BBC Banned Music: Top Singles Banned By the BBC

The British Broadcasting Corporation also known as the BBC is a public broadcasting corporation. Therefore, it allows itself to ban materials that deviate from certain standards of civility. During the years, many singles that were seen as too explicit, distasteful or bear the potential for offending the British public were banned from BBC airplay. Here you can read about some of them.

In 1977, when England was celebrating the Queens Jubilee, the Sex Pistols had released their second single titled God Save the Queen. The single includes controversial lyrics that rhyme the national anthem title with fascist regime. Moreover, the record cover displayed a picture of the Queen with a safety pin stuck in her nose.

The single was found to offensive to be air played by the BBC, but it did not stop it from reaching number two on the BBC official singles chart. According to the myth, God Save the Queen was the top selling single in the UK at the time, but it was held back of number one to avoid controversies.

Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin scandalous duet Je TAime ... Moi Non Plus, translated: I love you... me neither, was the first ever number one hit to be banned by the BBC. Although at the time of its release, in 1969, the sexual revolution was celebrated, the British radio still was not able to cope with such explicit lyrics, not to mention Birkins moans and groans.

The BBC ban and The Vatican denounce, did not stop Je TAime ... Moi Non Plus from being a top selling single in the UK and worldwide. In October 7, 1969, the single reached number one in the BBC official singles chart. At the same time, it had reached number 69 at the US singles chart.

Je TAime ... Moi Non Plus was a major influence on another BBC banned single, Donna Summers disco pioneer from 1976 titled Love to Love You Baby. After counting 23 faked orgasms performed by Summer in Love to Love You Baby, the British Broadcasting Corporation banned the song. However, it did not stop it from becoming a massive hit. Love to Love You Baby reached number four on the UK single charts but peaked to number two on the Billboard pop chart.

Relax by Frankie Goes to Hollywood is one of the most controversial singles as well as commercially successful singles in history. The BBC did not only ban the song it also did not stop BBC Radio 1 DJ Mike Read to publicly express his feelings of disgust from the single explicit lyrics. In 1984, Relax stayed in the UK singles charts for 42 weeks. In five of them, it stayed in number one. By the end of 1984, embarrassed Auntie Beeb removed the ban. Relax is still very popular worldwide and it is one of the most recognized symbols of the era. The arguments on whether it gained such a huge success despite the BBC ban or the BBC ban helped promoting it have not been settled yet.

Paul McCartney and the Wings response to the 1972 Bloody Sunday events titled Give Ireland Back to the Irish, was banned by every media resource in the UK. It was forbidden from being broadcast by the BBC, Radio Luxembourg and the Independent Television Authority. In addition, the song title was not allowed to be pronounced on the air, so when it arrived to the BBC Radio 1 chart show it was presented as a record by the group Wings. However, Give Ireland Back to the Irish hit the top of the Irish singles charts.

Jack Reider is an expert in 80s music trivia. In addition, Jack contributes to the online gambling portal that provides information on the top online casinos, poker rooms, sportsbooks [http://www.gambling-portal.com/online-gambling-sportsbook.html] and bingo halls in the industry.

Hit Songwriting in Six Easy Steps

Hit songwriting in pop music has become increasingly easier to predict by music industry insiders and music fans alike. Not too long ago, in pop music, there was a wide variety of musical tastes by major labels, and no one could really put a finger on which song would be a sure hit.

But lately major labels have been settling for nothing but the "sure thing," a good-looking singer or band with very little musical substance they can mass market and stick down the consumers' throats! Consequently, pop music has become so poor and watered-down that it's much easier to spot something original with the potential to rule the music charts!

Top 40 pop songs these days usually have great "hooks" but poorly written lyrics in the verses, rendering the majority of them nothing but "here today gone tomorrow hits." This is not good practice for songwriters who are in it for the long haul because once these songs run their course, most are rarely played again, and that amounts to less profit for the songwriter over the life of the song!

Pop hit songwriting these days usually consists of nothing but a good beat with pasted-on lyrics to them in the verses with very little focus, and very singable choruses to hook the listeners. Mix in a well-known rapper on some of these songs and voila, a hit! If you're not into music production or beat making, there are many awesome beat-makers out there willing to either collaborate or sell their beats at a fairly modest price.

Here's how to write a hit song in today's pop music market:

1. Focus first on who will be singing the song and what style it'll be whether it's in pop, r&b, rock, etc. Decide what you want your song to be about and pick a song title(you don't have to re-invent the wheel), i.e., "I Need You," (self-explanatory) "Whatever" (a song about - you're not going to change your mind about something) "Far Away," (a song about - I wish you were here with me), etc. Hit songwriting titles these days tend to use one to three words in the title, i.e., "Disturbia," "Closer."

2. Create or buy an awesome beat for the song if it's in r&b or most types of pop, and if it's a song with a much more "live" feel wait until the next step (3) before proceeding.

3. Create an original strong, singable hook that you can't get out of your mind after hearing it a few times. If you can't come up with this, chances are you will not have a hit song. Once you do have a strong hook, proceed to (4).

4. Write decent verses. If you really want to stand out, take the time to craft some awesome verses!

5. Make sure your song has no empty spaces in it. Even if you're playing it on guitar or piano, create fills and riffs to bracket the vocals. Pop songs today have NO empty spaces. The music is more intense and "in your face" than ever.

6. If you believe your song has the potential to be a hit, test out the song or songs on your friends and family members who listen to pop radio. Their reaction is usually the right one!

Did you know anyone who listens to music can learn how to write quality songs because music is a hearing art form? All you have to know are the basics of songwriting. If you want to see how easy it is for free click here.

Artist Branding in the Music Business

Music branding has become more and more popular as a topic amongst not only the hierarchy of the music industry but the average artist and independent companies. Artists are slowly beginning to realise the power of their own name and how they can generate not only another revenue stream, but an even more significant financial return that dwarfs the return from their music career.

One of the most significant markers was laid down not in the music industry but in sports. When Michael Jordan the basketball legend achieved notoriety when he signed an extremely lucrative deal with Nike to produce the Air Jordan range, the table was set and has continued in sports with many sportsmen including David Beckham and Tiger Woods.

The deal with Michael Jordan was not the first time various industries recognised the power of performers be it sportsmen, actors or musicians. Run DMC the famous Hip Hop legends after recording and releasing the hit "My Adidas" was approached by the sport wear giants when sales of the brand increased due to the songs popularity.

Some would argue even more significant than these cases are the cases of minor celebrities such as the late Jade Goody (Channel 4's Big Brother) have shown you need not have achieved a significant success in any field to find success with selling your brand and being rewarded financially. Jade achieved significant financial rewards with her perfume line which grossed her a seven figure sum.

So what is a brand?

Whenever I speak to musicians and mention branding they always start to speak about logos and image, which has a place in branding but it is not what branding actually is. Let's clear up the logo issue first. A logo is the visual identification of a brand.

Again, so what is a brand?

A quote from Amazon founder Jeff Bezos states "a brand is what people say about you when you leave the room". I think many would agree that Amazon is a well known and successful brand. But how do you build a successful brand? For me the key ingredient of a brand is trust! Now if you notice trust does not mean you have to behave well and do everything by the book, as our post image we chose the Rolling stone logo which has become a brand that represents good rock and roll music, but was formerly identified with misbehaviour and rebellion.

Others in branding state that a brand is a promise of an experience as most women would get from a Herbal Essence ad is the promise of a sensual experience when washing their hair. One of the most successful examples of this promise is the Heinz food brand. When most shoppers who are not skint go to their local superstore if they are buying beans a large percentage for a long period of time would pick up the Heinz branded tin because it was branded as a higher quality product and it was so effectively marketed people did not mind paying more for the experience. That is what a well marketed brand will allow you to do.

What is your brand?

The music business is the king of the personal brand because if you did not have a good personal brand your success would be short lived. When developing your brand you need to know your brand values, what do you stand for? What do you want people to say about you? What are you promising? Are you guaranteeing a good time?Are you the rebel? Do you intend to enlighten the world? Or are you the sex kitten guaranteed to titilate and arouse? Work out your brand values and you will be well on your way to developing your brand.

Trust is never instant and neither is a brand it needs to be built over time and you need to live up to your brand values, your promise, if you do not, you will not have a strong brand therefore will not be deemed trustworthy or dependable to deliver the experience you say.

There is more to developing your brand but this is a brief overview and an invitation to you who are interested to research and start to develop that brand because if developed effectively will expand beyond your music to different areas as our earlier examples have shown.

Trevor Fisher

Music Business Consultant and Artist Development Specialist

http://trevorfisher.com

Making Rap Music Instrumentals That People Groove - 3 Tips to Make the Best Rap Music Instrumentals

Do you know what makes hot and sensational rap music instrumental? Yeah, it's all about the sound when it hit the ears. Let me just share 3 hot tips with you that will make amazing rap music instrumentals that get people groove and hit the dance floor each and every time.

1) The Instruments Selection

Well, you will need to mix and match the right rhythm of all instruments that compliment among themselves. Focusing on basic hi hat, kick and snare alone is not enough. While they may be the foundation but your must add more variety of music instruments like cymbal, ride and shaker to make your rap music special.

