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5 Amazing Alternative Rock Albums Of The 90s

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Ah, the 90’s. Some people say it’s their favourite decade of music, and it’s not that difficult to understand why – especially if you’re a fan of guitar-based albums. Rock music went under a renaissance of sorts during these golden years, with grunge, Britpop, pop punk, nu metal and indie in fine voice.

The 90s produced some of the very best alternative rock music, and no serious music fan’s collection could be complete without these five records, which have stood the test of time very well.Weezer's Lead Singer, Rivers Cuomo

So, read on and be prepared for some of the best music ever made!

1. Weezer – Pinkerton (1996)

Weezer had already released the perfect debut album in the form of the Blue Album, which had hits such as “Buddy Holly” and “Say It Ain’t So”, but they followed it up strongly with the very different Pinkerton. Critics panned the album for its bleaker and heavier tone, but unbeknownst to them, Weezer had actually seen the future of pop punk — emo. Yes, Pinkerton is now considered one of the very first emo albums and you can certainly hear why, with Rivers Cuomo’s self-deprecating and powerfully emotional lyrics. Weezer’s second album can now be considered a sort of history lesson in emo’s evolution, and who knows what Fall Out Boy’s music might have been like without it!

Key Songs: Tired Of Sex, Across The Sea, El Scorcho

2. Soundgarden – Superunknown (1994)

There were many different sides to grunge, but one of the heaviest bands that emerged from the scene was Soundgarden. Once Nirvana developed the grunge scene, Soundgarden got their big break and in 1994 they released their most commercially successful album, Superunknown. It is amazing, plus amazingly heavy! Inspired by heavy metal legends Black Sabbath, Superunknown is their most consistent album, and comes at you with hit after hit, all carried by their phenomenal musicianship and Chris Cornell’s powerful voice.

Key Songs: Black Hole Sun, Spoonman, The Day I Tried to Live

CD Of My Bloody Valentine's Loveless

3. My Bloody Valentine – Loveless (1991)

The story of this album’s creation is kind of a legend, but also a tale of warning for young bands. Loveless almost bankrupted MBV’s record label, with a lot of the budget being blown on drugs, but at the end of a stressful recording period, this masterpiece was born. A defining album in the shoegaze sub-genre, Loveless is atmospheric, fuzzy and best played very, very loud. If your ears aren’t bleeding whilst you listen to Loveless, you’re not listening to it properly.

Key Songs: To Here Knows When, When You Sleep, Soon

4. Smashing Pumpkins – Siamese Dreams (1993)Smashing Pumpkins When They Made A Guest Appearance In The Simpsons

Billy Corgan of the Smashing Pumpkins is infamous for his controlling nature of the band, but during the 90’s when things were a little more stable he created one of the greatest rock albums ever made. Siamese Dream is a long album with plenty of ambition, but it gets away with trying to punch above its weight because of its infectious heavy riffs and Corgan’s natural gift for self-defeating anthems. The most perfect of these is album highlight, Today, a wonderfully dark pop song about being on the edge of suicide and falling in love with life again.

Key Songs: Today, Cherub Rock, Hummer

5. Nirvana – In Utero (1993)

The Cover Of Nirvana's In Utero

Nirvana may have brought about the massive increase in popularity for alternative rock with Nevermind, but Kurt Cobain and co weren’t keen to just repeat the success of that album. Instead, they took a darker and heavier turn, taking more influence form their contemporaries. It was also, apparently, a deliberate ploy to make the music more inaccessible to the many thousands of people who latched on to Nirvana’s popularity. Although a little more difficult to appreciate at first, In Utero is still one of the best alternative rock albums to grace the airwaves. It’s aggressive, riff heavy and depressing tone can’t hide the fact Kurt Cobain loves to write great pop songs. It’s under rated, and should be adored by more, so grab this CD and some Nirvana clothing to educate your musical tastes.

