Dynamite announces the next epic chapter in the comic book chronicles of the legendary rock band, KISS: Zombies!
After all, what can possibly happen after "The End" than a full-blown zombie apocalypse? That is the screwed up status quo that writer Ethan Sacks (Old Man Hawkeye, Star Wars) and artist Rodney Buchemi (Death of Hawkman) will tackle in this new limited series. Assisted on colors and letters by Dijjo Lima (Assassin's Creed, Doc Savage) and Troy Peteri (Amazing Spider-Man, Witchblade).
Picking up decades after the fall of civilization, humans are now an endangered species isolated to strongholds such as the central New Detroit. These undead are attracted to sound, so music and all related iconography have been banned. Especially that of the greatest band in history. However, a group of teenagers are not going to live this way and set out on a quest to track down KISS! Who may ultimately be the ultimate weapon to turn the tide against the zombies! Sacks has described the series as a cocktail of Land of the Dead, A Quiet Place, Seven Samurai and even Footloose!
This marks the first comic book work for Sacks outside of Marvel, where he's expanded the "Old Man" franchise to Hawkeye and Star-Lord to much critical and fan acclaim. He's got history with the band though, through his previous career as a journalist.
"In my two and a half decades as an entertainment journalist, one of my most proud achievements was interviewing Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley for a 40th anniversary retrospective of KISS," said writer Ethan Sacks. "After all, this was a band that had provided the soundtrack for much of my life, and their eerie black and white makeup aesthetic seared itself in my brain during my childhood when I first spied those album covers in an older cousin's record collection. So, all these years later, I jumped at the chance to write a KISS comic. Then my editor, Kevin Ketner, went and threw in zombies too. Allowing a George Romero uber-fan to pen a book about the undead is like waving slivers of brain in front of an actual zombie."
"It's great to be back with KISS. The first series I did was a sensational experience," said artist Rodney Buchemi. "Working on Ethan's scripts has been great fun on every page and every panel. And of course, drawing zombies is fun!"
"With each new KISS series, we try and push the mythology of this iconic band even farther and surprise fans," said Nick Barrucci, Dynamite CEO and Publisher. "We've been thinking over this zombies concept for a long time, but knew a great writer was needed to execute it as well as have the needed passion for both the band and the cultural hallmark of zombies. We literally could not have found a better match than Ethan, and we're honored to work with him as he expands his career to other publishers."
The series features covers by a spectacular four-piece of artists. The unimpeachable king of comic book zombies, Arthur Suydam (Marvel Zombies, DCeased), fronts the group. Fan-favorite Stuart Sayger (Vampirella vs. Reanimator) is back for his third straight string of KISS covers! Interior artist Buchemi will also be contributing covers to each issue. While of course the iconic band themselves will be represented in life by photo covers pulled from the archives.
Plus, the previous KISS series, The End by Amy Chu (Red Sonja, Poison Ivy) and Edu Menna (Twilight Zone, ZNation) will be collected in a paperback the same month as the debut of Zombies.
KISS: Zombies #1 and the KISS: The End TP will be solicited in Diamond Comic Distributors’ September 2019 Previews catalog, the premier source of merchandise for the comic book specialty market, and slated for release in November 2019. Comic book fans are encouraged to preorder copies of the issue with their local comic book retailers. It will also be available for individual customer purchase through digital platforms courtesy of Comixology, Kindle, iBooks, Google Play, Dynamite Digital, ComicsPlus, and more!
Dynamite is thrilled to announce a new comic book series featuring the hottest band in the land, KISS! Writer Bryan Edward Hill (Detective Comics, Postal) and artist Rodney Buchemi (Death of Hawkman) crank the volume high as they bring you the KISS series we have all been waiting for this October!
In KISS: Blood and Stardust, an immortal cabal is taking the lives of innocents and the only ones who can stop them are KISS! The only problem…they are dead. And now they have to make a deal with a demon to save their souls and return to Earth to fight evil!
"KISS was the soundtrack of a time in my life where I had tons of ambition and few rules. Endless nights in dive bars in New York City, watching sunrises on the rooftops of Brooklyn. I might have discovered them in the aughts, but I was filled with the spirit of the 70's,” remarked author Bryan Hill. “The 1970's was a special decade, a decade of fame and magic where guitar riffs and drum solos were your co-pilots and the devil MAY have cared, but he couldn't stop your shine.
“As one of rock's most celebrated bands, KISS continues to be a staple in the comic book industry,” said Nick Barrucci, CEO and Publisher of Dynamite Entertainment. “Bryan Hill has really built a name for himself, so we’re thrilled to have him penning KISS: Blood and Stardust as part of our fall lineup.”
The origins of KISS comic books date almost as far back as the inception as the band itself, having been an integral part of comics culture since their 1977 appearance in Howard the Duck #12 and 1978's Marvel Comics Super Special: KISS. Today, nearly 40 years later, Dynamite Entertainment is the proud home to the comic book series KISS, KISS: The Demon, KISS/Vampirella, KISS/Army of Darkness and now KISS: Blood and Stardust.
