Happy Birthday IAN MCCULLOCH (video)

#ianmcculloch #echoandthebunnymen #rockfile

Ian Stephen McCulloch (born 5 May 1959) is an English musician and singer-songwriter, born in Liverpool and best known as the frontman for the rock group Echo & the Bunnymen.

In October 1978 McCulloch founded Echo & the Bunnymen with Will Sergeant (guitar), Les Pattinson (bass), and a drum machine (allegedly named Echo), making their live début at Eric's in November that year. In October 1979 the Bunnymen exchanged the drum machine for Pete de Freitas on drums. With their line up solidified, the Bunnymen played in the late 1970s and early 1980s, culminating with the release of Ocean Rain in 1984. Shortly before the album was released, McCulloch described "Ocean Rain" as "the greatest album ever made". McCulloch later said: "When I sing 'The Killing Moon' I know there isn't a band in the world who's got a song anywhere near that."

In 1988, McCulloch left the group to pursue a solo career under the impression the Bunnymen would be laid to rest, if only temporarily. When the remaining Bunnymen continued using the name with new singer Noel Burke, the split became permanent with McCulloch referring to the band as "Echo & the Bogusmen".

In 1997, Echo & the Bunnymen reformed and released the album Evergreen to positive reviews and chart success. Evergreen made the Top 10 of the UK Albums Chart and the single Nothing Lasts Forever reached No. 8 on the UK Singles Chart. The reformed Bunnymen have since released four further albums, the most recent being The Fountain which was released in late 2009.

source: wikipedia

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Remembering J.R.R. TOLKIEN on his birthday (links)

 

John Ronald Reuel Tolkien, CBE (3 January 1892 – 2 September 1973) was an English writer, poet, philologist, and university professor, best known as the author of the classic high fantasy works The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, and The Silmarillion.

One of the most influential writers ever, I still have my complete Lord Of The Rings/Hobbit book set from 35+ years ago.  Do yourself a favor and read about this fascinating man: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._R._R._Tolkien

source: wikipedia

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My Favorite Albums of 2016 (video)

#rockfile

Since the mid 80's, I've had to listen to and evaluate music for a living. Through this process and my constant search for new music to satisfy my personal cravings, I hear most rock, prog and metal releases every year. Some instantly get mentally marked for airplay, others go into my personal files for later listening. Much like radio charts, these are not just based on opinion but are what I actually listened to in my spare time during the past year.

Here are my favorite albums released in 2016:

Haken - Affinity
Headspace - All That You Fear Is Gone
Steven Wilson - 4 1/2
Gemini Syndrome - Memento Mori
Fates Warning - Theories Of flight
DGM - The Passage
Kansas - The Prelude Implicit
Karmakanic - DOT
Big Big Train - Folklore
Frost* - Falling Satellites
Opeth - Sorceress
The Mute Gods - Do Nothing till You Hear From Me
Metallica - Hardwired... To Self-Destruct
Avenged Sevenfold - The Stage
The Devin Townsend Project - Transcendence
Highly Suspect - The Boy Who Died Wolf
Kyng - Breathe In The Water
Lucid Fly - Building Castles In Air
Katatonia - The Fall Of Hearts
Evergrey - The Storm Within
RavenEye - Nova
Circa - Valley Of The Windmill
Twelve Foot Ninja - Outlier
Cosmograf - The Unreasonable Silence
The Winery Dogs - Hot Streak
The Reticent - On The Eve Of Goodbye
Korn - The Serenity Of Suffering
Dream Theater - The Astonishing
Tiles - Pretending 2 Run
Red Eleven - Collect Your Scars

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Happy Birthday JOE JACKSON (video)

#joejackson #rockfile 

David Ian "Joe" Jackson (born 11 August 1954) is an English musician and singer-songwriter. After years of studying music and playing clubs, Jackson's first release, "Is She Really Going Out with Him?" became a hit in 1979. This was followed by a number of new wave singles before he moved to more jazz-inflected pop music and had a Top 10 hit in 1982 with "Steppin' Out". He has also composed classical music. He has recorded 19 studio albums and won 5 Grammy Award nominations throughout the course of his career.

source: wikipedia

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Remembering PRINCE on his birthday (video)

#prince #rockfile

Prince Roger Nelson (June 7, 1958 – April 21, 2016), known by his mononym Prince, is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and actor. A major figure in popular music for over three decades, Prince is renowned as an innovator and is widely-known for his eclectic work, flamboyant stage presence and wide vocal range. Widely regarded as the pioneer of Minneapolis sound, Prince's music combines rock, R&B, soul, funk, hip hop, disco, psychedelia, jazz, and pop.

Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Prince developed an interest in music at an early age, writing his first song at age seven. After recording songs with his cousin's band 94 East, 19-year-old Prince recorded several unsuccessful demo tapes before releasing his debut album, For You, in 1978 under the guidance of Manager Owen Husney. His 1979 album, Prince, went platinum due to the success of the singles "Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad?" and "I Wanna Be Your Lover". His next three records, Dirty Mind (1980), Controversy (1981) and 1999 (1982), continued his success, showcasing Prince's trademark of prominently sexual lyrics and incorporation of elements of funk, dance and rock music. In 1984, he began referring to his backup band as the Revolution and released Purple Rain, which served as the soundtrack to his film debut of the same name.

After releasing the albums Around the World in a Day (1985) and Parade (1986), The Revolution disbanded and Prince released the critically acclaimed double album Sign "O" the Times (1987) as a solo artist. He released three more solo albums before debuting The New Power Generation band in 1991. After changing his stage name to an unpronounceable symbol, also known as the "Love Symbol", in 1993, he began releasing new albums at a faster pace to remove himself from contractual obligations to Warner Bros; he released five records between 1994 and 1996 before signing with Arista Records in 1998. In 2000, he began referring to himself as "Prince" again. He released 16 albums after that, including The Rainbow Children (2001). His final album, Hit n Run Phase Two, was first released on the Tidal streaming service on December 12, 2015.

Prince died from a fentanyl overdose at his Paisley Park recording studio and home in Chanhassen, Minnesota, on April 21, 2016, at the age of 57.

Prince has sold over 100 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling artists of all time. He has won seven Grammy Awards a Golden Globe, and an Academy Award. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004, the first year of his eligibility. Rolling Stone has ranked Prince at number 27 on its list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.

source: wikipedia

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