Key Songs: Heart-Shaped Box, Pennyroyal Tea, All Apologies

These five timeless albums are just a few to get you started in discovering and celebrating the great music of the 90s. The truth is that there are hundreds more that could have been included. So what are you waiting for? Get listening!

Featured images:

Geoffrey Clarke is a part-time music blogger whose favourite band on this list is Smashing Pumpkins.




Want To Learn To Be A Musician?

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A world without music, for some, is the equivalent to a book without text – it’s pointless, and it just doesn’t make sense. Music resides within almost everything we experience; from that featured in TV programs, advertisements, and movies, to the radio playing while at work, and singing nursery rhymes to our children.

As well as music being an unstoppable part of how people live, it can also be an intricate part of the life some people build. Music is relaxing, relatable and sometimes even used as a cheap substitute to therapy. But for some, it is not just how they live, it is considered who they are.

Being a musician

MusicianThere is a growth in the number of people, specifically young people, who aspire to be musicians. What better way for someone to earn a sufficient amount of money doing something that they love? A music skill is often seen to be God-given, a natural gift, and a destiny.

However, although some people have an unlearned talent, that by no means eliminates the concept of people learning a musical skill of some kind.

Music teaching is a rapidly growing industry. Tutors offer everything from teaching people to play musical instruments, teaching composition and music theory, vocal training, and song writing lessons, and sharing knowledge about the music industry and other relevant opportunities. Some tutor services specialize in specific teachings.

For example, Pro Music Tutor offers services for guitar and saxophone techniques. Tutorials, videos, and written theory are vastly available at a variety of costs, with a number of different teaching styles and learning techniques.

The benefits of learning music

MusicResearch on music education has shown a number of additional benefits to learning music. PBS addresses some of those benefits, and includes research that has found music education to facilitate learning of other subjects, tapping into a multiple skill set. Music is said to help a child’s language development, increase IQs, and result in higher test scores.

Music also allows people to learn about commitment, given that learning a musical skill, or practicing and developing any unlearned talent requires time and discipline.

She Knows acknowledges that learning music, specifically in tutor groups, also allows people to learn and develop social skills, as well as respect, patients, team work, and confidence. Benefits also include development on more personal levels, such as fostering creativity and expression through music.

Whether parents would like their children to academically excel, and feel as though music will contribute to that, or a teenager has a new found desire to be in a cool band, or even if an adult would like to meet new people in a choir or as part of an instrument learning experience, there is something for everyone.

Music covers a wide variety of services, such as guitar lessons, with sites like Pro Music Tutor even allowing you to go online and download lessons yourself, in addition to simply having a listening experience. Whatever the reason a person chooses to learn music, the opportunity to have fun exists. Outside of the fun and enjoyment are a number of additional benefits that are great bonuses added to music learning.

Attached Images:
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Nidia Guerra loves music. Having experimented with a number of instruments, Nidia understands the discipline required to learn a music skill, and the benefits of doing so.

Suicidal Tendencies Still Rocking After All These Years

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It did not take long for the excitement to start rumbling again. When Mike Muir and Suicidal Tendencies released their first album in nearly 13 years, they were ready to rock all over again. The new album titled 13 is nothing short of amazing with all the harshness, edginess and thrash still firmly in place. The difference between then and now? The band is more accomplished and certainly more varied.

Don’t misunderstand me..they are still the same Suicidal Tendencies they always were when it comes to thrashing it out. The album shows that from the first track through the last. Despite this, the album allows for some new sounds as well. There are hints of funk, jazz and even a little bit of progressive metal mixed into the tracks. Like usual, the band has seen plenty of changes since the last album way back in 2000. Despite this, or perhaps because of this, the band has now morphed into a perfect version for the current stage of thrash. Nobody is questioning what their roots and pedigree might be.

The change in sound started in many ways when they released Suicidal Tendencies – Light Camera Revolution. This was the album that truly brought the controversial band into the limelight and got them noticed outside of their regular fan base. At the time, many in the world of thrash considered them to be sell-outs because of it, but Mike Muir believed in his sound and pushed onward. That album put Suicidal Tendencies on the map forever and cemented their legacy as a legendary group for the ages.