“Fans can expect to relive that magic, terror, and power in these pages. They should prepare to see the mystical occult power that weaved itself into pop culture, characters in league with it, celebrity-filled with it, and a story of the innocent lives caught in the balance. I've always wanted to tell a story about a band that saved the world. Now I have my chance," added Hill.
The debut issue of KISS: Blood and Stardust features a wide selection of cover variants, providing fans and retailers a chance to collect the whole set! The cover artwork features the talents of Stuart Sayger (The Walking Dead), Rodney Buchemi (Legenderry Red Sonja), Maria Sanapo (DC Bombshells), and a classic KISS photo cover, respectively. Two Atlas Editions will also be available for fans wishing to have their issue signed by writer Bryan Hill or signed by rock legend Gene Simmons!
As America's #1 Gold Record Award-winning group of all time (in every category), KISS is easily one of rock's most iconic and influential bands. The Rock N Roll Hall of Famers have released 44 albums and sold more than 100 million albums worldwide.
KISS: Blood and Stardust #1 will be solicited in Diamond Comic Distributors' August 2018 Previews catalog, the premier source of merchandise for the comic book specialty market, and slated for release in October 2018. Comic book fans are encouraged to reserve copies of KISS: Blood and Stardust #1 with their local comic book retailers. KISS: Blood and Stardust #1 will also be available for individual customer purchase through digital platforms courtesy of Comixology, Kindle, iBooks, Google Play, Dynamite Digital, iVerse, Madefire, and Dark Horse Digital.
Dynamite Entertainment is bringing a Deluxe-Premiere trading card set to specialty retailers this fall, featuring a select group of KISS’s fan-favorite photos and artists portraying the world-renown rock band in all their glory, plus Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley signed cards!
“KISS trading cards are some of the most collectible memorabilia out there, they’ve been around since the early days of the band,” said KISS co-founder Gene Simmons. “These new cards add to the tradition and the lore of KISS and I can’t wait for fans to get their hands on them.”
In 1978, Donruss released the first set of KISS trading cards and Dynamite Entertainment continues the tradition 40 years later with the KISS Deluxe Ultra-Premium Trading Card Set from America's #1 Gold Record Award-winning group of all time.
“KISS continues to be one of the greatest bands of the century, their logo, makeup and songs are instantly recognizable and after 40 years, fans are collecting their memorabilia more than ever,” said Nick Barrucci, CEO and Publisher of Dynamite Entertainment. “We’ve been publishing KISS comics, but the fans wanted more so now we give you the hottest trading card set on shelves this fall!”
Dynamite’s KISS Deluxe Ultra-Premium Trading Card Set includes an 18-card base set, plus Dynamite chase cards that include: 6 autographed cards, 3 B&W art cards, 9-card puzzle cards, 2-box-topper special cards, and hand-drawn original art signed sketch cards. Every autographed card featuring a color ink or ultra-rare, gold ink signature!
Every individual foil pack includes 2 Base Cards, 2 Sketch Cards, 1 B&W Art Card, 1 Puzzle Card, and 1 Autographed Card. Additionally, every specially designed, 4-color box includes 12 foil packs.
The KISS Deluxe Ultra-Premium Trading Card Set will be solicited in Diamond Comic Distributors' August 2018 Previews catalog, the premier source of merchandise for the comic book specialty market, and slated for release in October 2018.
This week's classic rock artist is Heart. Over the past week I have been listening to the Wilson sisters a lot, especially their 1987 album "Bad Animals" and "Dreamboat Annie" From 1976.
Heart got their start in 1963 in Seattle, Washington formed by bassist Steve Fossen and brothers Roger Fisher (guitar/mandolin) and Mike Fisher (producer and sound engineer). The group went by the names Army and White Heart before settling on just Heart in the early 1970s. Ann Wilson joined the group in 1970. Romance sprang up between her and Mike, and she came along when they moved to Vancouver to avoid the Vietnam draft some years later.
Soon after the move, Ann's sister Nancy Wilson joined the group. She became romantically involved with Mike's brother, Roger. The band gained a following in Canada and was signed to the small Canadian label Mushroom, which issued their debut album, "Dreamboat Annie", in 1976. "Dreamboat Annie" was recorded with new members guitarist/keyboardist Howard Leese, and drummer Michael Derosier. The album included Heart's first U.S. chart entry, "Crazy on You," which peaked at #35 on the Billboard Hot 100. "Magic Man," the second single from the album reached #9 on the charts and "Dreamboat Annie," the third single rose to #42.
In 1977, Heart moved to CBS affiliate Portrait. This decision didn't go over well with Mushroom owner Shelly Siegel, and a legal battle ensued. After the smoke cleared, Heart's second album "Little Queen" was released on Portrait in 1977. It was a substantial hit, but wasn't the enormous hit their debut album was. Only one single, "Barracuda," from the album made the Top 40 this time around. Curiously, the single, "Heartless," from the unfinished LP "Magazine" released by Mushroom charted higher than Little Queen's other two singles.
Heart's third official album, "Dog and Butterfly", came out the next year. It only managed to reach #17 on the Billboard 200, and showed that Heart's success was declining (at least for the time being). The Fisher/Wilson romances came to an end following the album, and Roger left the group.
