Icons Of Music

There is nothing nicer than listening to your parent’s vinyl. It gives you a sense that good music is omnipotent and will never be forgotten. What I first found in my parent’s music collection were the Beatles albums. They had a nice selection of all the albums being released since the 60s. There were a lot of Beatles songs, which I had never heard before. Since discovering them I have become a great fan of the Beatles and have begun to listen to their songs on a regular basis.
I may even claim for sure that I am addicted to some of the songs: I bought a CD “The Best of Beatles” and listened to “A Girl” on a repeat for several days! I can always go back to this Beatles’ song and listen to it over and over again. Also, I am a great fan of “The long and winding road”, the saddest Beatles’ song in my opinion. I can listen to Yellow Submarine when I am depressed, because it always cheers me up.
Well, it is not only about the three above-mentioned. Actually, for me every Beatles’ song released has an enticing appeal. I can listen to their albums for weeks, and never got sick of them. What I like is not only the music, but also the meaningful lyrics. It is always nice to hear that “the long and winding road that leads to your door will never disappear”. It reminds me of a beautiful love story, buried underneath the centuries. “She’s the kind of girl you want so much it makes you sorry, still you don’t regret a single day”- is there a more touching way to say that you are deeply and unhappily in love with someone?

The best thing about Beatles’ songs and lyrics is that there are a lot of different moods, carried on with their songs. You can always rely that you will find songs that match you mood, songs that make you happy, or songs that make you sad. There are so many of them , and they are all like pearls of a hidden music treasure. You can find a lot of CDs being released that combine the Beatles’ songs in Best compilations. It is indeed the perfect present to someone you like: no matter what kind of people they are, or how old they are. Everyone likes Beatles. Their music is irresistible and speaks directly to the heart.

About the Author

Morgan Hamilton offers expert advice and great tips regarding all aspects concerning music. Get the information you are seeking now by visiting http://www.mymusicreport.com/ music–more/music/ the-universal-appeal-of-beatles-songs.html
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Article published on July 05, 2007 at Isnare.com

As we continue our discussion with Gary Freiberg (www.RockArtPictureShow.com and www.VinylRecordDay.org), let’s pick up where we left off and continue detailing the poll that was conducted at the Vinyl Record Day web site and specifically, the album that was voted to be the number one album cover of all time, the Beatles’ “Sgt. Pepper” album.
The album was groundbreaking because up until then album covers were pretty standard, a picture of the artist (usually a head shot) or group or a specific setting, for example, maybe a jukebox surrounded by teens. This was a very careful and easy way of doing things. But, the Beatles added new elements to album cover art, as Gary details:
“The Beatles did something with the Sgt. Pepper album that had never been done before, this was the first packaged vinyl and it came complete with inserts and a specially designed album cover. And, who and why were these pictures of other famous people included on the cover, it just didn’t make sense. The Beatles also included cardboard cut-outs. Up until then it was logical, here’s the music, here’s the artist. It also started the idea that Paul was dead because there is a hand that seems to be coming out of nowhere, it is above Paul’s head; and Paul is also wearing a black carnation. So there were elements about the entire album package that gave people a purpose to sit down with it. That is one of the unique features of album cover art and why people have such a bond with albums, because it is something tactile; we put it in our hands and we sat down and looked at it. The Beatles broke all ground and Sgt. Pepper is by far, in the history of album cover art, the most pivotal album cover of all time.”

Now an interesting note for record collectors is that the value of this classic album is directly influenced by whether or not the package includes the aforementioned cut-outs as well as a custom sleeve. Of course, the condition of the vinyl record itself is paramount and is the single most deciding factor when ascertaining the price for, not only this album, but for any vinyl record.
After the Sgt. Pepper album, record labels and the musicians themselves were much more liberal when creating album cover art. They started to market to specific demographics and groups. Graphics were improved and famous artists were also commissioned to add their expertise to the evolving world of album cover art. Bands started to include more lyrics, band pictures and production notes. Many controversial, provocative and famous album covers were produced. But, even before Sgt. Pepper, the Beatles were at the forefront with regards to controversial album cover art. In fact, the Beatles’ album “Yesterday…& Today” (also known as the “butcher block” album) gained critical attention and controversy.
“The story behind this is that it portrays the Beatles wearing white butcher smocks with various severed baby doll parts. Paul is sitting with a severed head in his lap and the rest of the torso on his shoulder and they mixed this all in with bloody beef ribs,” details Gary. “The reason the Beatles did this cover was that they did not like what the record company did with their album “Help.” That is the cover where the Beatles’ intent was to purposely try to spell out “help” with the pictures of themselves with outstretched arms and everyone is considered in a different way. But when the album cover was released in the states, the executives at Capitol records didn’t get it and they just randomly arranged the Beatles on the cover and the Beatles thought that the record company had “butchered” the cover.”

