A lot of people think that all you have to do to get famous is get close to the top on American Idol. That’s certainly an avenue that didn’t exist years before, but there have always been talent shows.

Even with the popularity of American Idol, I have to say Idol is not and cannot be the de-facto standard by which (I hope) we all measure talent. First of all, there’s the age limit. There are so many rising stars and excellent budding artists and performers in this country and all over the world that don’t fall into that age range that Idol is only scratching the surface of worthwhile aspiring talent.

And let’s keep things in perspective: Idol is an entertainment show. Their objective is to provide entertainment in the form of a hit show – not to “create new artists”. They depend on ratings to stay on the air. Some would say– isn’t that (the popularity of the show and it’s good ratings) a true measure of the performer’s talent?

No – it’s just a measure of a well-orchestrated hit show. The performer’s talent is not really the objective of the show – rather – keeping the show on the air and it’s ability to sell advertising is what’s important to the producers and investors who fund it. Just like any other show on TV.

I have to say from my own experience that long-term success in the music business does not revolve around the age 15-20-ish kids that you see performing from week to week on Idol. Not that they aren’t good… and not that for that small snapshot in time they haven’t (in a way) proven their ability to be a draw… even though the venue actually generates that. Certainly most of those who make the top 12 are capable singers and they will have incoming opportunities from record producers and MTV and all… and maybe they will get a real career going – IF they don’t get sucked down the wrong path…

At the end of the day, it’s a tough business, and that’s the side of it the rest of us don’t see.

My point is, there is no replacement for experience. People think its some sort of fairy tale golden plate and spoon – that everyone will just hand you everything you’ll ever want for the rest of your life once you reach that point on idol where you have industry recognition. Such is hardly the case…

If you do end up being an artist and live performer as a career for real – it’s not going to be glamour and success handed to you on a silver platter just because you came in at the top (or close to the top) of an American Idol competition.

When you get to the point where the top 6 find themselves each season, you’ve got a good chance to get called for record deals, sure… but then you better be able to “put up or shut up”. You’ve got to hack it through some boot-camp-like A&R “development” and then instantly adapt to being on the road. Now the work begins – and it ain’t a good time to be needy… even if you’re only 15.

Something about audiences and longevity… Even those who win (or make it close) on Idol are mostly appealing to a 14-25 year old audience. That’s cool if you’re 14-25… hell yes! But to make it in this business across several decades and to maintain mass appeal across audiences of all-ages requires an ability to seriously compete on a massive scale – hitting the circuits… day after day, week after week. All of them – east coast, west coast, Reno, Tahoe, Vegas, New York, Atlantic City, Europe, Japan, international resort circuits, and everywhere in between.

It’s a tight tour schedule, it’s a blazing roller coaster, and you have no time to be moody or tired or even to think about how it feels. You will be running on very little sleep – all the time. They will drag you out of your bunk and shove you on that stage if that’s the only choice you leave them, with barely time to clear your poor, hoarse throat.

When you arrive backstage at the shows: nobody cares what you look like or how you sound. They only care that you fulfill the contract – and you will – no matter what it takes. Your inconvenience or feelings or mood or heath or scratchy voice thing or petty problems are of no concern to a stage manager or tour boss. They don’t care, and they don’t want to hear it. You’re on, babe. And you better shut up and be ready for cue.

Next: To make it through more than one tour, YOU must consistently generate a DRAW. The moment you fail to do that more than once at a large venue, you’re freakin’ toast. Those empty seats cost someone a lot of money. They were counting on YOU to fill them.

What money there is in the music business (if you are not a chart-topping 20-year-old artist) is made on the road– and if you can also sell recordings that’s gravy but you can never bet on that, especially these days.

The whole industry has changed in this new MP3 era to a model where the emphasis is on live performances… which are pod-casted all over the place and excerpts sold online as teasers to get fans to buy your single or the EP, or subscribe to members-only fan sites, buy promotional merchandise and all that good stuff… but mostly to get them to your next show.

I can tell you from experience that being on the road for a long time is tough – only suitable to those who have a true obsession for the music and working a crowd and those who can handle being on the road long enough to consistently generate filled seats. And then turn around and do it again the next day, town after town, over and over again, week after week, month after month.

I’ve been singing for live audiences since I was 12. Believe me – that was a long time ago. More years have passed since I was 12 than some of you who are reading this have even been alive. The music business is a hell of a lot more hard work than it is fun most of the time. But at the end of the day – you either bust your hump for it or you get knocked aside by those who will. You pretty much have to like it a lot to survive that.

