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An ABBA-lanche of Trivia

August 23rd 2010 02:22
ABBA, Music, Pop, Mama Mia, itunes
Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the pop music waters comes this collection of 10 little known facts about Sweden's second biggest industry (next to IKEA) - ABBA!

Don't say you haven't been warned.


1) During the recording of ABBA - The Album, due to Agnetha's second pregnancy, Frida had to compensate vocally for Agnetha's absence in the recording studio on some tracks.

2) Both Benny and Bjorn met their future wives, Frida and Agnetha, when invited to sing as solo artist on a tv show.

3) ABBA's album ABBA Gold was first released on September 21, 1992. To date, it has sold more than 22 million sales worldwide.

4) ABBA's Gracias Por La Música was first released in Sweden on June 23, 1980. To facilitate a breakthrough in South America, ABBA recorded Spanish-language versions of "Chiquitita" and "I Have A Dream" in 1979.

5) ABBA's video for "Knowing Me, Knowing You" was voted the 59th greatest music video of all time in a Channel 4 (UK) poll.




6) ABBA was voted the eighth greatest pop culture icon of all time in a UK poll.

7) ABBA is the only music act to ever lip-sync on Saturday Night Live... (that was until Ashlee Simpson got caught)

8) Originally Stig Anderson came up with the four names - Bjorn, Benny, Anna and Frida. (Anna short for Agnetha and Frida short for Anni-Frid) He decided to shorten the name before the 1974 Eurovision song contest to one that was easy to handle all around Europe. He Opted for the 4 band members initials A B B A. However they first had to ok this with a fish canning company in Sweden called Abba who agreed - just so long as the band behaved themselves.

9) Number of people around the world who watched the Mamma Mia show that is based on ABBA songs - over 24 million in over 120 cities

10) Agnetha was a self-confessed Connie Francis fan and used to sing and imitate her moves.


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One Hit Wonder - John Kincade

August 10th 2010 01:00
One Hit Wonder
The story of the group Kincade is, in essence, the story of songwriter/vocalist John Carter , who along with The Carter Lewis Southerners scored a minor hit in 1963 with "Your Mama's Out of Town".

Accomplished songwriters and session musicians Carter and Ken Lewis then formed The Ivy League with Perry Ford and, specialising in high-pitched vocal harmonies, scoring three British chart hits in 1965 with "Funny How Love Is", "That's Why I'm Crying" and "Tossing And Turning".

Carter left in 1966 to concentrate on his songwriting career and until 1972 was remarkable through only his mediocrity.

Carter it appeared was destined to have been 'almost a household name' on the charts when in 1972 and a final role of the dice he scored a No.1 hit record in the UK with "Dreams are Ten a Penny".

The song was released on his Penny Farthing Records label and also reached the No.2 spot in Germany, spent six months on the charts there, and sold a million copies

Seeing a potential overseas market, the song eventually made the charts in Australia, Scandinavia, Holland, and South Africa and in order to promote the it, Penny Farthing Records recruited John Knowles as the frontman for a band it labelled Kincade since Carter was reluctant to tour as the performing artist.

Knowles was successful as the frontman for Kincade and went on to change his name to John Kincade and subequently launched John Kincade as a solo artist.



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Skyhooks - Aussie Pop Royalty

August 3rd 2010 07:37
Skyhooks, Aussie, Pop, Music, itunes, limewire, download, classic, free
Skyhooks - Still Livin in the 70s
In the mid Seventies Skyhooks basically gave the Australian Music Industry the enema it had been needing.

Skyhooks were larish and brash wore makeup years before Kiss and kicked off a renaissance of sorts in larrikin Aussie pop that would change the musical history of our country.

From their debut album "Living in the Seventies" which went on to sell 300,000 albums to Skyhooks lead singer 'Shirl', the band quickly developed a cult then mainstream following.

Complete with Red Symons in Red satin and matching cape, guitarist Bob Starkie who graduated from the Keith Richards/Chuck Berry School of Rock (with honours) his long black curls hanging over his lizard- necked jumpsuit and bassist Greg Macainshand drummer Fred Strauks, Skyhooks (thankfully) were not just another band.



Their second album "EGO is not a dirty word" debuted at number one,while their single of the same name was sitting opposite at #1 on the singles charts. The LP went on to sell over 200,00 copies and their "EGO" tour sold out completely.

Yes, for many Baby-Boomers who would have grown up with the band and who may have caught them either in concert or simply in the comfort of your home courtesy the humble turntable or casette deck thumping out "Good in Bed" it was a fun journey.

Not bad for a little Melbourne bands who's main goal was to have some chart success in Sydney.

"Yeah I'm living in the seventies
Eatin' fake food under plastic trees
My face gets dirty just walkin' around
And I need another pill to calm me down"
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disco
Get down . . . get back up again!
A picture paints a thousand words, and because a beach break of nostalgia has found its way to my shore thought it might be fun to share this collection of classic 70s disco hits.

Enjoy


[ Click here to read more ]
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Tell Me Why - The Beatles

July 12th 2010 01:18
The Beatles
The Fab Four
While it never received the adulation it probably deserved, "Tell Me Why" was almost never conceived and was written at the last minute to fill the final spot on the A Hard Day's Night album.

In fact, folk lore has it, the quinessential pop ditty was penned in New York City while the group was there to appear on the Ed Sullivan Show


[ Click here to read more ]
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The Top 10 Albums from the 80s

July 5th 2010 02:05
Michael Jackson
Would Thriller have topped your list?
How interested was I when I chanced upon Rolling Stones list of the Top 100 albums from the 80s over the weekend.

To be completely honest, I was a little gobsmacked when I scrolled to the top of the list to find that Tracy Chapman's self titled album Tracy Chapman (1988) managed to crack the number 10 spot just behind Richard & Linda Thompson's Shoot Out the Lights (1982


[ Click here to read more ]
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The Doobie Brothers

June 22nd 2010 03:24
Doobies, Rock, Brothers
The Doobie Brothers, the Pop-rock band whose members were actually not brothers.

Probably best known for "Listen To The Music" (1972), "Black Water" (1975), "What A Fool Believes" (1979), and "The Doctor" (1989) the Doobies evolved from a mellow, post-hippie boogie band to a slick, soul-inflected pop band by the end of the decade


[ Click here to read more ]
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Sgt Peppers - 43 years ago today

June 1st 2010 01:17
The Beatles
Sgt Peppers - the best of the best?
It was 43 years ago today, Sgt Pepper taught the band to play . . .

Conjecture rules over what exactly was The Beatles best album


[ Click here to read more ]
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The Bay City Rollers

May 14th 2010 03:36
Bay City Rollers
Little more than a summer storm (metaphorically speaking) – erupting with all the brilliance of a pyrotechnics display – then gone – never to be seen or heard of again the Bay City Rollers were hardly one hit wonders - but then again were always destined to be not much more than bubblegum pop.

While groups such as The Knack, Edison Lighthouse, Paper Lace – have all at one time been ostracized by within the musical puritans doctrine - the boys from bonnie Scotland have escaped much of the sometimes unfair criticism leveled at similar cliques


[ Click here to read more ]
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ACDC
The crowd is verging on riotious, you're pumped and the heat from the on-stage pyrotechnics almost give you third degree burns.

You prepare yourself for an invasion of the senses as you lead the band out onto the stage to the sound of 100,000 fans all screaming out for you


[ Click here to read more ]
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