Shakira, whose full name is Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll, is a Columbian Latin pop singer and songwriter. Shakira's love of music began at a very young age. At the age of eight she was writing and composing music. Though failing to make her school's choir because of her "too strong" voice, Shakira was able to sing her heart out by competing in a weekly television signing competition for children, Vivan Los Ninos (Long Live The Kids). By age thirteen, Shakira was a local celebrity who had a lucky chance encounter with Sony Columbia executive, Ciro Vargas, on a flight from Barranquilla to Bogota. Vargas agreed to provide Shakira with an audition and was impressed by her.
His confidence in her ultimately led to a record deal with the company. At the young age of 13, Shakira released her debut album, Magia (Magic), recorded with Sony Colombia in 1991. The album, which lacked recording and production cohesion, failed to sell over one thousand copies. Released in 1993, Shakira's second album, Peligro (Danger) did not fare much better. It was at this time, Shakira decided to take a break from recording and graduate from high school.
In 1995, Shakira returned to the music scene with the album Pies Descalzos (Bare Feet), which solidified her commercial success by selling over 5 million copies worldwide. Upon releasing a remix version of the album, The Remixes, Shakira met with Emilio Estefan, Jr., who wound up working as an executive producer on Shakira's fourth studio album, ¿Dónde Están Los Ladrones? (Where Are the Thieves?).
The album, which combined rock and Latin sounds, produced hit singles including, Ciega Sordomuda (Blind Deaf-Mute), Moscas En La Casa (Flies In The House), No Creo (I Don't Believe), Inevitable (Inevitable), Tú (You), Si Te Vas (If You Leave), Octavo Día (Eighth Day) and the worldwide success Ojos Así (Eyes Like That). The cumulative effect of such hit singles allowed the album to sell over 7 million copies worldwide. Shakira would later release her first live album, Shakira MTV Unplugged, which was comprised of singles from ¿Dónde Están Los Ladrones? (¿Where Are The Thieves?).
In 2001, Shakira started work on a crossover album to the English language. Teaming up with Gloria Estefan, Shakira wrote and recorded English versions of the singles from ¿Dónde Están Los Ladrones? and new songs were also added to create Shakira's first U.S. album, Laundry Service. Though some critics claimed her grasp of the English language was not yet firm enough, it did not prevent Laundry Service from becoming a commercial success. Laundry Service would eventually go on to sell more than 13 million CDs worldwide, thanks to such hits as Whenever, Wherever, Underneath Your Clothes, Te Dejo Madrid (I Leave You Madrid), Objection (Tango), and The One. Such hit tracks helped establish Shakira's musical presence in mainstream America.
Shakira's next album, Fijación Oral Vol. 1, released on June 6, 2005 in Europe and on June 7, 2005 in North America, was also a commercial success. The album debuted at #1 in Spain and #4 on the U.S. Billboard 200, which remains the best-selling Spanish first-week sales album. The album's lead single La Tortua, would climb to #1 in Spain and #23 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. On November 29, 2005, Shakira would release her second English album, Oral Fixation Vol. 2, which includes the hit single, Hips Don't Lie, a single that would climb to #1 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. The album was re-released on March 28, 2006. Shakira is currently engaged to the son of former president of Argentina, Fernando de la Rua.
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We all associate songs and music with events in our life. Many songs hold special memories for us. We fondly remember the songs that were playing when we went to our first dance, the songs the school band attempted to play during half time at the high school football games, the songs that we heard on our first date, or the songs we heard on the radio while driving our first car.
The music of the 1970's is probably the most impressive and most recognized of any era. The artists of the 1970's provided us with numerous songs we loved to dance to and sing along with. At that time most bands actually played their own instruments and didn't need to sequence part of it.
Remember how we used to listen to the music then? At first we had eight track players in our cars, then we moved upward to cassette players. Vinyl records were the most popular way to listen to our favorite music. Every week you could go to your local variety or record store and pick up the new #1 song on a 45 record for under $1.00. Of course, there was always the radio to listen to - most of the popular channels were on am radio. We had many styles of music to listen to, including the bubble gum music of David Cassidy and the Partridge Family, soft rock of Barry Manilow, the great dance tunes of the Bee Gees and the Commodores, rock of Aerosmith and Led Zeppelin, the brass band sounds of Chicago, or the disco beat of Chic and Donna Summers.
