(Vocal/instrumental group, 1976–96, 2002) A legendary punk band, The Banshees did not release their first single, ‘Hong Kong Garden’, until 1978. Vocalist Siouxsie was accompanied by Steve Severin (bass), John McKay (guitar) and Kenny Morris (drums). McKay and Morris left abruptly in 1979 to be replaced by Budgie (ex-Slits) and John McGeoch, formerly of Magazine, ...
(Dance group, 1994–present) Producers, DJs and remixers Basement Jaxx (duo Felix Buxton and Simon Ratcliffe) rose to prominence in the mid-1990s, on the back of initial success at various south London club nights – most notably their highly eclectic but always uplifting Rooty evenings. On record, their sound lies somewhere between a carnival sound system and more ...
Early ’76 The Sex Pistols’ First Gigs The Sex Pistols played their first gig at London’s St Martin’s School of Art in November 1975, racing through a batch of Faces and Who numbers plus some of their own, including ‘Pretty Vacant’ and ‘Did You No Wrong’, while Rotten sneered at the audience, calling them ‘f***ing boring’. The pattern ...
Alt-rock guitarist John Frusciante (b. 1970) was born into a musical family in Queens, New York. While living in Los Angeles after his parents’ divorce, Frusciante became involved with the city’s punk-rock scene. Frusciante was particularly inspired by The Germs, teaching himself to play the songs on their first album before taking guitar lessons. He studied Jeff Beck ...
Indie guitar legend Johnny Marr (b. 1963) was born John Maher in Manchester, England to Irish Catholic parents. He grew up in a household where music was a constant fixture, and he recalled, ‘I always had guitars, for as long as I could remember.’ Guitar technique came easily to young Johnny, and he quickly mastered ...
(Guitar, vocals, b. 1941) Paul Simon (1972) was an eclectic affair followed a year later by the more straightforward There Goes Rhymin’ Simon. His third solo album Still Crazy After All These Years (1975) featured a reunion with Art Garfunkel on the duet ‘My Little Town’. The singer’s most popular and influential work was Graceland (1986), which utilized African ...
Although they existed for just over two years and released only two albums, The Sex Pistols had more impact on the British music scene than any band since the 1960s. To the public they represented the face of punk. The Sex Pistols came together in London in 1975 under the aegis of Malcolm McLaren (born 22 January 1946) who was ...
The ancestors of the indigenous peoples of North and South America migrated from Asia across the frozen Bering Strait over 20,000 years ago. Even after millennia, some characteristics are shared between Oriental and Amerindian music: monophonic forms, large intervals, a tense vocal style, rattles and frame drums, and the importance of music in healing rituals. ...
Much derided by music (and fashion) journalists, goth rock is slow, introspective, gloomy and doom-ridden, with elements from hard rock and psychedelia, often with swathes of cold keyboards and angular guitar parts. The dress code was rigid: black clothes, big black hair and face made up to look deathly white. Critics often found the music ...
The music of the indigenous peoples of North America is tightly bound to their struggle for self-determination, human rights and land, as well as the traditional ceremonies that were created to develop spiritual ties with nature, to provide strength for battle and to relate great victories. The arrival of Europeans altered the details, but not the essence. ...
February The Remains Of The Ramones After the detours of the previous two albums, Subterranean Jungle, released on 28 February 1983, was welcomed as something of a return to what The Ramones did best, if not exactly a return to vintage form. Producers Ritchie Cordell and Glen Kolotkin, heads of the power-pop and punk label Bomp ...
January The Sex Pistols Head South At the beginning of January 1978 The Sex Pistols flew out to Atlanta, Georgia, for a series of dates in the American South. It all unravelled at Randy’s Rodeo in San Antonio on 8 January in front of 2,000 rowdy Texans: Sid Vicious was suffering from heroin withdrawal and behaving aggressively; Rotten’s ...
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An extensive music information resource, bringing together the talents and expertise of a wide range of editors and musicologists, including Stanley Sadie, Charles Wilson, Paul Du Noyer, Tony Byworth, Bob Allen, Howard Mandel, Cliff Douse, William Schafer, John Wilson...
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David Bowie
Fantastic new, unofficial biography covers
his life, music, art and movies, with a
sweep of incredible photographs.