Founded in 1982 by the core duo of Paul Bell (keyboards/vocals, ex Lookalikes) from Wexford and guitarist Grimmo AKA Andreas Grimminger AKA Andrias O'Gruama, later Cathal Coughlan's right hand man in Fatima Mansions. They were joined by Adrian Wyatt on bass. Another ex Lookalike Mike Mesbur played drums on the first demo. He was replaced by Korda Marshall in 1983, yielding the most stable lineup. Alison Kelly provided cello.
The early singles are interesting but as they developed their sound became a bombastic U2-meets-Psychedelic Furs which will not be to everyone's tastes. To make matters worse, Todd Rundgren produced the debut LP, emphasising all the worst aspects of the music. The second album is more balanced and makes better use of synths and is all the better for echoes (sorry) of Echo & The Bunnymen but there are still too many grandiose anthems. The artwork for their Mercury releases is consistently bad too.
Paul Bell (extreme left above) later formed a duo called Wild Swans (later just Swans) with Brendan Wade of Cry Before Dawn. Andreas Grimminger fronted his own band The Baby's Head before joining Fatima Mansions. Korda Marshall later worked in A&R and ran Infectious Records.
Lineup:
Paul Bell - vocals/keyboards
Andreas Grimminger - guitar
Adrian Wyatt - bass
Mike Mesbur - drums
1Crockett's Theme
2Theresa
3Colombia
4Rum Cay
5The Trial And The Search
6Tubbs And Valerie
7Forever Tonight
8Last Flight
9Rico's Blues
10Before The Storm
11Night Talk
12Miami Vice Theme
13Forever Tonight (Extended CD Mix)
Hammer (born 17 April 1948, in Prague, then Czechoslovakia, today the Czech Republic) is a composer, pianist and keyboardist. He is probably best known for playing keyboards with the Mahavishnu Orchestra in the early 70s, as well as his "Miami Vice Theme" and "Crockett's Theme", from the popular 1980s US television program, Miami Vice.
Hammer has collaborated with some of the era's most influential jazz and rock musicians such as Jeff Beck, Al Di Meola, Mick Jagger, Carlos Santana, Stanley Clarke, Neal Schon, Steve Lukather, and Elvin Jones among many others. He has composed and produced at least 14 original motion picture soundtracks, the music for 90 episodes of Miami Vice and 20 episodes of the popular British television series Chancer.
His compositions have won him several Grammy awards.
Jan Hammer's mother was a well-known Czech singer named Vlasta Průchová, and his father was a doctor who worked his way through school playing vibes and bass. Hammer began playing the piano at the age of four and his formal instruction started two years later. He aspired to follow his father into medicine until a family friend convinced him to develop his musical talents instead. Hammer formed a jazz trio in high school, performing and recording throughout Eastern Europe at the age of fourteen. Upon entrance to the Prague Academy of Musical Arts, he completed many compulsory classes including harmony, counterpoint, music history, and classical composition.
When the Soviet Union invaded Czechoslovakia in 1968, Hammer's studies at the Academy were cut short, and he moved to the United States and resolved to become a citizen after receiving a scholarship at Berkley College of Music in Boston.
Upon completion of his studies, Hammer spent a year touring with Sarah Vaughan, recorded with Elvin Jones and Jeremy Steig, then moved to Lower Manhattan and joined the original lineup of the Mahavishnu Orchestra with guitarist John McLaughlin, violinist Jerry Goodman, bassist Rick Laird, and drummer Billy Cobham in 1971. A successful jazz fusion band, they performed some 530 shows before their farewell concert on December 30, 1973. Hammer was one of the early pioneers who played the Mini Moog synthesizer in a touring group.
The Jan Hammer Group was formed in 1976 and supported The First Seven Days on tour, receiving good reviews from both jazz and rock critics. The group turned out three LPs the following year: their own Oh, Yeah? and, with Jeff Beck, the RIAA platinum Wired (with Jan's "Blue Wind"), and Jeff Beck with the Jan Hammer Group Live, a chronicle of their 100-show tour together, certified gold. One final album by the group followed in 1977, Melodies.
Hammer composed music for Czech fairy-tale Šíleně smutná princezna (The Incredibly Sad Princess).
His greatest challenge came in the fall of 1984, when the producers of Miami Vice enlisted him to commence the rigorous weekly schedule of scoring the series.
The popular success of his music on the series was evident after just one season when, on November 2, 1985, the Miami Vice Soundtrack hit number one on the Billboard Top Pop album charts. The album achieved quadruple-platinum status with U.S. sales of more than four million copies.
At the Grammy awards in February 1986, "Miami Vice Theme" earned Hammer two awards; one for "Best Pop Instrumental Performance" and one for "Best Instrumental Composition". He also earned Emmy award nominations in 1985 and 1986, for "Outstanding Achievement in Musical Composition". At the end of 1986, Hammer won Keyboard Magazine's poll as "Best Studio Synthesist" for a second consecutive year. He had previously won the "Best Lead Synthesist" honor for seven years, at which time he was inducted into the Keyboard Hall of Fame.