The nostalgia of the 1970's music lives on today. We can listen to it on our local 70's'radio station, on cds, on mp3, download it on our computer, and burn it onto cds. For those of us who prefer records, we can still purchase them at record stores, antique or second hand stores, or yard sales. Of course, many of us have held on to our own record collections and record players and can pull them out at any time when we need to relive those nostalgic days of the 1970's. Some bands are still performing after more than 30 years. There's nothing like seeing your favorite 1970's performers live in concert!
The music of the 1970's is still popular with people of all ages - not just those who grew up with it. It never grows old. It only gets better with each passing decade.
Notes from an era of true free expression where we were "spoilt for choice" with the newest musical innovators. Before the onslaught of the digital age and the polarisation of modern music we experienced a cultural revolution which, in my humble opinion, has yet to be equalled in successive generations ...
Cropped screenshot of Bing Crosby from the trailer for the film Road to Singapore. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
I suppose my first realisation that music was something more relevant than learning the words to carols for the school Christmas concert was appreciating my Dad's collection of 78s'. He was a man with unusual tastes in music. My contemporys' parents listened to American crooners, like Bing Crosby, Dean Martin and the like, or the big band sounds of the day.
But my Dad had individual tastes which included Eastern European folk music, Scottish bagpipe ballads and Welsh miners choirs; plus my first introduction to classical such as exciting pieces like Aram Khachaturian's "Sabre Dance".
My Mother, a dedicated Crosby fan, disliked these strange sounds to the extent that she banished any playing of the 'caterwauling' to our barn, a large wooden structure at the back of the house. This suited my Dad, and me, just fine.
He would mend bikes and tinker with machinery in one corner, while I would curl up on a battered leather sofa looking at pictures in old movie magazines, giggling at jokes in back copies of Lilliput and reading girlie type books (Little Women, Black Beauty etc.) while the haunting strains of Bulgarian womens' voices, Highland airs or the overwhelming sound of Welshmen giving it their all emanated from the old wind up gramaphone; memories are made of this.
Musically I've come full circle. with the increasing popularity of 'world music' I am, once again, enjoying Bulgarian women's harmonies and Welsh folk songs along with the exciting newcomers from African and Latin American roots.
Every generation, mostly, think that they have experienced the 'best' period of topical music, but I do feel that the sixties were a special case. Consider this; any weekend my friends and I had a difficult decision to make. Did we go 'up town' to Ken Colliers to see American blues stars like Big Bill Broonzy or jazz giants like Dizzy Gillespie; or perhaps to the Marquee or 100 Club to listen to the up and coming Britishers like Paul Weller in the Jam, Eric Clapton and the Yardbirds and Georgie Fame with the All Stars.
Or did we stay closer to home and go to the Riki Tik in Windsor and risk asphyxiation in the tiny room listening to an exciting new group called the Rolling Stones. And that was only the start; what about Osterley where you could hear John Lee Hooker, Sonny Terry and Brownie McGee and any number of other Southern American blues stars; or Windsor Drill hall where, on a Friday night you could enjoy the best of Cyril Davies and the All Stars, which usually featured one of my favourites, Long John Baldry.
And, if you were willing to risk parental wrath, it had to be Eel Pie Island in Twickenham, a den of iniquity where you could hear the best of new rhythm and blues; smell strange substances burning in the air and where I first encountered psychadelia in the shape of Pink Floyd whose innovative light shows of coloured lava lamp blobs popping and forming ever different shapes were the precursor of the giant video screens of today. To say we were spoilt for choice is not to overwork a phrase.
I haven't even mentioned the many folk clubs sprinkled about which I visited with my friend Lucy as a guest singing duo, where we shared stages with the likes of Bert Jantz, Duster Bennett, Cat Stevens . . We would travel to isolated venues in the heart of the Berkshire countryside and find ourselves in a barn somewhere, with people sitting on hay bales and listening to the stirring voices and lyrics of Sandy Denny, Davy Graham and John Remborne, or even the Wurzels (bring your own cider!).
