Interview with Mike Stoller - Legendary Songwriter


June 29, 2008 - 12:01:34 PM
Elvis Articles, Elvis Interviews, By Ken Sharp

Jerry Leiber, Elvis and Mike Stoller
Jerry Leiber, Elvis and Mike Stoller
Mike Stoller and Jerry Leiber helped give birth to rock and roll when they wrote Hound Dog in 1952. Their list of hits sounds like the very history of rock and roll almost from the moment of its birth. The roll call is staggering - Elvis Presley, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Beach Boys, John Lennon, Otis Redding, Jimi Hendrix, and Frank Sinatra are just some of the artists who have recorded songs written by the golden team of Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. They boast a rich catalog of songs that will live forever. Among the luminous jewels framing the Leiber And Stoller songbook include standards such as Jailhouse Rock, Stand By Me, Don't, Love Potion Number Nine, On Broadway, Love Me, She's Not You, Hound Dog, There Goes My Baby, Yakety Yak, Poison Ivy and numerous others. Leiber And Stoller created a wondrous array of timeless and eminently tuneful rock 'n' roll classics that endure generation after generation. Graced with Stoller's sublime and inventive melodic contours and Leiber's evocative and sophisticated wordplay, the duo are rightly acknowledged among popular music's most important and groundbreaking songwriters of the past century.
Click the link below to listen to a medley of songs writen by Leiber & Stoller.
Riot In Cell Block # 9, Jailhouse Rock (Elvis Presley), Stand By Me (Ben E. King), Love Potion # 9, Hound Dog ('Big Mama') Willie Mae Thornton, Don't (Elvis Presley), (You’re So Square) Baby I Don’t Care (Elvis Presley), Loving You (Elvis Presley) Only In America (Jay & The Americans), Love Me (Elvis Presley), She’s Not You (Elvis Presley), Spanish Harlem (Ben E. King), That Is Rock N’ Roll (With J.D. Sumner?), Yakety Yak.
Elvis Presley MP3 Audio Leiber & Stoller Medley Pop Up Window (6:47)
Interview with Mike Stoller
We had the immense pleasure of sitting down with Stoller in Beverly Hills to reminisce about his work writing the music behind many of Presley's most quintessential recordings.
Initially you didn't even know who Elvis Presley was?
The first time I got a sizable royalty check was in 1956, and it was $5,000. I thought I'd never see that much money at the same time again. And I went to Europe for three months and came back in style 'cause $5,000 took you a long way in those days, especially in Europe. My first wife and I came back on an Italian ocean liner, the Andrea Doria. We almost made it to New York. The Stockholm ran into the Andrea Doria. There were a lot of people killed, not as many as there could have been, fortunately. But there were over 50 people who were killed. The boat sank. We climbed down a Jacob's ladder swinging wildly over a broken lifeboat, which we got into. We couldn't steer the boat because the rudder was broken. We were ultimately picked up by the Cape Ann, a freighter standing by. From the Cape Ann, I sent a telegram to Atlantic Records. I was supposed to have met Jerry and Lester Sill at Atlantic's offices. Until that time, all of our productions for Atlantic had been done in Los Angeles, so I hadn't really met anybody at the label except for Nesuhi Ertegun. Anyway when the Cape Ann pulled into New York harbor, Jerry was waiting for me [laughs]. He said, 'Hey you're alive!' I said, 'I guess so'. 'Great to see ya, man!' He said, 'Listen, we have a smash hit!' I said, 'You're kidding!' And he said, 'No, Hound Dog'. And I said, 'Big Mama Thornton's record?' And he said, 'No, some white kid named Elvis Presley'.
I said, 'Elvis who?'
This is Mike Stoller, of the legendary songwriting duo Leiber & Stoller. This was taken in his partner Jerry Leiber's office in their suite of office at 9000 Sunset Boulevard which has long been considered the Brill Building West, because so many great songwriters have offices there, or used to. There was a giant poster of Elvis behind him, which was a blow-up of the original sheet music of their song 'I Want To Be Free', which Elvis cut. Here Mike is smiling at Jerry, who is sitting at his desk, drinking coffee.
Mike Stoller, of the legendary songwriting duo Leiber & Stoller.
What was your first impression of Presley's version of Hound Dog?
It sounded kind of stiff and a bit too fast - a little nervous.
It didn't have that insinuating groove like on Big Mama's record.
Did you grow to like it?
After it sold seven million copies it began to sound better, yeah [laughs].
