.000-05:002007-04-10T08:28:08.129-05:00Leo Sayer<p><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/KvFHmH8woc8" width="425" height="350" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent"></embed><br />You Make Me Feel Like Dancing </p><p>Leo Sayer (born Gerard Hugh Sayer, <a title="May 21" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May_21">21 May</a> <a title="1948" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1948">1948</a>, in <a title="Shoreham-by-Sea" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shoreham-by-Sea">Shoreham-by-Sea</a>, <a title="Sussex" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sussex">Sussex</a>) is an <a title="England" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/England">English</a> performing artist whose singing career has spanned four decades.</p><p>Sayer has had success with his <a title="Single (music)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Single_%28music%29">single</a> and <a title="Album" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Album">album</a> releases, in both the <a title="United Kingdom" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdom">UK</a> and <a title="United States" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States">U.S.</a> He was initially discovered by David Courtney who co managed him with the <a title="Singer" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singer">singer</a>-turned-<a title="Management" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Management">manager</a>, <a title="Adam Faith" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_Faith">Adam Faith</a>. Sayer began his music career co-writing <a title="Song" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Song">songs</a> with David Courtney, including "Giving It All Away", which gave <a title="Roger Daltrey" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Daltrey">Roger Daltrey</a> of <a title="The Who" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Who">The Who</a> his first <a title="Chart-topper" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chart-topper">hit</a> as a <a title="Solo (music)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solo_%28music%29">soloist</a> in 1973.<br />That same year Sayer began his career as a <a title="Recording artist" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recording_artist">recording artist</a>. At the time of his initial <a title="Record chart" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Record_chart">chart</a> breakthrough in <a title="Great Britain" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Britain">Britain</a>, with his debut hit "The Show Must Go On", he wore a <a title="Pierrot" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pierrot">pierrot</a> style outfit and make-up, but dropped it soon afterwards, and his now distinctive curly hair is widely recognizable, often leading others to physically compare Sayer to fitness guru <a title="Richard Simmons" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Simmons">Richard Simmons</a>. The name Leo was given him by Courtney, inspired by the <a title="Leo (astrology)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leo_%28astrology%29">star sign</a> and <a title="Lion" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lion">lion</a>-like mane. In 1976, Sayer recorded three <a title="The Beatles" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beatles">Beatles</a> songs, "<a title="I Am the Walrus" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Am_the_Walrus">I Am the Walrus</a>", "<a title="Let It Be" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Let_It_Be">Let It Be</a>" and "<a title="The Long and Winding Road" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Long_and_Winding_Road">The Long and Winding Road</a>", for the ill advised and ill fated <a title="Film documentary" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_documentary">documentary</a> <a title="All This and World War II" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_This_and_World_War_II">All This and World War II</a>.</p><p>His subsequent hits included, "Long Tall Glasses" and "Orchard Road". In 1977, Sayer decided to move into disco and due to this his popularity skyrocketed almost overnight. His hits from this period include the above video: "You Make Me Feel Like Dancing" (a U.S. <a title="Chart-topper" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chart-topper">number one</a>): the romantic <a title="Ballad" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ballad">ballad</a> "When I Need You", which reached number one in both the UK and U.S. in 1977; and <a title="Cover version" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cover_version">remakes</a> of <a title="Bobby Vee" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bobby_Vee">Bobby Vee</a>'s "More Than I Can Say" (his fourth UK number 2 hit, and in the U.S., number 2 pop and number one in the <a title="Adult contemporary" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adult_contemporary">adult contemporary</a> chart); and <a title="Buddy Holly" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddy_Holly">Buddy Holly</a>'s "Raining In My Heart". In the U.S., three of his singles - "You Make Me Feel Like Dancing," "When I Need You," and "More Than I Can Say" - were certified <a title="Music recording sales certification" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_recording_sales_certification">gold</a>.</p><p>Sayer made an appearance on <a title="The Muppet Show" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Muppet_Show">The Muppet Show</a> during the third season (second show), when he sang his hits "You Make Me Feel Like Dancing" and "When I Need You."</p><p>He also provided the <a title="Soundtrack" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soundtrack">soundtrack</a> for the <a title="English language" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_language">English language</a> version of the <a title="France" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/France">French</a>-<a title="Belgium" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Belgium">Belgian</a> animated <a title="Film" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film">film</a> The Missing Link (1980).</p><p>In 1990, he contributed to the last <a title="Recording studio" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Recording_studio">recording studio</a> collaboration between <a title="Alan Parsons" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Parsons">Alan Parsons</a> and <a title="Eric Woolfson" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Woolfson">Eric Woolfson</a>, the album Freudiana, performing "I Am A Mirror".</p><p>In 2000, "You Make Me Feel Like Dancing" was featured in the hit <a title="Movie" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Movie">film</a> <a title="Charlie's Angels (movie)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie%27s_Angels_%28movie%29">Charlie's Angels</a>, and was on the accompanying <a title="Soundtrack" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soundtrack">soundtrack</a> album.</p><p>Sayer's debut UK hit, "The Show Must Go On," was covered by <a title="Three Dog Night" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Dog_Night">Three Dog Night</a> for the U.S. market, and reached Number four on the <a title="Billboard Hot 100" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billboard_Hot_100">Billboard Hot 100</a> chart in 1974. Plus <a title="Phil Collins" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phil_Collins">Phil Collins</a> <a title="Cover version" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cover_version">covered</a> Sayer's song "I Can't Stop Loving You" for his 2002 album <a title="Testify (Phil Collins album)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Testify_%28Phil_Collins_album%29">Testify</a>. It reached number one on the U.S. adult contemporary chart.</p><p>In 2005, he moved to <a title="Sydney" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sydney">Sydney</a>, <a title="Australia" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia">Australia</a>, but on <a title="February 12" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/February_12">12 February</a> 2006, made a surprise return to number one in the <a title="UK Singles Chart" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UK_Singles_Chart">UK Singles Chart</a>, with <a title="Meck (musician)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meck_%28musician%29">Meck</a>'s <a title="Remix" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remix">remix</a> of "<a title="Thunder in My Heart (song)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thunder_in_My_Heart_%28song%29">Thunder In My Heart</a>". He has also appeared in the Australian comedy, <a title="Stupid, Stupid Man" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stupid%2C_Stupid_Man">Stupid, Stupid Man</a>.</p><p>Leo Sayer: At His Very Best, a career spanning <a title="Compilation album" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compilation_album">compilation album</a> was released in the UK on 6 March, 2006. It exclusively features the Meck single, alongside Sayer classics such as, "When I Need You" and "You Make Me Feel Like Dancing".</p><p><strong>Discography</strong></p><p><strong>Albums<br /></strong><a title="Silverbird (album)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silverbird_%28album%29">Silverbird</a> (1973) UK #2<br /><a title="Just a Boy" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Just_a_Boy">Just a Boy</a> (1974) UK #4<br /><a title="Another Year" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Another_Year">Another Year</a> (1975) UK #8<br /><a title="Endless Flight" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Endless_Flight">Endless Flight</a> (1976) UK #4<br /><a title="Thunder in My Heart" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thunder_in_My_Heart">Thunder in My Heart</a> (1977) UK #8<br /><a title="Leo Sayer (album)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leo_Sayer_%28album%29">Leo Sayer</a> (1978) UK #15<br />The Very Best of Leo Sayer (1979) UK #1<br /><a title="Here (Leo Sayer album)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Here_%28Leo_Sayer_album%29">Here</a> (1979) UK #44<br /><a title="Living in a Fantasy" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Living_in_a_Fantasy">Living in a Fantasy</a> (1980) UK #15<br /><a title="World Radio" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Radio">World Radio</a> (1982) UK #30<br /><a title="Have You Ever Been in Love" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Have_You_Ever_Been_in_Love">Have You Ever Been in Love</a> (1983) UK #15<br /><a title="Cool Touch" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cool_Touch">Cool Touch</a> (1990)<br />All the Best (1993) UK #26<br />The Definitive Hits Collection (1999) UK #35<br />Live in London (1999) UK<br />Endless Journey - The Essential Leo Sayer (2004) UK #52 in 2006<br />Voice In My Head (2005)<br />Leo Sayer: At His Very Best (2006) UK #30 </p><p><strong>Singles<br /></strong>"The Show Must Go On" - 1973 - UK #2 (U.S. #4 in 1974 for <a title="Three Dog Night" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Dog_Night">Three Dog Night</a>)<br />"One Man Band" - 1974 - UK #6 / U.S. #96 (1975 release)<br />"Long Tall Glasses (I Can Dance)" - 1974 - UK #4 / U.S. #9 (1975 release)<br />"<a title="Moonlighting (song)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moonlighting_%28song%29">Moonlighting</a>" - 1975 - UK #2<br />"You Make Me Feel Like Dancing" - 1976 - UK #2 / U.S. #1<br />"<a title="When I Need You" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/When_I_Need_You">When I Need You</a>" - 1977 - UK & U.S. #1<br />"How Much Love" - 1977 - UK #10 / U.S. #17<br />"<a title="Thunder in My Heart (song)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thunder_in_My_Heart_%28song%29">Thunder in My Heart</a>" - 1977 - UK #22 / U.S. #38<br />"Easy To Love" - 1977 - U.S. #36<br />"I Can't Stop Lovin' You (Though I Try)" - 1978 - UK #6<br />"Raining in My Heart" - 1978 - UK #21, U.S. # 47<br />"More Than I Can Say" - 1980 - UK #2, U.S. #2<br />"Living in a Fantasy" - 1981 - U.S. # 23<br />"Have You Ever Been in Love" - 1982 - UK #10<br />"Heart (Stop Beating in Time)" - 1982 - UK #22<br />"Orchard Road" - 1983 - UK #16<br />"Till You Come Back To Me" - 1983 - UK #51<br />"Sea Of Heartbreak" - 1984 - UK #84<br />"<a title="Unchained Melody" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unchained_Melody">Unchained Melody</a>" - 1986 - UK #54<br />"When I Need You" (re-issue) - 1993 - UK #65<br />"You Make Me Feel Like Dancing" - The Groove Generation featuring Leo Sayer 1998 - UK #32<br />"<a title="Thunder in My Heart (song)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thunder_in_My_Heart_%28song%29">Thunder in My Heart Again</a>" - Meck featuring Leo Sayer - 2006 - UK #1; Australia #16 </p><p><strong>External links<br /></strong><a title="http://www.leosayer.com/" href="http://www.leosayer.com/">Leo Sayer</a> official website<br /><br /><br /> </p>Excel Professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01386313437407814163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2074785452285691132.post-47055625890090736042007-04-03T14:51:00.000-05:002007-04-03T14:56:26.831-05:00Alan Parsons Project<object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/F0YNzLKPSwA"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/F0YNzLKPSwA" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object><br />Time<br /><br />The Alan Parsons Project was a <a title="United Kingdom" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdom">British</a> <a title="Progressive rock" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Progressive_rock">progressive rock</a> and pop group active between 1975 and 1987 founded by <a title="England" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/England">Englishman</a> <a title="Alan Parsons" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Parsons">Alan Parsons</a> and <a title="Scotland" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scotland">Scotsman</a> <a title="Eric Woolfson" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Woolfson">Eric Woolfson</a>. <a name="Band_history"></a>Band history Most of the Project's titles, especially the early work, share common traits (likely influenced by <a title="Pink Floyd" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pink_Floyd">Pink Floyd</a>'s <a title="Dark Side of the Moon" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_Side_of_the_Moon">Dark Side of the Moon</a>, on which Parsons was the <a title="Audio engineer" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Audio_engineer">audio engineer</a> in 1973). They were <a title="Concept album" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concept_album">concept albums</a>, and typically began with an instrumental introduction which faded into the first song, often had an instrumental piece in the middle of the second <a title="Gramophone record" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gramophone_record">LP</a> side, and concluded with a quiet, melancholic, or powerful song. The opening instrumental was largely done away with by 1980; no later Project album except Eye in the Sky featured one (although every album includes at least one instrumental somewhere in the running order). Ironically, the instrumental on that album, "Sirius," eventually became the best-known Parsons instrumental because of its frequent use as entrance music by <a title="United States" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States">American</a> sports teams, most notably the <a title="Chicago Bulls" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_Bulls">Chicago Bulls</a> during their 1990s dynasty.<br /><br />The group was notable for using several vocal performers instead of having a single lead vocalist. Lead vocal duties alternate between Woolfson (mostly for slow or melancholic songs) and a stream of guest vocalists chosen by their vocal style to complement each song. Woolfson sang lead on many of the group's hits (including "Time" and "Eye In The Sky") and the record company pressured Parsons to use him more, but Parsons preferred "real" singers, which Woolfson admitted he was not. In addition to Woolfson, <a title="Eric Stewart" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Stewart">Eric Stewart</a>, <a title="Chris Rainbow" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Rainbow">Chris Rainbow</a>, <a title="Lenny Zakatek" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lenny_Zakatek">Lenny Zakatek</a>, and <a title="Colin Blunstone" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colin_Blunstone">Colin Blunstone</a> made regular appearances. Other singers, such as <a title="Ambrosia (band)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ambrosia_(band)">Ambrosia</a>'s <a title="David Pack" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Pack">David Pack</a>, <a title="Vitamin Z" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitamin_Z">Vitamin Z</a>'s <a title="Geoff Barradale" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Geoff_Barradale&action=edit">Geoff Barradale</a>, and <a title="Procol Harum" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Procol_Harum">Procol Harum</a>'s <a title="Gary Brooker" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Brooker">Gary Brooker</a>, have recorded only once or twice with the Project. Parsons himself only sang lead on one song ("The Raven") and can be heard singing backup on another ("To One in Paradise"). Both of those songs appeared on the group's first record, <a title="Tales of Mystery and Imagination" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tales_of_Mystery_and_Imagination">Tales of Mystery and Imagination</a>, an album containing music based on the stories and poetry of <a title="Edgar Allan Poe" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgar_Allan_Poe">Edgar Allan Poe</a>. Although the vocalists varied, a small number of musicians worked with the Alan Parsons Project regularly. These core musicians contribute to the recognizable style of a Project song in spite of the varied singer lineup.<br /><br />Together with Parsons and Woolfson, the Project originally consisted of the group <a title="Pilot" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pilot">Pilot</a>, with <a title="Ian Bairnson" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ian_Bairnson">Ian Bairnson</a> (guitar), <a title="David Paton" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Paton">David Paton</a> (bass) and <a title="Stuart Tosh" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stuart_Tosh">Stuart Tosh</a> (drums). Pilot's <a title="Billy Lyall" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Lyall">Billy Lyall</a> also contributed. From "Pyramid" on, Tosh was replaced by <a title="Stuart Elliott" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stuart_Elliott">Stuart Elliott</a> of <a title="Cockney Rebel" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cockney_Rebel">Cockney Rebel</a>. Paton stayed almost until the end. Bairnson, along with <a title="Andrew Powell" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Powell">Andrew Powell</a> (composer and arranger of orchestral music throughout the life of the Project), and Richard Cottle (synthesizer and saxophone) were integral parts of the Project's sound. Powell is also notable for having composed a <a title="Film score" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Film_score">film score</a> in the Project style for <a title="Richard Donner" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Donner">Richard Donner</a>'s film <a title="Ladyhawke" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ladyhawke">Ladyhawke</a>. Behind the revolving lineup and the regular sidemen, the true core of the Project was the duo of Parsons and Woolfson. Eric Woolfson was a lawyer by profession, but is a classically-trained composer and pianist as well. Alan Parsons was a successful producer and accomplished engineer. Both worked together to craft noteworthy songs with impeccable fidelity, and almost all songs on Project albums are credited to "Woolfson/Parsons." Following the breakup of The Project, Parsons released other titles under his name (<a title="Try Anything Once" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Try_Anything_Once">Try Anything Once</a>, <a title="On Air" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/On_Air">On Air</a>, <a title="The Time Machine (album)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Time_Machine_(album)">The Time Machine</a>, and <a title="A Valid Path" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Valid_Path">A Valid Path</a>), while Woolfson made <a title="Concept albums" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concept_albums">concept albums</a> named <a title="Freudiana" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freudiana">Freudiana</a> (about <a title="Sigmund Freud" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sigmund_Freud">Sigmund Freud</a>'s work on <a title="Psychology" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychology">psychology</a>) and <a title="Poe - More Tales of Mystery and Imagination" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Poe_-_More_Tales_of_Mystery_and_Imagination&action=edit">Poe - More Tales of Mystery and Imagination</a> (continuing from the Alan Parsons Project's first album about <a title="Edgar Allan Poe" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgar_Allan_Poe">Edgar Allan Poe</a>'s literature). Although the studio version of <a title="Freudiana" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freudiana">Freudiana</a> was produced by Alan Parsons (and featured the regular Project backing musicians, making it an 'unofficial' Project album), it was primarily Eric Woolfson's idea to turn it into a musical. This eventually led to a rift between the two artists. While Alan Parsons pursued his own solo career and took many members of the Project on the road for the first time in a successful worldwide tour, Eric Woolfson went on to produce musical plays influenced by the Project's music. <a title="Freudiana" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freudiana">Freudiana</a>, Gaudi and Gambler were three musicals that included some Project songs like "Eye in the Sky", "Time", "Inside Looking Out," and "Limelight." The live music from Gambler was only distributed at the performance site (in <a title="Moenchengladbach" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moenchengladbach">Moenchengladbach</a>, Germany).