2) Instrumental Style and Pattern

This could the missing puzzle of great rap music beats. You see, it's normal to see that a high bpm will have an aggressive beat pattern and vice versa. The problem with rap beats over the years is that it has been repeatedly duplicated and reused. So, it's quite uncommon to hear some fresh, unique and original rap beats. What I suggest you to do is to borrow pattern from other music genre and blend them into your rap beats. If you like a certain kicks and snares, try to avoid using it too often or it could kill your creativity and uniqueness.

3) Learning How to Use the Bassline

Okay, it's kind of a fanatic when I hear my song and beats banging hard in clubs or rattling someone's car speaker and woofer. This can be done by creating basslines for your instrumentals. The bassline must not be too soft or too hard that it overlaps the other sounds in your song at the same time. You can also try adding different music instrumentals to play together with your bassline pattern.

Now, once you have mastered all these 3 tips, you are going to tweak your rap beats by adding some sound effect to enhance your instruments. This can be easily done with a good beat maker as the beat maker will allow you full control on the tempo, the meter etc. and a large sound bank of various music genres that you can mix into your beats.

One of the best rap beat maker to make rap music instrumentals is THIS. Click Here to see how quick you can make professional rap beats with this beat maker and listen to its studio quality sound it produces.

African American Music

What do the Rap, Hip Hop, Funk, Soul, Jazz, Rhythm and Blues and Gospel all have in common?

They are all popular genres of music considered to be included under the general African American music umbrella having been influenced by the culture of African Americans. Historically, African American genres of music have been very significant in their affect across a broad range of socio-economic groups within the United States and overseas.

From the early influences on mainstream American music in the 19th century to the popularity today of Hip Hop, Rap and RnB, the influence of African Americans on the American music industry continues with a plethora of successful solo artists and groups maintaining a strong presence in the charts.

Although in earlier years of it's history, not all African American musicians achieved mainstream success. During the 1950's Little Richard (Rev. Richard Wayne Penniman) who became an important identity in the transition from rythm and blues to rock and roll received his first accolade and has continued to achieve extraordinary success and acknowledgement throughout his musical career. In 2007 his original hit "Tutti Frutti" took out first place in Mojo magazine's poll of "The Top 100 Records That Changed The World."

Sly and the Family Stone, Michael Jackson, Whitney Houston, Prince, Marvin Gaye, India Arie, Erykah Badu and in particular Destiny's Child who some years ago became known as the highest selling female vocal group of all time are to name a few of the highly successful African American singers and song-writers. In more recent times Alicia Keys was the first woman to log three weeks at number one with her "As I am" hit and she is the first African American woman to remain at number one for has long as she did since 2002 when Ashanti hit the charts with her debut album.

Expressing themselves and celebrating their culture creatively, spiritually, politically and socially, these and many more talented artists have enhanced the reputation and popularity of the myriad of genres of music that claim their roots in African American music.

Ragtime to Rap, Scott Joplin to Curtis James Jackson 111, aka 50 Cent, the genres of Blues, Jazz, Motown, disco, Funk, Rock and Roll, Hip Hop, Techno and Electric Jazz all increased in popularity for their time and during the 1950's and more so during the 1970's African American music was appealing to wider more mainstream audiences including crossover audiences.

Along with the evolution of African American music came the evolution of dance and the introduction of dance, block and rave parties where the Mc's and the DJ's themselves have become celebrities in their own rights.

Over decades if not centuries the rising popularity of African American music has bought more attention to African American culture including the landmark signing of legislation in 2003 for the creation and development of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.

John Thomson is webmaster at http://www.africanamericancheck.com where African American Personal Checks are on display for all to see.

How to Find the Best 60's Songs

If you are looking to find and download 60s songs straight to your computer, then you are going to need some assistance. And if you don't know the best songs from this era, then such a task is only made more difficult. This article hopes to present some tips as to how you can locate the best 60s songs to download and listen to.

I remember when I began my own journey of self-discovery of this classic yet bygone era and the one thing I can recall was not knowing where to start. I hope to use my experience to assist you so that you don't have to go through the same difficulties I went through.

The best indication of a good song is its commercial success. This refers to songs that were popular enough to reach high positions on music charts. So, the best starting point is to find out all the number 1 songs from each year in the 1960s. The best source for this information is by far Wikipedia. Just type in "Billboard charts" to go to the article on the US music charts and then click on the relevant link to go to the list of number 1 songs from the 1960s. More often than not, those songs that reached number 1 are very good and worth listening to.

Another way to find the best songs is by finding which ones were one-hit wonders during that period. A lot of these were hits without reaching number 1 and are worth having a listen. Once again, the best resource for this information is Wikipedia. Just type in "one-hit wonders" and find the article relevant to the one-hit wonders in the USA during the 1960s.

Keep in mind that you are not restricted to the US charts and can always choose to access other countries' charts such as the UK or Japan. If you want to download 60s songs that sound great, then following the tips above can make it so much easier for you.

Martin Sejas is the owner and main writer of All Time Classic Songs, a website where you can download 60s songs and music from other musical eras.

The Evolution of Jazz Music in the 1930s

Jazz is a musical art form that has expanded well beyond its own genre definition, transforming with every era and begetting countless other popular modern genre forms in the process. As an artistic invention of African American communities primarily in the Southern region of the United States, jazz finds its earliest roots in New Orleans, where black performers blended Southern blues, the startling variations of Caribbean music, and an altered form of traditional European instrumentation.

Resistance to "hot jazz" in the early twentieth century ultimately contributed to the evolution of jazz music in the 1930s. In the 1920s, jazz music had spread to the North, Chicago and New York, where bands gave their performances on the margins of society. During the Prohibition era, jazz was often performed in illegal speakeasies and the Red Light district, causing this "wild" music to be associated with the decadence of that era. However, with the onset of the depression the Dixieland jazz that had dominated up until the end of the 1920s was gradually supplanted.

The End of Dixieland

Jazz slowly began to creep in at the edges of mainstream music because of its popularity on college campuses, and in general, amongst American youth. The evolution of jazz music in the 1930s amounted to a compromise between the music industry and the older generation of white Americans, who were gradually accepting the presence of jazz music in popular culture. However, this increasing popularization affected a considerable dilution of the form, shedding much of the raw, impromptu quality of earlier Dixieland jazz.

Dixieland was characterized by the convergence of many forms - polyrhythmic ragtimes, the low pitch of blue notes, French Quadrilles, and improvisation, as well as a large rhythm section of the trombone, trumpets, tuba, guitars, clarinet, the piano, drums, and banjo. It was unpredictable, and the individual performers showcased their improvisational skills, playing from their souls not their notes.

The Rise of Big Band Swing

At the beginning of the decade white big band swing performers played "sweet" jazz, making use of violins and arranged sheet music. The reasons for this particular evolution of jazz music in the 1930s were twofold. It was more composed and less offensive to the older white American audience. At the same time, the onset of the Depression created a widespread need for inexpensive pleasantries, and jazz-inspired music gradually gained footing in the newly burgeoning radio industry.

The more recognizable swing arrangements evolved when dancing became linked to big band. Dance styles, such as the Lindy Hop, that had been popularized in black communities in the 1920s were appropriated by white teenagers and introduced in dance halls. Swing orchestras became larger, with 20-25 pieces in a typical band. Music was still arranged, but individual performers were given complex solos, and as was also typical in sweet jazz, a singer performed vocals to the music. Popular performers of the era include Shep Fields, Benny Goodman, and Glenn Miller.

The undomesticated "hot jazz" of black performers - including Duke Ellington, Count Basie, and Jimmie Lunceford - persisted throughout the big band era, but never gained the popularity of its white counterpart. Big band singlehandedly dominated the entertainment industry, extending beyond radio to television and film in the 1940s. The evolution of jazz music in the 1930s led to its eventual popularity across the continent and later, internationally. Jazz music has been adapted globally across cultural lines, but its humble roots remain in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Ian Pennington is an accomplished niche website developer and author. To learn more about evolution of jazz music [http://www.themusicalplanet.info/the-evolution-of-jazz-music-in-the-1930s], please visit The Musical Planet [http://www.themusicalplanet.info] for current articles and discussions.

Writing Hit Songs

There are a lot of factors to writing a hit song. First, you should focus on writing a good song. Once you've done that, you are not far away from writing a hit.

Like most other things in life, it takes persistence, patience, drive, knowledge, belief and maybe some luck.

Stop and think about your favorite songs. Really analyze them and figure out what it is that you like about those songs.

Different factors may come to play here. Maybe it is the good beat, lyrics that hit home, a beautiful melody, something spiritual or patriotic, or maybe even that it is humorous.

If you include one of these elements in your songwriting you are well on your way. If you combine two or more of these elements, you may have yourself a hit.

A Good Beat

Rhythm is important in music. I have to laugh and think of Jerry Van Dyke on "The Dick Van Dyke Show" years ago trying to play the banjo and sing, "I've got rhy-rhy-thm, I've got mah-mah-music..."

But, unless you are very funny like Jerry Van Dyke, your audience is not very likely to stay with you.

Your music not only needs to have a good beat, but must fit the genre of music you are trying to write. A Metallica beat in a George Strait type song may not get you very far. A song with a good enough beat might be a hit even with no melody and no lyrics. Remember "Green Onions?"

Along with the beat is the tempo. Country music is easy to write (I did not say it is easy to write well) because it is about people's lives and everyday experiences. However, too often people write slow songs for country music, when in fact the industry is starving for upbeat country material like "Country Roads" and "Rocky Top." It is much harder to write a good up-tempo country song than it is a tear jerker.

