Jimmy Page
Robert Plant
John Paul Jones
John Bonham
Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen
Queen caught the attention of Trident Studio's, Roy Thomas Baker and John Anthony (who produced the Smile single "Earth"). Trident struck up a deal with Queen, with Queen pushing a hard bargain under their terms. Trident gave them a very good contract which ensured that past experiences with Smile wouldn't happen again. Queen got a new PA system and new instruments from the deal also, however, Brian kept his home made 'Red Special' guitar.
Queen were becoming a hot ticket and Trident knew it, and tried selling Queen plus two other bands to EMI - however, EMI spotted that they were possibly offloading 2 smaller bands in the deal and insisted it was only Queen that they were after. This brought the deal crashing down... however Queen were now starting to write their first album.
They were only given Down-Time in the studio so they could only use it when no-one else was using it. Meanwhile, in another Trident studio, Robin Cable was doing work on a Beach Boys track called "I Can Hear Music" and having heard Freddie sing and asked if he would like to sing on this song. Freddie agreed and sung on the track - hoever after finishing on the track Robin wanted the song to have something extra. Roger ended up adding drums and Brian played a guitar solo. Freddie also sang a Dusty Springfield classic on another track called "Goin' Back". These tracks were released under the name 'Larry Lurex'.
Eventually, at the end of November 1972 Queens first album, simply entitled 'Queen' was completed and released. Following the release of their first album they had a minor breakthrough in being asked to support Mott The Hoople on tour. Following the tour Queen didn't have much time to relax as they were quickly into the studio to record the second album called 'Queen II', and this was released in March 1974. However, the release of the album was delayed due to a minor printing error on the album sleeve. The band went on their first major tour in March 1974 which was then followed by an extensive American tour, again supporting Mott The Hoople. However, In May '74, Brian collapsed with Hepatitis, and Queen had to cancel the remaining tour dates.
Even with Brian being sick, work on the third album began, with gaps in the recorded material so that Brian could put in his distinctive guitar solos. Brian soon returned to full health and recorded his guitar and vocal parts. Queens third album 'Sheer Heart Attack', was released in November 1974 and saw them get their first #2 album and #2 single, 'Killer Queen'.
One - Metallica
The band was founded when James Hetfield responded to an advertisement that drummer Lars Ulrich had posted in a local newspaper. The current line-up features long-time lead guitarist Kirk Hammett (who joined the band in 1983) and bassist Robert Trujillo (a member since 2003) alongside Hetfield and Ulrich. Notable previous members of the band include former lead guitarist Dave Mustaine (who later went on to found the band Megadeth) and former bassists Ron McGovney, Cliff Burton and Jason Newsted. The band also had a long collaboration with producer Bob Rock, who produced all of the band's albums from 1990 to 2003 and served as a temporary bassist between the departure of Newsted and the hiring of Trujillo.
You Raise Me Up - Josh Groban
Earth Song - Michael Jackson
Jackson's 1982 album Thriller is the best-selling album of all time. His other records, including Off the Wall (1979), Bad (1987), Dangerous (1991), and HIStory (1995), also rank among the world's best-selling. Jackson is one of the few artists to have been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice. He was also inducted into the Dance Hall of Fame as the first (and currently only) dancer from the world of pop and rock 'n' roll. Some of his other achievements include multiple Guinness World Records; 13 Grammy Awards (as well as the Grammy Legend Award and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award); 26 American Music Awards (more than any other artist, including the "Artist of the Century"); 13 number-one singles in the United States in his solo career (more than any other male artist in the Hot 100 era); and the estimated sale of over 750 million records worldwide. Jackson won hundreds of awards, which have made him the most-awarded recording artists in the history of music. He was also a notable humanitarian and philanthropist, donating and raising hundreds of millions of dollars for beneficial causes and supporting more than 39 charities. According to David Winters, Jackson also donated tens of millions of dollars to many children’s charities anonymously, and spent a lot of his time visiting seriously ill children tirelessly going from hospital to hospital meeting these children just to brighten up their lives. When Jackson finished the visits he would ask the hospital nurses and the doctors what was needed at the hospital in terms of equipment for the kids and would then make anonymous donations to the hospital to purchase expensive equipment or whatever else was needed.
Aspects of Jackson's personal life, including his changing appearance, personal relationships, and behavior, have generated controversy. In 1993, he was accused of child sexual abuse, but the case was settled out of court and no formal charges were brought. In 2005, he was tried and acquitted of further sexual abuse allegations and several other charges after the jury ruled him not guilty on all counts. While preparing for his concert series This Is It, Jackson died on June 25, 2009, after suffering from cardiac arrest. Before his death, Jackson had been administered drugs including propofol and lorazepam. The Los Angeles County Coroner declared his death a homicide, and his personal physician pleaded not guilty to charges of involuntary manslaughter. Jackson's death triggered a global outpouring of grief, and as many as one billion people around the world reportedly watched his public memorial service on live television. In March 2010, Sony Music Entertainment signed a US$250 million deal with Jackson's estate to retain distribution rights to his recordings until 2017, and to release seven posthumous albums over the decade following his death.
