The ROLLING STONES

Rolling Stones in Statesboro The Rolling Stones perform at Georgia Southern College-May 4,1965. Photo by Kevin Delaney with a 110 Kodak Instamatic. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

1. You Can't Always Get What You Want

2. Only Rock 'n Roll

3. Get Off My Cloud

4. She's A Rainbow

5. Under My Thumb

6. It's All Over Now

7. Don't Stop

8. Happy

9. The Last Time

1. You Can't Always Get What You Want

Mere days after their release of "Beggar's Banquet" in 1968, the band pulled together a real-life circus of a show. Designed as a television spectacle consisting of real circus performers, and some top rock acts of the day. Jethro Tull, The Who, and Eric Clapton were in attendance, as were lions, trapeze artists, John Lennon and Yoko Ono. The kind of show you might only now see on the very best of David Letterman.

The idea was to produce a unique showcase, but the footage was eventually shelved and hidden away for nearly 3 decades due to what was deemed sub-standard performances. It was not shown publicly for 27 years, except for brief excerpts in home videos. The Who's performance of "A Quick One" was used in their own film/career documentary, "The Kids Are Alright". The true landmark of the show for The Rolling Stones was it was Brian Jones' last performance with the band.

2. Only Rock 'n Roll

Before the Rolling Stones had galvanized their name as the World Greatest Rock & Roll Band in the late '60s, they had already laid a handsome claim to the title. The Beatles had paved the way for the British Invasion, but the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, hard-pounding blues-infused rock and roll that now defines the genre. Mick Jagger might be a tiny little man by many standards, but with no question, he is the biggest front man to ever grace a rock stage. Wild. Macho. Campy. Sexy. He created the role of the rockstar.

3. Get Off My Cloud

To nightcap their hugely successful 1969 North American tour, the band planned a large, free concert in San Francisco similar to a successful concert they had done in London's Hyde Park earlier that summer. But between permit denials, greed and a last-minute change of venue, the event spiraled from what was potentially a West Coast Woodstock to a jumbled chaotic mess.

Things turned for the worse with their bad choice of security, the biker gang the "Hell's Angels", contributing to a day-long sideshow of brutal violence and truly bad vibes. By the time the Stones took the stage that evening, things had already come undone with a dramatic stabbing of the spectator by one of the Hell's Angels. The stabbing was captured on film in the documentary, "Gimme Shelter".

4. She's A Rainbow

The band's longtime acquaintance with law enforcement started with an infamous 'pissing' incident in March of 1965. Bill Wyman needed to use the restroom at a gas station, but was refused admittance and told to promptly vacate the premises. Mick Jagger and Brian Jones joined Bill in pissing against a wall, and the Rolling Stones' image as bad boys was firmly established. In a remarkable show of solidarity and opportunism, which was not to be repeated, all five-band members showed up at court, several weeks later.

5. Under My Thumb

How can you be the next Keith Richards? Well, asides from several obvious personal decisions, to get his legendary sound, first you're going to need to go out and get yourself a Fender Telecaster. Keith plays in open G tuning with his own customized 5-string version. Take your low E string off the guitar and then tune it low to high as GDGBD. You can always tune the low E string to D as well if you're not into removing the sixth string. Keith sums up his approach with a simple phrase that only he could truly relate, "5 strings, 3 fingers, and one ***hole." There's no one like Keith Richards.

6. It's All Over Now

The famous tongue and lip design and countless variations of such have graced countless official and unofficial Rolling Stones memorabilia and products since it first appeared when the band formed "Rolling Stones Records" in 1971. Credit for the creation of the original design has been mistakenly given to several people over the years. Many have stated that Andy Warhol was the originator. He did design two album covers for the band, but not the tongue design. In 1995, Billboard Magazine printed that it was from the mind of Ruby Mazur. Discovering their mistake, they later corrected their statement, identifying Mazur as the designer of the first official variation of the tongue design. With further research later that year, Billboard definitely uncovered that the original classic design came from John Pasch. Two years later, Mick Jagger confirmed that Pasch was the originator of the fabled logo.

7. Don't Stop

Rolling Stones museum, anyone? Former Rolling Stones member, Bill Wyman operates a restaurant entitled, "Sticky Fingers" in the well-to-do Kensington section of London. The food is nothing to write home about unless you consider the cuisine at the Hard Rock Café something to die for. The prices are so-so, no more than the one-two punch inflicted by Planet Hollywood fare. What's special here is that the whole place is a shrine the legendary rockers. Jam-packed with posters, magazine covers, guitars, gold discs and the like. Most of the time, as you might imagine, you'll be enjoying the soothing sounds of Stones tune while you munch your fish and chips.

8. Happy

If you never get a chance to stand live in the crowd and soak the sound waves as they emit straight from the wall of loudspeakers, then the next best chance at the excitement is one many films made from their various shows. Perhaps the most famous is from their 1972 North American tour. Titled, "Ladies and Gentlemen, The Rolling Stones", unfortunately, the screening of it can prove difficult. Originally released in Quadraphonic sound, the original soundtrack, record as it is on the film in an unusual manner requires considerable labor to view properly. The effort is occasionally undertaken, as it was done in a September 1996 screening at New York's Lincoln Center. Hmmm, maybe it would be easier to just see them live after all.