Bruce Springsteen concert tickets have been on the list of the most-wanted concert tickets for decades. Ever since he began playing the club scene in the mid sixties, Springsteen has developed a fan following that has literally followed him right across the country and around the world. Despite being an all-American musician, his appeal is universal as is seen in the extensive fan base he has in Europe.

A Career Of Milestones

Bruce Springsteen is one of the few musicians who have weathered the fluctuations of the music industry. While some musicians of his era either faded away or moved to the sidelines, Springsteen has consistently remained at the center of things. His career is made up of a number of marathon concerts and milestone achievements. Not only is he a member of the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame, he has also won a number of Grammy Awards and an Academy Award.

One of the reasons for the popularity of Bruce Springsteen concert tickets is that he has not allowed himself to settle into complacency. Early on, he wrote songs that had more lyrics than most artists had on their entire album at the time. He experimented with different styles, right from church music to hard rock. Springsteen is also not afraid to get political nuances into his songs. While some artists feel that political leanings could alienate their fan base, Springsteen has been bold in his feelings about causes like the war and even certain Presidential candidates.

Tour De Force

The main reason why so many fans want to get their hands on Bruce Springsteen concert tickets is because The Boss is known for putting on an incredible live show. His concerts are often marathon affairs which cover a gamut of styles, with a number of instrumental innovations being done live. Springsteen has never been one to rely on fancy special effects or drug-fueled performances. His shows are extremely intense, music-driven concerts aimed at true music lovers.

Some of Springsteen’s most memorable shows include the Born to Run Tours, which were probably his most difficult yet most successful run of concerts. They were done in the midst of a legal tussle during a time when Springsteen was trying to make ends meet. The result was a series of tours, both across the country and abroad while trying to record at the same time. The tours lasted from 1974 to 1977 and he was backed by his faithful E Street Band. His image during these shows was that of an everyday working man in jeans, t-shirt and bandana. Many of the songs were rearranged and extended and he would often deliver narratives or stories during each set. In fact, some songs were performed fresh for these tours and seemed to slip away and disappear, never to be heard again. In this way, fans who had those Bruce Springsteen concert tickets were witness to some musical pieces that would never be heard again.

These were just one of the many unforgettable concert performances that Springsteen has given in his career. If you want to see The Boss perform live, contact an online ticket vendor to buy your Bruce Springsteen concert tickets.

Down The Road is the latest Rock CD put out by the highly talented Stephen Stills who once again has delivered a brilliant collection of tracks. I’m confident Stephen Stills fans, and Rock fans alike will be pleased with this one.

Down The Road kicks off with an outstanding track, Isn’t It About Time, that I anticipate will be heard on radio stations everywhere, and deservedly so. It’s a really nice track.

Rock music fans will recognize some of the well known guests that have been assembled to play along with Stills on several of the tracks. Artists like Joe Walsh and Bobby Whitlock just to name a couple.

I’m of the opinion that Down The Road is certainly Stephen Stills’s best work in a few years. A totally enjoyable CD and an outstanding release. What I call must have music. I give it two thumbs up because it’s a collection that even the casual Rock fan can appreciate and enjoy.

While the entire album is really very good some of my favorites are track 6 – Do You Remember The Americans, track 5 – Business On The Street, and track 10 – Rollin’ My Stone

My Bonus Pick, and the one that got Sore [...as in "Stuck On REpeat"] is track 1 – Isn’t It About Time. Wow!

Down The Road Release Notes:

Stephen Stills originally released Down The Road on October 25, 1990 on the Atlantic label.

CD Track List Follows:

1. Isn’t It About Time 2. Lies 3. Pensamiento 4. So Many Times 5. Business On The Street 6. Do You Remember The Americans 7. Down The Road 8. City Junkies 9. Guaguanco De Vero 10. Rollin’ My Stone

Manassas: Stephen Stills (vocals, guitar, slide guitar, piano, organ, bass); Chris Hillman (guitar, bass, mandolin, vocals); Al Perkins (pedal steel guitar, banjo); Paul Harris (piano, organ); Fuzzy Samuel (bass); Dallas Taylor (drums); Joe Lala (congas, timbales, percussion, vocals). Additional personnel: Charlie Grimes (guitar); Joe Walsh (slide guitar); Sydney George (flute); Jerry Aiello (organ); Bobby Whitlock (keyboards, vocals); Guille Garcia, Lachy Espinol (percussion); Pat Arnold (background vocals). Producers: Chris Hillman, Dallas Taylor, Stephen Stills.

