New Music: Willy Moon

I suffer from a terrible  inner conflict when it comes to music. I listen to music from the 50's  and I wish that I was alive back then to be part of that scene. I listen to music from the early days of Rock and Roll and envy people who got to be part of the music and the energy that went along with it. My conflict arises when I realise that people are still making music today, believe it or not. The problem is that music is at it's most exciting when it's new and raw. Music is constantly growing and developing so the energy that teenagers felt at a Chuck Berry concert in 1958 will be extremely diluted if we were to listen to it in a nightclub in 2011. We get our "high" now from the booming hip hop beats and basslines that lie under all of today's floorfillers. If listening to Little Richard on a dance floor nowadays can only really happen at my cousin's wedding how do I get that euphoric feeling that the teenagers of 1958 felt?

The solution to my inner conflict?........Willy Moon.

Willie is one cool cat. He's got the moves, he's got the sharp suit and he's got the voice. His first song, "I Wanna Be Your Man" is to the rhythm of the classic "Bo Diddley Beat" and in true 50's Rock and Roll style it's all over in 1 minute and 49 seconds. For me, what makes Willie Moon stand out from the crowd isn't the fact that he jives and shimmies to a Buddy Holly-esque song, it's the mixing of that classic sound with the ultra-modern production on the track. The song is transformed from a fairly simple surf rock song to a fairly addictive stomper of a song by the backing beat of hip-hop style breaths and claps which give the song a driving rhythm.

His second song, "She Loves Me" continues with juxtaposition of old and new sounds. This song has the surf rock guitars again but now accompanied by an Electronica sound with the vocals cut up synthetically to give the song a great hook on the chorus.

Personally, I'm going to be keeping an eye out for Willy Moon playing live. Should be interesting to see how he gets on. And if it all falls through he can always be a stand in for the lad in Crystal Swing.

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The Magic Formula

Researchers at Goldsmiths University in London have recently published a study they conducted on the "catchy-ness" of certain songs. In their study researchers observed how volunteers reacted when asked to sing along to different songs, and found out that long and detailed musical phrases, multiple pitch changes in the main hook, a male vocalist, and preferably a high pitched male vocalist, all helped make songs catchy. 

Goldsmiths music psychologist Dr Daniel Mullensiefen says "Every musical hit is reliant on maths, science, engineering and technology; from the physics and frequencies of sound that determine pitch and harmony, to the hi-tech digital processors and synthesizers which can add effects to make a song more catchy". 

Of the songs they tested, the top 5 catchiest songs were:

1. "We Are The Champions" - Queen
2. "Y.M.C.A." - The Village People
3. "Fat Lip" - Sum 41
4. "The Final Countdown" - Europe
5. "Monster" - The Automatic

All pretty catchy songs you'd have to agree. I wonder will it lead to finding the magic formula for creating a hit song?

Johnny Bottles has been conducting his own research though and I think I might have cracked it. It's all in the opening guitar riff. Do what you like after that but if you get the start right then you're sorted. 

What guitar riff you ask? Ah, well have a listen to the start of these four songs then get writing!!

"Bohemian Like You" - The Dandy Warhols

 

"Little Bitch" - The Specials

"Brown Sugar" - The Rolling Stones

"Strutter" - Kiss

Bond Songs

Did anyone see Adele on the new "Jonathan Ross Show" the other night. I didn't. I hear that she let it slip that she was recording the next Bond theme tune though.

"I'm going back in the studio in November. Fingers crossed", she said. "Well, this is actually a theme, what I've got to do. Wow, that's really giving something away."

Then when Jonathan Ross stated humming Bond tunes she got a bit flustered over what she had revealed.

 

Sounds like a good choice if you ask me. Big lady with a big voice and all that. Got me thinking about Bond tunes and then I remembered that poor old Amy Winehouse was supposed to be recording the theme for "Quantum Of Solace". Apparantly she began working on the track with her buddy Mark Ronson at his studio in Oxfordshire, but their sessions soon deteriorated due to Winehouses's 

 "erratic behaviour". That's really sad in hindsight because I'd say her voice was made for a Bond song.