9. The Last Time

Is this their last world tour? They've been fielding that question ever since they were first asked it way back in 1966. Mick Jagger turned 59 this past July 26th and Keith Richards turns 59 on December 18th. Jagger will be 60 by the time they wrap up their European tour, perhaps that's old enough to retire, but we're betting that they'll be back as long as they're around. Why stop now?

Updated information on WIKIPEDIA

By Chad Koch - Article Source: EzineArticles

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HARDCORE

Members hardcore punk rock band Minor Threat. Performing at The Wilson Center in Washington, D.C.
 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Hardcore was originally acclaimed as dirt, quick and bustling punk-rock, which emerged in the US in late 70-is through early 80-is. The hard-core bands, including Black Flag, Circle Jerks, Teen Idles, Minor Threat, Jerry’s Kids posed as founders of hardcore.

Until 80-is, hardcore appeared to be peculiar of ear-teasing, short and quick songs of approximately 1 to 1.5 minutes with the presence of social lyrics. This stage completed due to bands’ tendency either to split up or, to, simply, shift to different musical style. Those times hardcore is labelled the old school hardcore.

Some bands, including Earth Crisis, All Out War, Strife, following the old school hardcore, enriched their music with a combination of slow melodies and metal elements, which, thus, committed to the establishment of the new school of hardcore.

The others, like Husker Du, Meat Puppets and Embrace, however, applying restrictions to "hardness" in their music, developed the new styles of grunge and emocore, respectively. The emocore boasts the peculiar features of emotional performance, melodic and soft back-vocal, minor chords as well as typical behaviour on stage.

The Bad Religion band, established in 1980, omitting usual now the presence of slowness and duration in songs, posed as establisher of new musical trend through introducing professional beck-vocal. The style appears to lack in the denomination but is conditionally nicknamed as skate-punk (trifle lighter form of the said music is played by Blink-182 and New Found Glory), although it differs from traditional pop-punk, represented by Ramonez, Buzzcocks and Lookout records, both, in origin and style.

As the time passed by, the hardcore influenced the development of such styles as fast-core, thresh core and crossover, however, the bands, following the said style failed to experience the support of the great audience, as their processors did. 

Thus, a bulk of modern alternative music stemmed from hardcore. Notably, the old school hardcore is still in demand and keeps developing, irrespective of breeding more popular musical trends. A slew of bands still promotes the style worldwide among music lovers. 

The styles encountered development in a parallel manner (they experienced step-by-step development from the very beginning).

It should be noted that a style, depending on social background and geographical location may possess original and unique nuances.

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Where the Unknown Music Roams - Expand Your MUSIC LIBRARY

The station building and one of the towers of Motala longwave transmitter (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

You've heard all your favorite music and artists on your local radio station. You've tuned in while hoping to hear something new and exciting. Unfortunately, the radio stations usually play the same tunes over and over. This causes other musicians to get left out in the cold. You may never hear of many fabulous rock singers, R and B artists, jazz professionals and Gospel greats if you only listen to what your radio station has to offer. Here are some tips to show you how to expand your music library with great songs you've probably never heard before.

Where Did The Music Go?

If hundreds of singing groups and musicians submit their songs to producers each year, but only a few get chosen, then where do all these amazing musicians go? Where and how are their songs being heard? Do they just give up? In the past, many of them would likely quit playing or singing all together once they were rejected in the mainstream music industry. But nowadays, a new avenue of getting their sensational music to the public has arisen; it's called the World Wide Web!

There are now thousands of hip songs available online today that will probably never make it to the radio stations. The artists' names will probably never be mentioned in the mainstream music industry. But, that doesn't mean the songs are cheesy or that the artists have bad singing voices. It simply means they didn't get chosen to be in the top music charts. Their music might be wonderful, but was overlooked or got lost in the crowd of other musicians and bands.

A Variety of Music

This happening isn't limited to only one certain type of music or musician. Almost any type of music can fall victim to getting tossed in the "rejection" pile. This includes jazz, Latin, pop, R and B, hip-hop, reggae, rock, folk, comedy, Gospel, blues, techno, spoken word, rap, etc.

No matter what your taste in music, there are probably thousands of artists who never made it in the big-time that you would enjoy listening to their music. Your music library can grow with great music CDs from these singers so you can listen to many different songs whenever you want instead of being limited to the over-played music on the radio.

Music on the Web

There are specialty websites online that focus on publicizing music and artists that have never been heard before. You can go online to listen to unique sample music, buy CDs, and buy merchandise. These artists are great even though they never made it big. You can usually try their music before you buy it to be certain it is right for you. So, there's nothing to lose, but lots of amazing music to gain.

Music for Your Business

If you own a business where music is played often, you can also play some "unknown" music over the loudspeaker for others to hear. Your customers will be amazed at all the distinct songs they hear in your store. You'll be the talk of the town!

Whether it's rock, jazz or hip-hop you enjoy, or if it's Gospel, country, folk, or some other type of music, you can expand your music library in no time with many great tunes that never made it to the top!