“As soon as it (the butcher cover) got over here, it got recalled and in fact, I spoke with a record store owner in Los Angles who recently sold a copy of the record, still in shrink wrap, stereo version, along with the original letter from Capitol Records stating that they were recalling the album and he sold this copy for $80,000. Now this is a very rare record because the mono version of the album out numbered the stereo version eight to one and is much more common.”
The album has been out of print for years. It was replaced by the “trunk cover”, a picture of the Fab Four around a large trunk (with Paul McCartney sitting inside the trunk). After the recall, this picture was either pasted over the “butcher block” picture or the “butcher block” cover was removed all together, with the “trunk cover” then pasted on the front of the album (incidentally, the pictures of both covers were taken by the same photographer, Robert Whitaker). Now, is there a way to ascertain exactly what kind of cover you have if you happen to own a copy of the Beatles’ “Yesterday…& Today” album? Yes, there is as Gary informs us:

“With the paste over there is a way to know if you have a paste over cover or not. On the right hand side, a couple of inches above the bottom and a couple of inches over (there is a lot of white filler space on this particular cover and it is very plain again was a purposeful comment from the Beatles) there is a “V”. You see, Ringo was wearing a turtle-neck on the butcher cover and if you have a paste over copy you can see that black triangle that bleeds through. If you have a pasted over cover, there is value to those as well.”
So with the Beatles’ vision and creativeness, other artist joined the crowd. For instance, the Jimi Hendrix LP called “Electric Ladyland” was released in the U.K. with pictures of nude women. But, the album cover was censored in the sates, as Gary explains:
“It’s a fold out and a continuous front and back image of topless women, some of which are holding copies of the album. That’s (the censorship) typical of American morality, same thing with the Blind Faith album, taking off the bare-chested adolescent girl and putting on a picture of the band and I think is pretty consistent with our society of having a face of being puritan, but when you scratch the surface, there’s a lot more there than perhaps how we like to present things.”
In our last article, we will continue our discussion about album cover art and see what lies ahead, not only for vinyl records, but the digital world as well.

About the Author

Author Robert Benson writes about rock/pop music, vinyl record collecting and operates http://www.collectingvinylrecords.com, where you can pick up a copy of his ebook called "The Fascinating Hobby Of Vinyl Record Collecting."
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Article published on March 04, 2008 at Isnare.com

The Beatles 1967 album Sgt Pepper is often cited as the most influential and important album of all time. In what I consider to be a reactionary backlash to this praise Sgt Pepper is also often cited as one of the most over rated albums of all time.
This year this monumental album turns 40 years old. So where does it stand now? In 2003 Rolling Stone magazine ranked it as the #1 album of all time. It doesn’t fair quite as well on the popular music rating website Rate Your Music where it ranks #27 of all time which is behind four other Beatles classic albums Revolver (#1), Abbey Road (#2), The White Album (#10), and Rubber Soul (#21).
Personally while it’s not my favorite Beatles album (that honor has to go to The White Album) I do believe it is the most important and most influential album of all time and I do rank it above Revolver, Abbey Road, and Rubber Soul.

I’ve heard some people say it doesn’t hold up well with time but I disagree entirely. I think this album is absolutely timeless. I don’t think the songs sound like they are from the 1960s necessarily. They sound like they are from the future and the past simultaneously.
I believe all 13 songs from this album to be absolutely essential to the album and this is a very rare thing. What set this album apart from most of the albums that came before it is that it truly plays like an album. While definitely somewhat in debt to The Beach Boys classic Pet Sounds, Sgt Pepper takes things a big leap forward. In many ways I still feel that Sgt Pepper is the perfect cohesive album. It doesn’t take the “concept” and wear it thin but it also holds together as one work very well despite, and maybe because, the fact that the songs are of such varying styles.
Song by Song Breakdown:

#1 Sgt Pepper
The album starts off with the crowd noise which goes into the first song which shares the same name as the album: “Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.” This is a great song and also sets up the rest of the album as part of this loose concept of watching a band perform. This is all made to come together even more by the later inclusion of the Reprise of this song! Paul McCartney came up with the idea of the Beatles pretending to be this different band. The idea being that they could really branch out into all sorts of different styles with no limitations. They could also break free of their image. There’s quite a few layers to the idea but it’s also a very simple idea that isn’t overbearing unlike some later prog rock attempts at “concept albums.”

