The Wolfman Howls Again - Mephisto's Rock Gems The Wolfman Howls Again - Mephisto's Rock Gems 50 years of Rock and Roll, laced with heavily intoxicating doses of Soul and Rythm and Blues. Blender mixed with Pop from 5 decades from all 5 continents. Some people call it the 
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Roxette - The Look (1989)
2008-01-16 08:00:00 It's tempting to write Roxette off as nothing more than a shallow pop/rock band, but their shameless hooks are precisely what makes them so enjoyable. Roxette has a knack for writing extremely catchy and simple hooks and melodies that are sweet but not saccharine; it's radio-friendly pop, but the hooks don't wear thin with repeated plays. The duo of guitarist Per Gessle and vocalist Marie... [Please Visit the blog for the full post...]
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Give It Away (1992)
2008-01-16 07:00:00 Few rock groups of the '80s broke down as many musical barriers and were as original as the Red Hot Chili Peppers . Creating an intoxicating new musical style by combining funk and punk rock together (with an explosive stage show, to boot), the Chili Peppers spawned a slew of imitators in their wake, but still managed to be the leaders of the pack by the dawn of the 21st century. The roots of the... [Please Visit the blog for the full post...] More About: Give
Chicago - I'm A Man (1969)
2008-01-15 09:00:00 According to Billboard chart statistics, Chicago is second only to the Beach Boys as the most successful American rock band of all time, in terms of both albums and singles. Judged by album sales, as certified by the R.I.A.A., the band does not rank quite so high, but it is still among the Top Ten best-selling U.S. groups ever. If such statements of fact surprise, that's because Chicago has been... [Please Visit the blog for the full post...]
Sailor - Sailor (1974)
2008-01-15 08:30:00 Sailor is a British pop group mostly famous in the 1970s. Much of the best material revolved around sailors' adventures on shore leave, especially in the "red-light quarter". Dressing in sailor gear that went with the image, they might easily be dismissed as something of a novelty act, but created some enduring and finely crafted pop music. The group's leader, Georg Kajanus (real name Georg... [Please Visit the blog for the full post...] More About: Sailor
The Style Council - Long Hot Summer (1983)
2008-01-15 08:00:00 Guitarist/vocalist Paul Weller broke up the Jam, the most popular British band of the early '80s, at the height of their success in 1982 because he was dissatisfied with their musical direction. Weller wanted to incorporate more elements of soul, R&B, and jazz into his songwriting, which is something he felt his punk-oriented bandmates were incapable of performing. In order to pursue this musical... [Please Visit the blog for the full post...] More About: Summer , Style , Council , Long
Maria McKee - Show Me Heaven (1990)
2008-01-15 07:00:00 After making her name as the gritty, soulful lead singer of roots rockers Lone Justice, Maria McKee embarked on an often-rewarding solo career. A native of Los Angeles, McKee was born in 1964; her half-brother was Bryan MacLean, the guitarist and sometime singer of the groundbreaking psychedelic band Love. After studying musical theater as a teenager, McKee started performing on the L.A. club... [Please Visit the blog for the full post...] More About: Heaven , Show
The Contours - First I Look At The Purse (1965)
2008-01-14 09:00:00 The Contours are widely remembered for their 1962 smash "Do You Love Me?," one of the early hits that helped put Motown on the map. Yet they aren't always associated with their contribution to the label; they were one of the roughest, hardest R&B groups Berry Gordy ever signed, and their sound simply didn't resemble the smooth, sophisticated blueprint that later became Motown's trademark. Nor did... [Please Visit the blog for the full post...] More About: The Con
Free - Wishing Well (1972)
2008-01-14 08:30:00 Famed for their perennial "All Right Now," Free helped lay the foundations for the rise of hard rock, stripping the earthy sound of British blues down to its raw, minimalist core to pioneer a brand of proto-metal later popularized by 1970's superstars like Foreigner, Foghat and Bad Company. Free formed in London in 1968 when guitarist Paul Kossoff, then a member of the blues unit Black Cat Bones,... [Please Visit the blog for the full post...] More About: Wishing well , Wishing
Isley Jasper Isley - Caravan Of Love (1986)
2008-01-14 08:00:00 A spin-off from the Isley Brothers, bassist Marvin Isley, drummer/guitarist Ernie Isley, and their keyboardist cousin Chris Jasper worked in the Isley Brothers 3 + 3 band from 1969 until 1984. They signed with Columbia as a separate entity at that time, and had substantial success with their debut LP Broadway's Closer to Sunset Boulevard. Their 1985 release Caravan of Love included their only R&B... [Please Visit the blog for the full post...]