Although the new band keeps with the style and power behind the original’s success, they still have matured incredibly as musicians and craftsmen. Mike Muir has evolved as a master song writer and vocalist while the pieces around him have evolved slowly into a band to be remembered. Through the years, Muir is the only member that has always been there and never left. His solidarity in the face of drama has kept the band moving forward, and the recent incarnation is arguably one of the best ever. Every member of this band brings something to the table that is essential. That alone is rare in a rock in a roll band. There are no dead weights in this band. They all thrash with conviction.

If you listened to the skater thrashing, controversial band back in the 80s and have wondered what they have been up to, then 13 might come as a bit of a shock. This is not because they are totally different but because they have evolved into a style that is unique. That is, after all, what made Suicidal Tendencies popular in the first place. When you heard ST, they did not remind you of anyone. They went where other bands were afraid to go. They did things that no other band would do. That individualization built a brand that has led to complete and total creative freedom today.

You can hear it in every Mike Muir lyric and song. Give 13 a try and you might just find yourself liking them all over again.

Lisa Mason is a music buff writing for Music Record Shop about music, albums and artists she loves.

Top 5 Best Websites To Download Free Music

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I love my music !The Internet today makes it easier than ever to download just about any song you want for free. However, finding a site with an extensive selection of free music downloads is few and far in between. There are however, sites out there that offer music for purchase with an occasional song for free download. And there are some sites make you pay a monthly subscription for a wide music selection.

But, the problem with free music is, that it’s not always legal. When you download music for free you are not supporting the artists, labels and retailers who distribute the songs. For that reason, I want to emphasize that there are dozen of websites out there that allow you to listen to music freely and legally without downloading it. Like Pandora or Spotify for example.

If you’re like the rest of us, and you absolutely must download music, there are safe and legal sites available that you can use. Sites that will not spam your computer with advertisements, fake links or viruses. From the latest pop music to classic rock hits, download Mp3 songs for free using these five music websites:

1. mp3skull

If you haven’t already, you definitely want to use this website. It’s great for downloading, listening and searching for your favorite songs. mp3skull has a database of multimillion quality Mp3 links. The site even provides you with embed link to post music to your blogs and personal websites.

2. emp3World

While this site may be ten years old, it still provides the best and latest songs for free. The interface is simple, it loads rather quickly and there aren’t many annoying advertisements. This site gets two thumbs up!

3. Mp3Raid

Mp3Raid is a search engine that is dedicated to indexing and organizing music that has legally be posted on the Internet. You can easily listen to songs before you download too. While the interface is a bit unorganized, the overall task of searching for and downloading songs is rather easy.

4. Zippyshare.com

Another one of my favorite sites to download music from is Zippyshare.com. This site is easy to use with a very straightforward interface. Songs are 100 percent free and you can listen to the full song before you download it. Definitely worth bookmarking on your Internet browser!

5. Beemp3

Also a music search engine, Beemp3 can be used for locating an mp3-file over the Internet. The only catch is that the site does not actually host the files themselves. This site just searches through the Internet and indexes all the new mp3 songs.

Everyone listens to music. When we’re happy, sad, and anxious or somewhere in between, music is an expression of emotion. What’s better is if we can get all the music we want for free. And without too much hassle, like irritating pop ads and sign ups. There’s a safe way for downloading music there, choose wisely.

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Laura Wolfe is a freelance writer for several music publications. She usually uses KoyoteSoft.com video converter free software for her favorite YouTube videos. She loves having her favorite songs and videos at her fingertips.

The Easy Guide To Booking And Planning A Gig For Your Band

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When you are in a band, many times the biggest hassle is booking a gig. If you have a manager, then you don’t have to worry about it. The manager handles all of that hassle. However, most bands just starting out don’t have a manager. They have to do everything on their own. If you are looking to book a gig, follow this simple guide to make things easy on yourself.