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PRINCE - We Miss You

Photo:  Micahmedia (Wikipedia)

Prince (* 7. Juni 1958  - † 21. April 2016)

From MOTOWN to HIP HOP

Now That's What I Call Motown (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Growing up in the City of Detroit during the early sixties was a memorable era for music. It was a period of time whereby the unique sounding records of Motown were being played and heard throughout the streets, nightclubs, house parties and radio stations everywhere. It was common to have the soulful R and B records playing on the jukeboxes while folks were dancing in the streets or singing in the barber shops and beauty parlors to the love songs that eventually captivated the hearts of millions of people throughout the world. Music CDs and rap music were not heard of during that period, it was all about the vinyl records and rhythm and blues soul.

The songs that were written by Motown songwriters during the 60’s & 70’s had so much meaning. They were songs that spoke about true love, current events and the heartache and pains of life experiences. Oh yes, Motown had it going on! Their music became universal music. Many of the soulful tunes crossed over into other markets such as pop, jazz, blues, etc… But just like George Benson said in one of his recordings “Everything Must Change”, and sure enough, he was right about the music.

After giving so many years service and great music to the City of Detroit, Motown moved out and Rap/Hip-Hop moved in. Instead of hearing someone singing My Baby Loves Me or My Girl, you began to hear new sounding lyrics of street experience expressed in rhythms with the mouth, chest, hands, and feet as such had never been heard before.

This new sound called Rap evolved in the early 80’s and took off as a skyrocket in the late 90’s and New Millennium as Hip Hop/Rap. Even today Rap/Hip-Hop music is still a multi-billion dollar genre. Millions of CDs, videos and DVD's are sold each year in the Hip Hop genre of music. And there is no sign that Hip Hop will be slowing down or taking a back seat to anyone anytime soon.

So what happened to the Motown sound…. did it die out? No! The Motown sound will never die out. It will always play a significant part in the hearts of millions who embraced it’s sound back in the early 60’s and continued to pass that sound on to their children throughout the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s.

Sometimes you just have to move over and let the new kids on the block have a turn in expressing their musical talents, songs and ideas. That’s what Motown did…moved over-not out. And now the Hip Hop artists are not the new kids on the block anymore, for they have taken their position to express themselves musically, just like the rhythm and blues artists took their position to express themselves in the Motown era.

That’s how we’ve gone from Motown to Hip Hop!

Written by: Michael Bell  ©2006 Michael Bell

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COUNTRY GUITAR Lesson, Blues Guitar Riffs, Metal guitar and the BEATLES Effect

Photograph of The Beatles as they arrive in New York City in 1964  (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Country Guitar Lesson, Blues Guitar Riff´s, Metal Guitar and the Beatles effect; what has the Beatles got to do with it? I hear you say.

Well firstly the Beatles incorporated and used all the different styles in their music, and in their songs, but not only that, they also changed what was acceptable in music and what was not acceptable.

Paul McCartney´s father was a concert pianist, and when Paul was sat at the piano composing a song, his father would come into the room and say to him “Paul, you can’t do that, it´s against the rules of music”, and Paul would say in return “well I don´t care it sounds good to me”, so he did it anyway.

A lot of what the Beatles did at the time was considered unacceptable by the musical academic´s, but it was obviously acceptable to the record-buying public. It was not unusual for the Beatles to have more than one record in the top ten in England at the time, and not only that but they often occupied number 1 and number 2 positions as well.

Paul and John were real innovators of music; they used unusual key changes together with unusual chords and complex chord changes, as well as total shifts in tempo, and sometimes two songs were mixed together, for example, “A Day In The Life” was two totally different songs, one written by Paul and the other one written by John, but it worked, it has to be heard to be believed.

In the song Hello Goodbye, the ending was achieved by playing the song backward which again works. They introduced guitar feedback although it was by total accident, as George Harrison had left his guitar leaning against his amplifier whilst recording I Feel Fine, they left it on the record as they felt it was unusual and they liked the effect it had. Also in I Feel Fine was a great guitar riff that George played throughout the song which was again unusual.

Although Paul and John overshadowed George and Ringo, this was not intentional; in fact George was a good songwriter in his own right, just think of songs like Something (in the way she moves) and Here Comes The Sun, and quite a few other songs including While My Guitar Gently Weeps, on which he had his friend Eric Clapton play lead guitar.

George Harrison was also a perfectionist; he would practice his guitar parts until his fingers bled on occasions. It was also George Harrison that inspired me and many others to learn guitar, and play it in his style of using mainly bar chords.

The Beatles also inspired many other bands and musicians around the world, even T.V. shows were inspired by the Beatles, think of the Monkeys who show ran for quite some time. The Beatles were also the first ever British artists to make it big in America, and no other British artist has topped that to this day.

Yes, the Beatles were controversial at the time, particularly when John Lennon commented that they were better known than Jesus Christ, which was wildly misinterpreted, and it led to people burning their Beatles records and memorabilia in the streets.

In my opinion, the Beatles were a landmark in music, they changed what was acceptable and what was not, and they changed the way that country guitar lessons are now being taught as well as blues guitar riffs, and they led the way forward in metal guitar music.

No other band or artist has been able to influence music, to the degree that the Beatles had, in particular, guitar music, and in the way, that guitar playing is being taught now. So hopefully you can see what I mean by the Beatles effect!