In 1980, Bebe Le Strange was released. In 1982, after releasing their 6th album "Private Audition", Fossen and Derosier left the group, and were replaced by ex-Spirit and Firefall bassist Mark Andes and former Gamma drummer Denny Carmassi.
After releasing "Passionworks" in 1983 and switching to Capitol Records, Heart broke in to the pop scene with a self-titled album in 1985 that would be their biggest, resulting in four Top Ten singles, "What About Love?," "Never," "These Dreams," and "Nothin' at All." This album marked a significant turning point for the band as this was the first album the band employed outside songwriters for (only 3 of the songs, and none of the hits, were written by band members) and they went for a much more synthesizer-heavy commercial radio friendly sound. As well as establishing their mainstream success, the album also established the style that would take Heart through the '80s and into the early 90's, a mix of power ballads and pop rock. Further albums in this vein followed in the form of Bad Animals (which netted the band three more Top Ten singles including their second number one record "Alone") and Brigade.
The Regrettes are an American punk rock band from Los Angeles. The band is led by frontwoman Lydia Night. They released their debut studio album, Feel Your Feelings Fool! on Warner Bros. Records in January 2017.
Prior to the formation of the band, lead vocalist Lydia Night met guitarist, Genessa Gariano, and bassist, Sage Chavis, and drummer Maxx Morando in music school. At the time, Night was in the two-piece band Pretty Little Demons (who changed their name to The Regrettes in the last few months of life) with drummer Marlhy Murphy. In 2015, Murphy departed from the band after the band released their EP "Hey!" on 16 October 2015, leading to Night asking Gariano, Chavis, and Morando to join. In 2016, the band toured with both Tacocat and Sleigh Bells, opened for Kate Nash, and performed at South by Southwest.
In 2015, the band's independent release led to a record deal with Warner Bros. Records. Their first album was produced by Mike Elizondo and their first single, "A Living Human Girl", was released in June 2016.
Other singles followed including "Hey Now", "Hot", and "Seashore." On January 13, 2017, the band released its debut studio album, Feel Your Feelings Fool!. In May 2017, the band announced a summer headlining tour which includes stops at Summerfest and Riot Fest.
On February 9, 2018, the band released a new song titled "Come Through," which will be on their EP Attention Seeker, which was released on February 23, 2018. It was accompanied by a music video.
Condition: Near Mint
CGC / PGX: Modern Age
Publisher: Dynamite Entertainment
Country/Region of Manufacture: United States
Main Character: KISS
Price: $29.99
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KISS #1, Signed Midtown Exclusive Jim Balent Variant Cover - Dynamite Comics
Exclusive Cover By Jim Balent!
Signed by writer Amy Chu and cover artist Jim Balent!
Comes with a Midtown Comics Certificate of Authenticity!
Written by Amy Chu. Art by Kewber Baal. Cover by Jim Balent.
KISS is back! Back to the FUTURE in this dark sci-fi adventure. In a world without sun and a world without heroes, four young friends embark on a dangerous mission - to uncover the truth about the mysterious Council of Elders and their underground home, the city of Blackwell. But first they need some help from the past… 'What is the power of KISS? 32 pages, full color. Rated T+
1st printing.
This comic book is in new condition. Comic is complete with cover and all pages attached. This comic has very few flaws that warrant a Near Mint grade.
Comic Book will be shipped bagged and boarded!
View Obscura Comics features hundreds of items including comic books, sci-fi toys, books, magazines, posters, and movie memorabilia plus a selection of store exclusives. At this point our store has more than two thousand items for sale with more being added daily. Over the past decade in a half I have paid very close attention to the types of items sci-fi, horror and fans of every genre of pop culture have been searching for and I can say that we have taken great pride in stocking our store with items that we believe will bring great joy to our customers. Shipping Policy: Returns & exchanges: I gladly accept returns and exchanges Just contact me within: 14 days of delivery Ship items back to me within: 30 days of delivery I don’t accept cancellations But please contact me if you have any problems with your order. The following items can’t be returned or exchanged Because of the nature of these items, unless they arrive damaged or defective, I can’t accept returns for: Custom or personalized orders Digital downloads Conditions of return: Buyers are responsible for return shipping costs. If the item is not returned in its original condition, the buyer is responsible for any loss in value. Privacy policy: I will only use your shipping and billing address, and contact information To communicate with you about your order To fulfill your order
"Kraftwerk's "Trans Europe Express" is the most important pop album of the last 40 years, though it may not be obvious.
The first high-art electronic pop record, "Trans Europe Express" set the tone for the coming revolution, became one of the central texts of hip-hop, pop and electronic dance music. Recorded in the same few months of mid-1976 when Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak incorporated Apple Computers in Cupertino, "Trans Europe Express" and its predecessors, "Radio-Activity" and "Autobahn," sparked a similarly massive upheaval with sound.
The sound is now apparent throughout culture: synthetic bleeps, dotted out in melody while Plasticine rhythms locked into a groove through mathematics rather than human intuition. It's in the relentless thump of a million EDM tracks, weaves through the work of Jay Z, Timbaland and Pharrell. The ways in which they vanished beneath their robotic personas no doubt influenced Daft Punk's android aesthetic." - Randall Roberts, Los Angeles Times Pop Music Critic
"Trans-Europe Express" was released as a single in 1977, and charted in the Billboard Hot 100, where it peaked at number 67. Trans-Europe Express as a single did not chart in the UK although reached number one in France.
