Stepterix: Music

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Monday, 5 March 2012

MM: True Faith by New Order

In the summer of 1976, the Sex Pistols played at Manchester Lesser Free Trade Hall in front of forty people. Many of those in the crowd went on to form bands of their own. These included Peter Hook (bass) and Bernard Sumner (guitar & keyboards), formed Joy Division by recruiting vocalist Ian Curtis and drummer Stephen Morris. They released two critically acclaimed albums, Unknown Pleasures (1979) and Closer (1980), and had a top 20 single in the UK charts: 'Love Will Tear Us Apart.'

This success turned to tragedy in the early hours of 18th May 1980 when Curtis hanged himself. The remaining members of the band decided to continue under a new name, New Order, recruiting Gillian Gilbert while Sumner took over as vocalist. The band initially failed to recapture the critical and sales success of Joy Division, but a change of musical direction to a more dance based sound reaped rewards.

In March 1983, they released 'Blue Monday', which reached number 9 in the UK singles chart and remains the best selling 12" single of all time. They continued to have modest chart success before releasing 'True Faith' in July 1987, which reached number 4, due in no small part to a surreal promotional video. New Order went on to reach the number one spot with the official 1990 single for the England football team's FIFA World Cup campaign.

The band went on hiatus between 1993 and 1998. In 2001, Gilbert left the band due to family commitments (she had married Morris in 1993) being replaced by Phil Cunningham. The band broke up again following Hook's departure in 2007, but they reformed again in 2011 with Gilbert returning and Tom Chapman taking over the bass role.

Come join Music Monday and share your songs with us. Rules are simple. Leave ONLY the ACTUAL LINK POST here and grab the code below and place it at your blog entry. You can grab this code at LadyJava's Lounge Please note these links are STRICTLY for Music Monday participants only. All others will be deleted without prejudice.

PS: Because of spamming purposes, the linky will be closed on Thursday of each week at midnight, Malaysian Time. Thank you!

Monday, 27 February 2012

MM: Autobahn by Kraftwerk

Is it possible to underestimate the influence of Kraftwerk on modern music? The German electronic music pioneers inspired the British synth-pop boom of the early 80s, as well as the early hip-hop that emerged about the same time. All modern dance music and electronica owes a great deal to Ralf Hütter, Florian Schneider, et al.

Having formed in 1970, the band had moved to making wholly electronic music by the middle of the decade. Their 1974 album, Autobahn, was a hit on both sides of the Atlantic. They continued to enjoy success, with 'The Model' reaching the top of the UK singles chart in 1982. Since then they have hardly been prolific, releasing only two new albums of new material, but they continue to tour (albeit without founder member, Florian Schneider) including an eight day retrospective of their electronic work at New York's Museum of Modern Art this year.

Monday, 20 February 2012

MM: Wake Up by Arcade Fire

I first heard this song on a BBC television trailer for upcoming drama shows. I managed to find out the details of the tune from an on-line forum (you have to love the Internet for this sort of thing) and got the album (Funeral). Needless to say I was blown away.

Monday, 13 February 2012

MM: Wasteland by The Mission

Following the demise of The Sisters of Mercy in 1985, Wayne Hussey (lead vocals/guitar) and Craig Adams (bass) formed a new band with Mick Brown (drums) and Simon Hinkler (guitar). They started touring under the name The Sisterhood, but their former band-mate Andrew Eldritch objected to their usage of the name and released an album under that moniker. Consequently, Hussey et al changed their name to The Mission (although they were known as The Mission UK in the United States, so as not to be confused with the Philadelphia based R&B group of the same name).

After releasing two singles on the independent label Chapter 22, they signed a deal with Mercury Records. They released their first album, God's Own Medecine, in November 1986. The following year they released their biggest hit single, 'Wasteland', which reached number 11 in the UK singles chart.

The Mission went on to release nine more albums with various line-ups. These include Children, which reached number 2 in the UK album chart, spawning two top 20 singles. To celebrate their 25th anniversary, Hussey, Adams, and Hinkler have reunited for a series of concerts.

Monday, 6 February 2012

MM: The Story of the Blues (Part 1) by the Mighty Wah!

