Read the latest music reviews of your favorite CDs and vinyl records. Stay on top of the latest news in the music industry. http://www.musicstack.com Tue, 26 May 2009 13:41:45 GMT Sat, 11 Jul 2009 02:34:40 GMT Copyright 2009 - MusicStack en-us As we continue our themed song title articles series here on MusicStack.com, we had looked at songs that were associated with 'rain and sunshine. Keeping with that theme, lets explore songs with the word summer or summertime in the title.Lets start with the quintessential summer song by the Lovin Spoonful, the 1966 #1 hit called Lovin Spoonful:Summer In The City. The cut was originally a poem that was written by Lovin Spoonfuls band leader John Sebastians brother, Mark. John worked with the poem a bit and added a grittier beginning, one with more tension. Band member, bassist Steve Boone had a piece of music that was written for the piano that hadnt fit into any other song that the group was doing at the time, but it fit perfectly with the new song.We hired an old man, obviously from t http://www.musicstack.com/articles/songssummerpart-one http://www.musicstack.com/articles/songssummerpart-one Music History Thu, 09 Jul 2009 22:04:11 GMT Lets continue with our series about bird and animal band names in rock and roll history, this time continuing our short theme, we have done dogs, then cats, in our last two articles and now, you guessed it, we are doing mouse names.Since 1993, the German duo of Jan St. Werner (from Dusseldorf) and Andi Toma (Koln) has been creating electronic music as Mouse On Mars. Their music is an eclectic blend of ambient techno, gdisco and complex mixtures of grock, gjazz and jungle.The duos first release in 1994 called Mouse On Mars:Vulvaland, is a highly focused mix of techno music. However on subsequent releases, their sound has increased in warmth and playfulness, including more of a pop sound and what the duo term "fantastic analysis. Mouse on Mars regularly perform live as a trio, with http://www.musicstack.com/articles/bird-animal-namesrockroll-history-part-twentyone http://www.musicstack.com/articles/bird-animal-namesrockroll-history-part-twentyone Birds And Animals Fri, 03 Jul 2009 13:56:32 GMT Lets continue our articles series about bird and animal group names and artists in rock and roll history, last week we explored some famous dog names, this time lets look at some cat and kitten names:A band that was well-known to Smashing Pumpkins fans, the Oklahoma-based Chainsaw Kittens (they opened for the Pumpkins and many other popular acts) built a small following and loyal fan base throughout the 90s by mixing eclectic pop, glam punk, new wave and bits of British invasion into their repertoire.Formed in 1989 and fronted by Tyson Meade (former lead singer of the band Defenstration) and signing on with Mammoth records, the bands debut release Violent Religion did not garner much attention. However, after opening up for many of alternative rocks most popular bands, the Butch Vig-produ http://www.musicstack.com/articles/bird-animal-namesrockroll-history-part-twenty http://www.musicstack.com/articles/bird-animal-namesrockroll-history-part-twenty Birds And Animals Sat, 27 Jun 2009 14:45:07 GMT Some say there will never be another one like him. In the early 1980s, he was the dominant figure in gpop music and a global pop icon since childhood. Michael Joseph Jackson died on June 25, 2009, reportedly from a cardiac arrest. Jackson was just fifty years old.Paramedics were called to Jackson's home after the singer collapsed. They arrived at 12:26 PM and its reported that he was not breathing at the time. During the six-minute transport to UCLA Medical Center, they administered CPR. Reports say he was in a deep coma when they arrived at the hospital.Known as the "King Of Pop," Michael Jackson is one of a select few to have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice, in 2001 as a solo artist, and in 1997 as a member of the Jackson 5. His other achievement http://www.musicstack.com/articles/we-have-lostlegend-michael-jackson-dead http://www.musicstack.com/articles/we-have-lostlegend-michael-jackson-dead Deaths Fri, 26 Jun 2009 19:05:05 GMT Lets finish up our short two-article series about sunshine songs in rock and roll, with some classics that you are sure to remember.A fine addition to the sunshine song list is the Beatles cut Beatles:Good Day Sunshine, which was written by Paul McCartney, on you guessed it, a sunny day. Included on their 1966 LP Beatles:Revolver, McCartney has said that he was influenced by the Lovin' Spoonful, who had a happy-go-lucky hit with "Lovin' Spoonful:Do You Believe In Magic?"Interestingly, McCartney and Ringo Starr are the only members of the band to appear on this track instrumentally. John Lennon and George Harrison added harmony vocals during the choruses later on. George Martin played the solo on the piano; however he recorded it at a faster speed so