Have a Press Kit

You want to have a press kit that you can give club owners and venue managers. This press kit will have a lot of information about your band in an easy-to-read package. The press kit should include your contact information, a brief biography of your band, an example set list, your musical influences, a band photo and a CD of your music. If you want to make things really simple on yourself, you can have all of this information available on your band’s website. You do have a website, right? If you don’t have one, then you need to set one up right away. No booking agent at a venue will take a band seriously these days without a website. One page on your website can have an electronic version of your press kit.

Find a Venue

Whether you are looking to book your first gig in your hometown or are looking to go out on the road for the first time, it is important to choose the right venue. Set your sights on somewhere small when you are just starting out. Even if you are only playing for a couple dozen people, you have to start somewhere. Find a coffee shop, bar, pub or club that looks like it would appeal to fans of your type of music. Once you find the venue, then you can contact them. Either give them a call or shoot them an email asking who you need to speak to about booking. When you get the booking agent’s contact information, then go ahead and send them a short email. In this introductory email, tell them that you are interested in playing at their venue. Ask them which dates they have available in the next few months. Include a link to the electronic press kit on the band’s website. Keep this introductory email short, somewhere in the neighborhood of 35-50 words. Once you have sent this email, wait three weeks for a response. If you haven’t heard from them after three weeks, send a follow up email asking them if they received your introductory email. After that, keep sending them follow up emails every three weeks. Don’t stop until they either give you a solid rejection or ask you to play. Being persistent is one of the keys to landing gigs. You never know when a follow up email will land in a booking agent’s email box at the perfect time to get you a gig.

Equipment

When planning for your gig, remember that you need the right equipment to sound your best. Scout out the venue to see if they have all the audio equipment you will need. Use the house PA system if they have one. If they don’t, then you will need to bring your own. Depending on the scale of the show you have in mind you may need amps, microphones, speakers, stage equipment, lighting and/or a sound board. You can rent this from an audio visual hire company if you don’t have it. Make sure to include the cost of the rental in your calculations for the gig fee.

Negotiating

Once you receive an offer to play a gig, then the most aggravating part of the process begins. Negotiating a fair deal is one of the biggest headaches in the music business, and it is the primary reason most bands have managers once they can afford one. The booking agents will lowball bands as much as they can get away with. Don’t be afraid to ask for more money than they offer at first. You want to receive enough pay to make the gig worth your time. It should be enough to cover food and drinks for the band for the evening. There should also be enough to pay a fair hourly rate to each member of the band. If the gig is out of town, you also want there to be enough to cover gas and lodging costs. Add all this up and make sure that you are receiving enough dough to make the gig worth your time. Keep after it and you will land a gig before you know it.

Attached Images:
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This article is written by Aaron Edwards, a Perth-based musician who has been gigging locally in his spare time for over six years.

Trends in Music: The Future of Instruments

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Musical instruments have always had one foot in the past and the other in the tech trends of the future. The digital world, arriving in force in the 2000s, had given us entirely new genres of electronica. But the world is always changing, so get ready for even more musical experimentation in the coming decade. Here are a few glimpses into the future of instruments and the newest musical arts:

 Making Movement into Music: Using apps to plot out notes is last year’s news. Now garage developers and tech companies have more ambitious projects – like turning body movement into music. No surprise, these programs typically use the Microsoft Kinect to produce sounds based on gesture and movement. Think of conducting, but as a way to play music instead of leading it. There is no “official” Kinect program for creating music with your hands, but some of the hacks are serious business, like the project created by Australian composer Chris Vik, which he played at the Melbourne Town Hall. Vik’s program uses an electric interface to play real notes on an ancient organ in accordance with movement picked up by the motion-sensing camera. If it works for an organ, what else could it work with? Expect body-music to pick up steam as people use increasingly elaborate sensors and MIDI devices translate movement into tunes…sometimes with lasers.

