80s music
The 80s were chockful of New Wave power ballads, synthesizers, drum machines, and no shortage of Madonna and Michael Jackson.
Atomic Dog- Bow wow wow yippie yo yippie yeah
One of my all time favorite songs is Atomic Dog by George Clinton. I truly get a kick out of the recent Etrade commercial where this funk hit is utilized. Even my 8 year old grandson stops what he is doing to watch the canines being pampered aboard the yacht. In my opinion, whoever came up with this advertisement is a genius. No matter where I am, when I hear Atomic Dog it makes me want to dance. The beat causes me to feel as if I am in my twenties again which is how old I was when this song was a hit. George Clinton's brand of funk remains relative in this changing world where artists like Snoop Dog admit sampling his material. Atomic Dog is special to me not just because of the dance beat but also the video which was made during the hey day of MTV. This is when music video's were fun and original. I especially love how George Clinton mixed animation with the live dancers. Atomic Dog was a favorite of my brother Bill Jones, who drowned on Father's Day 1993.
Cheryl E PrestonPublished 4 years ago in BeatPop Precision Since 1987
Who Is Kylie Minogue? Kylie Minogue is the one, the only – stunning Princess Of Pop! While keeping a bottle of wine occupied, I took a ride down musical memory lane via YouTube with none other than Ms. Kylie Minogue.
Talk About Pop MusicPublished 4 years ago in BeatSleeping With the Past
For Elton John, the 1980s was a decade that resulted in several albums, with varying tone, consistency, and quality across the albums and often within them. For his 1989 album "Sleeping With The Past", he and lyricist Bernie Taupin decided to make an album consistent in tone and quality, based on the classic soul and R&B Records they both loved. To start with, Elton hired a new rhythm section of Romeo Williams on bass and Johnathan "Sugarfoot" Moffet on drums, veterans of various soul records recruited by guitarist Davey Johnstone specifically for their R&B backgrounds. Also new to the band was keyboard player Guy Babylon, a Johnstone recruit who would be a key figure in the Elton story until his death in 2009. The album was recorded at Puk Studios in Denmark over a period of 6 months, under producer Chris Thomas.
Sean CallaghanPublished 4 years ago in Beat'Reg Strikes Back'
Coming off the career nadir of Leather Jackets in 1986 and a victorious lawsuit against British tabloid The Sun in 1987 for false and scandolous rumors against him, Elton John sought a new start with 1988's Reg Strikes Back. Chris Thomas who produced Elton's work earlier in the 80s returned as producer. It was recorded at AIR Studios and Westside Studios in London England and Circle Seven Recording and The Record Plant in Los Angeles California.
Sean CallaghanPublished 4 years ago in Beat'Ice on Fire'
Elton John's 1985 album, Ice on Fire marked the return of Elton's original Producer Gus Dudgeon behind the desk but ironically also saw the dismissal of Elton's original rhythm section of Dee Murray on bass and Nigel Olsson on drums, replaced with ex-Pilot bassist David Paton and drummer Charlie Morgan. Also on board was keyboardist and additional guitarist Fred Mandel. Davey Johnstone on guitars once again remained on board. The album was recorded at Sol Studios in Cookham, Berkshire England.
Sean CallaghanPublished 5 years ago in Beat1980: The Year the Music Died
Musicians come and go; that's how the industry works. But most of the time, the artist simply loses popularity, and fades away from a stint at the top, being the most talked-about sensation in months. But, some careers don't end up like that. It's saddening how the best and most promising faces in music meet their tragic end, all but too soon. Here are a few of the biggest losses to music in 1980.
Greg JarvisPublished 5 years ago in Beat'Breaking Hearts'
After the success of Too Low for Zero, Elton John decided to keep basically the same production team for its follow-up album, Breaking Hearts. The classic band of Davey Johnstone on guitars and vocals, Dee Murray on bass and vocals, and Nigel Olsson on drums and vocals, returned as did producer Chris Thomas. Bernie Taupin was now firmly back as Elton's full time lyricist. The album (like its predecessor) was recorded at AIR Studios in Montseratt. The engineer on the album was Renate Blauel, to whom Elton would later be briefly married.
Sean CallaghanPublished 5 years ago in Beat'Too Low for Zero'
After years of relatively lackluster albums, Elton John decided to go back to basics with 1983's Too Low for Zero. Chris Thomas, who had produced Elton's last few albums, would return, however, for the first time since Blue Moves, Bernie Taupin would write all lyrics for the album, and all instrumental tracks would feature the classic core band of Davey Johnstone on guitar and vocals, Dee Murray on bass and vocals, and Nigel Olsson on drums and vocals. As was the case with many of Elton's albums, things came together quickly. Bernie's lyrics were set to music and the entire album was recorded within two weeks at AIR Studios in Monserrat and Sunset Sound Recorders in Los Angeles.
Sean CallaghanPublished 5 years ago in BeatPopularity of Reggae in Japan Leaves Scene Trying to Stay on Message
Photo by Mattias Hallberg The undeniable link Japan has held with Reggae for the last several decades may seem quite unlikely to those of us who haven't noticed. So trying to figure out how the lineage actually emerged probably requires a full subscription to the musical version of Ancestry.com. On the contrary, a simple search on Japan, and the genre's godfather returns a clear delineation of when, where and how it all began.
Rich MonettiPublished 5 years ago in BeatJames Reyne - Interview
This interview was done when James Reyne seemed to be on the verge of international success. At the time of the interview I had worked with James Reyne in a music publishing capacity and I also knew him socially so it was a casual and yet frank interview. It appeared as the cover story of InPress on 27 July 1988.
Andrew WattPublished 5 years ago in Beat'Jump Up!'
Elton John's sixteenth studio album, Jump Up!, was released on April 9, 1982. It was the first Elton John album to be fully produced by Chris Thomas, the Abbey Road technician who worked on the Beatles' White Album and was responsible for supervising the mixing of Pink Floyd's The Dark Side of the Moon. Thomas would produce most of Elton's work through the better part of the next two decades, all the while working as well with acts including Roxy Music, Pete Townshend and The Pretenders—not to mention David Gilmour and Paul McCartney of the aforementioned Floyd and Beatles respectively. The album also saw five tracks that featured lyrics by Bernie Taupin, the most he had contributed since Blue Moves in 1976 (The next Elton John album, Too Low for Zero, would feature only songs with Taupin lyrics.).
Sean CallaghanPublished 5 years ago in BeatLegendary Lost
Round about, oh, say twenty-five years ago, there was a hole-in-the-wall record shop in Fairmount, Indiana called "Most Music." I'm going to assume it's long gone, although I couldn't say for certain.