it would sound slower when http://www.musicstack.com/articles/sunshine-songspart-two http://www.musicstack.com/articles/sunshine-songspart-two Music History Tue, 23 Jun 2009 17:59:50 GMT As we continue our article series about bird and animal band names and individuals in rock and roll history, lets again focus on the 'dog names.One of the most peculiar sounding band names of the 1960s gpsychedelic era was the Texas group called Bubble Puppy. The band was formed in 1966 in San Antonio, Texas by Rod Prince and Roy Cox on the concept of dual lead guitars that would dominate the music. After a few line up changes, the final crew was a settled with Prince and Todd Potter on lead guitars, Cox on the bass and David Fore on the drums. The band signed a recording contract with the Houston-based International Artists record label and the groups live debut was as the opening act for the Who.The bands odd name is supposedly taken from a fictitious childrens game in Aldous Huxleys http://www.musicstack.com/articles/bird-animal-namesrockroll-history-part-nineteen http://www.musicstack.com/articles/bird-animal-namesrockroll-history-part-nineteen Birds And Animals Fri, 19 Jun 2009 12:17:50 GMT We have explored some rain songs in a recent four-part article series in celebration of spring and now that summer is upon us, lets explore some popular sunshine songs and the history behind them in this two-part article series.Bill Withers released the epic cut Aint No Sunshine in 1971, a song which peaked at #3 on the US Pop charts. It was his first hit single and was actually the b-side for another cut called Harlem, but the DJs played Aint No Sunshine instead.Bill Withers was still employed at a factory that manufactured toilet seats for 747s when he recorded the song. In fact, when he released the cut, he refused to resign from his job because of his beliefs about the music industry and the fact that he was still a novice when compared to other musicians.In an interview, Withers exp http://www.musicstack.com/articles/sunshine-songs http://www.musicstack.com/articles/sunshine-songs Music History Thu, 18 Jun 2009 17:43:04 GMT The music industry is an ever changing business entity. Slowly, CDs are disappearing as the format of choice and the sales leader of retail music. However, there is an old and friendly favorite emerging for millions of music lovers and competing for that almighty music dollar. Vinyl records are back, as the youth of today are finding the listening experience is greatly enriched when utilizing this historic music medium.In fact, the resurgent vinyl record market shows no signs of a slowdown. Nielsen SoundScan has released estimated figures that indicate that sales of vinyl in the US are up 50% through the first five months of 2009. The counting giant also predicts that vinyl record sales will reach over 2.7 million units sold in 2009; up from 1.9 million units in 2008.To be fair, these http://www.musicstack.com/articles/online-vinyl-record-sales-new-business-model http://www.musicstack.com/articles/online-vinyl-record-sales-new-business-model Vinyl Records Thu, 18 Jun 2009 13:06:15 GMT The Ventures' lead guitarist, the innovative and influential Bob Bogle, passed away on June 14, 2009 in Vancouver, Washington at the age of 75. He had suffered from non-Hodgkin lymphoma for a number of years which made him too ill to perform with the band, but he fought off the illness long enough to see the band be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2008.A statement on the groups website read:It is with profound sadness and grief that we must inform Ventures' fans all over the world that Bob Bogle passed away on Sunday, June 14. Our thoughts and prayers are with Bob's family at this terrible time, especially his beloved wife, Yumi, who has been the light of his life for so many years. The Ventures' members are completely devastated, and share the pain of this loss with all http://www.musicstack.com/articles/ventures-bob-bogle-passes-away http://www.musicstack.com/articles/ventures-bob-bogle-passes-away Deaths Wed, 17 Jun 2009 14:57:21 GMT Lets continue our ongoing article series about bird and animal groups and artists in rock and roll, this time exploring some dog names.The group Three Dog Night was a band that was formed in 1968 and included members Danny Hutton, Chuck Negron and Cory Wells. They provided AM and FM radio with an eclectic series of singles oriented gpop grock songs from 1969 through 1974. From 1969-1974, no band had more Top 10 hits, moved more records, or sold more concert tickets than Three Dog Night. By the end of 1975, they had sold nearly 50 million records.The band took their name from Danny Huttons ex-girlfriend, who thought of the name when she read a magazine article about indigenous Australians, in which was explaining that on cold nights they would customarily sleep in a hole in the ground whi