I have been bloggingly promoting this young lass for nearly six months now and at last her debut album "This Is The Life" was released this week.
Given that the new footie season will be upon us all this weekend I thought that this would be the most appropriate song to let you hear, but buy the album!
Some video clips for your enjoyment.
News article and editorial: DALTREY ATTACKS BRITISH GOVERNMENT OVER ROYALTY LAW THE WHO's ROGER DALTREY has launched a stinging attack on the British government, accusing Prime Minister Gordon Brown of failing to look after the country's musicians by protecting their royalties. The rocker, 63, is angry the Department of Culture has rejected calls to extend the period of time during which musicians are entitled to receive royalty payments for the songs they write. Under current U.K. law, artists are allowed to claim royalties for 50 years, while authors, playwrights and composers are entitled to copyright protection for their whole lives - and 70 years after their passing. And Daltrey insists the royalty extension is a necessity for ageing stars like himself. He says, "Thousands of musicians have no pensions and rely on royalties to support themselves. "They aren't asking for a hand-out, just a fair reward for their endeavours." Editorial from The Inquirer (a VNU business publication): UK gov applies screws to record industry Copyright extension nixed By Wily Ferret: Wednesday 25 July 2007, 09:01 THE UK GOVERNMENT has decided against extending the term of copyright for sound recordings to 70 years, up from the current 50. This means that such seminal works as Cliff Richard's 'Move It' will become public domain in 2008. The government decided to follow the recommendation in a report written by Andrew Gowers, former Editor of the Financial Times, who found that the economic incentives and benefits of extending copyright were minimal, whilst the red tape and societal detriment would far outweigh that. Gowers made the rather perceptive observation that since artists only make 8 per cent of the revenue on a digital download sale, and the record labels 68 per cent, that the welfare of artists would be better served by re-negotiating record label deals rather than extending the legal length of royalties, with the likely outcome of such a re-negotiation benefitting the many rather than the few - a notion that most observers might have thought long disappeared from the record industry. The usual big-hitters came out kicking and screaming, with The Who's Roger Daltrey suggesting that since most musicians have no pensions, an entire generation would now be screwed, apparently failing to acknowledge that, a) ,the percentage of musicians receiving anything like enough royalties to sustain a pension is minimal to the point of being those rich enough already and that, b), no other profession expects its apprentices to pay for the pensions of its masters. Those who have made their money from music and film are often the most vocal about preventing up-and-comers from making money - which is exactly what copyright extension does, by criminalising sampling and re-working, the sort of things that the old guard did as a matter of course to make their money in the first place. So well done to Brown & Co for cutting through the record industry's rubbish and recognising the economic realities of the music business. Millions of artists thank you, even if the pen pushers and the fat cats may grump. -Brian in Atlanta The Who This Month! It is an interesting arguement and as always there are probably justifiable views in both cases, however, as usual there are inconsistancies in application as for instance authors of books have their rights protected until their death. Musicians and songwriters have always been ripped off by the industry and often their own management, Shel Tamy did it with The Who, the Small Faces, those remaining, until recently received no royalties for their work and of course for decades bluesman were ripped of. I suspect Daltrey isn't making the stand for musicians like him who have reached the highest level of success and thus have financial security in retirement, however, this remains a small percentage of the musicians who make a living from their work and who by the nature of the work cannot rely on a regular income stream. A recent article on Nick Lowe highlighted a typical example of a well known musician who has had good and bad times relating to commercial success and who has only been able to continue to make records and live thanks to the royalties of his song "Peace Love and Understanding" as covered by Curtis Stigers in the film "The Boyfriend". Musicians invest time and money into their product so why should their earning timeframe be limited after all developer landlords will invest time and money into property and there is no restrictions on how long they can earn from that investment, earnings can had as long as there is a demand for the product.......surely musicians should have the same capability!
In 1976 Blondie released their debut album and Britain was exposed to the voice and face of the band....Debbie Harry.
In 1977 they supported Television on a UK tour and I remember them appearing at Strathclyde University, later the same year they headlined the same venue just as they struck gold with "Denis" the single from their second album "Plastic Letters".
Producer Mike Chapman raised them to a new level with the classic "pop" album "Parallel Lines" from which "heart Of Glass" was a worldwide hit. The following album "Eat To The Beat" was also successful but as the 80's dawned Blondie fame receded.
Debbie went solo and had a couple of minor hits "French Kissing in the USA" being the biggest.
Her partner and Blondie member Chris Stein then became seriously ill and Debbie devoted her life to nursing him back to health which lasted ten or more years.
Eventually the demand for Blondie re-emerged and the group reformed and have released two albums and tour regularly, appearing this summer at Edinburgh Castle.