If you wanted to dance, but strictly not ballroom, you could stomp the night away at a selection of 'trad jazz' clubs. Bands of various styles were always on tap; Dick Morrisey, the aforementioned Ken Collier, Acker Bilk; It really was a golden age for live music of every kind. And it didn't cost an arm and a leg to indulge yourself. If we paid more than a couple of quid to get in we felt hard done by. Even special occasions, like seeing the Who or Cream at the Hammersmith Odeon were cheap at the price.
Wherever we hung out with our mates there was music. This was the age of the coffee bar, always with a juke box in the corner belting out such classics as 'Dock on the Bay', or Buddy Holly's latest or Aretha Franklin, Jimi Hendrix, Joan Biaz; where to stop! Before the fashion for 'personalised music' (catered for firstly by the Walkman and now in it's newest incarnation, the ipod) the latest tunes brought like minds together. A normal Saturday outing was to the local record shop where friends would crowd into a booth together to hear the latest in the 'charts'.
Maybe it was all just 'fashion' but, as the years race by, that sixties music has stood the test of time. Many of our heroes are still household names. Our children still appreciate such giants as Bob Marley, Jimi Hendrix and Otis Redding. The likes of Paul Weller, Rod Stewart, the Rolling Stones still tour all over the world. Am I showing my age when I find it hard to appreciate modern day offerings? Of course I am but no more than any other person who has let music into their life.
From the moment the first cave man (or woman) discovered how to make musical 'sounds' from reeds or rocks, water or wood, we have enjoyed the privilege of a great gift. How to explain the catch at the back of the throat when we hear a familiar song or melody? How to describe the pure feeling of exhilaration and joy as many human voices come together to sing some particularly uplifting work. I dare anyone to say they have never felt that. And if some hardened souls insist that is the case; well I feel very sorry for them.
The Beatles are almost universally regarded as the greatest act in the history of post-war popular music, and that claim is hard to deny when one considers their status as the biggest selling musical act in history, their universal critical acclaim, and the never duplicated hysteria that surrounded the band during the height of "Beatlemania" in the Sixties. The cult of the Beatles is alive and well around the world more than 40 years after the band's demise.
The Beatles wave to fans after arriving at Kennedy Airport. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The group got its start in Liverpool, in the Fifties, as a John Lennon-led skiffle band called the "Quarryman." Lennon was a rebellious Liverpool youth who had been introduced to rock and roll music from the recordings brought across the Atlantic and into Liverpool by English merchant sailors. It was from these recordings that Lennon and his generation in England were first introduced to the likes of Elvis Presley, Carl Perkins, Little Richard, Fats Domino, and other early fathers of the music. Eager to emulate his new heroes and make a name for himself, Lennon recruited some schoolmates to join him in his new band. Members would come and go until the band settled with a lineup of Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Stuart Sutcliffe, and Pete Best, a drummer.
The band changed their name to the Silver Beetles for a time and then finally settled on "The Beatles." The band acquired an avid local following in Liverpool and became a fixture at the Cavern Club, where they performed inspired sets on a regular basis. While the band was playing clubs in Hamburg, Germany, Sutcliffe fell in love with a German girl and decided to stay behind, leaving the Beatles a four man outfit. Sutcliffe would die of a brain hemorrhage at age 21 in 1962.
The group made its first recording as the backing band for singer Tony Sheridan on the single, "My Bonnie," which received airplay in Liverpool area. The popularity of this record inspired Liverpool record shop owner Brian Epstein to attend one of the Beatles' Cavern shows, and when Epstein witnessed the wild reaction of the audience, he convinced the group to take him on as their manager. Epstein convinced the band to drop drummer Pete Best from the group in favor of Ringo Starr from a rival Liverpool band, Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. The final roster of the Beatles was set with Lennon and Harrison on guitar, Paul McCartney on bass, and Ringo Starr on drums. The group would record the moderately successful single, "Love Me Do," before the end of 1962.