Who pitched Hound Dog to Presley?
Elvis knew Big Mama's record, but Big Mama's version of Hound Dog was written for a woman. And so Elvis couldn't perform it that way. There was a group, Freddie Bell & The Bell Boys, working in the lounge in Vegas who had recorded it. They had altered the lyrics - the altered lyrics don't really mean terribly much. They made it sound like the song was written about a dog. Big Mama's record had the original lyrics, which were written about a freeloading gigolo. After that, Elvis' music publishers, the Aberbach brothers, Jean and Julian, contacted us. We had known them out in L.A. They used to have a home and office out here on Hollywood Boulevard, just west of La Brea. We had talked to them a number of times about other matters. They called and asked if we had any other songs that we thought might be good for Elvis. Jerry thought of this ballad that we'd recorded called Love Me. It was a song we had recorded with Willie & Ruth on our own label, Spark Records.
Above - 'Big Mama' Thornton perfoms Hound Dog.
Elvis Presley MP3 Audio Hound Dog - By Freddie Bell and the Bell Boys Pop Up Window (2:29)
Above - Hound Dog by Freddie Bell and the Bell Boys.
Above - Hound Dog by Elvis Presley.
How does their version differ from Elvis'?
The song is the same, but first of all Willie & Ruth were a duet who sang in harmony. Their record featured piano triplets. It was a strong performance, but Elvis' is a really special performance. The odd thing is Elvis' version of Love Me became a big hit on the charts and was never released as a single. It was part of an EP. To be honest, when we first wrote Love Me we were thinking of it as sort of a takeoff, a Homer & Jethro type of thing. It's got all these masochistic lyrics. [recites lyrics] 'Treat me like a fool, treat me mean and cruel but love me'. It could have been a joke, but Elvis' performance makes it genuinely touching.
Next, Elvis recorded your Hot Dog and Loving You
Loving You was a love ballad. It was our attempt to write a song as simple and direct as an Irving Berlin song.
Did you read the movie script before coming up with the song?
I think we took a glance at it. Was that the script that was originally called Lonesome Cowboy? Elvis liked Loving You and recorded it. Subsequently the studio changed the name of the film to Loving You.
What was the idea behind Hot Dog?
It was a song we had which we rewrote for Elvis to do in the film. We had originally recorded a different version of that song with a guy named Young Jessie. His real name was Obie Jessie - very good singer and good all-around musician. He had been with a rhythm-and-blues group called 'The Flairs'. Later he subbed on The Coasters' dates for Searchin' and Young Blood, when one of the fellas was unavailable. We submitted Hot Dog and Loving You through the proper channels, which meant Freddy Bienstock, who worked for his cousins, the Aberbach brothers. That was the system that had been established.
No one was supposed to approach Elvis directly.
Tell me about how you and Jerry came to write many of the hey songs for the Jailhouse Rock film
Jailhouse Rock is the title of a song which we wrote for the film. Later, the producers decided it should be the title of the movie as well. Jerry and I came to New York - it must have been around March of '57. We came in for an undetermined amount of time - two, three weeks, maybe a month at most. We had already started producing records for Atlantic. We also wanted to see what else was happening in New York. We were considering the possibility of moving there. We took a suite at the Gorham Hotel. It had a living room and two bedrooms. Because we were going to be there for a while, we moved a rented upright piano into the living room. Jean Aberbach had given us a script, and we kind of threw it in the corner with some magazines. We were having a great time in New York, really having a ball, cabarets and jazz clubs and the theater.
Mike Stoller (L) and Jerry Leiber arrive at the 25th Annual ASCAP Pop Music Awards at the Kodak theatre in Hollywood, California, April 9, 2008.
Mike Stoller and Jerry Leiber arrive at the 25th Annual ASCAP Pop Music Awards, April 9, 2008.
So writing those songs for Elvis was not at the top of your list of priorities?
No, hardly. And as I recall, I think it was on a Saturday morning, there was a knock at our door and Jean Aberbach walked in. He said, 'Well, boys, where are my songs?' We said, 'Don't worry. You're gonna get 'em'. And he said 'I know, because you're not going to leave this room until I get them'. And then he pushed a big overstuffed chair in front of the door, the only way out. He said, 'I'm going to take a nap.” He literally went to sleep, and we couldn't get out. So we thumbed through the script and wrote four songs in about four or five hours. (Jailhouse Rock, Treat Me Nice, I Want To Be Free and [You're So Square] Baby I Don't Care.) I can't say that the songs were overworked. We didn't have time to overwork them.