January 2008 sees the release of a new Debbie Harry solo record, her recent non Blondie recordings have been mainly as the singer in Jazz Passengers, and you can listen to a track below.
Review:-
July 23, 2007  |
| Debbie Harry: New Solo Album MP3 |
|
Harry has an amazing voice, cool one moment and then warm and purring the next. She displays an elastic capacity with this, the first single off the new record, sounding like a sugary Patti Smith before slipping into the vocal persona she is famous for.  two times blue [mp3] NECESSARY EVIL track list: 1. Two Times Blue 2. School for Scandal 3. If I Had You 4. Deep End 5. Love With A Vengeance 6. Necessary Evil 7. Charm Redux 8. You're Too Hot 9. Dirty And Deep 10. What Is Love 11. Whiteout 12. Needless To Say 13. Heat Of The Moment 14. Charm Alarm 15. Jen Jen 16. Naked Eye 17. Paradise All songs written by Deborah Harry, Barb Morrison and Charles Nieland except "Dirty And Deep," written by Deborah Harry, Barb Morrison, Charles Nieland and Sean Travis Dempsey; "Charm Alarm," written by Deborah Harry, Barb Morrison, Charles Nieland and Guy Furrow; "Jen Jen," written by Chris Stein; "Naked Eye," written by Deborah Harry and Chris Stein; and "Paradise," written by Roy Nathanson and Bill Ware. All songs produced by Super Buddha except "Jen Jen" & "Naked Eye," produced by Chris Stein; and "Paradise," produced by Bill Ware. Alan Williamson |
Here is the breakthrough video for "Denis" which was held off the No1 spot by Kate Bush and "Wurthering Heights"
Blondie were one of the first acts to be mashed up and the video below mixing them and The Doors was the first officially approved and officially released "mash up" single.
It is Rachel Fuller's birthday today, don't feel too sorry for her being another year older as she is slumming it in France at the moment.
Lists such as this are always subjective and more discussion is entered into as to what is missing rather than what is include, as The Stones noted you can't please all the people all the time.
Avatars of the British twee-pop movement, Talulah Gosh formed in late 1985 when economics student Amelia Fletcher and struggling artist Elizabeth Price met at an Oxford area club; both were wearing Pastels badges, and their common love for indie rock prompted them to immediately found their own group. Originally intending to form a post-punk variation on 1960s-era girl groups, neither of the aspiring vocalists had the time or energy to find compatible female musicians, so they instead recruited Fletcher's 15-year-old brother Mathew on drums, her record-store clerk boyfriend Peter Momtchiloff on guitar, and Chris Scott on bass; Rob Pursey, who rounded out the initial Talulah Gosh roster, exited after only three shows.
The band bowed in March 1986, opening for the Razorcuts; their introductory song was "Pastels Badge," a celebration of their origins. Soon Talulah Gosh made their recording debut with "I Told You So," one side of a split flexi-disc with the Razorcuts issued on the tiny Sha-La-La label (whose owner, Matt Haynes, went on to co-found the highly influential Sarah Records imprint). A session for the BBC Radio One's Janice Long show followed before they signed to the Edinburgh label 53rd and 3rd, releasing their debut EP Steaming Train in 1987; the group's jangly, winsome songs and cotton-candy vocals won them a fervent cult following, and placed Talulah Gosh at the forefront of what the U.K. press dubbed the "shambling" scene.
Prior to the release of Steaming Train, Price left the band, having grown tired of their haphazard, out-of-tune live shows -- guitars broke, amplifiers shorted out and cymbals crashed over, forcing the group to attempt to repair their instruments between songs. With Eithne Farry sharing vocal duties, Talulah Gosh returned to the studio in 1987 to record their second EP, Where's the Cougar Matey; a single, "Testcard Girl," followed, but after a final John Peel session, the group splintered in February 1988 to allow its members to continue their university careers. The Fletcher siblings and Momtchiloff later reunited in Heavenly, which also featured original Gosh bassist Rob Pursey. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide
As for the "now" link well the aforementioned Amelia Fletcher is now Chief Economist at the Office Of Fair Trading, didn't she do well!!!!!
