(Vocal/instrumental group, 1983–98) This irascible, much-lauded Scottish crew featured the Reid brothers, William and Jim (both vocals, guitar) and, for a while, Bobby Gillespie of Primal Scream (drums). They took The Velvet Underground’s art rock and overlaid surprisingly poppy melodies. Their early gigs turned into riots, but 1985’s Psychocandy was a very good debut ...
aged 64 she won her 17th Grammy before performing ‘My Country ’Tis Of Thee’ at Barack Obama’s presidential inauguration three years later. ‘I’m gonna make a gospel record and tell Jesus I cannot bear these burdens alone.’ Aretha Franklin Classic Recordings 1967 I Never Loved A Man The Way I Love You 1968 Lady Soul 1971 Young, Gifted And ...
(Vocals, guitar, c. 1902–47) Texas-born Willie Johnson, a purveyor of sacred material who would probably have been appalled at being categorized as a ‘blues’ artist, was blinded at the age of seven when his stepmother threw lye in his face after being beaten by his father. He sang in a hoarse, declamatory voice and his fretwork ...
(Kârl Hin’-rikh Groun) 1703/4–59 German composer Graun worked in the opera at Dresden and then at Brunswick (where he wrote six operas), before becoming Kapellmeister in 1735 to Frederick, the Prussian prince. He was promoted to royal Kapellmeister when Frederick (who later acquired the title ‘the Great’) acceded in 1740. Graun was put in charge of the new Berlin court opera ...
(Vocal/instrumental group, 1976–present) The band was formed by Essex schoolboys Vince Clarke (keyboards), Martin Gore (vocals, guitar, keyboards), Andy Fletcher (keyboards) and singer Dave Gahan. New label Mute took a punt on their melancholic but hooky synth-pop and were rewarded with the Top 10 album Speak And Spell (1981) and classic dance track ‘Just Can’t Get Enough’. Clarke ...
1685–1759 English composer George Frideric Handel is one of the best known of all Baroque composers. His gift for melody, his instinctive sense of drama and vivid scene-painting, and the extraordinary range of human emotions explored in his vocal compositions make his music instantly accessible. Works such as Messiah (1741), Water Music (1717) and Music for the Royal Fireworks ...
(Singer-songwriter, b. 1963) Born Georgios Panayiotou of North London, Greek-Cypriot heritage, Michael served a very public initiation with teeny-boppers Wham!. In the mid-1980s he released a pair of solo singles, ‘Careless Whisper’ and ‘A Different Corner’, dissolving Wham! in 1986. He re-emerged in 1987 with the pristine adult pop of Faith, which hooked the ...
achieved great popularity, but the influence of Stravinsky and Holst’s interest in oriental philosophy led him into other, sometimes mystical, areas, epitomized in The Hymn of Jesus (1917) and Ode to Death (1919). Recommended Recording: The Planets, The Perfect Fool (ballet music), Egdon Heath, New Philharmonia (cond) Sir Adrian Boult, LSO (cond) André Previn ...
the strikingly organized Musicalische Exequien (1636), Geistliche Chor-Music (‘Spiritual Choir Music’, 1648) and the stylistically forward-looking and emotionally affecting Die sieben Wortte Jesu Christi am Kreuz (‘The Seven Words of Jesus Christ on the Cross’, c. 1645). The Weinachtshistorie (‘Christmas Story’, 1660) also demonstrates his talent for orchestration. Recommended Recording: Weihnachtshistorie, Taverner Consort, Choir and Players (dir) Andrew Parrott ...
live album. His gigs, such as his 1989 show in London’s Docklands, are huge son et lumiere spectacles. Styles & Forms | Eighties | Rock Personalities | The Jesus & Mary Chain | Eighties | Rock ...
recording, the band produced ‘You Made Me Realise’, an EP that brought them to wider attention and acclaim. The band followed up with Isn’t Anything (1988). Influenced by The Jesus And Mary Chain, Dinosaur Jr. and The Cocteau Twins, the album defined My Bloody Valentine’s idiosyncratic approach and established them as a major force in the British indie ...
final confession of faith as well as a conspectus of the areas his work had explored: an oratorio, La transfiguration de notre Seigneur Jésus-Christ (‘The Transfiguration of Our Lord Jesus Christ’, 1969), an orchestral cycle, Des canyons aux étoiles... (‘From the Canyons to the Stars’, 1974), and an opera, Saint-François d’Assise (‘St Francis of Assisi’, 1983). His ...
Unorthodox, uncompromising, Patti Smith was a seminal figure in the New York punk movement and has remained a touchstone for later generations of rock artists. Born on 30 December 1946, Smith was raised in southern New Jersey by her atheist father and Jehovah’s Witness mother. Leaving school at 16 she had brief, unsatisfying stints working in a ...
(Vocal/instrumental group, 1982–present) Glaswegian Bobby Gillespie was the drummer in The Jesus And Mary Chain before forming Primal Scream in 1982. Early releases paid tribute to the 1960s sound of The Byrds and Love before beginning to steer towards Cult-like rock territory on second album Primal Scream (1989). Discovering the acid-house scene was a revelation to the now stable line-up ...
(Vocal/instrumental group, 1970–present) ZZ Top is a perennial blues trio from Houston, Texas, as well known for their sunglasses, furry guitars and long beards as for their signature boogie beats. Guitarist Billy Gibbons, bassist Dusty Hill and drummer Frank Beard specialize in hard, shuffling electric blues, usually tinged with humour and double entendres. Hits ...
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An extensive music information resource, bringing together the talents and expertise of a wide range of editors and musicologists, including Stanley Sadie, Charles Wilson, Paul Du Noyer, Tony Byworth, Bob Allen, Howard Mandel, Cliff Douse, William Schafer, John Wilson...
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Classical, Rock, Blues, Jazz, Country and more. Flame Tree has been making encyclopaedias and guides about music for over 20 years. Now Flame Tree Pro brings together a huge canon of carefully curated information on genres, styles, artists and instruments. It's a perfect tool for study, and entertaining too, a great companion to our music books.
David Bowie
Fantastic new, unofficial biography covers
his life, music, art and movies, with a
sweep of incredible photographs.