As I mentioned last week, the Wah! front-man, Pete Wiley, was a member of the short-lived Crucial Free along with Julian Cope (Teardrop Explodes) and Ian McCulloch (Echo & the Bunnymen). Wiley went on to form various bans with other luminaries of the Liverpool scene including Pete Burns (Dead or Alive), Budgie (Siouxsie and the Banshees), Paul Rutherford (Frankie Goes To Hollywood), and Ian Broudie (The Lightning Seeds). In 1979 he formed Wah! Heat, releasing two critically acclaimed singles: "Better Scream" and "Seven Minutes to Midnight."

The band changed their name to Wah! for the release of their first album Nah = Poo! - The Art of Bluff. In 1981 they changed their name again to the Mighty Wah! and released their first hit single "The Story of the Blues (Part 1)", which reached #3 in the UK singles chart in 1983. Their follow up single did not do so well, but they achieved top 20 success again in 1984 with "Come Back (The Story of the Reds)" as did Wylie's solo single "Sinful", which made it to #13 in the UK singles chart in 1984.

The video is a performance of "The Story of the Blues" from the 16th January 1983 edition of Top of the Pops.

Monday, 30 January 2012

MM: Reward by Teardrop Explodes

The Teardrop Explodes were formed by vocalist and bassist, Julian Cope, in 1978. Cope had been a member of The Crucial Three, along with Ian McCulloch (Echo & the Bunnymen) and Pete Wylie (various incarnations of Wah!) The band were short lived, and while Cope and McCulloch tried to form other acts, their ego clashes prevented further collaboration.

Cope recruited Gary "Rocky" Dwyer, Paul Simpson and Mick Finkler to form the new band, which took it's name from a panel in issue #77 of the Dardevil comic [pictured left]. They signed with Zoo Records, run by David Balfe (who played keyboards for the band) and Bill Drummond (later of the KLF). A rivalry soon formed with their label-mates, McCulloch's Echo & the Bunnymen.

The Teardrop Explodes recorded their first album, Kilimanjaro, in 1980. During the recording, the band sacked Finkler, replacing him with Alan Gill. Gill decided to leave the band because he did not like the touring lifestyle. Before he left, he co-wrote "Reward" with Cope, which became the band's first single hit, reaching number 6 in the UK charts.

Zoo re-released Kilimanjaro with the addition of "Reward", and the album reached number 24 in the UK albums chart. While their second album, Wilder, also made it into the top 30, the band failed to recapture the success of the début. Artistic differences between Cope and Balfe, resulted a failure to complete recording of a third album, and Cope quit the band following a fateful tour in 1982, before going on to have sporadic success as a solo artist.

Saturday, 24 December 2011

Festive Greetings

A very merry Christmas to all my readers. This is a season marked by festive tunes, most of which leave a lot to be desired. There are, however, some excellent versions of Christmas songs, including Goldfrapp's version of 'Winter Wonderland.'

Monday, 12 December 2011

MM: 6 Underground by the Sneaker Pimps

In 1994, Liam Howe and Chris Corner formed the Sneaker Pimps, taking their name from an article published by the New York rappers the Beastie Boys about their hiring of a man who tracked down classic training shoes. Even though they were based in Hartlepool, in the north east of England, their downtempo electronic sound resulted in them being identified as part of the trip-hop scene that had recently emerged in Bristol. They released their first album, Becoming X, in August 1996, utilising the vocal talents of Kelli Dayton.

'6 Underground' was the third single taken from the album, but the first to chart. It reached number 15 in the UK singles chart on its initial release, and number 9 when re-released the following year. It also reached number 7 in the Billboard Modern Rock chart, and is their biggest hit to date.

The band released another three albums over the next six years, including a collection of remixes of songs from Becoming X. They failed to recapture the success of their debut and they disbanded in 2005. Kelli Dayton left the band in 1998 and continues to perform under the name Kelli Ali.

Monday, 12 September 2011

MM: Commune by Roy Harper

Roy Harper recorded his first album, Sophisticated Begger in 1966 following a successful residency at the Les Cousins folk club in London. The album suffered from poor distribution and failed to chart, as did his next two albums. He signed to EMI subsidiary Harvest records who released his next album, Flat Baroque and Berserk, reaching number 20 in the UK album charts in early 1970.

