How the Eagles’ ‘Greatest Hits Invented a New Kind of Blockbuster

23 Jan 2016 Leave a comment

by Ed Cyphers in General Posts Tags: ,

hits

(via Rolling Stone)

by Steve Knopper

The old story goes that Glenn Frey, Don Henley and their bandmates were taking forever to finish Hotel California when their record label, Asylum, needed a new Eagles album to raise revenue in the first quarter of 1976. So the label released Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975 as a sort of placeholder – a way of placating fans until the real album could come out. But Irving Azoff, the band’s longtime manager, says the truth is far simpler. “We decided it was time to put out the first greatest-hits because we had enough hits,” he tells Rolling Stone.

The LP containing “Take It Easy,” “Desperado,” “Take It to the Limit,” “Peaceful Easy Feeling” and six others has sold a massive 29 million copies in the U.S.; back in 1999, it leapfrogged Thriller as the best-selling album of all time. “I think when Michael Jackson sees this on television, he’s going to go out and buy a million-and-a-half copies of Thriller,” Frey, who died Monday at age 67, quipped at the time. (The Eagles returned to second place after Michael Jackson’s 2009 death.)

Read more: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/how-the-eagles-greatest-hits-invented-a-new-kind-of-blockbuster-20160120

38 Years Ago Today We Lost Terry Kath

23 Jan 2016 5 Comments

by Ed Cyphers in General Posts Tags: ,

kath

(Reprinted from The College of Rock and Roll Knowledge)

There is a story that says that Jimi Hendrix, when asked what it is like to be the greatest guitarist in the world said “I don’t know you’d have to ask Terry Kath.” (It has been said that Hendrix made that comment about Rory Gallagher also).

Terry was the original guitarist for and a founding member of Chicago. It was 38 years ago today that we lost Terry.

By 1978, Kath was regularly carrying guns around, and enjoyed playing with them. Around 5 p.m., on Jan. 23, after a part…y at roadie and band technician Don Johnson’s home in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California, Kath took an unloaded .38 revolver and put it to his head, pulling the trigger several times on the empty chambers. Johnson had warned Kath several times to be careful. Kath then picked up a semiautomatic 9 mm pistol and, leaning back in a chair, said to Johnson, “Don’t worry about it … look, the clip is not even in it.” To satisfy Johnson’s concerns, Kath showed the empty magazine to Johnson. Kath then replaced the magazine in the gun, put the gun to his temple, and pulled the trigger. However, there was a round in the chamber, and Kath died instantly. Terry was only 31 years old.

His guitar playing on the first few LP’s by Chicago is legendary.

What is the first song you think about when you hear Terry’s name?

RIP Terry. You had the whole world watching and listening.

___________________

…and Kath was extremely underrated as a singer, too. Take a listen.

You Mourned David Bowie, But You Mock Glenn Frey. Why?

23 Jan 2016 9 Comments

by Ed Cyphers in General Posts Tags: ,

bowie

(vie The Guardian)

by Everett True

I am not an Eagles fan.

I know little of their output beyond the omnipresent Hotel California, Take It Easy, One of These Nights, Tequila Sunrise, and so forth. Their delivery is too laidback for me, too easygoing. Give me Neil Young any day. I do not deny their popularity, however – the album Their Greatest Hits (1971-1975) alone has sold more than 42m copies – nor the fact that their music clearly means a great deal to a great many people. Like all music that has grown in stature over time, their songs come laden with associations – emotional, personal and communal – for the individuals concerned…

Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2016/jan/20/david-bowie-glenn-frey-mourn-mock-eagles-everett-true

Bruce’s Tribute to Bowie in Pittsburgh

22 Jan 2016 Leave a comment

by Ed Cyphers in General Posts Tags: ,

On opening night of The River Tour 2016 in Pittsburgh, Bruce Springsteen pays tribute to the late David Bowie with an encore performance of “Rebel Rebel”.

Old Music is Outselling New Music for the First Time in History

22 Jan 2016 Leave a comment

by Ed Cyphers in General Posts Tags: ,

old music

So much for the Adele effect. This past year, catalogue albums outsold the current ones by 4.3 million copies.

(via chart attack)

by Adam Pugsley

Despite the massive success of Adele’s album 25, which sold a whopping 7.4 million copies in only six weeks, 2015 marked the first time in U.S. history that new releases were outsold by catalogue albums. Seems like everyone’s been feeling extra nostalgic lately.

The term “catalogue” refers to albums released more than 18 months ago. According to Nielsen’s annual year end music report, catalogue albums outsold current releases by 4.3 million copies, something never before seen in the industry. Just 10 years ago, current music sales outpaced catalogue music by over 150 million albums. Keep in mind that these stats don’t include album streams, but regardless, it’s a significant turning point…

Read more: http://www.chartattack.com/news/2016/01/20/old-music-is-outselling-new-music-for-the-first-time-in-history/

Video of the Week: David Bowie Impersonates…

21 Jan 2016 Leave a comment

by Ed Cyphers in Video of the Week Tags:

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