We were in too much of a hurry to get out of that hotel room.


Jalhouse Rock
Jalhouse Rock
Tell me about writing Jailhouse Rock The script indicated that Elvis was in prison and there was an amateur show among the prisoners. That's where the idea for the song came from. We wrote it quickly. Jerry's very fast and very funny. That song was a vehicle that Presley could really work. When we recorded it we knew we had it by take nine. But Elvis went on into the 20s saying, 'I can do it better!' He loved to sing. He really felt comfortable in a recording studio. We were recording at Radio Recorders Annex in Hollywood.
Treat Me Nice has a great groove
I like the track. Actually I'm playing piano on that record. I don't know that I played that well, but it seemed to work. [laugh]
I Want To Be Free ?
I remember that Jean Aberbach said, 'I love that image of a bird in a tree in the lyrics'. Good track. The other song was [You're So Square] Baby I Don't Care. It was just a fun song. But it worked. It was a good record for him.
I enjoy the scene in 'Jailhouse Rock' where Elvis performs the song by a pool and you're part of his band playing piano.
In our Hawaiian shirts. That was the only costume which the studio supplied. The rest of it was our own clothes. They were really saving money. The studio and Tom Parker figured that they were gonna make a fortune on this film, so like, 'Let's not waste money with costumes'. [laughs] The movie was shot at MGM Studios in Culver City.
Recount the first time you and Jerry met Elvis.
Elvis had requested us to be at the Jailhouse Rock recording sessions. He knew of the records that we produced, so he requested that we be there. That's how we met him. He was very easygoing and very easy to be with. I was showing him some figures on the piano, and he joined in the upper registers. And we were doing some freehand boogie-woogie. The studio was like his living room. He also had his pals with him who had become hired companions. These were his high-school buddies and local guys from Memphis and cousins. We'd show Elvis the way we thought the songs should go. I think Elvis had heard demos, but I don't remember making them. There must have been because he had approved the songs.
Did Elvis know intuitively when a take was a keeper?
Yeah, I think so. He was very astute in that sense, but as I said before he always tried to make something better. He worked very hard in the studio. It was hard work, but it appeared to be effortless for him because he loved what he was doing. If he liked a song he would just keep going, 'Yeah, I can do it better. Wait a minute, let me try this. Give me one more shot!' As I said, we were up to take 27 or something on Jailhouse Rock when he finally said, 'OK, let me hear that take that you think is the one'. And he came back in and listened and said, 'Yeah, you're right. That's the one'.
You and Jerry acted as unofficial producers of those sessions
At that point, I don't think the title of producer had come into being for recordings. Had it been a film, the credit would not have been producer, it would have been director. Our role on those sessions evolved. Elvis trusted us, and nobody stopped us. Colonel Tom came in and out of the studio. When Steve Sholes was there, he would call out the take slates, like 'RCA 39-4734, take three'. When we took over we just started yelling, 'Jailhouse Rock take four, Jailhouse Rock take five!' Jerry worked from the booth, but he would come out on the floor too. I worked in there with the musicians. I played piano on just one track, Treat Me Nice. Dudley Brooks played on the other sides. He was a good piano player. Scotty Moore, Bill Black, D.J. Fontana, and The Jordanaires were also on the sessions. Jerry and I worked together with Elvis very well. But on the last day of recording, some of the guys from the film studio came over and they approached Jerry and said, 'Listen, we're gonna start filming on such-and-such a date. You should come over and play the piano player in the film'. He said, 'But I'm not a piano player'. They said, 'That's all right, you look like one'. [laughs] The day that Jerry was supposed to report at MGM for wardrobe he had this horrible toothache. He said, 'Man, I can't make it. You better go in my place'. I said, 'But they wanted you'. He said, 'They won't know the difference'. So I went and the only thing they said to me is, 'You better shave your beard off 'cause it's a scene stealer'. [laughs] It was done over a number of weeks. I wasn't allowed to say anything in the film [laughs] 'cause then you've got to get paid. Elvis' musicians and I were covered under a Musicians Union contract. They had a scale payment for something called 'sidelining', which meant that whether you played on the original recording or somebody else did, you went through the motions of playing for the camera. I think we got 36 bucks a week for that.
Were you actually playing piano along with the music during the scene where Elvis sang?
Yeah, but it didn't matter. The piano had no strings inside.
It had keys, but there was nothing inside, so you couldn't hear anything.
Did you hang out with Elvis much on the set?
