Tembang Lawas

David Foster

noreply@blogger.com (Tembang Lawas) — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 17:35:00 +0000

David Walter Foster, OC, OBC (born November 1, 1949), is a Canadian musician, record producer, composer, singer, songwriter and arranger, noted for discovering successful singers Celine Dion, Josh Groban and Michael Bublé, and for producing some of the most successful artists in the world.

He has worked as a producer with a wide range of musical stars, including Andrea Bocelli, Céline Dion, Mariah Carey, Charice Pempengco, Gloria Estefan, Nsync Neil Diamond, Whitney Houston, Cher, Kenny Loggins, Prince, Chicago, Backstreet Boys, Earth Wind and Fire, Chaka Khan, Barbra Streisand, Donna Summer, Kenny Rogers, Boz Scaggs, Olivia Newton-John, Madonna, Michael Jackson, Janet Jackson, Beyonce Knowles, Destiny's Child, The Bee Gees, Bryan Adams, Christina Aguilera and others.

Foster was a keyboardist for the pop group Skylark discovered by Eirik Wangberg. The band's song “Wildflower” was a top ten hit in 1972. Together with Jay Graydon he formed the band Airplay, which is often labeled the most important album within the Westcoast AOR genre.

He produced debut albums for The Corrs, Michael Bublé, Renee Olstead and Josh Groban, which were released under his own record label, 143 Records, and distributed through Warner Music. Foster helped launch Kevin Sharp's career after the two met through the Make-A-Wish Foundation and he produced David Hayes singing a song by composed by Ed Scheid and Laramy Smith title "Friend".

In 1985, Rolling Stone magazine named Foster the "master of ... bombastic pop kitsch." That year, Foster composed the score for the film St. Elmo's Fire, including "Love Theme from St. Elmo's Fire" which hit #15 in US pop charts (with a remake of a song titled "For just a moment" with vocals by Amy Holland and Donny Gerrard). Another song from the film, "St. Elmo's Fire (Man in Motion)", recorded by John Parr hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 on September 7, 1985. The following years, Foster continued turning out occasional film scores, including the Michael J. Fox comedy The Secret of My Success and the Jodie Foster-Mark Harmon drama Stealing Home, both of which spawned soundtrack albums with prominent Foster-penned contributions. He collaborated with then-wife Linda Thompson on the song "I Have Nothing", sung by Whitney Houston in the 1992 film The Bodyguard. The couple were nominated for a Grammy Award and an Academy Award for Best Song for the song.

He produced Japanese singer Seiko Matsuda's 1988 album "Citron", also arranging and co-writing all the songs on the album, including the number one single "Marrakech". In 1995 Foster signed a deal with Warner Brothers that enabled him to set up his own boutique label, 143 Records, as a joint venture with Warner. Foster gave the responsibility for running the label to then manager Brian Avnet. One of the label's first signing was little known Irish folk-rock band The Corrs, for whom he produced their debut album. Foster had come to the realisation that, in the American market at least, "logo labels" like 143 were in a "bad spot" and as a result Foster sold the label back to Warner and became senior vice-president at the corporation.

Foster, along with Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds, composed "The Power of the Dream" as the official song of the 1996 Summer Olympics, with Thompson providing the lyrics (sung by Céline Dion). He also composed "Winter Games", the theme song for 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, Alberta. "Winter Games" is the soundtrack for a fountain show at the Bellagio resort in Las Vegas as well as a fountain show at Sea World Orlando. In 2001, he produced an album of his own arrangement of Canada's national anthem, O Canada, with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra and Lara Fabian. In 2003, Foster won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Music and Lyrics for The Concert for World Children's Day. His song "I Will Be There With You" (sung with Katharine McPhee) is being used by Japan Airlines to promote the introduction of new aircraft to its US flights.

During the 1990s he often performed acts with San Diego vocalist Warren Wiebe, whom he had discovered in the restroom of a hotel bar in 1987. In 1994 he had Wiebe put together a band called Millennium featuring Nita Whitaker and a few session vocalists, but the deal with Foster's record company led to the group's demise. Wiebe was Foster's "mouth" on many of his videos but committed suicide before he could release a solo album.

In 2005, record producer David Foster, his daughter Amy Foster-Gillies and Knowles wrote "Stand Up For Love" as the anthem to the World Children's Day, an annual worldwide event to raise awareness and funds for children causes. Over the past three years, more than $50 million have been raised to benefit Ronald McDonald House Charities and other children's organizations. Destiny's Child lent their voices and support as global ambassadors for the 2005 program.

In 2009 it was revealed that Foster had worked with songwriter Diane Warren to produce records for Whitney Houston's upcoming album. It was then announced that her comeback single would be the Foster-produced "I Didn't Know My Own Strength". He recently collaborated with American Idol finalist Michael Johns on the re-write of his popular 1980s hit "St Elmo's Fire (Man in Motion)."

Foster was born in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. David's cousin, Billy Foster, died in a race car accident in 1967. Foster has been married three times, has five biological daughters, an ex-stepdaughter, and two ex-stepsons. His first marriage was to singer/writer B.J. Cook. She already had a daughter Tamre Winger, and together B.J. Cook and Foster had one daughter, Amy Foster (b. July 29, 1973), a songwriter who has collaborated with classic artists in the 2000s such as Andrea Bocelli, Michael Bublé, and Josh Groban.

His second wife was former model Rebecca Dyer. They had three daughters: Sara Foster (b. August 24, 1981), Erin Foster (b. August 24, 1983), and Jordan Foster (b. September 1986). As of May 2008, Sara was engaged to tennis player Tommy Haas, And on November 14, 2010, Haas and Foster welcomed a baby girl in Santa Monica, CA. Foster revealed on the show that he also had a daughter, Allison Jones (b. April 6, 1970), from a previous relationship.

Foster married third wife Linda Thompson on June 27, 1991, and the two became a songwriting team, collaborating on several songs including "I Have Nothing" sung by Whitney Houston in The Bodyguard and "Grown-Up Christmas List". Thompson filed for divorce Monday July 11, 2005, the day after her short-lived reality series, The Princes of Malibu premiered. Thompson is the mother of Brody Jenner and Brandon Jenner from her previous marriage to Bruce Jenner.

In 2006 and 2007 Foster dated Oksana Grigorieva. Foster is currently dating Dutch model Yolanda Hadid. She is the former wife of real estate developer Mohamed Hadid and has three children. Foster's sister, producer Jaymes Foster, is the mother of Clay Aiken's son Parker Foster Aiken. In 1992, David Foster was driving on the Pacific Coast Highway when his car struck actor Ben Vereen, who had been on the road because he had crashed his car and was in a daze. Despite being thrown 90 feet, Vereen survived. Vereen also went on record to say that it probably saved his life: he had a serious drinking problem caused by the death of his daughter. On the May 11, 2010 episode of Oprah, Foster revealed that Charice gave him a letter asking him to be her godfather, and he accepted. On December 27, 2010 it was announced via facebook that Foster and girlfriend Yolanda Hadid are now engaged.

Discography

Skylark (self-titled) (1972)
Skylark - 2 (1974)
Attitudes (self-titled) (1976)
Attitudes - Good News (1977)
Airplay (self-titled) (1980)
David Foster - The Best of Me (1983)
David Foster (self-titled) (1986)
David Foster - The Symphony Sessions (1988)
David Foster - Time Passing (1989)
David Foster - River of Love (1990)
David Foster - Rechordings (1991)
David Foster - A Touch Of David Foster (1992)
David Foster - The Christmas Album (1993)
David Foster - Love Lights The World (1994)
David Foster - The Best Of Me: A Collection of David Foster’s Greatest Works (2000)
David Foster - O Canada - with Lara Fabian (2001)
David Foster - Love Stories (2002)
David Foster - Teko’s Theme - with Nita Whitaker (2003)
David Foster - The Best Of Me - Original Recording Remastered (2004)
David Foster - Hitman: David Foster and Friends (2008)
The Magic of David Foster & Friends (2010)
David Foster - Hitman Returns: David Foster and Friends (2011)

Singles
1985 - Love Theme From St. Elmo's Fire (US #15)
1986 - Best of Me (duet with Olivia Newton-John)
1988 - "Winter Games (Can't You Feel It)" - Official theme song for the Calgary 1988 Winter Olympics

Awards and honors
In 1995, Foster became the recipient of the Order of British Columbia, the highest honour awarded in his native province of British Columbia. Foster became an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2006. Foster has won 15 Grammy Awards (three for producer of the year) and has been nominated a total of 44 times. He has been nominated three times for an Academy Award for Best Song and won the 1999 Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song for the song “The Prayer” (sung by Andrea Bocelli and Celine Dion) from the film Quest for Camelot. He has been named BMI's "Songwriter of the Year".[18] In June 2010, he was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame.

Kitaro

noreply@blogger.com (Tembang Lawas) — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 16:56:00 +0000

Masanori Takahashi better known as Kitaro, (February 4, 1953) is a Japanese musician, composer and multi-instrumentalist. Kitaro moved to Tokyo to experience and become a part of the music scene, and it was there that he discovered the synthesizer. His first synthesizer was analog, and recalls he “just loved the analog sound that it made compared to today's digital sound”.

His parents were first opposed to the idea of their son having a musical career. Indeed, in an effort to manoeuvre him towards their vision, they made arrangements for him to take a job at a local company. In return, he left home without telling them. He supported himself by taking on several part time jobs such as cooking or civil service work, meanwhile composing songs at night.

In the early 1970s, he changed completely to keyboards. He joined the band "Far East Family Band" and toured with them around the world. In Europe, he met the German synthesizer musician and former Tangerine Dream member Klaus Schulze. Schulze produced two albums for the band and gave Kitaro some tips for the use of synthesizers. In 1976 he left the band and travelled through Asia (China, Laos, Thailand, India). Back in Japan, Kitaro started his solo career in 1977. The first two albums Ten Kai and From the Full Moon Story became cult favorites of fans of the nascent New Age movement. He performed his first symphonic concert at the 'Small Hall' of the Kosei Nenkin Kaikan in Shinjuku, Tokyo. During this concert Kitaro used a synthesizer to recreate the sounds of 40 different instruments, a world's first. But it was his famous soundtrack for the NHK series "Silk Road" that brought him international attention.

He struck a worldwide distribution arrangement with Geffen Records in 1986. This included a re-releasing of six prior albums -- Astral Voyage, Full Moon Story, Millennia, India, Silver Cloud and Asia, each handsomely packaged with Japanesque obi strips -- and a new album, the aptly titled, Toward the West. In 1987 he collaborated with different musicians, e.g. with Micky Hart (Grateful Dead) and Jon Anderson (Yes). In 1988 his record sales soared to 10 million worldwide. He was nominated twice for a Grammy award and his soundtrack for the movie "Heaven & Earth" won the award for best original score.

When asked about his music, he said, "I never had education in music, I just learned to trust my ears and my feelings." He credits ‘powers beyond himself’ for his music, saying, "This music is not from my mind. It is from heaven, going through my body and out my fingers through composing. Sometimes I wonder. I never practice. I don't read or write music, but my fingers move. I wonder, 'Whose song is this?' I write my songs, but they are not my songs

Since his 1995 début for Domo Records—the Grammy-nominated Mandala, featuring bold use of electric guitar—Kitaro has released no less than thirteen albums. Among them, the live An Enchanted Evening (1995), the deeply spiritual Gaia Onbashira (1998) and Ancient (2001), were all Grammy nominated. The 1999 Thinking of You, which allmusic.com calls a “journey to ecstasy” and “one of the most beautiful CDs of all time,” won the Grammy for Best New Age Album.

Kitaro’s music has long been recognised for its messages of peace and spirituality. In the wake of 9/11, the artist began recording Sacred Journey Of Ku-kai, an intended series of peace-themed albums (Vol. 1 released in 2003; Vol. 2 in 2005, vol.3 in 2007), inspired by the Shikoku Pilgrimage.

In 2007, Kitaro has composed the music for West Lake Impression, a large-scale opera, directed by renowned Chinese film director Zhang Yimou. The opera reflects the city’s history and culture through music and dance. Using modern technology, the stage is 75 centimeters below the lake’s surface during the day so as not to affect the landscape and boating activities. In the evening, the stage is 75 centimeters below the lake’s surface.[citation needed] The two-hour event had its opening night in March 2007.

In 2007-2009 he launched the ‘Love and Peace World Tour,’ an international tour with which Kitaro hoped to inspire his message of world peace with his music. Kitaro toured Southeast Asia in 2007, and Greece in 2008. During his visit to Greece, Kitaro met Greek musician and composer Vangelis, and exchanged musical experience and creative ideas. Kitaro has also reunited with drummer Mickey Hart.

From 1983 until 1990 Kitaro was married to Yuki Taoka. Yuki is a daughter of Kazuo Taoka, godfather of Yamaguchi-gumi, the largest Yakuza syndicate. Kitaro and Yuki had a son, Ryunosuke, who lives in Japan. They reportedly separated because Kitaro worked mostly in the United States while Yuki lived and worked in Japan. In the mid-1990s, Kitaro married Keiko Matsubara, a musician who played on several of his albums. Along with Keiko's son, the couple lived in Ward, Colorado on a 180 acre (72.85 hectare) spread and composed in his 2500 square foot (230 m²) home studio "Mochi House" (it is large enough to hold a 70 piece orchestra). Kitaro and Keiko recently relocated to Sebastopol, California.

In 1989, he wrote the "Japanese" Theme for the film "Return From The River Kwai". He has worked with guitarist Marty Friedman, formerly of Megadeth, on the "Scenes" album. He has also worked with Hong Kong Cantopop singer Anita Mui on the song "Years Flowing Like Water"

Discography:
1978 - Ten Kai/Astral Voyage/Astral Voyager/Astral Trip
1979 - Full Moon Story/Daichi
1979 - Oasis
1980 - Silk Road (a.k.a. The Soghdian Merchants on VHS)
1980 - Silk Road II
1980 - In Person/In Person Digital (Live)
1980 - Silk Road Suite

1981 - Silk Road III: Tunhuang/Tonko/Dunhuang
1981 - Best of Kitaro vol 1
1982 - World of Kitaro

1981 - Radio House Ginga
1981 - Ki
1982 - Utopia

1982 - Millennia/Queen Millennia
1982 - Angel Queen
1983 - Silk Road IV: Tenjiku/India
1983 - Portopia '81/Portpier Matsushita Kan (Single included in Noah's Ark)
1983 - Aura No Saiten
1984 - Silver Cloud/Cloud
1984 - Caravan (Single - Vocals by Pages)
1984 - Live in Asia/Asia Super Tour Live/Asia (Live)
1986 - Toward the West/Endless Journey/Saihou: Journey of Silk Road
1986 - Tenku
1987 - The Light of the Spirit
1988 - Ten Years/Best of Ten Years
1990 - Kojiki
1991 - Live in America
1992 - Dream/Lady of Dreams (with Jon Anderson)
1993 - Heaven and Earth
1994 - Mandala
1994 - Tokusen II (CD 1 Best Of, CD 2 Live in Osaka)
1995 - An Enchanted Evening (Live)
1996 - Peace On Earth
1996 - Kitaro World of Music (Yu-Xiao Guang plays Kitaro's music )
1997 - Cirque Ingenieux
1998 - Gaia-Onbashira
1998 - Six Musical Portraits (best of)
1998 - Romantic Ballads
1999 - Best of Kitaro vol 2
1999 - Thinking of You
2000 - The Soong Sisters
2000 - The Essential Collection (Japan only)
2000 - Nile (Single included in Ancient)
2001 - Ancient
2001 - Endless Journey (best of)
2001 - Healing Forest (best of)
2001 - Noah's Ark (best of)
2002 - An Ancient Journey
2002 - Daylight, Moonlight in Yakushiji/Yakushi-Ji (Live)
2002 - Mizu Ni Inorte
2002 - Asian Cafe/Ashu Chakan (best of)
2003 - Best of Silk Road
2003 - Sacred Journey of Ku-Kai
2004 - Shikoku 88 Places
2005 - Sacred Journey of Ku-Kai Volume 2
2006 - Spiritual Garden
2007 - [Journey of Ku-Kai 3]
2008 - The Definitive Collection (best of)
2008 - Toyo's Camera (best of - soundtrack)
2009 - Impressions Of The West Lake
2010 - Sacred Journey of Ku-Kai Volume 4

Other albums

All Roads Lead To Rome
Across The Karakum Desert
Across The Pamir
Deep Forest
In Silent
In Search Of Wisdom
Mu Land
Morning Light
Tamayura (2001 DVD)
Tento Chi
Vertigo
Sleep Vol.1
Sleep Vol.2

Kenny G

noreply@blogger.com (Tembang Lawas) — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 16:21:00 +0000

Kenneth Bruce Gorelick (born June 5, 1956), better known by his stage name Kenny G, is a Grammy winning American, adult contemporary and smooth jazz saxophonist. His fourth album, Duotones, brought him breakthrough success in 1986. Kenny G is the biggest-selling instrumental musician of the modern era, with global sales totaling more than 75 million albums.

Kenny G was born in Seattle, Washington to a Jewish family and first came into contact with a saxophone when he heard someone performing with one on The Ed Sullivan Show. He started playing the saxophone in 1966 when he was 10 years old. He learned how to play under the direction of local trumpeter Gerald Pfister and by practicing along with records (mostly of Grover Washington, Jr.), trying to emulate the sounds that he was hearing. His first saxophone was a Buffet Crampon alto.

Kenny G attended Whitworth Elementary School, Sharples-Jr High School, Franklin High School, and the University of Washington, all in his home town of Seattle, Washington. When he entered high school, he failed on his first try to get into the jazz band, but tried again the following year and earned first chair. In addition to his studies while in high school, he took private lessons on the saxophone and clarinet from Johnny Jessen, once a week for a year.

He was also on his high school golf team. He had loved the sport ever since his older brother, Brian Gorelick, introduced it to him when he was ten years old, which is the same age he was when he started playing the saxophone.

Kenny G's career started with a job as a sideman for Barry White's Love Unlimited Orchestra in 1973 while 17 and still in high school. He continued to play professionally while studying for a major in accounting at the University of Washington in Seattle and graduated magna cum laude. He played with the funk band Cold, Bold & Together before becoming a credited member of The Jeff Lorber Fusion. He began his solo career after his period with Lorber.

Kenny G signed with Arista Records as a solo artist in 1982, after label president Clive Davis heard his rendition of ABBA's "Dancing Queen". He has released many solo albums and collaborated with various artists including Andrea Bocelli, Whitney Houston, Peabo Bryson, Toni Braxton, DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, Natalie Cole, Steve Miller (which marked the only time he appeared on a rock and roll album), Dudley Moore, Michael Bolton, Celine Dion and Withney Houston. Influenced by the likes of saxophonist Grover Washington, Jr., his own albums are usually classified as smooth jazz.

He received success quite early on, with both G Force and Gravity, his second and third studio albums respectively, achieving platinum status in the United States. These sales were topped by his fourth studio album, Duotones, which sold over 5 million copies in the U.S. alone. His sixth studio album, Breathless, became the number one best selling instrumental album ever, with over 15 million copies sold, of which 12 million were in the U.S. He broke another record when his first holiday album, Miracles, sold over 13 million copies, making it the most successful Christmas album to date.

In 1997, Kenny G earned a place in the Guinness Book of World Records for playing the longest note ever recorded on a saxophone. Using circular breathing, Kenny G held an E-flat for 45 minutes and 47 seconds at J&R Music World in New York City. That same year, Kenny G's song "Havana", from his album The Moment, was remixed by noted DJs Todd Terry and Tony Moran and released promotionally to dance clubs in the U.S. These mixes went to #1 on the Billboard Dance/Club Play Songs chart in April 1997.

Kenny G's 1999 single, "What A Wonderful World" was criticized regarding the overdubbing of Louis Armstrong's classic recording. A criticism was that a revered recording by an artist such as Armstrong known especially for improvisation should not be altered and especially not by a musician such as Kenny G whose contributions to jazz were already in question. Some columnists countered the criticisms suggesting such a recording would bring classic jazz to a wider audience. Kenny G fans considered the live performance of this duet with Armstrong on a video taped backdrop a "show stopper."

Kenny G has recorded some Chinese songs, such as "Jasmine Flower" (茉莉花) or "The Moon Represents My Heart" (月亮代表我的心). His music is noticeably popular in China. His recording "Going Home" is often played at closing time at public places or at the end of classes at schools. Mass transit systems in Tianjin and Shanghai play these songs when trains approach terminus stations.

As of 2003, Kenny G was named the 25th-highest selling artist in America by the RIAA, with 48 million albums sold in the USA as of July 31, 2006. In 1994, Kenny G won the Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Composition for Forever in Love. In October 2009, Kenny G appeared with the band Weezer in an AOL promotion of their album Raditude by soloing during "I'm Your Daddy". Kenny G said he knew nothing of Weezer before the performance. Though some music critics thereby rejoined in the common criticism of his work the unlikely combination was fairly well received by AOL's magazines Spinner.com and Popeater.com.