Lyrics in popular music can range from broken relationships to political issues, and just about any point in between. Those that tend to be the most popular are about situations you and I may encounter in our everyday lives; "Workin' 9 To 5," "I Just Called To Say I Love You," "Your Cheatin' Heart," "God Bless The USA" (which ingeniously incorporates spiritual, political and patriotic views).

A beautiful or interesting melody can get you into the ranks of hit songwriter with no lyrics required. Going back in time to prove a point about beautiful melodies, you might consider songs like "Last Date" and "Sleepwalk."

Songs with great melody lines are very easy to be found in many hit TV show themes like "Peter Gunn," "Hawaii 5-0," along with many of the 60's surfer songs like "Wipe Out."

Well done humorous songs usually find an audience, such as Ray Stevens "The Streak," and Jerry Reeds "She Got The Goldmine, I Got The Shaft." If you have a knack for both humor and music, you might make a fortune.

Spiritual and patriotic songs, if they are well done and come out at the right time, are easy hits. Every time the U.S. gets involved in any type of world conflict, the songwriters get their pens out.

Keep your ears and eyes open, and keep a shoe box to put your ideas for songs in. Every time you think of an idea for a song or a song title, write it down and drop it in the box. It could be your first, or your next, big hit.

Michael Russell
MgrCentral.com
Established 2001
Home Business Training and Information Guides

The Music of 1905!

One hundred years ago, in the U.S., competitions in Ragtime were held, at which the awards reached unimaginable sums of twenty-five thousand dollars.

If it is quite certain that most people now listen to dance, pop, rap, techno, house, hip-hop... and folk music, then maybe there are those who asked themselves what was going on concert stages around the world before exactly hundred....and five years ago.

It is clear that the so-called serious or classical music, is backed-up with most data at the beginning of last century, but that doesn't mean that it was and the most popular... Indeed, the pianist Arthur Rubinstein was at the time greeted with ovations wherever he held a concert...however, he was heard only by "selected" audience.

Franz Lehar

However, even among composers of classical music there were those who sought true hits. One of them was Ferenc, known as Franz Lehar (1870-1948), Austrian composer of Hungarian origin. This military conductor was thirty-five years old, when he, in the Austrian capital, in late 1905, for the first time staged his operetta "The Merry Widow" (Die lustige Witwe). The success was great, and it seems that the popularity of "Merry Widow" is not abating even after a hundred years.

Almost at the same time, Lehar's countryman, Gustav Mahler (1860-1911, wrote the Seventh Symphony, and the German composer Richard Strauss (1864-1949) musical drama, "Salome", drawing inspiration from the text of the same name by Oscar Wilde.

Italian composer Ottorino Respighi (1879-1936) was twenty-six years old in 1905. He finished his viola and composition studies, and was concertmaster of the orchestra from Imperial Theatre in St. Petersburg and he also performed in concerts, playing violin. That year he wrote a comic opera "King Enzo" (Re Enzo), very popular at that time, Nocturne for Orchestra and the Suite in G major for string orchestra and organ.

The famous Hungarian composer Bela Bartok was young then. He was only twenty-four years old and just wrote the First and Second suite for orchestra. One year younger then him was Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971). According to his parent's wish, in1905 he finished law school in St. Petersburg, but every day, he visited the composer Rimsky-Korsakov, his personal composition teacher. Hundred and five years ago Stravinsky wrote his first symphony in E minor.

French composer Claude Debussy (1862-1918) published his first book of compositions for piano "Images" (Images pour piano), and Pietro Mascagni - his opera "Amica.".

On the other side of the Atlantic, America was hit with fever of cheerful music for piano - ragtime. Clearly dominating the popular music of America at that time, ragtime was associated with the game, which was named Cakewalk. The father of ragtime was a poor pianist Scott Joplin (1868-1917).

One hundred and five years ago, in the U.S., competitions in Ragtime were held, at which the awards reached unimaginable sum of twenty-five thousand dollars. Schools of Ragtime were opening, and many manuals for ragtime were published.

This music wave eventually came to Europe and the above mentioned composers began to insert ragtime themes in their work...

Slavisa Jovanovic is an Agroeconomy/Rural Development expert. He is actively engaged in scientific research of his expertise. In his free time, he likes to explore other areas based on his daily interest. The results of that "other"research can be found on his blog: http://zumaworld.blogspot.com/

The Biggest 1990s One Hit Wonder Bands

People loved and still love 80's music but what about the 90's? The 90's were full of forgotten treasures that set the stage for future acts. Bands such as Green Day, Radiohead and Pearl Jam made it big back then and are still huge today.

However, there were also those bands that seemed to suddenly form, write a hit of a song, become a huge success and then fade out just as quick as they had come on the scene.

These are formally known as one hit wonders and no one can ever remember the bands names only the title of the hit songs, for obvious reasons.

Take the song Breakfast At Tiffany's for my first example. When this song emerged, the crowds went wild for it but as with many other one hit wonders, no one can recall the name of the band, can you?

You probably wouldn't guess it after ten tries, it was Deep Blue Something, the exemplary one hit wonder of the 90's.

Try another one, "The Way" which was a hit during the late 90's and loved by many. This one actually still gets played even today but the band never managed to make another song as good at that one.

The Rembrandts, they are my third temporary sensation to make the list. Their hit song is played and listened to every day and many people wouldn't even be able to put the name of the band to the hit song.

I'll Be There For You, ring any bells? It was such a loved song in its time that it became the theme song for the TV show Friends, Oh now you remember! And as with all the rest, The Rembrandts faded away into obscurity.

But the questions is, who has helped produced the one hit sensations list for the 2000's? That one is coming soon.

When Felicia isn't thinking about music, she's most likely writing about steel entry doors at http://steelentrydoors.net.

Hitting it Big in the Music Industry

Whether you're running a rock band or a rap group, the rules are always the same. You have to get signed if you want to make it into the big time. Until you hit the worldwide spotlight, you're going to find yourself just scraping by.

If you want to get the attention of the record labels, there are some things you and your band will have to do. This article goes over a few of the more often overlooked tactics.

The first step to getting signed is getting a fan base. Obviously, record labels are prone to think that if your group can draw a crowd on the local level, you're likely to be able to draw a bigger crowd on the national level.

Learn to think about the business side of the music business. A record label is looking for one thing: profitability. And if you can show that you already have a built-in audience, they label executives are way more likely to see the potential for your group.

You may well wonder, how do you build a fan base? Well, it is like anything in life worth doing. It takes work and fortitude. The "If you build it, they will come" mentality will not help you here. You actually have to do some planning and strategizing to get your music before fans.

Facebook, MySpace and Twitter are the big three places to get your music heard by potential fans. This is where you need to focus your energies.

Social media sites are an excellent way to let people know about your group and what you are up to. Learn the three major networks and use them frequently. Anytime you have anything moderately interesting to say, let your fans know. Put out a blast when you are about to have a show. Then recap afterward. Especially alert folks when you are writing or recording new songs.

This is just the bare bones. There are literally hundreds of creative opportunities, whether you play at a local festival or get your music heard in a commercial. Try everything and you will get to the big time.

Commercial oven and restaurant table linens are few investments you have to make in order to start up your own restaurant business.

Find the Best and Latest Music Online

There are a lot of ways for you to find all the latest music online. Rather than going out to the music stores and having to spend hours and hours scouring the stalls for all the newest hits, there are many ways that you can just log into your computer and find them all on the web. Here are a few of these ways:

• Websites - there are now a lot of websites that will provide you with the latest music online. This is all through the streaming process of music from their servers onto yours, and is purely for listening purposes only. These kinds of websites aim to share music with everyone through proper spreading, but if you want to be able acquire the songs themselves, you of course have to buy them. The great thing about these sites is that a lot of them feature the latest music online, but they also let you search for artists that are similar to those that you already know and like. This way, you not only become informed as to what the latest hits are, but you can also discover new artists that are fitting to your tastes.

• Music blogs - there are numerous music blogs on the Internet that feature all the latest music online. These blogs are owned and are being run by people, or a group of people, that wish to be able to spread the joy of knowing the latest hits when it comes to the newest hits that hits the international music scene. You can search for these blogs on search engines like Google or Yahoo, and the most popular ones usually pop up. The popular websites are the ones that regularly post new and high quality material that will let you in on the hits that are topping the charts.

• iTunes - iTunes is most commonly known as a music player, but what most people don't realize is that it is also a great informational gateway to finding the best and the latest music online. Through the iTunes store, you can search for titles and download them directly onto your computer. All you need to do is to create an iTunes store account and your account will be charged for whatever music it is that you buy. With iTunes, you can even get great discounts, aside from finding the latest music online.

Jun M is a music enthusiast. Be updated always the latest music online. In this way you can change the way of your life. We all know that "no music no life". Let us enjoy our life with the latest music online

Shania Twain "Greatest Hits" Pop and Country CD Review

Country and Pop Music superstar Shania Twain has released a greatest hits CD appropriately titled Shania Twain Greatest Hits.

The reclusive Twain has sold more than 40 million albums over the years with-flirty, hook laden, beat-heavy, country-tinged pop tracks that have all the subtlety of a musical wet T-shirt contest.

She is one of the most successful recording artists in history. Her CD Come On Over is the biggest selling album of all time by a female artist, making it the female equivalent of Michael Jackson's Thriller.

