Rocktrospectiva: New Order's Outstanding Comeback Single "Crystal" Turns 25

Released in the UK on 13 August 2001 "Crystal" was New Order's first single from thir 7th., studio album "Get Ready", the single was the band's first released in eight years attracting considerable attention and critical praise as the band's comeback single. The song also found success internationally, peaking at number three in Canada, number seven in Finland, and reaching the top 50 in Germany, Ireland, Italy, and Sweden. "Crystal" appears as the first track on the album in a version different from the single release, with an extended intro and coda.

Singer-guitarist Bernard Sumner originally gave the song to German record label Mastermind for Success, and it was recorded by label artist Corvin Dalek. However, DJ Pete Tong heard the song and declared it to be the best New Order single since "Blue Monday", leading Sumner to reconsider the gift and have New Order record and release it.

A version of the single was also released in Japan to promote the release of the New Order DVD 316, and has a different cover that resembles the 316 cover. B-sides for the single were 4 live audio tracks taken from the DVD. The single was B-sided by a variety of remixes, and an original song titled "Behind Closed Doors", which was produced by Arthur Baker. All versions feature extensive backing vocals from Dawn Zee, mostly wordless. Zee has continued to perform with New Order on all their successive studio albums.

The main music video, set to the album version, was directed by Johan Renck, produced by Nicola Doring through London production company Jane Fuller Associates and cinematographed by Fredrik Callinggård. It does not feature New Order; instead, it depicts a younger band miming to New Order's music and words. At the end, a large number of people come on stage to pull them off-stage. The cover art for the CD and DVD shows actress and model Nicolette Krebitz with her trousers below her knees.

The single was called as possibly one of New Order's best singles" and described it as "fantastic" and the "confident, strutting return of a band that knows that the music industry has missed it." The fictional band seen in the song's music video is named "The Killers". This would inspire the name of American rock band the Killers, who would also lift a number of elements of the set layout in the "Crystal" video for their own video "Somebody Told Me".

 

Crystal Track List:  

 

CD1: NUOCD8 UK & Europe

 

1. Crystal

2. Behind Close Doors

3. Crystal (Digweed & Muir Bedrock mix edit)

 

CD2: NUCDP8 (UK & Europe)

 

1. Crystal (Digweed & Muir Bedrock mix edit)

2. Crystal (Lee Coombs Remix)

3. Crystal (John Creamer & Stephane K main remix edit)

 

CD: WPCR-10985 (Japan)

 

1. Crystal

2. True Faith (live from the Reading Festival 30/8/1998)

3. Temptation (live from the Reading Festival 30/8/1998)

4. Atmosphere (live from the Reading Festival 30/8/1998)

5. Isolation (live from the Reading Festival 30/8/1998)

 

CD. 9 42397-2 (US)

 

1. Crystal (radio edit)

2. Crystal (Digweed & Muir Bedrock radio edit)

3. Crystal (Digweed & Muir Bedrock mix)

4. Crystal (Digweed & Muir Bedrock dub)

5. Crystal (Lee Coombs remix)

6. Crystal (Lee Coombs dub)

7. Crystal (John Creamer & Stephane K main remix)

8. Crystal (Creamer K main mix)

9. Behind Closed Doors

Rocktrospectiva: Pet Shop Boys' Summery And Fun Single "Se A Vida É" Turns 30

Released on 12 August 1996 "Se a vida é (That's the Way Life Is)" was a song by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys, as the second single from their sixth studio album, Bilingual (1996). The song was based on "Estrada Da Paixão" by African-Brazilian band Olodum, which Pet Shop Boys heard during the South American leg of their Discovery tour in 1994. The band shares songwriting credits with Pet Shop Boys. The correct English translation of "Se a vida é" from Portuguese is actually "If Life Is...". ("That's the way life is" would be "É assim que a vida é..." or "A vida é assim".) The other Portuguese lyric is "Essa vida é..." ("This life is..."), which sounds very similar to "Se a vida é". Neil Tennant acknowledged that he started writing the lyrics with a mistranslation of the phrase but decided he liked it as is. The addition of "Essa vida é" was intended as a more accurate way to convey "that's the way life is".