Discography

Kenny G
G Force
Gravity
Duotones
Silhouette
Breathless
The Moment
Paradise
Rhythm & Romance
Heart & Soul

The Best Of Kenny G

Songbird
Silhouette
Forever in Love
By the Time This Night Is Over
Sentimental
The Moment
Havana
Fall Again
Heart and Soul
Choise Of Love OST Dying Young

Lionel Richie

noreply@blogger.com (Tembang Lawas) — Sun, 06 Mar 2011 05:03:00 +0000

Lionel Brockman Richie (born June 20, 1949), is an American singer-songwriter and record producer who has sold (solo or as group member) more than 100 million records. Born in Tuskegee, Alabama, Lionel Richie grew up on the campus of Tuskegee Institute. His grandfather's house was across the street from the home of the president of the Institute. His family moved to Illinois where he graduated from Joliet Township High School, East Campus, in Joliet. A star tennis player in Joliet, he accepted a tennis scholarship at Tuskegee Institute and later graduated with a major in economics. After receiving his undergraduate degree from Tuskegee, Richie briefly attended graduate school at Auburn University. He is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity.

As a student in Tuskegee, Richie formed a succession of R&B groups in the mid-1960s. In 1968 he became a singer and saxophonist with the Commodores. They signed a recording contract with Atlantic Records in 1968 for one record before moving on to Motown Records initially as a support act to The Jackson 5. The Commodores then became established as a popular soul group. Their first several albums had a danceable, funky sound, as in such tracks as "Machine Gun" and "Brick House." Over time, Richie wrote and sang more romantic, easy-listening ballads such as "Easy," "Three Times a Lady," "Still," and the tragic breakup ballad "Sail On."

By the late 1970s, he had begun to accept songwriting commissions from other artists. He composed "Lady" for Kenny Rogers, which hit #1 in 1980, and produced Rogers's album Share Your Love the following year. Richie and Rogers maintained a strong friendship in later years. Latin jazz composer and salsa romantica pioneer La Palabra enjoyed international success with his cover of "Lady," which was played at Latin dance clubs. Also in 1981, Richie sang the theme song for the film Endless Love, a duet with Diana Ross. Issued as a single, the song topped the UK and U.S. pop music charts, and became one of Motown's biggest hits.

Its success encouraged Richie to branch out into a full-fledged solo career in 1982. He was replaced as lead singer for The Commodores by Skyler Jett in 1983. His debut album, Lionel Richie, produced another chart-topping single, "Truly," which continued the style of his ballads with the Commodores.

Solo career
Richie's 1982 self-titled debut contained three hit singles: the U.S. #1 song "Truly," which launched his career as one of the most successful balladeers of the 1980s, and the Top Five hits "You Are" and "My Love." The album hit #3 on the music charts and sold over 4 million copies. His 1983 follow-up album, Can't Slow Down, sold over twice as many copies and won two Grammy Awards, including Album Of The Year, propelling him into the first rank of international superstars. The album contained the #1 hit "All Night Long," a Caribbean-flavored dance number that was promoted by a colorful music video produced by former Monkee Michael Nesmith.

Several more Top 10 hits followed, the most successful of which was the ballad "Hello" (1984), a sentimental love song that showed how far Richie had moved from his R&B roots. Richie had three more Top Ten hits in 1984, "Stuck on You" (#3), "Running With the Night" (#7) and "Penny Lover" (#8). Now described by one critic as "the black Barry Manilow," in 1985 Richie wrote and performed a suitably soothing theme song, "Say You, Say Me," for the film White Nights, winning an Oscar for his efforts as well as reaching #1 on the U.S. charts and staying there for four weeks, making it the #1 song of 1985 according to Billboard's year-end Hot 100 chart. He also collaborated with Michael Jackson on the charity single "We Are the World" by USA for Africa, another #1 hit.

Long-lasting popularity and later career
In 2002, Richie's song "Running with the Night" was featured on the Rockstar North video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City though the song was removed from later versions of the game. In 2004, he appeared on Canadian Idol as his songs were featured during a Canadian Idol week.

Later in 2004, he also appeared on the British motoring television series Top Gear in the "Star in a Reasonably Priced Car" segment where he was interviewed by host Jeremy Clarkson. During his lap, the Suzuki Liana he was driving lost a wheel due to hard cornering. In November 2005, Lionel Brockman Richie performed with Kenny Rogers on a CMT Crossroads special. The show gave an informative insight into their friendship both in and out of the music world.

Lionel Richie was also the headliner at a 2000 Fourth of July tribute concert with Fantasia Barrino at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Richie released his eighth studio album entitled "Coming Home" on September 12, 2006. The first single of the album was "I Call It Love" and was premiered in July 2006, becoming his biggest hit in the U.S. in ten years. The album was an incredible success for Richie in the United States, peaking at #6. His adopted daughter Nicole Richie stars in the music video for this track.

On December 9, 2006, Richie hosted and performed live on the British television show An Audience with Lionel Richie. Two months later, he performed "Hello" on the 49th Grammy Awards show.

Discography
* 1982: Lionel Richie (Motown)
* 1983: Can't Slow Down (Motown)
* 1986: Dancing on the Ceiling (Motown)
* 1992: Back To Front (Motown) (Compilation)

Singles Hits
* 1981: "Endless Love" (with Diana Ross)
* 1982: "Truly" (2 weeks)
* 1983: "All Night Long (All Night)"
* 1984: "Hello"
* 1985: "Say You, Say Me"

The Best Of Lionel Richi

We Are The World (USA For Afrika) feat Michael Jackson, Diana Ross, Tina Turner
Endless Love feat Diana Ross
Say You Say Me
Hello
I Just Called To Say I Love You feat Stevie Wonder
Stuck On You
All Night Long
Easy
Lady
I'm In Love
The Only One
Lady (You Bring Me Up) feat The Commodores
Good Morning
Three Times A Lady
You Are My Destiny

Withney Houston

noreply@blogger.com (Tembang Lawas) — Sun, 06 Mar 2011 05:00:00 +0000

Whitney Elizabeth Houston (born August 9, 1963) is an American R&B/Pop singer, actress, and former fashion model. A relative of several prominent soul singers, including her mother Cissy Houston, cousins Dee Dee and Dionne Warwick and godmother Aretha Franklin, Houston began singing at her New Jersey church as a member of a junior gospel choir at age eleven. After she began performing alongside her mother at night clubs in the New York City area, she was discovered by Arista Records label head Clive Davis.

Houston released her debut album Whitney Houston in 1985, which became the best-selling debut album by a female artist at the time of release. Her second studio album Whitney (1987) became the first album by a female artist to debut at number one on the Billboard 200 albums chart. Houston's crossover appeal on the popular music charts as well as her prominence on MTV enabled several African-American women to follow in her success.

Following her marriage to singer Bobby Brown, Houston appeared in her first starring role in the feature film The Bodyguard in 1992. The film's original soundtrack won the 1994 Grammy Award for Album of the Year. Its lead single, Houston's cover version of the 1974 Dolly Parton song "I Will Always Love You", became one of the best-selling singles in music history. Houston continued to star in feature films and contributed to soundtracks including Waiting to Exhale (1995) and The Preacher's Wife (1996).

After the release of her fourth studio album My Love Is Your Love (1998), she renewed her recording contract with Arista Records in 2001 for a historic $100 million. She subsequently released her fifth studio album, Just Whitney the following year with One Wish: The Holiday Album being released in 2003. Amidst widespread media coverage of personal and professional turmoil, Houston's marriage to Brown ended in 2006. In 2009, Houston released her seventh studio album, I Look To You.

Early life
Whitney Houston was born in what was then a middle income neighborhood of Newark, New Jersey, the third and youngest child of John and gospel singer Cissy Houston. Her mother, along with cousins Dionne Warwick and the late Dee Dee Warwick and godmother Aretha Franklin were all notable figures in the gospel, rhythm and blues, pop, and soul genres. Houston was raised a Baptist, but was also exposed to the Pentecostal church. After the 1967 Newark riots, the family moved to a middle class area in East Orange, New Jersey when she was four.

At the age of eleven, Houston began to follow in her mother's footsteps and started performing as a soloist in the junior gospel choir at the New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, where she also learned to play the piano. Her first solo performance in the church was "Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah". When Houston was a teenager, she attended a Catholic single-sex high school, Mount Saint Dominic Academy, where she met her best friend Robyn Crawford, whom she describes as the "sister she never had." While Houston was still in school, her mother continued to teach her how to sing. In addition to her mother, Franklin, and Warwick, Houston was also exposed to the music of Chaka Khan, Gladys Knight, and Roberta Flack, most of whom would have an impact on her as a singer and performer.

Marriage to Bobby Brown and The Bodyguard
Throughout the 1980s, Houston was romantically linked to American football star Randall Cunningham and actor Eddie Murphy, whom she dated. She then met R&B singer Bobby Brown (formerly of New Edition) at the 1989 Soul Train Music Awards. After a three year courtship, the two were married on July 18, 1992. Nearly a year later, Houston gave birth to their daughter Bobbi Kristina Houston Brown, her first (and as it turned out, only) child, his fourth, on March 4. Brown would go on to have several run-ins with the law, including some jail time. With the huge successes of her albums, movie offers poured in, including offers to work with Robert De Niro, Quincy Jones, and Spike Lee; but Houston felt the time wasn't right.

Houston’s first film role was in The Bodyguard, released in 1992 and co-starring Kevin Costner. Houston plays Rachel Marron, a star who is stalked by a crazed fan and hires a bodyguard to protect her. USA Today listed it as one of the 25 most memorable movie moments of the last 25 years. The movie is also notable for not mentioning or needing to explain its interracial aspect. Houston's mainstream appeal allowed people to look at the movie color-blind. Still, controversy arose as some felt the film's ads intentionally hid Houston's face to hide the film's interracial aspect.

In an interview with Rolling Stone Magazine in 1993, the singer commented that "people know who Whitney Houston is—I'm black. You can't hide that fact." Houston received a Razzie Award nomination for Worst Actress. The Washington Post said Houston is "doing nothing more than playing Houston, comes out largely unscathed if that is possible in so cockamamie an undertaking", and The New York Times said she lacked passion with her co-star. Despite the film's mixed reviews, it was hugely successful at the box office, grossing more than $121 million in the U.S. and $410 million worldwide, making it one of the top 100 grossing films domestically at its time of release, though it has since lost this standing.

The film's soundtrack was also a worldwide success. Houston executive produced and contributed six songs for the motion picture's adjoining soundtrack album. It featured production from David Foster. Entertainment Weekly said the two cover songs are "artistically satisfying". Rolling Stone said it is "nothing more than pleasant, tasteful and urbane". The soundtrack's lead single was "I Will Always Love You", written and originally recorded by Dolly Parton in 1974.

Some, including Foster and radio programmers, were skeptical that the song would fare well on radio due to Houston's a capella intro. Still, the record company took the risk and released it as the first single and it became a massive international hit. The single peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for a then-record-breaking 14 weeks, number one on the R&B chart for a then-record-breaking 11 weeks, and number one on the Adult Contemporary charts for five weeks, thus becoming the first single to top those three charts simultaneously for five weeks. The song also hit number-one in nearly every other country worldwide.

The soundtrack debuted at #1 and remained there for twenty non-consecutive weeks and became one of the fastest selling albums ever. At one point the soundtrack sold over a million copies within a week, becoming the first album to do so. With the follow-up singles "I'm Every Woman", a Chaka Khan cover, and "I Have Nothing" both peaking in the top five, Houston became the first female artist to ever have three singles in the Top 20 simultaneously. The album was certified 17x platinum in the United States with worldwide sales of 42 million. Houston won three Grammys for the album, including two of the Academy's highest honors, Album of the Year and Record of the Year.

In addition, Houston won 8 American Music Awards, including the Award of Merit, and a BRIT award. Following the success of the project, Houston embarked on another expansive global tour in 1993 and 1994. Her concerts, movie, and recording grosses made her the third highest earning female entertainer of 1993–1994, just behind Oprah Winfrey and Barbra Streisand according to Forbes Magazine. Houston placed in the top five of Entertainment Weekly's annual "Entertainer of the Year" ranking and was labeled by Premier Magazine as one of the 100 most powerful people in Hollywood.

Voice and influence
Houston's vocal stylings have had a significant impact on the music industry. She has been called the "Queen of Pop" for her influence during the 1990s, rivaling Celine Dion and Mariah Carey. She is commonly referred to as "The Voice", in reference to her exceptional vocal talent. According to The New York Times, Houston has "revitalized the tradition of strong gospel-oriented pop-soul singing". Ann Powers of the Los Angeles Times referred to the singer as a "national treasure". She is what many consider to be a "singer's singer" who has influenced countless other vocalists, both female and male. A number of artists have acknowledged Houston as an influence. Mariah Carey, who was often compared to Houston, said, "Houston has been a big influence on me."

Discography
* 1985: Whitney Houston
* 1987: Whitney
* 1990: I'm Your Baby Tonight
* 1998: My Love Is Your Love
* 2002: Just Whitney
* 2003: One Wish: The Holiday Album
* 2009: I Look to You

The Best Of Withney Houston

I Will Always Love You (OST Bodyguard)
I Have Nothing (OST Bodyguard)
One Moment In Time
You Light Up Of My Life
My Love Is Your Love
When You Believe Feat Mariah Carrey
I Look To You
Run To You (OST Bodyguard)
Could I Have This Kiss Forever feat Enrique Iglesias
I Wanna Dance With Somebody
If I Told You That Feat George Michael

Sheila On 7

noreply@blogger.com (Tembang Lawas) — Sun, 06 Mar 2011 04:55:00 +0000

Sheila on 7 adalah salah satu grup musik populer Indonesia yang berdiri pada 6 Mei 1996 di Yogyakarta. Grup yang beranggotakan Duta (Akhdiyat Duta Modjo, vokal), Eross (Eross Candra, gitar), Adam (Adam Muhammad Subarkah, bass), serta Brian (Brian Kresna Putro, drum) ini pada awalnya bernama "Sheila" (bahasa Celtic: musikal). Kata "Gank" kemudian ditambahkan sehingga menjadi "Sheila Gank". Kata inipun akhirnya diubah menjadi "on 7", yang diambil dari tujuh tangga nada dalam musik. Band ini mendapat julukan "Band Satu Juta Kopi" karena keberhasilannya menjual jutaan copy beberapa albumnya di masa kejayaannya di awal 2000an.

Sheila on 7 telah beberapa kali mengalami perubahan susunan anggota. Pada Oktober 2004 Brian masuk menggantikan Anton yang dikeluarkan karena dianggap tidak disiplin. Lalu pada Maret 2006 Sakti mundur dari Sheila on 7 untuk belajar agama di Pakistan.

Sejarah

Grup yang berdiri pada 6 Mei 1996 ini pada awalnya adalah sekumpulan anak-anak sekolah dari beberapa SMA di Yogyakarta. Di awal berdirinya bersatulah lima anak muda, Duta (vokal) berasal dari SMA 4, Adam (bass) dari SMA 6, Eross (gitar) dari SMA Muhammadiyah I, Sakti (gitar) dari SMA De Britto, dan Anton (drum) berasal dari SMA Bopkri I. Mereka sepakat untuk membentuk sebuah band dan membawakan lagu-lagu dari kelompok Oasis, U2, Bon Jovi, Guns N’ Roses, Michael Learns To Rock, Scorpion dll. Pada waktu itu juga, mereka telah memiliki beberapa lagu-lagu orisinal karya mereka sendiri dan mereka mencoba untuk memperkenalkan dan membawakan lagu-lagu tersebut dengan penuh rasa percaya diri di berbagai pentas.

Sampai saat ini juga, mereka masih sulit untuk menyebut warna musik apa yang sebenarnya dimainkan. Tetapi satu hal yang jelas adalah bahwa mereka berkeyakinan untuk memainkan “Sheila music”, dimana ide-ide atau kreasi dalam bermusik dimunculkan secara spontan dan menampilkan lirik-lirik yang gampang dicerna serta konsep musik yang sederhana.

Pada awal berdirinya grup ini bernama “Sheila”. Tidak lama kemudian, mereka menambahkan kata “Gank”, hingga jadilah “Sheila Gank”. Namun karena masalah ‘sense’, akhirnya nama mereka berganti menjadi “Sheila on 7”, “on 7” berarti solmisasi alias 7 tangga nada (do re mi fa sol la si).

Sejak awal grup ini mencoba untuk tampil secara profesional. Dimulai dengan keterlibatan mereka dalam beberapa pentas musik, festival maupun pertunjukan komersil di DIY dan Jawa Tengah, baik di lingkup sekolah, kampus, serta panggung umum. Satu hal yang cukup meyakinkan dan membanggakan adalah keikutsertaan mereka dalam program indie label “Ajang Musikal” (Ajang Musisi Lokal) di tahun 1997 milik Radio Geronimo 105.8 FM & G-Indie Production di Yogyakarta, dimana program ini adalah program sindikasi radio yang disiarkan oleh hampir 90 radio swasta di tanah air. Ajang Musikal adalah program radio yang menyiarkan lagu-lagu karya sendiri dari band-band lokal yang belum pernah rekaman komersial.

Dalam program ini mereka mendapat respons yang sangat positif, dimana request dari para pendengar untuk lagu karya mereka sendiri yaitu ‘Kita’, menempatkan mereka selama 3 bulan berturut-turut di tangga lagu Ajang Musikal G-Indie 10 pada bulan Maret, April, dan Mei 1997.

Menunjuk pada hal tersebut, "Sheila on 7" mampu untuk merefleksikan dirinya dan menjadikannya sebagai tolak ukur untuk ke jenjang yang lebih atas lagi yakni rekaman komersial. Dengan penuh keyakinan pula, Sheila on 7 memberanikan diri untuk menawarkan demotape serta proposal ke label Sony Music Indonesia, dan akhirnya kesempatan pun datang dengan dikontraknya Sheila on 7 untuk 8 album dengan sistem royalti.

Setelah setiap personilnya sibuk dengan projectnya masing-masing, kini waktunya Sheila on 7 merilis album ke-6 nya yang diberi judul "Menentukan Arah". Album ini merupakan album pertama Sheila on 7 yang digarap tanpa sound engineer. Peluncuran album "Menentukan Arah" ini jug aditandai dengan peluncuran lambang baru Sheila on 7 yang terkesan lebih fresh. Single pertama di album ke-6 ini berjudul "Betapa" yang rilis pada minggu ke dua juni 2008, lagu yang terkesan catchy, simple, tapi melodius, khas Sheila on 7.

Single kedua yang dilempar ke pasaran berjudul "Yang Terlewatkan" dan single ketiga "Mudah Saja" mengingatkan kita akan Sheila on 7 zaman awal-awal kemunculannya. Sheila on 7 telah lahir kembali dan siap memuaskan kerinduan Sheila Gank (sebutan untuk fans-nya) yang lama menunggu.

Discography

1999     Sheila on 7
2000     Kisah Klasik Untuk Masa Depan
2002     07 Des
2004     Pejantan Tangguh
2006     507
2008     Menentukan Arah

The Best Of Sheila On 7

Dan
Sephia
Kita
Buat Aku Tersenyum
Lihat Dengar Rasakan
Waktu Yang Tepat Untuk Berpisah
Kisah Kasih Untuk Masa Depan
Jadikan Aku Pacarmu
Berhenti Berharap (OST 30 Hari Mencari Cinta)
Perhatikan Rani !
Hingga Ujung Waktu
Saat Aku Lanjut Usia
Pejantan Tangguh
Tunjuk Satu Bintang
Bila Kau Tak Disampingku
Melompat Lebih Tinggi
Anugerah Terindah Yang Pernah Kumiliki
Tunggu Aku Di Jakarta
Sahabat Sejati
Pria Kesepian
Seberapa Pantas
Khalyla Song's

Beatles

noreply@blogger.com (Tembang Lawas) — Sun, 06 Mar 2011 04:42:00 +0000

The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. From 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon (rhythm guitar, vocals), Paul McCartney (bass guitar, vocals), George Harrison (lead guitar, vocals) and Ringo Starr (drums, vocals). Rooted in skiffle and 1950s rock and roll, the group later worked in many genres ranging from pop ballads to psychedelic rock, often incorporating classical and other elements in innovative ways. The nature of their enormous popularity, which first emerged as the "Beatlemania" fad, transformed as their songwriting grew in sophistication. The group came to be perceived as the embodiment of progressive ideals, seeing their influence extend into the social and cultural revolutions of the 1960s.

With an early five-piece line-up of Lennon, McCartney, Harrison, Stuart Sutcliffe (bass) and Pete Best (drums), the Beatles built their reputation in Liverpool and Hamburg clubs over a three-year period from 1960. Sutcliffe left the group in 1961, and Best was replaced by Starr the following year. Moulded into a professional outfit by music store owner Brian Epstein after he offered to act as the group's manager, and with their musical potential enhanced by the hands-on creativity of producer George Martin, the Beatles achieved mainstream success in the United Kingdom in late 1962 with their first single, "Love Me Do".

Gaining international popularity over the course of the next year, they toured extensively until 1966, then retreated to the recording studio until their break-up in 1970. Each then found success in an independent musical career. Lennon was shot and killed in 1980, and Harrison died of cancer in 2001. McCartney and Starr remain active.

Formation and early years (1957–1962)
Aged sixteen, singer and guitarist John Lennon formed the skiffle group The Quarrymen with some Liverpool schoolfriends in March 1957. Fifteen-year-old Paul McCartney joined as a guitarist after he and Lennon met that July. When McCartney in turn invited George Harrison to watch the group the following February, the fourteen-year-old joined as lead guitarist. By 1960, Lennon's schoolfriends had left the group, he had begun studies at the Liverpool College of Art and the three guitarists were playing rock and roll whenever they could get a drummer.