Allmusic described the musical elements of the suite as having a haunting theme with "deadpan chanting of the title phrase" which is "slowly layered over that rhythmic base in much the same way that the earlier "Autobahn" was constructed". The song's lyrics reference the album Station to Station and meeting with musicians Iggy Pop and David Bowie. Hütter and Schneider had previously met up with Bowie in Germany and were flattered with the attention they received from him. Ralf Hütter was interested in Bowie's work as he had been working with Iggy Pop, who was the former lead singer of the Stooges; one of Hütter's favorite groups.
Signed by writer Amy Chu and cover artist Jim Balent!
Comes with a Midtown Comics Certificate of Authenticity!
Written by Amy Chu. Art by Kewber Baal. Cover by Jim Balent.
KISS is back! Back to the FUTURE in this dark sci-fi adventure. In a world without sun and a world without heroes, four young friends embark on a dangerous mission - to uncover the truth about the mysterious Council of Elders and their underground home, the city of Blackwell. But first they need some help from the past… 'What is the power of KISS? 32 pages, full color. Rated T+
1st printing.
This comic book is in new condition. Comic is complete with cover and all pages attached. This comic has very few flaws that warrant a Near Mint grade.
It's shaping up to be a busy July for 'The Hottest Band In The World' thanks to Dynamite Entertainment. The Comic Book incarnation of KISS will begin the month by rescuing Vampirella from a crazed cult in Los Angeles then they will take their show into outer pace to fight giant monsters who threaten to destroy the KISS Army.
Let's start with that monster battle in deep space. In KISS #9 it's Kaiju vs. the KISS Army in a metal death match orchestrated by the mysterious ship the Obayashi. Will the last of humankind destroy themselves, or can the language of music save everyone?
In KISS / Vampirella #2 rock 'n' roll isn't for the faint of heart. Jet-lagged, on the verge of recording a new album and stuck in the strange heart of Los Angeles, KISS are now up against an army of mysterious strangers who've kidnapped their old friend. Vampirella has her own problems stuck in a crime scene full of satanists with swords. Dragging her new roadie with her on a ride packed with demons and explosions big enough to throw Vampi and her band into a collision course with KISS.
Here are all four covers for KISS / Vampirella #2:
National Teacher Day is on Tuesday during Teacher Appreciation Week, which takes place in the first full week of May.
In many countries, Teachers' Day is a special day for the appreciation of teachers, and may include celebrations to honor them for their special contributions in a particular field area, or the community in general. The date on which Teachers' Day is celebrated varies from country to country. Teachers' days in different countries are distinct from World Teachers' Day, which is celebrated on 5 October.
The idea of celebrating Teachers' Day took root in many countries during the 20th century; in most cases, they celebrate a local educator or an important milestone in education (for example, Argentina has commemorated Domingo Faustino Sarmiento's death on 11 September since 1915, while India has celebrated the birthday of Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan (5 September) since 1962). This is the primary reason why countries celebrate this day on different dates, unlike many other International Days.
I quote Van Helen
Oh wow, man
Wait a second man Whaddaya think the teacher's gonna look like this year? (my butt, man)
Oh yeah T-T-Teacher stop that screaming, teacher don't you see?
Don't want to be no uptown fool
Maybe I should go to hell, but I'm doin' well,
Teacher needs to see me after school
I think of all the education that I missed
But then my homework was never quite like this
Ow got it bad, got it bad, got it bad,
I'm hot for teacher
I got it bad, so bad,
Rubber Soul was the Beatles sixth studio album.. It was recorded in just over four weeks to make the Christmas market, and was released on 3 December 1965. It was produced by George Martin. Unlike the five albums that preceded it, Rubber Soul was recorded during a continuous period, whereas the group had previously recorded albums during breaks in between tour dates or other projects. After this, Beatles albums would be made without the burden of other commitments, except for the production of short promotional films.
Rubber Soul incorporates R&B, pop, soul, folk rock, and psychedelic music styles. The album is regarded by musicologists as a major artistic achievement that continued the Beatles' artistic maturation while attaining widespread critical and commercial success. The album's name comes from the term plastic soul, which popular African American soul musicians coined to describe Mick Jagger, a white musician singing soul music. It was the second Beatles album – after the British version of A Hard Day's Night – to contain only original material; the Beatles would record no more cover songs for their records until 1969, with the "Maggie Mae" excerpt appearing on Let It Be.
Rubber Soul is regarded by fans and critics alike as one of the greatest albums in popular music history. In 2012, Rubber Soul was ranked number five on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the "500 Greatest Albums of All Time". In 2013, after the British Phonographic Industry changed their sales award rules, the album was declared as having gone platinum.