Pop Music That Made American History – The Top Twenty Songs of the First Half Century of Rock N Roll

The world changed dramatically during the second half of the Twentieth Century, Visit Here http://newmoviesong.blogspot.com

as the United States became the most powerful nation both politically and culturally. One American phenomenon that has left its mark in all corners of the world is pop music. Here is my list of the most important pop songs of the Twentieth Century, in chronological order. Perhaps they were not the first, the best or the most original, but they were the right thing at the right time, and they changed history.

1. “Rock Around the Clock,” (1954). Bill Haley and the Comets. In the early years of Rock music, the inclusion of this song would be a no brainer. It was the first great Rock and Roll hit, selling 25 million copies. Nowadays, we may have a desire to right the record, and say that black performers like Big Joe Turner, Bo Diddley and Ike Turner were the real originators of the style, but the fact is that in the segregated atmosphere of that time, it was necessary for a talented white group to champion the music to a larger audience. The Comets were able to rise to the occasion.

2. “Only You,” (1955). The Platters. They became the personification of the emerging doo-wop style which was a blend of rock and roll combos and vocal styling that can be traced back to the Ink Spots and other performers of the Big Band era. Doo-wop was first successfully introduced by the Penguins a year earlier, with “Earth Angel,” but it was The Platters, a classy act from the West Coast that really established the genre. Their many hits, such as “The Great Pretender” and “My Prayer,” served as a standard of quality for other groups to strive for. With its popularity in the multi-ethnic society of the Northeast, doo-wop was the first racially integrated style, and it still has a devoted following to this day, thanks to the many brilliant vocal performances.

3. “Hound Dog,” (1956). Elvis Presley. In that year Elvis exploded on the scene with this hit, plus “Blue Suede Shoes”, “Heartbreak Hotel” and others. He was revolutionary in the McCarthy era age of conformity. The influence of Elvis Presley cannot be underestimated: he introduced national audiences to rockabilly music, white audiences to black rock and roll and his on-stage persona made venues accessible for the even more flamboyant acts like Little Richard, Chuck Berry and Jerry Lee Lewis. He created the Rock and roll version of the teen idol, updating the image from Frank Sinatra’s time.

4. “La Bamba,” (1958). Ritchie Valens. This song is important on two counts: it brought the Spanish language and Mexican tradition into the mainstream of Rock music. The opening phrase, “Para bailar la Bamba,” sounds like an historic cry, “un grito.” It is also important because it launched the fad of dance songs that conceived of dance as an expression of the inner self, rather than a dating ritual. “In order to dance the Bamba, you have to have a touch of grace,” and listeners began to see dancing in a new light, as communication with their own bodies.

5. “Shop Around,” (1960). Smokey Robinson and the Miracles. A perfectly crafted blend of doo-wop vocals and driving rock and roll beats, this is the recording that launched Motown. The Shirelles, a New York “girl group” had scored a hit a few months earlier with “Dedicated to the One I Love,” (1959), thus establishing the genre. The Shirelles were trailblazers, building on the success of the earlier doo-wop oriented Chantels and leading to many other girl groups, but it was Motown that became the spiritual home of this new musical style that eventually came to be called “soul music,” and so the Motown recording is the one that made history. Motown was one of the richest veins of pop music of this entire period, culminating in the landmark recording, “Papa was a Rollin’ Stone,” (1972) by the Temptations. By that point the cultural revolution that was the 1960s had transformed the Motown sound into something completely different.

6. “At Last,” (1961). Etta James. Mixed the styles of raucous R and B, Rock and roll and the female slow groove. She did not have the jazz cachet of her contemporary Dinah Washington, instead she represented a new, rebellious era of earthy hedonism. She opened the way for the acceptance of other iconoclastic female performers like Aretha Franklin and Janis Joplin (with her distinctive version of “Summertime”). It proved to be fertile ground for male singers, as well, notably, Percy Sledge with “When a Man Loves a Woman,” (1969).

7. “She Loves You,” (1963). The Beatles. Though not an American group, they had an enormous influence on the history of American music and the pop culture of the 1960s. “I Wanna Hold your Hand” was their first U.S. hit in January, 1964, and was followed almost immediately by this song. The two songs taken together illustrate the innovative quality of the Beatles in terms of melody, song structure and vocal harmonic style. “She Loves You,” however, was the more iconic of the two, with its “Yeah, Yeah, Yeah” refrain that came to symbolize this genre. The British Invasion that followed changed music history.

