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"Teddy! Live in '79" DVD clip: "Close the Door"
"Teddy! Live in '79" is a sizzling live performance DVD featuring Pendergrass in his scorching prime. Filmed at The Sahara Hotel in Lake Tahoe, Nevada, "Teddy! Live in '79" contains performances of hits from his first two solo albums, "Teddy Pendergrass" and "Life Is A Song Worth Singing," as well as a medley of his chart toppers as lead singer for Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes. As a bonus feature, the DVD also contains an in-depth interview with Pendergrass recorded in 2002. "Teddy! Live in '79" is the first live performance DVD from this pinnacle, magic time in the sexy superstar's career. In "Teddy! Live in '79," Pendergrass raises temperatures sauntering and swaying in his spotless white suite, complete with gold medallions. Needless to say, he entertains in front of a most enthusiastic audience. Women, especially, can hardly contain themselves as Pendergrass makes his way through "Life Is A Song Worth Singing," "Only You," and his first #1 single, "Close The Door." Pendergrass pays tribute to his former group Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes with a medley including "If You Don't Know Me By Now," "The Love I Lost," #1 disco single "Bad Luck," and "Wake Up Everybody." Pendergrass also performs a soulful version of Eric Carmen's "All By Myself," which has previously never been released.
In late 2003, with more than 20 songs completed, The Race approached electronic duo Telefon Tel Aviv to help produce a new record. Self-admitted studio-perfectionists and highly acclaimed for their electronic composition, Telefon jumped at the opportunity to work on a group of songs that were raw yet completely written. Over the course of two months, The Race and Telefon broke down the music to its essential elements and then began to build it back up again. The Race's preference for simple song structures and dynamically powerful writing, combined with the exquisite production of Telefon Tel Aviv, has resulted in the stunningly beautiful "If You Can" - an album that shows a band ready to make its mark.
The truth is, Maria McKee is only beginning to tap into what she has to say. On Peddlin' Dreams (Eleven Thirty Records), her sixth solo album, she draws not only from her own songs but also from those of her bassist, producer, frequent co-writer, and husband, Jim Akin. Their distinctive styles, brought into focus by an approach to recording unlike any that McKee had followed before, make Peddlin' Dreams one of her most urgent and eloquent works. That, of course, is saying a lot. From her early performances at sixteen, singing with her brother, Bryan MacLean of the epochal group Love, through her run with Americana pioneers Lone Justice and on to the career she has established on her own, McKee has maintained an uncommon honesty and excellence as a writer and singer, as those who have written with her (Steve Earle), recorded her material (The Dixie Chicks), or added her songs to high-profile film soundtracks (Pulp Fiction) can attest. Her last studio album, High Dive (2002), epitomizes her work up to that point: Meticulously produced, finely polished, it fit McKee's pattern of spending as much time as necessary to come up with an album that met the high standards she sets for herself. Fans learned to be patient, knowing that the payoff would be worth the wait. It always was, especially High Dive, which earned vast praise. Mojo magazine, in a four-star review, called the album "an organic, risk-taking record oozing rich details," while USA Today declared that Maria "has one of the strongest and most versatile voices in pop music." In addition to dates in the U.S., Maria toured across the U.K. and Europe on a 10-country tour in support of the album. Peddlin' Dreams is a departure, conceived with the same self-imposed expectations yet reflective of her evolving ambitions. On this project, McKee and Akin emphasize emotion over seamless craftsmanship; the production quality is as strong as ever, but its intention is to invest each track with a live feel. On "My One True Love" she whispers her vocal, as if standing inches away from the listener in some quiet room of the heart; on "Everyone's Got a Story" she's fronting her band in a raucous jam, ripping licks on her guitar over a thrashing beat. The other songs settle between these extremes, each with its own balance of intimacy and abandon -- and all of it feels totally alive. "The truth is, High Dive was a labor of love," Maria explains. "It was also incredibly demanding -- a lot of hard work for both Jim and me. We wanted to make Peddlin' Dreams' more direct and spontaneous. We didn't think about it too much; we just went in and did it. The process was much more natural." More than that: Their approach on Peddlin' Dreams signals a shift in Maria's thoughts about recording, her relationship with the public, and deeper issues as well. "In the past I haven't been the most prolific artist," she admits. "It's taken me as much as six years to go from one album to the next. I've had to sit with songs and ideas a long time until I've felt satisfied with them. I want to make better use of my talent now. If I'm honest with my songs, I can put albums out more frequently; that's become important to me because of how incredible my fans have been and how important it is for me to connect with them as often as I can." Her first step was to surrender the reins of production. She had her reasons: to concentrate more fully on performance, to expedite the process. Most crucial, though, is her respect for Jim's insight and skills. "High Dive was very collaborative," Jim says. We shared production credit. This time, she said, 'Go ahead. You make it.' She came into the studio to sing and play her parts. I'd hear the chord progression, the lyrics, or maybe just the melodies -- the skeleton of the song -- and then flesh it out. It was effortless, immediate, a production based on intuition." Jim's expanded role made it easier for Maria to find the heart of each song. "With this album, I wanted a more open, almost stark recording," he explains. "It's all about emotion in the vocal. Where the voice cracks and reveals something that's almost beyond what the artist intends." Sessions began with Jim and the drummer, Tom Dunne, who drove out to a warehouse in Costa Mesa. There, they cut the drum tracks, without a click or even any demos for reference. "Tom was just playing to the music in his head," Jim says. We'd do three, four, or five complete takes, and I'd choose the best one. The idea was to go for a John Bonham sound -- very open, big, and natural, with minimal, mainly distant miking. I was very happy with what we got." These tracks were the foundation for Maria and the musicians as they cut the songs that featured the full band. Everything fed off the drums; you can hear it in "Everyone's Got a Story", "Sullen Soul", and "Peddlin' Dreams", where Dunne's sound, raw and punchy, defines the live feel. Each of these performances, like the ones cut solo or with a scaled-down lineup, were captured at Maria's and Jim's home studio, which they'd completed just in time for the High Dive sessions a little more than two years ago. This, too, served the goal of going for the emotional gold. "Jim loves having a home studio because he can capture me in different moods," Maria says. "I'm sort of mercurial, so he'll observe and say, 'Hmm, Maria would really handle this song especially well right now." Clearly Maria had her reflective, introspective days, as reflected on the plaintive "Appalachian Boy" and the wistful "My One True Love". Other times she must have been feeling playful ("The Horse Life"). And her gritty, snarling guitar solo on the jam that ends "Everyone's Got a Story" just might have come from what she describes as "a melancholy frame of mind." Maria also turns in a moving rendition of Neil Young's "Barstool Blues". "After going over the Americana terrain for years and years, the worst thing anybody can say to me about my music would be, 'Oh, it's like American barroom rock!'" She continues, "So it's ironic for me to do 'Barstool Blues', which is the greatest song ever written with that sort of imagery yet it totally transcends any genre because it's such a great piece of art. To Jim and me, Neil Young is a god -- but I have to do something risky on every album, and for me that meant recording this song because his original version is perfect." The point is that every moment of Peddlin' Dreams is real. Every note reflects the new immediacy in her music. In its details and taken as a whole, Peddlin' Dreams is a message to McKee devotees: Expect more exceptional work, covering more bases, more often from this extraordinary artist. For all that she's achieved, Peddlin' Dreams points the way toward greater things just over the horizon. "Who knows how the next record will sound?" says Maria. "I certainly don't. I just know that I'm staying in the moment now. And I believe that's going to bring everyone who's enjoyed my music -- the Lone Justice people, the High Dive people, and everyone else -- together like nothing I've ever done before."