Virtually all of the album's songs were composed immediately after the Beatles' return to London following their North American tour. The Beatles expanded their sound on the album, with influences drawn from wide-ranging sources, such as African American soul music, the contemporary folk-rock of Bob Dylan and The Byrds, and the vocal harmony pop of The Beach Boys. The album also saw the Beatles expanding rock and roll's instrumental resources, most notably on "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)" through George Harrison's use of the Indian sitar. He had been introduced to it via the instrumental score for their 1965 film Help!. Although The Kinks had incorporated droning guitars to mimic the sitar after a visit to India on "See My Friends", "Norwegian Wood" is generally credited as sparking off a musical craze for the sound of the novel instrument in the mid-1960s – a trend which would later branch out into the raga rock and Indian rock genres. The song is now acknowledged as one of the cornerstones of what is now usually called "world music" and it was a major landmark in the trend towards incorporating non-Western musical influences into Western popular music. Harrison's interest was fuelled by fellow Indian music fans Roger McGuinn David Crosby of the Byrds, whom Harrison met and befriended in August 1965. Harrison would eventually be transfixed by all things Indian, taking sitar lessons from renowned Indian sitar player Ravi Shankar.
French-like guitar lines on "Michelle" and Greek-influenced ones on "Girl", fuzz bass on "Think for Yourself," and a piano made to sound like a baroque harpsichord on the instrumental bridge of "In My Life" added to the exotic brushstrokes on the album. Ringo Starr had frequently augmented Beatles tracks with non-standard percussion instruments such as maracas or tambourine, but on the track "I'm Looking Through You" unusually used taps on a box of matches, perhaps influenced by a similar trick as done by Gene Krupa in the 1941 film Ball of Fire.
Rubber Soul was the group's first release not to feature their name on the cover, an uncommon tactic in 1965. The 'stretched' effect of the cover photo came about after photographer Bob Freeman had taken some pictures of the group wearing suede leather jackets at Lennon's house. Freeman showed the photos by projecting them onto an album-sized piece of cardboard to simulate how they would appear on an album cover. The unusual Rubber Soul album cover came to be when the slide card fell slightly backwards, elongating the projected image of the photograph and stretching it. Excited by the effect, they shouted, "Ah! Can we have that? Can you do it like that?", to which Freeman said he could. The distinctive lettering was created by Charles Front (father of actress Rebecca Front), and the original artwork was later auctioned at Bonhams, accompanied by an authenticating letter from Robert Freeman.
Rubber Soul was commercially successful, beginning a 42-week run in the British charts on 12 December 1965. The following week it replaced The Sound of Music soundtrack at the top of the charts, and held the top spot eight weeks. On 9 May 1987, Rubber Soul returned to the album charts for three weeks, and ten years later made another comeback to the charts. - Source
Led Zeppelin: In Through The Out Door
In Through the Out Door is the eighth studio album by the English rock band Led Zeppelin, and their final album of entirely new material. It was recorded over a three-week period in November and December 1978 at ABBA's Polar Studios in Stockholm, Sweden, and released by Swan Song Records on 15 August 1979. In Through the Out Door was the band's eighth and final studio release to reach the top of the charts in America, and was the last released by the band before the death of drummer John Bonham in 1980.
The album is a reflection of the personal turmoil that the band members had been going through before and during its recording. For example, frontman Robert Plant and his wife had gone through a serious car accident, and their young son, Karac Plant, died from a stomach illness. All four band members also felt weary of dealing with record companies and other associates. Despite this, the release wound up being a huge commercial success, particularly in the United States (sitting at the #1 slot on Billboard's chart in just its second week on the chart).
The album was named by the group to describe its recent struggles amidst the death of Robert Plant's son Karac in 1977, and the taxation exile the band took from the UK. The exile resulted in the band being unable to tour on British soil for over two years, and trying to get back into the public mind was therefore like "trying to get in through the 'out' door."
In contrast to previous Led Zeppelin albums, In Through the Out Door features much greater influence on the part of bassist and keyboardist John Paul Jones and vocalist Robert Plant, and relatively less from drummer John Bonham and guitarist Jimmy Page. Two songs from the album—"South Bound Saurez" and "All My Love"—were the only two original Led Zeppelin songs that Jimmy Page had no part in writing. With the exception of "Darlene," a boogie-woogie based song credited to all band members (which was eventually released on the 1982 album, Coda), Bonham did not receive writing credits for any of the songs recorded at Polar Studios. This diminished input by Page and Bonham is attributed to the two band members often not showing up on time at the recording studio, with Bonham struggling with alcoholism and Page battling heroin addiction. As Jones said, "there were two distinct camps by then, and we [Plant and I] were in the relatively clean one."
Many of the songs were consequently put together by Plant and Jones during the day, with Page and Bonham adding their parts late at night. According to Jones, this was
“... mainly because I had a new toy. I had this big new keyboard. And Robert and I just got to rehearsals early, basically. With Zeppelin writing, if you came up with good things, and everybody agreed that they were good things, they got used. There was no formula for writing. So Robert and I, by the time everybody turned up for rehearsals, we’d written three or four songs. So we started rehearsing those immediately, because they were something to be getting on with.”
Following the recording sessions at Polar Studios, the album was mixed at Page's personal studio at his home in Plumpton. "Wearing and Tearing", "Ozone Baby" and "Darlene" were recorded during sessions for this album, but were dropped because of space constraints. All later appeared on Coda.
The album was intended to be released before the band's twin concerts at Knebworth in 1979, but production delays meant that it was released shortly after their performances at this event. Plant jokingly referred to the delays at times during the performance on 4 August.