This long awaited and much anticipated Greatest Hits collection includes three new songs along with the predictable chart topping hits she's had. Most of the songs are up tempo groovable tunes which is exactly what Shania Twain fans will enjoy and appreciate.

19 out of the 21 songs on this CD are pure gold, and they are so varied in style that there is a song for every music fan.

The CD launches with the classic ballad, Forever and For Always then goes on to showcase the very impressive list of gold records Twain has had over the years. Containing a whopping 21 songs in all.

Impressively Twain writes all of her own songs and melodies on guitar and of course does a great job singing them as well.

Some of my own Shania Twain favorites are track 1, Forever and For Always, track 2 I'm Gonna Getcha Good, track 5, Man! I Feel Like A Woman! and on, and on, and on. Heck they're all good!

Release Notes:

Shania Twain originally released Greatest Hits on November 9, 2004 on the Mercury Nashville record label.

CD track list follows:

1. Forever and For Always

2. I'm Gonna Getcha Good

3. UP!

4. Come On Over

5. Man! I Feel Like A Woman!

6. That Don't Impress Me Much

7. From This Moment

8. Honey, I'm Home

9. You're Still The One

10. Don't Be Stupid

11. Love Gets Me Every Time

12. No One Needs To Know

13. You Win My Love

14. I'm Outta Here

15. The Woman In Me

16. Any Man Of Mine

17. Whose Bed Have Your Boots

18. Party for Two' (with Mark McGrath)

19. Don't!

20. Party for Two (with Billy Currington)

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Karaoke Music Suggestions You Will Love

When discussing karaoke music, we have to look at two different aspects. On one hand, you'll need to choose the right karaoke hits for your collection to ensure everyone's satisfied and your karaoke party doesn't turn into an awkward "So, who is going next" scenario. On the other hand, you will need to consider where and how to buy these songs, either on CD, DVD, CD G or mp3. Perhaps you may not even want to buy them at all, instead opting for getting your fix of karaoke online.

Girls and guys have their favorite karaoke hits that have withstood the test of time, so be sure to add the following favorites to your karaoke song collection. Girls like empowering songs of survival, enduring sexuality and sass. To appease these spunky vixens include such tunes as "These Boots Were Made For Walkin'" (Nancy Sinatra), "I Will Survive" (Gloria Gaynor) "Hit Me With Your Best Shot" (Pat Benatar), "Venus" (Bananarama), "I Love Rock N Roll" (Joan Jett), "I'm Just A Girl" (No Doubt/Gwen Stefani), "Like A Virgin" (Madonna), "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" (Cyndi Lauper), "Feel Like A Woman" (Shania Twain), "You're So Vain" (Carly Simon), "She Works Hard For The Money" (Donna Summer), "Respect" (Aretha Franklin), "Sweet Dreams" (Eurythmics), "I Wanna Dance With Somebody" (Whitney Houston), "Listen To Your Heart" (Roxette) and "Black Velvet" (Alannah Myles).

Karaoke music for guys should be fun, macho and hilarious. Fun karaoke songs for them might include "Sweet Child O' Mine" (Guns N' Roses), "Sharp-Dressed Man" (ZZ Top), "Werewolves of London" (Warren Zevon), "Sultans of Swing," (Dire Straits), "Bohemian Rhapsody" (Queen) and "Celebrate" (Kool & The Gang). "Man's man" karaoke songs might be "Girls, Girls, Girls" (Motley Crue), "You Shook Me All Night Long" (AC/DC), "You Give Love A Bad Name" (Bon Jovi), "Macho Man" (The Village People), "Baby Got Back" (Sir Mix-a-lot), "I'm Too Sexy" (Right Said Fred), "Hurt So Good" (John Mellencamp) and "Born To Be Wild" (Steppenwolf). Funny songs include "Because I Got High" (Afroman), "Billie Jean" (Michael Jackson) or "Friends In Low Places" (Garth Brooks), although the funniest karaoke songs usually aren't intentional.

When it comes to karaoke music, there are just some songs that are must-haves for your collection. Even though you may not belt out Neil Diamond's cheesy "Sweet Caroline" as you're getting ready in the morning, you'd be crazy not to have it at your next karaoke party. Everyone will be chorusing the "bah bah bah's" to make the karaoke party even more fun. Another famous group sing-a-long is Bon Jovi's "Livin' On A Prayer," with everyone from 15-50 shouting out "whoaaaaa-ohhhhh, livin on a prayer" like an eighties rocker. Journey's "Don't Stop Believin" is so corny it's perfect for your next karaoke get together and don't think you'll get through the night without someone choosing Van Morrison's "Brown Eyed Girl," where all participants sing "sha-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-na-lad-di-da."

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The Basics of Having a Home Music Studio

Any musician's dream is to have their number one hit. But how does one go about getting that hit to the masses? Having a home music studio can get you on the right track to bringing this dream to reality!

Not everyone has the deep pockets required to hire a professional recording studio, and that's ok. You can have your own home music studio and it doesn't have to cost a lot (in some cases, nothing). Even if you do have the cash to go and hire the help of the pros, it is a very smart idea to have your arrangements down before hand so that you don't waste time and money in the pro studio.

A home music studio can come in many different flavours, so to speak. To really narrow it down, you have the stand alone hardware recording units, and then you have software programs used with your computer. We're going to talk about recording with software and your computer, since most everyone has a computer these days, and in my opinion, it has much more power and flexibility than a stand alone unit.

Computer owners have a great home music studio opportunity! There are many software programs out there to suit any budget. If you're new to recording, why not grab and play around with Audacity (free download) to get a feel for recording on your computer. It wouldn't multi-track well on my machine, but even if you just use it to record a single audio track which you can edit, add effects to, etc. it will give you a starting point for free. If you're going to purchase any software, be sure to check system requirements so that you know your computer will be able to perform well with the software program.

Getting the sound into the computer is pretty straight forward. Beginners can use any microphone (you don't need a proper music one to start, although if you want to produce any decent quality it is recommended. Just plug into your mic input (or other input if your mic is USB or something like that). Laptop users can even use the built in mic for learning purposes. For more intermediate home music studio setups, a mixer going into an internal or external sound card that is specifically for recording music will take you to the next level.

The key is to start playing around with multiple tracks. Drums, bass, keyboards, singing. You can build as you go. The more you experiment, the more you will learn. I started recording in my home music studio at 15 and over 26 years later, you could say I have a lot of techniques under my belt. But you have to start somewhere, so just dive in and see what you can come up with!

Brian Couture is a musician, internet marketer, entrepreneur, and real estate agent. His passions include helping people, technology, good food & good wine, and spending quality time with friends and family.

Home Music Studio

Justin Bieber Concerts - The Best Show Around

If you have never been to or watched one of Justin Bieber's concerts online, you are certainly missing out on one of the biggest spectacles to hit the music industry in many years. There is really nothing like watching a huge stadium or arena packed to the hilt with screaming teenage girls who know each and every single word of his songs by heart and crying tears of joy like we all saw the youngsters do with Michael Jackson a few decades ago. He is really starting to make his mark with all of this attention that he has gained over the past few years, but these days it seems that he is not just sitting back and enjoying his success. He wants to be the biggest act around.

Bieber is now proving that he is one of the hardest working acts in all of the music industry and the proof is in the pudding when you watch his concerts being sold out within minutes of the tickets going on sale. He is not one of those acts that short changes his fan base, either. He gives a full two hour or longer show in front of the packed houses and provides plenty of side entertainment and crowd interaction as well. I often worry that some of these crazed fans are going to snatch the little guy up, but thankfully that has yet to happen.

There is no mistaking that the biggest tour that will be going on this year and next will not be the usual U2 or Dave Matthews Band tours, but rather the new kid on the block, Justin Bieber. Having him there on stage along with the multiple famous rappers and musicians that like to soak up a little of the attention that Bieber is getting really provides the audiences with a vast array of musical talents that will satisfy any listener. There is not one single genre of music that you could put these collaborations into and there is something that everyone is bound to enjoy.

It is definitely in everyone's best interest to give this kid a shot and see what all of the excitement is about. It is not just the little teenage girls who are starting to take notice of this kid. It is the well respected people of the business that know a good thing when they see it.

He is certainly performing at a concert hall nearby, so why not give Justin Bieber concerts a shot?

The History of Candy in Music

You might not think that there is a correlation between musicians and candy, but there are many instances in modern music where artists have used candy as a metaphor for other things. Let's take a look at the history of candy in music.

Candy is most often used as a sexual metaphor. Perhaps this is because candy, like the person the artist is enamored by, is very sweet. Or it could be that the physical act of eating candy (i.e. licking a lollipop) has sexual overtones. Either way, many musicians have used candy as a symbol of their affection for another human being.

The trend of writing lyrics about candy really took off in the 1980s. Pop star Tiffany had a song called "Mind Candy," and most people will remember the Bow Wow Wow hit "I Want Candy." This sparked a trend that would carry over into the 1990s and 2000s, when many artists produced candy-themed songs. Alternative 90s rock group Marcy Playground broke through with the massive hit "Sex & Candy," which many people still remember well. Rappers such as Cameo, Snoop Dogg and Foxy Brown all put out songs titled "Candy." 50 Cent, the popular rapper, had a huge hit called "Candyshop," in which he proclaimed that he would "take a girl to the candyshop" and "let you lick the lollipop." Obviously these are pretty transparent sexual references, but hey, we are talking about rap music.

