Songs You May Have Missed #197

15 Oct 2012 Leave a comment

by Ed Cyphers in Songs You May Have Missed Tags: ,

Carmel: “It’s All in the Game” (1987)

After gold record certifications for the soundtracks he scored for John Hughes coming-of-age films The Breakfast Club and Pretty in Pink, Stewart Copeland made the less-than-obvious choice of assembling music by such British acts as Kate Bush, Kirsty MacColl, Everything But the Girl and Manchester jazz-soul act Carmel for the soundtrack to She’s Having a Baby, a tale about a suburban Chicago couple.

And it came off spectacularly.

Carmel’s cover of the Tommy Edwards standard “It’s All in the Game” plays over the opening credits of this overlooked and underrated film.

The soundtrack is a classic. Copeland had a knack for choosing some of the best work these artists had to offer, as is certainly the case with Carmel’s contribution; the track is a standout in their catalogue.

Songs You May Have Missed #196

15 Oct 2012 Leave a comment

by Ed Cyphers in Songs You May Have Missed Tags: ,

roux

Lady Danville: “Sophie Roux” (2012)

The Los Angeles indie pop band Lady Danville don’t usually sing in French. “Sophie Roux” is a nice little one-off.

Songs You May Have Missed #195

15 Oct 2012 Leave a comment

by Ed Cyphers in Songs You May Have Missed Tags: ,

smith

The Smithereens: “Strangers When We Meet” (1986)

New Jersey’s Smithereens were on a short list of artists (Marshall Crenshaw, Dwight Twilley, Greg Kihn and a few others) who kept the power pop thread alive in pop music into the “skinny tie” 80’s. They never really saw much chart success. In fact, “Strangers When We Meet” never charted as a single. But it might be their best song.

The 30 Richest Drummers in the World

14 Oct 2012 5 Comments

by Ed Cyphers in General Posts Tags:

    

(Source: MSN Entertainment)

Celebrity Net Worth recently published a list of the 30 richest drummers in the world. And maybe it’s not surprising that Ringo Starr could buy and sell all of us several times over, or that many of the richest drummers are people who figured out ways to stop being drummers (Dave Grohl, Phil Collins). But how in the hell is Aerosmith’s Joey Kramer worth $100 million? Check out the full head-spinning list below.

1. Ringo Starr (The Beatles, $300 million)

2. Phil Collins (Solo/Genesis, $250 million)

3. Dave Grohl (Nirvana/Foo Fighters, $225 million)

4. Don Henley (The Eagles, $200 million)

5. Lars Ulrich (Metallica, $175 million)

6. Charlie Watts (The Rolling Stones, $160 million)

7. Larry Mullen Jr. (U2, $150 million)

8. Roger Taylor (Queen, $105 million)

9. Joey Kramer (Aerosmith, $100 million)

10. Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers, $90 million)

11. Travis Barker (blink-182, $85 million)

12. Stewart Copeland (The Police, $80 million)

13. Alex Van Halen (Van Halen, $75 million)

14. Nick Mason (Pink Floyd, $75 million)

15. Tommy Lee (Motley Crue, $70 million)

16. Bill Ward (Black Sabbath, $65 million)

17. Jon Fishman (Phish, $60 million)

18. Carter Beauford (Dave Matthews Band, $55 million)

19. Rick Allen (Def Leppard, $50 million)

20. Tre Cool (Green Day, $45 million)

21. Danny Carey (Tool, $40 million)

22. Tico Torres (Bon Jovi, $40 million)

23. Max Weinberg (Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band/”Conan O’Brien,” $35 million)

24. Mickey Hart (The Grateful Dead, $30 million)

25. Bill Kreutzmann (The Grateful Dead, $25 million)

26. Neil Peart (Rush, $22 million)

27. Taylor Hawkins (Foo Fighters, $20 million)

28. ?uestlove (The Roots, $16 million)

29. Steven Adler (Guns N’ Roses, $15 million)

30. Mick Fleetwood (Fleetwood Mac, $8.5 million)

Let’s just take a minute for the fact that Steven Adler played on one and a half Guns N’ Roses albums, that he’s been generally unfamous and making the “Celebrity Rehab” rounds for the past two decades, and that he’s still worth $15 million.

Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta are Releasing a Christmas Album

14 Oct 2012 1 Comment

by Ed Cyphers in General Posts Tags: ,

Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta are releasing a Christmas album

(Reprinted from Salon)

This Christmas, “Grease” stars Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta are giving you the gift of the 1970s, whether you want the decade back or not. After nearly 35 years, the pair has reunited to record a Christmas album with guests Kenny G (yes) and Barbra Streisand among others.  All proceeds from “This Christmas” will go to charities selected by Travolta and Newton-John. “We want to make a lot of people smile and happy. It’s a project that we’re hoping turns into a perennial, one that can continue to raise money for these causes year after year, a gift that keeps on giving,” said Newton-John in a statement.

The album will be released Nov. 13.

Naming a Band? Think Googlability

14 Oct 2012 Leave a comment

by Ed Cyphers in General Posts

Naming a new band? When the Cars, the Police, Heart and the Eagles did so their lack of originality may have cost them a few style points but it probably didn’t hurt their record sales any.

Today an aspiring band can’t afford to make the same mistake. With so many artists breakthroughs coming as the result of social media sites, and with the power of the “like” click meaning as much as the major label ad campaign, a band must make themselves easy to find online. And that means having an original word or word combination as a band name.

Just as Fleetwood Mac and Steely Dan are easier to Google today than the Police are, bands named Mumford & Sons and Flaming Lips and Freelance Whales are a little easier to spread word about than bands like The Shore, Youth Group, Roman Candle and Girls, if only because it’s easier to find their Facebook pages.

Don’t use a common word or phrase to name your band. There’s money in exposure, and exposure is easier to come by for a band who use a fresh word combination to name themselves.

 

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