John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band is the debut solo album by English rock musician John Lennon. It was released in 1970 after Lennon issued three experimental albums with Yoko Ono and Live Peace In Toronto 1969, a live performance in Toronto credited to The Plastic Ono Band. The album was recorded simultaneously with Yoko Ono's debut avant garde solo album Yoko Ono/Plastic Ono Band at Ascot Sound Studios and Abbey Road Studios using the same musicians and production team, and featured nearly identical cover artwork. John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band is generally considered one of Lennon's finest solo albums and a landmark recording. Rolling Stone named it the twenty-second greatest album of all time. The "Plastic Ono Band" in the album's title refers to the conceptual band Lennon and Ono had formed in 1969 of various supporting musicians they would use on their various solo albums. After the Beatles' break-up in April 1970, both Lennon and Ono undertook primal therapy with the guidance of Arthur Janov for four months in Los Angeles. Forced to confront the traumas of his childhood (abandonment, isolation and death), Lennon finally let his submerged anger and hurt rise to the surface and dealt with it through his art. Similarly, Ono's concurrently-recorded album, Yoko Ono/Plastic Ono Band was a form of catharsis for her. Returning to England that September, Lennon and Ono called upon Phil Spector, who had produced Lennon's hit "Instant Karma!" earlier that year, to co-produce both their albums with them at Abbey Road Studios. Ringo Starr played drums, while Klaus Voormann played bass. Billy Preston, who had already worked with the Beatles, supplied piano for "God". Lennon performed all guitar duties, playing most of the piano as well. Throughout the album, Lennon touches upon many issues: the abandonment of his parents in "Mother"; the castigation of class issues in "Working Class Hero"; a reminder that despite his rage and pain, Lennon still embraces "Love"; and "God", a renouncement of external saviours. Here Lennon states that he believes only in himself, and his wife Yoko. The album's cover is almost identical to Ono's companion piece Yoko Ono/Plastic Ono Band—the difference being that on Ono's cover, she is lying on Lennon's body. The photo was snapped with a consumer-grade Instamatic camera by actor Daniel Richter who worked as an assistant for the Lennons at the time. The initial compact disc issue of the album listed the title and artist, while the 2000 remastered version restores the original artwork. In addition, the original LP did not feature a track listing on the back. Instead, the back cover showed what appears to be a school photo of Lennon in his youth (circa 1946). John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band was received with high critical praise upon release. Critic Greil Marcus remarked, "John's singing in the last verse of 'God' may be the finest in all of rock." In early 1971, the album reached number eight on the U.K. and went to number six in the U.S., spending eighteen weeks in the Top 100. Phil Spector, a co-producer on this album, played piano on "Love". Contrary to popular belief, John & Yoko produced the album whilst Spector was unavailable during most of the recording sessions. John went as far as to post an ad in Billboard magazine inviting Phil to come visit him for the weekend. "Look At Me" dates from The Beatles period, and is built on a finger-picking guitar pattern very similar to the one Lennon used in "Dear Prudence", "Happiness Is a Warm Gun" and "Julia". Lennon learned this guitar technique from Donovan while the two were in Rishikesh. Curiosuly, the album was released in Japan under the title ジョンの魂, which translates as "John's Soul."
01- Mother 02- Hold On 03- I Found Out 04- Working Class Hero 05- Isolation 06- Remember 07- Love 08- Well, Well, Well 09- Look at Me 10- God 11- My Mummy's Dead
Bonus Tracks:
12- Power to the People 13- Do the Oz 14- Cold Turkey 15- I Found Out 16- Working Class Hero 17- Love 18- Well, Well, Well 19- Look at Me 20- God
Amália da Piedade Rodrigues,(July 23, 1920 – October 6, 1999), also known as Amália Rodrigues was a Portuguese singer and actress. Despite official documents which give her date of birth as July 23, Rodrigues always said her birthday was July 1, 1920. She was born in Lisbon, in the rua Martim Vaz (Martim Vaz Street), neighborhood of Pena. Her father was a trumpet player and cobbler from Fundão who returned there when Amália was just over a year old, leaving her to live in Lisbon with her maternal grandmother in a deeply Catholic environment until she was 14, when her parents returned to the capital and she moved back in with them. She was known as the "Rainha do Fado" ("Queen of Fado") and was most influential in popularizing the fado worldwide. In fact, she was one of the most important figures in the genre’s development, and enjoyed a 40-year recording and stage career. Rodrigues' performances and choice of repertoire pushed fado’s boundaries and helped redefine it and reconfigure it for her and subsequent generations. In effect, Rodrigues wrote the rulebook on what fado could be and on how a female fadista — or fado singer — should perform it, to the extent that she remains an unsurpassable model and an unending source of repertoire for all those who came afterwards. Rodrigues enjoyed an extensive international career between the 1950s and the 1970s, although in an era where such efforts were not as easily quantified as today. Other well-known international fado artists such as Mafalda Arnauth, Madredeus, Dulce Pontes and Mariza have come close, however. Here is more evidence that fado is one of the great urban sounds, and Amalia herself, at her best, one of the finest singers this century has produced. No frills here, just enchantment backed by the equally classic duo of guitars, Portuguese (Jaime Santos) and six-stringed (Domingos Camarinha or Santos Moreira). Three cuts are in Spanish. The rest are pure Lisbon saudade.