I hope that you have enjoyed this article, and indeed you may even want to comment on it, as I know that some people may feel strongly about the Beatles both, in a good way and sometimes in a not so good way; however I will welcome all comments, and also say that the things written here are only my opinion.

Keep on playing,

“Wolfie” Wolfgang Bloomfield - Article Directory: Article Dashboard

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AEROSMITH Just Keeps On Rockin'

Photo  by ChrisGampat 

For over three decades, Aerosmith has been one of rock's most revered and popular bands, crafting classic songs full of raw guitar runs and intensely energetic vocals. The band first reached fame in the 1970's with a string of hits including "Dream On," "Sweet Emotion" and "Walk This Way." During this period, Aerosmith's music defied easy categorization, falling somewhere between hard rock/blues and early punk, with occasional power ballads here and there. The band enjoyed major popularity throughout the 1970's, but a split from 1979-84, and the serious substance abuse and drug addictions that contributed to their decline, would nearly relegate them to the annals of history. However, in 1984, Aerosmith was born again. They went on to enjoy the resurgence in popularity that has made them one of the top-selling and most popular rock bands in the world today.

Throughout their rough and rocky history, Aerosmith defied failure and even defied mediocrity in a fast-paced rock-and-roll world abundant in tragedy and also-rans. Aerosmith signed with Columbia in 1972 and debuted their first album simply titled Aerosmith, which included a hit single, "Dream On". After constant touring, the band released Get Your Wings in 1974, which did quite well on the charts, but it was Toys in the Attic in 1975 that established Aerosmith as international superstars. Originally pegged as Rolling Stones clones, Toys in the Attic showed that Aerosmith was a unique and original talent in their own right. Part heavy metal, part glam rock, and part punk, Toys in the Attic was an immense success, starting with the single "Sweet Emotion", then a successful re-release of "Dream On", and a new song from the album, "Walk This Way". Both of the band's previous albums re-charted as a result. Aerosmith's next album, Rocks, went platinum swiftly and featured two hits, "Back in the Saddle" and "Last Child".

Their next album, Draw the Line, was not nearly as successful, though the title track proved to be a minor hit. While continuing to tour and record into the late 1970's, Aerosmith acted in the movie version of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, covering the Beatles hit "Come Together." As their popularity waned and drug abuse began affecting their output, Joe Perry left the band in 1979 during the recording of their sixth studio album Night in the Ruts and formed The Joe Perry Project. Perry's role in Aerosmith was initially taken by longtime friend and songwriter Richie Supa and then later by guitarist Jimmy Crespo who recorded the remainder of the album.

Aerosmith released its mammoth-selling Greatest Hits album in 1980, and in 1981 the band suffered another loss with the departure of Brad Whitford. Rick Dufay replaced Whitford and the band recorded their seventh album, Rock in a Hard Place. The album was considered a relative failure. The tour that followed this release is notable for Steven Tyler's collapse onstage during a 1983 performance.

On Valentine's Day 1984, Perry and Whitford went to see Aerosmith play. They officially rejoined the ranks of Aerosmith once more in April of that year. Steven Tyler recalls, "You should have felt the buzz the moment all five of us got together in the same room for the first time again. We all started laughing - it was like the five years had never passed. We knew we'd made the right move."

Aerosmith embarked on a lucrative reunion tour entitled "Back in the Saddle", which produced the live album Classics Live II. Their problems were still not behind them when the group signed with Geffen Records and began working on a comeback.

1985 saw the release of Done with Mirrors, their first studio album since the highly publicized reunion. It fared relatively well commercially, but it did not produce a hit single or generate much hope for their comeback. By the time the record was released, Tyler and Perry had exited drug rehabilitation. The group appeared on Run D.M.C.'s incredibly successful cover of "Walk This Way", blending rock and roll and hip-hop and successfully beginning Aerosmith's comeback. The group's next release was Permanent Vacation (1987), which included the hits "Dude (Looks Like a Lady)", "Rag Doll", and "Angel". Their next album, Pump, was received even better; Pump featured four Top Ten singles: "Janie's Got a Gun", "What It Takes", "Love in an Elevator", and "The Other Side". Aerosmith was definitely in the midst of a major resurgence.

Despite significant shifts in mainstream music at the beginning of the 1990's, the band's 1993 follow-up to Pump, Get a Grip, was just as successful commercially. Though many critics were unimpressed by the focus on power-ballads in promoting the album, three songs ("Cryin' ", "Crazy" and "Amazing") proved to be huge successes on radio and MTV.  The music videos featured then fresh up-and-coming actress Alicia Silverstone; her provocative performances earned her the title of "the Aerosmith chick" for half a decade. Steven Tyler's daughter, Liv Tyler, was also featured in the "Crazy" video. Aerosmith signed with Columbia Records again in the early 1990's, but they had to complete two contractual albums for Geffen before recording for the new label.

The next album, Nine Lives, was plagued with personal problems, including the firing of manager Tim Collins. Reviews were generally mixed, and Nine Lives initially fell on charts, although it had a long chart life and sold double platinum in the US alone. It was followed by a series of late '90's releases, mostly earlier material that was live or retrospective. The albums sold relatively well, but also marked the second decline in popularity and critical respect for the band.