<br /><br />A collection called The Instrumental Works (<a title="1990" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1990">1990</a>; now out of print) includes many of the Project's instrumental tracks. <a id="Members" name="Members"></a>Members <a title="Alan Parsons" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Parsons">Alan Parsons</a> - keyboards, production, engineering <a title="Eric Woolfson" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Woolfson">Eric Woolfson</a> - keyboards, executive production <a title="Andrew Powell" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Powell">Andrew Powell</a> - <a title="Keyboards" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keyboards">keyboards</a>, orchestral arrangements <a title="Ian Bairnson" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ian_Bairnson">Ian Bairnson</a> - <a title="Guitar" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guitar">guitar</a> <a title="Richard Cottle" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Richard_Cottle&action=edit">Richard Cottle</a> - <a title="Keyboards" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keyboards">keyboards</a>, <a title="Saxophone" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saxophone">saxophone</a> <a title="Adam Lefebvre" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Adam_Lefebvre&action=edit">Adam Lefebvre</a> - <a title="Keyboards" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keyboards">keyboards</a> <a id="Notable_or_frequent_contributors" name="Notable_or_frequent_contributors"></a>Notable or frequent contributors Note that these are not official members of The Alan Parsons Project, but musicians who have made significant studio contributions <a title="David Paton" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Paton">David Paton</a> - <a title="Vocals" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vocals">vocals</a>, <a title="Bass (instrument)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bass_(instrument)">Bass</a> <a title="Laurence Cottle" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laurence_Cottle">Laurence Cottle</a> - <a title="Bass (instrument)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bass_(instrument)">Bass</a> <a title="Stuart Tosh" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stuart_Tosh">Stuart Tosh</a> - <a title="Drums" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drums">Drums</a>, <a title="Percussion" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Percussion">Percussion</a> <a title="Stuart Elliott (musician)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Stuart_Elliott_%28musician%29&action=edit">Stuart Elliott (musician)</a> - <a title="Drums" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drums">Drums</a>, <a title="Percussion" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Percussion">Percussion</a> <a title="Mel Collins" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mel_Collins">Mel Collins</a> - <a title="Saxophone" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saxophone">saxophone</a> <a title="Lenny Zakatek" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lenny_Zakatek">Lenny Zakatek</a> - <a title="Vocals" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vocals">vocals</a> <a title="John Miles (musician)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Miles_(musician)">John Miles</a> - <a title="Vocals" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vocals">vocals</a> <a title="Chris Rainbow" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris_Rainbow">Chris Rainbow</a> - <a title="Vocals" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vocals">vocals</a> <a title="Colin Blunstone" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colin_Blunstone">Colin Blunstone</a> - <a title="Vocals" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vocals">vocals</a> <a title="Arthur Brown (musician)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Brown_(musician)">Arthur Brown</a> - <a title="Vocals" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vocals">vocals</a> <a title="Graham Dye" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Graham_Dye&action=edit">Graham Dye</a> - <a title="Vocals" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vocals">vocals</a> <a title="Steven Dye" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Steven_Dye&action=edit">Steven Dye</a> - <a title="Vocals" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vocals">vocals</a> <a title="Steve Harley" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Harley">Steve Harley</a> - <a title="Vocals" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vocals">vocals</a> <a id="Trivia" name="Trivia"></a><br /><br />Trivia<br /><br />The album <a title="Tales of Mystery and Imagination" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tales_of_Mystery_and_Imagination">Tales of Mystery and Imagination</a> was remixed for release on CD and includes narration by <a title="Orson Welles" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orson_Welles">Orson Welles</a> which was specially recorded in 1985, shortly before Welles' death, as part of a general reworking of the album. In the <a title="Austin Powers" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austin_Powers">Austin Powers</a> movie <a title="Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austin_Powers:_The_Spy_Who_Shagged_Me">The Spy who Shagged Me</a>, <a title="Doctor Evil" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doctor_Evil">Doctor Evil</a> devised a "laser", calling it "The Alan Parsons Project" after the "noted Cambridge physicist Dr. Parsons." Parsons subsequently incorporated a number of sound bites from the movie into a remixed version of the title track (called "the Dr. Evil Edit") from <a title="The Time Machine (album)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Time_Machine_(album)">The Time Machine</a>. <a title="Grandaddy" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grandaddy">Grandaddy</a>'s promo-only single "<a title="Alan Parsons In A Winter Wonderland" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Parsons_In_A_Winter_Wonderland">Alan Parsons in a Winter Wonderland</a>" is a humorous cover of the Christmas song <a title="Winter Wonderland" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_Wonderland">Winter Wonderland</a>, with lyrics altered to make the song about Alan Parsons. In 1983 Parsons/Woolfson and their record company were stalled in contract renegotiations when the two submitted an all-instrumental album tentatively titled "The Sicilian Defense" (arguably to get out of their contract). The refusal to release said album had two known effects: the negotiations led to a renewed contract and the album has remained unreleased to this day. <a id="Discography" name="Discography"></a>Discography <a id="Albums" name="Albums"></a>Albums (contains plot descriptions) <a title="Tales of Mystery and Imagination" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tales_of_Mystery_and_Imagination">Tales of Mystery and Imagination</a> - 1976 Concept: Based on stories by the writer <a title="Edgar Allan Poe" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edgar_Allan_Poe">Edgar Allan Poe</a>. The later reissue on CD (in 1987) was remixed from the original master tapes, enhancing some of the tracks and restoring the <a title="Orson Welles" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orson_Welles">Orson Welles</a> narration (recorded 1975 but left off the original due to record company 'concerns'). <a title="I Robot (album)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Robot_(album)">I Robot</a> - 1977 Concept: The title quotes <a title="Isaac Asimov" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_Asimov">Isaac Asimov</a>'s <a title="I, Robot" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I,_Robot">work</a>, "a view of tomorrow through the eyes of today". Includes minor hits "I Wouldn't Want to Be Like You" and "Breakdown." <a title="Pyramid (album)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyramid_(album)">Pyramid</a> - 1978 Concept: References to <a title="Pyramid power" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pyramid_power">pyramid power</a> and <a title="Ancient Egypt" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Egypt">ancient Egypt</a> surface repeatedly, the album is called "a view of yesterday through the eyes of today". The theme of rise and fall is prominent throughout. <a title="Eve (album)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eve_(album)">Eve</a> - 1979 Concept: <a title="Woman" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woman">Women</a>; this is the only Project album to feature female lead vocalists - and even then only on two tracks. <a title="The Turn of a Friendly Card" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Turn_of_a_Friendly_Card">The Turn of a Friendly Card</a> - 1980 Concept: <a title="Gambling" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gambling">Gambling</a>, literally and figuratively. Influenced by the <a title="Philip K. Dick" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_K._Dick">Philip K. Dick</a> novel <a title="The Game-Players of Titan" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Game-Players_of_Titan">The Game-Players of Titan</a>. Includes their hits "Time" and "Games People Play." <a title="Eye in the Sky" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eye_in_the_Sky">Eye in the Sky</a> - 1982 Concept: Surveillance, with the album title inspired by the <a title="Eye in the sky" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eye_in_the_sky">Eye in the sky</a> cameras used in casinos. Also explores <a title="Life" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life">Life</a> and the <a title="Universe" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universe">Universe</a>, but some insist the album is about "forgotten and lost values". Album contains their most famous single, "Eye in the Sky," the ballad "Old and Wise", and their best-known instrumental, "Sirius." <a title="Ammonia Avenue" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ammonia_Avenue">Ammonia Avenue</a> - 1984 Concept: "The album focused on the possible misunderstanding of industrial scientific developments from a public perspective and a lack of understanding of the public from a scientific perspective" (Eric Woolfson, May 1983). It is their most "radio-friendly" album. Includes "Don't Answer Me" and "You Don't Believe" (the latter first appeared on a 1983 "best of" collection). <a title="Vulture Culture" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vulture_Culture">Vulture Culture</a> - 1985 Concept: A critique of consumerism and, in particular, American popular culture. Includes "Let's Talk About Me." <a title="Stereotomy" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stereotomy">Stereotomy</a> - 1985 Concept: The effect of fame and fortune on various people - singers, actors, etc. <a title="Gaudi (album)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaudi_(album)">Gaudi</a> - <a title="1987 in music" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1987_in_music">1987</a> Concept: Songs inspired by the life and work of Spanish architect <a title="Antoni Gaudí" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antoni_Gaudí">Antoni Gaudí</a>. <a id="Singles" name="Singles"></a><br /><br />Singles<br />(The System Of) Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether" (1976) #37 US "The Raven" (1976) #80 US "I Wouldn't Want To Be Like You" (1977) #36 US "Don't Let It Show" (1977) #92 US "What Goes Up" (1978) #87 US "Damned If I Do" (1979) #27 US "Games People Play" (1981) #16 US "Time" (1981) #15 US "Snake Eyes" (1981) #67 US "Eye In The Sky" (1982) #3 US "Psychobabble" (1982) #57 US "You Don't Believe" (1983) #54 US "Don't Answer Me" (1984) #15 US (video) "Prime Time" (1984) #34 US "Let's Talk About Me" (1985) #56 US "Days Are Numbers (The Traveller)" (1985) #71 US "Stereotomy" (1986) #82 US (video) <a id="Footnotes" name="Footnotes"></a><a name="References"></a><a name="External_links"></a><br /><br />External links<br /><a title="http://www.the-alan-parsons-project.com/" href="http://www.the-alan-parsons-project.com/">The Alan Parsons Project Website</a>: The Official Alan Parsons Project WebsiteExcel Professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01386313437407814163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2074785452285691132.post-6415710015663020772007-03-22T08:55:00.000-05:002007-03-22T09:02:21.277-05:00Terry Jacks<p><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/sassF_lW4VA" width="425" height="350" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent"></embed><br />SEASONS IN THE SUN</p><p>Terry Jacks (born <a title="March 29" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/March_29">March 29</a>, <a title="1944" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1944">1944</a> in <a title="Winnipeg" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winnipeg">Winnipeg</a>, <a title="Manitoba" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manitoba">Manitoba</a>) is a <a title="Canada" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canada">Canadian</a> <a title="Singer" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singer">singer</a>, <a title="Songwriter" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Songwriter">songwriter</a>, <a title="Record producer" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Record_producer">record producer</a> and <a title="Environmentalist" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Environmentalist">environmentalist</a>.</p><p><strong>Career</strong><br />Growing up as part of the <a title="Hippie generation" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippie_generation">hippie generation</a>, a teenage Terry Jacks migrated to the west coast where, as a <a title="Guitarist" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guitarist">guitarist</a> and singer, he joined a <a title="Vancouver" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vancouver">Vancouver</a>, <a title="British Columbia" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Columbia">British Columbia</a>, <a title="Band (music)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Band_%28music%29">band</a> called The Chessmen. The group had a few minor local <a title="Chart-topper" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chart-topper">hits</a> before disbanding, after which Jacks teamed up with soloist <a title="Susan Jacks" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Susan_Jacks">Susan Pesklevits</a> (born 1948, <a title="Saskatoon" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saskatoon">Saskatoon</a>, <a title="Saskatchewan" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saskatchewan">Saskatchewan</a>). Jacks <a title="Composer" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Composer">composed</a>, <a title="Arrangement" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arrangement">arranged</a>, and produced their material while Pesklevits sang lead vocals. The <a title="Duet (music)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duet_%28music%29">duo</a> performed at small Vancouver <a title="Nightclub" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nightclub">clubs</a> before adding another <a title="Guitarist" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guitarist">guitarist</a> and <a title="Drummer" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drummer">drummer</a> to restyle themselves as <a title="The Poppy Family" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Poppy_Family">The Poppy Family</a>.</p><p>While Jacks' and Pesklevits' personal relationship led to <a title="Marriage" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marriage">marriage</a>, they eked out a living until the band burst onto the national <a title="Record chart" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Record_chart">charts</a> in 1969 with their Terry Jacks–produced <a title="Debut album" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debut_album">debut album</a>, Which Way You Goin' Billy? that saw the <a title="Gramophone record" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gramophone_record">45rpm single</a> go to No. 1 in Canada and reach No. 2 on the <a title="Billboard magazine" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billboard_magazine">Billboard charts</a> in the <a title="United States" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States">United States</a>, selling upwards of three million copies. The single won a <a title="Juno Award" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juno_Award">Juno Award</a> while Jacks earned two Junos for best producer of a single and of an album. The Poppy Family won a Juno for best group and immediately followed up with Poppy Seeds but it never achieved anything close to that initial success, causing some to view them as <a title="One-hit wonder" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One-hit_wonder">one-hit wonders</a>). The Poppy Family did place two other singles in the <a title="United States" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States">U.S.</a> Top 50, "That's Where I Went Wrong" (No. 29, 1970) and "Where Evil Grows" (No. 45, 1971), the latter of which was a <a title="Duet (music)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duet_%28music%29">duet</a> between Jacks and Pesklevits (unusual since she was lead singer on most of the group's singles). Eventually The Poppy Family split up.</p><p>Jacks' marriage also dissolved, but he and Pesklevits remained friends, and he produced her first solo album in 1973. Working on his own, Jacks helped on a <a title="Beach Boys" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beach_Boys">Beach Boys</a> album that initially included the recording of an <a title="English language" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_language">English language</a> version of the 1961 <a title="Jacques Brel" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_Brel">Jacques Brel</a> song, "<a title="Seasons in the Sun" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seasons_in_the_Sun">Seasons in the Sun</a>". When the group chose not to go with it on their album, Jacks decided to do it himself, rewriting the final verse and rearranging parts of the chorus. Released in 1973 on his own record label, the song became the largest-selling single in Canadian history and earned Jacks three Juno Awards. In the United States, where it was released on <a title="Bell Records" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell_Records">Bell Records</a>, the song went to <a title="Hot 100 number-one hits of 1974 (USA)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hot_100_number-one_hits_of_1974_%28USA%29">No. 1</a> on the charts. He released two more singles entitled "<a title="If You Go Away" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/If_You_Go_Away">If You Go Away</a>" (another English-language version of a Jaques Brel song entitled "Ne Me Quitte Pas") and "Rock & Roll (I Gave You The Best Years Of My Life)", but unlike "Seasons In The Sun" they failed to make the <a title="Billboard Hot 100" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billboard_Hot_100">Billboard Hot 100</a> <a title="Record chart" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Record_chart">chart</a>.</p><p>Jacks wrote and recorded a number of other songs and went on to become a successful <a title="Record producer" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Record_producer">record producer</a> for other Canadian singers, earning a Juno nomination as "Producer of the Year". Jacks claimed on a <a title="VH1" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/VH1">VH1</a> special to have written "Seasons In The Sun" after a friend of his just died. The song was actually penned by Jacques Brel with the English translation by Rod McKuen.</p><p>He opened up a store on <a title="Granville Island" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Granville_Island">Granville Island</a>, <a title="Vancouver" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vancouver">Vancouver</a>, called "The Lobster Man". He later sold the business.</p><p>Jacks became involved in the environmental movement, focusing on <a title="Pollution" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pollution">pollution</a> issues in Canada and the United States and lending his name to <a title="United Kingdom" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdom">United Kingdom</a> organizations such as <a title="The Woodland Trust" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Woodland_Trust">The Woodland Trust</a>.</p><p>He married a second time and has a daughter, Holly. That marriage also ended. In 1996, Jacks produced the <a title="Compact disc" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compact_disc">CD</a>, A Good Thing Lost 1968-1973, a collection of The Poppy Family songs. He lives in Pender Harbour, British Columbia, where he is still active in the <a title="Music industry" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_industry">music industry</a> and the environmental movement.</p><p><strong>Singles<br /></strong><a title="1974 in music" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1974_in_music">1974</a><br />"<a title="Seasons in the Sun" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seasons_in_the_Sun">Seasons in the Sun" / "Put the Bone In</a>"<br />1974<br />"<a title="If You Go Away" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/If_You_Go_Away">If You Go Away</a>" / "Me and You"<br />1974<br />"Rock & Roll (I Gave You the Best Years of My Life)" / "The Love Game"</p><p>See also<br /><a title="List of bands from Canada" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_bands_from_Canada">List of musicians from Canada</a> </p><p>External links<br /><a title="http://www.discogs.com/artist/Terry+Jacks" href="http://www.discogs.com/artist/Terry+Jacks">Terry Jacks discography and biography</a> </p>Excel Professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01386313437407814163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2074785452285691132.post-50227980488284284172007-03-12T08:08:00.000-05:002007-03-12T08:16:17.137-05:00Thin Lizzy<p><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/1FmPhJkdTwU" width="425" height="350" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent"></embed><br />The boys are back in town<br /><br />Thin Lizzy is an <a title="Irish rock" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_rock">Irish</a> <a title="Hard rock" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hard_rock">hard rock</a> band who formed in <a title="Dublin" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dublin">Dublin</a> in <a title="1969" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1969">1969</a>. The band was originally led by <a title="Bass guitar" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bass_guitar">bassist</a>, <a title="Songwriter" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Songwriter">songwriter</a> and <a title="Singer" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singer">singer</a> <a title="Phil Lynott" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phil_Lynott">Phil Lynott</a>. They are well known for their 1976 song "<a title="The Boys Are Back in Town" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Boys_Are_Back_in_Town">The Boys Are Back in Town</a>" - a major international hit still played on <a title="Hard rock" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hard_rock">hard rock</a> and <a title="Classic rock" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classic_rock">classic rock</a> <a title="Radio station" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio_station">radio stations</a>.