"Se A Vida É" spent eight weeks on the UK Singles Chart, peaking at number eight, and became a top-five hit in the Czech Republic, Finland, Hungary, and Spain. It topped the European Hit Radio chart, with airplay on 98 stations in 23 countries. 

In the United States, the song was released in 1997 as a double A-side with "To Step Aside". This version reached number eight on the Billboard Maxi-Singles Sales chart while "To Step Aside" by itself reached number one on the Billboard Dance Club Play chart.

The single covers (CD1 pictured) featured photos from the music video shoot at a water park, taken by Lynda Churilla. The photos were printed on a yellow background in duotone pink, blue, green, red, and orange, with flecks of spot varnish to give an effect of splashing water. The 12-inch double vinyl cover had plain panels of the same colours, with the photos on the inner sleeves. The compact discs were yellow, and the vinyl records were green for side A/B and yellow for side C/D. Designer Mark Farrow described the look as "summery and fun and wet and sexy".

The accompanying music video for "Se a vida é (That's the Way Life Is)" was shot at the Wet 'n Wild water theme park in Orlando, Florida, and was directed by Bruce Weber, who had also directed the video for "Being Boring" (1990). Actress Eva Mendes appeared in a small role as a teenager with her friends at the park. The video entered heavy rotation on MTV and VH1 that summer.

The single has been described as "a sexy and vibrant song", and a "life-affirming lambada". Other described it as the best Pet Shop Boys single in years. Justice demands it be the biggest of summer hits." An extremely commercial and very positive song, it features a four-piece brass section, a guitar and 20 female drummers. The latter's inclusion gives a sometimes thunderous rumble to appropriate sections of the song, but the rest is very lightweight and breezy, with a vaguely Latin flavour floating in with the brass section.

 

Se A Vida É (That's The Way Life Is) Track List: 

 

UK And Australian CD1 Japanese Maxi-CD Single: 

 

1. Se A Vida É (That's The Way Life Is)

2. Betrayed

3. How I Learned To Hate Rock 'n' Roll

4. Se A Vida É (That's The Way Life Is) (Pink Noise Mix)

 

UK And Australian CD2:

 

1. Se A Vida É (That's The Way Life Is) (Mark Picciotti's Deep And Dark Vocal) 

2. Se A Vida É (That's The Way Life Is) (Mark Picciotti's Shelter Dub)

3. Se A Vida É (That's The Way Life Is)" (Deep Dish Liquid Remix)

 

UK Cassette Single And European CD Single

 

1. Se A Vida É (That's The Way Life Is)

2. Betrayed

 

Japanese Mini CD Single: 

 

1. Se A Vida É (That's The Way Life Is)

2. Go West 

US CD Single: 

 

1. Se A Vida É (That's The Way Life Is) (Album Version) 

2. Se A Vida É (That's The Way Life Is) (Mark Picchiotti's Deep And Dark Vocal)

3. To Step Aside (Album Version)

4. To Step Aside (Ralphie's Disco Vox)

5. The Calm Before The Storm

6. Betrayed

 

US 2x12 inch Single: 

 

1. Se A Vida É (That's The Way Life Is) (Mark Pricchiotti's Deep And Dark Vocal)

2. Se A Vida É (That's The Way Life Is) (Deep Dish Liquid Remix)

3. To Step Aside (Ralphie's Disco Vox)

4. To Step Aside (Hasbrouck Heights Mix)

5. To Step Aside (Davidson Ospina Dub)

6. To Step Aside (Ralphie's Old School Dub) 

7. To Step Aside (Brutal Bill Mix)

8. To Step Aside (Ralphi's House Vox)

Rocktrospectiva: The Groundbreaking And Globally Succesful "The Black Album" Turns 35

Released on 12 August 1991 "Metallica (The Black Album)" was the fifth studio album by the US heavy metal band Metallica. The album marked a change in the band's music from the thrash metal style of their previous four albums to a slower, heavier, and more refined sound. Metallica promoted Metallica with a series of tours. They also released five singles to promote the album: "Enter Sandman", "The Unforgiven", "Nothing Else Matters", "Wherever I May Roam", and "Sad but True", all of which have been considered to be among the band's best-known songs. The song "Don't Tread on Me" was also issued to rock radio shortly after the album's release but did not receive a commercial single release.