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Into My Arms (1997)
2008-01-14 07:00:00 After goth pioneers the Birthday Party called it quits in 1983, singer/songwriter Nick Cave assembled the Bad Seeds , a post-punk supergroup featuring former Birthday Party guitarist Mick Harvey on drums, ex-Magazine bassist Barry Adamson, and Einstürzende Neubauten guitarist Blixa Bargeld. With the Bad Seeds, Cave continued to explore his obsessions with religion, death, love, America, and... [Please Visit the blog for the full post...] More About: Arms , Nick Cave
Bobby Moore & The Rhythm Aces - Hey Mr. D.J. (1965)
2008-01-13 09:00:00 Best remembered for their 1966 R&B smash "Searching for My Love," Bobby Moore & the Rhythm Aces were the first act on Chicago-based Chess Records to record at Muscle Shoals, Alabama's legendary Fame Studios. New Orleans-born tenor saxophonist Moore assembled the first Rhythm Aces lineup in 1952 while stationed in Fort Benning, GA. The group played military dances and nightclubs throughout the... [Please Visit the blog for the full post...]
Rare Earth - Get Ready (1970)
2008-01-13 08:35:00 Rare Earth began as an R&B band called the Sunliners in Detroit in 1961. Of the musicians who would be part of the band dubbed Rare Earth, only sax player Gil Bridges and drummer Pete Rivera were present. John Parrish joined on bass in 1962. Rod Richards became a guitarist with the group in 1966. Keyboardist Kenny James came into the fold the same year. After years of doing the club circuit, the... [Please Visit the blog for the full post...] More About: Rare , Ready , Get Ready
Gary Wright - Dream Weaver (1975)
2008-01-13 08:30:00 Most closely associated with his atmospheric 1976 smash "Dream Weaver ," singer Gary Wright was born April 26, 1943 in Creskill, NJ; a former child actor who appeared on Broadway in a production of Fanny, he fronted a number of local rock bands during his high school years before turning his attention to psychology, completing his studies in Berlin at Frei University. In 1967, Wright's band, the... [Please Visit the blog for the full post...]
Neil Young - Rockin In The Free World (1989)
2008-01-13 08:00:00 After Neil Young left the Californian folk-rock band Buffalo Springfield in 1968, he slowly established himself as one of the most influential and idiosyncratic singer/songwriters of his generation. Young's body of work ranks second only to Bob Dylan in terms of depth, and he was able to sustain his critical reputation, as well as record sales, for a longer period of time than Dylan, partially... [Please Visit the blog for the full post...] More About: World , Free , Neil Young
Garbage - Queer (1995)
2008-01-13 07:00:00 Garbage built on the sonic landscapes of My Bloody Valentine, Curve, and Sonic Youth, adding a distinct sense of accessible pop songcraft. Garbage was the brainchild of producers Butch Vig, Duke Erikson, and Steve Marker. Initially, Garbage was an informal jam session between the three producers held in Marker's basement, but they eventually recruited vocalist Shirley Manson, who had previously... [Please Visit the blog for the full post...] More About: Garbage
The Velvelettes - He Was Really Sayin' Somethin' (1964)
2008-01-12 09:00:00 The Velvelettes had three small chart hits for Motown in the mid '60s, including "He Was Really Sayin' Somethin'," revived with great success in Britain by Bananarama in the early '80s, and "Needle in a Haystack," which almost made the pop Top 40. Very much in the Motown girl-group mold shared by the Marvelettes, Martha & the Vandellas, and the Supremes, they never broke out as those other groups... [Please Visit the blog for the full post...]
The Captain & Tennille - Love Will Keep Us Together (1975)
2008-01-12 08:30:00 Keyboardist/arranger "Captain " Daryl Dragon and his wife, singer/pianist Toni Tennille, scored a series of pop/rock hits in a light, romantic vein in the second half of the 1970s, the most successful of which was the first, "Love Will Keep Us Together." The couple met in the summer of 1971, when Dragon was engaged as the keyboard player for a musical revue, Mother Earth, composed by Tennille.... [Please Visit the blog for the full post...] More About: The Captain
Pratt & Mcclain - Happy Days (1976)
2008-01-12 08:25:00 Pratt & McClain's biggest hit single was the theme from the long-running ABC-TV series Happy Days . San Antonio,TX, native Truett Pratt started out singing in the church choir, then joined a rock band in high school. Pasadena, CA, indigene Jerry McClain also sang in the choir. Around the mid-'60s, McClain met Michael Omartian. They formed American Scene and recorded for Dot Records. In 1970,... [Please Visit the blog for the full post...] More About: Pratt , Happy Days
Daryl Hall & John Oates - I Can't Go For That (No Can Do) (1981)
2008-01-12 08:00:00 From their first hit in 1974 through their heyday in the '80s, Daryl Hall and John Oates' smooth, catchy take on Philly soul brought them enormous commercial success -- including six number one singles and six platinum albums -- yet little critical success. Hall & Oates' music was remarkably well-constructed and produced; at their best, their songs were filled with strong hooks and melodies that... [Please Visit the blog for the full post...]