http://www.musicstack.com/articles/bird-animal-namesrockroll-history-part-eighteen http://www.musicstack.com/articles/bird-animal-namesrockroll-history-part-eighteen Birds And Animals Fri, 12 Jun 2009 16:01:00 GMT Every city has a place like Baltimore's Gordon's Nightclub. Late at night, when human engines are flooded with alcohol, it's where partiers flock to in order to shake their asses to whatever dance grooves are making the rounds in such establishments these days.It's flashy. It's trendy. And it's nothing like what used to be there.Roman Kuebler, of The Oranges Band, a hard-driving but disarmingly melodic power-pop dynamo that now boasts former Guided By Voices guitarist Doug Gillard among its ranks, remembers it well. On the guitar-based group's latest set of hook-filled knockout punches, The Oranges Band Are Invisible, Kuebler revisits the old haunt and takes listeners on a tour of not just Baltimore the city, but also its criminally ignored indie-rock scene."One thing that was importa http://www.musicstack.com/articles/oranges-band-turn-invisible http://www.musicstack.com/articles/oranges-band-turn-invisible Music History Thu, 11 Jun 2009 15:40:18 GMT In a remarkable music career that spanned more than three decades, singersongwriter Kenny Rankin endeared himself to many of his constituents who loved and respected his work. Sadly, Rankin passed away on June 9, 2009 from complications relating to lung cancer. Rankin, a native New Yorker, was sixty nine years old.Although he may not have been a household name, Kenny Rankin was a musicians musician who released thirteen studio albums during his career; ranging from gfolk, gjazz and gpop, reaching the Billboard album charts several times. Rankins warm singing style and soft sound appealed to music lovers across many genres, but his was his raw emotion and energy that made him so popular among his peers. "My interpretation of the songs is purely emotional," Rankin explained. & http://www.musicstack.com/articles/singer-kenny-rankin-dieslung-cancer http://www.musicstack.com/articles/singer-kenny-rankin-dieslung-cancer Deaths Wed, 10 Jun 2009 12:04:25 GMT As this historic record label commemorates its 50th year in the music industry, let's learn more about the history of this iconic music leader:"One of the principles we had at lMotown was that success will come, but that is not enough," founder Berry Gordy explained. "You had to be proud of yourself in order to achieve true happiness. And if you do it right, not only will you be successful, you'll be happy. And at Motown, we're the happiest people in the world."His feelings on the meaning of Motown border on the mystical. "Motown is a magical something that has never been seen before and will never be seen again. Because the world has changed for the worse. And to have a company like that is probably impossible now. It was too simple to be believed."Berry l http://www.musicstack.com/articles/motown-50-yearssoul http://www.musicstack.com/articles/motown-50-yearssoul Record Labels Sat, 06 Jun 2009 15:00:04 GMT As we continue our series about bird and animal group names and people in rock and roll history, lets explore some more bird names.Born in Wembley, a suburb of London, England in 1952, singer extraordinaire Maxine Nightingale is best known for her charted hits in the mid 70's. Nightingale was just sixteen years old when she began singing in her school band and obviously enjoyed the spotlight. She quickly made the transition to a professional singer, even signing on with lPye Records, where she recorded four singles including, Spinning Wheel,Dont Push Me Baby and 1971's Love On Borrowed Time.But her big break came in the early 70's productions of Jesus Christ Superstar,Hair and Godspell as well as the critically acclaimed London play called Savages. After these highly successful gigs, she http://www.musicstack.com/articles/bird-animal-namesrockroll-history-part-seventeen http://www.musicstack.com/articles/bird-animal-namesrockroll-history-part-seventeen Birds And Animals Sat, 06 Jun 2009 13:47:53 GMT Blues is my life, proclaimed Grammy Award-winning blues icon Koko Taylor. Sadly on Wednesday June 3, 2009, the undisputed Queen of the Blues, passed away from complications from an operation to correct gastrointestinal bleeding.As recently as May 7, 2009, this quintessential gblues singer won her 29th Blues Music Award (for Traditional Female Blues Artist Of The Year) which made her the recipient of more Blues Music Awards than any other artist.Koko Taylor was born on September 28, 1928 on a sharecroppers farm (as Cora Walton) that was located just outside Memphis, Tennessee. She earned her nickname "Koko because of her love for chocolate and she fell in love with music at an early age. Inspired by ggospel music and the love of WDIA blues DJs, B.B. King and Rufus Thomas, Taylor beg http://www.musicstack.com/articles/queen-ofblues-koko-taylor-passes-away