Going back to 1988's ...And Justice for All , Metallica had pushed their epic and often complex thrash metal as far as it could go. But as Kirk Hammett said: We realized that the general consensus was that the songs were too long. Everyone in the audience had these long faces, and I was like, Damn, they're not enjoying it as much as we are. As drummer Lars Ulrich confirmed: The ten-minute, twelve-tempo-change Metallica phase had run its course. We wanted to streamline and simplify things. They had reached the glass ceiling of thrash metal and were ready to shatter it. However, to achieve such a drastic stylistic shift, the band knew they needed a powerful sound that would pack a punch. And they knew exactly the right producer to deliver it. The arrival of Bob Rock was the first indication that Metallica was willing to risk their reputation to achieve their musical goals. Rock was renowned for his work with Bon Jovi and The Cult, and Metallica had chosen him for the sound he captured on Mötley Crüe's Dr. Feelgood . 

The first song written during the "Black Album" sessions, "Enter Sandman" was built around a basic riff and set the standard for the "less is more" approach Metallica aimed for on their fifth album. After this break, they were quick to prove they hadn't lost any of their heaviness in the slow, crushing riff of "Sad But True." It was clear the band's venomous sonic bite hadn't lost its potency, permeating the vigorous "Holier Than Thou" and the abrasive "Don't Tread On Me," while "Wherever I May Roam" showcases the considerable experience the band members had gained in songwriting. "Through The Never" offers a twisting and turning structure very similar to the band's previous material, but this time it gets straight to the point in just about four minutes.

Metallica learned the dynamics of songwriting early on, using lighter moments to make the heavier parts sound colossal. On "The Black Album," "The Unforgiven" offers a respite while also recalling the desperation of the band's then-biggest hit, "One." Even the ballad "Nothing Else Matters" gets a jolt of power to ensure it never veers into cheesy territory. Meanwhile, the thunderous crunch of "Of Wolf and Man" and the rattling of "The God That Failed" keep things focused, which in turn leads into the heartbreaking "My Friend of Misery," before the frenetic "The Struggle Within" brings the self-titled album to a close. Bob Rock encouraged Metallica to use the drums to drive each song, rather than letting them lag behind the guitars. It was a technique that propelled the band to stratospheric success 

At the time of Metallica's recording, the band's songs were written mainly by frontman James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich, with Hetfield being the lyricist. The duo frequently composed together at Ulrich's house in Berkeley, California. Several song ideas and concepts were conceived by other members of the band, lead guitarist Kirk Hammett and bassist Jason Newsted. For instance, Newsted wrote the main riff of "My Friend of Misery", which was originally intended to be an instrumental, one of which had been included on every previous Metallica album. The songs were written in two months in mid-1990; the ideas for some of them were originated during the Damaged Justice Tour.

Metallica was impressed with Bob Rock's production work on Mötley Crüe's Dr. Feelgood (1989) and decided to hire him to work on their album. Initially, the band members were not interested in having Rock producing the album as well, but changed their minds. Ulrich said, "We felt that we still had our best record in us and Bob Rock could help us make it". Four demos for the album were recorded on August 13, 1990; "Enter Sandman", "The Unforgiven", "Nothing Else Matters" and "Wherever I May Roam". 

Because it was Rock's first time producing a Metallica album, he had the band make the album in different ways; he encouraged them to record songs collaboratively rather than individually. He also suggested recording tracks live and using harmonic vocals for Hetfield. Rock was expecting the production to be "easy" but had trouble working with the band, leading to frequent, engaged arguments with the band members over aspects of the album. Rock wanted Hetfield to write better lyrics and found his experience recording with Metallica disappointing: the recording experience was so stressful that Rock briefly swore never to work with the band again.