Even More Synthetic Materials: Two separate trends are driving synthetic materials in musical instruments. First, the destruction of key forests such as Brazilian rosewood are making the best-sounding woods incredibly expensive to manufacture. While sustainability practices are countering the problem, most manufacturers are devoting more energy to cheaper synthetic materials that have more attraction on the market. The second trend is the development of synthetics themselves – they are getting cheaper and stronger. Nanotechnology and customized manufacturing are creating new possibilities for replacing traditional varnishes or woods with future materials…if manufacturers can get the sound just right.

Combining Synth and Strings: The partnership between digital sound and old-fashioned harmonics is destined to grow ever closer as inventors and researches continue to experiment. While some inventions are a little weird, others are entrancingly practical. Check out the latest synthesizer violin, designed to pick up bow movements with embedded sensors and transform them into digital sounds spanning dozens of instruments (there’s also a video camera, for some reason). If synth violins are becoming this advanced, you can bet that violas will join before long.

Fingerplay: The 2010s are the years of the touchscreen, no doubt about it. We have already seen the rise of iPhone and iPad apps for creating your own music, from child-friendly games to more advanced MIDI interfaces. But don’t expect the trend to stop there. Before long we will see a surge in popular for all digital/traditional instruments you can play with a few taps of the fingers. Dedicated touchscreens and touchboards are already under development or out. New fusion instruments like the HAPI drum are marketing themselves based on a finger-friendly feel. The age of the touch is upon us, so start practicing those delicate tapping motions!

Public Involvement: Can musical instruments be public? Does that even make sense? Some cities are trying nonetheless, especially when it comes to new park projects. If you think you have seen everything, look at the hydraulophones and poseidophones some towns are experimenting with. These are part sculptures, part water features, and part musical instruments. Anyone walking by can play them by blocking the right rivulets of water on a hot summer day…although it takes an expert to turn out a water-sculpture melody. Some cities are getting rid of the human element altogether and creating sea organs that the tides can play. Will architects and landscapers start putting nature instruments everywhere? Apparently all you need is a little wind or water.

Justin Miller is a professional blogger that writes for Jamplay.com. JamPlay is a leading online music educator offering 2,000+ beginning guitar lessons in HD.

 

5 Famous People And Their Guitars

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You’ve heard of B.B. King and may have heard of Jimi Hendrix, among two of the greatest guitarists of all time. King still loves to strum the blues on his Gibson guitars and Hendrix was a psychedelic rock artist who thumbed his Fender Stratocaster in ways that few have ever come close to matching. Both men have contributed much to contemporary music, turning their gifts for guitar playing into an art form.   Besides King and Hendrix there have been others that have played a significant part in transforming the art of guitar playing including the following individuals.

1. Steve Vai — Starting off as a transcriptionist for Frank Zappa, Steve Vai soon made a name for himself as a member of the David Lee Roth band. At 20, Vai was strumming with Zappa and by 25 he was with Roth. His top guitar choices are the Ibanez JEM and Ibanez Universe in addition to a Tom Anderson Drop Top Classic. He also uses exotic guitars and sometimes plays a heart-shaped triple-neck model. Vai is recognized for his understanding of music theory. He is further appreciated by students of the Berklee College of Music with whom he shares his techniques online.

2. Slash — Born Saul Hudson, Slash is a musician and guitarist who came to fame playing for Guns N’ Roses and was later part of Velvet Revolver before embarking on a solo career.  His instruments of choice include a Gibson Les Paul, a B.C. Rich Mockingbird and a Gibson EDS-1275, just three of more than 100 guitars that he owns. In 2008 Slash embarked on a solo career, what he had touched on at earlier times in his life when he jammed for Michael Jackson, the Yardbirds and Paulina Rubio among others.

3. Les Paul — Born Lester William Polsfuss, Les Paul was an American guitarist with a penchant for blues, country and jazz music. He was also a songwriter and inventor. Paul is credited with making rock and roll possible by inventing the solid-body electric guitar, and was also innovative in sound experimentation. The Gibson Les Paul was first sold in 1952 and was designed in collaboration with Ted McCarty. Among the musicians that have played a Les Paul are Eric Clapton, Steve Jones, Sammy Hagar, Billie Joe Armstrong, Peter Frampton and Jeff Beck.