Lenny Kravitz - I Belong To You (1998)
2008-01-12 07:00:00 There may have been other "retro" rock acts before him, but Lenny Kravitz was one of the first to not be pigeonholed to a single style as he's touched upon such genres as soul, funk, reggae, hard rock, psychedelic, folk, and ballads over the years. Born in New York on May 26, 1964 (his mother was actress Roxie Roker, best-known for her role as Helen Willis on the popular TV series The Jeffersons,... [Please Visit the blog for the full post...] More About: I Belong
The Creation - Painter Man (1966)
2008-01-11 09:00:00 They could've been contenders -- hell, they should've been contenders! That's the first thought that passes through one's head as one hears the early singles by the Creation -- and, indeed, how they weren't contenders is astonishing. They had it all, the in-house songwriting, the production, the voices, and the sound that should've put them right up there with the Who and ahead of the Move and... [Please Visit the blog for the full post...] More About: Painter , 1966
Mal - Mighty Mighty Roly Poly (1972)
2008-01-11 08:35:00 The artist is Mal (Ryder), a British native who became an Italian pop superstar when his group, The Primitives, started charting in 1966. Mal went on to star in films and sell millions of discs through the 1980s, and he still resides in Italy as an elder statesman of music celebrity. "Mighty Mighty" was released in 1972, charting in Italy, Germany and even "bubbled under" the Billboard Hot 100 in... [Please Visit the blog for the full post...] More About: Poly
Blondie - (I'm Always Touched By Your) Presence Dear (1978)
2008-01-11 08:30:00 Blondie was the most commercially successful band to emerge from the much-vaunted punk/new wave movement of the late '70s. The group was formed in New York City in August 1974 by singer Deborah Harry (b. July 1, 1945, Miami), formerly of Wind in the Willows, and guitarist Chris Stein (b. January 5, 1950, Brooklyn) out of the remnants of Harry's previous group, the Stilettos. The lineup fluctuated... [Please Visit the blog for the full post...] More About: Presence , Blondie
Ultravox - Reap The Wild Wind (1983)
2008-01-11 08:00:00 Rejecting the abrasive guitars of their punk-era contemporaries in favor of lushly romantic synthesizers, Ultravox emerged as one of the primary influences on the British electro-pop movement of the early '80s. Formed in London in 1974, the group -- originally dubbed Ultravox! -- was led by vocalist and keyboardist John Foxx (born Dennis Leigh), whose interest in synths and cutting-edge... [Please Visit the blog for the full post...] More About: Wind , Wild
Weezer - Buddy Holly (1994)
2008-01-11 07:30:00 As one of the most popular groups to emerge in the post-grunge alternative rock aftermath, Weezer received equal amounts of criticism and praise for their hook-heavy guitar pop. Drawing from the heavy power pop of arena rockers like Cheap Trick and the angular guitar leads of the Pixies, Weezer leavened their melodies with doses of '70s metal learned from bands like Kiss. But what set the band... [Please Visit the blog for the full post...] More About: Holly , Buddy , Buddy Holly , Olly
Sam Cooke - Bring It On Home To Me (1962)
2008-01-10 09:00:00 Sam Cooke was the most important soul singer in history -- he was also the inventor of soul music, and its most popular and beloved performer in both the black and white communities. Equally important, he was among the first modern black performers and composers to attend to the business side of the music business, and founded both a record label and a publishing company as an extension of his... [Please Visit the blog for the full post...] More About: Home , Bring It On
Roxy Music - Angel Eyes (1979)
2008-01-10 08:30:00 Evolving from the late-'60s art-rock movement, Roxy Music had a fascination with fashion, glamour, cinema, pop art, and the avant-garde, which separated the band from their contemporaries. Dressed in bizarre, stylish costumes, the group played a defiantly experimental variation of art rock which vacillated between avant-rock and sleek pop hooks. During the early '70s, the group was driven by the... [Please Visit the blog for the full post...] More About: Eyes , Angel , Roxy Music
Icehouse - Hey Little Girl (1982)
2008-01-10 08:00:00 Though it has had varying personnel, Icehouse is essentially a vehicle for the work of Australian Iva Davies (b.May 22, 1955). Davies formed the first version of the band under the name Flowers in 1980 and began scoring hits in Australia with the group's first single, "Can't Help Myself." Icehouse was the name of Flowers' first album, but the group changed its name as it went international, to... [Please Visit the blog for the full post...] More About: Girl , Little Girl
Leonard Cohen - The Future (1993)
2008-01-10 07:30:00 One of the most fascinating and enigmatic -- if not the most successful -- singer/songwriters of the late '60s, Leonard Cohen has retained an audience across four decades of music-making interrupted by various digressions into personal and creative exploration, all of which have only added to the mystique surrounding him. Second only to Bob Dylan (and perhaps Paul Simon), he commands the... [Please Visit the blog for the full post...] More About: Future , The Future , Leonard Cohen
Twice as Much - Sitting on a Fence (1966)
More articles from this author:2008-01-09 09:00:00 One of the most anonymous-sounding acts of the British Invasion, Twice as Much was the duo of Dave Skinner and Andrew Rose, harmony singers who also wrote much of their own material. Signed to the Immediate label (run by Rolling Stones manager Andrew Loog Oldham), the pair recorded several singles and a couple of albums between 1966 and 1968. Most of these recordings were innocuous, pleasantly... [Please Visit the blog for the full post...] More About: Fence 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 |
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