The album cost US$1 million to produce. The troubled production coincided with Ulrich, Hammett, and Newsted divorcing their wives; Hammett said this influenced their playing because they were "trying to take those feeling of guilt and failure and channel them into the music, to get something positive out of it. The album was a change in Metallica's direction from the thrash metal style of the band's previous four studio albums towards a more commercial, heavy metal sound. Despite this, it still had characteristics of thrash metal. Some critics also described the album as hard rock and groove metal. The band took a simpler approach partly because the members felt the songs on ...And Justice for All were too long and complex. Hetfield said that radio airplay was not their intention, but because they felt "we had pretty much done the longer song format to death," and considered a good change doing songs with just two riffs and "only taking two minutes to get the point across".

Instruments not usually used by heavy metal bands, such as the cellos in "The Unforgiven" and the orchestra in "Nothing Else Matters", were added at Rock's insistence. Rock also raised the volume of the bass guitar, which had been nearly inaudible on the previous album ...And Justice for All. Newsted said he tried to "create a real rhythm section rather than a one-dimensional sound" with his bass. Newsted credited Rock with helping him find a sound that would work without interfering with the bass drum or the guitar, which Newsted claimed had always been an issue in his experience. The lyrics of Metallica written by James Hetfield were more personal and introspective in nature than those of previous Metallica albums; Rock said Hetfield's songwriting became more confident, and that he was inspired by Bob Dylan, Bob Marley, and John Lennon.

Metallica was met with widespread acclaim from both heavy metal journalists and mainstream publications, including NME, The New York Times, and The Village Voice: "Metallica may have invented a new genre: progressive thrash". Retrospective appraisals have been positive by saying Metallica was the album that propelled the band out of the metal ghetto to true mainstream global rock superstardom", a deliberate departure from the band's thrash style on ...And Justice for All, "Metallica was slower, less complicated, and probably twice as heavy as anything they'd done before".Classic Rock called it "the absolute pinnacle of Metallica's long and successful career", and credited the album for inspiring 1990s post-grunge music and convincing the music industry to embrace heavy metal as a genre with mass appeal.

 

Metallica The Black Album Track List: 

 

1. Enter Sandman

2. Sad But True

3. Holier Than Thou

4. The Unforgiven

5. Wherever I May Roam

6. Don't Tread On Me

7. Through The Never

8. Nothing Else Matters

9. Of Wolf And Man

10. The God That Failed

11. My Friend Of Mysery

12. The Struggle Within 

Rocktrospectiva: Depeche Mode's "A Question Of Time" Turns 40

Released on 11 August 1986 "A Question Of Time" was a song by the English electronic band Depeche Mode, as the third and final single from their fifth studio album, Black Celebration, following the similarly titled "A Question of Lust". The single was a top 20 hit in several European countries. The accompanying music video was the beginning of a long collaboration between Depeche Mode and Anton Corbijn.

Depeche Mode had entered the studio to record tracks for their album Black Celebration in November 1985, with recording of all album tracks starting at Westside Studios in London and final production and mixing moving to Hansa Studios in West Berlin by early 1986.

Depeche Mode released Black Celebration in mid-March 1986, and "A Question of Time" was the album's third and final single, released on 11 August 1986 by Mute Records in the US, Intercord Records in West Germany, and Sire Records in the US.

In the UK, commercial releases included a 7", a 12" and a limited 12" vinyl single, given catalogue numbers 7BONG12, 12BONG12 and L12BONG12, respectively. Mute also released the 7" and both 12" singles promotionally, with a unique mix on the 7" release.  In West Germany, Intercord Records released initial pressings of the 7" on red vinyl with catalogue number INT 111.841, as well as 12" and limited 12" releases that mirrored the UK release. In addition, Dischi Ricordi released a rare promotional 7" in Italy (catalogue number BONG12) that included a unique cover. After Black Celebration's first two singles, "Stripped" and "A Question of Lust", both featured black as the dominant color of its cover art, the 12" releases of "A Question of Time" got "optimistic" white covers.

Music producer Phil Harding remixed "A Question of Time" for the 12" single, and the B-side to both 12" releases were tracks recorded on 10 April 1986 in Birmingham, England, while the band was supporting the album with their Black Celebration Tour.