Chin Up Chin Up: "We Should Have Never Lived Like We Were Skyscrapers"
Look beyond the steely skyscrapers jutting into Chicago's grey sky, past the potholed streets and shadowed alleys, and you might be able to find something beautiful in this scuffed-up metropolis. Something like a cornflower pushing through a cracked sidewalk, struggling its way toward sunshine. Or the sun glinting off choppy lake waves at dusk. Or the sounds of Chin Up Chin Up, whose disarmingly resonant debut album "We Should Have Never Lived Like We Were Skyscrapers" is ready to carry you through autumn and beyond. Recorded by John Congleton (90 Day Men, The Roots, The Paper Chase) at Electrical Audio and Soma studios throughout July, "We Should Have Never Lived Like We Were Skyscrapers" proves that sentimental pop songs don't have to be cloying or trite. Meticulously layered with solid drums, keyboards, and warm guitar, these ten songs will wrap themselves around your mind and stay there all day. The band's history reaches back to 2001, when Jeremy Bolen and Nathan Snydacker formed Chin Up Chin Up (think optimism and perseverance, not exercise). The two guitarists were joined shortly thereafter by percussionist Chris Dye and bassist Chris Saathoff. In January 2002, the band released a self-titled EP, which inspired MOJO's call for readers to "meet your new favourite Chicago art-pop band." Later joined by keyboard player Greg Sharp, Chin Up Chin Up toured extensively, playing shows with the likes of the Appleseed Cast, the Mercury Program, Pedro the Lion, the American Analog Set, Broken Social Scene, Smog, and Pinback.
The Raconteurs: "Steady, As She Goes"
The Raconteurs are a new band made up of old friends, consisting of Jack Lawrence (bass), Patrick Keeler (drums), Brendan Benson (guitars, vocals, keys) and Jack White (guitars, vocals, keys). The seed was sewn in an attic in the middle of a hot summer when friends Jack White and Brendan Benson got together and wrote a song that truly inspired them. This song was "Steady, As She Goes" and the inspiration led to the creation of a full band with the addition of Lawrence and Keeler. While each of these four individuals have had successful careers with their own bands, the culmination of all of their talents is what truly makes The Raconteurs a force to be reckoned with.
The quartet convened at Benson's East Grand Studio to lay down the basic tracks for Broken Boy Soldiers. Work would continue whenever the boys could get together over the next year. Finally, the album has found a window for its release in May of 2006. The band is now, for its members, all consuming and they now present themselves to be....consumed, or at best simply heard.
From the ready-made, radio-friendly quality built into songs like "Steady, As She Goes", to the explosive tenacity of "Store Bought Bones", all the way down to the 'hits the cockles of your heart' lullabies that encompass the full length recording, The Raconteurs are more than capable of conquering any genre challenge or tale that they encounter. After all, a raconteur is, by definition, a deft storyteller. And now a new story is unfolding.
Home-recorded songs can feel incomplete whilst being as tantalizingly indicative as the sketches before a painting. The outlines, though interesting in their own respect, are not as satisfying as the finished version. Grizzly Bear, however, have approached song writing as a craft to master from their very first album, Horn of Plenty onwards. Enamored by how a song "reads", they were fully present from prologue to denouement even though singer/songwriter Edward Droste recorded them by himself in his Brooklyn bedroom. Fuelled by a bout of post-relationship inspiration, those first songs celebrated the creative liberation of the ProTools era. They explored the depths of break-ups through crystal-clear tones, field sounds and woozy, complex harmonies.