Joining on bass in January, Lennon's fellow student Stuart Sutcliffe suggested changing the band name to "The Beetles" as a tribute to Buddy Holly and The Crickets, and they became "The Beatals" for the first few months of the year. After trying other names including "Johnny and the Moondogs", "Long John and The Beetles" and "The Silver Beatles", the band finally became "The Beatles" in August. The lack of a permanent drummer posed a problem when the group's unofficial manager, Allan Williams, arranged a resident band booking for them in Hamburg, Germany.

Before the end of August they auditioned and hired drummer Pete Best, and the five-piece band left for Hamburg four days later, contracted to fairground showman Bruno Koschmider for a 48-night residency. "Hamburg in those days did not have rock'n'roll music clubs. It had strip clubs", says biographer Philip Norman.

Harrison, only 17 years old in August 1960, obtained permission to stay in Hamburg by lying to the German authorities about his age. Initially placing the Beatles at the Indra Club, Koschmider moved them to the Kaiserkeller in October after the Indra was closed down due to noise complaints. When they violated their contract by performing at the rival Top Ten Club, Koschmider reported the underage Harrison to the authorities, leading to his deportation in November.

McCartney and Best were arrested for arson a week later when they set fire to a condom nailed to a wall in their room; they too were deported. Lennon returned to Liverpool in mid-December, while Sutcliffe remained in Hamburg with his new German fiancée, Astrid Kirchherr, for another month. Kirchherr took the first professional photos of the group and cut Sutcliffe's hair in the German "exi" (existentialist) style of the time, a look later adopted by the other Beatles.

During the next two years, the group were resident for further periods in Hamburg. They used Preludin both recreationally and to maintain their energy through all-night performances. Sutcliffe decided to leave the band in early 1961 and resume his art studies in Germany, so McCartney took up bass. German producer Bert Kaempfert contracted what was now a four-piece to act as Tony Sheridan's backing band on a series of recordings. Credited to "Tony Sheridan and The Beat Brothers", the single "My Bonnie", recorded in June and released four months later, reached number 32 in the Musikmarkt chart.

The Beatles were also becoming more popular back home in Liverpool. During one of the band's frequent appearances there at The Cavern Club, they encountered Brian Epstein, a local record store owner and music columnist. When the band appointed Epstein manager in January 1962, Kaempfert agreed to release them from the German record contract. After Decca Records rejected the band with the comment "Guitar groups are on the way out, Mr. Epstein", George Martin signed the group to EMI's Parlophone label. News of a tragedy greeted them on their return to Hamburg in April. Meeting them at the airport, a stricken Kirchherr told them of Sutcliffe's death from a brain haemorrhage.

Magical Mystery Tour, White Album and Yellow Submarine
Magical Mystery Tour, the soundtrack to a forthcoming Beatles television film, appeared as a six-track double extended play disc (EP) in early December 1967. In the United States, the six songs were issued on an identically titled LP that also included tracks from the band's recent singles. Allmusic says of the US Magical Mystery Tour, "The psychedelic sound is very much in the vein of Sgt. Pepper, and even spacier in parts (especially the sound collages of 'I Am the Walrus')", and calls its five songs culled from the band's 1967 singles "huge, glorious, and innovative". It set a new US record in its first three weeks for highest initial sales of any Capitol LP, and it is the one Capitol compilation later to be adopted in the band's official canon of studio albums.

Aired on Boxing Day, the Magical Mystery Tour film, largely directed by McCartney, brought the Beatles their first major negative UK press. It was dismissed as "blatant rubbish" by the Daily Express, which described it as "a great deal of raw footage showing a group of people getting on, getting off, and riding on a bus". The Daily Mail called it "a colossal conceit", while the Guardian labelled it "a kind of fantasy morality play about the grossness and warmth and stupidity of the audience".

It fared so dismally that it was withheld from the US at the time.[156] In January, the group filmed a cameo for the animated movie Yellow Submarine, a fantasia featuring a cartoon version of the Beatles. The group's only other involvement with the film was the contribution of several unreleased studio recordings. Released in June 1968, it was well received for its innovative visual style and humour in addition to its music. It would be seven months, however, before the film's soundtrack album appeared.

After the break-up (1970–present)
Lennon, McCartney, Harrison and Starr all released solo albums in 1970. Further albums followed from each, sometimes with the involvement of one or more of the others. Starr's Ringo (1973) was the only album to include compositions and performances by all four, albeit on separate songs. With Starr's collaboration, Harrison staged The Concert for Bangladesh in New York City in August 1971 with sitar maestro Ravi Shankar. Other than an unreleased jam session in 1974 (later bootlegged as A Toot and a Snore in '74), Lennon and McCartney never recorded together again.

1980s
Lennon was shot and killed on 8 December 1980, in New York City. In a personal tribute, Harrison wrote new lyrics for "All Those Years Ago", a song about his time with the Beatles recorded the month before Lennon's death. With McCartney and his wife, Linda, contributing backing vocals, and Starr on drums, the song was overdubbed with the new lyrics and released as a single in May 1981. McCartney's own tribute, "Here Today", appeared on his Tug of War album in April 1982. In 1987, Harrison's Cloud Nine album included "When We Was Fab", a song about the Beatlemania era.

1990s
Live at the BBC, the first official release of previously unissued Beatles performances in 17 years, appeared in 1994. That same year McCartney, Harrison and Starr reunited for the Anthology project, the culmination of work begun in the late 1960s by Neil Aspinall. Initially the Beatles' road manager, and then their personal assistant, Aspinall began to gather material for a documentary after he became director of Apple Corps in 1968. The Long and Winding Road, as Aspinall provisionally titled his Beatles history, was shelved, but as executive producer for the Anthology project Aspinall was able to complete his work. Documenting the history of the Beatles in the band's own words, the project saw the release of many previously unissued Beatles recordings; McCartney, Harrison and Starr also added new instrumental and vocal parts to two demo songs recorded by Lennon in the late 1970s.

During 1995 and 1996 the project yielded a five-part television series, an eight-volume video set and three two-CD box sets. The two songs based on Lennon demos, "Free as a Bird" and "Real Love", were each released as singles. The CD box sets featured artwork by Klaus Voorman, creator of the Revolver album cover in 1966. The releases were commercially successful and the television series was viewed by an estimated 400 million people worldwide

2000s
a compilation album of every Beatles number one British and American hit, was released on 13 November 2000. It became the fastest-selling album of all time, with 3.6 million sold in its first week and over 12 million in three weeks worldwide. It was a number one chart hit in at least 28 countries, including the UK and the US. As of April 2009, it had sold 31 million copies globally, and is the highest selling album of the decade in the United States.

Harrison died from lung cancer on 29 November 2001. McCartney and Starr were among the musicians who performed at the Concert for George, organized by Eric Clapton and Harrison's widow, Olivia. The tribute event took place at the Royal Albert Hall on the first anniversary of Harrison's death.

As well as songs he composed for the Beatles and his own solo career, the concert included a celebration of Indian classical music, Harrison's interest in which had influenced the band. In 2003, Let It Be... Naked, a reconceived version of the album with McCartney supervising production, was released to mixed reviews. One of the main differences with the original was the omission of the original string-arrangements. It was a top ten hit in both the UK and the US.

Discography
* Please Please Me (1963)
* With The Beatles (1963)
* A Hard Day's Night (1964)
* Beatles for Sale (1964)
* Help! (1965)
* Rubber Soul (1965)
* Revolver (1966)
* Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967)
* The Beatles (aka the White Album) (1968)
* Yellow Submarine (1969)
* Abbey Road (1969)
* Let It Be (1970)

The Best Of Beatles

Let It Be
In My Life
Hey Jude
Here Come The Sun
Accros The Universe
The Revolution
And I Love Her
Yellow Sub Marine
Twist and Shout
A Hard Day's Night
I Wanna Hold Your Hand
Till There Was You
Yesterday
All My Loving
I Saw Her Standing There
I'll Follow The Sun
Don't Let Me Down
Dear Prudence
Something
Penny Lane

FireHouse

noreply@blogger.com (Tembang Lawas) — Sun, 06 Mar 2011 04:40:00 +0000

FireHouse is an American hard rock band formed in Charlotte, North Carolina in 1989. The band reached stardom during the early 1990s with hit singles like "Don't Treat Me Bad" and "All She Wrote", as well as their signature ballads "I Live My Life for You", "Love of a Lifetime", and "When I Look Into Your Eyes". At the 1992 American Music Awards, FireHouse won the award for Best New Hard Rock/Metal Band. They were chosen over Nirvana, Bon Jovi, Scorpions and Alice in Chains.

Despite diminishing success in the United States as the decade progressed, the band remained very popular in Asia, mainly in countries like Japan, Thailand, and Singapore. FireHouse continued to release new material throughout the late 1990s and into the early 2000s, most of which has successfully charted in Japan. The band has also continued to tour internationally as of 2007, having participated twice in the annual Rock Never Stops Tour with other bands of the 1980s. FireHouse is estimated to have sold 7 million albums worldwide since their debut.

Originally composed of vocalist C.J. Snare, guitarist Bill Leverty, guitarist Cosby Ellis, drummer Michael Foster, and bassist Perry Richardson, the band has maintained its original members with the exception of Cosby Ellis, who left the band in 1989 and Richardson, who departed in 2000 due to conflict. Richardson was replaced three times before current bassist Allen McKenzie was given the position in 2004.

History
The band's self-titled debut in 1990, FireHouse, was met with much critical acclaim. The band won the American Music Award for Best New Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Band of 1991, Metal Edge Magazine's Best New Band of 1991, Young Guitar Magazine's Best Newcomer of 1991, and Music Life Magazine's reader's pop poll Best Newcomer of the Year 1992. The band's first album sold over two million copies in the United States, and was certified double platinum by the RIAA. The band's third and most successful single, Love of a Lifetime, reached #5 and sold 500,000 copies. Other singles also charted including Don't Treat Me Bad at #14. The first single from the album, Shake & Tumble, enjoyed success on the radio and brought attention to the band, but it failed to chart. The album went on to become certified Gold in Canada, Singapore, and Japan. The band followed their impressive debut with Hold Your Fire in 1992.

Although not as successful as its predecessor, Hold Your Fire produced three more hit singles and was certified Gold. To date, "Hold Your Fire" has sold over 1 million copies. Singles from Hold Your Fire included "Sleeping with You", "Reach for the Sky", and the ballad "When I Look Into Your Eyes". The latter single became a Top 40 hit in the United States, and in Autumn 1992 the band toured the United Kingdom supporting Status Quo.

For the band's third album, aptly titled 3, they changed producers. Ron Nevison, who had served as producer for Led Zeppelin, Ozzy Osbourne, Europe, Heart, KISS, and many other groups, produced this album. While the band's success had waned in the United States by 3's release in 1995, it brought them more success overseas than ever before. It was certified Gold in several Asian countries, giving the band an opportunity to tour in countries like India and Thailand. The lead single from the album, "I Live My Life for You", was the band's third Top 20 ballad in the United States.

Kenneth JP Locke remarked that despite drastic changes in the industry, FireHouse was the only band of its genre that managed to have a Top 20 hit as late as 1995, without having to make drastic changes to their sound. 3's follow-up, Good Acoustics, was a collection of acoustic arrangements of several of their greatest hits, as well as four new songs. Good Acoustics, produced by the band's guitarist Bill Leverty, went gold in six countries around the world including Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines.

Tracks "In Your Perfect World", "You Are My Religion", and "Love Don't Care" became hits in many Asian countries. After the album's release, the band launched their second tour of Asia which ended in late 1996, which was followed by another tour of Indonesia, Thailand, and Japan in February 1997, including several sold out shows. The band returned to Southeast Asia in July and played an unprecedented 25 city sold out tour of Indonesia.

Originally composed of vocalist C.J. Snare, guitarist Bill Leverty, guitarist Cosby Ellis, drummer Michael Foster, and bassist Perry Richardson, the band has maintained all of its original members with the exception of Cosby Ellis, who left the band in 1989 after co-writing the multi platinum debut recording and was not replaced, and Perry Richardson, who departed in 2000 due to conflict.

Richardson was initially replaced by Bruce Waibel, but Waibel left in 2003 to spend more time with his family. Dario Seixas was brought on board to play bass on the band's 2003 album Prime Time, but he parted ways with the band shortly after the album was released. Current bassist Allen McKenzie was given the position in 2004.

Band Member
Guitarist Bill Leverty and C.J. Snare, have both pursued solo careers, but neither have let their solo projects interfere with the band's studio and touring efforts. Leverty has released three solo albums; Wanderlust in 2004, Southern Exposure in 2007, and Deep South in 2009. When asked if he would ever tour in support of them, he said that it would be "extremely selfish" to do so while putting the band on hold. Snare has commented in several interviews that he is working on a solo album, but such an album has yet to materialize. Drummer Michael Foster has participated in Leverty's solo career by playing drums on both of his albums.

Discography
* FireHouse (1990)
* Hold Your Fire (1992)
* 3 (1995)
* Good Acoustics (1996)
* Category 5 (1998/1999)
* O2 (2000)
* Prime Time (2003)

The Best Of FireHouse

I Live My Life For Your
Here For You
When I Look Into Your Eyes
Love Of Life Time
Victim Of Love
I Need You Now
When I See You Smile
Don't Tread Me Bad
You Are My Religion
In Your Perfect World
Love Don't Care
Dream
Seven Bridges Road
When I Look Into Your Eyes (Accoustic Version)
I Live My Life For You (Accoustic Version)
Love Of Life Time (Accoustic Version)
Here For You (Accoustic Version)
Angel Eyes
How Do You Talk An Angel
Overnight Sensasion
Don't Walk Away
More Than Word Can Say
Love Is a Dangerous Thing

Phil Collins

noreply@blogger.com (Tembang Lawas) — Sun, 06 Mar 2011 04:37:00 +0000

Philip David Charles "Phil" Collins, LVO (born 30 January 1951) is an English singer-songwriter, drummer, keyboardist and actor best known as a drummer and vocalist for English progressive rock group Genesis and as a solo artist.

Phil Collins sang the lead vocals on several chart hits in the United Kingdom and the United States between 1978 and 1994, either as a solo artist or with Genesis. His singles, often dealing with lost love, ranged from the drum-heavy "In the Air Tonight", to the dance pop of "Sussudio", to the political statements of his most successful song, "Another Day in Paradise". His international popularity transformed Genesis from a progressive rock group to a regular on the pop charts and an early MTV mainstay.

Phil Collins professional music career began as a drummer, first with obscure rock group Flaming Youth and then more famously with Genesis. In Genesis, Collins originally supplied backing vocals for front man Peter Gabriel, singing lead on only two songs: "For Absent Friends" from 1971's Nursery Cryme album and "More Fool Me" from Selling England by the Pound, which was released in 1973. Following Gabriel's departure in 1975, Collins became the group's lead singer. As the decade closed, Genesis's first international hit, "Follow You, Follow Me", demonstrated a drastic change from the band's early years.

His concurrent solo career, heavily influenced by his personal life, brought both him and Genesis commercial success. According to Atlantic Records, Collins's total worldwide sales as a solo artist, as of 2002, were 150 million. He has won seven Grammy Awards, an Academy Award, and two Golden Globes for his solo work. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Genesis in 2010.

Collins is one of only three recording artists (along with Paul McCartney and Michael Bolton) who have sold over 100 million albums worldwide both as solo artists and (separately) as principal members of a band. According to Billboard, when his work with Genesis, his work with other artists, as well as his solo career is totalled, Collins has the most top 40 hits on the Billboard charts for the 1980s.

Collins was born in Chiswick, London. He was given a toy drum kit for Christmas when he was five. Later, his uncle Mark Wade made him a makeshift one that he used regularly. As Collins grew older these were followed by more complete sets bought by his parents. He practiced by playing alongside the television and radio, and never learned to read and write conventional musical notation; instead, he uses a system he devised himself.

His professional training began at fourteen when he entered Barbara Speake Stage School. He began a career as a child actor and model, and won his first major role as The Artful Dodger in the London production of Oliver!. He was an extra in The Beatles' A Hard Day's Night – one of hundreds of screaming teenagers during the TV concert sequence and seen fleetingly in a close-up. He was also in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang as one of the children who stormed the castle at the end of the movie but was edited out.

He also auditioned for the role of Romeo in Romeo and Juliet (1968), a role won by fellow "Artful Dodger" actor, Leonard Whiting. Collins was among the last three finalists for the role of "I.Q." on the American children's television show The Bugaloos (he lost out to English actor/musician John McIndoe).

Despite the beginnings of an acting career, Collins continued to gravitate towards music. While attending Chiswick Community School he formed a band called The Real Thing and later joined The Freehold. With the latter group, he wrote his first song titled "Lying Crying Dying".

Collins's first record deal came as drummer for Flaming Youth who released a single album, Ark 2 (1969). A concept album inspired by the recent media attention surrounding the moon landing, Ark 2 (with Ronnie Caryl, Brian Chatton and Gordon (Flash) Smith), failed to make much commercial success despite positive critical reviews. Melody Maker featured the album as "Pop Album of the Month", describing it as "adult music beautifully played with nice tight harmonies".

The album's main single, "From Now On", failed on the radio. After a year of touring, band tensions and the lack of commercial success dissolved the group. In 1970, the 19-year old Collins played percussion on the George Harrison song "The Art of Dying". Harrison credited him in the liner notes to the remastered CD version of the album released in 1989, Collins produced another successful album, ...But Seriously, featuring the anti-homelessness anthem "Another Day in Paradise", with David Crosby on backing vocals. (Collins later went on to co-write, sing and play on the song "Hero" on Crosby's 1993 album Thousand Roads.) "Another Day in Paradise" went to Number 1 on the Billboard Charts at the end of 1989 and won Collins a Grammy for Record of the Year (1990).

In the process, it became the last #1 U.S. pop hit of the 1980s. The album ...But Seriously became the first #1 U.S. album of the 1990s. Other songs included "Something Happened on the Way to Heaven" (#4 U.S., #15 UK), "Do You Remember?" (not released in the UK, but a #4 hit in the U.S.), and "I Wish It Would Rain Down" (the latter featuring Clapton on guitar) (#3 U.S., #7 UK). Songs about apartheid and homelessness demonstrated Collins’s turn to politically-driven material. This theme recurred on his later albums. A live album, Serious Hits... Live!, followed.

Collins’s record sales began to drop with the 1993 release of Both Sides, a largely experimental album that, according to Collins, included songs that "were becoming so personal, so private, I didn't want anyone else's input". Featuring a less polished sound and fewer up-tempo songs than his previous albums, Both Sides was a significant departure. Collins used no backing musicians, performed all the vocal and instrumental parts at his home studio, and used rough vocal takes for the final product. The album was not well received by radio. Its two biggest hits were "Both Sides of the Story" and "Everyday". Collins worked on the album completely independently of his record company, and took them by surprise when he delivered them a completed album that they were unaware he was making.

Phil Collins attempted a return to poppier music with Dance into the Light, which Entertainment Weekly reviewed by saying that "(e)ven Phil Collins must know that we all grew weary of Phil Collins." It included minor hits such as the title track and the Beatles-inspired "It's In Your Eyes". Although the album went Gold in the U.S., it sold considerably less than his previous albums. Only the title track made a brief appearance on Collins’s then forthcoming Hits collection. Despite this, its subsequent tour regularly sold out arenas.

Discography
* Face Value (1981)
* Hello, I Must Be Going! (1982)
* No Jacket Required (1985)
* ...But Seriously (1989)
* Both Sides (1993)
* Dance into the Light (1996)
* Testify (2002)
* Going Back (2010)

The Best Of Phil Collins

You'll Be In My Heart (OST Tarzan)
One More Night
Another Day In Paradise
True Color
Groovy Kind of Love
Separate Lives
Sussudio
Againts All Ods
You Cant Hurry Love
In The Air Tonight
Everyday
All of My Live
Something Happened On The Way Heaven
Dance Into The Light
Both Side on The Story
Two Hearts

The Corrs

noreply@blogger.com (Tembang Lawas) — Sun, 06 Mar 2011 04:34:00 +0000

The Corrs are a Celtic folk rock band from Dundalk, Ireland. The group consists of the Corr siblings: Andrea (lead vocals, tin whistle); Sharon (violin, vocals); Caroline (drums, piano, bodhrán, vocals); and Jim (guitar, piano, vocals).

The Corrs came to international prominence with their performance at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, and their support of Celine Dion on her 1996 Falling into You Tour. Since then, they have released five studio albums and numerous singles, which have reached platinum in many countries. Talk on Corners, their most successful album to date, reached multi-platinum status in Australia and the UK.

The Corrs have been actively involved in philanthropic activities. They have performed in numerous charity concerts such as the Prince's Trust in 2004 and Live 8 alongside Bono in 2005. The same year, they were awarded honorary MBEs for their contributions to music and charity. The Corrs are on hiatus because Jim and Caroline are raising families, while Andrea and Sharon are pursuing solo careers.

History
The Corrs' parents are Gerry Corr, a manager of the payroll department of the Irish Electricity Supply Board, and his wife, Jean, a homemaker, who died in 1999 while waiting for a lung transplant. They raised their family in Dundalk, Ireland. Gerry and Jean performed together as a band called Sound Affair, and often brought their children to their performances, where they played songs by ABBA and the Eagles in local pubs.

