Billy Mackenzie was a Scottish singer who teamed up with Alan Rankine in the late 70's to form The Associates. As The Associates they had several hits and released three excellent albums. Alan Rankine left The Associates around 1985 and Billy Mackenzie continued to release under the name The Associates. On 22 January 1997, depression and the death of his mother are believed to have contributed to Mackenzie's suicide. He was 39 years old. He will mostly be remembered for his unique voice which shifted effortlessly from bass blues to falsetto diva posturing. His life was the subject of a biography by Tom Doyle 'The Glamour Chase' released in 1998. This is a very special mixtape starting Billy Mackenzie, his friends and the associates.
WAW: Dirty Beaches- Lord Knows Best
Ever got lost inside the world of Alex Zhang Hungtai aka Dirty Beaches? If not, now is the time! Here is the video for the song "Lord Knows Best" from his album 'Badlands' which was released last year. This video was directed by Zoe Kirk-Gushowaty and features Aja Emma, Ariel Kirk-Gushowaty and Tara Codrington on backing vocals.
DIRTY BEACHES - Lord Knows Best (Official Video) from Brightersummerday on Vimeo.
DIRTY BEACHES - Lord Knows Best (Official Video) from Brightersummerday on Vimeo.
Reissue: Passion Polka- Obsessions EP
Anna Logue Records have reissued "Obsessions" EP by Passion Polka which was originally released in 1982. The EP has been remastered by Marc Senasac with an addition of two previously unreleased 1983 tracks 'Lying next to You' and 'Fighting Alone'. A classic analogue synth-pop one must have!
Limahl Returns with a New Single!
Limahl is back with a new single giving us the flashback to the year 1983. "1983" is also the name of his brand new single which is due to be released on January 10, 2012. The song was co-written/produced with Norwegians Tommy Olsen, Rune Maurtvedt and Stig Antonsen. The track will be released worldwide by Dig Music (Norway). The release date is the same as "Too Shy" by Kajagoogoo 29 years earlier.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/1983
Best of 1981 - Top 50 Singles List
Following the tragic death of John Lennon in December 1980, the world
was still in mourning after the loss of one of the most influential
musical masterminds of all time. All this did also had impact on the
charts as where his biggest hits "Woman" and "Imagine" could be found
again. Even Roxy Music paid tribute to him by covering "Jealous Guy".
Apart from this, the charts were still dominated by the rising stars of
1980, Adam and the Ants, while The Police had more hits. Human League
re-formed this year, exiting the dark phase and releasing "Don't You Want
Me Baby" which together with Soft Cell's "Tainted Love" helped to
emblem the music style which would in the coming years be known as
Synth-pop.
Along with the increasing popularity of synth driven
music, the New Romantic movement slowly grew to fame as new kids adopted
synths and started wearing lipstick. Perhaps the biggest event of the
year was the launch of MTV, which aired "Video Killed The Radio Star" by
The Buggles. The song became a huge hit and a symbol for the new
platform, which would give the music industry a new face and dimension.
02. The Cure- Charlotte Sometimes
03. The Human League- Don't You Want Me
04. Siouxsie and the Banshees- Spellbound
05. New Order- Ceremony
06. Soft Cell- Tainted Love
07. Talking Heads- Once in a Lifetime
08. Duran Duran- Planet Earth
09. Ultravox-The Voice
10. Japan- Quiet Life
11. Depeche Mode - Just Can't Get Enough
12. Simple Minds- Love Song
13. Kraftwerk- Computer Love
14. The Specials - Ghost Town
15. Heaven 17 -We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang
16. David Bowie - Up The Hill Backwards
17. Kim Wilde - Kids in America
18. Depeche Mode- New Life
19. Men At Work - Down Under
20. Soft Cell - Memorabilia
Pet Shop Boys Announce a New B-side Compilation Album
Pet Shop Boys will release a brand new b-sides compilation on February 6th, 2012, on Parlophone. Entitled 'Format', it celebrates the duo's prolific song-writing and recording by collecting 38 b-sides and bonus tracks originally released on singles from 1996 to 2009.The album will be available digitally and on double-CD.
All tracks have been remastered and the CD booklet features an interview with Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe by Jon Savage.
http://www.petshopboysshop.co.uk/petshopboys/petshopboys/Format
Section 25 Art Exibition
As part of the’2011 Blackpool Art Fair’ at The Grundy Art Gallery Blackpool.The Grundy will be featuring a special' foyer'exhibition of Section 25’s back catalogue including album artwork by Peter Saville,band memorabilia and a history of the band from early days up to the present.The show will also include a tribute to the art of Larry Cassidy, a founder member of the band who sadly passed away in 2010.The exhibiton will run from 19/11/11 until 14/01/12.
http://primaryschoolteachersartforum.blogspot.com
80's Duets: Yello feat. Shirley Bassey- The Rhythm Divine
Back in 1987, Yello approached Shirley Bassey for a possible collaboration on one of their song which written specially with her voice in mind. She agreed to do the duet and so "The Rhythm Divine" was released during the same year
and it also appeared on Yello's album One Second. Billy MacKenzie, lead singer of The Associates, who had previously worked with Yello on several occasions, also contributed on this song and he provided the backing vocals.
In Conversation: The Silent Section
The Silent Section is a three piece group from Denmark consisting of Nicolas Calrsen, Morten N. Carlsen and Morten Møllebjerg. Their music is balancing between sensitive and fragile expression to powerful and noisy rhythms. They are one of the finest acts on the Danish label Tryghed & Tristesse through which they released their debut album in 2009. Their brilliant new album entitled 'Contour of A Passing Dream' was released this Autumn. In an exclusive interview for our blog the lead singer Morten N. Carlsen reveals more information about the musical background of the Silent Section, the influences and further plans in music.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)