80s music
The 80s were chockful of New Wave power ballads, synthesizers, drum machines, and no shortage of Madonna and Michael Jackson.
Steve Morse is Pretty Intense about Flying Colors
Photo by Stephan Birlouez At 11 years old, Steve Morse first got a look at the Beatles in 1964, and the electric guitar certainly got his attention. So by the time Morse was a teenager, he took it up a notch and got into his first band. He quickly learned what it was like to live off the energy of a good show. Moving forward, Morse got his first big break when the Dixie Dregs were signed by Capricorn Records. When that eventually ended, he settled into a comfy spot with Deep Purple in 1994. Squeezing some time in between Purple’s rugged schedule, he conspired with a group of virtuoso musicians and helped reel off a bluegrass, classic rock and fusion recording mix. In deep -if you will - the turn around was done in record time
By Rich Monetti6 years ago in Beat
5 Underrated 80's songs
Ever since I was a little girl, I was always fascinated with the songs my mom showed me. Anytime I went for a ride with her, she'd tell me about how Pat Benetar's father played the drums at her shows. Michael Jackson and his rise from the accidents he faced. I absorbed all that information as a child and continued to find anything else 80's related. Even though I was never born during that era as I was born in the mid nineties, I was always called an old soul because what I listened to. When I went on my search to scour and find other songs. I found that these weren't given the proper recognition, I even found a couple of songs that went under my mom's radar. Some of these barely even got the radio play it clearly deserved.
By Samantha Parrish6 years ago in Beat
'Sleeping With the Past'
For Elton John, the 1980s was a decade that resulted in several albums, with varying tone, consistency, and quality across the albums and often within them. For his 1989 album "Sleeping With The Past", he and lyricist Bernie Taupin decided to make an album consistent in tone and quality, based on the classic soul and R&B Records they both loved. To start with, Elton hired a new rhythm section of Romeo Williams on bass and Johnathan "Sugarfoot" Moffet on drums, veterans of various soul records recruited by guitarist Davey Johnstone specifically for their R&B backgrounds. Also new to the band was keyboard player Guy Babylon, a Johnstone recruit who would be a key figure in the Elton story until his death in 2009. The album was recorded at Puk Studios in Denmark over a period of 6 months, under producer Chris Thomas.
By Sean Callaghan6 years ago in Beat
'Reg Strikes Back'
Coming off the career nadir of Leather Jackets in 1986 and a victorious lawsuit against British tabloid The Sun in 1987 for false and scandolous rumors against him, Elton John sought a new start with 1988's Reg Strikes Back. Chris Thomas who produced Elton's work earlier in the 80s returned as producer. It was recorded at AIR Studios and Westside Studios in London England and Circle Seven Recording and The Record Plant in Los Angeles California.
By Sean Callaghan6 years ago in Beat
'Ice on Fire'
Elton John's 1985 album, Ice on Fire marked the return of Elton's original Producer Gus Dudgeon behind the desk but ironically also saw the dismissal of Elton's original rhythm section of Dee Murray on bass and Nigel Olsson on drums, replaced with ex-Pilot bassist David Paton and drummer Charlie Morgan. Also on board was keyboardist and additional guitarist Fred Mandel. Davey Johnstone on guitars once again remained on board. The album was recorded at Sol Studios in Cookham, Berkshire England.
By Sean Callaghan6 years ago in Beat
1980: The Year the Music Died
Musicians come and go; that's how the industry works. But most of the time, the artist simply loses popularity, and fades away from a stint at the top, being the most talked-about sensation in months. But, some careers don't end up like that. It's saddening how the best and most promising faces in music meet their tragic end, all but too soon. Here are a few of the biggest losses to music in 1980.
By Greg Jarvis6 years ago in Beat
'Breaking Hearts'
After the success of Too Low for Zero, Elton John decided to keep basically the same production team for its follow-up album, Breaking Hearts. The classic band of Davey Johnstone on guitars and vocals, Dee Murray on bass and vocals, and Nigel Olsson on drums and vocals, returned as did producer Chris Thomas. Bernie Taupin was now firmly back as Elton's full time lyricist. The album (like its predecessor) was recorded at AIR Studios in Montseratt. The engineer on the album was Renate Blauel, to whom Elton would later be briefly married.
By Sean Callaghan6 years ago in Beat
'Too Low for Zero'
After years of relatively lackluster albums, Elton John decided to go back to basics with 1983's Too Low for Zero. Chris Thomas, who had produced Elton's last few albums, would return, however, for the first time since Blue Moves, Bernie Taupin would write all lyrics for the album, and all instrumental tracks would feature the classic core band of Davey Johnstone on guitar and vocals, Dee Murray on bass and vocals, and Nigel Olsson on drums and vocals. As was the case with many of Elton's albums, things came together quickly. Bernie's lyrics were set to music and the entire album was recorded within two weeks at AIR Studios in Monserrat and Sunset Sound Recorders in Los Angeles.
By Sean Callaghan6 years ago in Beat
Popularity of Reggae in Japan Leaves Scene Trying to Stay on Message
Photo by Mattias Hallberg The undeniable link Japan has held with Reggae for the last several decades may seem quite unlikely to those of us who haven't noticed. So trying to figure out how the lineage actually emerged probably requires a full subscription to the musical version of Ancestry.com. On the contrary, a simple search on Japan, and the genre's godfather returns a clear delineation of when, where and how it all began.
By Rich Monetti6 years ago in Beat