</p><p>Though others had earlier used similar techniques, Thin Lizzy is widely recognised as one of the first hard rock bands to employ double lead guitar harmony (the twin guitar clash) - a technique pioneered by <a title="Wishbone Ash" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wishbone_Ash">Wishbone Ash</a> in the <a title="UK" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UK">UK</a>, whilst independently in the <a title="USA" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USA">USA</a> by <a title="Lynyrd Skynyrd" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lynyrd_Skynyrd">Lynyrd Skynyrd</a> and <a title="The Allman Brothers Band" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Allman_Brothers_Band">The Allman Brothers Band</a>. This style was later refined and popularised by bands of the emerging New Wave of British Heavy Metal, <a title="Judas Priest" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judas_Priest">Judas Priest</a> and <a title="Iron Maiden" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_Maiden">Iron Maiden</a> especially. The latter group in particular has praised Thin Lizzy extensively and even covered the song "Massacre" from Lizzy's popular <a title="Live and Dangerous" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Live_and_Dangerous">Live and Dangerous</a> album. Examples of this duel guitar harmony technique include "<a title="The Boys Are Back in Town" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Boys_Are_Back_in_Town">The Boys Are Back in Town</a>" and "Cowboy Song" from <a title="Jailbreak (album)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jailbreak_%28album%29">Jailbreak</a>. <a title="Brian Robertson" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Robertson">Brian Robertson</a>'s unconventional use of the wah-pedal as an extension of the instrument during soloing rather than as a purely rhythmic effect, as described in the Total Accuracy video "Still in Love with the Blues" (featuring <a title="Brian Robertson" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Robertson">Brian Robertson</a> & Stuart Bull), is a distinctive and influential sound.</p><p>Lynott is one of the few black men to achieve significant success in <a title="Hard rock" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hard_rock">hard rock</a>. As well as being a multiracial band, members were drawn from both sides of the Irish border and from both <a title="Catholic" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catholic">Catholic</a> and <a title="Protestant" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protestant">Protestant</a> communities.</p><p>History<br />The group was founded in late 1969 in <a title="Dublin, Ireland" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dublin%2C_Ireland">Dublin, Ireland</a>, by Lynott, guitarist Eric Bell, electric organist <a title="Eric Wrixon" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Wrixon">Eric Wrixon</a> and drummer Brian Downey. Wrixon was gone by early 1970, and tiring of the limited possibilities in Dublin, the group relocated to London in 1971.</p><p>Signing a contract with <a title="Decca Records" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decca_Records">Decca Records</a>, Thin Lizzy's first hit came in 1973, with "<a title="Whiskey in the Jar" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whiskey_in_the_Jar">Whiskey in the Jar</a>", a version of a traditional Irish song. (<a title="Metallica" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metallica">Metallica</a> scored a major hit with their <a title="1998" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1998">1998</a> <a title="Cover song" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cover_song">cover version</a>, featured on their album <a title="Garage Inc." href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garage_Inc.">Garage Inc.</a>, winning them a <a title="Grammy" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grammy">Grammy</a> in 1999).</p><p>However, the group initially had problems matching the success of "Whiskey...", and after a disastrous gig, where a drunken Bell walked offstage, leaving Lynott and Downey alone onstage, Bell left the group by mutual consent. His immediate replacement was Lynott's former Skid Row band mate and guitarist <a title="Gary Moore" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Moore">Gary Moore</a> who stayed long enough to record a number of tracks including the single 'Little Darlin' and 'Still In Love With You' (which he co wrote but wasn't credited, although towards the end of his life, after Lizzy's breakup, Lynott was always the first to confirm that 'Still In Love With You' was "Gary's Song") and securing a new record deal with Phonogram Records. After this Lynott and Downey regrouped, recruiting Scott Gorham and Brian Robertson as guitarists to make what was arguably the classic Thin Lizzy lineup.<br /><a title="Fighting (album)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fighting_%28album%29">Fighting</a> (<a title="1975" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1975">1975</a>) was their first album success, however the following album, <a title="Jailbreak (album)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jailbreak_%28album%29">Jailbreak</a>, was a smash hit thanks to the singles "<a title="Jailbreak (Thin Lizzy song)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jailbreak_%28Thin_Lizzy_song%29">Jailbreak</a>" and the above video "<a title="The Boys Are Back in Town" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Boys_Are_Back_in_Town">The Boys Are Back in Town</a>", their most successful and remembered song.</p><p>Robertson quit the group in 1978, and was replaced by <a title="Gary Moore" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Moore">Gary Moore</a>, then a succession of guitarists (including <a title="Midge Ure" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midge_Ure">Midge Ure</a> at one stage), though the group was sometimes reduced to the core trio of Lynott, Gorham and Downey. They kept their devoted fanbase, but Thin Lizzy was unable to match their earlier successes.</p><p>During the late <a title="1970s" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1970s">1970s</a> and early <a title="1980s" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1980s">80s</a>, Thin Lizzy played to a rabid fanbase but was unable to break into mainstream markets. Unlike most established rock musicians, Lynott was a vocal supporter of early <a title="Punk rock" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punk_rock">punk rock</a>; this endeared him to some punk musicians and fans, but many more punks rejected Thin Lizzy as a useless relic.</p><p>Their live shows at this time were no-nonsense, no special effects affairs relying purely on the music and Lynott's rapport with the fans. Encores would feature Lynott seemingly ignoring repeated requests from the crowd for "<a title="The Rocker" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Rocker">The Rocker</a>". Eventually, he would say "This is what I want to play... a song called The Rocker" and the band would launch into the crowd favourite. Their critically acclaimed live album <a title="Live and Dangerous" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Live_and_Dangerous">Live and Dangerous</a> has been called one of the best examples in the genre of concert recordings, having been voted the best live rock album of all time by readers of <a title="Classic Rock (magazine)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classic_Rock_%28magazine%29">Classic Rock (magazine)</a>, <a title="http://news.billinge.com/1/hi/entertainment/music/3526300.stm" href="http://news.billinge.com/1/hi/entertainment/music/3526300.stm">as reported by the BBC</a>.</p><p>One notable highlight for the band in their latter days was headlining the first ever <a title="Slane Concert" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slane_Concert">Slane Castle</a> concert in 1981 - and like all Irish dates, the final encore was a crowd pleasing "Whiskey In the Jar". The supporting lineup that day included <a title="Kirsty McColl" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirsty_McColl">Kirsty McColl</a>, <a title="Hazel O'Connor" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hazel_O%27Connor">Hazel O'Connor</a> and <a title="U2" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U2">U2</a>.</p><p>After a farewell tour in 1984, Lynott dissolved Thin Lizzy and focused on his solo career. Lynott continued his solo career, which he had begun while still with the group with the album <a title="Solo in Soho" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solo_in_Soho">Solo in Soho</a>, yielding hits in "Dear Miss Lonely Hearts", "King's Call" (featuring <a title="Mark Knopfler" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Knopfler">Mark Knopfler</a> on guitar), and "Yellow Pearl" (used in the early 80s as the theme tune for the <a title="BBC" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BBC">BBC</a> programme <a title="Top of the Pops" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Top_of_the_Pops">Top of the Pops</a>). He also recorded a rock'n'roll medley single in 1983, "We Are The Boys (Who Make All The Noise)" with <a title="Roy Wood" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Wood">Roy Wood</a>, <a title="Chas Hodges" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chas_Hodges">Chas Hodges</a> and <a title="John Coghlan" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Coghlan">John Coghlan</a>.</p><p>Lynott died in January <a title="1986" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1986">1986</a>, a victim of <a title="Drug abuse" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drug_abuse">drug abuse</a>. In the summer of the same year the band members reunited for the <a title="Self Aid" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self_Aid">Self Aid</a> concert in Dublin with <a title="Bob Geldof" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Geldof">Bob Geldof</a> stepping in on lead vocals.<br />The remaining members of Thin Lizzy (<a title="John Sykes" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Sykes">John Sykes</a> and <a title="Scott Gorham" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_Gorham">Scott Gorham</a> are the only 'classic' members left, after <a title="Brian Downey" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Downey">Brian Downey</a> declined to join the band, describing it as "too disorganised") reunited in <a title="1999" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1999">1999</a> for a European tour and live album. Having toured with <a title="Deep Purple" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deep_Purple">Deep Purple</a> in the USA in 2004, Thin Lizzy are currently, as of 2006, touring the UK and Ireland. They will support Deep Purple again in April and May of 2007 for their UK tour. As of this moment there aren't any plans for an album release.</p><p>Origin of the band name<br />Phil Lynott told in the RTE documentary Me and my music that Eric Bell thought up the name. The band's first lead guitarist Eric Bell, who was a fan of <a title="John Mayall" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Mayall">John Mayall</a>'s <a title="Bluesbreakers" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bluesbreakers">Bluesbreakers</a>, bought a copy of <a title="The Dandy" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dandy">Dandy</a> comic <a title="http://www.comicsuk.co.uk/ComicInformationPages/DandyPages/DandyHomePage.asp?ReturnPage=" href="http://www.comicsuk.co.uk/ComicInformationPages/DandyPages/DandyHomePage.asp?ReturnPage=CIP">[3]</a> after seeing <a title="Eric Clapton" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Clapton">Eric Clapton</a> depicted reading a copy of its sister publication <a title="The Beano" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beano">The Beano</a> on the cover of the 1966 album <a title="Bluesbreakers with Eric Clapton" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bluesbreakers_with_Eric_Clapton">Bluesbreakers with Eric Clapton</a>. Bell suggested Tin Lizzie, the name of a robot character from the comic, which became Thin Lizzy (a sly nod to the Irish accent in which "Thin" is pronounced "Tin").</p><p>Discography<br /><a id="Studio_albums" name="Studio_albums"></a>Studio albums<br /><a title="Thin Lizzy (album)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thin_Lizzy_%28album%29">Thin Lizzy</a> (1971)<br /><a title="Shades of a Blue Orphanage" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shades_of_a_Blue_Orphanage">Shades of a Blue Orphanage</a> (1972)<br /><a title="Vagabonds of the Western World" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vagabonds_of_the_Western_World">Vagabonds of the Western World</a> (1973)<br /><a title="Nightlife (Thin Lizzy album)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nightlife_%28Thin_Lizzy_album%29">Nightlife</a> (1974)<br /><a title="Fighting (album)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fighting_%28album%29">Fighting</a> (1975)<br /><a title="Jailbreak (album)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jailbreak_%28album%29">Jailbreak</a> (1976)<br /><a title="Johnny the Fox" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_the_Fox">Johnny the Fox</a> (1976)<br /><a title="Bad Reputation" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bad_Reputation">Bad Reputation</a> (1977)<br /><a title="Black Rose: A Rock Legend" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_Rose:_A_Rock_Legend">Black Rose: A Rock Legend</a> (1979)<br /><a title="Chinatown (album)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinatown_%28album%29">Chinatown</a> (1980)<br /><a title="Renegade (album)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renegade_%28album%29">Renegade</a> (1981)<br /><a title="Thunder and Lightning" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thunder_and_Lightning">Thunder and Lightning</a> (1983)<br /><a id="Live_albums" name="Live_albums"></a>Live albums<br /><a title="Live and Dangerous" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Live_and_Dangerous">Live and Dangerous</a> (1978)<br /><a title="Life (Thin Lizzy album)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_%28Thin_Lizzy_album%29">Life</a> (1983)<br /><a title="BBC Radio One Live in Concert (Thin Lizzy album)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BBC_Radio_One_Live_in_Concert_%28Thin_Lizzy_album%29">BBC Radio One Live in Concert</a> (1994)<br />The Peel Sessions (1994)<br /><a title="Boys Are Back in Town: Live in Australia" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boys_Are_Back_in_Town:_Live_in_Australia">Boys Are Back in Town: Live in Australia</a> (1999)<br /><a title="One Night Only (album)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_Night_Only_%28album%29">One Night Only</a> [live] (2000)<br /><a id="Compilations" name="Compilations"></a>Compilations<br />The Beginning, Vol 12 (Decca, 1974 - Germany)<br /><a title="Remembering (album)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remembering_%28album%29">Remembering</a> (Decca, 08/76)<br />Rocker (1971-1974) (London, 1977 - USA)<br /><a title="Continuing Saga of Ageing Orphans" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continuing_Saga_of_Ageing_Orphans">Continuing Saga of Ageing Orphans</a> (Decca, 09/79)<br />Profile (Decca, 1979 - Germany)<br />The Japanese Compilation Album (Vertigo, 25/02/80 - Japan)<br /><a title="The Adventures of Thin Lizzy" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Adventures_of_Thin_Lizzy">The Adventures of Thin Lizzy</a> (Vertigo, 27/03/81)<br />Lizzy Killers (Vertigo, 1981)<br />Whiskey In The Jar (Decca, 1981 - Germany)<br />Rockers (Decca, 12/81)<br />Thin Lizzy - Der Weisse Serie (Decca, 1982 - Germany)<br />Whiskey In The Jar (Karussell, 1983 - Germany)<br />The Boys Are Back In Town (Pickwick, 11/83)<br /><a title="The Collection (Thin Lizzy album)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Collection_%28Thin_Lizzy_album%29&action=edit">The Collection</a> (Castle, 11/85)<br />Whiskey In The Jar (Pickwick, 04/86)<br />Soldier Of Fortune (Telstar, 11/87)<br />Lizzy Lives (Grand Slamm, 03/89 - USA)<br /><a title="Dedication: The Very Best of Thin Lizzy" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dedication:_The_Very_Best_of_Thin_Lizzy">Dedication: The Very Best of Thin Lizzy</a> (Vertigo, 04/02/91)<br /><a title="Wild One: The Very Best Of Thin Lizzy" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wild_One:_The_Very_Best_Of_Thin_Lizzy">Wild One: The Very Best Of Thin Lizzy</a> (04/01/96)<br /><a title="Whiskey In The Jar (album)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whiskey_In_The_Jar_%28album%29">Whiskey In The Jar (album)</a> (Karussell, Spektrum, Universal, 1996, 1998, 2000)<br />Master Series (Deram, 1998 - Germany)<br />The Boys Are Back In Town (Vertigo, 06/12/00 - Sweden)<br /><a title="Vagabonds, Kings, Warriors, Angels" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vagabonds%2C_Kings%2C_Warriors%2C_Angels">Vagabonds, Kings, Warriors, Angels</a> (Mercury, 07/12/01 - 4CD Box Set)<br /><a title="Thin Lizzy Greatest Hits" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thin_Lizzy_Greatest_Hits">Thin Lizzy Greatest Hits</a> (Universal, 07/06/04)<br /><a title="The Definitive Collection (Thin Lizzy)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Definitive_Collection_%28Thin_Lizzy%29">The Definitive Collection (Thin Lizzy)</a> (Island Mercury, 20/06/06)<br /><a id="As_Funky_Junction" name="As_Funky_Junction"></a><a name="Thin_Lizzy_singles"></a><a name="External_links"></a></p><p>External links<br /><a title="http://www.roisindubh.info/" href="http://www.roisindubh.info/">The Roisín Dubh Trust</a><br /><a title="http://www.vibeforphilo.com/" href="http://www.vibeforphilo.com/">The Official Site For The Vibe For Philo</a><br /><a title="http://www.thinlizzyguide.com/" href="http://www.thinlizzyguide.com/">Thin Lizzy Guide</a><br /><a title="http://www.thinlizzyfan.com" href="http://www.thinlizzyfan.com/">Thin Lizzy Fans</a><br /><a title="http://www.thin-lizzy.info" href="http://www.thin-lizzy.info/">non-Official site</a><br /><a title="http://www.trcjt.ca/ab950/" href="http://www.trcjt.ca/ab950/">Enter the World Of Philip Lynott and Thin Lizzy</a><br /><a title="http://www.thinlizzylive.com/" href="http://www.thinlizzylive.com/">Official site (For The John Sykes Version Of Thin Lizzy)</a><a title="http://www.quasimodobell.com/default.aspx/tabid/130/groupid/600/gingroup/THIN+LIZZY/discography/1" href="http://www.quasimodobell.com/default.aspx/tabid/130/groupid/600/gingroup/THIN+LIZZY/discography/1">Thin Lizzy Discography & Catalog Number Info</a><br /><a title="http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/7566185/lizzys_lynott_lives_on/" href="http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/7566185/lizzys_lynott_lives_on/">2005 Rolling Stone.com article on Lizzy/Lynott</a><br /></p>Excel Professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01386313437407814163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2074785452285691132.post-48198907168033439552007-03-08T11:35:00.000-05:002007-03-08T11:36:48.503-05:00Gary Wright<p><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/lZyjM3OCx00" width="425" height="350" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent"></embed><br />Dream Weaver</p><p>Gary Wright (born <a title="April 26" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/April_26">April 26</a>, <a title="1943" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1943">1943</a> in Creskill, <a title="New Jersey" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Jersey">New Jersey</a>, <a title="USA" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USA">USA</a>) is an American <a title="Musician" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musician">musician</a>, most famous for the above video and his hit song "<a title="Dream Weaver (song)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dream_Weaver_%28song%29">Dream Weaver</a>".</p><p>Gary Wright, a personal friend of <a title="George Harrison" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Harrison">George Harrison</a>, appeared in a TV show at the age of 7. Later he came to <a title="Europe" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europe">Europe</a> to continue studying <a title="Psychology" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychology">psychology</a>. In <a title="1967" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1967">1967</a> he joined the band <a title="Spooky Tooth" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spooky_Tooth">Spooky Tooth</a> as singer and keyboardist. After Spooky Tooth's split in <a title="1974" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1974">1974</a>, he continued his solo career culminating in "<a title="Dream Weaver (song)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dream_Weaver_%28song%29">Dream Weaver</a>". The single peaked at #2 for 3 weeks on the <a title="Billboard Hot 100" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billboard_Hot_100">Billboard Hot 100</a> in 1976, and went gold. It was also featured in the <a title="Wayne's World" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wayne%27s_World">Wayne's World</a> film and soundtrack. Later that year, his follow-up single "Love Is Alive" also reached #2 (for 2 weeks).</p><p><br /><a title="Ronnie Montrose" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronnie_Montrose">Ronnie Montrose</a> played guitar on the Gary Wright song "Power Of Love" from the <a title="Dream Weaver" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dream_Weaver">Dream Weaver</a> album.</p><p><br />This would be the last significant success Wright would achieve on the pop chart until 1981, when he returned with "Really Wanna Know You", a bouncy, bass-heavy song that managed to hit #16.</p><p><br />His 1981 song "Comin' Apart" was sampled by <a title="Armand van Helden" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armand_van_Helden">Armand van Helden</a> in the 2004 club anthem "My, My, My".