4. David Gilmour — He was brought on the fifth and last musician for Pink Floyd, but last certainly did not meant least in David Gilmour. The English rocker has been credited with shaping Pink Floyd’s ethereal sound, pouring emotion into his guitar that few have ever matched. Gilmour is nearly always seen with a black Fender Stratocaster, but he also plays a red model and a Fender Telecaster.

5. Tom Morello — Not every guitarist seeks to sound like a guitar player or at least not all the time. Tom Morello, inspired by LED Zeppelin and a guitarist with Rage Against the Machine, counts his custom “Arm the Homeless” guitar as his favorite. This guitar is outfitted with a Kramer neck and a custom performance body to produce truly unique sounds. Morello also is fond of Fender Stratocaster, Fender Telecaster, an Ibanez classical acoustic and a Gibson Les Paul.

Claim to Fame   Besides Steve Vai, Slash, Les Paul, David Gilmour and Tom Morello, there are dozens of other guitarists that have had a larger than life influence through their work. Jimmy Page, Carlos Santana, Phil Keaggy, Keith Richards and Brian May are a few that come to mind.    Step back in the 1950s and Chuck Berry, Carl Perkins and Bod Diddley must be recalled. In the 1960s, it was Pete Townshend, George Harrison, Jeff Beck along with Hendrix, Clapton and Richards. By the 1970s, Gilmour, Santana and Duane Allman rose to fame and were later joined by Randy Rhoades, Vito Bratta, Buckethead and a host of other strummers.    Ask any budding guitarist whom they admire most and one or more of these names will likely be mentioned. Down through the years inspiration has been handed off, with a new contingent of guitar artists certain to dominate in the 21st century.

Justin Miller is a professional blogger that writes for Jamplay.com. JamPlay is a leading online music educator offering 2,000+ online guitar lesson videos in HD.

5 Bands Who Squandered Their Label Advances

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Imagine this scenario. You’re nineteen, fresh out of school, you’re in a band that everybody loves, and suddenly a record label notices you and comes at you with an offer you can’t refuse; record an album on their label and they’ll front you half a million pounds to do it.

This is known as an ‘advance’. An advance is typically handed out from a record label to one of their signed bands in order to record an album, for the fees which can be built up from studio time, promotion, instruments (and so forth) can be pretty costly. However as good as the advance may seem to the outsider, it sometimes can be a band’s demise; on occasion leading to a swift exit from the music industry. This is because as you might well imagine, rockstar’s would rather spend their lovely little packet dining in the Ritz, hotel rooms or fuelling their addictions (whatever they may be…). As proof of this seemingly wild accusation, here are five bands who definitely squandered their label advances.

Sleep

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Sleep had a lot of potential for a heavy metal/rock band. After their release ‘Holy Mountain’ on Earache records, they attracted the attention of many labels including Elektra and London (who Rolling Stones had also been signed on). London gave them an offer they couldn’t refuse in 1992 – full artistic control and a six-figure advance. Rumour has it that sleep spent their advance on two things; vintage tube amps and a bucket-load of marijuana. Given that the band estimates they spent $75,000 on tube amps – speculation has in that they spent pretty much the remaining figure on the finest spliffs that money could buy. All in all the album was dropped and wasn’t even released by the label; could be the fact that it featured just one song being an hour long psychedelic guitar solo.

Happy Mondays

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Yes Please! Was the terrible last album that the critically acclaimed Happy Mondays made, under the label ‘Factory’. The most famous thing about this album was that it was so costly to produce, it drove Factory into bankruptcy. Why did it cost so much? Well, the Happy Mondays wanted to record in Barbados of all places with their families present. Not only that, but the Happy Mondays had a penchant for taking a plethora of drugs; especially when they teamed up with their mate Mick Jagger who was staying nearby.