Crane's Crying - Vitas
Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana
Nirvana's roots lie in the underground hardcore scene of the mid-1980s; the Olympia-based Melvins and New York's Sonic Youth were early mentors of the band. Nirvana's crossover appeal was rooted in their ability to blend the hardcore fury of drummer Dave Grohl and bassist Krist Novoselic with Cobain's doleful, introspective lyrics and melodies.
Cobain wrote in a journal often, leaving 22 notebooks filled with his writing when he died. In November 2002, a sampling of these writings was published as Journals. The book is 280 pages with a simple black cover; the pages are arranged somewhat chronologically (although Cobain generally did not date them). The journal pages are reproduced in color, and there is a section added at the back that has explanations and transcripts of some of the less intelligible pages. The writings begin in the late 1980s, around the time the band started, and end in 1994.
Sweet Child O' Mine - Guns N' Roses
Originating in Los Angeles in June 1985, Guns N' Roses' unique style incorporated punk, blues, thrash, and other genres of music into what was popular at the time: hair metal. The band was formed by singer Axl Rose, guitarist Tracii Guns, guitarist Izzy Stradlin, bassist Duff McKagan, and drummer Robbie Gardner. The name was derived from a combination of Guns and Rose's pseudonymous last names, while earlier band names in the same vein had been Rose and Hollywood Rose. Fans often shorten the name to the 'Gunners'.
The Winner Takes It All - ABBA
1971 (Stockholm, Sweden)
Genres:
Pop, Europop, Disco
Members:
Anni-Frid Synni "Frida" Lyngstad (b. November 15, 1945, Narvik, Norway): vocals
Benny Andersson (b. Göran Bror Benny Andersson, December 16, 1946, Stockholm, Sweden): piano, keyboards, vocals
Björn Kristian Ulvaeus (b. April 25, 1945, Gothenburg, Sweden): guitar, vocals
Agnetha Faltskog (b. Agneta Åse Fältskog, April 5, 1950, Jonkoping, Sweden): vocals
Contributions to music:
The first group to bring Europop into the world rock mainstream
Brought Sweden to the forefront of the international pop scene
Brought a Phil Spector "Wall Of Sound" approach to Europop
Benny Andersson and Bjorn Ulvaeus are considered two of the Seventies' finest pop songwriters
Frida and especially Agnetha are routinely hailed as strong interpretive vocalists
Early years:
The reason behind ABBA's phenomenal popularity lay in their roots as a Swedish supergroup of sorts. In the late Sixties, Bjorn Ulvaeus was a member of the popular folk act The Hootenanny Singers, while Benny Andersson was already well-known as part of the Hep Stars, the country's biggest pop covers act. The pair met in 1966 at a party and collaborated on and off for five years, but it was during the late Sixties that they met their respective spouses: Agnetha Fältskog and Anni-Frid "Frida" Lyngstad, both already established solo artists, fell in love with Bjorn and Benny (respectively) within months of each other.
Success:
Oddly enough, the four didn't work together as a full-time unit until 1972, when "People Need Love," clumsily credited to "Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Anni-Frid," became a hit in their native country, signaling they should combine their talents permanently. Manager Stig Anderson had referred to them as "ABBA" in business dealings, and a nationwide poll also indicated fan preference for the acronym, so it stuck. The group finally achieved fame across Europe with two appearances at the Eurovision Song Contest -- "Ring Ring," which placed third in 1973, and "Waterloo," which won the grand prize the following year.
Later years:
"Waterloo" also introduced them to the US, and although they remained much more popular in Europe, the group achieved monumental worldwide success throughout the decade. As might be expcted, however, the success took a toll on the group's two marriages, and by 1982, they decided to go their separate ways as performers. The two female leads went on to some solo success, while Bjorn and Benny created a popular musical (1984's "Chess") and continued to write and produce for other acts. Although they remain cordial, the four have declined any offers of a reunion, despite resurging popularity in the last ten years.
Imagine - John Lennon
John Lennon was born to Julia Stanley and Alfred Lennon who married two years before his birth. His father, before hearing he was going to have a son, had gone to sea as a ship steward and his mother decided it would be best for John if he lived with his aunt. He lived with his aunt 'Mimi’ and Uncle George at 251 Menlove Avenue in the Woolton district of Liverpool. His aunt has said that “John never cared for toys or games. His mind was going all the time; it was either drawing, writing poetry, or reading.” John’s Uncle George often encouraged him to read the news and keep up with current events, a habit John would keep and that would influence such Beatles classics as 'A Day In The Life.’