Not all references to candy in music are so deviant. In the late 1990s, pop singer Mandy Moore released the song "Candy," which went on to be a big hit. The song established Moore as one of the rising pop stars of a generation, along with the likes of Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera and Jessica Simpson. However, concerned parents worried that the suggestive theme of "Candy" was inappropriate for young children. Moore was only 14 at the time of the song's release, so she had many young and innocent fans. Moore responded by saying that the song wasn't supposed to be sexual, and that it was simply about having a crush on someone, similar to the way in which you could develop a "sweet tooth" for candy. It seems that people had become so used to candy being used as a sexual metaphor that they automatically assumed that was the case with Moore's song. Of course, it should be noted that Mandy Moore didn't actually write "Candy," so who knows what the truth is.

Recently, candy has been as big a theme as ever in music. Christina Aguilera had a big hit in 2006 with the song "Candyman." Madonna's forthcoming 2008 album is titled Hard Candy. Rihanna had a song on her latest album called "Sell Me Candy."

Some artists even reference certain brands of candy. In the 1970s, singer Mtume had the hit song "Juicy Fruit," which of course was later sampled in the Notorious B.I.G. song "Juicy" (considered one of the greatest rap songs ever made). This trend of naming specific brands of candy continued until today. The most recent example is the Lil Wayne song, "Lollipop."

It seems that pop music and candy will always be tied together.

Like songs about candy? Why not add Lil Wayne's Lollipop ringtone to your cell phone.

Oldies Music Station

Those oldies but goodies are sounding so good. When you turn on your favorite oldies music station, you are reaping the benefits of decades of work. Not just work in making the music, but the work in carefully crafted formats and dedication of the oldies music station staff.

The music, mostly from the 1950's and 1960's comprise the backbone of the traditional "classic gold" radio stations. Others may consider anything older than today as "oldies", but true oldies format refers to the golden age of rock and roll, 50's and 60's. The classic golden oldies probably extend until about 1964, when the Beatles "invaded" the US, along with other members of the "British Invasion" such as The Kinks, and they changed music in this country forever.

Radio station formats are frequently based on a tried and true oldies format. The program managers work out in advance everything they will play, the traffic director schedules the day's hours into segments of music, commercials and news. Radio jingles correspond with the station format, so you will hear oldies type jingles on an oldies radio station. No rap, just classic rock and roll.

Many businesses choose to play an oldies music station as background music in their store. Even some casinos play oldies, usually on "senior's day", as today's seniors were in their high school heyday when the original music was popular on the radio and at dances. Advertisers who want to target an older audience, 50 and up, choose oldies stations for part of their advertising mix. But seniors are not the only persons listening to the oldies. If so, the format would go out of style.

Some oldies stations will do dances, have their disc jockeys go live to a dance hall. Oldies can be chosen as a theme for certain parties, or special events. The songs were shorter then, three minutes or so on average, and the radio stations created formats featuring high repetition of a few songs. All favorites, all the time could be their slogan back then; today's it is the "blast from the past".

Songs you will hear on an oldies music station include the era's great singers, Elvis Presley, Danny and the Juniors, The Platters, Kingston Trio, Aretha Franklin, the Four Tops, Frankie Avalon, Fats Domino, Bill Haley and the Comets, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Buddy Holly and more. All the hits, all the time!

Oldies radio can be found across the country, and on new broadcast outlets like Sirius Radio, which even features an "All Elvis" radio channel. Niche audiences have loyal followers and those who want to target those "oldies audiences" can do so easily by placing their commercials on those stations who play oldies music.

Some younger people say they enjoy listening to oldies, but in reality they are referring to music from the 1970's, and 1980's, like Marshall Tucker Band, ACDC, and Aerosmith. But if they visit Grandma's house, they may be exposed to the real "oldies but goodies".

Wendy Pan is an accomplished niche website developer and author.

To learn more about oldies music [http://oldiesmusiconline.info/oldies-music-station], please visit Oldies Music Online [http://oldiesmusiconline.info] for current articles and discussions.

Musical Guide - A Brief History Of Musicals

In this article we're going to present a brief history of musical theater from its early beginnings right up to the present day.

Musicals actually started with the ancient Greeks who put on plays with songs. While they weren't called musicals at the time, that is indeed what they were. The music was crude by today's standards and the stories were not very well done, again by today's standards, but this was the early beginning of what was to become the modern musical.

In the 1700s there were many stage entertainments, though again they were not called musicals. The first English language work that had any lasting value was The Beggar's Opera which was done in 1728. It was a satirical spoof of the times. This was typical of the type of entertainment one would find up until the 1800's.

Musicals, as we know them today, started in the 1800s with the French and Viennese Operettas. The works of Offenbach and Strauss were the first musicals to achieve international popularity.

The contemporary Broadway musical, as we know it today, took its form from these operettas and was done in what we call Minstrel Shows. These eventually gave way to a new form of musical known as Vaudeville.

It wasn't until 1860 with the success of The Black Crook that the American musical really began to take off. During this time we were treated to the great works of Gilbert and Sullivan from 1871 to 1896.

During the early 1900s, composers like George M. Cohan and Victor Herbert gave musicals a new sound and style that is still popular to this very day. This style was then updated by composers such as Jerome Kern, Guy Boulton and P.G. Wodehouse.

By the 1930s the American musical had reached popularity the like of which it had never seen before, with composers such as Rogers and Hart and Cole Porter dominating the era.

By the 40s and 50s we were treated to some of the greatest musicals in what was called the modern era. These musicals included such classics as Oklahoma, Annie Get Your Gun, Kiss Me Kate, The King and I, My Fair Lady, and the list goes on for miles.

In the 1960s we saw such great musicals like Hello Dolly, Fiddler On The Roof, and Hair, which was the first musical in the United States to feature nude actors.

By the 1970s musical theater had become pretty extravagant with the advances in technology and design. The 70s brought us such great shows as A Little Night Music, A Chorus Line, No No Nanette, Sweeney Todd and Evita.

But the hits kept coming and would continue to come, many from Britain. In the 80s we saw such great shows like Cats, Les Miserables and Phantom Of The Opera.

In the 25 years since, literally hundreds of musicals have hit the stage. Some great, some not so great. But what was once a humble beginning is now one of the major forms of entertainment, not only in the United States but all across the world.

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Michael Russell
Your Independent guide to Music
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Jimmy Castor Live in Las Vegas

Jimmy Castor appeared at an out-of-the-way local bar in west side of Las Vegas this past weekend complete with a horn section and backup singers. For those of you who don't know who this man is he is a songwriter, singer, saxophonist, percussionist, producer, arranger, etc and is known as The E-Man, "The Everything Man."

Jimmy Castor, who grew up in Harlem, wrote his first million seller for Frankie Lymon and the Teenagers called, "I Promise To Remember," while still in junior high school. He later put together his own band and then wrote his second million seller, "Hey Leroy Your Mama's Calling You," on the legendary label, Mercury Records in 1966.

"Troglodyte (the cave man)" and "Luther the Anthropoid," were hits and a title cut from the "It's Just Begun" album was featured in the movie "Flashdance." His album "Butt of Course," featured the infamous "The Bertha Butt Boogie" that everyone sang in jest whenever a woman of substance walked by for many years after. And from the same record, there was also the disco hit "E-Man Boogie." His song "Space Age" blazed a trail of jazz fusion into the era of disco and will be long remembered. His songs have been sampled by many in contemporary pop music today. Christine Aguilera, Ice Cube, The Beastie Boys, and many others have used his tracks in their music, an outstanding tribute to this man's writing skills and their subsequent longevity.

The great thing about Las Vegas is the outstandingly talented people that not only live here, but visit and make appearances all over this town, just to have fun and join with old friends. Los Angeles may have a bit of that, and New York's Harlem days are all but gone, so it is truly a special place at times to be able to hear and see legends of the entertainment business.

He seems ageless while performing his hits and the energy he exudes is carefully paced-but plentiful to carry the load of yesteryear for the audience's enjoyment as much as his own. His perfectly centered pitch on the saxes is precise and his delivery that of a man many years younger than his age. The entire show was peppered with his yore of goodtimes and his interactions with Sammy Davis, Jimi Hendrix, Frankie Lymon and lesser celebrities along with the origin of Bertha Butt (and the Butt Sisters). He's funny and charming and the 90 minute show was well worth the jaunt to Sonny's Tavern, a "mobbishly yesteryear" decorated speakeasy, outside of town. Mariano Longo, a longtime Vegas very fine bandleader, pianist/keyboardist, guitarist, arranger, and all-around musician convinced Mr. Castor to "reinvent himself" and recreate for a new generation the glory days of a time long past but instrumental (pardon the pun) in our pop musical history. To take a line from a television series that debuted in 1966, "Live long and (keep) prospering" Jimmy. You still have what it takes.

Nick Oliva (O-lee-va') has been a musician, composer, photographer, an audio engineer, an Entertainment Director and Technical Director for over twenty-five years and is a successful self-made money manager. Website: View my blog and buy my latest book at http://www.onlymomentsbook.com

The Tradition of Great Chicago Live Music Continues With Gooey

Chicago Illinois has long been a music epicenter. In the early 1900's, plantation workers migrated from the south bringing with them jazz and the blues, which lead to the birth of the Chicago blues and Chicago style Jazz. Chicago became very famous for the Blues however the Chicago music scene is not just limited to the Blues. Chicago is full of every kind of music from Symphony to punk rock and everything in between. Any and every kind of music style, Chicago has it all.