The music video for "A Question of Time" is the first Depeche Mode video to be directed by Anton Corbijn. Shot in Los Angeles in black and white and inspired by road movies, the video marked the beginning of a relationship that allowed Depeche Mode to craft the image they wanted. Said Alan Wilder later, "it wasn’t until Anton got involved in 1986, that we realised we could take more control over the cohesive image of the group." Corbijn had photographed the band back in 1981 for NME, and they had approached him to direct some of their music videos earlier in their career, but Corbijn had turned them down, saying "I didn't like their music much. They were kind of a teen band, and I was into serious music back then." The band liked Corbijn's video shoots because they were more intimate, sometimes just Corbijn and the band instead of having large video crews like their earlier videos.

 

A Question Of Time Track Listing: 

 

7": Mute/ 7Bong12 (UK)

 

1. A Question Of Time (Remix)

2. Black Celebration (Live)

 

12": Mute/ 12Bong12 (UK)

 

1. A Question Of Time (Extended Remix)

2. Black Celebration (live)

3. Something To Do (live)

4. Stripped (live) 

 

12": Mute/L12Bong12 (UK)

 

1. A Question Of Time (New Town Mix)

2. A Question Of Time (Live Remix)

3. A Black Celebration (Black Tulip Mix)

4. More Than A Party (live)

 

CD: Intercord/Mute INT 826.850 (West Germany)

 

1. A Question Of Time (Extended Remix)

2. Stripped (live)

3. Black Celebration (live)

4. Something To Do (live)

5. A Question Of Time (remix) 

New Music: Sauna

           

Jessie Ware shares her new video and single "Sauna" her latest release taken from the British artist 6th., studio album "Superbloom" released last April. In the video, Ware transforms an elevator into a bathhouse. Directed by photographer Jordan Rossi, the campy clip sees Ware entering a sterile-looking lift dressed in a trench coat. Already visibly hot and bothered, she swoons when two dashing men in suits join her

In Memoriam: Legendary English Producer & Electronic Music Pioneer "William Orbit" Has Died

William Orbit, the English producer, composer, and electronic music pioneer passed away on 23 July 2026, aged 69, leaving behind a catalogue that shaped the sound of mainstream electronic music across four decades.

Orbit was born in London on 15 December 1956 and started earlier circa 1980 when he co-founded Torch Song, a synth and ambient trio operating out of a squatted school in Notting Hill. In the 1990s he launched Bassomatic, whose Fascinating Rhythm reached the UK Top 10, and founded Guerilla Records, one of the defining labels of the UK progressive house explosion. 

Things suddenly got changed when in 1998; Orbit co-produced Madonna's Ray of Light, a record that arrived at the exact moment electronic music was moving from the underground into the mainstream and pulled both worlds into the same room. The album won four Grammys. Frozen, the title track, and The Power of Good-Bye are still in rotation. It remains one of the most significant crossover records electronic music has produced. The following year he produced Blur's 13. Harder, more abrasive, equally important. Tender alone is reason enough for the credit. 

The production reputation tends to overshadow the solo work, which ran longer and reached further. Orbit began the Strange Cargo series in 1987, building atmospheric ambient electronic records that were influencing the genre well before the mainstream caught up. Orbit's sixth solo album make a crossover moment on the U.K. charts. Originally released in 1995, Pieces in a Modern Style applied the producer's signature electronic style to the works of masters like Beethoven, Vivaldi, and Händel. "Adagio for Strings," a new spin on the piece by Samuel Barber, climbed the singles charts in 1999, eventually reaching No. 4. In 2000, Pieces in a Modern Style reinterpreted classical compositions through his production approach and became a genuine commercial hit. 

In his final decade he released Pieces in a Modern Style 2, worked on orchestral live projects, and completed The Painterin 2022, folding his visual art practice into the music. He was still making cutting-edge things.

Rocktrospectiva: The Iconical "20 Millas" Turns 40

Released in August 1986, "20 Millas" was the second studio album by the Mexican girl group Flans. Recorded in Spain and produced by Mariano Pérez, the album spawned seven singles: "Hoy por ti, mañana por mí," "Veinte Millas," "Um, Ah, Oh," "Desde la trinchera," "Esta noche no," and "No, él no es un rocky." 