</p><p>External links<br /></p><p><a title="http://www.thedreamweaver.com/" href="http://www.thedreamweaver.com/">Official website</a><br /><br /></p>Excel Professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01386313437407814163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2074785452285691132.post-55028322575702620482007-03-02T09:27:00.000-05:002007-03-02T09:31:02.688-05:00Pilot<p><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/41UIiEH53QY" width="425" height="350" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent"></embed></p><p>Magic</p><p>Pilot was a <a title="Pop rock" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pop_rock">pop rock</a> group formed in <a title="1973 in music" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1973_in_music">1973</a> in <a title="Edinburgh" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edinburgh">Edinburgh</a>, <a title="Scotland" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scotland">Scotland</a> by former <a title="Bay City Rollers" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bay_City_Rollers">Bay City Rollers</a> members <a title="David Paton" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Paton">David Paton</a> and <a title="Billy Lyall" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Lyall">Billy Lyall</a>.</p><p><strong>Career<br /></strong>Joined by <a title="Stuart Tosh" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stuart_Tosh">Stuart Tosh</a> and <a title="Ian Bairnson" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ian_Bairnson">Ian Bairnson</a>, the <a title="Band (music)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Band_%28music%29">band</a> recorded several <a title="Demo" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Demo">demos</a> over the course of 1973 and 1974, eventually catching the attention of <a title="EMI" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EMI">EMI Records</a>.</p><p>The above video for their 1974 <a title="Single (music)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Single_%28music%29">single</a> "<a title="Magic (song)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magic_%28song%29">Magic</a>" from their <a title="Debut album" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debut_album">debut</a> <a title="Album" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Album">album</a> was a #11 <a title="United Kingdom" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Kingdom">UK</a> and #5 <a title="United States" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States">U.S.</a> <a title="Chart-topper" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chart-topper">hit</a> and remains a <a title="Popular music" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Popular_music">pop</a> classic. The simple but catchy pop ditty "<a title="January (song)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/January_%28song%29">January</a>" gave them their biggest hit, securing the <a title="Chart-topper" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chart-topper">number one</a> spot in the <a title="UK Singles Chart" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UK_Singles_Chart">UK Singles Chart</a> in January <a title="1975 in music" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1975_in_music">1975</a>.</p><p>The band's other single chart hits were "Call Me Round" and "Just A Smile" (both 1975). By the time 1977 came around only Paton and Bairnson were left from the original foursome, and they recorded Pilot's final <a title="Album" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Album">album</a> (the aptly entitled Two's a Crowd) alone.</p><p>By 1978, all of Pilot's members had moved on to other projects, notably Tosh, Paton and Bairnson becoming core members of the <a title="Alan Parsons Project" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Parsons_Project">Alan Parsons Project</a>, and Tosh also working with <a title="10cc" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/10cc">10cc</a>.</p><p><strong>Album discography<br /></strong><a id="Original_group_releases" name="Original_group_releases"></a>Original group releases<br />Pilot (From the Album of the Same Name) - (1974)<br />Second Flight - (1975)<br />Morin Heights - (1976)<br />Two's a Crowd - (1977) </p><p>Compilations and film soundtracks<br />Best of Pilot - (1980)<br />Happy Gilmore (included in the <a title="Soundtrack" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soundtrack">soundtrack</a>) - (1996)<br />Herbie Fully Loaded (included in soundtrack) (2005)<br />Doogal (included in soundtrack) (2005) </p><p> </p>Excel Professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01386313437407814163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2074785452285691132.post-3109254235161502812007-02-27T16:38:00.000-05:002007-02-27T16:49:07.746-05:00Elton John<p><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Nyha5dFtog4" width="425" height="350" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent"></embed><br />Rocket Man </p><p>Sir Elton Hercules John, <a title="Order of the British Empire" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_of_the_British_Empire">CBE</a><a title="" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elton_john#_note-0#_note-0">[1]</a><a title="" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elton_john#_note-1#_note-1">[2]</a> (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight on <a title="March 25" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/March_25">25 March</a> <a title="1947" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1947">1947</a>) is an <a title="England" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/England">English</a> <a title="Pop music" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pop_music">pop</a>/<a title="Rock music" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_music">rock</a> <a title="Singer" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Singer">singer</a>, <a title="Composer" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Composer">composer</a> and <a title="Pianist" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pianist">pianist</a>.</p><p>In a career spanning five decades, Elton John has sold over 250 million records and has over 50 <a title="Top Forty" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Top_Forty">Top 40</a> hits, making him one of the most successful musicians of all time. John was one of the dominant commercial forces in the rock world during the 1970s, with a string of seven consecutive #1 records on the U.S. album charts, 23 Top 40 singles, 16 Top 10 ones, and six #1 hits. His success had a profound impact on <a title="Popular music" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Popular_music">popular music</a>, and contributed to the continued popularity of the piano in <a title="Rock and roll" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_and_roll">rock and roll</a>. Key musical elements in John's success included his melodic gifts matched with the contributions of his lyricist partner <a title="Bernie Taupin" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernie_Taupin">Bernie Taupin</a>, his rich <a title="Tenor" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tenor">tenor</a> and <a title="Gospel music" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gospel_music">gospel</a>-chorded piano, aggressive <a title="String instrument" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/String_instrument">string</a> arrangements, and his <a title="Flamboyant" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flamboyant">flamboyant</a> fashion sense and on-stage showmanship. In 2004, <a title="Rolling Stone Magazine" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolling_Stone_Magazine">Rolling Stone Magazine</a> ranked him #49 on their list of the <a title="http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/5939214/the_immortals_the_first_fifty/" href="http://www.rollingstone.com/news/story/5939214/the_immortals_the_first_fifty/">100 Greatest Artists of All Time</a>.<a title="" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elton_john#_note-3#_note-3">[4]</a><a title="" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elton_john#_note-4#_note-4">[5]</a> He continues to be a major public figure, and has been heavily involved in the fight against <a title="AIDS" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AIDS">AIDS</a> since the late <a title="1980s" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1980s">1980s</a>. He was inducted into the <a title="Rock and Roll Hall of Fame" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_and_Roll_Hall_of_Fame">Rock and Roll Hall of Fame</a> in <a title="1994" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1994">1994</a> and was <a title="Knight" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knight">knighted</a> in <a title="1998" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1998">1998</a>, and has remained an enduringly successful artist.</p><p><strong>Biography<br /></strong>Reginald Kenneth Dwight was born in <a title="Pinner" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinner">Pinner</a>, <a title="Middlesex" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middlesex">Middlesex</a>, a <a title="London" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London">London</a> suburb. His father, Stanley Dwight, was an officer in the <a title="Royal Air Force" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Air_Force">Royal Air Force</a> and was frequently away, while his mother, the former Sheila Harris commented years later that her son grew up "a bundle of nerves." Reginald's childhood was marred by terrible arguments between his parents.<br />Stanley Dwight had once played trumpet with an American-styled big band called Bob Miller and The Millermen. He and Sheila were avid record buyers, exposing Reginald to the music of pianists <a title="Winifred Atwell" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winifred_Atwell">Winifred Atwell</a>, <a title="Nat King Cole" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nat_King_Cole">Nat King Cole</a>, and <a title="George Shearing" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Shearing">George Shearing</a>, and to singers <a title="Rosemary Clooney" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosemary_Clooney">Rosemary Clooney</a>, <a title="Frank Sinatra" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Sinatra">Frank Sinatra</a>, <a title="Kay Starr" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kay_Starr">Kay Starr</a>, <a title="Johnny Ray" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Ray">Johnny Ray</a>, <a title="Guy Mitchell" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guy_Mitchell">Guy Mitchell</a>, <a title="Jo Stafford" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jo_Stafford">Jo Stafford</a>, and <a title="Frankie Laine" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frankie_Laine">Frankie Laine</a>. Aged 3 Reginald started playing the piano, while by aged 4 his parents recognized Reginald's talent, and would often ask him to play at parties.</p><p>In <a title="1956" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1956">1956</a>, Reginald discovered <a title="Elvis Presley" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elvis_Presley">Elvis Presley</a>. Soon his mother was buying him records by rock 'n' roll acts like Presley and <a title="Bill Haley and his Comets" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Haley_and_his_Comets">Bill Haley and his Comets</a>. By the time he started attending the <a title="Royal Academy of Music" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Academy_of_Music">Royal Academy of Music</a> on a scholarship at age 11, Reginald's musical mind was firmly wedded to rock 'n' roll.</p><p>Reginald preferred playing by ear. Subprofessor Helen Piena once said that upon the boy's entrance into the Academy, she'd played him a four-page piece by <a title="Handel" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handel">Handel</a>, which he promptly played back for her like a "gramophone record." Reginald enjoyed playing <a title="Chopin" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chopin">Chopin</a> and <a title="Bach" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bach">Bach</a> and singing in the choir during his Saturday classes at the Academy, but was not otherwise a diligent classical student. As he remembered decades later, "I kind of resented going to the Academy. I was one of those children who could just about get away without practicing and still pass, scrape through the grades." Sometimes, he would play truant and ride around the tube (subway). Yet Piena saw Reginald as a "model student."</p><p>A student at the Academy for five years, Reginald rounded out the little free time he had with a newspaper route and a job at a wine shop on Saturday afternoons after class. At Pinner Country Grammar School, he was more advanced musically than his peers and had an aptitude for songwriting, dashing off good melodies for his composition assignments.</p><p>Reginald's record collection grew rapidly. He took sustenance in the early rock 'n' roll piano pioneers, annoying his father, who wanted him to concentrate on the classics, and frightening his mother with a fascination for music of the sexual, androgynous <a title="Little Richard" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Richard">Little Richard</a>. Reginald gained some notoriety by playing like <a title="Jerry Lee Lewis" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Lee_Lewis">Jerry Lee Lewis</a> at <a title="Pinner County Grammar School" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinner_County_Grammar_School">Pinner County Grammar School</a> functions, and even sang.</p><p>In 1962, Reginald's embattled parents finally divorced, in the wake of Sheila Dwight's friendship with a painter named Fred Farebrother. Later, Stanley married again and had four children.<br /><strong></strong></p><p><strong>Early career (1962–1969)<br /></strong>At age 15, with the help of caring father figure Farebrother, Reginald Dwight became a weekend pianist at the nearby Northwood Hills pub, playing on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights. The crowd was often rough – sometimes an unruly patron would dump a pint of beer into Reginald's piano – and the youngster had to work hard to please them. He played everything from <a title="Jim Reeves" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jim_Reeves">Jim Reeves</a> <a title="Country music" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Country_music">country</a> songs ("He'll Have to Go") to <a title="Music of Ireland" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_of_Ireland">Irish</a> <a title="Folk music" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Folk_music">folk</a> numbers ("When Irish Eyes Are Smiling"), decades-old ditties ("Beer Barrel Polka"), hits of the day ("King of the Road"), and songs he had written himself. He received a modest, steady income and substantial tips. "During that whole period, I don't think I ever missed a gig," he said later. A stint with a short-lived group called the Corvettes rounded out his time.</p><p>In 1964, Dwight and his friends formed a band called Bluesology. By day, he ran errands for a music publishing company; he divided his nights between solo gigs at a London hotel bar and working with Bluesology. By the mid-1960s, Bluesology was backing touring American soul and R&B musicians like <a title="The Isley Brothers" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Isley_Brothers">The Isley Brothers</a>, <a title="Major Lance" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Major_Lance">Major Lance</a>, <a title="Doris Troy" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doris_Troy">Doris Troy</a> and <a title="LaBelle" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LaBelle">Patti LaBelle and The Bluebelles</a>. In 1966, the band became musician <a title="Long John Baldry" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_John_Baldry">Long John Baldry</a>'s supporting band and began touring cabarets in England.</p><p>After failing lead vocalist auditions for both <a title="King Crimson" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Crimson">King Crimson</a> and <a title="Gentle Giant" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gentle_Giant">Gentle Giant</a>, Dwight answered an advertisement in the <a title="NME" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NME">New Musical Express</a> placed by <a title="Ray Williams (producer)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Williams_%28producer%29">Ray Williams</a>, then the A&R manager for <a title="Liberty Records" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberty_Records">Liberty Records</a>. At their first meeting, Williams gave Dwight a stack of lyrics written by <a title="Bernie Taupin" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernie_Taupin">Bernie Taupin</a>, who had answered the same ad. Dwight wrote music for the lyrics, and then mailed it to Taupin, and thus began a partnership that continues to this day. In 1967, what would become the first Elton John/Bernie Taupin song, "Scarecrow", was recorded; when the two first met, six months later, Reginald Dwight had changed his name to Elton John, by <a title="Deed poll" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deed_poll">deed poll</a>, in homage to Bluesology saxophonist <a title="Elton Dean" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elton_Dean">Elton Dean</a> and Long John Baldry.</p><p>The team of John and Taupin joined <a title="Dick James" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dick_James">Dick James</a>'s <a title="DJM Records" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DJM_Records">DJM Records</a> as staff songwriters in 1968, and over the next two years wrote material for various artists, like <a title="Roger Cook (songwriter)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Cook_%28songwriter%29">Roger Cook</a> and <a title="Lulu (singer)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lulu_%28singer%29">Lulu</a>. Taupin would write a batch of lyrics in under an hour and give it to John, who would write music for them in half an hour, disposing of the lyrics if he couldn't come up with anything quickly. For two years, they wrote <a title="Easy listening" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Easy_listening">easy-listening</a> tunes for James to peddle to singers.<br />Their early output included an entry for British song for the <a title="Eurovision Song Contest" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurovision_Song_Contest">Eurovision Song Contest</a> in <a title="1969" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1969">1969</a>, called "Can't Go On (Living Without You)" It came sixth of six songs.</p><p>During this period John also played on sessions for other artists including playing piano on <a title="The Hollies" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hollies">The Hollies</a>' <a title="He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/He_Ain%27t_Heavy%2C_He%27s_My_Brother">He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother</a> and singing backing vocals for <a title="The Scaffold" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Scaffold">The Scaffold</a>.<a title="" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elton_john#_note-6#_note-6">[7]</a><br />On the advice of music publisher Steve Brown, John and Taupin started writing more complex songs for John to record for DJM. The first was the single "I've Been Loving You" (1968), produced by Caleb Quaye, former Bluesology guitarist. In 1969, with Quaye, drummer Roger Pope, and bassist Tony Murray, John recorded another single, "<a title="Lady Samantha" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lady_Samantha">Lady Samantha</a>," and an album, <a title="Empty Sky (album)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empty_Sky_%28album%29">Empty Sky</a>. Despite good reviews, none of the records sold well.</p><p><strong>1970s<br /></strong>John and Taupin now enlisted <a title="Gus Dudgeon" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gus_Dudgeon">Gus Dudgeon</a> to produce a follow-up with <a title="Paul Buckmaster" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Buckmaster">Paul Buckmaster</a> as arranger. <a title="Elton John (album)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elton_John_%28album%29">Elton John</a> was released in the spring of 1970 on <a title="DJM Records" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DJM_Records">DJM Records</a>/<a title="Pye Records" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pye_Records">Pye Records</a> in the UK and <a title="Uni Records" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Uni_Records">Uni Records</a> in the USA, and established the formula for subsequent albums; gospel-chorded rockers and poignant ballads. After the first single "<a title="Your Song" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Your_Song">Your Song</a>" made the <a title="Billboard Hot 100" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billboard_Hot_100">US Top Ten</a>, the album followed suit. John's first American concert took place at <a title="The Troubadour" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Troubadour">The Troubadour</a> in Los Angeles, in August, backed by ex-<a title="Spencer Davis Group" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spencer_Davis_Group">Spencer Davis Group</a> drummer <a title="Nigel Olsson" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nigel_Olsson">Nigel Olsson</a> and bassist <a title="Dee Murray" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dee_Murray">Dee Murray</a>. Kicking over his piano bench <a title="Jerry Lee Lewis" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jerry_Lee_Lewis">Jerry Lee Lewis</a>-style and performing handstands on the keyboards, John left the critics raving, and drew praise from fellow artists such as <a title="Quincy Jones" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quincy_Jones">Quincy Jones</a> and <a title="Bob Dylan" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Dylan">Bob Dylan</a>.