8. “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction,” (1965). The Rolling Stones. The Beatles were soon followed across the Atlantic by their bizarro-world evil twins, the Rolling Stones. If the Beatles had little halos, the Stones had horns. Their spirit of rebelliousness would find fertile ground in the atmosphere of the 1960s. They stayed true to their heavy guitar based genre, even as the Beatles became more cerebral and psychedelic. The Rolling Stones can be seen as the fathers of Heavy Metal, and through their influence on groups like the Velvet Underground, the spiritual fathers of Alternative Rock.

9. “Subterranean Homesick Blues,” (1965). Bob Dylan. As a singer of protest songs, Bob Dylan had been one of the leading performers of the early 1960s folk movement. His move to “folk rock” in 1965 was shocking to his fan base, and when he appeared on stage at the Newport Folk Festival with an electric guitar, he was vigorously booed, in one of the most famous incidents of the period. This song was revolutionary not only for its innovative blend of musical styles, but also for its new use of language. The intensity of imagery was something that had never been heard before in pop music and would not be equaled again until Grand Master Flash and “The Message” of 1982. (See below).

10. “White Rabbit” (1967). Jefferson Airplane. This was their second hit song to come out of the album “Surrealistic Pillow,” after “Don’t You Want Somebody to Love.” “White Rabbit” really exemplified the West Coast psychedelic style of the 1967 Summer of Love, with its surrealistic lyrics and mindblowing crescendo. Grace Slick single handedly invented the concept of the powerhouse rocker female. Other important West Coast groups at this time were the Doors with “Light My Fire,” and the Byrds, with their cover of Dylan’s “Mr. Tambourine Man.” Anybody going to San Francisco?

11. “Hey, Joe,” (1967). Jimi Hendrix. Working mainly in New York and London, he represents the Atlantic variant of the psychedelic rock scene. His guitar work and his performance style made him a trailblazer of that period, along with the Who and Cream. He is a giant of pop music history because he bridged black and white musical styles so successfully, and with his creativity helped to launch both the Heavy Metal style and the Funk style of the 1970s.

12. “Respect” (1968). Aretha Franklin. With the overwhelming impact of the British Invasion and the psychedelic styles, soul music had lost its luster as a vanguard form of pop music. Aretha changed that with her infusion of gospel and driving rhythms to the old formulas of Motown music, bringing the music back to its African-American roots. Respect is a perfectly appropriate title for this achievement, because suddenly the centrality of black music to the creative spirit of American pop music became indisputable.

13. “Living for the City,” (1973). Stevie Wonder. Profoundly significant both from a musical and a social perspective. The use of synthesizers and the spoken interlude in the song gave it an innovative structure. The social commentary and spoken dialog led the way for the development of rap music later in the decade.

14. “I Will Survive,” (1978). Gloria Gaynor. It is the anthem of the disco mania of the 1970s. Previous disco hits had been “The Hustle,” (1975) by Van McCoy and the Soul City Symphony, and “Tangerine,” (1976) by Salsoul Orchestra. These instrumentals allowed dancers to focus on the rhythms and steps as they learned the new dance crazes of the period, be they partner dances, like the Latin Hustle, or line dances like the Bus Stop. The 1977 film, “Saturday Night Fever” included songs with vocal parts by the BeeGees (Stayin’ Alive) and the Trammps, “Disco Inferno.” However, the lyrics to these songs were always secondary and usually barely intelligible. With the soaring vocal performance of Gloria Gaynor on this song, and the message in the lyrics, the hustle finally found its voice and came alive.

15. “Rapper’s Delight,” (1979). Sugar Hill Gang. This song marked the beginning of rap music. It is a moment of pop music history every bit as significant as anything done by Elvis or the Beatles. The rap style was soon perfected and packaged by other groups, notably Run-DMC, and went on to permeate Western pop music in the following decades.

16. “The Message” (1982). Grand Master Flash and the Furious Five. By infusing their verses with such powerful social commentary, they demonstrated the immense power of the rap style. The syncopated line of monosyllables, “Don’t push me ’cause I’m close to the edge, I’m try-in’ not to lose my head,” was unprecedented, and the little laugh that followed it was truly haunting. With their virtuoso command of language, they did for rap music what Bob Dylan did for folk rock. The form was brought to complete commercial fruition 13 years later with Coolio’s “Gangster’s Paradise,” (1995).

17. “Thriller,” (1982). Michael Jackson. A huge event. Musically, it was a synthesis of many styles that came before: funk, rock, r n b, disco, novelty song, but it was so much more than its parts, as it seamlessly fused these styles together. It was also the prototypical music video, a visual accomplishment that has never been duplicated. The album is the best selling album of all time.