#2 With A Little Help From My Friends
This track was written by lead songwriters and singers Paul McCartney and John Lennon specifically for the drummer Ringo Starr to sing. This adds another layer to the lyric “I get by with a little help from my friends.” This song was a hit for Joe Cocker (his cover version was used on television program The Wonder Years.) It also contains a reference to marijuana with the line “I get high with a little help from my friends.”

#3 Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds
This song is inspired by LSD in my opinion although Lennon denied this and said it was merely inspired by his son’s painting. Many years later McCartney admitted the influence of LSD on this track. This song is often cited as a prime example of 1960s psychedelic music. Besides the other worldly fantastical lyrics the song has a dreamy quality to both the music and the vocals. This song uses a flange effect on the drums and the bass is very prominent in the mix.

#4 Getting Better
There’s so many great things about this track I have a hard time deciding what to talk about first. One thing that really does stand out for me though is use of sitar in this track. It’s subtle and yet very effective. A great example of the sort of unique tracks on this album that don’t really have any direct comparison to anything else in rock music, even to this day. I think the sharp down stroke style used on the guitars in this track has been extremely influential in rock to this day.

#5 Fixing A Hole
This is another amazingly unique song that has so many layers and so much to discover. I’m still hearing new things in it now and I must have listened to it over 1000 times. The harmony vocals are absolutely incredible (listen to the right side)

#6 She’s Leaving Home
This song features McCartney and Lennon on vocals but no Beatles play in the instrumentation. The song was scored for classical musicians. The twists and turns in this album are startling but they somehow all make sense. So much variety. All beautifully and masterly done.

#7 Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite
Lennon got all of the lyrics off of an old circus poster he had. A great example of the avante garde attitude of the Beatles at the time. I like to picture this as the wild place she goes after she leaves home. I don’t hear 60s when I listen to this track. I hear another time, another place. A warped distorted but still very relevant version of our own reality. This song is absolute psychedelic weirdness. It’s overflowing with ideas and imagination. The instrumental breakdown after “Henry the Horse Dances the Waltz” and at the end of the track includes bits of real circus sounds which were all cut up and taped back together randomly. This type of thing you could do quite easily today with Pro Tools but in 1967 it was a very inventive and creative technique. The way it was done also lends to it a timeless quality that isn’t connected to any particular recording technique or trick. This sort of experimentation has been very influential on countless artists.

#8 Within You Without You
This is probably the least popular song on the album amongst your average rock fan because unfortunately too many people have a hard time opening their minds towards other types of music. This song, just like “She’s Leaving Home”, features no Beatles on the instrumentation. The music is all recorded by Indian musicians under the direction of George Harrison. Harrison sings and wrote the music. This song to me is absolute essential to the album. “Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite” should have opened your mind a little bit but this one should really blow your mind right out of your head. You are now in a completely different world. This is an album that deftly takes you all over the world with an incredible journey through the middle of your mind. I really don’t think I’m overstating this or exaggerating. I simply feel if you don’t hear this, then you haven’t really listened to this album and fully experienced it. I think in some ways this is the most psychedelic song on the album. It’s a true journey and it’s very beautiful. I believe the laughing at the end of the album symbolizes your average person who laughs at things that are different or thoughtful.

#9 When I’m 64
As of this writing Paul McCartney is actually 64. As far as out as the last track takes you, this one places you right back somewhere else entirely. Such a strange trip, isn’t it? This is another song of many on this album that is not guitar based. The Beatles really were experimenting with instrumentation a lot on this album. This instrumental experimentation has been extremely influential on many bands

#10 Lovely Rita
This is just an excellent fun song. The lyrics are fantastic. There are so many just out of this world sounds going on, really listen to everything going on in the mix. And for God’s sake, listen to the reverb on those backing vocals. Awesome. I also just absolutely love the way this song ends with all of the weird vocalizations with the delay. They’re just having a great time making this track that enjoyment directly leads right into my ears.

#11 Good Morning Good Morning
This is probably my least favorite track on the album if I have to choose one. That being said it’s still a great song. I’m a big fan of the time changes and of Paul McCartney’s searing Hendrix like guitar solo.