01- O Namorico da Rita 02- As Rosas de Meu Caminho 03- Raizes 04- Cansaço 05- Antigamente 06- Grão de Arroz 07- Anjo Inutil 08- Marcha Do Centenario 09- Sem Razão 10- Trepa No Coquiero 11- Toiro! Eh! Toiro 12- Job 13- Faia 14- Fadista Louco 15- Lar Português 16- No Me Tires Indire 17- Por un Amor 18- Lerele
News of the World is the sixth studio album by British rock group Queen, released in 1977. Containing hit songs "We Will Rock You", "We Are the Champions" and "Spread Your Wings", the album went platinum in the United Kingdom, four times platinum in the United States and achieved high certifications elsewhere throughout the world as well. News of the World was the second album to be produced solely by the band (the first being A Day at the Races) and was recorded at Sarm West and Wessex Studios, England and co-produced and engineered by Mike Stone. After releasing A Day at the Races, Queen's self-producing debut and followup to A Night at the Opera which featured their magnum opus "Bohemian Rhapsody", having received some criticism that Races was a "boring" album, Queen decided to shift their musical focus towards the mainstream, but remaining as the producers of the next album. After completing the A Day at the Races Tour, the quartet re-entered the studio to begin work on their sixth studio offering in July 1977, enlisting Mike Stone as assistant producer at the Basing Street Studios in Wessex, London. The group completed recording and production of the album two months later in September and released the album on 28 October. News of the World initially received mixed reviews, mostly reflecting on the differences to the previously predominantly progressive rock sound produced by Queen, and this album's vast shift towards a more pop-rock oriented sound. Following the immense success of singles "We Will Rock You" and "We Are the Champions", the critical reception shifted towards a more positive stance, as it became evident that the band was displaying another field of their musical ability.
01- We Will Rock You 02- We Are The Champions 03- Sheer Heart Attack 04- All Dead, All Dead 05- Spread Your Wings 06- Fight From The Inside 07- Get Down, Make Love 08- Sleeping On The Sidewalk 09- Who Needs You 10- It's Late 11- My Melancholy Blues
The Record Producers profiles a man often labelled ‘The Fifth Beatle’, Sir George Martin. Richard Allinson and Steve Levine examine his work as a producer, arranger and, through his experiments with sound, technical innovator. Highlights include the chance to hear newly restored versions of the original master tapes for “Please Please Me”, along with analysis of the original multi-track of “Come Together”. This programme also gives the opportunity to hear some of the Beatles most famous songs in a new way. Because of the limitations of tape machines during the 1960s, it was necessary to either record or mix various instruments and voices onto the same track. Once they'd been committed to tape there was no way of separating them. But now, through the use of revolutionary software, listeners can hear some of these parts in isolation for the very first time. In this exclusive interview, Sir George talks about various aspects of the studio and recording process, the albums Sgt Pepper and Abbey Road, along with a number of songs, including “Strawberry Fields Forever”, “Tomorrow Never Knows” and “Rain”.
01- Introduction 02- The first audition 03- Love Me Do 04- Remastering Please Please Me 05- The recording technology back in early the 60’s 06- Recording the drums 07- Remastering Taxman 08- Four tracks and orchestrations 09- Rain 10- Tomorrow Never Knows 11- Strawberry Fields Forever 12- She’s Leaving Home 13- A Day in the Life 14- The White Album and Let It Be 15- Come Together 16- The LOVE project + Epilogue
Aníbal Carmelo Troilo (July 11, 1914 - May 18, 1975 in Buenos Aires) was an Argentine tango musician. Troilo was a bandoneon player, composer, and bandleader in Argentina. His orquesta típica was among the most popular with social dancers during the golden age of tango (1940-1955), but he changed to a concert-type sound by the late 1950s. Troilo's orchestra is best known for its instrumentals and also recorded with many vocalists, such as Francisco Fiorentino, Alberto Marino, Floreal Ruiz, Roberto Goyeneche, Raul Beron, and Edmundo Rivero. The rhythmic instrumentals and the recordings with vocalist Francisco Fiorentino from 1940-41 are the favorite recordings for social dancing in contemporary tango salons (milongas). As a composer, he wrote tangos like "Te aconsejo", "En esta tarde gris" and "La última curda".