Royal Trux

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Royal Trux were an alternative rock band straight out of the late eighties, started up by Neil Haggerty and Jennifer Herrema. Due to a growing interest from labels in underground grunge music; after their second album Royal Trux were picked up by Virgin. Virgin offered them a $3,000 advance to record a third album; which Royal Trux proceeded to blow it all on heroin.

My Bloody Valentine

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Irish alt rock band My Bloody Valentine were signed to Island records in 1992, and were given £250,000 to record a belter of an album (they had been given the same amount of money by label Creation to make their second). Whilst the second one was critically acclaimed by many people, the third did not do so well. My Bloody Valentine took the £250,000 and put it all into making their own studio in Streatham – which was riddled with problems. The third album was never released by Island due to lack on any decent material… and My Bloody Valentine went into a band ‘meltdown’.

Warrant

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With all of this in mind, record labels these days have wised up to the cheeky antics of music stars; combining their advance with their own pay packet. This serves as an incentive not to blow it all – because they are eating out of their own pocket at the end of the day! However, truth be told it probably doesn’t stop some rocking musicians still…

Author: This list was put together by Alfie Davenport who works for DV247, suppliers of Fender guitars.

The way we get our music sure has changed over the years

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I don’t know how many of you remember when the only way you could get new music was to go to the record store and buy a record or even dare I say this – a 45. Do you remember the terms LP, EP and 45’s? Of course while you were at the record store you could also buy music on cassette tapes as well.

I can remember trying to make my own cassette tapes by trying to record music off the radio or taping records as they played. When I was young I didn’t have my tape recorder hooked up through the stereo so the recordings were not very good!

By the time I was a young teenager CDs were starting to come into the picture. I don’t think any of us thought they would last at the time. That kind of reminds me of the Beta video. Little did we know that CDs were here to stay and were only a harbinger or things to come in the form of digital music.

It’s so easy to buy music digitally now I bet that almost all the people who read this post have purchased at least one song or album digitally if not hundreds. Have you ever wondered how the online music industry has evolved over time? Here’s some interesting information about it.
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Via: Kaza Gold

Endless, what a great Toto song!

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Toto is one of those great bands from the 70’s and 80’s that didn’t get a ton of good reviews. Sure, some of their tunes were down right too pop-ish for some peoples likings but other songs they performed were great! For example there’s Rockmaker, Georgy Porgy, and one of my favorites is Child Anthem. Other bands that fit their genre are Saga and Cerafim.

I recall picking up Toto’s first album and fell in love with it right away. Everything from the arrangements/progressions to the vocals were the kind of style that I would have really enjoyed playing. Too bad back then there wasn’t any musicians living in my home town who wanted to venture off in this musical direction, their loss. In my defense, I remember playing in my first band Deuce that played Toto’s Hold the Line at St. Bernard School way back in 1979?

I vividly recall playing the opening song called Duece, and Brian M singing the words “Get up and get the Hell on out of here!” The kicker is he was looking directly at this nun in the first row, that was way too funny! Way to go Ginchy!

My nephew and I were in a car traveling to my cousin’s house 2 years ago to do some landscaping and gardening, see I’m good at something else too as I said in my last e-mail. He pulled out this new Toto album called Toto’s Greatest Hits Silver Box set. The kid is the Data of the movie trivia and facts world. The guy is just amazing at what he knows about movies, it borderlines on scary actually. Check out his site, he’s working on it just to give you a head up.

The band had put just about the the whole first album on it! I was floored when we put in the stereo. The songs on this CD instantly brought back all those childhood memories, thanx again JC!

Now a days while taking the pooch out for a walk along the Danforth, I listen to this collection on the old iPOD. Over the past couple of hours the one song that gets me going the most called Endless. It’s originally on the Isolation album if anyone if interested. Everything about this one is outstanding, listen for yourself!

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HE63SN46AeA

Love ya Live!

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