These singles helped solidify the trio's success, conquering new markets and launching extensive tours throughout the Americas. The trio had already achieved success and gained public acceptance with their debut studio album. Singles from their previous album were still playing when they released "Tímido," the first single that helped cement the girls' fame, leading them to be considered the best teen group of the moment by critics and the public alike. Regarding the sound, the album maintained the youthful pop that made them famous on their debut album, a pop very much in keeping with the times, with certain European influences, seasoned with synthesizers, and youthful lyrics about love relationships, flirting, and a certain girl power, amidst danceable tracks and charming ballads. 

The single "Tímido" stood out, a song that could easily have appeared on their first album and which, as we've mentioned, helped solidify the trio's status throughout the Americas as the hottest sensation of the moment. Other tracks, like "20 Millas," were pop ballads with fresh and charming arrangements, reaffirming the girls' style. Other songs, such as "Hoy Por Ti, Mañana Por Mi," "Detrás De La Trinchera," and "Estas Noche No," addressed more serious and social issues. The remaining tracks weren't bad; while they didn't have the impact to be considered singles, they didn't clash with the overall concept of the album. 

The album received favorable reviews, and while it maintained almost the same form as their debut, certain innovations in the themes and production were noticeable. Furthermore, it is considered the group's most important album as it helped them consolidate their position as a youth pop force.

 

20 Millas Track List:  

 

1. Hoy Por Ti, Mañana Por Mí

2. Veinte Millas

3. Desde La Trinchera

4. Cariño Mío

5. Uhm Ah Oh

6. Tímido

7. Esta Noche No

8. Bésame

9. Ya No Te Perderé

10. El No Es Un Rocky

11. Me Juego Todo 

Rocktrospectiva: The Underrated "Pretenders II" Turns 45

Released on 7 August 1981 "Pretenders II" was the second studio album by British rock band the Pretenders, it incorporates two songs that had been released as singles in the UK and placed on an EP in the US. The album spanwed the singles "Talk Of The Town", "Message Of Love", "Day After Day," Louie Louie" & "I Go To Sleep". It was the final album by the original line-up, as the following year bassist Pete Farndon was dismissed and guitarist James Honeyman-Scott died in the same week. Farndon died in 1983, and a new line-up would make the band's next album, Learning to Crawl.

The success of their 1979 debut album created a great demand for more material from the fledgling band; however, a lack of songs precluded the quick release of a follow-up album. In the UK, the band released two hit singles in 1980 and early 1981, "Talk of the Town" followed by "Message of Love". In the US, where standalone singles had become rare, these tracks were combined with three others for a stopgap extended play release in March 1981 simply titled Extended Play. Pretenders II was released two months later to mixed critical reception arguably because many of the songs were viewed as too similar to though not quite as groundbreaking as the band's debut. Nevertheless, several of the album's songs became hits and the album has increased in critical stature with time.

Before that—in 1981—the Pretenders were flying high from their debut's success and were playing ever-larger venues on tour. Their manager, Dave Hill, was eager to strike while the iron was hot and release a follow-up. They had found time to record a few tracks, including “Message of Love” and “Talk of the Town”, at Pathé Marconi Studios in Paris. These tunes (plus two new ones and a live recording of “Precious”) were released as the aptly named Extended Play stopgap EP in March 1981. Hynde felt their management had “jumped the gun” by releasing the new material. 

In the UK, the four new tracks were released as singles "Message of Love" and "Talk of the Town" were backed by "Porcelain" and "Cuban Slide", respectively. So, by the time Pretenders II came out five months later, two of its best songs were already known to the band's devotees. And those weren’t the only songs that had a ring of familiarity. 