Later that year Led Zeppelin released their third album, which included a track entitled "Hats off to (Roy) Harper". The band's guitarist, Jimmy Page, appeared on Harper's next album, the seminal Stormcock, under the pseudonym S. Flavius Mercurius for contractual reasons. The first of many collaborations between the two.

Page appeared on Harper's next album, Lifemask (1973), which was recorded while he suffered with a life threatening blood disorder, and 1974's Valentine, which included the song "Commune" (a video of which is included below). Valentine also featured Ronnie Lane (Small Faces), Keith Moon (The Who) and Ian Anderson (Jethro Tull).

In 1975, Harper released HQ, which featured John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin), Bill Bruford (Yes) and Dave Gilmour (Pink Floyd). That same year, Pink Floyd asked Harper to sing the vocals on "Have a Cigar" for their album Wish You Were Here. He also sang on Kate Bush's album Never For Ever, in reciprocation for her singing a duet on "You", taken from his 1980 album The Unknown Soldier.

In the mid-1980s Harper toured and recorded with Jimmy Page, releasing Jugula in 1985, which reached the top 20 of the UK album charts. Harper continued to record solo material, often featuring his son Nick. In 2000, Roy Harper released his 21st studio album, The Green Man.

Monday, 22 August 2011

MM: The Killing Moon by Echo & the Bunnymen

Echo & the Bunnymen emerged from the Liverpool post-punk scene based in Eric's Club (which was located on the same street as the Cavern Club). Following his sacking from A Shallow Madness (later The Teardrop Explodes), Ian McCulloch teamed up with guitarist Will Sergeant and bassist Les Pattinson, making their live début in 1978. Initially, they used a drum machine for performances before hiring Pete de Freitas.

The band released their first album, Crocodiles, in 1980 reaching number 17 in the UK album charts. Their breakthrough hit came two years later: 'The Back of Love' got to number 19 in the UK singles chart. The following year they had their first top ten hit: 'The Cutter'.

In 1984 they released the seminal Ocean Rain, from which 'The Killing Moon' is taken. In spite of their success, McCulloch decided to quit the group in 1988. Tragedy followed the next year when de Freitas died in a motorcycle accident.

Pattinson and Sergeant soldiered on before finally disbanding the group in 1993. McCulloch, Sergeant and Pattinson released a new album as Echo & the Bunnymen in 1997. Two years later Pattinson left the group to look after his mother, leaving the other two to continue recording and touring.

Monday, 15 August 2011

MM: Cowgirl by Underworld

Before forming the electronic group Underworld in 1986, Karl Hyde and Rick Smith had made music together since the start of the decade. Yet, they still had to wait another ten years before achieving mainstream success. Thanks, in no small part, to their song 'Born Slippy .NUXX' featuring in the motion picture Trainspotting.

The video featured is of 'Cowgirl' taken from their 1994 album dubnobasswithmyheadman.

Monday, 11 July 2011

MM: Silver Machine by Hawkwind

Space rockers Hawkwind formed in 1969, and are still touring today with original member Dave Brock. 'Silver Machine' remains their biggest hit, reaching number 3 in the UK singles charts in 1972. You may recognise the lead vocalist as Lemmy, who later went on to form Motörhead.

Monday, 30 May 2011

MM: Rivers of Babylon by the Melodians

A while ago I posted a quiz asking who recorded the original versions of songs made famous by cover artists. Since only a few correct answers have appeared thus far, I thought I had better list the rest. Congratulations to pictsy for getting #1 and #8 right, and kudos to Dave Lucas for hinting at the answer to #7.

1. 'Stop Your Sobbing' was originally by the Kinks

2. 'The Tide is High' was first recorded by the Paragons

3. 'I Fought the Law' was by the Crickets

4. 'Rivers of Babylon' was by the Melodians, and is included as the Monday Music submission.