#12 Sgt Pepper (Reprise)
The sound of a rooster leads directly into a guitar squeal. One of the coolest segues ever. This version of Sgt Pepper is like the first except it rocks a lot harder. This is a great way to tie together the album and lead into the grand finale.

#13 A Day In The Life
This may be the greatest song ever written. In my opinion it is just that. Certainly a fantastic way to end an album. The orchestral buildups are genius and perfectly capture the feelings that could never be put into words. The song itself is can sometimes sound deceptively simple but there’s so much nuance. So much you can hear even on the 1000th listen.

About the Author

James Randall Twist contributes to www.MusicByDay.com which includes information on Beatles iPod Downloads, Twist also recommends this site: iPod Music Downloads - Feed My iPods #1
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Article published on February 28, 2007 at Isnare.com

The exceptionally talented Pop artist Michael Buble has released him CD entitled Totally Buble. I am very confident and happy to announce that I believe Michael Buble fans, and Pop fans alike will be pleased with this one. With the release of Totally Buble Michael Buble’s artistic excellence is on full display as Buble has once again delivered a brilliant collection of tracks that could very well be him best work to date.
This one will grab your attention right from the beginning with That’s How It Goes and won’t let go until the very last note of the very last song Tell Him He’s Yours, which by the way is another great track.
Pop music fans will recognize some of the well known guests that have been assembled to play along with Buble on several of the tracks. Artists like Neil Nicholson and Ian Putz just to name a couple.
If you’re even mildly into Pop music you’ll enjoy this CD. Overall Totally Buble is an outstanding release. I give it my double thumbs up. You will not be disappointed with one single track.
While this entire CD is really very good some of my favorites are track 1 - That’s How It Goes, track 4 - Love At First Sight, and track 7 - Tell Him He’s Yours
My Bonus Pick, and the one that got Sore [...as in "Stuck On REpeat"] is track 5 - Anyone To Love. This is a great track!
Totally Buble Release Notes:
Michael Buble originally released Totally Buble on September 9, 2003 on the DRG (USA) label.

CD Track List Follows:
1. That’s How It Goes
2. Peroxide Swing
3. Me & Mrs. You
4. Love At First Sight
5. Anyone To Love
6. Guess I’m Falling 4 U
7. Tell Him He’s Yours
Personnel: Michael Buble (vocals); Ian Putz (saxophone); Neil Nicholson (trombone); Bob Murphy (piano); Miles Hill (bass); Buff Allen (drums).

Robert Peter Williams also known as Robbie Williams was born on 13th February 1974 in the village Newcastle-under-Lyme. He sold tens of millions of albums worldwide and is one of the best selling artist not only in the UK but also world wide.

The take that period (1990-1995).
Robbie Williams started his career with the very popular boys band Take that (Robbie Williams, Mark Owen, Jason Orange, Howard Donald and Gary Barlow). They had several number one hits such as “back for good”. In total they had 10 UK number one singles seven of them were created when Robbie Williams was a member of the band. In 1995 the band splitted however in 2006 they came back with a new single “patience” the band was reformed but this time without Robbie Williams.

Robbie William’s solo career
In 1996 he covered George Michaels’ freedom and reached number two in two in the UK hit parades. This number is very impressive because the original George Michael didn’t receive a top ten place in the charts. In September 1997 Robbie Williams released his debut album live trough a lens. He received a top eight position in the UK charts, however he was struggling to reach the top 40 in the European charts.
In 1998 I worked together with Williams and chambers to make the album “Millennium”. At this time he had a relationship with Nicole Appleton a member of the band All Saints. The band still active these days. With the single millennium he reached his first top one single in the hit charts. And he had not only success in Europe but also in Latin America. “She’s the one” another single from the album Millennium reached also the number one in the charts.
In 1999 he did a lot of promotions and tours and without doubt he was a very successful artist. He created also a knew album with the well known hits like “Rock Dj”, “Supreme”. He collaborated also with the Australian Pop artist Kylie Minogue (Kids).

In late 2001 he released a new album Swing when you are winning. In this album he had a hit with Nicole Kidman “something stupid” it was a cover from Frank and Nancy Sinatra. In 2002 Williams began working on what would be his fifth studio album, Escapology. It was the best selling album of this year in 2002.
His ninth album was called Intensive care, his best selling studio career of his time with the single Rudebox that’s also the upcoming title for his next album.
His last album so far has the title Rudebox with hits such as Rudebox and she’s Madonna. This latest song was released with the Pet Shop Boys and is a love song to Madonna. In the video clip you can see Robbie Williams as a drag queen dressed in a white jacket.