"Strip away all the fluff. Does the song still speak the same way when performed with just a voice and a single piano or single guitar?? This is Copeland?s test of a well written song. Lead vocalist and principal songwriter, Aaron Marsh was bred in the diverse Florida music scene where he started the band with his close friend, bassist James Likeness. During their search to finish off the line-up, Aaron found a kindred spirit in Maryland native guitarist Bryan Laurenson, with a mutual appreciation of quality pop melodies to push his writing to new levels. With a concerted effort to weave memorable melodies with insightful lyrics, the band began crafting their intelligent brand of anthemic pop songs in 2000. Atlanta producer, Matt Goldman engineered Copeland?s first release in late 2000. This split EP with glam pop band Pacifico, not only earned Copeland some music industry attention, but also their first national audience in the form of a half dozen small East Coast US tours. For that first year, the band excitedly played in any venue that would have them, for whoever wanted to listen. This deep appreciation for their supporters has stuck with them as they?ve begun to see bigger tours. In the summer of 2002, Copeland signed a record deal with So-Cal independent label The Militia Group and started making plans to focus on the band full time. The band felt it was in need of a fresh start in a new scene. They relocated to Atlanta in the fall. This location seemed more conducive to full time touring and closer to producer Matt Goldman?s studio where they would start a 2 month recording session for their debut full length album. The fruit of those two months was their acclaimed opus entitled ?Beneath Medicine Tree.? Tragically beautiful, and emotionally charged with themes of love, loss, and hope, the album delighted Copeland?s small existing following and earned the band a quickly growing audience. Copeland hit the road with a rigorous tour schedule, hopping from one tour to another with the likes of Switchfoot, The Juliana Theory, The Early November, Hopesfall, Mae, and countless others. They stayed on tour for an exhausting 15 months, playing over 400 shows in that time, but not just playing music every night. Every different city became a chance to meet a new group of kids at the show. Whether playing 4-square in front of the venue, eating dinner after the show, or hanging out at the merchandise table talking about music, Copeland was always excited to turn their fans into their friends. In December of 2003, during a short break from the road, Copeland took a week to record a covers EP to be released before they begin work on their follow-up to ?Beneath Medicine Tree.? Aaron said about the EP, ?We wanted to give our supporters something to listen to while we worked on another record. We knew it might take us a while and we didn?t want everyone to forget about us. These were all songs that we grew up listening to that we thought we could bring something new to.? The EP, entitled ?Know Nothing Stays the Same,? features Copeland?s renditions of songs by Stevie Wonder, Carly Simon, Phil Collins, Berlin, and Billy Joel. Copeland released their second full-length album, "In Motion", in March of 2005. It was produced by Matt Goldman and Aaron Marsh. Ken Andrews mixed the album. The band has been touring around the world in support of the record. This fall, they will be touring in England and all over the United States. Look for them in other continents in the coming months.
This video is my first music video. I chose this song because the subject matter was easy for me to interpret. I wrote the song while recording our unreleased album for BMG Records. Things were not going well; we had made the mistake of agreeing to have the same manager as the record producer who had liked our demo and had got us the record deal. The manager was so concerned about looking after his major client that he didn't look after ours.
With one foot in the early roots of her career as a "dance artist" and the other foot planted firmly into the sound of "future disco", Madonna returned to the clubs with a vengeance when CONFESSIONS ON A DANCE FLOOR was released by Warner Bros. Records on November 15, 2005.
Recorded in London, Confessions features songs primarily co-written and co-produced by Madonna and Stuart Price, producer, mixer and DJ-supreme ( Les Rythmes Digitales, Jaques Le Cont). Price was Madonna's musical director on her 2002 Drowned World Tour and last summer's Reinvention Tour. Additional producers and co-writers include Henrik Jonback, Grammy Award-winning team Bloodshy & Avant, and Anders Bagge + Peer Astrom from Murlyn Music collective. In addition Mirwais Ahmadzai, the producer of Madonna's last two albums American Life and Music, contributed two songs and co-produced one track. The song "Jump" was co written by previous Madonna collaborator, artist, and producer Joe Henry (Don't Tell Me).
For The Third Hand, RJD2 seemingly abandons all the notions and titles that have been placed upon him over the past 5 years. Underground hip-hop super-producer to some, virtuoso sample-based instrumental wizard to others, RJD2 embodies all of these things on The Third Hand but placates none who seek more of the same. Recorded, performed, arranged, and produced entirely by himself in his basement studio, RJD2 commands his trusty MPC 2000XL sampler/sequencer alongside analog synths, electric pianos and guitars, not to mention his own voice.