With the encouragement of their parents, Jim took guitar lessons, Sharon played the violin and Andrea took up the tin whistle. Caroline did not learn to play the drums until she was 17 and was helped by a boyfriend at the time. They were all taught the piano by their father. Throughout their teenage years the children practiced in Jim's bedroom at a rented house. Andrea sang lead vocals, Sharon played the violin, and Caroline and Jim played the keyboards.

1990–1994: Early commercial success

While Caroline and Andrea were still attending school, Jim and Sharon began playing as a duo, often at their aunt's pub, McManus's. In 1990, Jim and Sharon added their younger siblings, to form a quartet. Their career took off in 1991 when they auditioned for the film The Commitments. Jim, Sharon, and Caroline each had small parts as musicians, while Andrea had a speaking part as Sharon Rabbitte. John Hughes noticed them when they auditioned for the movie, and agreed to become their manager.

In 1994, the American ambassador to Ireland, Jean Kennedy Smith, invited them to perform at the 1994 FIFA World Cup in Boston after seeing them play a gig at Whelan's Music Bar in Dublin. After an appearance at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia, United States, The Corrs joined Celine Dion's worldwide Falling into You Tour as a supporting act.

1995 — 1999: International fame

Jason Flom, Atlantic Records's head of A&R, recommended that they meet with David Foster, a Canadian musician, producer, composer and arranger. The Corrs played live for Foster and he agreed to sign them to Atlantic Records. They extended their stay in the US for over five months to record their debut album, Forgiven, Not Forgotten. Forgiven, Not Forgotten featured six instrumental selections among its Celtic-influenced tracks. The album sold well in Ireland, Australia, Japan, Norway and Spain. Major success in the US and the UK, however, was not immediately forthcoming. Eventually, the album reached platinum status in the UK and Australia, and quadruple platinum in Ireland, making it one of the most successful debuts by an Irish group.

The Corrs' next album, 1997's Talk On Corners, was produced by Glen Ballard, who was respected for his collaboration with Alanis Morissette. The Corrs also collaborated with Carole Bayer Sager, Oliver Leiber, Rick Nowels, and Billy Steinberg. The album met with lukewarm responses and was only successful in Ireland.

The Corrs performed a special remixed version of the tracks from their first two albums in a televised St. Patrick's Day appearance at London's Royal Albert Hall in 1998. After the performance, the band re-released Talk on Corners, with new remixes of "What Can I Do?", "So Young" and "Runaway". The special edition topped the charts worldwide, and again reached multi-platinum status in the UK and Australia.

In June 1998, The Corrs participated in the Pavarotti and Friends for the Children of Liberia charity concert. The concert was held in Modena, Italy and was hosted by Luciano Pavarotti. Other performers included Jon Bon Jovi, Céline Dion, Spice Girls and Stevie Wonder. The concert aimed to raise money to build the Pavarotti and Friends Liberian Children's Village, to provide refuge for children in Liberia.

The following year, The Corrs received a BRIT Award for Best International Band. They performed live on MTV's Unplugged on 5 October 1999 at Ardmore Studios, Co. Wicklow, Ireland. The resulting CD and DVD sold 2.7 million copies and featured live performances of previously released songs, plus a new song, "Radio", later featured on their third album, In Blue.

Philanthropy

The Corrs have been active in supporting charitable and philanthropic causes and disaster relief. In 1996, the Corrs participated in the Pavarotti and Friends for the Children of Liberia charity concert. The concert was held in Modena, Italy and was hosted by Luciano Pavarotti. Among the other participating artists were Jon Bon Jovi, Natalie Cole, Pino Daniele, Céline Dion, Mariah Carrey , Tommy Page, Spice Girls, Vanessa L. Williams, Stevie Wonder, Richard Marx and Air Supply. The concert raised money that was used to build the Pavarotti and Friends Liberian Children's Village and to provide a refuge for orphans in Liberia during the civil war. The Corrs, along with Sinéad O'Connor, Van Morrison, Boyzone, Westlife, U2 and Enya held a charity concert in 1998, to raise money for the victims of the Omagh bombing in Northern Ireland.

The Corrs' mother, Jean, died in Freeman Hospital in Newcastle, England. The Corrs showed their appreciation to the hospital by performing a one-off charity concert, held in 2001 at the Telewest Arena; it raised more than £100,000. The money was used to extend the William Leech Centre of the hospital, which is dedicated to research into lung treatment. The city of Newcastle presented them a limited edition painting of Tyneside's quayside in return.

Personel

The Corrs are four siblings: Andrea Corr (lead vocals, tin whistle); Sharon Corr (violin, vocals); Caroline Corr (drums, piano, bodhrán, vocals); and Jim Corr (guitar, keyboards, vocals). After the release of Forgiven Not Forgotten in late 1995, Anthony Drennan (lead guitar, Dobro) and Keith Duffy (bass guitar, percussion) joined the lineup for their first national tour of Ireland. Both Drennan and Duffy subsequently became permanent members of the touring ensemble and all subsequent recordings. Due to Caroline Corr's absence due to pregnancy for much of their 2004 Borrowed Heaven Tour, Jason Duffy (drums and percussion) the brother of bass player Keith was the replacement drummer.

They had numerous producers working for their albums, using differing styles. For Forgiven, Not Forgotten they enlisted David Foster. They recruited Glen Ballard to produce Talk on Corners. Mutt Lange produced In Blue, Olle Romo produced Borrowed Heaven, and Home was produced by Mitchell Froom. Froom also produced The Corrs Unplugged.

Discography

* 1995: Forgiven Not Forgotten

* 1997: Talk on Corners

* 1997: The Corrs - Live

* 1999: The Corrs Unplugged

* 2000: In Blue

* 2004: Borrowed Heaven

* 2005: Home

The Best Of The Corrs

Runaway
What Can I Do To Make You Love Me
Only When I Sleep
Breathless
Everybody Hurt (Unplugged Version)
Don't Say You Love Me
Radio (Unplugged Version)
Toss The Feathers
Lough Erin Shore
What Can I Do (Unplugged Version)
Sweet Angel
So Young
Queen Of Hollywood

Scorpions

noreply@blogger.com (Tembang Lawas) — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 10:32:00 +0000

The Scorpions are a German heavy metal hard rock band from Hannover, Germany, known for their 1980s rock anthem "Rock You Like a Hurricane" and their singles "No One Like You", "Send Me an Angel, "Still Loving You", and "Wind of Change". The band was ranked #46 on VH1's Greatest Artists of Hard Rock program. "Rock You Like a Hurricane" is also #18 on VH1's list of the 100 Greatest Hard Rock Songs. On January 24, 2010, after 45 years of performing, the band announced that they will be retiring after touring in support of their new album Sting in the Tail. The Scorpions sold between 100 and 150 million albums worldwide.

Formation and early history (1965-1973)
Rudolf Schenker, the band's rhythm guitarist launched the band in 1965. At first, the band had beat influences and Schenker himself did the vocals. Things began to come together in 1969 when Schenker's younger brother Michael and vocalist Klaus Meine joined the band. In 1972, the group recorded and released their debut album Lonesome Crow, with Lothar Heimberg on bass and Wolfgang Dziony on drums. During the Lonesome Crow tour, the Scorpions opened for upcoming British band UFO. Near the end of the tour, the members of UFO offered guitarist Michael Schenker the lead guitar job, an offer which he soon accepted. Uli Roth, a friend of the Schenker brothers, was then called in temporarily to finish off the tour.

The departure of Michael Schenker led to the breakup of the band. In 1973, Uli Roth, who had helped the Scorpions complete the Lonesome Crow tour, was offered the role as lead guitarist, but turned the band down, preferring instead to remain in the band Dawn Road. Rudolf Schenker eventually decided that he wanted to work with Roth, but did not want to resurrect the last The Scorpions lineup.

He attended some of Dawn Road's rehearsals and ultimately decided to join the band, which consisted of Roth, Francis Buchholz (bass), Achim Kirschning (keyboards) and Jürgen Rosenthal (drums). Roth and Buchholz persuaded Rudolf Schenker to invite Klaus Meine to join on vocals, which he soon did. While there were more members of Dawn Road than Scorpions in the band, they decided to use the Scorpions name because it was well-known in the German hard rock scene and an album had been released under that name.

Rise to fame (1974-1978)
In 1974 the new line-up of Scorpions released Fly to the Rainbow. The album proved to be more successful than Lonesome Crow and songs such as "Speedy's Coming" and the title track began to establish the band's sound. Achim Kirschning decided to leave after the recordings. Soon after, Jürgen Rosenthal had to leave as he was being drafted into the army. Later, in 1976, he would join a German progressive rock band called Eloy and record three albums with them. He was replaced by a Belgian drummer, Rudy Lenners.

In 1975 the band hit their stride with the release of In Trance, which marked the beginning of Scorpions' long collaboration with German producer Dieter Dierks. The album was a huge step forward for Scorpions and firmly established their hard rock formula, while at the same time garnering a substantial fan base, both at home and abroad. Cuts such as "Dark Lady", "Robot Man" and the title track are still considered classics by fans today.

In 1976, The Scorpions released Virgin Killer. The album's cover featured a nude prepubescent girl covered with broken glass. The cover art was designed by Stefan Bohle who was the product manager for RCA Records, their label at the time. The cover brought the band considerable criticism and was pulled or replaced in several countries. Despite the controversy, the album itself garnered significant praise for its music from critics and fans alike.

The following year, Rudy Lenners resigned due to health reasons and was replaced by Herman Rarebell. For the follow-up Taken by Force, RCA Records made a determined effort to promote the album in stores and on the radio. The album's single, "Steamrock Fever", was added to some of RCA's radio promotional records. Roth was not happy with the commercial direction the band was taking.

Although he performed on the band's Japan tour, he departed to form his own band, Electric Sun prior to the release of the resultant double live album Tokyo Tapes. Tokyo Tapes was released in the US and Europe six months after its Japanese release. By that time in mid 1978, after auditioning around 140 guitarists, Scorpions recruited new guitarist Matthias Jabs.

Commercial success (1979-1991)
Following the addition of Jabs, Scorpions left RCA for Mercury Records in the States and Harvest/EMI Electrola worldwide to record their next album Lovedrive. Just weeks after being ejected from UFO for his alcohol abuse, Michael Schenker also returned to the group for a short period during the recordings for the album. This gave the band three guitarists (though Schenker's contribution to the final release was limited to only three songs). The result was Lovedrive, an album which some critics consider to be the pinnacle of their career. Containing such fan favourites as "Loving You Sunday Morning", "Always Somewhere", "Holiday" and the instrumental "Coast to Coast", the 'Scorpions formula' of hard rock songs mixed with melodic ballads was firmly cemented. The album's provocative artwork was named "Best album sleeve of 1979" by Playboy magazine though it was ultimately changed for American release. Lovedrive peaked at #55 on the US charts proving that Scorpions were gathering an international following.

After the completion and release of the album, the band decided to retain Michael in the band, thus forcing Jabs to leave. However after a few weeks of the tour, Michael, still coping with alcoholism, missed a number of gigs and at one point collapsed on stage and Jabs was brought back to fill in for him on those occasions when he could not perform. In April, 1979, during their tour in France, Jabs was brought in permanently to replace Michael.

It was not until 1984 and the release of Love at First Sting that the band finally cemented their status as rock superstars. Propelled by the single "Rock You Like a Hurricane", Love at First Sting climbed the charts and went double platinum in the USA a few months after its release. However, The Scorpions did manage to stir up controversy once again with their provocative album cover. This time it was a Helmut Newton photograph of a man kissing a woman while at the same time tattooing her exposed thigh. Some stores deemed the cover too provocative and refused to sell the album. MTV gave the album's videos "Rock You Like a Hurricane", "Bad Boys Running Wild", "Big City Nights", and the power ballad "Still Loving You" significant airtime, greatly contributing to the album's success.

The channel even supplied Scorpions with the nickname "The Ambassadors of Rock". The band toured extensively behind Love at First Sting and decided to record and release their second live album, World Wide Live in 1985. Recorded over a year-long world tour and released at the height of their popularity, the album was another success for the band, peaking at #14 in the charts in the US and at #18 in the UK.

Later days (1992-2009)
In 1993, The Scorpions released Face the Heat. Bass was handled by Ralph Rieckermann. For the recording process, Scorpions brought in producer Bruce Fairbairn. The album's sound was more metal than melodic and divided the band's fan base somewhat. Many "headbangers" responded positively to the album while many longtime fans were put off. Neither the hard rock single "Alien Nation" nor the ballad "Under The Same Sun" came close to matching the success of "Wind of Change". Face the Heat was a moderate success.

New album and retirement (2010-present)
As of November 2009, Scorpions have announced that their 17th studio album, Sting in the Tail, is tentatively due in early 2010. The CD is being recorded at a studio in Hannover with Swedish producers Mikael "Nord" Andersson and Martin Hansen.

On January 24, 2010, the band announced that Sting in the Tail will be their last album and that the tour supporting it will be their final tour. Dokken was going to open for them but after a dispute, Dokken canceled. The tour is expected to end in 2012 or 2013.

Discography
* Lonesome Crow (1972)
* Fly to the Rainbow (1974)
* In Trance (1975)
* Virgin Killer (1976)
* Taken by Force (1977)
* Lovedrive (1979)
* Animal Magnetism (1980)
* Blackout (1982)
* Love at First Sting (1984)
* Savage Amusement (1988)
* Crazy World (1990)
* Face the Heat (1993)
* Pure Instinct (1996)
* Eye II Eye (1999)
* Unbreakable (2004)
* Humanity: Hour I (2007)
* Sting in the Tail (2010)

The Best Of Scorpions

Still Loving You
Wind of Change
Always Somewhere
Holyday (Accoustic Version)
Wind of Change (Accoustic Version)
Rock You Like a Hurrycane
Under The Same Sun (OST On Deadly Ground)
Holyday
Send Me an Angel
Still Loving You (Accoustic Version)
No one Like You
Lonely Night
Here I am
Wind of Change
When The Smoke Is Going Down
Moment of Glory
Big City Night
You and I
Sting in The Tail (2010)
Hate To Be Nice

Source : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scorpions

Aqua

noreply@blogger.com (Tembang Lawas) — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 09:57:00 +0000

Aqua is a Danish-Norwegian dance-pop group, best known for their 1997 breakthrough single "Barbie Girl". The group formed in 1989 and achieved huge success across the globe in the late 1990s and early 2000s. The group managed to top the UK Singles Chart with their first three singles. The group released two albums: Aquarium in 1997 and Aquarius in 2000, before splitting up in July 2001. The group sold an estimated 33 million albums and singles, making them the most successful Danish band ever.

In their prime, Aqua's singles managed to chart top ten in a number of countries where continental European pop acts would not normally succeed, including the United States, Australia, and Japan. The group also caused controversy with the double entendres in their "Barbie Girl" single, with the Barbie doll makers Mattel filing a lawsuit against the group. The lawsuit was finally dismissed by a judge in 2002, who ruled "The parties are advised to chill".

The band's members are vocalists Lene Nystrøm and René Dif, guitarist Søren Rasted, and keyboardist Claus Norreen. During their split, Nystrøm, Dif and Rasted have all achieved solo chart success, and Norreen has continued in the music industry remixing other artists' material.

At a press event on Friday, October 26, 2007, the group announced a reunion tour, as well as the release of a compilation album featuring new material. In December 2008, it was announced Aqua would have three concerts in 2009.

1989–1994: Early days
Aqua's history together dates back to 1989. They were originally called Joyspeed. Claus Norreen and Søren Rasted met in 1989, and throughout the early 1990s, they started writing songs together. At that time, René Dif was working in Holland as a club DJ, and Søren and jonfar were both starting out as producers. Søren Rasted and Claus Norreen had won a contest and were hired to produce a soundtrack. For some of the songs they hired René Dif. The three were brought in to make part of the soundtrack for a little-known film titled Frække Frida og de frygtløse spioner.

1994–early 1997: First three singles, and rise to fame
The recording of the soundtrack began in 1993, and after getting along well, decided that they will work together again on a future project. A few months after the film was released in 1994, René Dif spotted Lene Nystrøm singing on the Norwegian Norway–Denmark ferry, M/S Peter Wessel. He then approached her and hired her as the lead singer of Joyspeed, later renamed Aqua. In addition, Beck Luween was part of the original Joyspeed lineup, playing the triangle, but she left the group after a very short time due to the excessive demand for her talents.

The formation of Joyspeed was on the basis that both Claus and Søren would do the production for the group, with René Dif rapping and Lene Nystrøm performing the main vocals. A small Swedish record label signed them in 1994, and their very first single "Itzy Bitzy Spider" was released in Sweden. The single failed to become popular and after one week at the lower end of the Swedish charts it disappeared completely. The four were disappointed and canceled their contract with the record label (although the label wanted to keep the group on for further releases).

With a new manager and no record deal, the group started over, and began to develop their famous bubblegum pop sound. The four began to produce and write melodic, catchy European pop songs, attracting the attention of major label Universal Music Denmark. They renamed themselves Aqua, choosing the name seen on a poster for an aquarium in their dressing room, and eventually accepted Universal Music Denmark's offer of a recording contract in 1996.

The group's first release under their new name was "Roses Are Red", a dance song with a distinct pop sound. It was released in Denmark in September 1996, and was expected to break into the Danish top ten. The single far surpassed all expectations set by the label, though, and stayed in the charts for over two months, eventually selling enough copies to be certified platinum. The success of the single was further proven when Aqua received a nomination for "Best Danish Dance Act", although the group did not win.

Early 1997: Debut album
Aqua released their debut album Aquarium in Denmark on March 26, 1997. The album contained 11 tracks, including their first two singles and their then upcoming third single "Barbie Girl". Universal Music Group had by now begun to market the group in other countries, releasing "Roses Are Red" in Japan in February 1997 and in various countries across Europe in late 1996. The single had proven popular everywhere it was sold, convincing Universal that the group should not just focus on the Danish market, but instead on the general European market.

Aqua released their third single "Barbie Girl" in May 1997. The song, at first glance, appears to be about the popular children's doll Barbie. However, at second glance, the song contains several sexual overtones, such as " You can brush my hair, undress me everywhere," "You can touch, you can play," "and "I'm a blonde bimbo girl". This caused some controversy upon its release in Denmark, but despite the controversy and perhaps partly due to it, it still sold well and easily made number one in the charts. The song was so popular that was played regularly on radio stations which didn't air dance music.

Universal Music decided to ignore complaints about the double meanings in "Barbie Girl", and successfully released the single across the world in September 1997 and October 1997. The release was highly successful, making number one in the United Kingdom for four weeks, in Australia for three weeks, and even managing to make the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100, something rarely achieved at the time by European pop acts. The song and group became a household name overnight, although to most of the world were instantly written off as a one-hit wonder. The double meanings in "Barbie Girl" caused the expected controversy, with many complaints aimed at Universal for releasing the track.

1997–1999: The "Aquarium Age"
Aqua's follow-up to "Barbie Girl" in Canada and the United Kingdom was "Doctor Jones", although another single, "Lollipop (Candyman)", was released in the United States through MCA Records. "Doctor Jones" entered at number one in several countries, including the United Kingdom, where it stayed at the top spot for two weeks, and Australia, where it spent seven weeks at #1. "Lollipop (Candyman)" did not fare as well in the USA, performing poorly in comparison to "Barbie Girl". However the song peaked at #3 in Australia. In Japan both songs were released as a double-A side, and achieved reasonable success in the singles chart.

"Doctor Jones" was followed up by "Turn Back Time", a song which proved to be accepted well by both Aqua fans and critics. The song, unlike all other previous releases, dropped the bubblegum pop sound in favour of a slow, mainstream rhythm. The song was featured on the soundtrack to the film Sliding Doors, and unlike many other Aqua releases achieved a large amount of radio and video airplay. The song became their third single to make it to number one in the United Kingdom.

As of 2005, only a handful of other artists have managed to achieve that kind of initial success in the UK (acts that have included Westlife and the Spice Girls). Elsewhere, the song also performed well, including reaching #10 in Australia, however it would not be a huge success in the US and thus marked the end of Aqua's involvement Stateside.

"My Oh My", Aqua's second Danish single was resurrected in August 1998. The single was also released in several other European countries where it had not been released initially. Following the release of "Good Morning Sunshine", Aqua decided to concentrate on their second album, and on touring around in Australia, to very moderate success, and marked the end of a period Aqua's fans dubbed the "Aquarium age". The group also released a documentary on 1 December 1998 containing several live performances of songs from the Aquarium album and interviews with the members.

Musical style
Aqua was musically influenced by the eurodance genre that was popular in Europe, Oceania and South America in the 1990s. They were also influenced by bands such as Air Suppy, Ace of Base, New Kids on The Block and Roxette. The style of eurodance was dance music with a female singer and a male rapper. Aqua followed a more traditional verse-chorus structure. Usually, the verse would consist of Lene starting and finishing, while René would sing in the middle. Aqua are best known for the dance tracks such as "Barbie Girl", "Doctor Jones", "Lollipop (Candyman)" and "My Oh My".

Although they also made slower tracks such as "Turn Back Time", "Good Morning Sunshine" and "We Belong to the Sea". These tracks do not belong to the general bubblegum pop genre. There is also differences between the first album Aquarium and the second album Aquarius. Aquarium had many similar tracks whereas Aquarius experimented with acoustic instruments and genres like country and Latin music. At the end of the 1990s the interest for eurodance music was dropping. Aqua's second album, Aquarius, which was released in 2000, was therefore not as well timed as the first one.