Despite receiving poor reviews, the album went to No. 1 on Billboard's chart in its second week on the chart. - Source
The Rolling Stones: Tattoo You
Tattoo You is the 16th British and 18th American studio album by The Rolling Stones, released in 1981. The follow-up to Emotional Rescue (1980), the album is mostly composed of studio outtakes recorded during the 1970s, and contains one of the band's most well-known songs, "Start Me Up", which hit second place on the United States's Billboard singles charts.
The album proved to be both a critical and commercial success upon release, reaching the top of the Billboard charts, and selling more than four million copies in the United States alone. It was also the final Rolling Stones album to reach the top position of the US charts, thus concluding the band's string of number-one albums there, dating back to 1971's Sticky Fingers. It is considered by many fans and critics to be the Rolling Stones' last great album.
Tattoo You is an album primarily composed of outtakes from previous recording sessions, some dating back a decade, with new vocals and overdubs. Along with two new songs, the Rolling Stones put together this collection to have a new album to promote for their worldwide American Tour 1981/European Tour 1982 beginning that September. Guitarist Keith Richards commented in 1993:
"The thing with Tattoo You wasn't that we'd stopped writing new stuff, it was a question of time. We'd agreed we were going to go out on the road and we wanted to tour behind a record. There was no time to make a whole new album and make the start of the tour."
The album's associate producer, Chris Kimsey, who'd been associated with The Stones dating back to Sticky Fingers (1971) said Tattoo You "...came about because Mick [Jagger] and Keith were going through a period of not getting on. There was a need to have an album out, and I told everyone I could make an album from what I knew was still there." He began sifting through the band's vaults: "I spent three months going through (the recording tapes from) like the last four, five albums finding stuff that had been either forgotten about or at the time rejected. And then I presented it to the band and I said, 'Hey, look guys, you've got all this great stuff sitting in the can and it's great material, do something with it."
Many of the songs consisted at this point of instrumental backing tracks for which vocals had not been recorded. Jagger said in a 1995 interview, "It wasn't all outtakes; some of it was old songs... I had to write lyrics and melodies. A lot of them didn't have anything, which is why they weren't used at the time – because they weren't complete. They were just bits, or they were from early takes". Despite the eclectic nature of the album, the Rolling Stones were able to divide Tattoo You into two distinct halves: a rock and roll side backed with one focusing on ballads.
The earliest songs used for Tattoo You are "Tops" and "Waiting on a Friend". The backing tracks for both songs were cut in late 1972 during the Goats Head Soup (1973) sessions and feature Mick Taylor, not Ronnie Wood, on guitar. Taylor, who was not credited, later demanded and received a share of the album's royalties.
"Start Me Up" was released in August 1981, just a week before Tattoo You, to a very strong response, reaching the top 10 in both the United States and UK, and number 1 in Australia. Widely considered one of the Stones' most infectious songs, it was enough to carry Tattoo You to No. 1 for nine weeks in the United States, while reaching No. 2 in the UK with solid sales. It's been certified 4x platinum in the United States alone. The critical reaction was positive, many feeling that Tattoo You was an improvement over Emotional Rescue and a high-quality release. "Waiting on a Friend" and "Hang Fire" became Top 20 US hits as well.
"Start Me Up" would prove to be The Rolling Stones' last single to reach as high as No. 2 in the US, while Tattoo You is their last American No. 1 album to date. - Source
This internationally popular British pop/funk quartet, fronted by Mark King and Mike Lindup, is best known for the hits “Lessons in Love”, “Something About You”, “The Sun Goes Down (Living It Up)”, “Love Games”, and “Hot Water”. The genre-blending group started out on the Isle of Wight. Though their membership has fluctuated throughout the years, the original and perhaps best-known lineup of Level 42 consisted of Mark King aka “Thunderthumbs” (vocals & bass), Mike Lindup (vocals & keyboards), and brothers Boon Gould (guitar) and Phil Gould (drums).
Their first album, ‘Level 42’, came out in July 1981. Their first single, “Love Games”, became a hit, reaching #38 on the U.K. single charts, and has since been a fan-favorite. While the band didn’t quite break into the mainstream completely, this album and its follow-ups featured a spirited new wave sound that drew influence from jazz, funk, and rock.
After the success of the 1987 ‘Running in the Family’ album, the Gould brothers left the band, citing musical differences and nervous exhaustion. Said release, the seventh album from Level 42, included perhaps the group’s most popular and iconic single: “Lessons in Love”. ‘Running in the Family’ and their previous album, 1985’s ‘World Machine’, both brought them international stardom and critical acclaim, with ‘World Machine’ peaking at #3 on the U.K. album charts and staying on that chart for 72 weeks.
King and Lindup continued on after the brother’s departure, picking up replacement artists in Gary Husband on drums and former Go West and Kate Bush guitarist Alan Murphy. Murphy sadly passed away after suffering from an AIDS related illness in October 1989. The band released their then swansong album, ‘Forever Now’, in 1994.
