11 March 2009
Nightwish "Walking In the Air [The Snowman]"
"Walking in the Air" is a song written by Howard Blake for the 1982 animated film of Raymond Briggs' 1976 children's book The Snowman. In the film the song was performed by St. Paul's Cathedral choirboy Peter Auty. For the subsequent single release, which reached number five in the UK pop charts in 1985, the vocals were sung by Welsh chorister Aled Jones, who became a popular celebrity on the strength of his performance. Jones' version was not an official The Snowman tie-in though it was authorised by Howard Blake. "Walking in the Air" has subsequently been covered by several different artists, in a variety of styles. [Wikipedia]
Gary Moore "Still Got the Blues"
Still Got the Blues is a 1990 album by guitarist Gary Moore. Prior to this album Moore's work had consisted of predominantly jazz-fusion with Colosseum II and rock and hard rock styles including his work with Skid Row, Thin Lizzy, G-Force as well as a large repertoire of solo work. This album, as evidenced by its title, is a departure from hard rock to an electric blues style. [Wikipedia]
Diana Krall "Cry Me a River"
"Cry Me a River" is a popular American torch song, written by Arthur Hamilton and first published in 1953. A jazzy blues ballad, "Cry Me a River" was originally written for Ella Fitzgerald to sing in the 1920s-set film, Pete Kelly's Blues (released 1955). But the record producer insisted Hamilton remove the word "plebeian" since "audiences wouldn't accept a black woman in the '20s using that word."[citation needed]. Hamilton tried but eventually refused to make the change, and the song was dropped. Fitzgerald first released a recording of the song on Clap Hands, Here Comes Charlie! in 1961. The song's first release and most famous recording was by actress/singer Julie London in 1955. A sultry performance of the song by London in the 1956 film The Girl Can't Help It helped to make it a million-selling blockbuster (#9 US/#22 UK). More recently, the song was featured on the soundtracks of the films Passion of Mind (2000) and V for Vendetta (2006). In 1963, Barbra Streisand recorded the song for her debut solo album The Barbra Streisand Album, which later appeared on the compilation The Essential Barbra Streisand. In 2000, Barbra performed the song on her "Timeless Tour" and a live recording was included on the live album Timeless: Live in Concert, and the accompanying DVD release. In 1970, British blues rocker Joe Cocker made the chart with an upbeat hard-rock rendition on the album, Mad Dogs and Englishmen. In 1995, British actress Denise Welch's double A-side "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me" / "Cry Me a River" spent three weeks in the UK Singles Chart, reaching #23. [Wikipedia]
Foreigner "I Want to Know What Love Is"
I Want to Know What Love Is" is a power ballad recorded by the British-American rock band Foreigner. The song hit #1 in both the UK and the U.S. and is their most successful single. It remains one of the band's best known songs and most enduring radio hits, peaking at #20 in the year 2000 and charting in the top 25 in 2001 and 2002 on the Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Recurrents chart. [Wikipedia]
Eagles "One of These Nights"
"One of These Nights" is a song written by Don Henley and Glenn Frey and recorded by the American rock band Eagles. The title track from their One of These Nights album, the song became their second single to top the Billboard Hot 100 chart and also helped propel the album to number one. The single version was shortened from the album version of the song, removing most of the song's intro and most of its fade-out, as well. Don Henley is lead vocalist on the verses, while Randy Meisner is lead vocalist on the refrain. According to songwriter Glenn Frey, the song is about putting things off. "We've all said, 'one of these nights I'm gonna do something -- get that girl, make that money, find that house. We all have our dreams - a vision we hope will come true someday. When that 'someday' will come is up to each of us." [Wikipedia]
Sonata Arctica "Talullah"
Sonata Arctica was born in 1996 on the edge of the world, in the northern Finnish town of Kemi. The very first incarnation of the band was named Tricky Beans. As Tricky Beans, the group produced three demos and played twice in Jyrki Sähkösirkus, a live tour version of a then famous TV pop show.
Shakespear's Sisters "Stay"
"Stay" is a 1992 single from UK based pop duo Shakespears Sister. It was the second single release from the second Shakespears Sister album Hormonally Yours and is the duo's biggest hit. "Stay" is one of the longest running UK number ones in UK chart history (8 weeks), and the longest by an all-female group or duo. This single was the only Shakespears Sister song that featured Marcella Detroit more prominently on vocals than Siobhan Fahey, with Detroit singing the verses and lead chorus and Fahey singing the song's bridge. [Wikipedia]
10 March 2009
Kiss "Creatures of the night"
Creatures of the Night is a 1982 album from U.S. hard rock/heavy metal band Kiss. It is the band's 10th studio album and the last for Casablanca Records, the only label the group had ever recorded for up to that point. The album was also dedicated to the memory of Casablanca founder and early Kiss supporter Neil Bogart, who had died of cancer during the recording sessions.
The album represented a conscious effort on Kiss's part to return to the style of hard rock/heavy metal that had helped them achieve commercial success in the 1970s. That success had been in decline since 1979's album Dynasty and 1980's Unmasked. Kiss knew it needed to deliver on their earlier promise of a heavy record if they were to continue as a band. The first key ingredient was songwriter/guitarist Vincent Cusano, with whom the band had recently begun writing and recording, and was soon to replace Frehley as the band's new lead guitarist. Frehley didn't perform on this album and this was Vinnie Vincent's first album with the band. On the tour, Vincent was introduced with Ankh warrior makeup.
Some early pressings of the album mistakenly contained one full side of John Cougar's American Fool. Both Kiss and Cougar were under the umbrella of Mercury Records at the time. Today, those mistake albums are highly sought after by Kiss collectors.
Creatures of the Night was certified Gold on May 9, 1994.
Martika "I Feel the Earth Move"
"I Feel the Earth Move" is the first single released by pop singer Carole King, in 1971. "I Feel the Earth Move" was the third single from Martika's self-titled debut, Martika. "I Feel the Earth Move" reached the number 25 on the pop charts in the U.S., and number 7 in the UK and number 2 in Australia, it is a remake of the classic King song. The high energy music video was shot during the promotional tour for this album. [Wikipedia]
Bananarama "Venus"
"Venus" is a 1969 number-one song by the Dutch band Shocking Blue, which again reached number four in 1990 based on a remix version. The song was also covered by girl group Bananarama, reaching number six in 1986. The composition has been featured in films and television shows and commercials and covered dozens of times by artists around the world. [Wikipedia]
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