The average length for the tracks on Aquarium is 3:43. This is also a characteristic of pop music. Unreleased songs include "Wow, Wow, Wow", "Shakin' Stevens (Is a Superstar)", "Couch Potato", "Hi-Fi Stereo", and "Here Comes the Birds" from Grøn Koncert 2001.

Singles Album :
* "Itsy Bitsy Spider" (1995) (under Joyspeed name)
* "Roses are Red" (1996)
* "My Oh My" (1997)
* "Barbie Girl" (1997)
* "Didn't I" (1997) (promo only)
* "Doctor Jones" (1997)
* "Lollipop (Candyman)" (1997)
* "Turn Back Time" (1998)
* "Good Morning Sunshine" (1998)
* "Cartoon Heroes" (2000)
* "Around The World" (2000)
* "Bumble Bees" (2000)
* "We Belong to the Sea" (2001)
* "Back to the 80's" (2009)
* "My Mamma Said" (2009)
* "Spin Me a Christmas" (2009)

The Best Of Aqua

Barbie Girl
My Oh My
Doctor Jones
Turn Back Time
Back To 80s
Cartoon Heroes
Butterfly
Boom Boom Boom
Candyman (Lollypop)
Around The World
Happy Boys and Girls
My Mama Said
Good Morning Sunshine

Source : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aqua_(band)

Michael Learns To Rock

noreply@blogger.com (Tembang Lawas) — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 09:54:00 +0000

Michael Learns to Rock (also known as MLTR) is a Danish soft rock/pop rock band that performs songs in English. It was formed in 1988 and has sold over 10 million records worldwide, mainly in Asia. It has produced seven studio albums as well as several live and greatest hits albums. The band has attributed its success in Asia to a clean-living image and singing in English as a second language, and the fact that their lyrics are relatively easy to learn and sing.

According to their record label releases, their sound is "the perfect balance of [a Scandinavian glow and the international pop song] that has been instrumental in forming the compelling sound of the band", though the lead singer and song writer Jascha Richter disagrees with this, maintaining that the music defies geographical categorization.History

Michael Learns to Rock (1987-1992) In 1987, the singer-keyboardist Jascha Richter and drummer Kåre Wanscher were high school students in Aarhus, Denmark, when they saw guitarist Mikkel Lentz with his group the Rocking Studs and asked him to form a band. A year later Søren Madsen joined, playing bass.

The group debuted in Aarhus in May 1988 and later entered the city's annual talent show that year. The band won and hurriedly had to come up with a name. In an interview Richter admitted that it was named after Michael Jackson: "Yeah, it was like Johnny Hates Jazz and Frankie Goes to Hollywood. Sure, I've regretted calling ourselves this many times since, but we were successful so quickly we had to stick with it and over time I got used to it."

A member of the contest jury, J.P. Andersen, became the band's manager. Michael Learns to Rock played live but did not release its eponymous debut album, Michael Learns to Rock, until September 1991. A single from the album, "The Actor," topped the Danish chart and also did well in Norway, Sweden, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines.

Paint My Love & Nothing to Lose (1993-1999)

In 1993, Michael Learns to Rock released Colours which sold over 1 million records. The album included the singles "Sleeping Child," "25 Minutes" and "Out of the Blue". It also toured Asia for the first time. Two years later Michael Learns to Rock's third album, Played On Pepper came out, also selling more than 1 million units, and the group played 25 shows in 10 countries. Tracks on this album included "That's Why (You Go Away)" and "Someday."

The greatest hits album "Paint My Love" was released in 1996 and sold 3.4 million copies. The band was also chosen as the headliner for the "Celebrate Hong Kong" concert on July 6, 1997, marking the transfer of Hong Kong from the United Kingdom to China. Their fourth studio album, Nothing To Lose, was released in September 1997.

Soon after, Michael Learns to Rock's members took a break to spend time with their families and develop projects on their own or in collaboration with other artists. They also decided to rebrand the band under the simpler name of MLTR. During the lay-off, Richter wrote some new songs for the band, including "Strange Foreign Beauty" which was added to the 1999 greatest hits album "Greatest Hits - Strange Foreign Beauty". This album featured their previous hits, either remixed or refined in some way or the other.

Take Me To Your Heart/ Michael Learns to Rock (2000-2006)
In 2000, Søren Madsen decided to leave the group, to embark on a solo career. The three remaining members carried on and produced the album Blue Night, which almost went platinum in Denmark and sold well in Asia, logging in sales of close to one million. The following year saw the release of the MLTR biography, "Something You Should Know", authored by Poul Martin-Bonde, along with a few previously unreleased recordings. The English translation of the book was called "It Never Rains On Bali", a reference to an incident that took place during the band's 1995 Bali concert, where a no-rain forecast proved wrong and the unexpected rain indeed did stop the concert.

After the release of "Blue Night", the band took a prolonged hiatus, with Jascha Richter branching out to work on his solo album, "Planet Blue". Jascha and the band later admitted that they even considered disbanding during this time. They ultimately decided against it, following the success of their greatest hits album releases, including "19 Love Songs / Love Ballads" in 2002. By 2004, the band regrouped again for their sixth album, called "Michael Learns to Rock", released in Asia as "Take Me To Your Heart". At the same time, they decided to change their name once again, reverting from MLTR back to the original Michael Learns to Rock.

The album "Take Me To Your Heart" focused on the Asian market. The single "Take Me To Your Heart" was a remake of Jacky Cheung's "Goodbye Kiss", and was popular in China, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Thailand and Taiwan. MLTR sang an English and Chinese duet of "Take Me To Your Heart" with Chinese singer Hu Yanbin at a 2005 New Year's Party in Guangzhou, China. The band also did a duet of the song with South Korean star Shin Hye-sung, of boy band Shinhwa. This album has been one of the major successes of MLTR in Asia, especially China.

The Best of Live album & Eternity (2007 - Present)
In 2007, MLTR released "The Best of Michael Learns to Rock Live" and in July toured Hong-Kong, Taiwan, Thailand and Malaysia. Elsewhere, this album was released as "The Live Musical Adventures of Michael Learns to Rock/ I Walk This Road Alone", and featured live recordings from their Take Me To Your Heart Asian Tour, mainly from the September 2005 concerts in India.

In November 2008, MLTR released their seventh studio album titled Eternity under their own independent label, MLTR Music, in association with the Danish label At:tack. The band mention on their website that the name is an indication of the fact that "the band plan to make music for as long as they still find joy in the process". Although the sales were slow (admittedly, according to the band), the second single from the album, "Sweetest Surprise", reached No. 1 in Thailand within a few weeks of release.

In the following year, another track "It's Gonna Make Sense" gained popularity in Asia after it was played as the farewell song on the Philippines reality TV show Pinoy Big Brother. The song's intro almost resembles that of Avril Lavigne's My Happy Ending. The promotion of the album took MLTR on the Eternity South East Asia Tour, the response to which, the band declare, has led them to consider playing more concerts abroad (This is mentioned on their official website).

As of June 2010, the band have completed touring their home-country, Denmark, having played unplugged concerts in the months of February & March, with fair success. In a blog dated April 13 2010 on the band's website, the band announced that they have started working on their next album. The band shall set out on a three-city tour of India playing shows at Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore to promote the latest album Eternity. More Unplugged shows in Denmark and possibly, in China, are lined up on the band's schedule for the later part of the year.

Singles Hits
1992     The Actor"
1993     Sleeping Child"
1995     Someday"
            That's Why (You Go Away)
1997     Paint My Love
            Breaking My Heart
            Nothing to Lose
2000     You Took My Heart Away

The Best Of Michael Learns To Rock

Paint My Love
Breaking My Heart
Complicated Heart
Take Me To Your Heart
It's Make Gonna Sense
25 Minute
Someday
That's Way (Yo Go Away)
Nothing to Lose
Sleeping Child
The Actor
Love Will Never Lie
You Took My Heart
Wild Women
Eternal Flame
I'm Gonna Be Around
Strange For The Beauty
Breaking The Rules
I Still Carry On
Out of The Blue
Romantic Balcony
How Many Hour
Paint My Love (Accoustic Version)

Source : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Learns_to_Rock

Kla Project

noreply@blogger.com (Tembang Lawas) — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 09:28:00 +0000

Beginning in 1988, in Tebet, South Jakarta area, a group of young men began existence at the music of Indonesia. they are the Katon, Lilo, Adi and Ari. More than a Decade of them be creative in creating lyrics and melodies that has spawned new nuances in the map of Indonesian pop music. KLa Project better known as an innovative band that could not be separated from the menus with a string of lyrics and poetic words laden with meaning. Musical colors KLa Project as outlined in a song always has to be more digestible solid meal. Strength lyrics of the songs KLa was not felt in one gulp. Will feel strong when we hear repeatedly of their work.

KLa name and logo - the letter 'K', 'L' is written with a capital letter and 'a' with a lowercase letter, containing the meaning of the initials of calls from members of this group of personnel. K = Katon (Katon Bagaskara), L = Lilo (Romulo Radjadin), and a = Adi (Adi Adrian). At 'a' with a small letter because in the history of Burhani Ari (Ari) have joined in this group. PROJECT themselves have the sense that this group is open to vocalists, musicians and programmers who support the claim KLa Project itself. Logo overall KLa PROJECT backed by trapezoid. Until now only three of them are still playing music. I

In concert they are a lot of support from musicians both inside and outside the country musician. Songs and Albums - The songs are sung by the band KLa Project is the theme of love, the environment, and a love of the homeland. Can be seen in his song entitled, Yogyakarta, What Do I to Love, White Sand and Till whitened bones. If we are observant, the selection of titles for each song was always their priority. So no wonder if the words that they felt closer to revealing and often even increase vocabulary repertoire of the Indonesian language.

KLa has successfully entered into the literary elements of Indonesian pop music. Similarly in music, our ears are often introduced with the sound of the tone and rhythm symbols represent moods. Already completed the music they lantunkan alloys. Up to this time have released eight albums, titled: KLa Project (1989), this is their first album. "Tentang Kita", a song that never hits, was released in 1988 tells of a man and woman relationship. In their garapannya assisted by Fransisca Insani (Sisca) as female vocalist.

Their last appearance together at a time when events in the Joint KLa Project Indosiar, tgl. February 23, 1999, The broadcast is 'Live' from the studio Indosiar. They seemed to come back in the rhythm rhythm bernostalgi they bring, Tentang Kita ....

KLa "Kedua" Project (1990). BASF's award winning album in 1991 Award for Best-Selling Albums in category "Techno Pop". Hitsnya song is "Yogyakarta", is a city near Central Java) with the theme carried away memories of someone who is romantic city of Yogyakarta. Illustrative bodied drum intro that was delivered as a painting of marching a carriage, a typical vehicle of Yogyakarta city. And this song is a monumental song they've ever made. And Got an award from Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono X for copyrighted works song "YOGYAKARTA" White Sand (1991).

With the song hits, "Tak Bisa Pindah Ke Lain Hati" that have been honored as the most popular songs for Contemporary Pop category. And this is where we can recognize more familiar KLa Project and care with the environment, White Sand Beach. And this name is used as the title of their album this time. Ungu (1994) is the first album without Ari. With hits "Terpurukku Disini." their uniqueness in music looks more mature in this song. Melancholy in this song disguised by the intro that was delivered by David Rockefeller with a muted horn instrument. Screeching high note ending trumpet as a symbol of a heart screams and cries, organized as an anticlimax which then filled the vowel sound in a low tone.

V (1995) is fifth with hits album "Romansa". KLaKustik - This is one of Indonesian history in the music world because it is very rare recording of a musical group directly as that in doing KLa Project. This event took place on March 11, 1996 at Gedung Kesenian Jakarta. Guest stars are coloring Budhy Haryono-drummer, Danny-bass Supit, Edi Kemput-guitarist-percussionist Adjierao, Hendri Lamiri-Violin, Neta, Vivi Subono, Joko Bakti, Andre Manika and Fransisca Insani-backing vocals. A month later they were in presenting the show to television and approximately seven months later they released a cassette album.

KLakustik # 1 (1996) is the sixth album recorded live at Gedung Kesenian Jakarta, March 11, 1996, which brought almost all the songs they've ever made only concern this time with the touch of unplugged music. The new song which they bring is the "Drizzle" and "Friends of compliments."

KLakustik # 2 (1996) is a continuation of the first KLakustik first album. Synthesis (1998), is his seventh album, which became a barometer of music in Indonesia. Many fans are asking the flow of pop music KLa little changed from the usually after they rely on "Sudi Turun Ke Bumi" as the song mainstay. But KLanis launched treated with a second hit "Saujana" in the map of Indonesian music. Saujana means vision, which takes the theme of the Indonesian state conditions, in order to continue to have the foresight.

Classic (1999) album-8. In the process of this album, they are more open to compromise in making the album presented to the audience listeners (KLanis). Seen from the beginning of the process of making songs, lyrics and concepts that they watch as the key to the explosion of this album. Moments awaited new fans would KLanis and is a proof that the work of KLa Project is not common.

In March 2001, Lilo turns out from this band. However KLa keep going despite only leaving Gil and Adi. Then in 2003, KLa decided to add three new personnel, namely Erwin Prasetya, Yoel Vai and Hari Goro. Their names were changed to NuKLa. NuKLa had released one album in 2004 entitled "New Chapter".

In 2006, Erwin Prasetya NuKLa decided to exit because of differences in vision. Shortly thereafter, stating that NuKLa Katon renamed back into KLa Project. One reason is the difficulty of changing the image of the old becomes new KLa. At the beginning of the year 2009, KLa do a reunion album with KLa Returns marked the launch of three members of their original: Katon, Lilo, and Adi. Some members of KLa Project also his solo career. Katon has released six albums, Adi scored two albums, one album and a new Lilo.

Discografi

1989 - KLa
1990 - Kedua
1992 - Pasir Putih
1994 - Ungu
1995 - Kelima
1996 - KLakustik
1998 - Sintesa
2000 - Klasik
2004 - New Chapter (sebagai NuKLa)
2009 - KLa Returns

The Best of Kla Project

Yogyakarta
Tak Bisa Pindah Ke Lain Hati
Terpurukku Disini
Semoga
Tentang Kita
Belahan Jiwa
Pasir Putih
Kidung Mesra
Menjemput Impian
Bantu Aku
Lagu Baru
Romansa
Waktu Tersisa
Baiknya
Meski Tlah Jauh
Laguku
Satu Kayu Berdua
Seandainya
Saujana
Semoga
Anak Dara
Pasangan Jiwa
Lepaskan
Yogyakarta (Accoustic Version)
Salamku Sahabat (Accoustic Version)
Waktu Tersisa (Accoustic Version)
Gerimis (Accoustic Version)

Air Supply

noreply@blogger.com (Tembang Lawas) — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 09:19:00 +0000

Duo Air Supply are a soft rock duo who had a succession of hits worldwide through the late 1970s and early 1980s. It consists of British guitarist and vocalist Graham Russell (born Graham Cyril Russell, 11 June 1950, Sherwood, Nottingham, England) and Australian lead vocalist Russell Hitchcock (born Russell Charles Hitchcock, 15 June 1949, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia), plus various accompanying musicians and singers they hire from time to time to augment their sounds.

History

The pair of Hitchcock and Russell met in May 1975 while performing in the Australian production of the Andrew Lloyd Webber/Tim Rice musical production, Jesus Christ Superstar. Later that year, the duo, along with Chrissie Hammond and two others, formed "Air Supply" as a five-man group. Hammond left the band and was replaced by Jeremy Paul in time for the group's first Australian hit single, "Love and Other Bruises." It was followed by a debut album that reached gold in Australia, which featured keyboardist/arranger Adrian Scott, drummer Jeff Browne, and guitarist Mark McEntee. Singles during this period included "Empty Pages" and "Do What You Do".

The group was invited to open for Rod Stewart during his tour of Australia; he was so impressed with their performance that he invited them to be the opening act during his tour of the United States. During this tour, Jeremy Paul left the band. (He later joined up with fellow Air Supply alumnus Mark McEntee in the original lineup of the Divinyls, fronted by McEntee and Chrissie Amphlett.)

Eager to prove that they could succeed as a duo, Air Supply released the album Love & Other Bruises, which included re-recordings of many of their earlier hits. Although their music met with some success, Russell on the 1995 DVD recalls that he and Hitchcock were so poor that they were reduced to checking the backs of hotel sofas for change so that they could buy bread to make toast.

Hitchcock and Russell started out fresh again in 1978, and the band that was to record almost all of the hit records was formed. It featured Frank Esler-Smith (arranger and keyboardist), David Moyse (guitars; also some bass on early records), and Ralph Cooper (drums); in the early 1980s, the band would be augmented by additional guitarist Rex Goh and bassist David Green.

In 1979, the band released Life Support, a concept album that included a picture disc on its first printing. Produced by Charles Fisher, it was recorded in the tiny Trafalgar Studios in Sydney, Australia where, as Russell recalls on the 2005 DVD, he had half an inch between the end of his guitar and the studio wall. It was on this album that a five-and-a-half minute version of "Lost in Love" was introduced to Australian audiences. Written by Russell in fifteen minutes, the song caught the attention of music mogul Clive Davis, and his record label, Arista, remixed the song and released it as a single in the United States.

1980s

Their 1980 album, Lost in Love, contained three U.S. Top Five singles, including the title track (a U.S. #3), plus "Every Woman in the World" (#5) and "All Out of Love" (#2). The album sold two million copies in the U.S. The following year they released The One That You Love, and the title song was released as a single and went number #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. It also featured two other Top 10 hits, "Here I Am (Just When I Thought I Was Over You)" and "Sweet Dreams".

A fourth single "I'll Never Get Enough", co-written by Jeanne Napoli, Gary Portnoy and Judy Quay, was released in Japan and achieved Top 10 status. Their third album, in 1982, Now And Forever, continued the group's popularity with the Top 10 hit, "Even the Nights Are Better" and two top 40 singles "Young Love" and "Two Less Lonely People in the World". In 1983, they released their "Greatest Hits" album with a new single called "Making Love out of Nothing at All" written by Jim Steinman.

The song was one of their biggest hits ever spending three weeks at number 2, and the album eventually sold 5 million copies. In 1984, their song "I Can Wait Forever" was included in a scene in the blockbuster movie Ghostbusters, and was included on the soundtrack album.

Air Supply released their first live video, Air Supply Live in Hawaii. In 1985, they had one semi-major Billboard hit with "Just as I Am" and a couple of minor hits. Russell and Hitchcock recorded a 1987 Christmas album before taking a break from studio recordings. During this time, Hitchcock released his self-titled album in 1988 which was not a big seller. However, he did have the single "Swear to Your Heart" in 1990 from the movie soundtrack for Arachnophobia which received significant airplay.

1990s
On August 21, 1989, using their old producer and welcoming the return of drummer Ralph Cooper, the duo decided to enter the studio again to record The Earth Is, which was released in 1991 by Giant Records under Warner Brothers. The recording contains their hit single "Without You," along with singles for "Stronger Than the Night" (with a music video announcing that Air Supply was back) and "Stop the Tears".

Inside the album is a note about Hitchcock and Russell's original Musical Director of their meeting place during Jesus Christ Superstar (and long time Band Member/Orchestrator): "This Album is Dedicated to the Memory of Frank Esler-Smith." Esler-Smith had died earlier that year (1991) from pneumonia. The official fan club released The Earth is World Tour video, a rare collector's item that contains live footage from the band's global tour in support of the album.

The album was followed by The Vanishing Race in 1993, which was supported by the hit single "Goodbye" produced by David Foster, with lyrics by Linda Thompson--which, although not popular in the United States, was critically praised and gained a large following outside the country, especially in Asia where in many countries they would reach number #1. This would lead to another world tour in 1993 which included Earth, Wind & Fire guitarist Dick Smith. "It's Never too Late" was another single released from the Vanishing Race. The album itself was dedicated to the plight of the American Indians, the "Vanishing Race" of the album's title.

Their third album of the decade, News from Nowhere, was released in 1995. It contained the Asian hit singles "Someone", "Always", and a cover of "Unchained Melody", a song made famous by Al Hibbler.

Their popularity continued to soar in Southeast Asian countries, culminating in the release of Now and Forever: Greatest Hits Live, a CD and DVD recording of a live concert in Taipei, Taiwan, also in 1995, which stayed at the top of the Taiwanese album charts for 16 weeks.

2000s
They continued to tour heavily throughout Asia and in select venues in the U.S. as well as record into the new millennium, releasing the more adult contemporary-titled The Book of Love (1997), Yours Truly (2001), and Across the Concrete Sky (2003). In 2005, they once again released a live CD/DVD recording; also in 2005 they performed in Havana, Cuba, becoming one of the first foreign bands invited to perform in the country. They were booked to perform two concerts, and played the first show on July 7, the day before Hurricane Dennis hit the country. In high winds, their first concert had an audience of 175,000. Due to the hurricane, they could not play the second show. Fans staying at the same hotel as Air Supply on July 8 had to be content with Russell performing acoustically for them, as there was no electricity. Their songs were featured in Mr. & Mrs. Smith and The Wedding Date.