At the end of the 80s, Mark King was recognized as one of the best bass players in the world, having partly pioneered the ‘slap and pull’ technique (treating the bass as a percussion instrument). His style and virtuosity still are hugely influential, considering he also sang while he played very difficult basslines. As time went on, the group’s singles continued to recieve major airplay, particularly the two international mega-hits “Lessons in Love” and “Something About You” - Source
Eurythmics: 1984 (For The Love of Big Brother)
1984 (For the Love of Big Brother) is a soundtrack album by Eurythmics, their fourth studio album overall, containing music recorded by the duo for director Michael Radford's 1984 film Nineteen Eighty-Four, based on George Orwell's dystopian novel of the same name. Virgin Films produced the film for release in its namesake year, and commissioned Eurythmics to write a soundtrack.
Lennox and Stewart worked as a duo for these recordings, with no contribution from other musicians. The music, while containing many electronic elements, was far from being "synth pop"; Stewart described some tracks as being like "Kraftwerk meets African tribal meets Booker T and the MGs."
Unknown to the group, Radford had commissioned his own orchestral score, and was not fond of Eurythmics' work. Two versions of the film were released, one featuring Eurythmics' music, and the "director's cut", which replaced most of Eurythmics' music by the orchestral score. When accepting an award for the film, Radford publicly complained of having Eurythmics' music "foisted" on him. Eurythmics issued a statement saying that they had accepted Virgin's commission in good faith, and would never have done so if they had known that it was not being done with the director's approval.
Most of the tracks are instrumental, with song titles and lyrics of two songs on the album being derived from Orwell's text. For instance, "I Did It Just The Same" is taken from a passage in the book where the protagonist, Winston Smith, relates how he committed "sexcrime" with a prostitute—initially deceived by her makeup, when he got close to her, he realised she was "about fifty – but I did it just the same". "Julia" was the name of Winston's lover. "Sexcrime" and "Doubleplusgood" are examples of Newspeak, the revised version of the English language spoken in Orwell's story. The track "Doubleplusgood" features a female announcer—the voice of the omnipresent Telescreen in the movie—reading out various memos which Winston had received at his job in the Ministry of Truth, where his role was to amend past and present newspaper articles so that they conformed to current Party dogma. The "Ministry of Love" was the government police and torture department, and included "Room 101", a room which contained "the worst thing in the world"—i.e. where each torture victim would be confronted with their own worst nightmare. - Source
Frankie Goes To Hollywood: Liverpool
Frankie Goes to Hollywood (FGTH), formed in 1980, were a Liverpool based band popular in the mid-1980s. The group was fronted by Holly Johnson (vocals), with Paul Rutherford (vocals, keyboards), Peter Gill (drums, percussion), Mark O'Toole (bass guitar), and Brian Nash (guitar).
The group's 1983 debut single "Relax" was banned by the BBC in 1984 while at number six in the charts and subsequently topped the UK singles chart for five consecutive weeks, going on to enjoy prolonged chart success throughout that year and ultimately becoming the seventh best-selling UK single of all time. It also won the 1985 Brit Award for Best British Single. After the follow-up success of "Two Tribes" and "The Power of Love," the group became only the second act in the history of the UK charts to reach number one with their first three singles; the first being fellow Liverpudlians Gerry &; the Pacemakers. This record remained unbeaten until the Spice Girls achieved a six-single streak in 1996-1997. In 1985, Frankie Goes to Hollywood won the Brit Award for Best British Newcomer, and the band also received Grammy Award and MTV Video Music Award nominations for Best New Artist.
Liverpool was their second and last studio album, released in October 1986 (see 1986 in music). It would be the band's final album of all-new material, and lead singer Holly Johnson would leave the band following the corresponding world tour, followed by a flurry of lawsuits from ZTT. The album's production was handled by Trevor Horn's engineer Stephen Lipson, who urged the band to play their own instruments on this album (Horn having replaced the band's performances and arrangements with his session musicians or his own performances on Welcome to the Pleasuredome.) Liverpool therefore features a heavier rock sound than its predecessor.
The album was a commercial disappointment compared to the band's previous effort, though it charted generally high at #5 in the United Kingdom, #7 on the Austrian and Swiss music charts and #8 in Norway. The cover photo was different depending on what format was purchased (LP, cassette, or compact disc). - Source
Berlin was formed in Los Angeles in 1978 by John Crawford (bass guitar). Band members included Crawford, Terri Nunn (vocals), David Diamond (keyboards), Ric Olsen (guitar), Matt Reid (keyboards) and Rod Learned (drums). Learned left during the first EU tour and was replaced by Rob Brill (drums).[citation needed] The band gained mainstream-commercial success in the early 1980s with singles including "The Metro", "Sex (I'm A...)", "No More Words" and then in the mid '80s with the chart-topping single "Take My Breath Away" from the 1986 film Top Gun.
Pleasure Victim was recorded in 1982 and released that year by independent label Enigma Records. After considerable attention received by the second single, "Sex (I'm A...)", the album was re-released worldwide by Geffen Records on January 26, 1983. The album marked the return of lead singer Terri Nunn to the group. To date, it is Berlin's best-selling album and was certified gold by the RIAA in September 1984 and platinum in February 1993. It is the only one of Berlin's albums to be certified platinum and the first that reached gold; two subsequent studio albums and a greatest hits compilation were also certified gold.