Be it Adele, Amy Winehouse or Shirley Bassey, the honour of recording the a Bond theme song is always reserved for the biggest and most talented stars of the moment. Here's the list of films, songs and singers;

1962 - Dr. No  

"James Bond Theme" - John Barry Orchestra

1963 - From Russia With Love  

"From Russia With Love" - Matt Munro

1964 - Goldfinger  

"Goldfinger" - Shirley Bassey

1965 - Thunderball

"Thunderball" - Tom Jones

1967 - You Only Live Twice  

"You Only Live Twice" - Nancy Sinatra

1969 - On Her Majesty's Secret Service 

"We Have All The Time In The World" - Louis Armstrong

1971 - Diamonds Are Forever  

"Diamonds Are Forever" - Shirley Bassey

1973 - Live And Let Die  

"Live And Let Die" - Paul McCartney & Wings

1974 - The Man With The Golden Gun  

"The Man With The Golden Gun" - Lulu

1977 - The Spy Who Loved Me  

"Nobody Does It Better" - Carly Simon

1979 - Moonraker

"Moonraker" - Shirley Bassey

1981 - For Your Eyes Only 

"For Your Eyes Only" - Sheena Easton

1983 - Octopussy 

"All Time High" - Rita Coolige

1985 - A View To A Kill

"A View To A Kill" - Duran Duran

1987 - The Living Daylights

"The Living Daylights" - A-ha

1989 - Licence To Kill 

"Licence To Kill" - Gladys Knight

1995 - Goldeneye 

"Goldeneye" - Tina Turner

1997 - Tomorrow Never Dies 

"Tomorrow Never Dies" - Sheryl Crow

1999 - The World Is Not Enough  

"The World Is Not Enough" - Garbage

2002 - Die Another Day

"Die Another Day" - Madonna

2006 - Casino Royal

"You Know My Name" - Chris Cornell

2008 - Quantum Of Solace
"Another Way To Die" - Alicia Keys & Jack White

Backstage Rider #1 - Van Halen 1982

The backstage rider is a thing of great interest to us mere mortals. A glimpse into the glamorous and excessive lives of the rock stars and pop divas we regard so highly. The rider is a list of requests (and often demands) given to the promoter by the artist's management. It can often be a lengthy document, describing everything from the sound and lighting setup to the security arrangements. But the section we're always most interested in is the Dressing Room Requests.

We might as well start with the most infamous of them all, Van Halen's 1982 Tour Rider. This notorious 53-page document included the famous stipulation that no brown M&Ms were to be allowed into the band's dressing room. 

Media reports would later state that this was the epitome of rock excess and that the band would often use an oversight of this request as an excuse to go on a destructive backstage rampage. However, lead singer David Lee Roth explains in his autobiography that there was a much more practical reason for the request:

"Van Halen was the first band to take huge productions into tertiary, third-level markets. They would pull up with nine eighteen-wheeler trucks, full of gear, where the standard was three trucks, max. And there were many, many technical errors -- whether it was the girders couldn't support the weight, or the flooring would sink in, or the doors weren't big enough to move the gear through. 

The contract rider read like a version of the Chinese Yellow Pages because there was so much equipment, and so many human beings to make it function. So just as a little test, in the technical aspect of the rider, it would say "Article 148: There will be fifteen amperage voltage sockets at twenty-foot spaces, evenly, providing nineteen amperes . . ." This kind of thing. And article number 126, in the middle of nowhere, was: "There will be no brown M&M's in the backstage area, upon pain of forfeiture of the show, with full compensation." 

So, when they would walk backstage, if they saw a brown M&M in that bowl . . . well, line-check the entire production. Guaranteed you're going to arrive at a technical error. They didn't read the contract. Guaranteed you'd run into a problem. Sometimes it would threaten to just destroy the whole show. Something like, literally, life-threatening."

That's not to say the band weren't excessive. Here's a sample of some of the requests that appeared on the band's rider. (Note the request for no brown M&Ms as well as a request for a large tub of KY Jelly!!). 

This list is for the 4 band members only:

Cold Drinks (on ice)

• 1 x Case of Budweiser (Cans)
• 4 x Cases of Schlitz Malt Liquor
• 1 x Case of Pepsi
• 1 x Case of Coca Cola
• 1 x Case of Country Time Lemonade
• 2 x Cases of 7-Up
• 12 x 1L Bottles of Perrier
• 1 x Gallon of freshly squeezed Orange Juice
• 1 x Gallon of freshly squeezed Grapefruit Juice
• 1 x Carton of Apple Juice
• 1 x Carton of Grape Juice

Drinks (Room Temperature)

• 3 x Bottles of Jack Daniel's Bourbon
• 2 x Bottles of Stolichnaya Vodka
• 1 x Bottle of Southern Comfort
• 2 x Bottles of Blue Nun White Wine

Deli Tray

• Assorted fresh meats, including Turkey (not pressed), Ham, Salami, Roast Beef
• Herring in Sour Cream
• 3 Bean Salad
• Coleslaw
• Baked Potato
• Fresh baked Breads (with knife and cutting board)
• Ketchup, Mustard, Mayonnaise, Butter

Cheese Tray

• Assorted fresh, natural cheeses, including Jack, Muenster, Cheddar, Brie, Mozzarella and Pepper cheese
• Assorted Crackers