In 2006, they released an acoustic album, The Singer and the Song, and are gearing up for the release of their first studio album in three years, Zed. In support of the acoustic album, they made their first trip to India in May 2006. December 2, 2006 saw the duo perform to a capacity crowd in Kingston, Jamaica. This was their second visit to Jamaica, having performed at the Air Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival in January 2006. They also have been seen endorsing Time–Life's Classic Soft-Rock Collection. In 2007, Russell released his first adult contemporary solo album called The Future. Russell recently made an appearance in Believe, a comedy about Multi-Level Marketing.

In 2008, Air Supply was named as the number 83 best musical act of all time in the Billboard Hot 100's 50 year anniversary edition. This was based purely on their performance on the charts. They appeared on the December 19, 2008, edition of Don't Forget the Lyrics. A new album is scheduled for US release on May 4, 2010. An ex-member of their backing band, Criston Barker, became a spokesperson for Hepatitis Australia. The music video for All Out of Love is seen briefly in the 2010 Australian film Animal Kingdom.

Discografi
1976     Air Supply
1977     The Whole Thing Started
1979     Life Support
1980     Lost in Love
1981     The One That You Love
1982     Now and Forever
1983     Greatest Hits
            Making Love... The Very Best of Air Supply
1985     Air Supply
1986     Hearts in Motion
1987     The Christmas Album
1988     Russell Hitchcock (Russell Hitchcock solo album)
1991     The Earth Is...
1993     The Vanishing Race
1995     News from Nowhere
            Now and Forever...Greatest Hits Live
1997     The Book of Love
1999     The Definitive Collection
2001     Yours Truly
            Sweet Dreams
2003     Across the Concrete Sky
           Ultimate Air Supply
           Forever Love: 36 Greatest Hits
2004     Platinum and Gold Collection
2005     Love Songs
           All Out of Love Live
           The Singer and the Song
2007     The Future (Graham Russell solo album)
2008     Take Time (Russell Hitchcock solo album)
2009     Free Love
2010     Mumbo Jumbo

The Best Of Air Supply

Goodbye
All Out of Love
I Can Wait Forever
Lost in Love
Making Love Out of Nothing at All
Lonely is The Night
Without You
Nothing Gonna Change My Love For You
That The One You Love
Two Less Lonely People in The World
Now and Forever
Chance
I Can't Let Go
Unchained Melody
Sweet Dream
That The One You Love
Ill Never Get Enough
I Want to Give at All
Always
Someone
Here I am

Source : Wikipedia

Take That

noreply@blogger.com (Tembang Lawas) — Sat, 05 Mar 2011 05:21:00 +0000

Take That are an English Five-piece vocal pop group comprising Gary Barlow, Howard Donald, Jason Orange, Mark Owen and Robbie Williams. Barlow acts as the lead singer and primary songwriter. In total, the group have had 25 top 40 singles and 16 top 5 singles in the United Kingdom alone, 11 of which have reached number 1, as well as having six number 1 albums.

Take That's dance-oriented pop tunes and soulful ballads dominated the UK charts in the first half of the 1990s, spawning two of the best selling albums of the decade with Everything Changes (which was nominated for the 1994 Mercury Prize) and Greatest Hits, and winning multiple BRIT Awards. Williams having left the band in 1995, the four remaining members split up in 1996.

However, after filming a 2005 documentary and releasing a new greatest-hits album, the four-piece Take That officially announced a 2006 reunion tour around the UK, entitled The Ultimate Tour. On 9 May 2006, it was announced that the group were set to record new material together once again; their fourth studio album, Beautiful World, was released in 2006 and was followed up with another, The Circus, in 2008. The group achieved new success, scoring a string of chart hits whilst taking the number of records sold to over 34 million worldwide. Williams rejoined the group in 2010, and their sixth studio album, Progress was released on 15 November of that year, making it the first album of new material to feature Take That's original line-up since their 1995 album, Nobody Else.

History

In 1989, Nigel Martin-Smith sought to create a British male vocal singing group. Having seen the success and fame of what was the nascent concept of boy bands following the meteoric rise of the New Kids on the Block in the United States, he realised there was no such contemporary group in the United Kingdom. Martin-Smith's vision, however, was more teen-oriented than the clean-cut image that the New Kids sported in the media. A campaign to audition young men with abilities in dancing and singing took place in Manchester and other surrounding cities in 1990.

Martin-Smith met budding songwriter Gary Barlow through well known celebrity photographer Michael Braham, whom Barlow had hired to take professional head shots. Michael was an old friend of Nigels, and knew about him looking for guys to put together a boy band with. Michael gave Nigel Martin-Smith's personal mobile number to Gary and the rest as they say is history. Impressed with Barlow's catalogue of self-written material, he put him under consideration for the group. At twenty-two, Howard Donald was one of the oldest to audition, but he managed to become accepted into the band after getting off work as a vehicle painter. When asked to recruit other possible candidates, Donald recommended fellow street dancer Jason Orange, who had appeared as a dancer on The Hitman and Her. Mark Owen and Robbie Williams met on the day of their audition and interview. Martin-Smith's original name for the band was Kick It but the members of the band claimed they did not like it. Gary Barlow has stated that Take That was the "worst of a bad bunch."

In July 1995, Robbie Williams' drug abuse had escalated to a near drug overdose the night before the group was scheduled to perform at the MTV Europe Music Awards. According to the documentary For the Record, Williams was unhappy with his musical ideas not being taken seriously by lead singer Barlow and Nigel Martin-Smith, because his desires to explore more hip hop and the rap genre conflicted with the band's usual ballads. Barlow explained in interviews that Williams had given up trying to offer creative input and merely did as he was told.

As well as the friction with Nigel, Jason had problems with Robbie's increasingly belligerent behaviour and his habit of missing the band's rehearsals. Both he and Barlow confronted Martin-Smith about the internal conflict, because they did not want Robbie dropping out while touring and before they planned to explore America in the next few years, which ultimately never came to pass. During one of the last rehearsals before the tour commenced, they confronted Robbie about his attitude and stated they wanted to do the tour without him. He agreed to quit the band and left; it would be the last time for twelve years that they were all together.

Shortly afterwards, Williams was photographed by the press partying with fellow band Oasis at Glastonbury Festival. Following his departure, he became the subject of talk shows and newspapers as he acknowledged his plans to become a solo singer, and he was spotted partying with George Michael in France. However, a clause in his Take That contract prohibited him from releasing any material until after the group was officially dissolved, and he was later sued by Nigel and forced to pay $200,000 in commission. Undaunted by the loss, Take That continued to promote Nobody Else as a four piece, scoring a further hit single with Barlow's "Never Forget" and completing the Nobody Else Tour in July 1995.

N Sync

noreply@blogger.com (Tembang Lawas) — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 16:08:00 +0000

NSYNC (sometimes stylised as 'N Sync) was an American boy band formed in Orlando, Florida in 1995 and launched in Germany by BMG Ariola Munich, NSYNC consisted of JC Chasez, Justin Timberlake, Lance Bass, Joey Fatone and Chris Kirkpatrick and became the second highest selling boyband of all-time (behind the Backstreet Boys). After heavily publicized legal battles with their former manager Lou Pearlman and former record label Sony BMG, the group's second album No Strings Attached sold over one million copies in one day and 2.42 million copies in one week, giving it the highest first week album sales ever. In addition to a host of Grammy nominations, *NSYNC has performed at the Academy Awards, the World Series, the Super Bowl and the Olympics, and sang or recorded with the likes of Elton John, Mariah Carey, Aerosmith, Mary J Blige, Britney Spears, Nelly, Michael Jackson, The Jacksons, Stevie Wonder, Celine Dion, and Gloria Estefan.

While *NSYNC announced a "temporary hiatus" in spring 2002, the band has not recorded new material since. The group's official website shut down in summer of 2006, and in 2007, Lance Bass confirmed that the group has "definitely broken up." In March 2010, the group's website was relaunched to keep fans updated on the various members' projects.

After seeing him perform in a doo-wop group at Universal Studios, Lou Pearlman approached Chris Kirkpatrick about forming a pop group. Pearlman said that he would finance the group if Kirkpatrick would find other young male singers. This prompted Kirkpatrick to call Joey Fatone, a friend he had met while working at Universal Studios. Then, Fatone and Kirkpatrick approached Lou Pearlman for more suggestions. Pearlman looked through some tapes they had, and one of Justin Timberlake from the Mickey Mouse Club caught their eye. Timberlake soon joined the group and recommended his friend JC Chasez, who also was a cast member on the Mickey Mouse Club. Soon, they decided to even out their sound by finding a bass singer. Initially, their fifth member was to be Jason Galasso. After several weeks of rehearsals, the group set up a showcase and began planning to officially sign with Pearlman's Trans Continental Label. However, at the last minute, Galasso dropped out. He was not fond of the group's musical direction, claiming that being a teen idol was never a goal of his. In need of a bass, the group auditioned several people without success. Timberlake soon called his vocal coach, who suggested a 16-year-old from Mississippi named Lance Bass. Bass flew to Orlando to audition and was immediately accepted into the group.

The group got their name after Timberlake's mother commented on how "in sync" their voices were. The group's name was also a play on the last letter of each member's first names: JustiN, ChriS, JoeY, LansteN, and JC. The band later nicknamed Bass "Lansten" so as not to throw off the last-letter theme of their name. From there, Pearlman set the five boys up in a house in Orlando, where they rehearsed constantly, learning dance routines and vocal parts, and working on promotion for their first public performance at Pleasure Island on October 22, 1995. Pearlman hired Johnny Wright, manager of the Backstreet Boys, to manage the group. *NSYNC sent him a two-song demo-tape including "I'll Be Back for More" and "We Can Work It Out", which impressed him. The group performed for him and a group of BMG executives. Although the record company had some concerns with the band's name and Bass's dancing abilities, they agreed to sign the group to BMG Ariola Munich with Wright as their manager.

After being signed to BMG Ariola Munich, the group was sent to Sweden to begin working on their debut album with the help of producers such as Denniz Pop, Max Martin and Andreas Carlsson. The album's official lead single, "I Want You Back", was released in Germany on October 7, 1996, and entered the top 10 in Germany on November 18, 1996. With a record deal finally secured, the boys began touring first in German-speaking countries and later in other European territories. Their self-titled debut album was initially released by BMG Ariola Munich on May 26, 1997, in Germany, and peaked at number one in the second week after its release,. The group soon became an overnight success throughout much of Europe. The album also charted successfully in both Switzerland and Austria eventually selling 820,000 units in GSA (Germany, Switzerland, Austria) region and Eastern Europe. The group released its second and the third singles, "Tearin' Up My Heart" and "Here We Go", both of which managed to reach the top-10 in numerous countries in Europe.NSYNC captured the attention of Vincent DeGiorgio, an A&R rep for RCA Records. After seeing the group perform in Budapest, he eventually signed them to RCA in 1998. The American label had the group record some new tracks to adjust their album for the U.S. market.

In April 2002, after the group's Celebrity tour, they went on a hiatus. They originally intended to resume recording in September of that year, but they decided to extend their hiatus because Timberlake wanted to focus on his solo career. The group still went to award shows and events together, and regrouped at the 2003 Grammy Awards to sing the Bee Gees Medley in tribute to the Bee Gees. It was the group's last televised performance. The last public performance for *NSYNC was at the group's 2004 Annual Challenge for the Children, where the members performed "The Star Spangled Banner". It was a fitting final performance considering "The Star Spangled Banner" was the first song the five of them ever sang together. In 2005, the members regrouped one last time for the last *NSYNC Challenge For The Children, but did not perform. In the fall of 2005, *NSYNC released a greatest hits album. It included one song, "I'll Never Stop", that had previously not been released in America. In January 2010, they released another album called "The Collection" that consisted of singles only released in the UK.

The group was featured on an episode of Seth Green's stop-motion sketch comedy show Robot Chicken in 2005, but only Lance Bass and Joey Fatone voiced their own characters in the episode. Justin Timberlake was voiced by Breckin Meyer.

Lance Bass told People magazine that "We're definitely itching to do some music," but the only thing that's really stopping a reunion is that "It's gonna be hard to get Justin to calm down and get off tour, he's a workaholic". But that statement has also been looked at with doubt because Timberlake has not released an album since 2006 and his last tour ended in 2007. Timberlake has since then turned his attention to film and has produced a successful acting career. Joey Fatone has been featured as a host for reality game show The Singing Bee that aired on NBC and is announcer on Family Feud with Steve Harvey. Lance Bass has done some producing jobs and small film cameos.

Spice Girl

noreply@blogger.com (Tembang Lawas) — Wed, 03 Nov 2010 16:39:00 +0000

The Spice Girls were an English pop girl group that formed in 1994. The members consist of Victoria Beckham (née Adams), Melanie Brown, Emma Bunton, Melanie Chisholm and Geri Halliwell. They are signed to Virgin Records and released their debut single, "Wannabe" in 1996. The song hit number-one in 31 countries and helped establish the group as a "global phenomenon".

Credited for being the pioneers that paved the way for the commercial breakthrough of teen pop in the late 1990s, their debut album, Spice, sold more than 23 million copies worldwide, becoming the best-selling album by a female group in music history. They have sold over 75 million records worldwide with only four albums and twelve singles, making them the best selling girl group of all time. Measures of their success include international record sales, a 2007–2008 reunion tour, merchandising, record-breaking achievements, iconic symbolism such as the Union Flag dress, "Girl Power", a box office hit film Spice World and their nicknames.

Under the guidance of their long-time mentor and manager Simon Fuller, the group embraced merchandising and became a regular feature of the British press. Each member of the group was given an alias by Top of the Pops magazine in 1996, which were adopted by the group and media alike. According to biographer David Sinclair, "Scary, Baby, Ginger, Posh and Sporty were the most widely recognized group of individuals since John, Paul, George and Ringo." They are the biggest cultural icons of the 1990s, according to a survey carried out by Trivial Pursuit, winning by 80 percent in a poll of 1,000 people carried out for the board game, stating that "Girl Power" defined the decade.

In May 1998, Geri Halliwell left the group in the middle of numerous rumours. The four remaining members released the third album Forever, but went their separate ways in November 2000 to focus on their solo careers. On 28 June 2007 all five reformed before the launch of their Reunion Tour in December, alongside the release of their Greatest Hits album. In December, a new official documentary Giving You Everything aired on various television networks around the globe. The tour was a success and is estimated to have grossed over US$100 million. The tour won the Billboard 2008 Touring Award for Top Boxscore for a 17-night stand at London's O2 Arena.

Formation and early years (1994–1995)
In the mid-1990s, father-and-son management team Bob and Chris Herbert set about creating an all female group to compete with popular boy bands that dominated the pop music scene in the mid- to late-1990s: "The whole teen-band scene at the time was saturated by boy bands like Take That and the Backstreet Boys. That was all a bit of a yawn for me, and only appealed to female audiences...I felt if you could appeal to the boys as well, you'd be laughing."

In February 1994, Heart Management – which comprised the Herberts together with financier Chic Murphy – placed an advertisement in "The Stage" trade magazine asking "WANTED: R.U. 18–23 with the ability to sing/dance? R.U. streetwise, outgoing, ambitious and dedicated? Heart Management Ltd are a widely successful music industry management consortium currently forming a choreographed, singing/dancing, all-female pop act for a recording deal. Open audition. Danceworks, 16 Balderton Street. Friday 4 March. 11am-5:30pm. Please bring sheet music or backing cassette". About 400 women who answered the ad went to Dance Works studios.

There, they were put into groups of 10 and danced a routine to "Stay" by Eternal. After that, the selection continued and the girls had to sing solo songs. Victoria Adams-Wood sang "Mein Herr", sang "Greatest Love Of All", Melanie Chisholm sang "I'm So Excited", Michelle Stephenson sang "Don't Be A Stranger". After the auditions, the women returned home and waited for some weeks. Geri Halliwell had seen the ad but went skiing in Spain and missed the audition because her face got sunburnt.

In April 1994, the women got a call and were down to the last 12. They went to Nomis Studios, Shepherd's Bush in Wednesday. The women chosen were Suzanne Tinker (who did not attend), Melanie Laccohee, Lianne Morgan, Michelle Stephenson, Melanie Brown, Melanie Chisholm (who did not attend), Victoria Adams-Wood, and a few others. Geri Halliwell saw the ad after two months, and decided to call. The management let her in to the last 12, so she was one of them. After arriving, the women had a little solo interview, in which Halliwell sang "I Wanna Be A Nightclub Queen". After the interviews, they were divided into 3 groups of four women and they created a routine for "Just A Step From Heaven" by Eternal. In one group there was Adams-Wood, Brown, Stephenson and Morgan.

After a dance, Halliwell joined and she was taught their dance. Later, they sang solo songs and Brown sang "Queen Of The Night". Those five were told they had been picked while they were having a cup of tea. After the auditions, the women returned home and waited a couple of weeks. Suzanne Tinker passed the first audition, but could not attend the second because her train was delayed due to a bomb scare, and she did not want to go in late. Chisholm passed the first audition, but could not attend the second because she had problems with her tonsils. Her mother called the management to ask for another chance and they told her they had whittled their choice down to ten women, including Chisholm. They said if they didn't find the five or if there was one who they were not sure about, they would give her another chance.

Breakthrough (1996)
On 7 June 1996, the Spice Girls released their debut single "Wannabe" in the United Kingdom. In the weeks leading up to the release, the video for "Wannabe" (directed by Swedish commercials director Jhoan Camitz and shot in April at St Pancras Chambers in London), got a trial airing on The Box music channel. The video was an instant hit, and was played 502 times a week. After the video was released, the Spice Girls had their first live TV slot on broadcast on LWT's Surprise Surprise. The first music press interview appears in Music Week.

In July 1996, the group conducted their first interview with Paul Gorman, the contributing editor of music industry paper Music Week, at Virgin Records' London headquarters. His piece recognized that the Spice Girls were about to institute a change in the charts away from Britpop and towards out-and-out pop. He wrote: "JUST WHEN BOYS with guitars threaten to rule pop life – Damon's all over Smash Hits, Ash are big in Big! and Liam can't move for tabloid frenzy – an all-girl, in-yer-face pop group have arrived with enough sass to burst that rockist bubble."

The song entered the charts at number 3 before moving up to number 1 the following week and staying there for seven weeks. The song proved to be a global hit, hitting number 1 in 31 countries and becoming not only the biggest selling debut single by an all-female group but also the biggest-selling single by an all-female group of all time.

Global Domination and Spicemania (1997–1998)
In October 1997, the Spice Girls released the first single from Spiceworld, "Spice Up Your Life". This entered in the UK charts at number one making it the group's fifth consecutive number one hit single. That same month, Simon Fuller took the Spice Girls east to perform their first live major concert to 40,000 fans in Istanbul, Turkey. Later, the Girls traveled to South Africa to meet Nelson Mandela, who announced, "These are my heroes." This was the year when the Spice Girls reached the height of their career.

In November 1997, the Spice Girls released their second album, Spiceworld. The album was a global best seller. It set a new record for the fastest-selling album when it shipped seven million copies over the course of two weeks. Gaining favourable reviews, the album went on to sell over 10 million copies in Europe, Canada, and the United States combined, and 20 million copies worldwide. Criticised in the United-States for releasing the album just nine months after their debut there, and suffering from over-exposure at home, the Spice Girls began to experience a media backlash. The group was criticised for the number of sponsorship deals signed – over twenty in total – and they began to witness diminishing international chart positions. Nevertheless, the Spice Girls remained the biggest-selling pop group of both 1997 and 1998.

Return of the Spice Girls (2007–2008)
It has been rumoured that the decision to reform was made in December 2006. In January the Spice Girls managements started a "fan" campaign to bring "Stop" back to the charts. The date chosen for this was the same week the press conference got booked for. On 28 June 2007, the group held a press conference at The O2 in London, formally announcing their intention to reunite.

The plan to reform had long been speculated by the media, but the group finally confirmed their intention to embark upon a world wide concert tour, starting in Vancouver on 2 December 2007. Filmmaker Bob Smeaton, directed an official documentary on the reunion. It was entitled Spice Girls: Giving You Everything and was first aired on Australia's Fox8 on 16 December 2007, followed by BBC One in the UK, on 31 December.

Recent activities and Viva Forever: the Musical (2009–present)
In September 2009, rumours emerged of a second Spice Girls reunion after Brown, Chisholm, Halliwell and Bunton were photographed having a meal together in London. Victoria Beckham was absent from the night due to her work schedule. Brown then mused about the possibilities of another tour on her Twitter. Halliwell was then quoted during a television interview saying; “We always talk about creative plans and possibilities, definitely... And yes [we did talk about that last week]. Right now, we are gathering information and thinking about possibilities... but when you're evolving a plan you don't share it to the world until it's concrete...If they do cement themselves, I'll be the first to tell you.

Brown then responded to questions regarding another reunion via her official message board, saying; "I would love to tell you. But until all 5 of us have finalised everything, out of respect for each other and the Spice brand, mum's the word for now. All 5 of us are in discussions right now, I’ll let you know what we decide on once all 5 of us agree. But it is all very exciting!". Bunton then told readers of Now Magazine that they had been discussing work-related subjects and that she's "...sure all five of us will be catching up again soon. Watch this space!" Bunton also stated later that the Spice Girls would not be reuniting for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. In mid-October, Melanie C denied on GMTV all rumours about a possible reunion with Spice Girls, explaining that it is not feasible to have a comeback at the moment.

