(Vocal/instrumental group, 1978–present) This dreadlocked crew – Dr. Know (guitar), Darryl Jenifer (bass) and Earl Hudson (drums) – ditched jazz-fusion for thrash-punk. They wowed New York’s hip CBGB club, and released the excellent Rock The Light (1983). The volatile H.R. (‘throat’, not vocals) left and rejoined, as they incorporated reggae and funk on the likes of I ...
Jakey Lou Williams (b. 1957) was born in Norfolk, Virginia. His father was a member of the US Navy, which meant frequent relocation. Finally, however, the Williams family settled down in San Diego, California, where Jake began taking classical piano lessons. But, upon hearing his older sister’s Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin and Black ...
1933–2014 Italian conductor Abbado studied in Milan and Vienna. He first conducted at La Scala, Milan in 1960 and held a number of posts there 1969–86. He was principal conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra 1979–96, music director of the Vienna State Opera 1986–91, and principal conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra 1990–2002. A renowned interpreter of Verdi ...
(Vocal/instrumental group, 1965–75) Although their best-known work was released in the 1970s, Badfinger had been around since 1965 as The Iveys in their native north Wales. In 1966, they toured the UK backing David Garrick. Signed to the Apple Records label in 1968 as The Beatles’ potential successors, Tom Evans (bass), Mike Gibbins (drums), Pete Ham (guitar ...
(Vocals, b. 1970) Damon Gough’s charming Badly Drawn Boy alter ego found initial (if cult) success on the roster of the UK’s DIY Twisted Nerve label. A folk singer with allusions of grandeur, Gough sidestepped the tag of troubadour by soundtracking the About A Boy film (2002) and steadily learning to incorporate string sections and orchestras into his sound. ...
(Vocal/instrumental group, 1984–95) Taking a leaf out of the books of Hendrix and Bad Brains, Living Colour – Vernon Reid (guitar), Corey Glover (vocals), Muzz Skillings (bass, replaced by Doug Wimbish) and William Calhoun (drums) – were a black rock band formed in New York. Three albums, Vivid (1988), Time’s Up (1990) and Stain (1993), all charted ...
(Vocal/instrumental group, 1976–present) The band’s kitsch dress sense and spiky, surreal updating of 1960s dance music won a huge college following during the punk/new wave years. Guitarist Ricky Wilson died from AIDS in 1985. In 1986, an updated version of 1978’s ‘Rock Lobster’ became a UK Top 20 smash. ‘Love Shack’, ‘Roam’ and ‘Meet The Flintstones’ followed it ...
Alternative experimental guitarist Thurston Moore (b. 1958) was born in Coral Gables, Florida. Inspired by New York’s punk and new-wave scene, Moore moved to the city in 1977. While playing in a band called The Coachmen, he met Lee Ranaldo, an art student and member of Glenn Branca’s avant-garde guitar orchestra. Moore assembled a band with bassist ...
Taking their name from the meagre rehearsal facilities of its early practitioners, garage rock began in the US during the mid-1960s. The loud, fuzz-toned guitars often failed to disguise links to UK pop mentors like The Beatles, Rolling Stones and The Who. later acid rock bands such as The Electric Prunes incorporated progressive and psychedelic influences. Mostly, ...
February Talking Heads’ ‘Once In A Lifetime’ With its African-inspired rhythm conflicting with the rhythm played by the band, ‘Once In A Lifetime’ made for an unlikely hit single for Talking Heads. Although it failed to dent the American chart, the song made more impact in Britain where it reached No. 14. Much of its success was due to ...
Once hailed by the Pope as ‘Defender of the Faith’ against Martin Luther, Henry VIII made an about-face when he declared himself primate of the Church of England in order to grant himself a divorce from his first wife, Catherine of Aragon. The political, religious and social results of Henry’s action are well-known; the impact on music was ...
Country music has been euphemistically called ‘white man’s blues’ or ‘the poetry of the common man’. While both descriptions have elements of truth, neither is quite accurate. It is, in fact, a broad, nebulous, over-reaching category with no exact boundaries or parameters. Over the decades country music has grown to encompass a greatly varied assortment of ...
‘Rise and Fall of the city of Mahagonny’ Composed: 1927–29 Premiered: 1930, Leipzig Libretto by Bertolt Brecht Act I Leokadja Begbick, Trinity Moses and Fatty, all wanted by the police, found Mahagonny. They recruit men in search of whisky, gambling and women to join them in the ‘city of gold’. Jenny’s price, thirty bucks, ...
‘The Free-shooter’ The Faustian theme, with its connotations of the black arts, was not new to opera when Weber wrote Der Freischütz. Since 1796 there had already been eight operas based on the sixteenth-century legend as composers responded to one of the most seductive themes of the early Romantic era: a pact with the devil for personal gain or ...
Premiered: 1602, Florence Libretto by Ottavio Rinuccini, after Ovid Prologue The figure of Tragedy introduces the opera, explaining that to make the story suitable for marriage celebrations, the original ending has been altered. Act I The act opens in an Arcadian village, with Euridice preparing for her marriage to Orfeo, along with nymphs and shepherds ...
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David Bowie
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