Vegetables

• Fresh, cut vegetable platter, including Carrots, Celery, Tomatoes, Scallions, Broccoli and Cauliflower
• Assorted Dips

Fruit

• Fresh fruit platter including Apples, Oranges, Grapes, Pears, Melons, Kiwi Fruit and Whole Bananas

Hot Drinks

• Hot Coffee (brewed, not instant)
• Hot Water (for tea)
• Lipton Tea Bags
• Natural and Herbal Tea Bags (eg. Celestial Seasonings)
• 1 x Jar of Tupelo Honey
• 12 x Fresh Lemons (with knife and cutting board)
• Cream and Sugar

Munchies

• Potato Chips with Assorted Dips
• Nuts
• Pretzels
• M&Ms (WARNING: ABSOLUTELY NO BROWN ONES)
• 12 x Reese's Peanut Butter Cups
• 12 x Assorted Dannon Yogurts (on ice)

Supplies

• 48 x Large, bath-size Cloth Towels
• 100 x Cups for cold drinks
• 50 x Styrofoam Cups for hot drinks
• Plates and Bowels (not paper or plastic)
• Forks, Knives and Spoons (metal, not plastic)
• Serving Utensils, Corkscrew, Bottle and Can Openers
• Salt and Pepper (in shakers)
• Tablecloths
• Napkins (paper)
• 2 x Large Bars of Ivory Soap
• 1 x Large Tub of KY Jelly
• 3 x Packets of Marlboro Cigarettes
• Ashtrays and Matches
• Ice (for use in drinks)
• 2 x Large Garbage Cans with Plastic Liners

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Supergroup #2 - SuperHeavy

This week's Supergroup is a very recent one. So recent in fact that we've only had the chance to hear one of their songs in full so far. This is a group made up of five people from five very different musical genres. This is Mick Jagger, Joss Stone, Damian Marley, Dave Stewart and A.R. Rahmen. This is SuperHeavy.

How in the name of God did these five get together?! I mean, how did they meet? I know the music industry is relatively small but you have to admit that this is an odd bunch to form a band. Well, it didn't all come together quite as organically as most other supergroups. The official SuperHeavy website would have you believe that the group formed quite romantically after a few old musical buddies made some phonecalls to each other in order to get together to "write songs which had meaning". However, in reality, the group was initially conceived to help promote the launch of a new platform being developed by Nokia for entertainment media on their smartphones. The Nokia deal eventually collapsed but they decided to continue, presenting themselves as having formed completely on their own and not as a somewhat prefabricated unit, put together mainly for a communications corporation.

But before we go any further let's have a look at who's in the band. 

• Mick Jagger: Lead singer in The Rolling Stones, this is the first new band Jagger has been part of in 50 years. Because of the presence of 3 other vocalists in SuperHeavy he not only sings but plays guitar and mouth organ in the band.

• Dave Stewart: One half of 80's pop-rock duo, The Eurythmics. The official line is that SuperHeavy was Stewart's idea which came to him when he got "inspired by the sounds washing into his home in St Ann's Bay, Jamaica". His duties in the band include playing guitar as well as most of their songs production.

• Joss Stone: 24 year old English soul singer. She was invited to join SuperHeavy by Dave Stewart who had just finished co-writing and co-producing her latest album, "LP1". 

• Damian "Jr. Gong" Marley: Grammy award-winning reggae/dancehall artist and youngest son of Bob. He brings his distinctive toasting to the band.

• A.R. Rahmen: World famous Indian musician, composer and producer. Most notable for his Oscar-winning work on "Slumdog Millionaire". Rahmen gives SuperHeavy a taste of Indian music through his keyboard playing and vocals as well as his production skills.

In early 2009 the band met up at Jim Henson Studios in Los Angeles. According to Jagger, they all came with "just ideas, a few guitar riffs and a few snippets of lyrics", which isn't his usual way of writing. It seemed to be a technique that worked however, because in ten days they had recorded some 29 songs, some of which were over an hour long. Stewart revealed that the songwriting process included all five participants and that the songs were born out of extended jams which lasted as long as forty minutes apiece, and includes vocal contributions across the board: “It was like a huge long jam session that went on for months that then slowly turned into structure.”

Their first single, "Miracle Worker" was released on iTunes on 7th July 2011. It's a reggae number with a bluesy kind of vibe thanks to Stone's and Jagger's vocals. The accompanying video is a bit of a visual feast too. I have to hand it to Mick because the song and video really come alive when he comes out in his pink suit to deliver some raspy vocals.

"Miracle Worker" is a pretty good first single. Nothing extraordinary but catchy none the less. Their self-titled album is out on 19th/20th September so we'll have to wait until then to see if this whole crazy experiment really works.