Aerosmith's biggest hit of the '90's, and its only #1 single to date was the love theme from the film Armageddon, "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing". This song was conceived by Joe Perry and Diane Warren, although Warren alone received songwriting credit. Steven Tyler's daughter Liv was featured in the movie. In 1999, they were in the Disney-MGM Studios ride (and later in the Walt Disney Studios Park ride), Rock 'n' Roller Coaster.  Aerosmith provided the soundtrack and theme for the ride, which is based on their recording session and following the concert.

The band started its next decade with the release in 2001 of Just Push Play, which charted well. They were also inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Later that year, the band appeared as part of the United We Stand concert in Washington D.C. for 9/11 victims and their families. Stubbornly, the band flew back to Indianapolis for a show the same night, refusing to interrupt their Just Push Play tour schedule.

In 2002, Aerosmith released the 2-disc compilation O Yeah! Ultimate Aerosmith Hits and embarked on the Girls of Summer tour with opening acts Kid Rock and Run-DMC. In 2003, Aerosmith co-headlined with Kiss on the Rocksimus Maximus tour. Their long-promised blues album, Honkin' on Bobo, was released in 2004. The Album continues to be a success, helping to inspire the resurgence of blues and roots music across the US and Europe. A live DVD, You Gotta Move, followed it in December 2004. The band also lent its well-known "Dream On" to an advertising campaign for Buick in 2004, targeting their audience, which is now composed largely of people who were teenagers when the song first charted.

In 2005, guitarist Joe Perry released his eponymous solo album. Many claims that it is in many ways truer to the Aerosmith of the '70's than any of their recent output. This is mostly due to its raw energy and lack of song doctoring. In October 2005, Aerosmith released a CD/DVD named Rockin' the Joint. The band hit the road for the Rockin' The Joint tour on October 30th with Lenny Kravitz and is still touring.

They expect to be on the road until some time around Spring 2006. Rumor has it that they will begin work on a new album at that time. It was announced in January that the band will embark on a 5-week tour with Cheap Trick in the spring. Rumors of a tour started a week before the announcement when Cheap Trick frontman Robin Zander joined the band onstage for "Come Together" during a concert in Tampa, Florida. Early reports also indicate that the band plans to resume touring in the fall of 2006, most likely in support of the new album. According to insiders, an upcoming tour may see them alongside Motley Crue.

More and newer Information on Wikipedia.

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Exploring REGGAETON Music and Dances

Photo  by ElNene2k13 

Reggaeton is a type of urban music that has become widespread in popularity among young music lovers in Latin America, North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. Reggaeton music originated in Panama and caters to Hispanic youth, with rapping and singing often in Spanish. The music is a blend of Jamaican style music such as dancehall and reggae and Latin America style music such as salsa, bomba, plena, merengue, bachata, hip hop, bolero, R&B, and Latin pop.

Reggaeton music boasts its own specific rhythm and beat. The rhythm of reggaeton is often referred to as "Dem Bow." The name Dem Bow references the title of a dancehall song from the 1990s by Shabba Ranks. Though the music genre of reggaeton is mostly associated with Puerto Rico (where this style of music was popularized and became famous), the lyrics are more hip-hop type lyrics than dancehall. 

The Beat of Reggaeton

It's the reggaeton beat, or Dem Bow, that drives the music and dances. The beat is described as a drum-machine track that originated with Jamaican dancehall rhythm. Reggaeton combines a syncopated snare and steady kick drum to create an unusual rhythm. There's a 4/4 beat emphasized by the kick drum, and the snare starts with the "and" of the 3rd 8th note and right on the 4th 8th note. There are about 95 beats per minute, and the result is a magnified "boom-ch-boom-chick" sounding beat.

Reggaeton beat sounds are usually synthesized electronically. There are also simple melodies created with electronic instruments, keyboards, and electric guitars. The beats are versatile and can be based on the bolero, hip-hop, salsa, merengue, bachata, or other similar beats. 

The Reggaeton Dance

Sensual (and controversial) dancing can often be seen in reggaeton clubs or on music videos. The perreo type dance is a form of grinding dance derived from Puerto Rico. The dance puts women in control of the dance and is very provocative in its nature. Perreo moves are popular in dancehall, rhythm and blues, and hip-hop music as well. A slightly calmer form of reggaeton dancing is cumbia, which was originally a folk dance and music from Colombia. Like perreo, the cumbia dance is flirtatious in nature with the women luring the men toward them and then pushing them away.

Some of the leading artists in reggaeton include CandyMan, Esko, Fito Blanko, Nicky Jam, La Fabrica, Don Miguelo, Daddy Yankee, De la Ghetto, DJ Blass, Baby Rasta & Gringo, Don Chezina, Lito & Polaco, Eddie Dee, Adassa, El Chombo, and Tony Touch. Some popular producers of reggaeton music are Eliel, Luny Tunes, and Noriega.

With the widespread popularity of reggaeton music, there are now many radio stations specializing in this type of music. There are also online radio venues where fans can download music, listen online, or watch the reggaeton music video of choice. The major benefit of online radio is fans can listen to their favorite music or watch their favorite videos around the clock.