Epstein then began to search for a record label to sign his band. After numerous rejections, the band was finally signed by the Parlophone label. The Beatles recorded their first album for the label, "Please Please Me," in 1963. The album was recorded in a single day, apparently to capture as close as possible the immediacy of their live shows. Although Epstein had trouble finding a U.S. label to sign the band, he managed to get the Beatles booked on the Ed Sullivan TV Show in April, 1964. New York disc jockey, Murray the K, hyped the Beatles upcoming TV appearance, setting the stage for the birth of Beatlemania. The Beatles appearance on the Sullivan show was a sensation seen by millions of Americans, and the Beatles become international superstars overnight.
The Beatles thus began an exhausting two years of near constant recording and touring. The early Beatles records were released separately in the U.S. and U.K., sometimes with different titles. For example, "Please, Please Me," the band's first U.K. album was released in the U.S. as "Meet the Beatles." The names of the albums don't matter much as everything this band recorded is essential, and any collection of Beatles music is guaranteed to be of high quality. Titles to look for from the 1964 albums are:" With the Beatles," "Twist and Shout," "A Hard Days Night," "Beatles for Sale," and "Beatles 65." The Beatles' music would soon change from light poppy love songs to darker and more introspective fare as the group attempted to expand its musical horizons.
With the release of the album, "Help" (1965), the Beatles began the process of reinventing themselves. The title track, "Help," "Yesterday," and the very Dylanesque, "You've Got to Hide Your Love Away," saw the group moving into previously uncharted territory. Their songs were still just as catchy, the harmonies still as sweet, but the material had become darker and more intriguing.
This artistic growth continued on the next album, "Rubber Soul" (1965), and for the next five albums. This string of albums represents the Beatles' best work and some of the best albums of popular music ever recorded. On Rubber Soul, the band begins to experiment musically with the inclusion of sitar on "Norwegian Wood," and several songs such as "Michelle," "If I Needed Someone," and "In My Life" which could easily be classified as "folk rock."
The Beatles' following studio release, "Revolver" (1966), sees the Beatles at the peak of their powers. Revolver is an astonishing collection of songs representing a myriad of styles from the art rock of "Eleanor Rigby" and "Good Day Sunshine" to the hard rock of "Taxman" and full blown psychedelic experimentation in "Tomorrow Never Knows."
The release of Revolver coincided with the band's retirement from live performances. Freed of life on the road, the Beatles would dedicate themselves to experimentation in the recording studio. With the able support of their producer, George Martin, the group would again reach new heights of creativity in the studio with "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" (1967). This album's overt experimentation was an attempt by John Lennon and Paul McCartney to outdo the Beach Boys' Brian Wilson who had raised the studio bar with his work on the Beach Boys' classic recording, "Pet Sounds," during the previous year. "Sgt. Pepper," which is often cited as the Beatles' magnum opus, is every bit as thrilling as Revolver with epic songs such as "Lovely Rita," "For the Benefit of Mr. Kite," "She's Leaving Home," and 'A Day in the Life."
The Beatles kept rolling with the double album simply titled, "The Beatles" (1968). Its unadorned, solid white cover earned it the nickname, "The White Album," among fans. The album is amazingly eclectic and contains nary a bad tune amid its myriad of tracks. Among the album's classic tunes are, "Blackbird," "Mother Nature's Son," "Revolution," "Back in The USSR," and "While My Guitar Gently Weeps."
In 1969, The Beatles would release their last true studio album, "Abbey Road." Group in-fighting that had lasted for several years was becoming intolerable and Paul McCartney was tiring of holding things together. McCartney would later signal the demise of the band by releasing his first solo album in 1970. Abbey Road was another brilliant effort that contained classic tracks such as "Come Together," "Here Comes the Sun," and most impressively, the medley of short, connected songs that finishes the album.
"Let It Be," which was recorded prior to Abbey Road, would be released in 1970 with the title track, "Let it Be," and Lennon's "Across the Universe" as standout tracks.
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The magical moments of a Bruce Springsteen concert begin seconds after the lights in the arena, club or theatre go out, you're staring at the stage knowing that in the next few seconds Bruce will arrive ready to pour out his heart, sharing his soul night after night, city after city, concert after concert tour after tour. The stage lights begin to shine and within a minute or so the sounds of The Rising,
Bruce Springsteen at Barack Obama rally in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Thunder Road, Badlands or Devils and Dust are all around you and once again Bruce and each of us are heading on that special journey that is so special each night. It's magic in the night, each and every night.