</p><p><br />Elton John was followed quickly with the concept album <a title="Tumbleweed Connection" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tumbleweed_Connection">Tumbleweed Connection</a> in October 1970, which reached the Top Ten on the <a title="Billboard 200" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billboard_200">Billboard 200</a>. A frenetic pace of releasing two albums a year was now established. The live album <a title="17-11-70" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/17-11-70">17-11-70</a> (<a title="11-17-70" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/11-17-70">11-17-70</a> in the US) showcased Elton's talent as a rock pianist and father of <a title="Piano rock" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piano_rock">piano rock</a>. Taped at a live show aired from A&R Studios on <a title="WABC-FM" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WABC-FM">WABC-FM</a> in <a title="New York City" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_City">New York City</a>, and introduced by disc jockey <a title="Dave Herman" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dave_Herman&action=edit">Dave Herman</a>, it featured extended versions of John/Taupin's early compositions that illustrate the gospel and boogie-woogie influences on John's piano playing. It also featured much interaction between John, bassist <a title="Dee Murray" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dee_Murray">Dee Murray</a>, and drummer <a title="Nigel Olsson" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nigel_Olsson">Nigel Olsson</a>. During the magnum opus 18:20 version of "<a title="Burn Down the Mission" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burn_Down_the_Mission">Burn Down the Mission</a>", the band interpolates <a title="Arthur Crudup" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Crudup">Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup</a>'s "My Baby Left Me" and a full rendition of <a title="The Beatles" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beatles">The Beatles</a>' "<a title="Get Back" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Get_Back">Get Back</a>" before a rampaging conclusion.</p><p>John and Taupin then wrote the soundtrack to the obscure film <a title="Friends (1971 film)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friends_%281971_film%29">Friends</a> and then the album <a title="Madman Across the Water" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madman_Across_the_Water">Madman Across the Water</a>, the latter reaching the Top Ten and producing the hit "<a title="Levon" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Levon">Levon</a>", while the soundtrack album produced the hit "Friends". In 1972, the final piece of what would become known as the Elton John Band fell into place, with the addition of <a title="Davey Johnstone" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Davey_Johnstone">Davey Johnstone</a> (on guitar and backing vocals). Murray, Olsson, and Johnstone came together with John and Taupin's writing, John's flamboyant performance style, and <a title="Record producer" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Record_producer">producer</a> <a title="Gus Dudgeon" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gus_Dudgeon">Gus Dudgeon</a> to create a hit-making chemistry for the next five Elton John albums. Known for their instrumental playing, the members of the band were also strong backing vocalists who worked out and recorded many of their vocal harmonies themselves, usually in Elton's absence.<br />The band released <a title="Honky Chateau" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honky_Chateau">Honky Chateau</a>, which became Elton's first American number 1 album, spending five weeks at the top of the charts and spawning the above video and hit singles "<a title="Rocket Man (song)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocket_Man_%28song%29">Rocket Man (I Think It's Going To Be A Long, Long Time)</a>" and "<a title="Honky Cat" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honky_Cat">Honky Cat</a>".</p><p>The 1973 pop album <a title="Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don%27t_Shoot_Me_I%27m_Only_the_Piano_Player">Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player</a> came out at the start of 1973, and produced the hits "<a title="Crocodile Rock" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crocodile_Rock">Crocodile Rock</a>" and "<a title="Daniel (song)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_%28song%29">Daniel</a>"; the former became his first US number one hit. (Ironically this, like his other famous 1970s solo hits, would be popular in his native land but never top the <a title="UK Singles Chart" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UK_Singles_Chart">UK Singles Chart</a>; this achievement would have to wait two decades.) Both the album and "Crocodile Rock" were the first album and single, respectively on the consolidated <a title="MCA Records" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MCA_Records">MCA Records</a> label in the USA, replacing MCA's other labels including Uni.<br /><a title="Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goodbye_Yellow_Brick_Road">Goodbye Yellow Brick Road</a>, a double album considered by many to be Elton John's best album, followed later in <a title="1973" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1973">1973</a>. It gained instant critical acclaim and topped the chart on both sides of the Atlantic. It also temporarily established Elton John as a <a title="Glam rock" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glam_rock">glam rock</a> star. It contained the Number 1 hit "<a title="Bennie and the Jets" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bennie_and_the_Jets">Bennie and the Jets</a>", along with the popular and praised "<a title="Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (song)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goodbye_Yellow_Brick_Road_%28song%29">Goodbye Yellow Brick Road</a>", "<a title="Candle in the Wind" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Candle_in_the_Wind">Candle in the Wind</a>", "<a title="Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturday_Night%27s_Alright_for_Fighting">Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting</a>", "<a title="Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Funeral_For_A_Friend/Love_Lies_Bleeding">Funeral For A Friend/Love Lies Bleeding</a>" and "Grey Seal".</p><p>John then formed his own MCA-distributed label <a title="Rocket Records" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rocket_Records">Rocket Records</a> and signed acts to it — notably <a title="Neil Sedaka" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neil_Sedaka">Neil Sedaka</a> ("Bad Blood", on which he sang background vocals) and <a title="Kiki Dee" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiki_Dee">Kiki Dee</a> — in which he took personal interest. Instead of releasing his own records on Rocket, he opted for $8 million offered by MCA. When the contract was signed in 1974, MCA reportedly took out a $25 million insurance policy on John's life.</p><p>In 1974 a collaboration with <a title="John Lennon" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Lennon">John Lennon</a> took place, resulting in Elton John covering <a title="The Beatles" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beatles">The Beatles</a>' "<a title="Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucy_in_the_Sky_with_Diamonds">Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds</a>" and Lennon's "One Day at a Time", and in return Elton John and band being featured on Lennon's "Whatever Gets You Thru The Night". In what would be Lennon's last live performance, the pair performed these two number 1 hits along with the Beatles classic "<a title="I Saw Her Standing There" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Saw_Her_Standing_There">I Saw Her Standing There</a>" at <a title="Madison Square Garden" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madison_Square_Garden">Madison Square Garden</a>. Lennon made the rare stage appearance to keep the promise he made that he would appear onstage with Elton if "Whatever Gets You Thru The Night" became a number 1 single. <a title="Caribou (album)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caribou_%28album%29">Caribou</a> was released in 1974, and although it reached number 1, it was widely considered a lesser quality album. Reportedly recorded in a scant two weeks between live appearances, it featured "The Bitch Is Back" and John's versatility in orchestral songs with "<a title="Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don%27t_Let_the_Sun_Go_Down_on_Me">Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me</a>". At the end of the year, the compilation album <a title="Elton John's Greatest Hits" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elton_John%27s_Greatest_Hits">Elton John's Greatest Hits</a> was released and reached number 1.<br /><a title="Pete Townshend" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pete_Townshend">Pete Townshend</a> of <a title="The Who" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Who">The Who</a> asked John to play a character called the "Pinball Wizard" in the film of the rock opera <a title="Tommy (rock opera)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tommy_%28rock_opera%29">Tommy</a>, and to perform the song of the same name. Drawing on <a title="Power chord" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_chord">power chords</a>, John's version was recorded and used for the movie release in 1975 and the single came out in 1976 (1975 in the US). The song charted at number 7 in England. <a title="Bally" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bally">Bally</a> subsequently released a "Captain Fantastic" pinball machine featuring an illustration of Elton John in his movie guise.</p><p>In the 1975 autobiographical album <a title="Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captain_Fantastic_and_the_Brown_Dirt_Cowboy">Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy</a>, Elton John revealed his previously ambiguous personality, with Taupin's lyrics describing their early days as struggling songwriters and musicians in <a title="London" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London">London</a>. The lyrics and accompanying photo booklet are infused with a specific sense of place and time that is otherwise rare in John's music. "<a title="Someone Saved My Life Tonight" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Someone_Saved_My_Life_Tonight">Someone Saved My Life Tonight</a>" was the hit single from this album and captured an early turning point in John's life.</p><p>The album's release signaled the end of the Elton John Band, as an unhappy and overworked John dismissed Olsson and Murray, two people who had contributed much of the band's signature sound and who had helped build his live following since the beginning. Johnstone and Ray Cooper were retained, Quaye and Roger Pope returned, and the new bassist was Kenny Passarelli; this rhythm section provided a heavier-sounding backbeat. James Newton-Howard joined to arrange in the studio and to play keyboards. John introduced the lineup before a crowd of 75,000 in London's <a title="Wembley Stadium" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wembley_Stadium">Wembley Stadium</a>.</p><p>Rock-oriented <a title="Rock of the Westies" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_of_the_Westies">Rock of the Westies</a> entered the <a title="Billboard 200" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billboard_200">US albums chart</a> at number 1 like Captain Fantastic, a previously unattained feat. However, the material was almost universally regarded as not on a par with previous releases. The musical and vocal chemistry Olsson and Murray brought to Elton's previous releases was seen as lacking by some, both on the album and in the concerts that supported it.</p><p>Commercially, Elton owed much of his success during the mid-1970s to his concert performances. He filled arenas and stadiums worldwide, and was arguably the hottest act in the rock world. John was an unlikely rock idol to begin with, as he was short of stature at 5'7" (1.70 m), chubby, and gradually losing his hair. But he made up for it with impassioned performances and over-the-top <a title="Fashion sense" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fashion_sense">fashion sense</a>. Also known for his glasses (he started wearing them as a youth to copy his idol <a title="Buddy Holly" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddy_Holly">Buddy Holly</a>), his flamboyant stage wardrobe now included <a title="Ostrich" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ostrich">ostrich</a> feathers, $5,000 spectacles that spelled his name in lights, and dressing up like the <a title="Statue of Liberty" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Statue_of_Liberty">Statue of Liberty</a>, <a title="Donald Duck" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Duck">Donald Duck</a>, or <a title="Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolfgang_Amadeus_Mozart">Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart</a> among others at his concerts made them a success and created interest for his music.</p><p>To celebrate five years of unparalleled success since he first appeared at the venue, in 1975 John played a two-night, four-show stand at <a title="The Troubadour" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Troubadour">The Troubadour</a>. With seating limited to under 500 per show, the chance to purchase tickets was determined by a postcard lottery, with each winner allowed two tickets. Everyone who attended the performances received a hardbound "yearbook" of the band's history.</p><p>In 1976, Elton released the live album <a title="Here and There" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Here_and_There">Here and There</a> in May, then the downbeat <a title="Blue Moves" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Moves">Blue Moves</a> in October, which contained the memorable but even gloomier hit "<a title="Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sorry_Seems_to_Be_the_Hardest_Word">Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word</a>". His biggest success in 1976 was the "<a title="Don't Go Breaking My Heart" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Don%27t_Go_Breaking_My_Heart">Don't Go Breaking My Heart</a>", a peppy duet with <a title="Kiki Dee" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiki_Dee">Kiki Dee</a> that topped both the American and British charts. Finally, in an interview with <a title="Rolling Stone" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolling_Stone">Rolling Stone</a> that year entitled "Elton's Frank Talk", a stressed John stated that he was bisexual.</p><p>Besides being his most commercially successful period, 1970 - 1976 is also held in the most regard critically. Of the six Elton John albums to make Rolling Stone's 2003 <a title="The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_500_Greatest_Albums_of_All_Time">The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time</a> list, all are from this period, with Goodbye Yellow Brick Road ranked highest at number 91; similarly, the three Elton John albums given five stars by <a title="All Music Guide" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_Music_Guide">All Music Guide</a> are all from this period too (Tumbleweed Connection, Honky Château, and Captain Fantastic).<br />Elton's career took a hit after 1976. In November 1977 John announced he was retiring from performing; Taupin began collaborating with others. John secluded himself in any of his three mansions, appearing publicly only to cheer the <a title="Watford Football Club" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watford_Football_Club">Watford Football Club</a>, an English football team that he later bought. Some speculated that John's retreat from stardom was prompted by adverse reactions to the Rolling Stone article.</p><p><br />Now only producing one album a year, John issued <a title="A Single Man" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Single_Man">A Single Man</a> in 1978, employing a new lyricist, Gary Osborne; the album featured no Top 20 singles. In 1979, accompanied by <a title="Ray Cooper" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Cooper">Ray Cooper</a>, John became the first Western pop star to tour the <a title="Soviet Union" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soviet_Union">Soviet Union</a> (as well as one of the first in <a title="Israel" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel">Israel</a>, then mounted a two-man comeback tour of the US in small halls. John returned to the singles chart with "Mama Can't Buy You Love" (number 9, 1979), a song from an EP recorded in 1977 with Philadelphia soul producer <a title="Thom Bell" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thom_Bell">Thom Bell</a>. A <a title="Disco music" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disco_music">disco</a>-influenced album, <a title="Victim of Love (album)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victim_of_Love_%28album%29">Victim of Love</a>, was poorly received.<br /><a name="1980s"></a></p><p>1980s<br />In 1979, John and Taupin reunited. <a title="21 at 33" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/21_at_33">21 at 33</a>, released the following year, was a significant career boost, aided by his biggest hit in four years, "<a title="Little Jeannie" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Jeannie">Little Jeannie</a>" (number 3 US), although the lyrics were written by <a title="Gary Osborne" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gary_Osborne">Gary Osborne</a>. (John also worked with lyricists <a title="Tom Robinson" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Robinson">Tom Robinson</a> and <a title="Judie Tzuke" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judie_Tzuke">Judie Tzuke</a> during this period as well.) His 1981 follow-up, <a title="The Fox (album)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fox_%28album%29">The Fox</a>, was recorded in part during the same sessions and also included collaborations with both lyricists. On <a title="September 13" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/September_13">13 September</a> <a title="1980" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1980">1980</a> Elton John performed a free concert to an estimated 400,000 fans on The Great Lawn in <a title="Central Park" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Park">Central Park</a> in <a title="New York City" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_City">New York City</a>, with Olsson and Murray back in the Elton John Band, and within hearing distance of his friend <a title="John Lennon" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Lennon">John Lennon</a>'s <a title="The Dakota" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dakota">apartment building</a>. Three months later Lennon would be murdered in front of that same building. Elton mourned the loss in his 1982 hit "Empty Garden (Hey Hey Johnny)", from his <a title="Jump Up!" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jump_Up%21">Jump Up!</a> album, his second under a new US recording contract with <a title="Geffen Records" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geffen_Records">Geffen Records</a>. He performed the tribute at a sold-out Madison Square Garden show in August <a title="1982" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1982">1982</a>, joined on stage by <a title="Yoko Ono" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yoko_Ono">Yoko Ono</a> and <a title="Sean Ono Lennon" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sean_Ono_Lennon">Sean Ono Lennon</a>, Elton's godchild.<br />With original band members Johnstone, Murray and Olsson together again, Elton was able to return to the charts with the 1983 hit album <a title="Too Low For Zero" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Too_Low_For_Zero">Too Low For Zero</a>, which included "I'm Still Standing" and "<a title="I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Guess_That%27s_Why_They_Call_It_The_Blues">I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues</a>", the latter of which featured <a title="Stevie Wonder" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stevie_Wonder">Stevie Wonder</a> on harmonica and reached number 4 in the US, giving Elton John his biggest hit there since "Little Jeannie." Indeed while he would never again match his 1970s success, he placed hits in the US Top Ten throughout the 1980s — "<a title="Little Jeannie" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Jeannie">Little Jeannie</a>" (number 3, 1980), "Sad Songs (Say So Much)" (number 5, 1984), "<a title="Nikita (song)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikita_%28song%29">Nikita</a>" (number 7, 1986), an orchestral version of "<a title="Candle in the Wind" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Candle_in_the_Wind">Candle in the Wind</a>" (number 6, 1987), and "I Don't Wanna Go On With You Like That" (number 2, 1988). His highest-charting single was a collaboration with <a title="Dionne Warwick" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dionne_Warwick">Dionne Warwick</a>, <a title="Gladys Knight" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gladys_Knight">Gladys Knight</a>, and Stevie Wonder on "<a title="That's What Friends Are For" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/That%27s_What_Friends_Are_For">That's What Friends Are For</a>" (number 1, 1985); credited as Dionne and Friends, the song raised funds for <a title="AIDS" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AIDS">AIDS</a> research. His albums continued to sell, but of the six released in the latter half of the <a title="1980s" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1980s">1980s</a>, only <a title="Reg Strikes Back" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reg_Strikes_Back">Reg Strikes Back</a> (number 16, 1988) placed in the Top 20 in the US.<br />The <a title="1980s" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1980s">1980s</a> were years of personal upheaval for John. In 1984 he surprised many by marrying <a title="Sound engineer" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sound_engineer">sound engineer</a> <a title="Renate Blauel" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renate_Blauel">Renate Blauel</a>. While the marriage lasted four years, John later maintained that he had realised that he was gay before he married. In 1986 he lost his voice while touring <a title="Australia" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australia">Australia</a> and shortly thereafter underwent throat surgery. John continued recording prolifically, but years of <a title="Cocaine" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cocaine">cocaine</a> and alcohol abuse, initiated in earnest around the time of Rock of the Westies' 1976 release, were beginning to take their toll. In 1987 he won a libel case against <a title="The Sun (newspaper)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sun_%28newspaper%29">The Sun</a> who had written about his allegedly having underaged sex; afterwards he said, "You can call me a fat, balding, talentless old queen who can't sing — but you can't tell lies about me."