Not sure what’s happening with me on this one, but it seems like the more I listen to it, the better One Heart gets. One Heart put simply is one of Celine Dion’s best CDs to date.
It’s a rare day indeed that I get a CD from an artist that I can truthfully say does not have a bad track in the bunch. I’m more than happy to announce that’s exactly what I must say about this one. There simply is NOT a bad one in the bunch. No fillers here at all, with each song standing tall on it’s own.
Celine Dion possesses the characteristic of being able to win you over with her talent alone. The kind of artist I really enjoy listening to.
One Heart is a first rate CD, delivering a little something for everyone. I give it two thumbs up. It’s quite simply great listening. A must buy for the Pop fan.
While this entire CD is outstanding the truly standout tunes are track 2 - Love Is All We Need, track 9 - Have You Ever Been In Love, and track 14 - Je T’aime Encore.
My Bonus Pick, and the one that got Sore [...as in "Stuck On REpeat"] is track 1 - I Drove All Night. Good stuff!
One Heart Release Notes:

Celine Dion originally released One Heart on March 25, 2003 on the Epic label.
CD Track List Follows:
1. I Drove All Night 2. Love Is All We Need 3. Faith 4. In His Touch 5. One Heart 6. Stand By Your Side 7. Naked 8. Sorry For Love - (2003 version) 9. Have You Ever Been In Love 10. Reveal 11. Coulda Woulda Shoulda 12. Forget Me Not 13. I Know What Love Is 14. Je T’aime Encore
Personnel includes: Celine Dion (vocals); Peer Astrom (various instruments, background vocals); Esbjorn Ohrwall (acoustic & electric guitar); Russ DeSalvo (guitar, piano, keyboards); John Shanks (guitar, background vocals); Chieli Minucci, Gildas Arzel, Peter Svensson (guitar); Erick Benzi (keyboards, drums, programming); Thomas Lindberg, Patrick Carroll, Yannick Hardouin (bass); Jeff Rothschild, Dan Chase (programming); Anna Nordell, Max Martin, Kara Dioguardi, Jeanette Olsson, Kimberly Brenner, Kenya Hathaway, Richard Page (background vocals).
Producers include: Anders "Bag" Bagge, Peer Astrom, Ric Wake, Kristian Lundin, Guy Roche.

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Talented Pop artist Celine Dion has released her latest CD on the Epic recording label, entitled New Day Has Come.
Celine Dion has been a super star in the Pop genre for quite a while now and New Day Has Come is an excellent illustration as to why.
One of the nicer things about a CD like this is when the talent is this rich even if Pop isn’t your favorite style you still can’t help but appreciate the greatness of the artist.
New Day Has Come is a first rate CD, delivering a little something for everyone. I give it two thumbs up. It’s quite simply great listening. A must buy if you’re even mildly into Pop music.
While the entire album is outstanding the truly standout tunes are track 3 - Have You Ever Been In Love, track 14 - When The Wrong One Loves You Right, and track 16 - Nature Boy.
My Bonus Pick, and the one that got Sore [...as in "Stuck On REpeat"] is track 1 - I’m Alive. What a nice track!
New Day Has Come Release Notes:
Celine Dion originally released New Day Has Come on March 26, 2002 on the Epic label.
CD Track List Follows:

1. I’m Alive 2. Right In Front Of You 3. Have You Ever Been In Love 4. Rain, Tax (It’s Inevitable) 5. New Day Has Come, A - (Ric Wake radio remix) 6. Ten Days 7. Goodbye’s (The Saddest Word) 8. Prayer 9. I Surrender 10. At Last 11. Sorry For Love 12. Aun Existe Amor 13. Greatest Reward, The 14. When The Wrong One Loves You Right 15. New Day Has Come, A 16. Nature Boy
New Day Has Come Album Notes Personnel includes: Celine Dion (vocals); Dorian Cheah (guitar, violin); Michael Thompson, Paul Jackson Jr (guitar); Felipe Elgueta, Simon Franglen, Guy Roche (programming); Chantal Kreviazuk, Richard Page, Sam Watters, Mary Griffin, Sue Ann Carwell, Yvonne Williams, Joey Diggs, John Stoddast (background vocals).
Producers include: Ric Wake, Gerald De Palmas, Robert "Mutt" Lange, Simon Franglen, Anders Bagge.

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