I hung out with Elvis and his band on the set. Elvis was normally kept at a distance, but on one occasion he invited me up to his penthouse suite. The Presley entourage had the whole top floor of the Beverly Wilshire Hotel. So I went up with all the guys. There was a pool table there, and Elvis and I were shooting pool. I looked up at one point and nobody else was there. Elvis came back into the room and he said 'Aw Mike, I feel real bad, but the Colonel's here and he don't want nobody else here. So I guess you gotta go'.
When did you recognize Elvis was a little more special than you and Jerry initially felt he was?
In the beginning we were kind of curious about this guy who was such a big hit, a white guy singing R&B mixed with country. But he was very knowledgeable, and we found that out when we hung out with him at Radio Recorders. We would talk about blues records, and he knew a lot about blues. He surprised us. He also knew all of our stuff. And of course, in addition to that, he knew all the country stuff and gospel. While we were working on the 'Jailhouse Rock' recording sessions, we realized he was a very special talent.
One of the most beautiful songs you ever wrote for Elvis and one of his own personal favourites is the # 1 smash, Don't.
Don't was written for him by request. One afternoon, it was a Friday, while we were doing the filming, a lot of which is 'hurry up and wait', he said, 'Hey Mike, why don't you write me a real pretty ballad?' I said, 'I will. I'll call Jerry, and we'll get to work'. I called Jerry that evening and we got together on Saturday and wrote Don't. I thought it was a good song for Elvis. I like the song and I like what he did with it. As I recall, it's 12 bars long, but it's not a blues [song]. On Sunday, we booked a studio to do a demo and we called Young Jessie to sing. I gave the demo to Elvis on Monday and he loved it. Then there was a big to-do with Colonel Parker and the Aberbachs because I hadn't gone through the proper channels. They were afraid, because when Elvis fell in love with a song, he really fell in love with it and he might insist upon recording it. Although so many aspects of his career were handled by other people, the one thing that he handled himself was picking the songs he sang. He would not sing a song he didn't like, at least not until much later. They had this fear he might record something and they might not own the publishing. I'm referring to Tom Parker and the Aberbachs.


That was a crucial mistake on the Colonel's part to not allow Elvis to record quality songs just because they didn't own the publishing rights.
Yes, I agree with you. And certainly it would have been better for Elvis' career, but it wouldn't have satisfied Tom Parker. He wanted Elvis to grind out the same thing over and over. He didn't want to take any chances. You stretch a little bit artistically and it's a wonderful thing. Look what happened with The Beatles. They stretched. It was wonderful. It was exciting. I think Elvis had the ability to do that, but the Colonel wasn't willing to chance anything with his golden goose.
What's your take on the Colonel today? Do you think overall that the Colonel was the right person to be guiding Elvis' career?
He certainly helped to make Elvis a superstar. But ultimately he wouldn't have been the best person to guide the career of somebody with an innate talent like Elvis - and not just a talent but a supreme talent. At one point, Jerry was invited to a very elegant New York cocktail party and was approached by an agent and producer, Charles Feldman. He said, 'I'm so happy to meet you because I've just optioned a novel by Nelson Algren called A Walk on the Wild Side'. He said, 'Here's what I want to happen. I have already gotten the following people involved: Elia Kazan to produce, Bud Schulberg to write the script. I have James Wong Howe to do cinematography. And I want you and your partner to write the score, and I want Elvis Presley to play the lead'. Jerry called me up and told me this, and we were thrilled. We were so excited. We thought, 'Wow, we're gonna be able to bring this exciting plum to Jean and Julian and The Colonel and Elvis'. We went up to the Hill & Range office 'cause Elvis Presley's music was co-owned by Elvis and the Aberbachs. Jean was there, and Julian came in. The Colonel was somewhere else. The whole thing was laid out for them. They said, 'We will have to speak to The Colonel. Can you wait outside?' So we waited outside and we figured The Colonel would be over the moon about this. We waited a long time, and we were summoned in by Jean and he said [adopts Viennese accent], 'The Colonel says if you ever dare try and interfere in the career of Elvis Presley again you will never work in New York, Hollywood, London or anywhere else in the world'. That was it.
We virtually stopped writing for Elvis after that. After King Creole, the only songs we submitted to Elvis were songs that we'd already written or recorded before.
Wasn't Just Tell Her Jim Said Hello written for Elvis?