"Experiencing" Bruce Springsteen in concert is part religious rock and roll, part revival meeting, a journey of joy, passion and excitement. Be it at Fenway Park with Bruce trying to end the Curse of the Bambino, the lone spotlight on Bruce singing Thunder Road simply with Roy Bittan on the piano in 1975 on the Born to Run tour, the Boss and the Big Man hitting/creating perfect synergy during Badlands - Bruce Springsteen on the 1978 Darkness Tour, the sheer force of Born in the USA on the 1984-1985 BIUSA Tour, the carnival like start of the 1988 Tunnel of Love Tour or that unforgettable moment during the Reunion tour when faith was restored - Bruce was back where he always belonged - on stage with the E Street Band, Bruce has thrilled so many of us.
Each of us has our own Bruce experiences, stories that we've often wanted the opportunity to share with fellow Bruce fans. Chance encounters with Bruce, traveling to the Holy Mecca Asbury Park, taking your children/parents to their first Springsteen concert, meeting strangers who have become lifelong friends or even marrying fellow Bruce fans - there are countless stories that can only be told by each of us and we've never had that chance.Undoubtedly Bruce has moved you. Emotionally, politically or from a humanitarian perspective.
We are calling out to Bruce from the Jersey Shore, Philly, the backstreets of Boston, Bruce fans in the UK, Sweden, Spain, Italy, Germany, Holland, Japan, Brazil, Canada - everywhere and anywhere where Bruce fans call home.
I've been in rock and roll all my life and I'm well aware that The Rolling Stones have been called the best rock and roll band. Don't get me wrong because I love Mick and the Stones, and the Beatles were my major musical influence, but here's why I think that Led Zeppelin is the best rock and roll band of all time:
Jimmy Page; Robert Plant; John Bonham and John Paul Jones of Led Zeppelin. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
1.BEST PLAYERS
First of all, John Bonham was the best rock and roll drummer ever to walk the face of this planet, and that's an informed opinion coming from a former professional drummer. John played drums unlike anyone else ever did, still does, or ever will, and that fact is continually demonstrated in the astounding breadth and depth of his recorded work. He had complete independence in all four limbs, he slammed his drums harder than anyone else, and he did it with speed and total precision, never once dropping the beat. His beats were were innovative and creative, and John was never stuck in simple grooves. His fills were innovative, creative, complex, and technically brilliant, he knew when to keep it relatively simple (i.e. Kashmir), but he was always in the stratosphere of drumming. And to top that all off, John created a giant drum sound which is unique. It inspired a host of imitators who were able to imitate the sound of his snare drum, but only with a simple backbeat. At the time that Led Zep was formed, Jimmy Page could have gotten any drummer in the world to play with him, and he chose John. There's not one single drummer alive or dead who can begin to touch John's power, creativity, speed, precision, and technical brilliance. I've heard that Jimmy still feels the same way about John as I do.
Secondly, Jimmy Page has always been one of the best rock guitarists ever, right from his earliest days as a session player and the beginning of his real public stardom in the Yardbirds. I believe that Jimmy is the most brilliantly prolific of all the great rock and roll guitarists. I suspect that Jimmy would agree with me that Jimi Hendrix was the one true genius of guitar because he came from another galaxy in terms of his sound and his use of feedback. But unfortunately, Jimi died and we will never know how much further he would have progressed. When I listen to Jimmy's solos using the violin bow, I get the urge to put him on the same pedestal as Hendrix and wonder which galaxy they both came from. As a songwriter, Jimmy used his superior ability to play lead guitar to create actual song structure. Led Zep's songs use not one or two of Jimmy's incredibly powerful, complicated and unbelievably SEXY riffs in each song, but there are four, five or more riffs in some songs. Jimmy's riffs differ from each other within each song, and also from song to song. His lead guitar playing can be HARD and sexy, he can be sensitive and beautiful, and he can be technically brilliant, all in the very same song.