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BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN - Magic

Springsteen performing on the Tunnel of Love Express at the Radrennbahn Weißensee in East Berlin on July 19, 1988. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The embodiment of the American dream

Bruce Springsteen, an influential American singer-songwriter, and guitarist was born in 1949 in a small New-Jersean town. He made up his mind to be a musician at 7, having seen Elvis Presley’s concert on TV. His parents were rather poor, and Bruce’s mother had to take a loan to buy him a good guitar. That is why the main themes of Springsteen’s music are people living from hand to mouth and politics. Bruce started making performances in 1965, in 1972 he gathered the E Street Band, though for a couple of years it was not called so.

Springsteen and the E Street Band worked together for many years, though parted in 1989. Bruce Springsteen is best known for his albums Born To Run and Born In The U.S.A. He has multiple Grammies and an Oscar for the Philadelphia soundtrack. He is also the inventor of lo-fi music that became the cult genre now among indie-rockers. In the early 2000s, Springsteen reunited with the E Street Band. In 2007 the artist recorded Magic, his long-awaited and first in about 5 years album with the E Street Band.

Magic: magically good

Magic contains 10 brand new songs by Springsteen and one already heard, Long Walk Home. The first single from the album, Radio Nowhere, is a very touching composition with deep lyrics. Girls In Their Summer Clothes is a very good rock song with the E Street Band have done their best. A very beautiful work is for sure Gypsy Byker, it has an upbeat romantic melody reminding of traveling at high speeds on the American highways.

Magic, the title track of the album, can boast of a wonderful arrangement and meditative melody, creating magical atmosphere thanks to the rhythmic tinkling of the tambourine. The final track on Magic, Devil’s Arcade, is the only one that deals with politics. It has a very strong lyrics and powerful images that are sure to leave no one calm. This song gives a perfect insight into Springsteen’s origination and his political views. Moreover, after listening to it leaves everyone with a clear own view on these questions even if you are far from it all.

New masterpiece of the American rock-idol

Magic is the less politically oriented album by Springsteen in the last decade. The several previous albums (both with the E Street Band and without) were dedicated to the protests against George W. Bush as a candidate at the presidential elections, the Iraq War and the tragedy of September 11, 2001. The reason for such change is not commented by the musician. Maybe he just got tired of politics. Moreover, Magic was recorded in an extremely amusing way - during two months the E Street Band recorded on weekends, while Springsteen and his producer Brendan O’Brien worked over the vocals and made the dubbing on weekdays.

It can be said about the result that this album is also the most guitar accentuated of all Springsteen’s creativity. And as for the sound, there are more romantic and pop moments on Magic that were not typical of Bruce recently, though were very usual on his very first records. Anyway, it is an extremely good rock record by Springsteen and his friends from the E Street Band that has great moments and for sure features, some of the best songs Bruce has ever written.

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CHORD SPELLING

Dominant thirteenth chord in C major (minor) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Understanding Chord Symbols 

With the growing interest in Jazz and other forms of music, I find more and more people asking about chord symbols and chord construction. While there are many books out there on the market, there is very little explanation of how chords symbols are interpreted. I’d like to share some of my insight with all you music enthusiasts. In many song sheets, chords are given for guitar or keyboard players. Functional names are not used for this purpose. Instead, the root and quality of the chord are given in what may be termed lead-sheet notation (for example, Amaj and F#dim7).

Chord symbols are made up of 3 component parts:

1. The ROOT

The alphabetical name of a chord.

i.e. A, Bb, G F# etc.

2. The Chord Type

Indicating either Major, minor, dominant, augmented or diminished.

3. The extension:

Tones added to the basic three note chord (triad) that changes its sound but not its type. Extensions are represented by scale step numbers i.e. 9, 11, 13 

Here are the basic chord types:

MAJOR indicated by GMaj., GMa, GM or just G (Note: the capital “M” is used to designate Major chords.) Major chords are sometimes written without chord type designation. Symbols are also used to designate Major chords i.e.,.

Minor Indicated by Gmin., Gmi, Gm or G- (NOTE: The lower case “m” is used to designate minor chords).

Dominant 7 Indicated with only the root and extension numbers. Since some major chords and all dominant 7 chords can be written without chord type designations, the following will help you to distinguish between a major chord and a dominant chord: If the FIRST extension number following the root or letter name of the chord is 7 or greater, and it does not specifically state major or minor then it is a dominant chord.

EXAMPLE: C7b5, C13, C9, and C7sus4 are all dominant chords, but Cm11 is a minor chord and CMaj.9 is a major chord.

If the FIRST extension number following the root or letter name of the chord is 6 or under, it is a major chord.

EXAMPLE: C6/9, C2, Csus4 are all major chords

Augmented These are 3 note chords indicated by G aug, G+, or G#5

EXCEPTION: G+7 is always a dominant chord as is G7#5

Diminished  Indicated by G dim, Gdim7, or Gº, or Gº7

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BLACK SABBATH - My Opinions

Sabbath Bloody Sabbath (song) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

My Opinion

It is my pleasure to voice my comments about the mighty Black Sabbath. I count black Sabbath among the most influential musical acts in the rock genre and particularly hard rock.At the time when Sabbath was developing their activities leading up to 1970 album Black Sabbath, there was nothing in that time frame that could be characterized as really heavy music.