In the same month, reports suggested that the Spice Girls are to star in a reality show in which they will cast female actors to play their roles in a musical. Melanie Brown denied this claim, stating that all members of the group were already accounted for and planning "something exciting". On 1 November 2009, Simon Fuller supposedly suggested that the Spice Girls would get together to perform at the 2012 Summer Olympics and kick-off their second reunion tour, though this has not been verified by any of the girls.

On 18 January 2010, it was announced that the group was nominated for a BRIT Award in the new category, "Best Performance of the 30th Year." They are nominated for their iconic performance of the singles, "Wannabe" and "Who Do You Think You Are". Following the group's nomination, the group's management updated their official website asking people to vote. A subscribers newsletter was additionally sent out on the same day the website was updated. This was the first time in nearly two years that the website had been updated. On 16 February 2010, the group won a BRIT Award for "Most Memorable Performance of 30 Years".

Judy Craymer has teamed up with the Spice Girls and Simon Fuller to start developing a Spice Girls musical entitled Viva Forever. Although the girls will not be in the show, they will influence the show's cast and production choices in a story which uses their music but bears no relation to their personal story; similar to that of ABBA's music in Mamma Mia!. On 28 August 2010, it was reported that Jennifer Saunders will pen the script for the Spice Girls' musical, "Viva Forever." Saunders has twice previously worked with the group; the first time, appearing in the Comic Relief version for the Who Do You Think You Are video, the second making a cameo appearance in the 1997 feature film, Spiceworld.

Discography
* Spice (1996)
* Spiceworld (1997)
* Forever (2000)
* Greatest Hits (2007)

The Best Of Spice Girl

Wannabe
Viva Forever
2 Become 1
If Wanna Be My Lover
Mama
Goobye
Spice World Too Much
Never Be Say Again

Il Divo

noreply@blogger.com (Tembang Lawas) — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 05:02:00 +0000

Il Divo ("divine male performer" in Italian) is a multinational operatic pop vocal group created by music manager, executive, and reality TV star Simon Cowell. Formed in the United Kingdom, they are also signed to Cowell's record label, Syco Music. Il Divo is a group of four male singers: Spanish baritone Carlos Marín, Swiss tenor Urs Bühler, American tenor David Miller, and French pop singer Sébastien Izambard.

The idea behind Il Divo's creation came to Cowell after hearing Andrea Bocelli singing Con te partirò while watching The Sopranos. Aware of this new appreciation for lyrical voices and classical music, he decided to form a multinational quartet (the members hail from Spain, Switzerland, France, and the United States, the name being in Italian) that tried to recreate the style of The Three Tenors.

Simon Cowell conducted a worldwide search for young singers who were willing to embark on the Il Divo project, which lasted two years, from 2001 until December 2003, when the fourth member of Il Divo, American tenor David Miller, was signed. The well-established formation of Il Divo comprises a renowned Spanish baritone, Carlos Marín; two classically trained tenors, Swiss Urs Bühler and American David Miller; and a French pop singer, Sébastien Izambard.

Il Divo sings in English, Italian, Spanish, French, and Latin. Il Divo was named the Most Multinational UK No.1 Album Group in the 2006 edition of the Guinness Book of World Records. On 25 April 2007, Il Divo performed on American Idol in one of the "Idol Gives Back" episodes, which raised money for children in the U.S. and Africa. For every vote cast during that show, Idol sponsors Coca-Cola, AT&T, and others donated money to Charity Projects Entertainment Fund (CPEF) and other groups such as Save the Children and America's Second Harvest. On 12 December 2008, Il Divo performed their new song at the Swedish Idol 2008 finale in the Globen Arena in Stockholm.

The Best Of Il Divo

I Believe In You feat Celine Dion
Unbreak My Heart (Regresa a Mi) (Hits By Tony Braxton)
Heroe (Hits By Mariah Carey)
You Raise Me Up (Hits By Josh Groban)
Unchained Melody (Hits By The Rigtheous Brother) OST Ghost
My Way (Hits By Frank Sinatra)
Amazing Grace
Without You (Hits By Air Supply)
Ave Maria
Power of Love (Hits By Celine Dion)
Feeling
The Times Our Lives feat Tony Braxton (OST World Cup 2006)
Isabel

Campur Sari

noreply@blogger.com (Tembang Lawas) — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 04:58:00 +0000

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Celine Dion

noreply@blogger.com (Tembang Lawas) — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 02:13:00 +0000

Céline Marie Claudette Dion (born March 30, 1968) is a Canadian singer born in a large impoverished family in Charlemagne, Quebec Celine Dion emerged as a teen star in the French-speaking world after her manager and future husband René Angélil mortgaged his home to finance her first record 1990, she published the English-language album, Unison established itself as a viable pop artist in North America and other English-speaking areas of the world

Celine Dion had first received international recognition in 1980 by winning both the 1982 Yamaha World Popular Song Festival and the 1988 Eurovision Song Contest following a series of French album in early 1980 that she signed on to CBS Records Canada in 1986 In the 1990s, with the help of Angelil she reached världsberömmleave after signing with Epic Records and released several albums in English with additional French album is one of the most successful artists in pop music history, however, in 1999 at the height of his success, Celine Dion announced a temporary retirement from entertainment in order to start a family and spend time with her husband, who had been diagnosed cancerShe back to the beginning of pop music in 2002 and signed a three-year (later extended to almost five years) contract to perform nightly in a five-star theatrical show at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace Las Vegas

Celine Dion music has been influenced by genres from rock and R & B to gospel and classical, while her releases have often received mixed critical reception, she is famous for its technically calledicklig and powerful vocals Dion is the best-selling Canadian artist of all time, and her album D'eux is the best selling French album of all time in 2004 to exceed 175 million album sales worldwide, she was presented with the Chopard Diamond Award at the World Music Awards for to become the best selling female artist ever According to Sony Music Dion has sold over 200 million albums worldwide.

Life and music career
The youngest of fourteen children born to Adhémar Dion and Thérèse Tanguay, both of French Canadian descent, Céline Dion was raised a Roman Catholic in a poverty-stricken, but, by her own account, happy home in Charlemagne, Quebec, Canada. Music had always been a part of the family (Dion was named after the song Céline, recorded by French singer Hugues Aufray two years before her birth), as she grew up singing with her siblings in her parents' small piano bar called Le Vieux Baril. From an early age Dion had dreamed of being a performer. In a 1994 interview with People magazine, she recalled, "I missed my family and my home, but I don't regret having lost my adolescence. I had one dream: I wanted to be a singer.

By 1983, in addition to becoming the first Canadian artist to receive a gold record in France for the single "D'amour ou d'amitié" ("Of Love or of Friendship"), Dion had also won several Félix Awards, including "Best Female performer" and "Discovery of the Year". Further success in Europe, Asia, and Australia came when Dion represented Switzerland in the 1988 Eurovision Song Contest with the song Ne partez pas sans moi (Don't Go Without Me) and won the contest by a close margin in Dublin, Ireland. However, American success was yet to come, partly because she was exclusively a Francophone artist.

At eighteen, after seeing a Michael Jackson performance, Dion told Angélil that she wanted to be a star like Jackson. Though confident in her talent, Angélil realized that her image needed to be changed in order for her to be marketed worldwide. Dion receded from the spotlight for a number of months, during which she underwent dental surgery to improve her appearance, and was sent to the École Berlitz in 1989 to polish her English

Career breakthrough: 1990–1992
Two years after she had learned English, Dion made her debut into the Anglophone market with Unison (1990), the lead single having originally been recorded by Laura Branigan. She incorporated the help of many established musicians, including Vito Luprano and Canadian producer David Foster. The album was largely influenced by 1980s soft rock music that quickly found a niche within the adult contemporary radio format. Unison also hit the right notes with critics: Jim Faber of Entertainment Weekly wrote that Dion's vocals were "tastefully unadorned", and that she never attempted to "bring off styles that are beyond her".

Stephen Erlewine of Allmusic declared it as, "a fine, sophisticated American debut." Singles from the album included "(If There Was) Any Other Way", "The Last to Know", "Unison", and "Where Does My Heart Beat Now", a mid-tempo soft-rock ballad which made prominent use of the electric guitar. The latter became her first single to reach the top 10 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, peaking at number four. The album established Dion as a rising singer in the United States, and across Continental Europe and Asia. In support of Unison, Celine Dion began a tour. During a concert while on the same tour, she injured her voice. She consulted with William Gould, an ORL of other singers like Luciano Pavarotti, Frank Sinatra, and president John Kennedy. He gave her an ultimatum: have surgery on her vocal chords, or not utilize them at all for three weeks. Dion chose the latter and underwent daily rehabilitation work with William Riley, in order to repair her voice fully.

In 1991, Celine Dion was also a soloist in Voices That Care, a tribute to American troops fighting in Operation Desert Storm. Dion's real international breakthrough came when she duetted with Peabo Bryson on the title track to Disney's animated film Beauty and the Beast (1991). The song captured a musical style that Dion would utilize in the future: sweeping, classically influenced ballads with soft instrumentation. Both a critical and commercial hit, the song became her second U.S. top ten single, and won the Academy Award for Best Song, and the Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal. "Beauty and the Beast" was featured on Dion's 1992 self-titled album, which, like her debut, had a strong rock influence combined with elements of soul and classical music.

Owing to the success of the lead-off single and her collaboration with Foster and Diane Warren, the album was as well received as Unison. Other singles that achieved moderate success included "If You Asked Me To" (a cover of Patti LaBelle's song from the 1989 movie Licence to Kill) which peaked at number four on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100, the gospel-tinged "Love Can Move Mountains", and "Nothing Broken But My Heart".

Popularity established: 1993–1995
In 1993, Celine Dion announced her feelings for her manager by declaring him "the colour of love" in the dedication section of her third Anglophone album The Colour of My Love. However, instead of criticizing their relationship as Dion had feared, fans embraced the couple. Eventually, Angélil and Dion married in an extravagant wedding ceremony in December 1994, which was broadcast live on Canadian television.

As it was dedicated to her manager, the album's motif focused on love and romance. It became her most successful record up to that point, selling more than six million copies in the U.S., two million in Canada, and peaking at number-one in many countries. The album also spawned Dion's first U.S., Canadian, and Australian number-one single "The Power of Love" (a remake of Jennifer Rush's 1985 hit), which would become her signature hit until she reached new career heights in the late 1990s. The single "When I Fall in Love", a duet with Clive Griffin, achieved moderate success on the U.S. and Canadian charts, and was nominated for two Grammy Awards, winning one. The Colour of My Love also became Dion's first major hit in Europe, and in particular the United Kingdom.

Both the album and the single "Think Twice" simultaneously occupied the top of the British charts for five consecutive weeks. "Think Twice", which remained at number one for seven weeks, eventually became the fourth single by a female artist to sell in excess of one million copies in the UK, while the album was eventually certified five-times platinum for two-million copies sold.

Worldwide commercial success: 1996–1999
Dion followed Falling into You with Let's Talk About Love (1997), which was publicized as its sequel. The recording process took place in London, New York City, and Los Angeles, and featured a host of special guests, such as Barbra Streisand on "Tell Him"; the Bee Gees on "Immortality"; and world-renowned tenor Luciano Pavarotti on "I Hate You Then I Love You".Other musicians included Carole King, Sir George Martin, Bryan Adams and Jamaican singer Diana King, who added a reggae tinge to "Treat Her Like a Lady".

Critic Stephen Erlewine wrote "Given that so many talented craftsmen worked on Let's Talk About Love, it makes sense that a number of the cuts succeed according to adult contemporary terms — they are predictably sweeping showcases for Dion's soaring, technically skilled voice. As usual, the singles shine the most brilliantly, but even the filler is immaculately produced." As with Falling into You, Let's Talk About Love was a major success for Dion, reaching number-one all over the world, attaining platinum status in twenty-four sales territories, and becoming Dion's fastest selling album of her career.

In the United States, the album topped the chart in its seventh week of release, and was later certified 10x Platinum in the U.S. for over 10 million copies shipped. In Canada, the album sold 230,212 copies in its first week of release, which became, and still is, a record. It was eventually certified diamond in Canada for over 1 million copies shipped. The most successful single from the album became the classically influenced ballad "My Heart Will Go On", which was written and composed by James Horner and Will Jennings, and produced by Horner and Walter Afanasieff.

Serving as the love theme for the 1997 blockbuster film Titanic, the song topped the charts across the world, and became Dion's signature song; as well as winning the Academy Award and Golden Globe for Best Original Song. The song also gave Dion two Grammy Awards for "Best Female Pop Vocal Performance" and the most coveted "Record of the Year", (the song itself won four awards, but two were presented to the songwriters). "My Heart Will Go On" and "Think Twice" made her the only female artist in the UK to have two singles to sell more than a million copies. In support of her album, Dion embarked on the Let's Talk About Love Tour between 1998 and 1999.

Voice
Celine Dion possesses a five-octave vocal range, and is often regarded as one of pop music's most influential voices. She has been described as a reigning "Queen of Pop" for her influence over the record industry during the 1990s, alongside Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey. In a countdown of the "22 Greatest Voices in Music" by Blender Magazine and MTV, she placed ninth (sixth for a female), and she was also placed fourth in Cove magazine's list of "The 100 Outstanding Pop Vocalists".

Celine Dion is often compared to Mariah Carey for her vocal style and to her idol Barbra Streisand for her voice. Upon her debut, many critics had welcomed her restrained vocal inflections, and she was praised for her technical virtuosity and intensity. Describing her voice, The New York Times writes, "Ms. Dion...is a belter with a high, thin, slightly nasal, nearly vibratoless soprano and a good-sized arsenal of technical skills. She can deliver tricky melismas, produce expressive vocal catches and sustain long notes without the tiniest wavering of pitch. And as her duets have shown, she is a reliable harmony voice".

Discography

1990: Unison
1992: Celine Dion
1993: The Colour of My Love
1996: Falling into You
1997: Let's Talk About Love
1998: These Are Special Times
2002: A New Day Has Come
2003: One Heart
2004: Miracle
2007: Taking Chances

The Best Of Celine Dion

A New Day Has Come
My Heart Will Go On
I Hate You Than I Love You
It's All Coming Back To Me Now
Goodbye
Where is The Love
I am a Live
I Believe in You feat Il Divo
I Surrender
When The Wrong Ones Love You Right
Have You Ever Been Love
Because You Love Me
At By My Self
That's The Way It is
The Power Of Love

Source : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celine_Dion

Madonna

noreply@blogger.com (Tembang Lawas) — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 22:47:00 +0000

Madonna (born Madonna Louise Ciccone; August 16, 1958) is an American recording artist, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983. She followed it with a series of albums in which she found immense popularity by pushing the boundaries of lyrical content in mainstream popular music and imagery in her music videos, which became a fixture on MTV. Throughout her career, many of her songs have hit number one on the record charts, including "Like a Virgin", "Papa Don't Preach", "Like a Prayer", "Vogue", "Frozen", "Music", "Hung Up", and "4 Minutes". Madonna has been praised by critics for her diverse musical productions while at the same time serving as a lightning rod for religious controversy.

Her career was further enhanced by film appearances that began in 1979, despite mixed commentary. She won critical acclaim and a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in Motion Picture Musical or Comedy for her role in Evita (1996), but has received harsh feedback for other film roles. Madonna's other ventures include being a fashion designer, children's book author, film director and producer, and owner of her own recording company Maverick corporation, as a joint venture with Time Warner. She has been acclaimed as a businesswoman, and in 2007, she signed an unprecedented US $120 million contract with Live Nation.

Madonna has sold more than 300 million records worldwide and is recognized as the world's top-selling female recording artist of all time by the Guinness World Records. According to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), she is the best-selling female rock artist of the 20th century and the second top-selling female artist in the United States, behind Barbra Streisand, with 64 million certified albums. In 2008, Billboard magazine ranked Madonna at number two, behind only The Beatles, on the Billboard Hot 100 All-Time Top Artists, making her the most successful solo artist in the history of the chart. She was also inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in the same year. Considered to be one of the most influential figures in contemporary music, Madonna is known for continuously reinventing both her music and image, and for retaining a standard of autonomy within the recording industry. She is recognized as an inspiration among numerous music artists.

1958–81: Early life and beginnings
Madonna Louise Ciccone was born in Bay City, Michigan on August 16, 1958. Her mother, Madonna Louise (née Fortin), was of French Canadian descent, and her father, Silvio Anthony Ciccone, was a first-generation Italian American. The Ciccone family originated from Pacentro, Italy; her father later worked as a design engineer for Chrysler and General Motors. Madonna was nicknamed "Little Nonni" to distinguish her from her mother. The third of six children, her siblings are Martin, Anthony, Paula, Christopher, and Melanie. Madonna was raised in the Detroit suburbs of Pontiac and Avon Township (now part of Rochester Hills).

Her mother died of breast cancer at the age of 30 in 1963. Months before her mother's death, Madonna noticed changes in her behaviour and personality from the attentive homemaker she was, although she did not understand the reason. Mrs. Ciccone, at a loss to explain her dire medical condition, would often begin to cry when questioned by Madonna, at which point Madonna would respond by wrapping her arms around her mother tenderly. "I remember feeling stronger than she was," Madonna recalled, "I was so little and yet I felt like she was the child." Madonna later acknowledged that she had not grasped the concept of her mother dying. "There was so much left unsaid, so many untangled and unresolved emotions, of remorse, guilt, loss, anger, confusion.

I saw my mother, looking very beautiful and lying as if she were asleep in an open casket. Then I noticed that my mother's mouth looked funny. It took me some time to realize that it had been sewn up. In that awful moment, I began to understand what I had lost forever. The final image of my mother, at once peaceful yet grotesque, haunts me today also."

Madonna eventually learned to take care of herself and her siblings, and she turned to her grandmother in the hope of finding some solace and some form of her mother in her. The Ciccone siblings resented housekeepers and invariably rebelled against anyone brought into their home ostensibly to take the place of their beloved mother. In an interview with Vanity Fair, Madonna commented that she saw herself in her youth as a "lonely girl who was searching for something. I wasn't rebellious in a certain way.

I cared about being good at something. I didn't shave my underarms and I didn't wear make-up like normal girls do. But I studied and I got good grades.... I wanted to be somebody." Terrified that her father could be taken from her as well, Madonna was often unable to sleep unless she was near him. Her father married the family's housekeeper Joan Gustafson, and they had two children: Jennifer and Mario Ciccone.

At this point, Madonna began to express unresolved feelings of anger towards her father, that lasted for decades, and developed a rebellious attitude. She attended St. Frederick's and St. Andrew's Elementary Schools, and then West Middle School. She was known for her high grade point average, and achieved notoriety for her unconventional behavior: she would perform cartwheels and handstands in the hallways between classes, dangle by her knees from the monkey bars during recess, and pull up her skirt during class—all so that the boys could see her underwear.

Madonna later attended Rochester Adams High School, and was a straight-A student and a member of the cheerleading squad. After graduating, she received a dance scholarship to the University of Michigan. She convinced her father to allow her to take ballet lessons and was persuaded by Christopher Flynn, her ballet teacher, to pursue a career in dance. At the end of 1977 she dropped out of college and relocated to New York City. She had little money and worked as a waitress at Dunkin' Donuts and with modern dance troupes. Madonna said of her move to New York, "It was the first time I'd ever taken a plane, the first time I'd ever gotten a taxi cab.

I came here with $35 in my pocket. It was the bravest thing I'd ever done." She started to work as a backup dancer for other established artists. During a late night, Madonna was returning from a rehearsal, when she was dragged up an alleyway by a pair of men and forced to perform fellatio at knifepoint. Madonna had later commented that "the episode was a taste of my weakness, it showed me that I still couldnot save myself inspite of all the strong-girl show.

I could never forget it." While performing as a dancer for the French disco artist Patrick Hernandez on his 1979 world tour, Madonna became romantically involved with musician Dan Gilroy. They formed her first rock band, the Breakfast Club, for which Madonna sang and played drums and guitar. In 1980 she left Breakfast Club and, with her former boyfriend Stephen Bray as drummer, formed the band Emmy. Their music impressed DJ and record producer Mark Kamins who arranged a meeting between Madonna and Sire Records founder Seymour Stein.

In 1992 Madonna had a role in A League of Their Own as Mae Mordabito, a baseball player on an all-women's team. She recorded the film's theme song, "This Used to Be My Playground", which became a Hot 100 number one hit. The same year she founded her own entertainment company, Maverick, consisting of a record company (Maverick Records), a film production company (Maverick Films), and associated music publishing, television broadcasting, book publishing and merchandising divisions. The deal was a joint venture with Time Warner and paid Madonna an advance of $60 million. It gave her 20% royalties from the music proceedings, one of the highest rates in the industry, equaled at that time only by Michael Jackson's royalty rate established a year earlier with Sony.

The first release from the venture was Madonna's book, entitled Sex. It consisted of sexually provocative and explicit images, photographed by Steven Meisel. The book caused strong negative reaction from the media and the general public, but sold 1.5 million copies at $50 each in a matter of days. At the same time she released her fifth studio album, Erotica, which debuted at number two on the Billboard 200. Its title track peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100. Erotica also produced five further singles: "Deeper and Deeper", "Bad Girl", "Fever", "Rain" and "Bye Bye Baby".

