(Vocal/instrumental group, 1966–present) Propelled by the ‘holy’ organ of Matthew Fisher, ‘A Whiter Shade Of Pale’ spent six weeks at No. 1 in Britain and rose high in the US Hot 100 during 1967’s flower-power summer. The ‘Homburg’ follow-up – also written by Gary Brooker (vocals, piano) and lyricist Keith Reid – was almost as big a hit ...
The term electric, or electromechanical, organ is used to describe instruments that produce sounds using a dynamo-like system of moving parts – as opposed to electronic organs that employ solid-state electronics. Laurens Hammond In the same way that ‘Hoover’ is used instead of ‘vacuum cleaner’, the very name ‘Hammond’ has become synonymous with electric organs. The Hammond organ was ...
(Vocals, b. 1938) Born James Smith, Proby’s career began on a Houston radio station in 1949, but by the early 1960s, he was an also-ran, taping demos for the similar-sounding Elvis Presley. However, on uprooting to Britain, a mannered vocal style, picaresque image and scandalous trouser-splitting publicity assisted the passages of ‘Hold Me’, ...
‘To boldly go where no band has gone before...’ could have been the motto of the progressive rock bands. Taking rock music to places it had never been in terms of harmony and structure. They tend to favour long songs with lengthy instrumentals, guitar and keyboards being the foremost instruments, with an emphasis on instrumental dexterity and virtuosity. ...
A cheap acoustic guitar, a washboard, some thimbles, a tea chest, a broom handle and a length of string, together with a modicum of musical talent – these were all that was required for skiffle, an amalgam of American jazz, blues and folk that caught on with Britain’s largely cash-strapped teenagers in 1956 and ...
‘The Italian Girl in Algiers’ Despite its North African setting, Rossini’s L’italiana in Algeri was a resolutely Italian opera. Unlike Aida (1871), in which Verdi took care to evoke the mysterious atmosphere of ancient Egypt, Rossini made no particular attempt to reflect the exotic nature of Algiers. However, given the good-natured harum-scarum fun of this two-act comic opera ...
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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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David Bowie
Fantastic new, unofficial biography covers
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