18. “Like a Virgin,” (1984). Madonna. Both she and Cyndi Lauper crashed onto the music scene at the same time in 1983, as the first female performers to create every aspect of their onstage personas and to present themselves as performance artists rather than simply artists who perform. However, Lauper’s style remained idiosyncratic and inimitable, but Madonna’s style became a genre. She created the sexy, leggy female pop idol, in the tradition of male performers like Michael Jackson and Prince, and she was followed by an endless string of other women, some imitators, some artists in their own right.

19. “Conga,” (1985). Miami Sound Machine. It introduced English speaking music lovers to the Caribbean Hispanic style that had been percolating on the East coast for the previous two decades. Gloria Estefan’s clipped phrasing even gave the English lyrics a Spanish feeling. She matched or even surpassed this achievement with “Oye Mi Canto” in 1989. World Music and Latin fusion are concepts that began to take their present form here.

20. “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” (1991). Nirvana. The grunge style of the 1990s got its most iconic performance in this. Kurt Cobain’s stage persona and aesthetics have influenced all the alternative rock singers that have come after him, giving them an alternative to the fake cockney whines that had dominated before. The members of Nirvana were particularly articulate through their music and artistic statements, thus codifying the characteristics of this new style.

This is a list of twenty very different and unique songs, but there are certain characteristics. One striking thing is the low number of women on this list (six, including Grace Slick and Gloria Estefan). It seems that women have had a hard time being seen as innovators and being given the opportunity to take a lead role. An example of this double standard can be seen in the way that Mick Jagger, with his middle class British background from the opposite end of the English speaking world, never faced serious questioning about his embracing of black performance and musical styles, but Janis Joplin, born and raised in the Deep South, was criticized as being derivative or worse, and her reputation suffered for many years because of this. A clear division of styles along racial lines is, in fact, one of the most persistent traits of pop music even to this day. However, if such divides are normally seen as polarizing and undesirable elsewhere, that is not necessarily the case in pop music.

Here, they have created the terrain for multi-faceted and rich traditions that thrive on cross-pollination, and when we allow performers to bridge these gaps with their creativity, we get some of the greatest performers, such as Elvis Presley and Jimi Hendrix. As American pop music has grown in complexity, the opportunities have emerged for more productive mixtures, but the innovative spirit seems to have hit a dry patch. It remains to be seen where the next great song will come from; it’s been a long time coming.Visit Here http://newmoviesong.blogspot.com

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Groundhog Day 207 “Hip hip hooray, it’s Ground Hog Day!” Jack is so excited for his favorite holiday and can’t wait to find out if the ground hog will see her shadow or not! But he might not find out because a scared Gertrude the Ground Hog runs into the clubhouse and nervously peeks out the window, “Are they out there yet? Are they?” Jack and the gang learn that today is Gertrude’s first Ground Hog Day as the ground hog (the one who everyone gathers around to find out if it sees its

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In 1977, the group changed their name to “The Hype”. Now Dik Evans has almost become the “odd man” in the band. So at a concert which was a farewell one, Dik walked off the stage and the four had finished the gig as we now know them, as U2. The first ever single this band released was just in Ireland and it was called “Three”, followed by “Another Day”.

Their first ever international “11 O’ Clock Tick Tock” and their debut album was titled “Boy”. The second one was called “October”, released in 1981 and had themes which were spiritual. The next album on their list was called “War” which was released in 1983. This included the hit song “Sunday Bloody Sunday”. Now this album also saw the bands first hit called “New Years Day”, which was the bands first hit international.

The next one released was called “The Unforgettable Fire”, which was out inn 1984. Now this album had a sound which was well orchestrated. Now the next album they released was called “The Joshua Tree” in 1987. Now this single has the hit song “With or Without You” and the album had becomes the fastest selling one in the British history. Now this helped the band even get 2 Grammys.
Now the next album they released was called “Achtung Baby”. Now this album was a bit darker than the rest of its albums. Now if you look at this album from a commercial point, it actually was one of the best and successful ones and it helps in reinvention of the band.

Now the next album was called “Zooropa” and was released in 1993 followed by another album called “Original Soundtracks 1” in 1995, “Pop” in 1997 and “All tgar you cant leave behind” in 2000 which was another masterpiece. Now the next album was called “How to dismantle an atomic bomb” which came out in 2004. Now the bands most recent achievement was called “No line on the horizon” which was released in 2009.