Led Zeppelin at that period was heavier than most. Sabbath was tackling some of the same occult subjects that were loosely covered in some of Zeppelin’s earlier stuff. Sabbath was also adding a musical heaviness to match the dark subject matter they were writing about. When it comes to the members of the band, I don’t think anyone would say Ozzy was the best singer when Sabbath was first on the scene, but Tony Iommi’s down-tuned Gibson SG riffs were innovative in their heaviness. When you compare Ironman, one of Sabbath’s premiere tunes, with any other song from that year there is no denying it was the heavier than anything. It was the beginning of heavy metal.

If you like Sabbath

If you like Sabbath and are trying to find similar bands, you can see Sabbath’s inspiration in any heavy band in the last 30 years. More recently High on Fire and their album Blessed Black Wings. If you are really into Sabbath and haven’t heard anything by Motorhead you need do not go another day without listening to them. There’s no denying if you are really into Black Sabbath then you will like Motorhead.

Cream of the Crop

Some of my personal favorite Black Sabbath songs are War Pigs and a lesser known song of Sabbath which I think everyone should check out is Supernaut off Black Sabbath Vol. 4. Other classics are Iron Man and Paranoid.

The members of Black Sabbath include Tony Iommi (guitar), John "Ozzy" Osbourne (vocals), Terry "Geezer" Butler (bass) and Bill Ward (drums). They were originally known as Earth but changed their name to Black Sabbath in 1969. Their albums include Black Sabbath, Paranoid, Master of Reality, Black Sabbath Vol. 4 Victor, Sabbath Bloody Sabbath, Sabotage Castle, Technical Ecstasy, and Never Say Die!.

And more Information on Wikipedia ...

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INDIE Music

The indie music project is known as BOBBY. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Indie music is a type of alternative rock which exists in the independent music world. The word is periodically used to refer to all underground music and is the opposite of indie pop music. Indie rock music places an emphasis on electric instruments such guitars and drums. Musicians in the genre are also known for using abstract sounds. The term indie rock is used because musicians work under smaller record labels instead of the major record companies.

Though indie rock isn't technically a genre, it is considered to represent the underground culture in many aspects. Indie artists are known for demanding a large amount of creative control over their music, and this is something which often alienates them from larger companies. Indie artists will strictly rely on word of mouth, tours, and independent radio stations in order to promote their music. Many of the popular artists will end up becoming popular with mainstream audiences and may be signed by large record labels.

In the US indie music is considered to be a spin-off from alternative rock. The movement is believed to have been started during the 1970s or 1980s. The indie rock music of the 1980s had sounds which were described as being heavy and distorted. By the 1990s, indie music groups such as Nirvana and Pearl Jam became mainstream, and the genre became more widespread. Once the genre became popular, major record companies begin investing large amounts of money in it.

Once this happened, the term "alternative rock" became more of a misnomer. Traditionally, many musicians who have signed with major record companies were considered to be "sell-outs" by their hardcore fans. My Original Music is an indie music site located in myoriginalmusic.com. Here you can find music by independent artists from all over the world. Today, indie rock is a term which has come to describe a wide variety of music. The term indie rock has been applied to psychedelic folk, synth-pop, and post-punk.

Sometimes the term indie rock becomes blurred, and some believe that the word will soon disappear much like alternative rock did. Mainstream artists such as Britney Spears and the Backstreet Boys have been known to reach high levels on the indie music charts, especially in the United Kingdom.  Some mainstream artists have even been signed to independent record labels. Much popular indie music artist becomes mainstream, and once this happens, they are no longer independent.

Despite the fact that many indie artists become mainstream, this is not always the case. In fact, most independent artists are not mainstream and do not wish to be. Money may be a motivating factor, but many artists play their music for the passion and not the money. Many major record labels exert a large amount of control over their artists, and the music which is sold is more often the product of the record companies than the artists themselves. Because of this, many artists have fought with the major record labels over creative control of their music.

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AEROSMITH - The Story of the Bands Epic Three Decade Rise to Rock God Status

Steven Tyler and Joe Perry performing live in concert
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Music critics in the 70s widely described Aerosmith as a vulgar, cheap imitation of the Rolling Stones. Steven Tyler was often nastily referred to as a "Mick Jagger Look-alike". Even with all that criticism and negativity being hurled their way, Aerosmith kept pushing ahead. Despite the critic's ill-informed opinions, Aerosmith turned out to be one of the most popular acts of the decade.

Aerosmith's band roots were planted back in 1970 when Joe Perry and Tom Hamilton met Steven Tyler. Perry and Hamilton were already playing in a band called The Jam Band. Drummer Joey Cramer and guitarist Ray Tabano were the next members added to the band. By 1971 though, changes were already happening in the band and Tabano was replaced by Brad Whitford.

By '72 Aerosmith had developed a loyal following of fans in the Boston area. They were gaining attention from recording studios as well and landed a deal with Columbia Records. It took three years for the band to finally break into the mainstream, but the album 'Toys In The Attic' was the break they needed. Aerosmith assured their place in rock and roll history with their next album titled, 'Rocks'.