The album's lead-off track, "The Adultress", served as an introduction and replaced bravado with cynicism, boastfulness with world-weariness. Not every song sung in the first person is about the songwriter herself, and women songwriters often get unfairly pegged as confessional. Therefore, it's unfair to say that this piece is about Hynde's relationship with Ray Davies. "Bad Boys Get Spanked" echoed "Tattooed Love Boys" from Pretenders. But it traded in the same seedy milieu with petulant vocal and whip-cracking sound effects are a little too, and resulted resulted in a sound calculated to shock.

"Message of Love" was the rare song that was fleshed out in the studio. Hynde typically brought completed tunes to the group; however, this time—according to drummer Martin Chambers —"she hadn't really finished it and so we just… rehearsed it already set up in the studio, and it was on tape in two hours, basically." It retained the immediacy of the studio and is brimming with ebullience. It showed that the band was just as at home with exuberance and joy as with angst and rebellion. "I Go to Sleep", the band's ed Ray Davies cover and it was rendered desperate and heartbreaking by Hynde's torchy vocals and Honeyman-Scott’s reverberating electric guitar. The addition of a French horn lends it a timeless melancholy, too. 

Next were "Birds of Paradise" and “Talk of the Town" the highlights of Pretenders II, as they proved that for all her hard rock posturing, Chrissie Hynde can wrote the hell out of a ballad. Specifically, the former is a meditation on innocence lost and the road not taken as seen from the vantage point of someone who’s vaulted to stardom, became prey to the vagaries of fame, and wished for a simpler time, all the while knowing there is no way back. Farndon's driving bass, Honeyman-Scott's ringing guitar, Chambers' deft sticking on the ride cymbal, and Hynde's natural vibrato all came together to form the perfect pop song, full of longing and hooks. 

Up next was "Waste Not Want Not" a reggae-flavored screed that told a story of a future that's void, of the beauty and the majesty that life on  Earth is meant to be. "Jealous Dogs" was another filler track, yet Then, was the wistful "The English Roses" and "Louie Louie" 

But while the first Pretenders album is full of quirky and surprising rough edges, Pretenders II has had some of those rough edges smoothed over, not unlike the album’s cover photo. Farndon was fired from the band in June 1982 for his belligerence and heroin use, but it was Honeyman-Scott who was found dead two days after Farndon's dismissal. Farndon himself would succumb to a drug overdose in April 1983. Pretenders II doesn’t match the splendor of its predecessor, but as a follow-up to a near-perfect debut. As a live touring band, they were unrivaled and could have had the world at their feet by the time of their third release. Ironically, they'd realize that potential with a new lineup on 1984’s Learning to Crawl, which produced five Billboard hits, and remains the highest-charting album in their discography.

 

Pretenders II Track List:  

 

1. The Adultress

2. Bad Boys Get Spanked

3. Message Of Love

4. I Go To Sleep

5. Birds Of Paradise

6. Talk Of The Town

7. Pack It Up

8. Waste Not Want Not

9. Day After day

10. Jealous Dogs

11. The English Roses

12. Louie Louie

New Music: Garden

           

Alabama Shakes have unveiled  "Garden", the latest preview of their eagerly anticipated new album "I Must Be Dreaming". The track arrives ahead of the record's release later this month, marking another milestone as the band prepare to return with their first full-length studio album in more than ten years. "I Must Be Dreaming" will be released on the 28th August, and represents the group's long-awaited return following a decade away from the album format. With anticipation continuing to build, the release of 'Garden' offers another compelling taste of what promises to be one of the band's most significant projects to date.

Rocktrospectiva: The Groundbreaking "Revolver" Turns 60

Released on 5 August 1966 "Revolver" was the 7th., studio album by the English rock band The Beatles, the album was accompanied by the double A-side single "Eleanor Rigby" and "Yellow Submarine". The album was the Beatles' final recording project before their retirement as live performers and marked the group's most overt use of studio technology to date, building on the advances of their late 1965 release Rubber Soul. It has since become regarded as one of the greatest and most innovative albums in the history of popular music, with recognition centred on its range of musical styles, diverse sounds and lyrical content. The release there coincided with the Beatles' final concert tour and the controversy surrounding John Lennon's remark that the band had become "more popular than Jesus". Critical reaction was highly favourable in the UK but less so in the US amid the press's unease at the band's outspokenness on contemporary issues.