Thirdly, John Paul Jones is a bass player who attained a level of brilliance comparable to Paul McCartney. Just like McCartney, John could play beautiful "melodic" bass (i.e. "Ramble On"), he could play as fast as it gets, but he also knew when to keep it simple and just hold down the bottom although I think he was incapable of doing that without utter sophistication. No one at all can touch those two on bass, and John also played consistently brilliant keyboards - piano, organ and synthesizer. The intricate way in which he wove his bass guitar playing into, through, and underneath Jimmy's guitar playing is nothing short of perfection itself.
And last but not at all least, Robert Plant had an incredibly high vocal range, emotionally as well as in terms of octaves. Just like Dylan was for his own music, Robert's voice was perfect for Led Zep's music and there's no other singer who could possibly have fit in. As a professional singer, I'm knocked out by Robert's vocals on both a technical and an emotional level. Robert understood the concept of using his voice like a musical instrument, creating fascinating sounds without using lyrics. And Robert co-wrote with Jimmy too. A lot of the time you can't understand his lyrics and I've heard that was Robert's intent because just like Mick Jagger, all he cared about at that time was that you connect with the emotion and the energy in the totality of the music. But when you can get the lyrics (like in Stairway to Heaven, their tribute to Janis Joplin), you find a great piece of poetry. And on top of all that, Robert had the best "oooh yeahs" in the business!
2.CREATIVE SONGWRITING
Hardly anybody has ever covered Led Zep songs for very good reasons. Their song structure is based on their vastly superior playing abilities and there's no one who can actually play what they played. I'm talking about songs that are not based on simple chords like all other rock and roll is. Jimmy and Robert based their songs on Jimmy's riffs and on his chordal tonalities that to this day stand alone as being unique. I'm also talking about length of songs that maintain a constant and intense high, up to 11 minutes in length without resorting to an overly repetitive chorus. I know from Robert's solo work after Led Zep that he also uses unusual tonalities in his writing, but even without actually knowing this I would have to assume that due to Jimmy Page being an erupting fountain of brilliant guitar work, the majority of the non-vocal music creation came from Jimmy. The Beatles certainly deserve abject worship for John and Paul's creative songwriting ability, no question about that. Certainly Mick and Keith wrote a slew of classic, historic and truly memorable rock songs, but the very nature of their comparatively simple rock and roll structure and basic similarity to each other in terms of using major and minor chord progressions, simple and basic rock and roll rhythms, and verse/chorus/bridge approach defines them as being less innovative when compared to Robert and Jimmy.
3.SUM TOTAL OF BRILLIANT WORK
Here they outdistance The Stones because most of the Stones' albums have "fillers", which are songs that do not hit the same intense high that got slammed in all their best ones. However, I'd like to say that I don't think either Mick or Robert is capable of recording anything short of a brilliant vocal. The Beatles actually exceed Led Zep in terms of numbers of great albums that constitute a greater body of brilliant and uniquely innovative work that literally broke new musical ground with every single song they recorded. The Beatles were simply The Beatles, and they were the most creative rock and roll band ever, from being the best singers and songwriters ever right down to their individual charm and charisma. But without denigrating their gorgeous, sensitive and original style of playing, what they recorded is not the heavy type of rock and roll that either the Stones or Led Zep played. George, Paul and John were all brilliant and creative guitarists, but because they did not improvise on stage, they were not really master guitarists. I love and respect Ringo as both a person and as a very creative drummer who mastered the art of drum sounds. He has his own unmistakable Ringo style for both, but he's not really a master drummer in the sense of being able to play with great speed and dexterity. I'm talking about 9 Led Zep albums chock full of brilliant and intensely high songs - I don't know how many hours of great rock and roll listening that is. There's not a single weak track among all that work, and there's simply no question that they consistently broke new ground musically. Their debut album is still the best one of all time (including Cream's), and Coda, their "swan song" is equally perfect.
4.STAGE PRESENCE
Led Zep was there when the concept of "rock and roll star" was still evolving. I will grant that the Stones at least deserve honorable mention as the best rock and roll band but it's mostly because of their impressive touring record and Mick's superstar stage presence with his ability to put on a great show every single time he appears. And he's still doing it at age 60 for goodness sake! My point isn't that Led Zep necessarily had the best stage presence, just that they did have a true rock star sexual aura.