During the 1960's and 1970's folk music became a focal point from a number of prominent folk singer-songwriters like John Prine and Steve Goodman. The Chicago music scene is also famous for the Chicago house, a style of house music, which led to the birth of the techno style of music. In the 1980's and 1990's rock music, especially heavy, punk rock and alternative music were strong in Chicago when bands like The Smashing Pumpkins got their big start. And more recently more hip hop artists like Kanye West are emerging from the Chicago music scene. Despite the different varieties of music, these artists all have one thing in common - they all got their start in Chicago.

The tradition of a great local music continues with Gooey, an energetic band who has hit the Chicago music scene with a number of power pop albums. Gooey is led by songwriter and vocalist Juan Avila and supported by Chris Eudy and Brian Vaughan on the electric guitar, Tom Hickey on the bass and John Noyes on the drums.

Gooey is known in the local Chicago music scene for their jangly power pop albums with catchy, relatable and heartfelt lyrics, toting Matthew Sweet and Beatles influences. From the release of their album Gooey in 2004 to their latest Larger than Large (coming out later in 2010), they have hit the right chord with Chicago music lovers and critics alike. Gooey is Chicago's Hottest Band with the sticky sweet name and music that is not to miss in the Chicago live music scene. Gooey will have you dancing, singing and feeling great with their fun and funky sounds that grab you and keep you coming back for more.

Article Source: ilovegooey.com

Essence of Malayalam Music

Malayalam Music is an age old form of Indian music that is exemplified by its unique instrumental beats. It belongs to the state of Kerala whose cultural legacy and philosophical values are incorporated in the music and songs. As the state is known for its magical wonders with respect to scenic beauty and nature's charm, so is the charm and magic of Malayalam music. Kerala's wondrous beauty and cultural heritage is deep rooted in the outstanding music and songs.

The traditional form of Malayalam music is Sopana Music or Sopana Sangeetam that was influenced from the Bhakti Cult Movement held in Kerala. This form clearly expresses the feelings and different moods of the singer or the actor. Then was introduced the melam form that is mainly performed during festivals and temple rituals. After that many other genres were introduced with the introduction of new musical instruments and advancements in music industry.

Some of the common types popular in the present day are folk, pop, rock, hip-hop, and movie songs. Folk songs have beautiful lyrics with amazing beats and rhythm and are mostly characterized by the lifestyle or profession of some known or recognized personality. 'Pulayas' is one of those whose lifestyle, profession, and beliefs is widely acclaimed in a bunch of Malayalam folk songs. A bunch of these songs are also attributed to the Malayalam literature including the popular Vatakkan Pattukal and Thekkan Pattukal dealing with varieties of themes and expressions. Many of the folk songs are originally poems that are beautifully transformed into melodious songs with greater energy and dynamism.

With the growing popularity of this genre of music, Malyalam movie songs also became popular on the chart busters. There are many movies whose popularity revolves in and around the hit numbers. Soundtracks in the movies are mind blowing and keep the viewers calm yet energetic before the screen.

The modern styles like rap, rock, and hip-hop music have also influenced the Malayalam genre in a great way. Fused with westernization, the form of music has become even more rocking and astounding. Every time songs are played listeners are drawn towards the dance floor or are forced to tap their feet on the energetic musical beats.

Chitra, Sreekumar, Yesudas, and Jayachandran are the iconic Malayalam singers who have created their own prominent place in the industry. The introduction of internet has made the reach to wide number of songs more easy, convenient, and comfortable. Hot numbers sung by these singers are available for free download on various online sources.

To read some interesting articles on songs, visit Malayalam Songs and Top Songs.

AC/DC - 80's Music Rock Gods

AC/DC - The thunder from down under and possibly the biggest, loudest thing that has ever come out of Australia. Unless you have lived under a rock all your life, you know who this band is. Original lead singer Bon Scott passed way too early, but I believe Brian Johnson has filled the shoes extremely well. Angus and Malcom Young complete the original lineup and hard, fast rock are what these guys are all about. From the early days of Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, to the excellent movie soundtrack of Maximum Overdrive, they have a style all their own.

TNT, Big Balls, Wole Lotta Rosie, Thunderstruck, the 80's classic hits seem to go on and on. One thing I don't understand though. Where does Angus Young get all the energy to keep doing show after show like he does? The school boy uniform, and the constant running across the stage is a sight to witness. I often wonder how many uniforms he has worn, and where he gets them. For most bands, the lead singer is the center of attraction. With this band, the lead guitarist is the main figure. Talk about talent, how does anyone run and play the guitar at the same time? I don't mean a slow steady trot, either. Angus is in a full out sprint constantly during the show. The other band members are'nt no slouches, the wall of sound they put up is almost intoxicating. Loud drums, loud bass, loud rhythm guitar, just loud!!

My personal Top Ten AC/DC song list.

10 - Hells Bells
9 - Shoot To Thrill
8 - TNT
7 - Back In Black
6 - Jailbreak
5 - For Those About To Rock (We Salute You)
4 - Moneytalks
3 - You Shook Me All Night Long
2 - Thunderstruck
1 - Big Balls

What would your top ten list look like? Do you agree or disagree with me? Hopefully you will remember all of these classic 80's music hits. I suggest breaking out your favorite AC/DC album and playing it loud from start to finish. Get pumped and enjoy!! Remember, play it loud, but most of all play it proud! Rock on!

For more 80's music hits from AC/DC and other artists visit this link: http://80srockhits.blogspot.com/

Glenn is a go to work Dad looking to supplement his household income.

Hot New Music Downloads for iPod Nano

If you got the new Nano chances are you have probably spent some time online looking for cool new music or videos to download. You have probably even been to the iTunes website.

iTunes is a great place to get music for your Nano or iPod/Mp3 player. What you should know is that's it's not the only place you can get your favorite media content. You are not locked in to just iTunes. You have alternatives, and iTunes is only one for them out of hundreds to choose from. If you were not aware of that, now you are.

Getting Nano downloads for free is an option these days, however a lot of people just don't know about all their choices or simply can't find the right resource. It really can be a difficult time finding a legitimate safe iPod Nano downloads service, what you have to know is that it is not impossible. You can have unlimited access to all the music, movies, games & media content you want.

Finding a review site that you feel comfortable with would be the best way to go about finding the best iPodNanodownloads site to invest in. These review's go through a lot of trouble testing and gathering information putting their money on the line to see what they would get if it were your money to be able to provide you with safe honest Nano download software sites. So you can be sure that when you visit a review of the best iPod downloads you will get only the best service available, never posting sites that would do harm to you or your computer.

Yes you can have unlimited iPod Nanodownloads

All at your finger tips and the best part about all of this excitement is you only have to pay once for membership and that's it. You never have to pay for anything else every again. All downloads are free and absolutely legal, which means you never have worry about having Johnny Law knocking on your door because you just downloaded the hit new song by AKON. This service is simply amazing, and you can continue to use it for many years from now. There's no time limits or expiration dates ever.

If you agree that it's time to move away from iTunes and on to bigger and better things, then it's strongly recommended that you invest some of your time and take a look at this new Nano downloads review sites.

You already spent to much money on that new iPod of yours, so why spend hundreds more on downloads for all your favorite media when you can have it for free. Did you know the average iTunes member spends $300-$350 per year on iPoddownloads. There is a way to save you a few hundred dollars already and also save a lot more in the future. If you would like to find out more about the iPod service I am referring to, feel free to visit my personal review.

Adam P Archer went through a lot of trouble & money to create the new iPod Nano Downloads center for people to have accurate and safe downloading for all their iPods. Click Here

Article may be reprinted with author info intact with all links included. http://watch-dogreviews.com/iPod-Downloads.html

Top 20 Billy Joel Hits

The Piano Man recorded his first album at the age of 14. Here's a look at his career and 20 biggest hits.

William Martin Joel was born in Hicksville, Long Island, New York in 1949. In 1964, he joined his first band, The Echoes, at the age of 14. The Echoes became The Emeralds in 1965 and then the Lost Souls.

After joining the Long Island group, The Hassels in the late 60's, they released two albums and four singles. Joel and Hassels drummer Jon Small formed Attila, but they disbanded after only one album.

Billy Joel went solo and signed with the Family Productions label in 1971 and released one album, "Cold Spring Harbor," named after a Long Island town. However, this album also went unnoticed.

Joel moved to California in 1972 and did a gig at a piano bar on Wilshire Boulevard, where he composed his classic tune, "Piano Man."

Columbia Records executive, Herb Gordon, became aware of Joel's talent and signed him to a recording contract, releasing his first album, "Piano Man." The title track was released as a single in 1974 and gave Joel his first top 40 hit, making it to #25 on the weekly Billboard charts.

Joel followed that album with "The Entertainer", releasing the title track and giving him his second top 40 single in 1975.

When Joel teamed up with producer Phil Ramone, the album "the Stranger" was recorded and that's when the hits started coming. Billy Joel went top 40 over 30 times on the Billboard singles charts, topping the charts three times.

Here are Billy Joel's 20 biggest hits, according to Billboard magazine:

1. It's Still Rock And Roll To Me - 1980 - his first number one single.

2. We Didn't Start The Fire - 1989

3. Tell Her About It - 1983

4. Just The Way You Are - 1978 - written for his wife, at the time, Elizabeth and won Grammy's Record of the Year and Song of the Year.