After "Sex (I'm A...)", two subsequent singles followed: "The Metro" (April 1983), considered a "masterpiece" of '80s new wave, and "Masquerade" (September 1983). These three singles all charted on the Billboard Hot 100.
The album's original release on Enigma Records sold 25,000 copies, an exceptionally high amount for an independent release.
In a joint review of Pleasure Victim's 1983 reissue and Soft Cell's The Art of Falling Apart, Michael Goldberg of Record panned the album, saying that Berlin's use of sex to sell their music (particularly noting the track "Sex (I'm a...)" and the inner sleeve photo of Terri Nunn wearing nothing but a mink stole) is unintentionally humorous, and that the instrumentation is riddled with synthpop cliches. He concluded "Like bad pornography, comic books and a Top 40 hit like 'Rosanna', one can wallow in the sheer trashiness of Pleasure Victim, though you wouldn't really want to call this stuff 'music.'"
Originally including seven tracks on both vinyl and cassette, Pleasure Victim is sometimes listed as being an EP album. Subsequent cassette and CD versions of Pleasure Victim added an eighth track, an extended version of "Sex (I'm A ...)." According to John Crawford, the album's reissue on Geffen Records is identical to the original Enigma Records release aside from "a little remixing". - Source
The Human League: Fascination! (1983)
The Human League are an English electronic new wave band formed in Sheffield in 1977. Dare (1981), the band's most popular album, yielded the single "Don't You Want Me", a No. 1 hit in the pop charts of UK, US and many other countries. After its UK success, their first single, "Being Boiled", was reissued and became a top ten hit at the beginning of 1982. They received the Brit Award for Best British Breakthrough act in 1982. The success of "Don't You Want Me" is seen as the beginning of the MTV-driven Second British Invasion of the US. Other international hits include: "Love Action", "Open Your Heart", "Mirror Man", "Fascination", "The Lebanon", "Human" (a US No. 1) and "Tell Me When".
The only constant band member since 1977 is vocalist and songwriter Philip Oakey. Originally an avant-garde all-male synthesizer-based group, The Human League evolved into a commercially successful synthpop band under Oakey's leadership. Since 1987, the band has essentially been a trio of Oakey and long-serving female vocalists Joanne Catherall and Susan Ann Sulley (both of whom joined the ensemble in 1980), with various sidemen.
Since 1978, The Human League have released nine studio albums, four EPs, 30 singles and several compilation albums. They have had five albums and eight singles in the UK Top 10 and have sold more than 20 million records.
Fascination! was issued by Virgin Records in North America (though made available in Europe as an import) as a stop-gap release in between the albums Dare (1981) and Hysteria (1984).
The original vinyl release of Fascination! contained six tracks, including two versions of their single "(Keep Feeling) Fascination" as well as "Mirror Man", both of which were hits in the UK and the U.S.
Also included is "Hard Times", which was originally the B-side of their 1981 hit "Love Action" and also appears on the band's 1982 remix album Love and Dancing.
The featured version of "I Love You Too Much" is an earlier version of the song that would later be released on the band's Hysteria album in 1984.
The album was released as a digital download in 2008 with a bonus track, a dub version of "I Love You Too Much".
A CD version was released as part of the "deluxe edition" release of Dare in 2012, minus Hard Times, but with other extra tracks.
In November 2015 a Limited Edition Single-CD is released (only in Japan), same Tracklist as the Dare "deluxe edition". - Source
Wang Chung: Points on the Curve (1983)
Wang Chung are an English new wave musical group formed in 1980. The name Wang Chung means "yellow bell" in Chinese (黃鐘, pinyin: huáng zhōng; Wade–Giles: huang chung), and is the first note in the Chinese classical music scale.
The group found their greatest success in the United States, with five Top 40 hits in the US, all charting between 1983 and 1987, including "Dance Hall Days" (No. 16 in the summer of 1984), "Everybody Have Fun Tonight" (No. 2 in 1986) and "Let's Go!" (No. 9 in 1987).
In late 1982, Huang Chung returned to the studio to start work on their second album for Arista Records. However, their manager David Massey convinced Arista to close their contract with Huang Chung, and instead placed the band with American label Geffen Records, making the group the second UK-based act to be signed to Geffen worldwide after Asia (not counting then-New York-based John Lennon in 1980).
At this juncture, and at Geffen's suggestion, the band changed their name to Wang Chung, allegedly to make pronunciation easier for English-speakers. (This explanation of the group's name change is consistent with the claim by VH1's Pop Up Video that they changed it because people kept calling them "Hung Chung".) At the same time, Nick Feldman and Darren Costin opted to be billed under their real names; only Jack Hues would keep his pseudonym. The band spent most of 1983 recording their second album, Points on the Curve. Released in January 1984, the album yielded two moderately successful hits, "Don't Let Go" (No. 38 US) and "Dance Hall Days" (No. 16 US, No. 21 UK).
Points on the Curve is Wang Chung's first album since changing their name from Huang Chung and switching from Arista to the Geffen record label. It reached #30 on the Billboard 200 album charts on 14 July 1984 and features the #1 dance single "Dance Hall Days" and includes the hit singles: "Don't Let Go", "Don't Be My Enemy" and "Wait". - Source