No, it wasn't. As a matter of fact, with one exception, we stopped writing for him altogether and only submitted previously written and already recorded songs. As for Just Tell Her Jim Said Hello, we had a demo that was considerably different than the way Elvis did it. It had a very different feel, less country, more Latin.
The one exception was She's Not You.
Right. Doc Pomus called us up one day. We were all in the Brill Building. Doc was an old friend, and we had produced lots of Doc and Morty's [Shuman] songs with The Drifters. Mort had either gone off to Japan or moved to Paris. Doc called us and said, 'Come on up. Let's write a song for Elvis'. So we wrote She's Not You with him, the three of us. That was written for Elvis at Doc's request.
The three songs you and Jerry wrote for King Creole have a distinctive New Orleans, Dixieland sound.
The inclusion of brass instruments in the arrangements was a departure from Elvis' usual quartet. Michael Curtiz, the director of King Creole, was at the sessions. That was probably the best movie that Elvis ever made. It had the best story, the best script and the best cast. We wrote three songs. One was 'King Creole'. Unlike Loving You and Jailhouse Rock, which were written first and then became the title of the films they were in, King Creole was the title of the film before we wrote the song. Elvis did a great job on it. I especially liked Trouble, and I loved the way he did it in the comeback special.
What inspired you and Jerry to write a song such as Trouble?
We had written songs like that before.
Riot In Cell Block #9, Framed, kind of talking blues things - and we knew Elvis could do that kind of stuff.
That track captured less of the happy-go-lucky Elvis. it carried a menacing undercurrent of sexuality and danger.
Yeah. It was braggadocio, like John Henry, Paul Bunyan - one of those bigger-than-life folk heroes. The other song, Steadfast, Loyal And True was a high-school alma mater-type of song. Just the other day I heard this acapella version of it. I thought it was charming. I really enjoyed it.
You and Jerry also oversaw those 'King Creole' sessions.
Yes, we did, in so far as the songs that we wrote. I remember that the studio was very crowded. The Colonel was there, Michael Curtiz and Steve Sholes were there. There were lots of film studio executives in there. And of course Thorne Nogar, the great recording engineer, was there too.
Was there a formula you and Jerry followed when writing songs for Elvis Presley?
No. We didn't write from formula. I mean you're influenced by everything you've heard in your life when you write. But no, we had no formula. There are different types of songs. Love Me is quite different from Loving You, which is quite different from Don't. King Creole is quite different from Jailhouse Rock.
You and Jerry wrote a holiday song for Elvis, Santa Claus is Back in Town
We were at the session. We wrote it in the hallway between takes on something else. [laughs] They needed another holiday song. It was spur of the moment.
It's one of the more pure blues songs Elvis recorded
Yeah, and it's a little risqué. Obviously RCA Victor didn't catch on to the fact that 'Santa Claus is coming down your chimney tonight' didn't really refer to a chimney. [laughs]
Many of the songs you and Jerry wrote have a delightful element of humour. Two songs Elvis recorded of yours fit that bill, Girls! Girls! Girls! and Little Egypt.
Girls! Girls! Girls! and Little Egypt were both written for The Coasters, who were sort of our alter egos. We wrote funny songs for them. Jerry's the lyricist and I write the music, but we work closely with each other on everything. The Coasters were really our voice. Girls! Girls! Girls! wasn't a big hit for The Coasters. So we said, 'Well, maybe Elvis could do it', and be obviously liked it.
What was the procedure toward getting your songs to be considered by Elvis?
Same. You'd present it to Freddy Bienstock. I know Elvis did Little Egypt in the comeback special.
Little Egypt was also in Roustabout. There were songs you wrote specifically for Elvis. And then there other songs he recorded that were first done by other artists. Do you believe Elvis delivered a better performance of those songs you specifically wrote for him to sing?
That's hard to say. I think Elvis' performance of the songs that we wrote for him were generally better than those that were written for someone else. Love Me is an exception. It was a great performance. I like the original version of Bossa Nova Baby done by Tippie & the Clovers better than Elvis' version. It's got a Latin feel and it had certain elements of bossa nova, but it wasn't the real thing. The Clovers' version was much cooler than Elvis' version, which was in the film Fun In Acapulco.
Was Dirty, Dirty Feeling originally written for the film King Creole?
I think it might have been. It was written for him. It did come out on one of his albums [Elvis is Back].
Were you surprised by Elvis' versions of any Leiber And Stoller songs he recorded?
You mean songs that were done by other people first?
Yes.