Fame and fortune, as it often does in rock and roll, brought addiction to the band in the mid 70's. Steven Tyler and Joe Perry were dubbed rocks "Toxic Twins" due to their excessive drug and alcohol use. Their drug troubles and the internal conflicts between members nearly destroyed what the band had built in the late 70's. The music they produced during these troubled times wasn't nearly as good either.

From 1977 to 1979, Aerosmith put out the 'Draw The Line' and 'Live! Bootleg' albums. Neither garnered much commercial success for the band though. Whether it was the drugs or the tension between Joe Perry and Steven Tyler, things were not good in the Aerosmith camp. After recording the studio album entitled, 'Night In The Ruts', Perry left the band to start the Joe Perry Project. Perry was replaced and the band set out on a tour to promote the new album.

The early 80's brought challenge after challenge to the Aerosmith band members. The music wasn't the same and the band's commercial success was in a serious rut. Despite several album and tour attempts, Aerosmith was in danger of losing its mega-rock band status. Steven Tyler is reported to have been so high that he passed out on-stage at least twice during this time. The negative publicity and downward spiral seemed to be putting a halt any future Aerosmith had.

By 1984, Joe Perry and Brad Whitmore had rejoined Aerosmith and the band was signed under a new record label. Their reunion tour dubbed "The Back In The Saddle Tour" brought in crowds of fans. Still, Tyler and the others hadn't changed their partying habits much and old problems began to resurface.

Finally, in '86, Steven Tyler was nearly forced into drug rehab. Tim Collins, Aerosmith's manager was certain that if Tyler didn't clean up his act, the band would be in serious trouble. Over the next couple of years, Joe Perry and the rest of the band followed Tyler's lead and entered rehab. Collins supposedly made the band a promise that if they completed rehab, he could make Aerosmith the biggest rock band in the world by 1990.

With rehab behind them, Aerosmith set to work on an album that would once again get them the attention they deserved. Their comeback album, 'Done With Mirrors' did moderately well, but it wasn't a blockbuster. It wasn't until Tyler and Perry teamed up with Run DMC for a remake of "Walk This Way" that Aerosmith got the attention of the younger generation. While that single was peaking on the charts, Aerosmith released their 'Permanent Vacation' album.

'Permanent Vacation' was the monster album Aerosmith had been trying to create. It spawned three top 20 singles and videos. 'Dude Looks Like A Lady' topped the charts at number 14, 'Angel' soared to number 3 and 'Rag Doll' made it up to the number 17 spot. By all accounts, Aerosmith was back in their groove.

Aerosmith proved that they were back in a big way when they followed up 'Permanent Vacation' with 'Pump'. Settling in at the number 5 spot on the charts, 'Pump' went quadruple-platinum. "Janies Got A Gun", one of the singles from the album, earned Aerosmith a Best Rock Performance Grammy in 1990.

With their mega-rockstar status fully restored, Aerosmith spent the rest of the nineties doing what they do best. They produced several hit albums including 'Get a Grip' which hit Number One. In 1994 Aerosmith's greatest-hits package, Big Ones made it up to number six. Three years later, 'Nine Lives' entered the charts at number one.

In 2001, Aerosmith was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall Of fame. There's no doubt that these hard-core rockstars have earned it in every way possible. The coveted award was received just as Aerosmith's album 'Just Push Play' and the number 7 single, 'Pink' were released.

These days, Aerosmith has been doing what they always do, but with a twist. They're featured in one of the hottest new video games out there. And yes, they've still got their issues with addictions. Recently, Steven Tyler checked himself into rehab once again. Some habits die hard, but a great rock band like Aerosmith will live on forever.

Click here for more up-to-date information

By Vin Hayes  - Article Source: EzineArticles

 

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JIMI HENDRIX - A Vibrant Artist

Jimi Hendrix NEW (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

On November 27, 1942, the US saw the birth of an amazingly talented musician and artist in the persona of Jimi Hendrix. Born as Johnny Allen Hendrix, he had his name changed to James Marshall and eventually took the nickname "Jimmy" from his father, James Al Hendrix. His father recalls the small Jimmy using their broomstick as a guitar. This prompted him to give little Jimmy a ukulele. The boy's passion for playing guitar never dwindled since then.

Although he has no formal education in this field as he was not even able to write or read musical pieces, in just four years after starting his career, he was already recognized that time by his unique and moving style. With such expertise, he was able to render vibrant and creative rock music through the distortion of sounds and feedback with a combination of fuzz and other styles in a fascinating way.

During the Woodstock Music and Art Fair Festival in 1969, people who witnessed him play a renegade rendition of the "Star Spangled Banner" in his own musical jive, may still smile until this moment whenever they look at the USA flag as they sing The American National Anthem.

Other than his unnerving music, he was also famous for his sense of fashion. He would always be spotted wearing medallions, scarves, and rings, and, of course, his signature hairstyle.

Even in his untimely death in 1970 -- with some details still remain a mystery -- his artistry did not die. This electric guitarist and popular 1960s icon even transcended this era as until now, his effects on the new generation is still revived every time they listen to his youthful and raving music, which has captured the kind of energy trapped in the young and will continue to hold sway for more generations to come.

By Pollux Parker - Article Source: EzineArticles

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