I could go on about Jimmy Page's abilities as a producer, and there are other aspects to their greatness like the length of time they were together without a change of band members. And the life they actually led as archtypical wild rock and roll bad boys equals the life led by the Rolling Stones in intensity, if not length. Both bands are perfect examples on an artistic level of what I call FORM = CONTENT, which in this case means that these two rock and roll bands personified the rock and roll life.
In conclusion, the above four categories do enough to fully qualify Led Zeppelin for my not-so-humble award. There will never be another rock and roll band to approach the stratospheric musical heights that Led Zep reached. The Recording Industry Association of America, who has the correct statistics, lists Led Zeppelin as the third best selling musical act/artist in history. The Beatles are first, with 166.5 million albums sold in the USA alone, Elvis is second with 117.5 million, and Led Zep is third with 106 million. I think it's very significant that those statistics are becoming geometrically times greater than the number of albums that they sold during their performance lifetimes. What has happened and is happening is that the young people of today are discovering them in droves because they are coming of age sexually and they recognize and connect with the most powerful musical example of that sexual power. They are buying their CD's, shirts, posters and other memorabilia. And frankly, I'm thrilled.
I probably started listening to Fleetwood Mac when I was about 10, 11 or something like that because I remember getting their Greatest Hits album and it had only just been released and at the time I didn't really know who they were but because I always listen to all sorts of music people just used to buy me music instead of toys. When I listened to it I knew most of the tracks and I now think of it as one of my top 20 albums of all time.
Fleetwood Mac Concert at the Birmingham NIA - Photo by ahisgett
Fleetwood Mac are an English/American cross breed who formed in 1967 in London. The group have gone through far too many changes in members to list them all but the most notable members of Fleetwood Mac are, Mick Fleetwood, John McVie, Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham.
Fleetwood Mac are probably one of the most hard working bands of all time and have released many albums (sometimes three or four in a year). 1968 saw the releases of Carousel Ballroom, Mr Wonderful and Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac. In 1969 there were four albums, English Rose, Live In Amsterdam, The Pious Bird Of Good Omen and Then Play On.
Only one album was released in 1970 which was Kiln House, one in 1971, Future Games and one in 1972, Bare Tree. Mystery To Me and Penguin were released in 1973. Heroes are Hard to Find in 1974 and another two released in 1975, Fleetwood Mac which contained the hits Rhiannon, Say You Love Me and Landslide and In Chicago which again was a great album and a compilation. In 1977 they released the collaboration album Fleetwood Mac And Christine Perfect - Albatross which contained the massive hit Albatross and they also released another of their most successful albums the same year which was Rumours and is another of my favourite albums of all time and contains the songs You Can Go Your Own Way and You Make Loving Fun.
In 1979 Fleetwood Mac released Tusk and the song of the same name became another huge success along with the songs Sara and Think About Me and the album has sold over 4 million copies and they went on a tour of Australia, New Zealand, Japan, France, Belgium, Germany (where they toured with bob Marley), Netherlands, and the UK. During the tour they recorded the music for the Live album which was released in 1980.
Mirage was released in 1982 and contained the hits Wish You Were Here, Gypsy and Oh Diane.
After this release they went on tour again and released the Boston Live album. 1987 was the release of Tango In The Night which went to #1 in the UK charts three times in one year and after this album Lindsey Buckingham left Fleetwood Mac. In the following Decade they released several more albums (Greatest Hits, The Blues Collection, Behind The Mask, 25 Years - The Chain, Oh Well Live, The Blues Years, Time, Live At The BBC and The Dance (which saw the reunion of the old Fleetwood Mac).
In 1998 Fleetwood Mac were inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame and it is reported that they will be collaborating with Sheryl Crow in 2009 and there are plans for a new album and a supporting tour.
and the Partridge Family, soft rock of 
, the great dance tunes of the Bee Gees and the Commodores, rock of Aerosmith and Led Zeppelin, the brass band sounds of Chicago, or the disco beat of Chic and 
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