Amelia Fletcher
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Born | 1966 | |
| Genre(s) | Twee pop | |
| Occupation(s) | Singer, songwriter, guitarist | |
| Years active | 1986 - present | |
| Label(s) | Sarah, K, Wiiija, elefant, Fortuna POP!, Matinée | |
| Associated acts |
Talulah Gosh, Heavenly, Marine Research, Tender Trap | |
Amelia Fletcher (born 1966) is a British singer, songwriter, guitarist, and economist. She was the frontwoman of an evolving series of pop groups from the 1980s to the early 21st century. Her bands included Talulah Gosh, Heavenly, Marine Research, and Tender Trap. She also sang backing vocals for The Wedding Present early in their career and on the Hefner album We Love the City. She was guest vocalist for The Pooh Sticks on their albums Million Seller and The Great White Wonder, and in 1991 released a single under her own name, "Can You Keep a Secret?"She has also appeared on both Bugbear recordings, a single by The Hit Parade, a single by The Brilliant Corners, and The Relationship's 1999 album, Trend. Since 2002 she has been keyboardist for Sportique. Amelia Fletcher was also an early promoter of Scottish act Bis who Heavenly performed alongside and whose lead singer, Manda Rin, repeatedly cited Amelia as one of her inspirations/influences.
Fletcher's many bands helped to define the evolving twee pop movement. Though their sound ranged from lo-fi to power-pop with forays into electronica, Fletcher's wry lyrics and simple, girlish vocal style gave the bands a unified tone and formed the basis of a small but devoted cult following.
In addition to her music, Fletcher is an economist working in competition policy. In 1993 she completed a D.Phil. in economics at the University of Oxford titled 'Theories of Self-Regulation'. She is currently Chief Economist at the Office of Fair Trading. She is married to Robert Pursey, a member of Heavenly, Talulah Gosh, Marine Research, and Tender Trap.
Here is the second in a hopefully not too long series of childhood television reminisces.
"Catweazle" was a 1970 ITV production and featured a 900 year old wizard living in a deserted water tower after one of his own spells had gone awry and planted him in 1970.
The first of the two series made is regarded as the best, so it is hats off to the producers in recognising when something has run it's course.
The show did carry a playground saying in "electrickery" as a result of Catweazle been amazed at the magic powers which could turn on light, goodness knows what he would have made of the world wide web!
Members of The Who's recent Tour Web Page are to receive a souvenier DVD from the tour and the first sight of the art work and a couple of clips are now doing the rounds in the ether.
Those of you who listen to Diana Krall and Harry Connick Jr will have heard this guy on record or in concert, however, his new live album gives him an opportunnity to let loose a little and as such you can enjoy a track below:-
Biography
Those who have been following jazz in the ‘90s have probably wondered about guitarist Russell Malone. As in:"where have his spectacular talents been hiding for the past four years?" Hiding in plain sight, in Robert Altman´s 1996 movie Kansas City. On records like Stephen Scott´s 1997 release The Beautiful Thing, on Benny Green´s 1997 recording Kaleidoscope. As a member of Diana Krall´s studio and live band, playing on the Grammy-nominated All For You and Love Scenes and touring the world with the vocalist/pianist. Not to mention recordings with Roy Hargrove and Gary Bartz, among others. Believe it, Malone has been anything but inactive. The only thing Malone didn´t do over the past four years - ironically - is record under his own name. Which is hard to believe for an artist hailed as one of the most promising young musicians to emerge in the past decade. That makes his Impulse! debut Sweet Georgia Peach a cause for more than a bit of celebration. The title is a reference to Malone's home state; a native of Albany, Georgia, he grew up influenced by the deep spirituals of his childhood chruch environment. He received his first guitar - "a green plastic four-string" - at the age of four. A major turning point came when he saw B.B. King play "How Blue Can You Get" on the popular ‘70s TV show "Sanford and Son". That experience led him to listen to more blues, country music, and jazz, and artists like Chet Atkins, Johnny Cash, Wes Montgomery and George Benson. A self-taught player, he progressed well enough to land a gig with master organist Jimmy Smith when he was 25. ("It made me realize that I wasn´t as good as I thought I was," Malone recalls of his first on-stage jam with Smith.) After two years with Smith, he hooked up with Harry Connick Jr.´s orchestra, a position he held from 1990-94. But Malone also worked in a variety of contexts, performing with artists as diverse as Clarence Carter, Little Anthony, Peabo Bryson, Mulgrew Miller, Kenny Barron, Roy Hargorve, The Winans, Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson, Bucky Pizzarelli, and Jack McDuff. Along the way, Malone made a name for himself with a sound that combines the bluesy sould of Grant Green and Kenny Burrell with the relentless attack of Django Reinhardt and Pat Martino. On his new album he is helped by an all-star accompaniment from pianist Kenny Barron, bassist Ron Carter, drummer Lewis Nash, and percussionist Steve Kroon.
Ray returns from a European Tour with Stilskin and some solo support shows with Dolores O'Riorden, to play a host of solo shows at the Edinburgh Festival, more details to follow, in the meantime enjoy the video for the brilliant "Fame".