<br />In 1988, he performed five sold-out shows at New York's Madison Square Garden, giving him 26 for his career, breaking the <a title="Grateful Dead" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grateful_Dead">Grateful Dead</a>'s house record. But that year also marked the end of an era. Netting over $20 million, 2,000 items of John's memorabilia were auctioned off at Sotheby's in London, as John bade symbolic farewell to his excessive theatrical persona. (Among the items withheld from the auction were the tens of thousands of records John had been carefully collecting and cataloguing throughout his life.) In later interviews, he deemed 1989 the worst period of his life, comparing his mental and physical deterioration to <a title="Elvis Presley" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elvis_Presley">Elvis Presley</a>'s last years.<br /><a name="1990s"></a></p><p>1990s<br />Elton John was deeply affected by the plight of <a title="Ryan White" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryan_White">Ryan White</a>, an Indiana teenager with <a title="AIDS" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AIDS">AIDS</a>. Along with <a title="Michael Jackson" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Jackson">Michael Jackson</a>, John befriended and supported the boy and his family until White's death in 1990. Himself a mess and confronted by his then-lover, John checked into a Chicago hospital in 1990 to combat his <a title="Drug abuse" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drug_abuse">drug abuse</a>, <a title="Alcoholism" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcoholism">alcoholism</a>, and <a title="Bulimia" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulimia">bulimia</a>. In recovery, he lost weight and underwent hair replacement, and subsequently took up residence in <a title="Atlanta, Georgia" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlanta%2C_Georgia">Atlanta, Georgia</a>. Also in 1990, John would finally achieve his first UK number one hit on his own, with "<a title="Sacrifice (song)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacrifice_%28song%29">Sacrifice</a>" (backed with "Healing Hands") from the previous year's album <a title="Sleeping with the Past" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleeping_with_the_Past">Sleeping with the Past</a>; it would stay at the top spot for six weeks.<br />The 1991 film documentary <a title="Two Rooms" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two_Rooms">Two Rooms</a> described the unusual writing style that John and Bernie Taupin use, which involves Taupin writing the lyrics on his own, and John then putting them to music, with the two never in the same room during the process. That same year, the <a title="Two Rooms: Celebrating the Songs of Elton John & Bernie Taupin" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Two_Rooms:_Celebrating_the_Songs_of_Elton_John_%26_Bernie_Taupin">Two Rooms: Celebrating the Songs of Elton John & Bernie Taupin</a> <a title="Tribute album" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tribute_album">tribute album</a> came out, featuring contributions from many top British and American rock and pop performers. Finally in 1991, John's "Basque" won the <a title="Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grammy_Award_for_Best_Instrumental_Composition">Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition</a>, and his guest concert appearance on <a title="George Michael" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Michael">George Michael</a>'s reverent treatment of "Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me" topped the singles charts in both the US and UK.<br />In 1992 he established the Elton John AIDS Foundation, intending to direct 90 percent of the funds it raised to direct care, and 10 percent to AIDS prevention education. He also announced his intention to donate all future royalties from sales of his singles in the US and UK to AIDS research. That year, he released the US number 8 album <a title="The One (album)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_One_%28album%29">The One</a>, his highest-charting release since 1976's Blue Moves, and John and Taupin signed a music publishing deal with Warner/Chappell Music for an estimated $39 million over 12 years, giving them the largest cash advance in music publishing history. John performed "<a title="Bohemian Rhapsody" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bohemian_Rhapsody">Bohemian Rhapsody</a>" and "<a title="The Show Must Go On" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Show_Must_Go_On">The Show Must Go On</a>" with <a title="Queen (band)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Queen_%28band%29">Queen</a> at the <a title="Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freddie_Mercury_Tribute_Concert">Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert</a>, an AIDS charity event held at <a title="Wembley Stadium" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wembley_Stadium">Wembley Stadium</a>, <a title="London" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London">London</a> in honour of Queen's late front man <a title="Freddie Mercury" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freddie_Mercury">Freddie Mercury</a>. "Bohemian Rhapsody" featured a duet with <a title="Axl Rose" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Axl_Rose">Axl Rose</a>, a reconciliatory gesture given Rose's previous homophobic reputation.</p><p><br />In September of the same year, he performed "<a title="November Rain" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/November_Rain">November Rain</a>" with Rose's band <a title="Guns N' Roses" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guns_N%27_Roses">Guns N' Roses</a> for the 1992 <a title="MTV Video Music Awards" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MTV_Video_Music_Awards">MTV Video Music Awards</a> at the <a title="Pauley Pavilion" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pauley_Pavilion">Pauley Pavilion</a> in Los Angeles. The following year, he released <a title="Duets (Elton John album)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duets_%28Elton_John_album%29">Duets</a>, a collaboration with 15 artists ranging from <a title="Tammy Wynette" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tammy_Wynette">Tammy Wynette</a> to <a title="RuPaul" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RuPaul">RuPaul</a>. In 1994, along with <a title="Tim Rice" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Rice">Tim Rice</a>, he wrote the songs for the <a title="The Walt Disney Company" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Walt_Disney_Company">Disney</a> animated film <a title="The Lion King" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lion_King">The Lion King</a>. (Rice was reportedly stunned by the rapidity with which John was able to set his words to music.) The Lion King went on to become the highest-grossing traditionally-animated feature of all time, with the songs playing a key part. Three of the five songs nominated for the <a title="Academy Award for Best Song" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Academy_Award_for_Best_Song">Academy Award for Best Song</a> that year were John and Rice songs from <a title="The Lion King (soundtrack)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lion_King_%28soundtrack%29">The Lion King</a>, with "<a title="Can You Feel the Love Tonight" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Can_You_Feel_the_Love_Tonight">Can You Feel the Love Tonight</a>" winning. (John acknowledged his domestic partner, Canadian filmmaker <a title="David Furnish" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Furnish">David Furnish</a>, at the ceremonies.) In versions sung by John, both that and "<a title="Circle of Life" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circle_of_Life">Circle of Life</a>" became big hits, while the other songs such as "<a title="Hakuna Matata" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hakuna_Matata">Hakuna Matata</a>" achieved popularity with all ages as well. "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" would also win John the <a title="Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grammy_Award_for_Best_Male_Pop_Vocal_Performance">Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance</a>. After the release of the soundtrack, the album remained at the top of Billboard's charts for nine weeks. On <a title="November 10" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/November_10">November 10</a>, <a title="1999" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1999">1999</a>, the <a title="RIAA" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RIAA">RIAA</a> announced that the album The Lion King had sold 15 million copies and therefore was certified as a <a title="Diamond record" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diamond_record">diamond record</a> with room to spare.</p><p>Elton John was inducted into the <a title="Rock and Roll Hall of Fame" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_and_Roll_Hall_of_Fame">Rock and Roll Hall of Fame</a> in his first year of eligibility in 1994. He and Bernie Taupin had previously been inducted into the <a title="Songwriters Hall of Fame" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Songwriters_Hall_of_Fame">Songwriters Hall of Fame</a> in 1992. Elton John was made a <a title="Commander of the Order of the British Empire" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commander_of_the_Order_of_the_British_Empire">Commander of the Order of the British Empire</a> in 1995.<br />In 1995 John released <a title="Made in England" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Made_in_England">Made in England</a> (number 13, 1995), which featured the hit single "Believe" (number 13, 1995). Also, a compilation called <a title="Love Songs (Elton John album)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Love_Songs_%28Elton_John_album%29">Love Songs</a> was released the following year.</p><p>The year 1997 found extreme highs and lows for John. Early in the year, vestiges of the flamboyant Elton resurfaced as he threw a 50th birthday, costumed as <a title="Louis XIV" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_XIV">Louis XIV</a>, for 500 friends (the costume cost more than $80,000). But later that year he lost two close friends, designer <a title="Gianni Versace" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gianni_Versace">Gianni Versace</a> and <a title="Diana, Princess of Wales" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diana%2C_Princess_of_Wales">Diana, Princess of Wales</a>.</p><p><br />In September, Taupin altered the lyrics of "Candle in the Wind" for a special version mourning the death of Diana, and John performed it at her funeral in <a title="Westminster Abbey" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westminster_Abbey">Westminster Abbey</a> While John sang, <a title="Charles, Prince of Wales" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles%2C_Prince_of_Wales">Prince Charles</a> was seen with tears in his eyes. A recorded version, "<a title="Candle in the Wind 1997" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Candle_in_the_Wind_1997">Candle in the Wind 1997</a>", then became the fastest selling single of all time, eventually going on to sell over 30 million copies worldwide, with the proceeds of approximately £55 million going to the <a title="Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diana%2C_Princess_of_Wales_Memorial_Fund">Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund</a>. John would later win the <a title="Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grammy_Award_for_Best_Male_Pop_Vocal_Performance">Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance</a> for the single.</p><p><br />Elton John was <a title="British Honours System" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Honours_System#Knighthood">knighted</a> by <a title="Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_II_of_the_United_Kingdom">Queen Elizabeth II</a> on <a title="February 24" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/February_24">24 February</a> <a title="1998" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1998">1998</a>, granting him the title of "Sir". The honour was officially for his charitable work.<br />John closed out the decade by writing the score for <a title="The Muse" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Muse">The Muse</a> in 1999. He also had a <a title="Pacemaker" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacemaker">pacemaker</a> installed to overcome a minor heart problem.<br />John even featured in a few episodes of <a title="South Park" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Park">South Park</a> and performed "Wake Up Wendy" for <a title="Chef Aid: The South Park Album" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chef_Aid:_The_South_Park_Album">Chef Aid: The South Park Album</a>.</p><p>His 1999 duet with <a title="LeAnn Rimes" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LeAnn_Rimes">LeAnn Rimes</a>, <a title="Written in the Stars" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Written_in_the_Stars">Written in the Stars</a> (written by Tommy Santelli) reached #29 on the U.S. Top 40, marking the 30th consecutive year in which Elton John had had a Top 40 single. (However, this methodology credits one late 1995 hit ("Blessed") that extended into the January 1996 chart, and another single ("Candle in the Wind '97") whose chart run covered both 1997 and 1998.) John had separate Top 40 singles in every calendar year from 1970 to 1995, a 26-year stretch which surpasses any other performer of the rock era. (<a title="Bing Crosby" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bing_Crosby">Bing Crosby</a> had hits in each year from 1931 to 1957; this includes two years-- 1955 and 1957-- in which his only Top 40 single was the annual rerelease of <a title="White Christmas" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Christmas">White Christmas</a>. Crosby had separate Top 40 singles in every calendar year from 1931 to 1954.)<br /><a name="2000s_-_Present_Day"></a></p><p>2000s - Present Day<br />In the 2000s, John began frequently collaborating with other artists. In 2000, John and Tim Rice teamed again to create songs for <a title="DreamWorks" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DreamWorks">DreamWorks</a>' animated film <a title="The Road To El Dorado" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Road_To_El_Dorado">The Road To El Dorado</a> and was also the narrator. In the <a title="Musical theatre" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musical_theatre">musical theatre</a> world, addition to a 1998 adaptation of The Lion King for <a title="Broadway theatre" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broadway_theatre">Broadway</a>, John also composed music for a Disney production of <a title="Aida (musical)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aida_%28musical%29">Aida</a> in 1999 with lyricist Tim Rice, for which they received the <a title="Tony Award for Best Original Score" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Award_for_Best_Original_Score">Tony Award for Best Original Score</a> and the <a title="Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grammy_Award_for_Best_Musical_Show_Album">Grammy Award for Best Musical Show Album</a>. In 2001, he duetted with <a title="Eminem" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eminem">Eminem</a> on the rapper's "<a title="Stan (song)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stan_%28song%29">Stan</a>" at the <a title="Grammy Awards" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grammy_Awards">Grammy Awards</a> which appears on Eminem's compilation album <a title="Curtain Call: The Hits" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curtain_Call:_The_Hits">Curtain Call: The Hits</a> as its bonus track. This went a long way towards absolving Eminem of charges of <a title="Homophobia" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homophobia">homophobia</a> and thus paving the way for Eminem's greater mainstream acceptance. That same year, his 1970s track "<a title="Tiny Dancer" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiny_Dancer">Tiny Dancer</a>" was prominently featured in the film <a title="Almost Famous" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Almost_Famous">Almost Famous</a>, and then his "The Heart of Every Girl" was the end title song from 2003's <a title="Mona Lisa Smile" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mona_Lisa_Smile">Mona Lisa Smile</a>.<br />In 2001 he declared that <a title="Songs from the West Coast" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Songs_from_the_West_Coast">Songs from the West Coast</a> would be his final studio album, and that he would now concentrate on just live performances. In 2004, however, he released a new album, <a title="Peachtree Road (album)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peachtree_Road_%28album%29">Peachtree Road</a> which, despite some favourable reviews, was his least commercially successful album in every country it was released in.On <a title="November 29" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/November_29">November 29</a>, <a title="2001" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2001">2001</a>, John was pretty saddened to hear that fellow musician <a title="George Harrison" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Harrison">George Harrison</a> had passed away of <a title="Cancer" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cancer">cancer</a>. John made a guest appearance on Harrison's, <a title="When We Was Fab" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/When_We_Was_Fab">When We Was Fab</a>, in 1988, and sang <a title="Background vocals" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Background_vocals">background vocals</a> in the video.<br />"Are You Ready For Love" was pretty much ignored when it was first recorded during the late 1970s <a title="Thom Bell" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thom_Bell">Thom Bell</a> sessions, but it became something of a <a title="Balearic Islands" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Balearic_Islands">Balearic</a> fixture and eventually got a re-release on <a title="Southern Fried Records" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Fried_Records">Southern Fried Records</a> in 2004 and proceeded to go straight to number 1 in the UK and on Billboard's <a title="Hot Dance Music/Club Play" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hot_Dance_Music/Club_Play">Hot Dance Music/Club Play</a> chart.</p><p>Previously, in 2003, British boyband <a title="Blue (boy band)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_%28boy_band%29">Blue</a> had released a version of "Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word", which included John. It went to number 1 in the UK as well as many other European countries and he achieved yet another number 1 single in the UK in 2005, being featured on <a title="2Pac" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2Pac">2Pac</a>'s posthumous song "<a title="Ghetto Gospel" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ghetto_Gospel">Ghetto Gospel</a>" from the rapper's album, <a title="Loyal to the Game" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loyal_to_the_Game">Loyal to the Game</a>. The song sampled "<a title="Indian Sunset" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_Sunset">Indian Sunset</a>" from John's 1971 album, <a title="Madman Across the Water" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madman_Across_the_Water">Madman Across the Water</a>. In <a title="May" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May">May</a> <a title="2006" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006">2006</a>, <a title="Pet Shop Boys" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pet_Shop_Boys">Pet Shop Boys</a> released their album <a title="Fundamental (Pet Shop Boys album)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fundamental_%28Pet_Shop_Boys_album%29">Fundamental</a>, the limited edition included "In Private", a new version of the <a title="Dusty Springfield" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dusty_Springfield">Dusty Springfield</a> single they had written in <a title="1989" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1989">1989</a>. The song, this time, had been recorded as a duet with John and was later released as bonus track on Pet Shop Boys' top 20 hit "Minimal". In 2003 he recorded a version of 'Your Song' with the British Cellist <a title="http://www.julianlloydwebber.com" href="http://www.julianlloydwebber.com/">Julian Lloyd Webber</a>.</p><p><br />Elton's concert projects in the decade have included:<br />In October 2003 Elton announced that he had signed an exclusive agreement to perform 75 shows over three years at <a title="Caesars Palace" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caesars_Palace">Caesar's Palace</a> in <a title="Las Vegas, Nevada" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Las_Vegas%2C_Nevada">Las Vegas</a>. The show, entitled The Red Piano, is a multimedia concert featuring massive props and video montages created by <a title="David LaChapelle" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_LaChapelle">David LaChapelle</a>. Effectively, he and <a title="Celine Dion" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celine_Dion">Celine Dion</a> share performances at Caesar's Palace throughout the year - while one performs, one rests. The first of these shows took place on <a title="February 13" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/February_13">13 February</a> <a title="2004" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2004">2004</a>. <a title="" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elton_john#_note-7#_note-7">[8]</a><br />A two year global tour sandwiched between commitments in Las Vegas, some of the venues of which are new to Elton. Face-to-Face tours with fellow pianist <a title="Billy Joel" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Joel">Billy Joel</a> have been a fan favourite throughout the world since the mid-1990s. </p><p>On <a title="July 2" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/July_2">2 July</a> <a title="2005" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2005">2005</a>, John performed at the <a title="Live 8 concert, London" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Live_8_concert%2C_London">Live 8 concert at Hyde Park in London</a>. Here he sang "<a title="The Bitch is Back" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bitch_is_Back">The Bitch is Back</a>", "<a title="Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturday_Night%27s_Alright_for_Fighting">Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting</a>" and lastly, <a title="T. Rex (band)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T._Rex_%28band%29">T. Rex</a>'s "<a title="Children of the Revolution" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Children_of_the_Revolution">Children of the Revolution</a>" with <a title="The Libertines" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Libertines">The Libertines</a> and <a title="Babyshambles" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babyshambles">Babyshambles</a>' frontman, <a title="Pete Doherty" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pete_Doherty">Pete Doherty</a>. Another measure of fame came that July when <a title="Madame Tussauds" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madame_Tussauds">Madame Tussauds</a> made a statue of Elton John to his measurements; it took more than 1,000 hours to complete.