5. My Life - 1979 - used as the opening theme to the sitcom "Bosom Buddies" starring Tom Hanks and Peter Scolari.

6. Uptown Girl - 1983 - written about future wife Christie Brinkley.

7. The River Of Dreams - 1993 - Joel's last hit to make it into the Top 10.

8. I Go To Extremes - 1990

9. You May Be Right - 1980 - covered by Southside Johnny and used for the opening theme for the CBS sitcom, "Dave's World."

10. You're Only Human (Second Wind) - 1985 - one of two singles recorded especially to be included in the Greatest Hits Vol. 1 & 2 album.

11. An Innocent Man - 1984 - the title track from the album that was written as a tribute to the music of the 1950's and 1960's.

12. A Matter Of Trust - 1986 -

13. Modern Woman - 1986 - included in the film "Ruthless People" starring Bette Midler and Danny DeVito.

14. The Longest Time - 1984

15. Big Shot - 1979

16. Allentown - 1983 - from the Nylon Curtain album.

17. She's Always A Woman - 1978 - One of four top 25 singles from "The Stranger" album.

18. Movin' Out (Anthony's Song) - 1978

19. Say Goodbye To Hollywood - 1981 - from the "Songs In The Attic" album.

20. This Is The Time - 1987 - a favorite on the prom circuit.

Billy Joel was involved in a serious motorcycle accident in 1982. In 1985, he married supermodel, Christie Brinkley. He was the first American rock act to perform in Russia, in 1987, since before the Berlin Wall was constructed.

Billy Joel won Grammy's Legend Award in 1990 and was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 1999. He still tours today, sometimes with Elton John.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/user/319855/carl_megill.html

Legal Music Downloads

On July 28, 2004, French Internet access providers and music copyright owners signed a joint national charter aimed at cracking down on illegal downloads and expanding the amount of legal music tracks available online (AFP). This is the latest in a series of moves taken across the world to combat music piracy as production labels see more and more of their profits being lost to illegal downloads of music files.

The music industry has been saying the same thing for several years now: peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing networks are exponentially distributing pirated music across the world through the Internet, and this constitutes a copyright infringement. In English, this means that the fact that I downloaded a Tori Amos track through Kazaa yesterday and am listening to it right now makes me a criminal. So far, so good. Quite true as well.

But the real problem is not that people do not want to pay for music. Often I sample new music off the Internet before buying the CDs. Chances are that if I like most of the album, I'm going to buy it. On the surface this is what radio stations do when they play music. The difference, however, is that it has become insanely easy for me to acquire almost-as-good-as-original quality mp3s of any track that I want to listen to, and even if I don't pay a dime, no one is there to catch me.

The principle of accountability has vanished. When one sees that there are two ways to acquire the same product, but by sacrificing a 'little' bit of quality you can get it for free without being penalized for it, what would most rational people do? P2P networks have made finding music off the Internet ridiculously easy, and most of us tend to 'forget' our social responsibility when it comes to such 'trivial' matters. To contribute to this, copy-protection techniques used on CDs by major production houses are always a step behind the latest cracking algorithms, and steps taken to prevent 'ripping' of CDs and DVDs have proven fruitless so far.

Enter music downloads of the legal kind. Disregarding the small number of 'free' legal music available for promotional purposes, more and more artists and labels have begun to provide a pay-per-download music service. In essence, you can purchase individual tracks or complete albums through a secure online transaction and then download your 'purchase' and, with variable limits to personal use, pretty much do whatever you want to do with it (Several providers digitally encode the files to prevent them from being played on other computers, or to be burned onto CD-Rs)
This is both a move to encourage free-riders such as me to start acquiring 'legal' music and an economic adjustment to the digital music revolution. Developing technologies are changing the way people perceive and use music. The advent of iPod and other mp3 players has meant that more and more people are becoming accustomed to carrying around their complete music collections with the latest players offering space for around 10,000 songs. This holds frightening possibilities for record companies. There is a very real concern within the industry that the CD format is fast going out of style, and as technology evolves, consumer demands for the best 'medium' will change as well. Till a few years ago audio CDs offered unparalleled music quality, a factor record companies used to encourage people to 'buy instead of steal (download)'. However, today's high-quality digital formats mean that audio quality is comparable, and in some cases equal to, CDs. Some experts are even starting to predict that within a decade CDs will become history as digital music will evolve to a point where we will be have access to our entire music collection (hopefully paid for) wherever we want it: in our car, at work, anywhere in the house, even on the beach. Matched with promises (and the reality) of audio quality, this is a serious threat to traditional business.

Thus, providing legal music online is a means of the industry trying to position itself to take advantage of the rising trend of portable music collections. A quick glance across major online music stores tells us exactly so. While offering free-riders affordable music (allowing them to purchase only the tracks they like instead of forcing them to buy the complete album) to ensure that they do not turn to music piracy, sites like eMusic and Apple's iTunes are backing the new trend. iTunes, Apple's online music store, has the added distinction of being supported by perhaps the best mp3 player in the business, the iPod. In this combination, Apple has found a very secure marketing brand and ensured that it takes full advantage of this cross between technology and music.

Legal music downloads appear to be the perfect answer to stopping music piracy, at least the downloading kind. Therefore there is no surprise when one sees major record labels pushing to expand such services. However, recent developments tend to make us question what the overall agenda really is. After a period of consolidation of the digital music market in the last two years, albums available for download online are being priced higher than they would normally be in retail stores. It used to be that you could download a song for $0.99 and a complete album for $9.99, but now stores are setting higher prices, with tracks going for $1.50 or even $2.49 and $11.50 albums being sold for $12.50 and $13.00 online. What is going on?
In positioning themselves to take advantage of changing market forces, the music industry has also hit upon another major factor in determining sales: consumer behavior. Legal music downloads offer people like me the comfort of never having to waste time in retail stores looking for my favorite track from high-school days or wondering when the latest album of Nickelback would hit the shelves. Instead, all the hassles are removed with everything easily searchable, previewable and downloadable from the comfort of my computer chair (and this baby is very, very, comfortable). Consumers may not be usually rational, but they are always looking to save the effort when it comes to making any sort of purchases. Online stores (or is it the major recording labels? Who knows...) are now cashing into this very aspect of human psychology and are beginning to charge extra for a service they are portraying now as a privilege. Having already consolidated their core target market, the time has now come to increase revenues.

Would this drive people back towards music piracy? Highly unlikely. People are not evil, or criminal, by nature. Appeals to their better nature usually work, and that is the strategy adopted by agencies like the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) who are actively involved in putting a stop to illegal music sharing. Media campaigns encouraging music lovers to pay a dollar or two for tracks instead of 'committing a crime' by downloading them for free are actually working as slowly but surely, more and more people flock to online music stores. And with existing customers sticking to this more 'comfortable' way of buying music, the industry is finally starting to win back ground it lost due to music piracy.

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Mike Ber is the owner of the Canadian Domain Name Portal called http://www.Every.ca. He is also a contributing author to Canadian Computer Magazine [http://www.computermagazine.ca] and http://www.Developer.ca website.

100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time - Carlos Santana

When we think of all the great guitarists throughout time, many names come to mind - Carlos Santana is one of them. In August 2003, Santana was named fifteenth on Rolling Stone magazine's "List of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time". And rightly so. This Mexican-born American guitarist has toured and recorded successfully since the late '60s. In the 90s he was rediscovered by a new generation with his album Supernatural, which involved well-known artists such as Rob Thomas and Eric Clapton.

Carlos Santana got his roots in Mexico, where he grew up. He spent a great amount of time around music as his father was a mariachi violinist. Santa took up the violin at five, but at eight switched to the guitar. Later when the family moved to Tijuana, he began playing in clubs and bars. By the early '60s, the family moved to San Francisco and Santana followed. In 1966 Santana created the Santana Blues Band. Despite the name, the group was at first a collective; it was required to name a nominal leader due to a provision of the musicians union. The name was eventually shortened to Santana and the band debuted at the Fillmore West Theater in San Francisco on June 16, 1968. Soon after, Santana recorded the album Super Session that had featured himself with Mike Bloomfield and Steve Stills. The result was The Live Adventures of Mike Bloomfield and Al Kooper, which marked Santana's recording debut.

Santana's career only evolved from here. He toured the U.S. prior to the release of the album, including a notable appearance at the celebrated Woodstock festival in August 1969 that was filmed and recorded. Santana was released the same month, and it became a massive hit, as did its follow-ups Abraxas (1970) and Santana III (1971). After completing recording and touring activities in connection with Santana III, the original Santana band broke up.

Carlos retained rights to the group's name Santana that consisted of himself and a constantly changing collection of hired musicians. His first recording after the breakup of the original group was a live show performed in Hawaii with singer and drummer Buddy Miles. The album reached the Top Ten and eventually went platinum. Following the release of the Santana band album Caravanserai (1972), Carlos formed a duo with John McLaughlin, guitarist for the Mahavishnu Orchestra. The two shared a spiritual leader in guru Sri Chinmoy, who bestowed upon Carlos the name Devadip, meaning "the eye, the lamp, and the light of God." Devadip Carlos Santana and Mahavishnu John McLaughlin's duo album Love Devotion Surrender was released in June 1973. It reached the Top 20 and eventually went gold. After releasing another Santana band project, Welcome, Carlos next teamed up with another religious disciple, Turiya Alice Coltrane, widow of John Coltrane, for a third duo album. Their collaboration, Illuminations, was released in September 1974; it spent two months in the charts, peaking in the bottom quarter of the Top 100.