1.Hidin' From Love
2.Win Some Lose Some
3.Wait And See
4.Give Me Your Love
5.Wastin' Time
6.Don't Ya Say It
7.Remember
8.State Of Mind
9.Try To See It My Way
Bryan Adams, (born Bryan Guy Adams, 5 November 1959) is a Canadian rock singer-songwriter, guitarist, bassist, producer, and photographer. Adams has won dozens of awards and nominations, including 20 Juno Awards among 56 nominations. He has also had 15 Grammy Award nominations including a win for Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or Television in 1992. He has also won MTV, ASCAP, and American Music awards. In addition, he has won two Ivor Novello Awards for song composition and has been nominated for several Golden Globe Awards and three times for Academy Awards for his songwriting for films.
Adams was awarded the Order of Canada and the Order of British Columbia for contributions to popular music and philanthropic work via his own foundation, which helps improve education for people around the world.
Adams was inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame, with the 2,435th star in March 2011 and Canada's Walk of Fame in 1998, and in April 2006 he was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame at Canada's Juno Awards. In 2008, Bryan was ranked 38 on the list of All-Time top artists by the Billboard Hot 100 50th Anniversary Charts. On 13 January 2010, he received the Allan Waters Humanitarian Award for his part in numerous charitable concerts and campaigns during his career, and on 1 May 2010 was given the Governor General's Performing Arts Award for his 30 years of contributions to the arts.
Bryan Adams was the self-titled debut solo album by Canadian rock singer Bryan Adams released in February 1980 on A&M Records. While the album did not gain attention in the US, "Hidin' From Love" reached #64 and "Give Me Your Love" reached #91 both on Canada's RPM 100 Singles chart.
In early 1978, Bryan Adams teamed up with Jim Vallance (formerly of Canadian band Prism) to form a song-writing duo. A&M signed the pair as songwriters and A&M signed him as an artist shortly afterwards. He worked on his debut album for the balance of 1979 with it being released in February 1980.
The first single was "Hidin' from Love" in 1980 (#43 on the Billboard dance charts) which was followed up by "Give Me Your Love" and "Remember". Although the album never received any US notoriety on its debut, it was the door opener that led to getting radio play, tours, management, agents and the music business in general, interested in the 20 year old songwriter.
The first tour was across Canada playing clubs and colleges. It was during this time that Adams developed the songs for the US breakthrough album You Want It You Got It (1981).
Studio albums
Bryan Adams (1980)
You Want It You Got It (1981)
Cuts Like a Knife (1983)
Reckless (1984)
Into the Fire (1987)
Waking Up the Neighbours (1991)
18 til I Die (1996)
On a Day Like Today (1998)
Room Service (2004)
11 (2008)
Live albums
Live! Live! Live! (1988)
MTV Unplugged (1997)
Live at the Budokan (2003)
Live in Lisbon (2005)
Bare Bones (2010)
Compilation albums
Hits On Fire (Japan only 1988)
So Far So Good (1993)
The Best of Me (1999)
Anthology (2005)
Icon (USA only 2010)
Soundtrack albums
Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron (2002)
Colour Me Kubrick (2005)
1 Tyranny
2 (If I) Found Rome
3 I Don't Need the Pain
4 Now I Hear You
5 One Simple Thing
6 Underground
7 Does Your Love Lie Open?
8 Place to Hid
9 You Pull Me Down
The Stabilizers were an American pop/rock duo founded in the early 1980s by musicians Dave Christenson and Rich Nevens. With Christenson on lead vocals and Nevens on guitars and occasional keyboards, they spent the first few years touring the Pennsylvania area and recording original compositions on a 4-track recorder. Then, in 1985, they were signed to Columbia Records and in 1986, released Tyranny, their first and only album.
The guitar and synth-laced album followed in the style of other 1980s bands such as a-ha, Duran Duran, Tears for Fears and Mr. Mister. The first single from Tyranny was "One Simple Thing," which peaked at number 21 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock Tracks chart in 1986 and number 93 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1987, helped by the band's performance of the song on American Bandstand. Two music videos were released to promote the album: "One Simple Thing", which was directed by David Fincher - who would go onto greater success directing the feature films Alien 3, Se7en and Fight Club - and "Tyranny", directed by David Hogan.
The "Tyranny" single failed to chart, and for the next five years, The Stabilizers disappeared from view. However, in 1991, an unreleased track from the Tyranny sessions, "Maybe This Time," surfaced on the soundtrack to the film If Looks Could Kill. Although no additional music has been released from the band since then, Tyranny has been re-released digitally via the iTunes Store.