5. 'Respect' was by Otis Redding

6. 'Without You' was by Badfinger

7. 'Tainted Love' was by Gloria Jones

8. 'I Will Always Love You' was by Dolly Parton

9. 'I Love Rock'n'Roll' was by the Arrows

10. 'Girls Just Want to Have Fun' was by Robert Hazard

Sunday, 3 April 2011

MM: I Fought the Law by The Clash

Further to my recent cover version quiz post, I have chosen 'I Fought the Law' by the Clash. Even though this song is most commonly identified with these British punk rockers, it was actually first recorded some years before, but by whom? If you know go to the quiz post and leave a comment with your answer. While you are there you might want to try to guess the other nine.

Tuesday, 29 March 2011

Ten cover versions quiz... a few clues

A while ago I posted a quiz about songs that are most often identified with cover artists, rather than the original artists, which I asked you to identify. The response was a little underwhelming. So I have decided to run the quiz again with a few clues.

1. 'Stop Your Sobbing'
The Pretenders released their version of this as their first single in 1979. The original version was recorded in 1964 by a British band that included two brothers who were likely to fall-out with each other all day and all of the night.

2. 'The Tide is High'
Blondie topped the singles charts in both the United Kingdom and the United States with their cover version in 1980 and 1981 respectively. The original version dates from 1967. It was recorded in Jamaica by a peerless example of a rocksteady group.

3. 'I Fought the Law'
This tune has been covered by a variety of artists, but is probably most identified with The Clash. It was first recorded in 1959 by a band that had only recently lost their front man in tragic circumstances on the day the music died.

4. 'Rivers of Babylon'
In 1978, the German disco troupe Boney M. had a worldwide smash with their version of this song based on Psalm 137. The song first appeared in 1970 as a reggae hit that featured in the movie The Harder They Come.

5. 'Respect'
Aretha Franklin made this song her own in 1967 taking it to number one in the Billboard Hot 100. That same year the original artist and writer died in a aeroplane crash and had the first posthumous number one in US chart history.

6. 'Without You'
Another cover version that made it to the top of the charts was Harry Nilsson's 1972 recording of 'Without You', which was also a hit for Mariah Carey twelve years later. The original version dates from 1970, when it was recorded by a Welsh rock act who may have suffered with their digits.

7. 'Tainted Love'
In 1981 the electro-pop outfit Soft Cell had their breakthrough hit with this northern soul classic originally recorded in 1965 by a woman who would later date Marc Bolan of T-Rex until his untimely death.

8. 'I Will Always Love You'
Whitney Houston took this song to number one around the world in 1992/3 when it featured in her movie The Bodyguard, but it started life in 1974 when it was written and recorded by a voluptuous country and western singer.

9. 'I Love Rock'n'Roll'
After unsuccessfully covering it in 1979, former Runaways member Joan Jett finally had a hit with this song in 1981 backed by her band, The Blackhearts. The original version dates from 1975, when it was recorded by a London-based glam rock act, but it failed to hit the target, unlike the cover version which flew up the charts. (This is a difficult one, I know.)

10. 'Girls Just Want to Have Fun'
Another cover version that provided a breakthrough hit. This time for Cyndi Lauper in 1983. Oddly enough for a song seen as a feminist anthem, the original version was written and recorded by a man in 1979, whose name suggests the dangers of a woman having a short haircut made famous in the 1960s. (Very cryptic)

Good luck everyone.

Saturday, 19 March 2011

Ten cover versions, but who recorded the originals?

Some songs are more readily identified with artists that recorded cover versions rather than the originators. This is a list of ten such songs, but who recorded the originals? Please leave your answers as comments to gain kudos (but no cash prize, I'm afraid).

1. 'Stop Your Sobbing'
The Pretenders released their version of this as their first single in 1979.

2. 'The Tide is High'
Blondie topped the singles charts in both the United Kingdom and the United States with their cover version in 1980 and 1981 respectively.

3. 'I Fought the Law'
This tune has been covered by a variety of artists, but is probably most identified with The Clash.

4. 'Rivers of Babylon'
In 1978, the German disco troupe Boney M. had a worldwide smash with their version of this song based on Psalm 137.

5. 'Respect'
Aretha Franklin made this song her own in 1967 taking it to number one in the Billboard Hot 100.