During the 1970s, Carlos Santana released a series of gold or platinum albums: Borboletta (1974), Amigos (1975), Festival (1976), Moonflower (1977), and Inner Secrets (1978). In February 1979, he finally released his first real solo album, the half-live, half-studio Oneness/Silver Dreams -- Golden Reality, actually credited to Devadip.

During the 80s, songs that got more radio time began making their appearances included "Winning" in 1981 and "Hold On" (a remake of Canadian artist Ian Thomas' song) in 1982 both reached the top twenty. Santana again paid tribute to his early rock roots by doing the film score to La Bamba, which was based on the tragically short life of rock and roll legend Ritchie Valens and starred Lou Diamond Philips.

Carlos spent almost five years away from recording, not returning until June 1999 when he issued Supernatural on Arista Records. The Santana band album featured many tracks co-written by guest stars such as Rob Thomas of matchbox 20, Eric Clapton, Lauryn Hill, and others. Paced by the number one singles "Smooth" and "Maria Maria," the album became the biggest hit of Santana's career, selling upwards of ten million copies. It also won Santana eight Grammy Awards.

In 2002, Santana released Shaman, revisiting the Supernatural format of guest artists including P.O.D. and Seal. Although the album was not the runaway success its predecessor had been, it produced two radio-friendly hits. "The Game of Love" featuring Michelle Branch, rose to number five on the Billboard Hot 100 and spent many weeks at the top of the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart.

Other albums followed including Possibilities and All That I Am. In 2008, Santana started working with his long-time friend, Marcelo Vieira, on his solo album Marcelo Vieira's Acoustic Sounds, which is due to be released at the end of the year. It features tracks such as "For Flavia" and "Across the Grave", the later featuring heavy melodic riffs by Santana.

In addition to his music notoriety, Santana also oversees several business ventures including the Milagro Foundation, which has donated nearly $3 million to help disadvantaged youth; his women's shoe line, Carlos by Carlos Santana, which has racked up $100 million in sales; his signature brand of sparkling white wine; his partnership in Maria Maria, a chain of high-end Mexican cantinas; and his upcoming documentary called Architects of a New Dawn, which advocates global change through the power of positive thinking.

What will this 100 greatest guitarists do next? One can only imagine.

Jeff Bachmeier is owner of 977music.com, an online music and online radio station network providing live streaming Internet Radio channels with music from the 50's thru Today. Users can also choose to create their own customized on demand play list through their own social media profile. For more information please visit http://www.977music.com

Boxing Training - Using Music to Boost Your Workout Potential

Boxing is about agility, strength, and endurance. It is about perseverance and strength of character, but most of all it is about will, the will to win and the will to live. It brings out the strongest in the human spirit. Perhaps, that's why the world fell in love with Rocky Balboa, because he stood for something and he refused to give in. And in that time of his darkest hour, and ultimate adversity he refused to quit, he took a beating and kept coming back.

Americans identify with this, because we are a proud culture of fighters, we are the strong and the proud. Our ancestors came here from other places to build a better life and so they did. We are the offspring of that great group of people, and we will never forget that. Thus, we watch boxing with awe, and we realize how much these fighters go through, as they train every day until they can't stand up anymore.

They do it day after day, year after year all in the quest to be the best. But each fight is different and each fight could be their last. It's a high-stakes game with big rewards and big risks. A fighter must be committed and he must get through those grueling workouts. One way that the fighters are able to get through all that conditioning is the use of music during their workouts.

Each day they will run to music, each day they will spar to music, each day they will hit the weights and workout music. It helps them get through the day, it helps them to find out who they are, and the music they choose to play is very much a part of their essence, their spirit, their drive, and their ambition to win because that's what boxing is about. Please consider all this.

Lance Winslow - Lance Winslow's Bio. Lance Winslow is also Founder of the Car Wash Guys, a cool little Franchise Company; http://www.carwashguys.com/history/founder.html/.

Laurie Berkner's Music - A Great Hit With Children and Adults Alike

It is not at all surprising that Children's Music Web claims Victor Vito to be the Best Recording for Toddlers. Family Fun Magazine says "Victor Vito is really, truly neato" due to the fact that Laurie Berkner's music is as popular with moms and dads as it is with children!

When listening to the big purple dinosaur sing "I love you, you love me!" it is no longer necessary for adults to put their fingers in their ears or rush to take a painkiller, thanks to Laurie Berkner's talented knack for writing and performing children's tunes. Even though the words of the song may be silly, the music is still appealing to parents who find themselves singing along when listening to the CD's with their children.

Although music played a big part in Laurie Berkner's life, her more recent success as a children's recording artist came as a huge surprise. "It was so unexpected. I'd been performing in rock and struggling to write original music. Writing music for kids has not been a struggle at all. The more I started working on material for children, the more I realized that it opened up creativity in me that I never knew I had." comments Laurie.

Following on from her studies at college, Laurie was employed in the role of music counselor at summer camps, and after that for many years as a children's music specialist in and around the New York area, at day care and preschool centers. This experience of working with children became the ideal outlet for Laurie to express her many creative skills, resulting in what she remarks, "has turned out to be incredibly rewarding."

There are a total of three members in Laurie's band, long term friend and pianist Susie Lampert and Laurie's bassist husband, Brian Mueller. As well as her video and CD's, a new DVD is to be released in the near future. Laurie, a mom living in Princeton, New Jersey, performs on the TV show, Noggin on a daily basis. This is the only educational channel devoted to children of preschool age, twelve hours a day and seven days a week, totally uninterrupted by commercials.

If you check out the song titles on the Victor Vito CD, Victor Vito, Bottle Caps, Moon Moon Moon, Froggie Went A-Courtin', I'm Not Perfect, The Toy Museum, O Susannah, BOOTS, Oleanna, The Crabs, Sneaks, The Goldfish, Zodiac, Trucks, Fruit Salad Salsa, The Story of my Feelings, I Feel Crazy so I Jump in the Soup, Shakin' Down the Sugar, Googleheads, Tingolayo, White Coral Bells, Goodnight , the reason this is such a fun collection will be abundantly clear.

Lots of Laurie's songs are simply good to sing along to create a feeling of happiness, whilst a great life lesson is tucked neatly inside Laurie's acoustic guitar, flute, harmonica, horns and maracas. So if you are searching for children's audio which will bring you enjoyment at the same time, Laurie Berkner is an artist you should definitely consider. You can learn more about Laurie on her webiste - just google the name for the site details.

Kevin Sinclair is the publisher and editor of MusicianHome.com, a site that provides information and articles for musicians at all stages of their development.

Sprint PCS Phone Now with Sirius: a Cool New Feature is Now Available for Satellite Radio Fans!

Note: Author is not associated with Sirius or Howard Stern in any way and this article is meant to be an analysis of the move to Sirius Satellite Radio by Howard Stern and events surrounding it.

A pretty cool new feature is now available for Satellite Radio Fans!

Sprint PCS/NEXTEL subscribers can now pay only $6.95 to get Sirius Music on their tech-multimedia phones. Twenty commercial free music channels are available and Sprint PCS Vision subscribers can now enjoy 20 original, commercial-free SIRIUS Music channels that play an amazing variety of music. There is even a channel devoted to headlining artist interviews and offers exclusive content such as guest performances.

Sirius has censored a few music stations due to this deal with Sprint, although they are not required to by law, they have chosen to do so. There are quite a few regulations, however for Sprint to abide by regarding their service. Unfortunately this has affected the listeners of Sirius Satellite Radio.

The Sirius / Sprint Line up includes the following:
POP/R&B

· SIRIUS Hits 1: Today's Top 40 hits.
· The Pulse: Pop and Rock from the 90's to now.

DECADES

· '60s Vibrations: The musical revolution of the '60s and early '70s.
· Totally '70s: The most popular music from the '70s.
· Big '80s: The hit music of the '80s.

ROCK

· Classic Vinyl: Classic rock of the '60s and '70s.
· Classic Rewind: Classic rock's 2nd generation.
· Hair Nation: Rock from the big hair '80s.
· First Wave: Alt-rock's pioneering artists and sounds.
· Alt Nation: The best alt-rock of the '90s and today.

HIP-HOP/R&B

· Hot Jamz: Today's hip-hop and R&B hits.
· Heart & Soul: The R&B hits from the '80s, '90s and today.

COUNTRY

· New Country: The best new country music.
· Prime Country: Country music superstars of yesterday and today.

JAZZ/BLUES/BROADWAY

· Jazz Cafe: Smooth jazz instrumentals and vocals.
· SIRIUS Blues: Authentic blues music, from past to present.
· Broadway's Best: Songs from Broadway's most popular shows.

DANCE/ELECTRONIC

· The Beat: Today's biggest dance hits and remixes.
· Area63: Trance and progressive house dance music.
· Chill: A relaxing mix of down tempo electronic and rock.

SIRIUS INTERVIEWS

· Listen to interviews and performances of your favorite artists.

Scott Fish is the owner of Satellite Radio Sirius and XM Satellite Radio Reviews Portable | Search Engine Optimization Firm Oregon SEO