1.The Boys of Summer
2.You Can't Make Love
3.Man With a Mission
4.You're Not Drinking Enough
5.Not Enough Love in the World
6.Building the Perfect Beast
7.All She Wants to Do Is Dance
8.A Month of Sundays
9.Sunset Grill
10.Drivin' With Your Eyes Closed
11.Land of the Living
Donald Hugh "Don" Henley (born July 22, 1947 in Gilmer, Texas) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and drummer, best known as a founding member of the Eagles before launching a successful solo career. Henley was the drummer and lead vocalist for the Eagles from 1971–1980, when the band broke up. Henley sings lead vocals on Eagles hits such as "Witchy Woman", "Desperado", "Best Of My Love", "One Of These Nights", "Hotel California", "Life In The Fast Lane", and "The Long Run". He formed one of the most successful songwriting partnerships with Glenn Frey.
After the Eagles broke up in 1980, Henley pursued a solo career and released his debut album in 1982. He has released four studio albums, two compilation albums, and one live DVD. His solo hits include "Dirty Laundry", "The Boys of Summer", "All She Wants to Do Is Dance", "The Heart of the Matter", "The Last Worthless Evening", "Sunset Grill", "Not Enough Love in the World", "New York Minute" and "The End of the Innocence".
Henley has also played a founding role in several environmental and political causes, most notably the Walden Woods Project. Since 1994, he has divided his musical activities between the Eagles and his solo career.
In 1970, Henley moved to Los Angeles to record an album with his early band, Shiloh. Shiloh's album was produced by fellow Texan Kenny Rogers. Shortly thereafter, Henley met Glenn Frey. They both became members of Linda Ronstadt's backup band. Touring with her was the catalyst for forming the group. As a result, two months later they, along with Bernie Leadon and Randy Meisner, became their own act, Eagles.
After experimenting with synthesizers and a pop sound on his solo debut, Don Henley hits the mark on his sophomore release, Building the Perfect Beast. This album established Henley as an artist in his own right after many successful years with the Eagles, as it spawned numerous hits. While the songs seem crafted for pop radio, it's hard to fault him for choosing arrangements that would get his messages to the masses. Unlike most pop in the 1980s, however, Henley had deep intellectual themes layered beneath the synthesizer sounds and crisp production. In the opening song "Boys of Summer," he talks about trying to recapture the past while knowing that things will never be the same. Henley has a gift for writing about the heart and soul of America and for mixing his love for the country and small-town life ("Sunset Grill") with cynicism about government ("All She Wants to Do Is Dance") and modernization ("Month of Sundays"). Although the politics and the sound of the album make the decade of release easy to place, Henley's earnest delivery and universal messages give many of the tracks a timeless feel, which is no small feat. This is Henley's most consistent album, and it is the place to start for those wanting to sample his solo work. — Vik Iyengar
Lindsey Buckingham - Guitar, Vocals, Harmony Vocals Belinda Carlisle - Vocals, Harmony Vocals Don Henley - Percussion, Drums, Keyboards, Vocals, Producer, Chant, Harmony Vocals, Art Direction, Synthesizer Arrangements Randy Newman - Synthesizer, Synthesizer Arrangements Charlie Sexton - Guitar Mike Campbell - Synthesizer, Guitar, Percussion, Producer Martha Davis - Vocals, Chant, Harmony Vocals Jim Keltner - Drums Carla Olson - Vocals, Chant Patty Smyth - Vocals, Chant, Harmony Vocals Albhy Galuten - Synthesizer, Synclavier Benmont Tench - Synthesizer, Piano, Keyboards, Synthesizer Arrangements Michael Boddicker - Synthesizer, Programming, Emulator, Sequencing, Synthesizer Arrangements Niko Bolas - Engineer, Mixing Bill Cuomo - Synthesizer, Percussion, Programming, Percussion Programming Tim Drummond - Bass Marie Pascale Elfman - Vocals, Ensemble Mark Ettel - Assistant Engineer Dan Garcia - Assistant Engineer Jerry Hey - Horn, Horn (Alto), Horn Arrangements Maren Jensen - Art Direction Larry Klein - Bass Tom Knox - Engineer Danny "Kootch" Kortchmar - Organ, Synthesizer, Bass, Guitar, Percussion, Keyboards, Guitar (Synthesizer), Producer, Chant, Omnichord, Synthesizer Arrangements, Percussion Arrangement Greg Ladanyi - Producer, Engineer, Mixing Dominique Mancinelli - Vocals, Ensemble Kevin McCormick - Drums, Drums (African), African Drums Samuel Moore - Vocals Michael O'Donahue - Vocals, Chant David Paich - Synthesizer, Piano, Keyboards, Synthesizer Arrangements Pino Palladino - Bass Steve Porcaro - Synthesizer, Programming Mike Reese - Mastering Doug Sax - Mastering David Schober - Assistant Engineer Duane Seykora - Assistant Engineer Allen Sides - Engineer J.D. Souther - Vocals, Chant Richard Wachtel - Vocals Ian Wallace - Drums Waddy Wachtel - Chant Richard Bosworth - Engineer, Assistant Engineer Sam Moore - Harmony Vocals Jeri McManus - Art Direction, Graphic Coordinator Herb Ritts - Photography
