(Vocal/instrumental group, 1986–present) When guitarist Richey Edwards disappeared/committed suicide in 1995 the end of the line seemed in sight for this band of Welsh Generational Terrorists. However, James Dean Bradfield (vocals, guitar), Nicky Wire (bass) and Sean Moore (drums) soldiered on delivering Everything Must Go (1996). Retaining the artistic integrity that was one of their punk-inspired founding principles ...
George Crabbe’s poem ‘The Borough’ inspired Benjamin Britten’s return to England from America. A self-proclaimed pacifist during the Second World War, Britten identified with the poem’s protagonist, Grimes, and his views about military service, and he returned home with companion Peter Pears to set about working on the opera Peter Grimes. Britten strongly identified with the central ...
(Vocal group, 1992–present) Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, AJ McLean, Brian Littrell and Kevin Richardson (left 2006). An American boy band, their first taste of success came in Europe in 1996 with soft-focus ballads like ‘Get Down (You’re The One For Me)’. They conquered the US in 1998, and albums like Millennium (1999) – the obligatory ...
(Vocals, b. 1978) Mike Skinner sings the sound of honesty, set to a music that stems from the clubs of his beloved south London. Early singles like ‘Let’s Push Things Forward’ set the template well, with minimal beats and piano snippets topped with observations on modern life. At times too acute to be a wholly comfortable listen (particularly ...
(Vocal/instrumental group, 1990–present) The brainchild of Manchester DJ and scene-maker Mike ‘M’ Pickering who recruited Heather Small (vocals) and Paul Heard (keyboards, electronics) to form the band. Mixing impeccable melody with beats and influences ranging from northern soul to pop the band were soon scoring UK hits like ‘How Can I Love You More ?’ and ‘One Night In ...
West-coast city Seattle was the unanticipated epicentre of 1990s music as grunge, the biggest ‘back to basics’ movement since punk, shook traditional American rock – Nirvana was to enjoy iconic status for a spell until Kurt Cobain’s death. In the UK, the dance-rock of The Stone Roses, a holdover from the late 1980s, put Manchester briefly ...
June Third Time At The Isle Of Wight The Isle of Wight Festival had resumed in 2002 after a break of 32 years, and The Who returned to play their third gig there on 12 June 2004. The 35,000-strong audience was far smaller than the 600,000 that had witnessed their last visit to the island in 1970. A ...
June Glastonbury Having played all the major historical rock festivals, The Who eventually made it to a traditionally wet and muddy Glastonbury on 24 June 2007. Belting out a career-spanning set, the band headlined a day of top British acts that included the Kaiser Chiefs and Manic Street Preachers. The set finished with the poignant ‘Tea And Theatre’ from ...
There is no escaping the crucial importance of World War I (1914–18) in the formation of the Modern Age (as the first half of the twentieth century has come to be known). The war changed irrevocably the development and directions of almost all pre-war innovations in politics, society, the arts and ideas in general. Declining economic conditions also altered ...
Although the art of the classical singer has traditionally been perceived as the pursuit of technical perfection and tonal beauty, the twentieth century enabled a re-evaluation of what that art should be. Due in part to the technological advances and harrowing events of the times, much of the music was innovative, challenging, moving, powerful and, ...
In 1937, Arnold Schoenberg said, ‘I have at last learned the lesson that has been forced upon me during this year, and I shall not ever forget it. It is that I am not a German, not a European, indeed perhaps scarcely a human being – at least the Europeans prefer the worst of their race ...
If you look for country music’s Big Bang, there is nothing more momentous than Bristol, 1927. Within four summer days, two stars appeared that would change the cosmology of country – remap the sky. And it all happened in a disused office building in a quiet mountain town perched on the state line between Virginia and Tennessee. Why ...
On the face of it, barrels and music would seem unlikely bedfellows. Their alliance, however, goes back at least to the ninth century, when the first detailed description of a barrel organ appeared in an Arab treatise. Mechanics of the Barrel Organ The mechanical principle underlying all such instruments, from the automated organ and piano to ...
The history of musical instruments has always been very closely linked to the history of music itself. New musical styles often come about because new instruments become available, or improvements to existing ones are made. Improvements to the design of the piano in the 1770s, for instance, led to its adoption by composers such as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart ...
The mandolin is a small, teardrop shaped, plucked stringed instrument. Its most famous form is the Neopolitan mandolin, beloved of all romantics for its use on Venetian gondolas. It is descended from the lute and, since its rejuvenation in the nineteenth century, has remained a popular and versatile instrument. Mandola The mandolin developed from the Italian ...
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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.