http://www.musicstack.com/articles/queen-ofblues-koko-taylor-passes-away Deaths Thu, 04 Jun 2009 14:50:57 GMT To some, namely the torch-toting villagers who were scared to death of him and wanted him dead, he was a monster. Others, like the Meat Puppets' Curt Kirkwood, see him as ... well, if not beautiful, then definitely interesting from an aesthetic point of view.Talking about the surrealistic painting he made that graces the cover of the Meat Puppets' latest album, Sewn Together, Kirkwood says half-jokingly perhaps of the myriad stitches it has, "I can directly trace that influence in my work to my lifelong love of Frankenstein. I just like the way they look. You get a lot of bang for your buck with stitches."It'd be easy to see something else in the artwork, say the stitches serving as a metaphor for healing old wounds. Of which the Meat Puppets have many, what with the death of t http://www.musicstack.com/articles/meat-puppets-are-still-sewn-together http://www.musicstack.com/articles/meat-puppets-are-still-sewn-together Punk Thu, 04 Jun 2009 09:58:25 GMT Lets wrap up our short article series about rain songs. If we research this topic, we can find many, more songs to add to the list, in fact, if you want to learn more, you can visit http:www.lacarte.orgsongsrain; where you can find almost 800 song titles relating to rain and rainy things, including over 50 named just 'Rain.'As requested, lets explore a song called Sir Douglas Quintet:The Rains Came, that hit the Top 40 (#31 in 1966) for the seminal gTex Mex and gcountry rock group Sir Douglas Quintet. Although the band was hardly a household name and underappreciated during their existence, they were able to carve a niche in the music arena and their influence was far-reaching and continues to be felt in Texas to this day.As the legend goes, the Sir Douglas Quintet was the brainchild of http://www.musicstack.com/articles/rain-songs-part-four http://www.musicstack.com/articles/rain-songs-part-four Music History Mon, 01 Jun 2009 11:44:06 GMT As we continue our series about bird and animal group names and people in grock and roll history, lets explore some of the newer bands that have made a name for themselves.Before Chicago native, singersongwriter Andrew Bird made a splash in the gpop music arena with his 2007 release Andrew Bird:Armchair Apocrypha and more recently 2009s "Andrew Bird:Noble Beast, he honed his musical skills in a dizzying array of musical endeavors.Birds musical talents include competency in violin, whistling, guitar, mandolin and glockenspiel. Classically trained, he graduated from Northwestern University with a Bachelors Degree in violin performance in 1996. He cut his first solo effort that same year with the cut Music Of Hair, which showcases his immense talent and violin skills as well as his fas http://www.musicstack.com/articles/bird-animal-namesrockroll-history-part-sixteen http://www.musicstack.com/articles/bird-animal-namesrockroll-history-part-sixteen Birds And Animals Fri, 29 May 2009 16:27:09 GMT Lets continue with part three of our four part series about rain songs:Eurythmics:Here Comes The Rain Again was a Top Ten Billboard hit (#4 in 1984) for the British gpop duo Eurythmics (Dave Stewart and Annie Lennox). The song hit #8 in the UK and became their fifth consecutive Top Ten single in that country.In The Dave Stewart Songbook, Dave Stewart has revealed that the lyrics for the song came after an argument between himself and Lewis; the basic melody had already been established:Annie was sitting in my room, and I was playing some little riff on the keyboard sitting on the window ledge, and I was playing these little melancholy A minor-ish chords with the B note in it. I kept on playing this riff, and Annie was looking out the window at the slate grey sky above the New York skylin http://www.musicstack.com/articles/rain-songs-part-three http://www.musicstack.com/articles/rain-songs-part-three Music History Wed, 27 May 2009 12:54:01 GMT Chicago rocker and former member of Wilco (he was with the group from 1994 through 2001), Jay Bennett, died on Sunday, May 24 of undetermined causes. The multi-instrumentalist and singer was only 45 years old.A friend and collaborator of Bennetts, Edward Burch made a statement to the Chicago Sun-Times:Early this morning, Jay died in his sleep and an autopsy is being performed. The family is in mourning and is unavailable for comment at this timeHe was an extremely talented musician and a great person, and Ill miss him terribly.Wilco are on tour in Spain, but a spokesperson for the band passed along a statement from bandleader Jeff Tweedy:"We are all deeply saddened by this tragedy. We will miss Jay as we remember him -- as a truly unique and gifted human being and one who made welc http://www.musicstack.com/articles/former-wilco-member-jay-bennett-dies http://www.musicstack.com/articles/former-wilco-member-jay-bennett-dies Deaths Tue, 26 May 2009 13:41:45 GMT