</p><p>Returning again to musical theatre, John composed music for a <a title="West End Theatre" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_End_Theatre">West End</a> production of <a title="Billy Elliot the Musical" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Elliot_the_Musical">Billy Elliot the Musical</a> in 2005 with playwright <a title="Lee Hall (playwright)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lee_Hall_%28playwright%29">Lee Hall</a>. John's only theatrical project with Bernie Taupin so far is <a title="Lestat: The Musical" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lestat:_The_Musical">Lestat: The Musical</a>, based on the <a title="Anne Rice" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_Rice">Anne Rice</a> vampire novels. However it was slammed by the critics and closed in May 2006 after 39 performances. In <a title="2006" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2006">2006</a>, Elton co-wrote the single "<a title="I Don't Feel Like Dancin'" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Don%27t_Feel_Like_Dancin%27">I Don't Feel Like Dancin'</a>" with the <a title="Scissor Sisters" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scissor_Sisters">Scissor Sisters</a>, featuring Elton on piano. Recorded in Las Vegas, it is taken from the Scissor Sisters album <a title="Ta-Dah" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ta-Dah">Ta-Dah</a>. On <a title="September 19" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/September_19">September 19</a>, 2006, Elton and Bernie Taupin released a sequel to <a title="Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captain_Fantastic_and_the_Brown_Dirt_Cowboy">Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy</a>, reflecting again on the phenomenal success, the sadnesses, the creativity and the optimism within their 40 year songwriting partnership; <a title="The Captain & The Kid" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Captain_%26_The_Kid">The Captain & The Kid</a> features ten new songs, including the first single "<a title="The Bridge (Elton John song)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bridge_%28Elton_John_song%29">The Bridge</a>", and for the first time ever, photographs of both Elton and Bernie Taupin are featured on the album front cover.</p><p><br />On <a title="October 9" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/October_9">October 9</a>, 2006, <a title="The Walt Disney Company" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Walt_Disney_Company">The Walt Disney Company</a> named Elton a <a title="Disney Legend" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disney_Legend">Disney Legend</a>, the company's highest honor, for his numerous outstanding contributions to Disney's films and theatrical works.<br />In interviews Elton has listed a number of other projects of his in various stages, including an adaptation of <a title="Romeo and Juliet" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romeo_and_Juliet">Romeo and Juliet</a>. He also told <a title="Rolling Stone" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rolling_Stone">Rolling Stone</a> magazine that he plans for his next record to be in the <a title="Hip-hop" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hip-hop">hip-hop</a> genre. "I want to work with <a title="Pharrell Williams" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pharrell_Williams">Pharrell {Williams}</a>, <a title="Timbaland" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timbaland">Timbaland</a>, <a title="Snoop Dogg" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snoop_Dogg">Snoop {Dogg}</a>, <a title="Kanye West" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanye_West">Kanye {West}</a>, <a title="Eminem" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eminem">Eminem</a> and just see what happens. It may be a <a title="Disaster" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disaster">disaster</a>, it could be fantastic, but you don't know until you try." </p><p><br /><a id="Personal_life" name="Personal_life"></a><a name="Drugs.2C_alcohol_and_health"></a><a name="Sports_and_other_interests"></a><a name="Charity"></a>Charity<br />John has long been associated with <a title="AIDS" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AIDS">AIDS</a> charities after the deaths of his friends <a title="Ryan White" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ryan_White">Ryan White</a> and <a title="Freddie Mercury" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freddie_Mercury">Freddie Mercury</a>, raising large amounts of money and using his public profile to raise awareness of the disease. For example, in 1986 he joined with <a title="Dionne Warwick" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dionne_Warwick">Dionne Warwick</a>, <a title="Gladys Knight" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gladys_Knight">Gladys Knight</a>, and <a title="Stevie Wonder" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stevie_Wonder">Stevie Wonder</a> to record the single "<a title="That's What Friends Are For" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/That%27s_What_Friends_Are_For">That's What Friends Are For</a>", with all profits being donated to the <a title="American Foundation for AIDS Research" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Foundation_for_AIDS_Research">American Foundation for AIDS Research</a>. The song won Elton and the others the <a title="Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grammy_Award_for_Best_Pop_Performance_by_a_Duo_or_Group_with_Vocal">Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal</a> (as well as <a title="Grammy Award for Song of the Year" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grammy_Award_for_Song_of_the_Year">Song of the Year</a> for its writers, <a title="Burt Bacharach" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burt_Bacharach">Burt Bacharach</a> and <a title="Carole Bayer Sager" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carole_Bayer_Sager">Carole Bayer Sager</a>). In April 1990, John performed "<a title="Skyline Pigeon" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skyline_Pigeon">Skyline Pigeon</a>" at the funeral of White, a teenage <a title="Hemophiliac" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hemophiliac">hemophiliac</a> he had befriended.<br />John founded the <a title="http://www.ejaf.org/" href="http://www.ejaf.org/">Elton John AIDS Foundation</a> in 1992 as a charity to fund programmes for HIV/AIDS prevention, for the elimination of prejudice and discrimination against HIV/AIDS-affected individuals, and for providing services to people living with or at risk of contracting HIV/AIDS. This cause continues to be one of his personal passions. In early 2006, Elton donated the smaller of two bright-red <a title="Yamaha (manufacturer)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yamaha_%28manufacturer%29">Yamaha</a> pianos from his Las Vegas show to auction on eBay to raise public awareness and funds for the foundation<br />Every year since 2004, he has opened a shop (this year in Manhattan, before in London and Atlanta), selling his second hand clothes. Called "Elton's Closet" the sale this year of 10,000 items was expected to raise $400,000<br /><a id="Musical_style_and_voice" name="Musical_style_and_voice"></a><a name="Awards"></a></p><p>Awards<br />In 1991, John's "Basque" won the <a title="Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grammy_Award_for_Best_Instrumental_Composition">Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition</a>.<br />Elton and Bernie Taupin were inducted into the <a title="Songwriters Hall of Fame" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Songwriters_Hall_of_Fame">Songwriters Hall of Fame</a> in 1992.<br />Elton John was inducted into the <a title="Rock and Roll Hall of Fame" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_and_Roll_Hall_of_Fame">Rock and Roll Hall of Fame</a> in 1994.<br />Elton John was made a <a title="Commander of the Order of the British Empire" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commander_of_the_Order_of_the_British_Empire">Commander of the Order of the British Empire</a> in 1995.<br />In September 1997, Taupin altered the lyrics of "Candle in the Wind" for a special version mourning the death of <a title="Diana, Princess of Wales" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diana%2C_Princess_of_Wales">Diana, Princess of Wales</a>, and John performed it at her funeral in <a title="Westminster Abbey" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westminster_Abbey">Westminster Abbey</a>. A recorded version, "<a title="Candle in the Wind 1997" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Candle_in_the_Wind_1997">Candle in the Wind 1997</a>", then became the fastest selling single of all time, eventually going on to sell over 30 million copies worldwide, with the proceeds of approximately £55 million going to the <a title="Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diana%2C_Princess_of_Wales_Memorial_Fund">Diana, Princess of Wales Memorial Fund</a>. John would later win the <a title="Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grammy_Award_for_Best_Male_Pop_Vocal_Performance">Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance</a> for the single.<br />Elton John was <a title="British Honours System" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Honours_System#Knighthood">knighted</a> by <a title="Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_II_of_the_United_Kingdom">Queen Elizabeth II</a> on <a title="February 24" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/February_24">24 February</a> <a title="1998" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1998">1998</a>, granting him the title of "Sir". The honour was officially for his charitable work.<br />A recipient of a <a title="Kennedy Center" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kennedy_Center">Kennedy Center Honor</a> in 2004, along with <a title="Joan Sutherland" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joan_Sutherland">Joan Sutherland</a>, <a title="John Williams" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Williams">John Williams</a>, <a title="Warren Beatty" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warren_Beatty">Warren Beatty</a>, <a title="Ossie Davis" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ossie_Davis">Ossie Davis</a> and <a title="Ruby Dee" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruby_Dee">Ruby Dee</a>.<br /><a id="Discography" name="Discography"></a></p><p>Discography<br />For a complete album discography, see <a title="Elton John discography" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elton_John_discography">Elton John discography</a>.<br />For a complete singles discography, see <a title="Elton John singles discography" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elton_John_singles_discography">Elton John singles discography</a>.<br /><a id="Band_members" name="Band_members"></a></p><p>Band members<br />Current members<br />Elton John - <a title="Piano" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piano">piano</a>, <a title="Lead" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lead">lead</a> <a title="Vocals" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vocals">vocals</a><br /><a title="Guy Babylon" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guy_Babylon">Guy Babylon</a> - <a title="Keyboard instrument" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keyboard_instrument">keyboards</a><br /><a title="Bob Birch" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Birch">Bob Birch</a> - <a title="Bass guitar" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bass_guitar">bass guitar</a>, <a title="Vocals" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vocals">vocals</a><br /><a title="Davey Johnstone" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Davey_Johnstone">Davey Johnstone</a> - <a title="Guitar" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guitar">guitar</a>, <a title="Musical director" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musical_director">musical director</a>, <a title="Vocals" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vocals">vocals</a><br /><a title="John Mahon" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Mahon">John Mahon</a> - <a title="Percussion instrument" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Percussion_instrument">percussion</a>, <a title="Vocals" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vocals">vocals</a><br /><a title="Nigel Olsson" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nigel_Olsson">Nigel Olsson</a> - <a title="Drums" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drums">drums</a>, <a title="Percussion instrument" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Percussion_instrument">percussion</a>, <a title="Vocals" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vocals">vocals</a><br /></p><p>Previous band members<br /><a title="'Jeff" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeff_%22Skunk%22_Baxter">Jeff "Skunk" Baxter</a> - <a title="Guitar" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guitar">guitar</a><br /><a title="Jack Bruno" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jack_Bruno&action=edit">Jack Bruno</a> - touring <a title="Drums" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drums">drums</a><br /><a title="Ray Cooper" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Cooper">Ray Cooper</a> - <a title="Percussion instrument" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Percussion_instrument">percussion</a><br /><a title="John Jorgenson" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Jorgenson">John Jorgenson</a> - <a title="Guitar" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guitar">guitar</a>, <a title="Saxophone" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saxophone">saxophone</a>, <a title="Mandolin" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandolin">mandolin</a>, <a title="Pedal steel" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pedal_steel">pedal steel</a>, <a title="Vocals" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vocals">vocals</a><br /><a title="John Lennon" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Lennon">John Lennon</a> - <a title="Guitar" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guitar">guitar</a><br /><a title="Jody Linscott" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jody_Linscott&action=edit">Jody Linscott</a> - <a title="Percussion instrument" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Percussion_instrument">percussion</a><br /><a title="Jonathan Moffett" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Jonathan_Moffett&action=edit">Jonathan Moffett</a> - <a title="Drums" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drums">drums</a><br /><a title="Charlie Morgan" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie_Morgan">Charlie Morgan</a> - <a title="Drums" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drums">drums</a><br /><a title="Dee Murray" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dee_Murray">Dee Murray</a> - <a title="Bass guitar" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bass_guitar">bass guitar</a>, <a title="Vocals" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vocals">vocals</a><br /><a title="James Newton Howard" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Newton_Howard">James Newton Howard</a> - <a title="Conducting" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conducting">conductor</a>, <a title="Keyboard instrument" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keyboard_instrument">keyboards</a><br /><a title="Kiki Dee" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kiki_Dee">Kiki Dee</a> - vocals<br /><a title="Pino Palladino" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pino_Palladino">Pino Palladino</a> - <a title="Bass guitar" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bass_guitar">bass guitar</a><br /><a title="Kenny Passarelli" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Kenny_Passarelli&action=edit">Kenny Passarelli</a> - <a title="Bass guitar" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bass_guitar">bass guitar</a>, <a title="Vocals" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vocals">vocals</a><br /><a title="David Paton" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Paton">David Paton</a> - <a title="Bass guitar" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bass_guitar">bass guitar</a>, <a title="Vocals" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vocals">vocals</a><br /><a title="Roger Pope" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Roger_Pope&action=edit">Roger Pope</a> - <a title="Drums" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drums">drums</a><br /><a title="Alexander Vakil" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Alexander_Vakil&action=edit">Alexander Vakil</a> - <a title="Keyboard instrument" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keyboard_instrument">keyboards</a><br /><a title="Gentry Pruett" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Gentry_Pruett&action=edit">Gentry Pruett</a> - <a title="Keyboard instrument" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keyboard_instrument">keyboards</a><br /><a title="Caleb Quaye" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Caleb_Quaye&action=edit">Caleb Quaye</a> - <a title="Guitar" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guitar">guitar</a><br /><a title="Tim Renwick" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Renwick">Tim Renwick</a> - <a title="Guitar" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guitar">guitar</a>, <a title="Vocals" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vocals">vocals</a><br /><a title="Toni Tennile" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Toni_Tennile&action=edit">Toni Tennile</a> - <a title="Vocals" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vocals">vocals</a>, <a title="Keyboards" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keyboards">keyboards</a><br /><a title="Ken Stacey" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ken_Stacey">Ken Stacey</a> - additional <a title="Guitar" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guitar">guitar</a>, <a title="Vocals" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vocals">vocals</a><br /><a title="Mark Taylor (keyboardist)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mark_Taylor_%28keyboardist%29&action=edit">Mark Taylor</a> - <a title="Keyboard instrument" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keyboard_instrument">keyboards</a><br /><a title="Billy Trudel" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billy_Trudel">Billy Trudel</a> - <a title="Vocals" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vocals">vocals</a><br /><a title="Romeo Williams" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Romeo_Williams&action=edit">Romeo Williams</a>- <a title="Bass guitar" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bass_guitar">bass guitar</a>, <a title="Vocals" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vocals">vocals</a><br /><a title="Richie Zito" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Richie_Zito&action=edit">Richie Zito</a> - <a title="Guitar" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guitar">guitar</a><br /><a title="Fred Mandel" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fred_Mandel&action=edit">Fred Mandel</a> - <a title="Keyboards" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keyboards">keyboards</a><br /><a id="See_also" name="See_also"></a><a name="References_and_notes"></a></p><p>External links<br /><a title="http://www.eltonjohn.com" href="http://www.eltonjohn.com/">Elton John's official website</a><br /> </p><p> </p>Excel Professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01386313437407814163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2074785452285691132.post-89244641948238034092007-02-23T12:35:00.000-05:002007-02-23T12:37:20.639-05:00Bay City Rollers<p><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/2fLvZ00KisA" width="425" height="350" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent"></embed><br />Saturday Night</p><p>The Bay City Rollers were a <a title="Scotland" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scotland">Scottish</a> <a title="Pop/rock" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pop/rock">Pop/rock</a> band of the <a title="1970s" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1970s">1970s</a>. Their youthful, clean-cut image, distinct styling featuring <a title="Tartan" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tartan">tartan</a>-trimmed outfits, and cheery, sing-along pop hits helped the group become among the most popular musical acts of their time. For a relatively brief but fervent period (nicknamed "<a title="Rollermania" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Rollermania&action=edit">Rollermania</a>"), they were a worldwide sensation. Since the band's quick rise to, and subsequent fall from fame, the members have endured numerous and varied struggles regarding royalty payments, substance abuse, and personal legal problems.</p><p>Bassist Alan Longmuir and his younger brother Derek, a drummer, founded the group in <a title="Edinburgh" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edinburgh">Edinburgh</a>, <a title="Scotland" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scotland">Scotland</a> in 1967, as The Saxons. Shortly afterwards, seeking a less English-sounding moniker, they chose a new name allegedly by throwing a dart at a map of the <a title="United States" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States">United States</a>. The dart landed on the map in the state of <a title="Arkansas" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arkansas">Arkansas</a>, but since "Arkansas Rollers" did not sound quite right, and might also lead to problems with pronunciation, they tried again and this time the dart landed near the community of <a title="Bay City, Michigan" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bay_City%2C_Michigan">Bay City, Michigan</a>.