Revolver marked a decisive turning point for The Beatles. Issued just eight months after Rubber Soul in the UK and most international markets, the album showcased a band rapidly abandoning the conventions of beat music in favour of experimentation, sophisticated songwriting and innovative recording techniques. It also became the group’s final studio project before retiring from touring, allowing them to focus entirely on what could be achieved inside Abbey Road’s recording studios.

The Beatles recorded Revolver after taking a three-month break at the start of 1966, and during a period when London was feted as the era's cultural capital. Regarded by some commentators as the start of the group's psychedelic period, the songs reflect their interest in the drug LSD, Eastern philosophy and the avant-garde while addressing themes such as death and transcendence of material concerns. With no plans to reproduce their new material in concert, the band made liberal use of automatic double tracking, varispeed, reversed tapes, close audio miking, and instruments outside of their standard live set-up. Among its tracks are "Tomorrow Never Knows", incorporating heavy Indian drone and a collage of tape loops; "Eleanor Rigby", a song about loneliness featuring a string octet as its only musical backing; and "Love You To", a foray into Hindustani classical music. The sessions also produced a non-album single, "Paperback Writer", backed with "Rain".

The albumb expanded the boundaries of pop music, revolutionised standard practices in studio recording, advanced principles espoused by the 1960s counterculture, and inspired the development of psychedelic rock, electronica, progressive rock and world music. The album cover, designed by Klaus Voormann, combined Aubrey Beardsley-inspired line drawing with photo collage and won the 1967 Grammy Award for Best Album Cover, Graphic Arts. 

The British edition contained 14 songs, opening with George Harrison's tax protest song "Taxman" and concluding with John Lennon's groundbreaking "Tomorrow Never Knows". Capitol's American edition reduced the album to 11 tracks after removing Lennon's "I'm Only Sleeping", "And Your Bird Can Sing" and "Doctor Robert". Those songs had already appeared on Yesterday and Today, leaving the US version noticeably weighted towards Paul McCartney’s compositions and reducing Lennon’s presence across the album. The altered sequencing also changed the dramatic arc carefully constructed by producer George Martin and the band. In the UK version, Lennon’s increasingly experimental writing gradually develops throughout the album before reaching its climax with the tape loops, processed vocals and hypnotic rhythms of "Tomorrow Never Knows". 

Lyrically, Revolver also represented a significant departure. Earlier Beatles albums had largely centred on romance, but Revolver explored loneliness, taxation, spirituality, altered consciousness, communication and mortality. Songs such as "Eleanor Rigby" and "For No One" presented emotionally complex narratives rarely heard in mainstream pop music at the time, while "Tomorrow Never Knows" drew inspiration from Eastern philosophy and psychedelic ideas. The album also reflected the individual growth of each songwriter. Lennon continued to push the boundaries of studio experimentation, McCartney expanded his melodic and orchestral ambitions, and Harrison emerged as a major creative force with three compositions that broadened the band’s musical vocabulary. Ringo Starr contributed one of the album’s best-known performances with the children's singalong "Yellow Submarine", which was released alongside "Eleanor Rigby" as a double A-side single on the same day as the album.

The record stands as the bridge between two eras of The Beatles. It expanded upon the songwriting maturity introduced on Rubber Soul while laying the technical and creative foundations for what followed. Many of the recording techniques, studio experimentation and conceptual thinking first explored on Revolver would be developed even further on 1967’s Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, an album often credited with redefining the possibilities of popular music. Even now, Revolver remains the moment when The Beatles fundamentally reinvented themselves and its influence continues to be heard across rock, psychedelic music, progressive music, electronic production and modern studio recording, confirming its place as one of the most important albums ever made.

 

Revolver Track List:

 

1. Taxman

2. Eleanor Rigby

3. I'm Only Sleeping

4. Love You To

5. Here, There And Everywhere

6. Yellow Submarine

7. She Said She Said

8. Good Day Sunshine

9. And Your Bird Can Sing

10. For No One

11. Doctor Robert

12. I Want To Tell You

13. Got To Get You Into My Life

14. Tomorrow Never Knows