Madonna's music has been the subject of much analysis and scrutiny of critics. Robert M. Grant, author of Contemporary Strategy Analysis (2005), commented that what has brought Madonna success is "certainly not outstanding natural talent. As a vocalist, musician, dancer, songwriter, or actress, Madonna's talents seem modest." He asserts Madonna's success is in relying on the talents of others, and that her personal relationships have served as cornerstones to the numerous reinventions in the longevity of her career.

Conversely, Rolling Stone has named Madonna "an exemplary songwriter with a gift for hooks and indelible lyrics, and a better studio singer than her live spectacles attest." Mark Bego, author of Madonna: Blonde Ambition, called her "the perfect vocalist for lighter-than-air songs", despite not being a "heavyweight talent." Madonna has always been self-conscious about her voice, especially in comparison to her vocal idols such as Celine Dion, Mariah Carrey and Anggun.

On her 1983 debut album, Madonna's vocal abilities and personal artistry were not fully formed. Her vocal style and lyrics was similar to other pop stars of that period like Paula Abdul, Debbie Gibson and Taylor Dayne. The songs on Madonna reveal several key trends that have continued to define her success, including a strong dance-based idiom, catchy hooks, highly polished arrangements and Madonna's own vocal style. In songs such as "Lucky Star" and "Borderline", Madonna introduced a style of upbeat dance music that would prove particularly appealing to gay audiences.

The bright, girlish vocal timbre of the early years became passé in Madonna's later works, the change being deliberate, since Madonna was constantly reminded of how the critics had once labelled her as "Minnie Mouse on helium", because of her early voice. Her second album, Like a Virgin (1984), foreshadowed several trends in Madonna's later works. It contained references to classical works (pizzicato synthesizer line that opens "Angel"); potential negative reaction from social groups ("Dress You Up" was blacklisted by the Parents Music Resource Center); and retro styles ("Shoo-Bee-Doo", Madonna's homage to Motown).

Madonna's early style, and the change that she ushered in it, is best evident in the song "Material Girl". It opens with Madonna using a little-girl voice, but following the first verse, she switches to a richer, more mature voice in the chorus. This mature artistic statement was visible in True Blue (1986). The song "Papa Don't Preach" was a significant milestone in her artistic career. The classical introduction, fast tempo and the gravity in her voice was unprecedented in Madonna's œuvre at that time.

Discography

* Madonna (1983)
* Like a Virgin (1984)
* True Blue (1986)
* Like a Prayer (1989)
* Erotica (1992)
* Bedtime Stories (1994)
* Ray of Light (1998)
* Music (2000)
* American Life (2003)
* Confessions on a Dance Floor (2005)
* Hard Candy (2008)

The Best of Madonna

La Isla Bonita
You'll See
Like a Virgin
Frozen
Sorry
Vogue
4 Minutes feat Justin Timberlake
Like A Prayer
Papa Don't Reach
Take A Bow
Hung Up
Don't Cry For Argentina (OST Evita)
Beautiful Stranger (OST Austin Power)
Erotica
I'll Remember
All By My Self

Multi Backlink

noreply@blogger.com (Tembang Lawas) — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 04:00:00 +0000

MLM Backlink Tes

Backstreet Boys

noreply@blogger.com (Tembang Lawas) — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 11:50:00 +0000

Backstreet Boys are an American vocal group, formed in Orlando, Florida in 1993. The band originally consisted of A. J. McLean, Howie Dorough, Brian Littrell, Nick Carter and Kevin Richardson. In 2006 Richardson left the group to pursue other interests leaving the band as a four-piece, but the remaining members did not rule out a possible return of the singer.

They rose to fame with their debut album, Backstreet Boys(1996). The following album, Backstreet's Back (1997) continued the group's success worldwide. They rose to superstardom with their album Millennium (1999) and its follow-up album, Black & Blue (2000). After a three-year hiatus, the band regrouped and have since released three albums: Never Gone (2005), Unbreakable (2007) and This Is Us (2009).

The band has sold over 130 million records worldwide, making them one of the biggest selling groups of all time. According to Billboard, they are the first group since Sade to have their first seven albums reach the top 10 on the chart.

Formation and early years (1992–1995)

Cousins Kevin Richardson and Brian Littrell, both of whom came from Lexington, Kentucky, initially began singing in local church choirs and festivals while they were children. Howie Dorough and A.J. McLean were natives of Orlando, Florida, who met each other and later discovered Nick Carter through auditions who joined the two for local commercials, theater, and television. The three, realizing at one audition, that they all shared a great affection for classical soul which they were able to harmonize together, decided to form a trio. Meanwhile, Richardson moved to Orlando, where he took a job as a tour guide at Disney World and concentrated on music at nights.

Eventually, he met Dorough, Carter, and McLean through a co-worker, and the four decided to form a group. Brian Littrell was later invited to join, turning the group into a quintet. In the course of all this, Lou Pearlman, in early 1992 had placed an ad in Orlando Sentinel announcing auditions to compose a boy band. A.J., who was the first to audition for Pearlman in his living room, became the group's first member.

In January 1993, Pearlman held an open casting call during which hundreds of young performers danced and sang at his blimp hangar in Kissimmee, south of Orlando. Eventually, Brian Littrell, Nick Carter, Kevin Richardson, and Howie Dorough were selected meeting Pearlman's expectations. Pearlman decided to call the group Backstreet Boys naming it after Orlando's Backstreet flea market. The group had its very first performance at SeaWorld Orlando in May 1993.

Afterward Pearlman called on Bob Curiano to write and produce for the Backstreet Boys. Pearlman booked them at grade-school assemblies and shopping malls, and assigned management duties to Johnny Wright and Donna Wright, the former of whom had previously worked with New Kids on the Block. The Wrights organized performances for the group and invited several A&R representatives to the shows, which resulted in having a contract with Jive Records in March 1994. Jive introduced the Backstreet Boys with such producers as Veit Renn and Tim Allen who helped them with their first album. The album was released throughout Europe and enjoyed rather big success spending many consecutive weeks on the Top-10 charts in most countries. In the first several months of recording for Jive Records, they worked mainly at studios located in Florida.

Rise to stardom (1995–1998)
The first single that was chosen to be released was "We've Got It Goin' On" which was sent to radio in August and released as a physical single on September 5, 1995. The song was a minor success in the States peaking at only No. 69 by December, the single; however, enjoyed quite a success in Europe entering the top-5 in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, France and the Netherlands.

European success sent them on a summer tour there and shifted the Backstreet Boys' promotion being mostly done in Europe. In November 1995 they filmed their second video music for their second international single, "I'll Never Break Your Heart", which was only issued in Europe on February 12, 1996. They finished recording their first album Backstreet Boys in April 1996 and filmed their fourth music video, "Get Down (You're the One for Me)" in Germany. On May 6, 1996, their debut album was released internationally, with an exception of the US and the Canadian markets; however, it was later released in Canada in October, 1996.

In 1998, in the course of their US sold-out 39-city tour, Brian Littrell underwent an open-heart surgery (which he had postponed twice in the past) at the insistence of his then girlfriend (and now wife) Leighanne. Littrell had been struggling with a heart murmur since he was born, almost dying at the age of 4 due to a bacterial infection. Shortly after, the Backstreet Boys canceled an appearance in Minnesota after learning that Howie Dorough's sister had died of lupus.

Further commercial success (1999–2001)
While in the middle of a lawsuit, they began recording the follow-up to their 1997 releases at the beginning of October 1998. All versions of Britney Spears' ...Baby One More Time album released prior to May 18, 1999 featured previews of tracks from their upcoming album Millennium.

The worldwide hit single "I Want It That Way" which topped the single-charts in many countries including US, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Norway, New Zealand, made anticipation for Millennium high. Millennium was released on May 18, 1999, on which day the Backstreet Boys made a heavily publicized appearance on MTV's Total Request Live Millennium . The album entered the Billboard 200 at No.1, and managed to sell 1,134,000 copies in its first week of release. Four singles were released from Millennium: "I Want It That Way", "Larger than Life", "Show Me The Meaning Of Being Lonely", and "The One".

Millennium became the best-selling album of 1999 in the U.S., selling 9,445,732 albums. It also holds the record for most shipments in one year, with 11 million shipment. Millennium remained on the Billboard chart for 93 weeks, eventually selling over 12 million copies in the United States and being certified 13 times platinum. As of the end of December 2008, the album stands as the fourth best selling album in the US of the SoundScan era. By October 1999, the Backstreet Boys faced new problems declaring their current Jive contract null and void, soon striking one of the largest record deals ever valued at $60 million with Jive.

In January 2001, the Backstreet Boys kicked off the first leg of their "The Black & Blue Tour", in which they were to perform on five continents. The tour also had extremely expensive production costs. The second leg of "The Black & Blue Tour" was put on hold when it was reported that A.J. McLean had checked himself into rehab to battle alcoholism, cocaine addiction and depression after Richardson had held an intervention for him at a Boston hotel. Three sold-out shows for Air Canada Centre were postponed until September. On January 28, 2001, the Backstreet Boys performed the American national anthem, in front of an audience at the Super Bowl XXXV at the Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida.

The Hits: Chapter One, released on October 30, 2001 was a collection of the Backstreet Boys's classic hits and a previously unreleased song, "Drowning". While the album entered the top-5 in the U.S. (No.4), United Kingdom (No.5), Germany (No.4) and Canada (No.1), it managed to enter the top-10 in Switzerland, Austria, the Netherlands and New Zealand.[58] In the US, The Hits: Chapter One was certified platinum for selling over one million units. Similarly, the album was certified platinum by IFPI (Europe) also for selling over one million units there.

Hiatus, comeback and Kevin's departure (2002–2006)
In 2002, the band expressed a strong desire to leave their management company, The Firm. Nick Carter chose to remain with The Firm to manage his solo career. It became apparent that this was reason for their lack of resistance to the Backstreet Boys moving on and this unexpected move forced the band to take a break. Jive, according to industry observers, had no choice but to bank on releasing Carter's solo album by the end of the year, ahead of the next Backstreet Boys' album, which was due in early 2003.

The relationship with Jive worsened when the Backstreet Boys filed a $75–100 million lawsuit against Zomba Music Group (Jive's parent company) claiming breach of contract.[62] The group stated the label promoted Nick Carter's solo album Now or Never at the expense of the group who wanted to promote their fourth album. According to the suit, in November 1999, the Backstreet Boys revised their 1994 contract and committed to releasing two further albums for Zomba. In exchange for delivering them on time as part of a predetermined schedule, the group would receive multiple non-returnable payments that would serve as advances against future royalties.

The Backstreet Boys entered the studios in January 2004 to start writing the new album and mentioned they had recorded four songs for the album in February They also started performing together to promote their return to the music scene. In September they kicked-off a small Asian tour, visiting Beijing, Shanghai, Tokyo and Manila. Based on the success of this tour, they announced a Mexican tour, visiting Mexico City and Monterrey and performing all new material.

As a four-piece (2007–present)
The Backstreet Boys' sixth album Unbreakable, was officially launched on October 30, 2007. It was their first effort since Richardson's departure. While the album had received positive reviews, it did not perform as well as its predecessor, Never Gone. Unbreakable opened at #7 on The Billboard 200, selling 81,000 copies in its first week of release. Two weeks after its debut, the album dropped out of the top 100. However, it performed well in Japan, debuting #1 on the Japanese Oricon weekly album charts and staying there for another week.

On July 25, 2007, the first single was confirmed as "Inconsolable," a piano-driven power ballad similar to Never Gone's "Incomplete." It reached #21 on the US Adult Contemporary Charts, but managed only #86 on the Billboard Hot 100. "Helpless When She Smiles" was the next single to be released from Unbreakable. It only managed to reach #52 in the US Adult Contemporary charts and in turn failed to reach the Billboard Hot 100 charts.

The group went on a 45 date World tour to promote Unbreakable in Tokyo, Japan on February 16, 2008. Dates were confirmed for the tour being titled the Unbreakable Tour in Australia, Japan, Mexico, UK, Europe, Asia, Canada and The United States. They recorded a tour DVD in London's The O2 Arena which can be seen on YouTube, but has yet to be released. Richardson rejoined the rest of the band in Los Angeles at the Palladium in Hollywood on November 23, 2008 for the last North American stop of the Unbreakable Tour.

In 2009, the group began working on a new album that was released on October 6, 2009, called This Is Us, and were confirmed to be working with Max Martin, OneRepublic singer Ryan Tedder, RedOne, Ne-Yo, Brian Kennedy, Pitbull, Claude Kelly, Jim Jonsin, Eddie Galan, T-Pain, Rami Yacoub, Kristian Lundin and many others.

It was announced on the official website that Sony would be releasing a second Backstreet Boys greatest hits album on January 26, 2010. The compilation is titled Playlist: The Very Best of the Backstreet Boys and is part of a series of similar Playlist albums issued by Sony Legacy.

Members
Main articles: Nick Carter (musician), Brian Littrell, A.J. Mclean, Kevin Richardson (musician), and Howie Dorough

Discography

* Backstreet Boys (1996)
* Backstreet's Back (1997)
* Millennium (1999)
* Black & Blue (2000)
* Never Gone (2005)
* Unbreakable (2007)
* This Is Us (2009)

The Best Of Backstreet Boys

Getdown
As Long As You Love Me
Bye Bye Love
I Want It That Way
Shape of My Heart
Show Me The Meaning of Being Lonely
Incomplete
This Is Us
Everybody
More Than That
Drowning
The Call
The One
What Makes You Different
Anything For You
Ill Never Break Your Heart
Quit Playing Game With My Heart

Boyzone

noreply@blogger.com (Tembang Lawas) — Fri, 17 Sep 2010 11:49:00 +0000

Boyzone is an Irish boy band who started from 1993 to present day but being active music between 1994–1999, 2008, 2010 to present. Boyzone have 6 UK number one Singles and 9 number one singles in Ireland with 18 of their 20 singles in the UK being in the Top 2. "Love is a Hurricane" (44 in the UK and 39 in Ireland) and "Better" (22 in the UK and 26 in Ireland), were released straight after albums of the band and that affected sales of the singles. Boyzone remain one of the most successful bands in the UK and Ireland. The group has released six #1 UK hit singles and four #1 albums, with approximately 20 million records sold by 2009.

They famously made a comeback in 2007, originally with the intention of just touring but Ronan Keating confirmed in an interview that they wanted to "outdo Take That's success" in terms of a successful reunion. Boyzone was put together in 1993 by Louis Walsh who is also known for managing Johnny Logan and Westlife. Alan Thomson was one of the bandmates before he left to go work in aable. Before even recording any material they made a now infamous appearance on RTÉ's The Late Late Show. Their first album Said and Done was released in 1994 and the following three studio albums in 1996, 1998 and 2010. Seven compilation albums have been released so far. Co-lead singer Stephen Gately died on 10 October 2009 at the age of 33 of natural causes in Majorca, Spain.

Beginning: 1993–95
In 1993 an advertisement appeared in many Irish newspapers calling for auditions to form a new Irish "boy band" group. The advertisements were sent out by theatrical manager Walsh who was looking to make an "Irish Take That" following on from their success. The auditions were held in The Ormond Center, in Dublin, in November 1993. More than 300 people replied to the advertisement. At the auditions the applicants were asked to sing the song "Careless Whisper" by George Michael. Each audition would be taped and watched again to judge the applicant's performance. Out of the 300, 50 were selected for a second audition. Richard Rock (son of Dickie Rock) was invited for a second audition.

For the second audition the applicants where asked to sing two songs, including one of their own choice with a backing tape. Mikey Graham sang "Two Out of Three Ain't Bad" by Meat Loaf. Keith Duffy sang "I'm Too Sexy" by Right Said Fred. Ronan Keating sang "Father and Son" by Cat Stevens (a cover version of which the band would later release). Stephen Gately sang Hello by Lionel Richie. Out of this 50, 10 were selected for a third audition. In the end, Ronan Keating, Stephen Gately, Keith Duffy, Rock, Shane Lynch and Mark Walton were chosen. Graham originally was rejected but would later join after the departure of Richard Rock.

Ronan Keating initially faced a lot of opposition from his parents and teachers. He was planning to move to New York to study in college on a sports scholarship and pursue his dream to win an Olympic medal for athletics.

In the end Ronan decided to give up his education and go along with Boyzone Duffy's parents were against their son throwing away a solid and promising career and joining the band. Louis Walsh set about trying to get a deal with a good record company but it would take many rejection letters before the boys would be signed. In 1994 Lynch and Duffy were involved in a nearly fatal car crash; both survived without serious injuries.

Walsh was reportedly furious, and drew up contracts for all the boys to sign, leading to their activities being restricted. With some of the original lineup fading away and others being brought into the group, it took some time before Boyzone settled down into its most recognisable five-member line-up of Shane Lynch, Ronan Keating, Stephen Gately, Mikey Graham, Keith Duffy. Richard Rock, one of the original members, left citing musical differences with Ronan Keating.

Said And Done: 1995–96
They played through 1993 and in the early parts of 1994 all over Northern Ireland, mainly in pubs and clubs, before Polygram signed them up in 1994 and released the cover version of the Four Seasons' hit "Working My Way Back to You", featuring Graham and Gately on lead vocals. It reached No. 3 in the Irish Charts. The release of their cover version of the classic Osmonds' hit, "Love Me for a Reason", broke the British charts. The song hit No. 2 in the UK and was included in their 1995 hit debut album Said and Done. The album reached the No. 1 spot in Ireland and the UK.

A Different Beat: 1996–98
Boyzone's second album – A Different Beat – was released in 1996 and contained its first UK number one single, a cover of the Bee Gees' hit "Words". The album also contained the hit singles "A Different Beat" and "Isn't It a Wonder". Keating – who by now had emerged as the lead singer and frontman – won the Ivor Novello Award for songwriting in 1997 for "Picture of You".

Where We Belong: 1998–99
Their third studio album, Where We Belong, was released in 1998 and featured Boyzone's writing abilities. It contained the hit singles "All That I Need" (which stayed for six weeks in the MTV Asia charts), "Baby Can I Hold You" (Tracy Chapman cover) and "No Matter What". Originally written for the Andrew Lloyd Webber stage musical Whistle Down the Wind, "No Matter What" was the group's best ever selling single and was voted Song of the Year, 1998. Since the song was also recorded by Meat Loaf, Boyzone shared stage with him to perform the song during his 1998 live concert in Dublin.

Greatest hits and final performance before break: 1999–2000
In 1999, their greatest hits compilation, By Request, was released and was followed by another tour. In June 1999, Gately revealed that he was gay and was in love with the ex-Caught in the Act member Eloy de Jong. Also during this year Keating released his first solo single, "When You Say Nothing at All", an Alison Krauss song which he had recorded for the movie Notting Hill. By this time, after six years together and amid growing tensions behind the scenes, the group members decided to take some time off from Boyzone to pursue solo projects.

Boyzone performed together for the last time in January 2000, they had sold more than 10 million records in total and all sixteen of their singles reached the UK top five and they became the first Irish act to have four number one hits in the United Kingdom charts. Their 1998 tour of Ireland broke all sales records when 35,000 tickets were sold out in four hours. At their height, Boyzone were one of the biggest-selling artists in music.

Back Again... No Matter What: 2007–09
On 5 November 2007, Keating confirmed that Boyzone would reunite for a special appearance on the BBC's annual fundraiser, Children in Need, performing a medley of hits, although had not yet commented on the possibility of a new tour or album. On 14 November 2007, it was reported that all five members of Boyzone were to begin a UK tour in May, which would be their first in seven years. Keating, who left the Irish boy band to pursue a solo career, joined the group for the series of concerts. On 16 November, Boyzone made a comeback appearance as part of Children In Need on BBC1 in the UK, with an Irish and UK tour announced for June 2008.

The group sold 200,000 tickets for the tour within three hours and sold 20,000 tickets on the first day of them going on sale for their concert in the RDS Dublin. Keating told the Daily Star: "We've been taking it easy on the Guinness and been out for dinners and just a couple of drinks. We're taking the tour plans very seriously. We're all on diets and we've been training in the gym every day. I'm probably the fittest now that I've ever been. I think we all look better now than before. I can't wait to be back on the road and all the guys feel the same."

Death of Stephen Gately
On 10 October 2009, Stephen Gately died at the age of 33 while on holiday in Mallorca with his civil partner Andrew Cowles. On 13 October 2009, AP reports that a post-mortem showed Gately died as a result of a pulmonary edema, or fluid in the lungs. The Balearic Islands Superior Justice Tribunal said in a statement. "The singer of the Irish group Boyzone died from natural causes, owing to an 'acute pulmonary edema'". Though still finding it difficult to come to terms with his sudden death Lynch has recently claimed that Gately died for a reason. He is reported as saying "I've got to understand that it's all for a reason. If I don't understand why then one day I'll be told.

Discography

* 1994: Said and Done
* 1996: A Different Beat
* 1998: Where We Belong
* 2010: Brother

The Best of Boyzone

Everyday I Love U
Gave It All Away
I Love The Way You Love Me
Love Is A Hurrycane
All That I Need
Word (It's Only Word)
Love Me For A Reason
If Tommorow Never Comes
Baby Can I Hold You Tonight
You Need Me
I Swear
No Matter What feat Luciano Pavarotti
Heaven Knows
Will Be Yours
You're My Angel
Whe You Say Nothing At All
Picture of You
A Different Beat
This Is Were I Belong
Father and Son
Isnt it A Wonder
How Deep Is Your Love
Key To My Live