</p><p>They received their first break when prominent record executive Dick Leahy caught their act by chance in an Edinburgh club. After signing with <a title="Bell Records" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell_Records">Bell Records</a>, their first hit was "<a title="Keep on Dancing" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Keep_on_Dancing&action=edit">Keep on Dancing</a>" (UK #9, 1971), a cover of a 1965 <a title="Gentrys" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gentrys">Gentrys</a> hit, recorded at the suggestion of the now-disgraced pop impresario <a title="Jonathan King" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_King">Jonathan King</a>, who produced the Bay City Rollers' version and sang some vocal parts himself. Upon this release's success, they made guest appearances on the BBC-TV's lip-sync television show <a title="Top of the Pops" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Top_of_the_Pops">Top of the Pops</a>. Following on the heals of "Keep on Dancing", the group won a <a title="Radio Luxembourg" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio_Luxembourg">Radio Luxembourg</a> sponsored song contest with the song "Mañana", which was later popular in parts of <a title="Europe" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europe">Europe</a> and <a title="Israel" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israel">Israel</a>.</p><p>The Bay City Rollers went through several line-up changes (and non-charting singles) over the following two years. In late 1973 they narrowly missed the UK chart with "<a title="Saturday Night (Bay City Rollers song)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturday_Night_%28Bay_City_Rollers_song%29">Saturday Night</a>." This and many subsequent singles were written and produced by the highly successful songwriting duo of Scotsman <a title="Bill Martin" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Martin">Bill Martin</a> and Irishman <a title="Phil Coulter" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phil_Coulter">Phil Coulter</a>, previously responsible for <a title="Sandie Shaw" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandie_Shaw">Sandie Shaw</a>'s "Puppet on a String," <a title="Cliff Richard" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cliff_Richard">Cliff Richard</a>'s "Congratulations," and the <a title="England World Cup Squad" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=England_World_Cup_Squad&action=edit">England World Cup Squad</a>'s "Back Home," among others.</p><p>Beginning with early 1974's "Remember (Sha La La La)" (UK #6), the Rollers released a string of very successful hits on the British charts. Following in succession were "Shang-a-Lang" (UK #2), "Summerlove Sensation" (UK #3), and "All of Me Loves All of You" (UK #4). By the spring of 1975, they were one of the highest-selling acts in Britain. That year saw a successful UK tour (which prompted newspaper headlines about "Rollermania"), and a 20-week UK television series, <a title="Shang-a-Lang (TV series)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shang-a-Lang_%28TV_series%29">Shang-a-Lang</a>. A cover of the <a title="The Four Seasons (group)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Four_Seasons_%28group%29">Four Seasons</a>' "<a title="Bye, Bye, Baby (Baby, Goodbye)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bye%2C_Bye%2C_Baby_%28Baby%2C_Goodbye%29">Bye, Bye, Baby</a>", stayed at #1 in the UK for six weeks in the spring of 1975, shifing nearly a million copies to become the biggest seller of the year, and the subsequent single "<a title="Give A Little Love" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Give_A_Little_Love">Give A Little Love</a>" topped the charts that summer, their second #1 hit. At the peak of their popularity in the UK, comparisons were even made to <a title="The Beatles" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beatles">The Beatles</a>.</p><p>In late 1975 the Bay City Rollers reached #1 on the US <a title="Billboard Hot 100" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billboard_Hot_100">Billboard Hot 100</a> with the above video, "<a title="Saturday Night (Bay City Rollers song)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturday_Night_%28Bay_City_Rollers_song%29">Saturday Night</a>", the song which had missed the UK chart completely two years earlier. A second US hit came with "Money Honey" which hit #9 (earlier it had gone to #3 in the UK). The group also hit the US and UK charts that year with a cover version of the <a title="Dusty Springfield" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dusty_Springfield">Dusty Springfield</a> song "I Only Want To Be With You". This would be their last Top 10 success in Britain.<br /><a id="The_Rapid_Decline:__1977_and_on" name="The_Rapid_Decline:__1977_and_on"></a>The group's commercial fortunes declined towards the end of the 1970s. An unsuccessful 1973 single by the <a title="String Driven Thing" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/String_Driven_Thing">String Driven Thing</a>, "It's A Game", was covered by the Bay City Rollers in 1977 to give them their final UK Top 20 hit, #16 in the spring, but "You Made Me Believe in Magic" could only make #34 in the summer. Summer of '77 saw the group release the It's a Game album and tour the world as a four-piece group.</p><p>In 1978, Alan Longmuir reunited with the band for the recording of Strangers in the Wind. The release of this LP was timed to coincide with the debut of the Rollers' US kiddie television show on the NBC network. The show was a poor match for the 1978 edition of the band, however: their time in the teen-idol spotlight had long since past, and their music was decidedly mature and sophisticated compared to the bubblegum hits of '75-'76. The show and album were each dismal failures.</p><p>McKeown participated in a 1978 tour of Japan but left the group for a solo career shortly thereafter. Paton was fired in 1979, as the band added lead singer Duncan Faure and shortened their name to The Rollers. Three albums were issued under this name, including Voxx (1980) and 1981's Ricochet, before the group disbanded.</p><p>During the 80s and 90s, there were various short-lived revivals featuring some of the original members, notably including a New Year's Eve 1999 concert. Interest was rekindled in Britain by television documentaries about the group and a television-advertised compilation of greatest hits, which entered the UK charts on release in 2004 at its #11 peak.</p><p>Currently, there are two touring versions using the group's name: <a title="Les McKeown" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_McKeown">Les McKeown's Legendary Bay City Rollers</a> and <a title="Ian Mitchell (Bay City Rollers)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ian_Mitchell_%28Bay_City_Rollers%29">Ian Mitchell's Bay City Rollers</a>. Each group features only its titled member from the original Rollers heyday.</p><p><br /><a id="Line-ups" name="Line-ups"></a><strong>Line-ups<br /></strong>The line-up with which the group is most associated is the late 1973-early 1976 assemblage:<br /><a title="Eric Faulkner" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Faulkner">Eric Faulkner</a> (lead guitar)<br /><a title="Alan Longmuir" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Longmuir">Alan Longmuir</a> (bass)<br /><a title="Derek Longmuir" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Derek_Longmuir">Derek Longmuir</a> (drums)<br /><a title="Les McKeown" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_McKeown">Les McKeown</a> (lead vocals)<br /><a title="Stuart Wood (Bay City Rollers)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stuart_Wood_%28Bay_City_Rollers%29">Stuart Wood</a> (rhythm guitar)<br />McKeown had replaced <a title="'Gordon" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gordon_%22Nobby%22_Clark">Gordon "Nobby" Clark</a> (heard on "Keep On Dancing"). <a title="Alan Longmuir" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Longmuir">Alan Longmuir</a> was replaced briefly by <a title="Irish American" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irish_American">Irish American</a> <a title="Guitarist" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guitarist">guitarist</a> <a title="Ian Mitchell (Bay City Rollers)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ian_Mitchell_%28Bay_City_Rollers%29">Ian Mitchell</a>, who in turn was replaced by <a title="Guitarist" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guitarist">guitarist</a> <a title="Pat McGlynn" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pat_McGlynn">Pat McGlynn</a>. Longmuir re-joined the band in 1978. McKeown was replaced in 1979 by <a title="Duncan Faure" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duncan_Faure">Duncan Faure</a>, a <a title="South Africa" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Africa">South African</a> singer.<br /><a id="Legacy" name="Legacy"></a><a name="External_links"></a></p><p><strong>External links<br /></strong><a title="http://www.lcv.ne.jp/~ryhokaya/bcr-home/" href="http://www.lcv.ne.jp/~ryhokaya/bcr-home/">Bay City Rollers discography page</a><br /><br /></p>Excel Professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01386313437407814163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2074785452285691132.post-42777635444866725472007-02-22T16:43:00.000-05:002007-02-22T16:44:28.118-05:00Wild Cherry<p><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/YyszT8ymlc4" width="425" height="350" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent"></embed><br />Play that Funky Music</p><p>Wild Cherry was a rock band that had a huge hit with the above video "<a title="Play That Funky Music" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Play_That_Funky_Music">Play That Funky Music</a>" in <a title="1976" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1976">1976</a>.</p><p><br />Singer, guitarist, and songwriter Rob Parissi formed the band in <a title="1970" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1970">1970</a> in <a title="Steubenville, Ohio" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steubenville%2C_Ohio">Steubenville, Ohio</a>, getting the name for the band off a box of cough drops while he was in the hospital. They played around <a title="Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pittsburgh%2C_Pennsylvania">Pittsburgh</a>, <a title="Pennsylvania" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pennsylvania">Pennsylvania</a>, until they got a record contract with Brown Bag Records. After some time with the label without issuing any albums, the band broke up, and Parissi started managing a steakhouse.</p><p><br />Soon after, Parissi formed the band again with new people. The new lineup had Mark Avsec on the keyboards, Bryan Bassett on the guitar, Allen Wentz on the bass, and Ronald Beitle on the drums. The band as they started to play sets, being in a <a title="Disco" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disco">disco</a> dominated time, started to be asked by listeners to "play that funky music." Parissi, inspired by this line, wrote a disco song on it, and the band entered a studio to record it. A man at the studio hearing the song brought the band to the attention of <a title="Epic Records" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epic_Records">Epic Records</a>, which then signed the group, and suggested recording the song as an A-side instead of as the B-side to a cover version of the <a title="Commodores" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commodores">Commodores</a>' "I Feel Sanctified," as had been planned.</p><p><br />"Play That Funky Music" became a huge hit when released in <a title="1976" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1976">1976</a>, peaking at number one on both the <a title="Billboard magazine" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billboard_magazine">Billboard</a> <a title="R&B" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R%26B">R&B</a> and pop charts, while both the single and Wild Cherry's self-titled debut went platinum. The band was named Best Pop Group of the Year by <a title="Billboard magazine" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Billboard_magazine">Billboard</a>, and received an <a title="American Music Award" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Music_Award">American Music Award</a> for Top <a title="R&B" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R%26B">R&B</a> Single of the Year, as well as a pair of <a title="Grammy" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grammy">Grammy</a> nominations for Best New Vocal Group and Best <a title="R&B" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R%26B">R&B</a> Performance by a Group or Duo that year, adding to their success.</p><p><br />Wild Cherry's luck ended with their <a title="1977" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1977">1977</a> album, Electrified Funk, which flopped without producing any hits. Their <a title="1978" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1978">1978</a> album I Love My Music, as well as their <a title="1979" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1979">1979</a> albums Only the Wild Survive and Don't Wait Too Long didn't do better, leading to the band's split. Parissi later became a <a title="Disk jockey" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disk_jockey">disk jockey</a> in <a title="Wheeling" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheeling">Wheeling</a>, <a title="West Virginia" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Virginia">West Virginia</a>.</p><p><br />One musician who played with the band was guitarist/vocalist <a title="Donnie Iris" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donnie_Iris">Donnie Iris</a> (ex-<a title="The Jaggerz" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Jaggerz">The Jaggerz</a>), who was with Wild Cherry from the mid-1970s through the band's demise in 1980. Donnie partnered up with keyboardist Mark Avsec to form The Cruisers before going solo.<br />Wild Cherry's one hit was covered by <a title="The Real Roxanne" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Real_Roxanne&action=edit">The Real Roxanne</a> in <a title="1988" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1988">1988</a>, and sampled by <a title="Vanilla Ice" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vanilla_Ice">Vanilla Ice</a> in <a title="1990" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1990">1990</a> (For which Parissi was not credited as a writer; he later won $500,000 in a copyright infringement lawsuit), and continues to be a hit in dance clubs to this day.<br /><a id="External_link" name="External_link"></a></p><p><strong>External link<br /></strong><a title="http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=" token="&sql=" href="http://allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&token=&sql=11:2tkzu3u5an2k">Allmusic Entry</a><br />Retrieved from "<a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wild_Cherry_%28band%29">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wild_Cherry_%28band%29</a>"<br /> </p>Excel Professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01386313437407814163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2074785452285691132.post-3117164549842434262007-02-22T16:37:00.000-05:002007-02-22T16:40:39.016-05:00Tavares<p><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/dTd7A_GK30Y" width="425" height="350" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent"></embed><br />Heaven Must Be Missing An Angle</p><p>Tavares (also known as The Tavares Brothers) is a successful <a title="United States" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States">American</a> <a title="R&B" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R%26B">R&B</a>, <a title="Disco" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disco">disco</a>, and <a title="Soul music" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soul_music">soul music</a> <a title="Band (music)" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Band_%28music%29">band</a>, comprised five brothers from <a title="New Bedford, Massachusetts" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Bedford%2C_Massachusetts">New Bedford, Massachusetts</a>.<br /> </p><p><strong>Band members<br /></strong>Ralph - Ralph Viera Tavares, born <a title="December 10" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/December_10">10 December</a> <a title="1947" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1947">1947</a>.<br />Pooch - Arthur Paul Tavares, b. <a title="November 12" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/November_12">12 November</a> <a title="1948" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1948">1948</a>.<br />Chubby - Antone Lee Tavares, b. <a title="June 2" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/June_2">2 June</a> <a title="1950" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1950">1950</a>.<br />Butch - Feliciano Tavares, b. <a title="May 18" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/May_18">18 May</a> <a title="1952" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1952">1952</a>.<br />Tiny - Perry Lee Tavares, b. <a title="October 24" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/October_24">24 October</a> <a title="1953" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1953">1953</a>.<br /><a id="Biography" name="Biography"></a></p><p><strong>Biography<br /></strong>Originally named Chubby and the Turnpikes, They are of <a title="Cape Verde" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cape_Verde">Cape Verde</a> desent, they started performing in <a title="1963" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1963">1963</a>, when the youngest brother was 13 years old. By <a title="1973" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1973">1973</a> they signed with <a title="Capitol Records" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capitol_Records">Capitol Records</a>, scoring their first R&B Top 10 (Pop Top 40) hit with "Check it Out" that same year, and soon began charting regularly on the <a title="R&B" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R%26B">R&B</a> and <a title="Pop music" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pop_music">pop</a> charts. Their first album included their brother Victor, who dropped out of the group shortly after. In 1974 <a title="Tavares" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tavares">Tavares</a> had a #1 R&B hit with <a title="Hall & Oates" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hall_%26_Oates">Hall & Oates</a>' "She's Gone" (which became a hit for Hall & Oates as well the following year). Tavares followed up that success with "Remember What I Told You To Forget."</p><p>1975 turned out to be their most successful year chart-wise, chalking up a Top 40 Pop album (In the City) and their biggest hit, the Top 10 Pop/#1 R&B smash "It Only Takes a Minute", which was later successfully covered by <a title="Jonathan King" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_King">Jonathan King</a> and <a title="Take That" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Take_That">Take That</a>. This was followed by the above video and a string of hits: "Heaven Must Be Missing an Angel" (1976), "Don't Take Away the Music" (1976), "The Ghost of Love" (1977), and "Whodunit" (1977), among others.</p><p>Many of their hits, however, underplayed their R&B background and gave the group the image of being a <a title="Disco" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disco">disco</a> act. This perception was reinforced by their appearance on the soundtrack to the film <a title="Saturday Night Fever" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturday_Night_Fever">Saturday Night Fever</a> in 1977. <a title="Tavares" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tavares">Tavares</a> recorded the <a title="Bee Gees" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bee_Gees">Bee Gees</a> track "More Than a Woman," and their version reached the Pop Top 40 that year. The soundtrack became one of the most successful in history, giving <a title="Tavares" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tavares">Tavares</a> their only <a title="Grammy" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grammy">Grammy</a>.</p><p>Later albums, such as Madame Butterfly and Supercharged, strayed from the <a title="Disco" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disco">disco</a> format and were less successful on the Pop chart (although they continued to have Top 10 R&B hits such as "Never Had a Love Like This Before" and "Bad Times"). At the start of the 1980s, <a title="Tavares" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tavares">Tavares</a> left <a title="Capitol Records" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capitol_Records">Capitol Records</a>, signing with <a title="RCA" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RCA">RCA</a>. They had one last major hit, the ballad "A Penny for Your Thoughts" (#32 Pop, #3 R&B, #15 AC), in 1982, but subsequent releases failed to match this success.</p><p>In <a title="1983" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1983">1983</a>, Ralph Tavares stepped down from the group, and Tiny left in the mid 1990s, but the other three brothers continue to tour.</p><p>Their hit song "It Only Takes a Minute" is featured in the soundtrack of <a title="Konami" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Konami">Konami</a>'s dancing game <a title="Dance Dance Revolution 3rd Mix" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dance_Dance_Revolution_3rd_Mix">Dance Dance Revolution 3rd Mix</a>.<br /><a id="Selected_Singles_Discography" name="Selected_Singles_Discography"></a></p><p><strong>Selected Singles Discography<br /></strong>"Check it Out" - 1973<br />"She's Gone" - 1974<br />"Remember What I Told You To Forget" - 1974<br />"It Only Takes a Minute" - 1975<br />"Heaven Must Be Missing An Angel" - 1976<br />"Don't Take Away The Music" - 1976<br />"The Mighty Power Of Love" - 1977<br />"Whodunit" - 1977<br />"More Than A Woman" - 1977<br />"The Ghost Of Love" - 1978<br />"Slow Train To Paradise" - 1978<br />"Never Had a Love Like This Before" - 1979<br />"Bad Times" - 1980<br />"Penny for Your Thoughts" - 1982<br />"Hardcore Poetry" - ____<br /><a id="External_link" name="External_link"></a><a name="References"></a></p><p><strong>References<br /></strong><a title="http://www.tavares2001.com/" href="http://www.tavares2001.com/">Tavares official site</a><br /></p>Excel Professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01386313437407814163noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2074785452285691132.post-22917976951174411802007-02-22T16:19:00.000-05:002007-02-22T16:20:45.192-05:00WelcomeA Look back at the bands of the 70s featuring their best music video. Read about the bands history and what they are doing now.Excel Professorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01386313437407814163noreply@blogger.com0