John began school in 1945. The reading had really paid off; his teachers were impressed by his vocabulary and how much he excelled in the arts. John’s early success in school would be short-lived and by the time he entered high school it was clear that he wouldn’t excel as he had in primary school. Teachers had said that he spent most of his time coming up with 'witty remarks’ instead of studying. Around this time John began a filling notebooks with the Daily Howl, a news pamphlet that showed what 'witty remarks he had come up with. One ad posted read “Women needed, preferably female, apply 28 Rainhill.”
1955 was a big year for young Lennon. His mother had reentered his life and began seeing him on a regular basis. John and his mother would be come very close and it would be her who turned John onto music. She had begun teaching him using a banjo that had belonged to his grandfather. The first song he learned was Buddy Holly’s 'That’ll Be The Day,’ which helps explain why Buddy Holly was such a big influence on Lennon. Later that year, John had also purchased his first guitar for ₤5 from the Daily Mail which was advertised as 'guaranteed not to split.’
In 1957, John, along with childhood friend Pete Shotten, formed the Black Jacks, Lennon’s first band (they later changed the name to The Quarry Men). On July 6th, 1957, the Quarry Men played their first gig at St. Peter’s Church in Woolton. This show was attended by a friend of John’s friend, Paul McCartney. After the show, John heard McCartney play 'Twenty Flight Rock’ by Eddie Cochran and instantly asked him to join the band. That October John began classes at the Liverpool College of Art, the same time Paul began taking classes at the Liverpool Institute. During the lunch breaks, they would get together in empty classrooms and play their favorite songs. McCartney often brought along a school mate named George Harrison to sit in with the group. One night on the top deck of a bus, Paul asked George to play 'Raunchy’ for John. After playing it note for note, George was in the band.
One event though, would greatly affect his life. On July 15th, 1958, John’s mother Julia was hit by a car driven by an off-duty police officer while waiting for a bus. John said that his had made him “very, very bitter.”
John’s poor performance in high school had carried over to art school, but he did meet fellow student Stuart Sutcliffe, who would later become the band’s first bass player. John also met Cynthia Powell that year. Cynthia, like Stuart seemed to be the polar opposite of John, but the two later became inseparable. They got married in August of 1962 and had a son, Julian, on April 1st, 1963. John later dropped out of school to focus more time on music. In August of 1960, the band asked Pete Best to be their first drummer. Around the same time, the band had gone through several name changes until settling on the Beatles. John said the name came from a vision he had when he was younger where a man came in on a flying pie and said that they would be called the Beatles.
In 1960, the Beatles made their first trip to Hamburg. In Hamburg, the band had become veteran rockers, often playing for drunk, rowdy audiences from 8 P.M. to 2 A.M. While in Germany, Sutcliffe had met a photographer named Astrid Kirchherr and left the group to stay in with her in Germany. He later died of a brain hemorrhage less than two years later.
The following June, on their second trip to Hamburg, the Beatles were asked to record with British singer Tony Sheridan. They recorded several songs including 'When The Saints Go Marching In,’ 'My Bonnie,’ 'Nobody’s Child,’ and 'Cry For A Shadow.’
On October 28, 1961, Raymond Jones, a regular customer to the NEMS store in Liverpool asked manager of the record department, Brian Epstein, for a single called 'My Bonnie’ by the Beatles. Epstein had never heard of the group, which surprised him because he kept track of local bands. So on November 9th, he went to the Cavern, a club often frequented by the Beatles, to watch their performance. He was amazed not only by their music but by their unorthodox stage performance. On December 3rd, Epstein offered to manage the band.
Brian Epstein made the Beatles go through several changes including cleaning up their rocker image and changing their stage behavior. In January, Epstein took them to Decca Records in London but the label dismissed the band as did most record major British labels.
George Martin, producer for EMI-owned label, Parlophone, finally gave the Beatles a label to record on. Before the Beatles first recording session with Martin, they again changed the line up. Pete Best, who had never been a great drummer, was replaced by Ringo Starr who they had previously met in Hamburg when he played with Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. Although on their first session, Martin had hired a studio musician instead of having Ringo play.
After trying several different songs, the band finally agreed on a song which would be their first single. 'Love Me Do’ was released but only never gained high status on the charts; but on March 2nd 1963, their second single 'Please, Please Me’ reached number one in the UK. In August, 'She Loves You’ reached number one and thus began Lennon’s and the Beatles upward climb to stardom.
On October 13th, 1963, the Beatles headlined a show at the Palladium in London. That night the fans were going wild. Hundreds of screaming fans jammed the streets and created the trademark deafening scream that followed the Beatles where ever they went.