01- Naranjo en Flor 02- Palomita Blanca 03- Yuyo Verde 04- Equipaje 05- Juan Tango 06- Cimarrón de Ausencia 07- Lorarás, Llorarás 08- Amor y Tango 09- Mis Amigos de Ayer 10- Tarde Gris 11- Camino del Tucumán 12- Qué Me Van a Hablar de Amor 13- Sólo se Quiere Una Vez 14- Mientras Gime el Bandoneón 15- Confesión 16- Flor de Lino 17- Y Dicen que No Te Quiero 18- Romance de Barrio 19- Y la Perdí 20- Corazón de Papel
The Miracles (known from 1965 to 1972 as Smokey Robinson & the Miracles) are an American rhythm and blues group from Detroit, Michigan, notable as the first successful group act for Berry Gordy's Motown Records company. Their single "Shop Around" was Motown's first million-selling hit record, and the group went on to become one of Motown's signature acts of the 1960s. During the same period, the Miracles' original lead singer and founding member Smokey Robinson became one of the most successful songwriters and record producers of all time. During their nineteen-year run on the American music charts, The Miracles charted over fifty hits and recorded in the genres of doo wop, soul, disco, and R&B. Twenty-six Miracles songs reached the Top Ten of the Billboard R&B singles chart, including four R&B number ones. Sixteen of the Miracles' songs charted within the Top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100, with seven songs charting within the Top Ten and two – 1970's "The Tears of a Clown" and 1975's "Love Machine" (Part 1) – reaching number-one. Referred to by critics as Motown's "soul supergroup", The Miracles are multiple Grammy Hall of Fame inductees, Vocal Group Hall of Fame and Doo-Wop Hall of Fame inductees, and have a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame. In 2004, Rolling Stone Magazine ranked Smokey Robinson & the Miracles #32 on their list of "The Immortals: 100 Greatest Artists of All Time."
01- I'll Try Something New 02- What's So Good About Goodbye 03- He Don't Care About Me 04- A Love That Can Never Be 05- I've Been Good To You 06- Speak Low 07- On the Street Where You Live 08- If Your Mother Only Knew 09- I've Got You Under My Skin 10- This I Swear, I Promise
Ok, for starters, let me tell you every single song this guy released in the sixties is just a creative masterpiece. He can make you cry with "Oh Mío Signore" and then he makes you dance like crazy with his greatest tune: "Guarda Come Dondolo". His beach tunes are outstanding: "Abbronzattisima" is a time machine that put you on a mediterranean beach in the summer of 1962, with cute babes, sun and a smooth breeze. A total must. Completely.
01- Il Peperone 02- La Tremarella 03- Sei Diventata Nera 04- Stessa Spiagga, Stesso Mare 05- Guarda Come Dondolo 06- Hully Gully in Dieci 07- I Watussi 08- Sul Cucuzzolo della Montagna 09- Oh Mío Signore 10- Abbronzatissima
Smokey-voiced chanteuse Madeleine Peyroux's third CD is a lovely collection of after-hours ruminations and should confirm her rise to fame. Credit producer Larry Klein for doing a bang-up job with the album's sound: the elegant, pared-down arrangements are all brushed drums, acoustic guitars, and cool organ licks. But of course it's Peyroux's voice that brings it all home--preferably one where the shades are drawn, embers are smoldering in the fireplace, and the white wine is kept dry. Two-thirds of the songs are well-chosen covers, including a duet with k.d. lang on Joni Mitchell's "River"; a relaxed version of Fred Neil's "Everybody's Talkin'," from Midnight Cowboy; a delicately lilting samba take on Leonard Cohen and Anjani Thomas's title track; Serge Gainsbourg's "La Javanaise," performed in the original French; and Charlie Chaplin's "Smile," from Modern Times. The four originals, all coauthored by Peyroux, easily keep up with such august company, especially "I'm All Right"--written with Klein and Walter Becker, it captures the easy sophistication of Becker's regular band, Steely Dan. Fans of Norah Jones (whose collaborator Jesse Harris cowrote three of the songs) should gobble up this album, but Peyroux is no mere imitator: She's her own, very real thing. Madeleine Peyroux doesn’t simply interpret songs, she possesses them and vice versa. Half the Perfect World is the much-anticipated follow-up to Peyroux’s breakthrough album, Careless Love, which drew critical raves from around the world and sold more than a million copies. This time around, Peyroux focuses primarily on songs written by artists from her lifetime, including Leonard Cohen, Tom Waits and Fred Neil. The album also features an unforgettable duet with k.d. lang on the Joni Mitchell classic "River" and four original songs co-written by Peyroux, including the single "I’m All Right" which she penned with producer Larry Klein and Steely Dan’s Walter Becker. Half the Perfect World is a sublime showcase for Peyroux’s eloquent, understated delivery and timeless one-of-a-kind voice.
01- I'm All Right 02- The Summer Wind 03- Blue Alert 04- Everybody's Talkin' 05- River 06- A Little Bit 07- Once in a While 08- (Looking For) The Heart Of Saturday Night 09- Half The Perfect World 10- La Javanaise 11- California Rain 12- Smile