6. 'Without You'
Another cover version that made it to the top of the charts was Harry Nilsson's 1972 recording of 'Without You', which was also a hit for Mariah Carey twelve years later.

7. 'Tainted Love'
In 1981 the electro-pop outfit Soft Cell had their breakthrough hit with this northern soul classic.

8. 'I Will Always Love You'
Whitney Houston took this song to number one around the world in 1992/3 when it featured in her movie The Bodyguard.

9. 'I Love Rock'n'Roll'
After unsuccessfully covering it in 1979, former Runaways member Joan Jett finally had a hit with this song in 1981 backed by her band, The Blackhearts.

10. 'Girls Just Want to Have Fun'
Another cover version that provided a breakthrough hit. This time for Cyndi Lauper in 1983.

Tuesday, 8 March 2011

MM: Maggot Brain by Funkadelic

I know that this post is a bit late to strictly be consider part of Music Monday, but I thought that I would share it anyway. Today's offering is Funkadelic's 'Maggot Brain'. The roots of the group lie in the Parliaments, a doo-wop quintet led by George Clinton. Following a dispute with their former record label about ownership of the band's name, they took the name Funkadelic and developed a much harder sound fusing funk with psychedelic rock.

'Maggot Brain' is taken from the band's third album of the same name. During the recording of the track, Clinton decided to fade out the other musicians recognizing the potency of Eddie Hazel's guitar. The ten minute solo must rank as one of the most emotional guitar pieces of all time.

This is the full length album version of the track (including the profane spoken word introduction, you have been warned!) What this video lacks visually, it more than makes up for sonically.

Monday, 14 February 2011

MM: Young, Gifted and Black by Bob and Marcia

I am currently re-reading a book on the history of reggae called Bass Culture: When Reggae Was King by Lloyd Bradley. By happenstance, this week BBC3 aired the latest in their excellent 'Britannia' music series: Reggae Britannia. Taking inspiration from these, I thought I would share a reggae tune for this week's Music Monday.

In 1970, Bob Andy and Marcia Griffiths had a top 5 UK with a cover version of Nina Simone's 'To be Young, Gifted and Black'. You may notice that the version in this video differs from the one that you might have heard before. Many Jamaican songs of the period were remixed in the UK with added orchestration or rock guitars to make them more appealing to foreign listeners.

During the 1960s Bob Andy had been a member of the vocal group the Paragons before embarking on a solo career. Marcia Griffiths also had a solo career during the 1960s before teaming up with Bob. Later she became a member of the I-Threes, the backing group for Bob Marley and the Wailers.

Sunday, 28 November 2010

MM: Common People by Pulp

There should be a picture of the British band Pulp in the dictionary next to the word 'perseverance'. Formed in 1978 by Jarvis Cocker and Peter Dalton, Pulp released their first record in 1983. They achieved little commercial success or critical acclaim until their 1994 album His'n'Hers. The following year Pulp broke into the mainstream, releasing the Mercury Music Prize winning album Different Class and a series of hit singles including the brilliant 'Common People'.

Monday, 25 October 2010

MM: Birthday by the Sugarcubes

I listened to a radio documentary about Björk on my way to work today. Mention was made of her first achieving international recognition as a member of the Sugarcubes, in part due to their debut single 'Birthday'. I still remember the first time I became aware of this song. I was watching a television show called The Chart Show on Channel 4 (it later moved to ITV), which counted down the charts for a variety of genres, including the indie singles. I watched in astonishment as they showed the video for an Icelandic band called the Sugarcubes. The low-tech sensibility of the images was paired with sounds that were so foreign to anything that I heard before, and not just because the lyrics were in Icelandic. Needless to say that I rushed to the record shop that week to get a copy of the single (remember those? record shops? singles?)

Here is the Icelandic video for 'Birthday' that left such a deep impression on me.

Come join Music Monday and share your songs with us. Rules are simple. Leave ONLY the actual post link here and grab the code below and place it at your blog entry. You can grab this code at LadyJava's Lounge Please note these links are STRICTLY for Music Monday participants only. All others will be deleted without prejudice.

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