Yeah, there were some that were very different from the originals. Three Corn Patches. Somewhere along the line I lost the original acetate. It was recorded by O.C. Smith, but it never came out. The band was virtually the Count Basie Band with an arrangement by Frank Foster. It was cookin', but it was jazz. And Elvis' version is not jazz. lt's not cookin' that way. It's plodding by comparison.
Your impression of Elvis' rendition of Fools Fall In Love?


Elvis Presley Sings Leiber and Stoller 2 CD Set
Elvis Presley Sings Leiber and Stoller 2 CD Set
If I remember correctly, I thought it was in the wrong key I thought it was too high for him. It could have been that he learned it from the Drifters' records, and I think that as sung by Johnny Moore, who had a higher voice. That happened sometimes with Elvis. He'd learn something, and he'd want to do it in the same key that he learned it in. He covered another Drifters record also, If You Don't Come Back. Elvis didn't do a bad performance of that at all. Of course, I'm partial to the Drifters' because we produced it, and we got what we wanted out of the chart and evervthing else. If You Don't Come Back and Three Corn Patches were not on the Elvis Presley Sings Leiber and Stoller album for this reason.... At one point in Elvis' career, The Colonel wanted a pile of money and, since he took 50 percent of everything that Elvis got, they sold all of the artist royalties to RCA Victor. I believe it was for $5 million. However, they continued to record Elvis after that. Those two songs were not among the ones that Parker had sold. So the album actually contains only performances on which RCA owed no royalties to Elvis.
I'm curious about a song you and Jerry wrote, You're The Boss. It was recorded as a duet by Elvis and Ann-Margret for the film Viva Las Vegas.
That was a song that did modestly well in a version we produced as sung by La Vern Baker and Jimmy Ricks, the bass singer of the Ravens. After we stopped taking assignments to write for Elvis, we submitted You're The Boss for a Presley movie. When we didn't hear anything further about it, we assumed they didn't like it and didn't record it. Around 1980 when I was in London, I helped put together, an album for RCA Victor called Elvis Presley Sings Leiber And Stoller. Some 10 years later RCA decided to release it as a CD. They told me Thorne Nogar found this version of You're The Boss, and it was included on the CD.
It was a major surprise for us [laughs] It was nice. I really liked that.
Speaking of La Vern Baker, Elvis recorded Saved, a song she first cut. He did an amazing vocal performance of that song.
Oh, it's great. I loved it. There's no need to compare them, but La Vern's record of Saved is one of our favourite productions. She was incredible. We did it in Atlantic's old studio, the top floor of an old brownstone, and the first time I heard Elvis do it was in the comeback special. Corky Hale, my second wife, had just moved in with me, and we had a party in our apartment. She cooked a meal, and we had about 30 people over. She had rented four or five television sets [laughs] and plugged them in all over the living room. So I remember that very well. I had no idea Elvis would perform Saved or Trouble on the show. He looked so great on that show. It was a knockout. That was the epitome of Elvis. His performances were great, and the way he looked was great. It was the way you would have hoped Elvis would have stayed.
Did you ever see Elvis live in the Vegas years?
Yes. I went to see him a few times. I introduced Corky to him. He was very polite. Sometimes I'd see the Colonel playing $100 chips at the roulette table.
Did he ever see you?
Oh yeah, he wasn't particularly interested.
He was more interested in playing roulette with Elvis' money. [laugh]
What were your impressions of his live show?
Disappointment.
Why?
Sad. He had become bloated. He was doing a caricature of himself. Yes, he still had a great voice, but he seemed to be making fun of himself. It's one thing to have a sense of humour about one's self but he really was like an Elvis impersonator, and it was sad.
Do you think Elvis knew how good he was?
I don't know. That's a hard question. And if he did - let's put it this way, in the early days, he was extremely confident in the studio. He was very confident, and if you read that as knowing how good he was, I suppose he did. On the other hand, when he went on the movie set, he was very insecure. I remember one incident in particular where a couple of actors were sitting around talking. They were talking about their wives or their cars, just family stuff, and they were laughing, and Elvis walked in and wheeled around and said, 'You think you're so hot?' He thought they were laughing at him.
Are there any Leiber and Stoller songs that you feel Elvis would have done a great job with?
Yeah, I'm sure there are many that he could have done. Years later when he was working with Chips Moman, I was told that they had actually cut a track of Kansas City, but the voice never went on.
I would have loved to have heard Elvis sing it.
Lastly, why do you think the songs you and Jerry wrote connected so well with Elvis personally and on a commercial level?
It's hard for me to say I know that he liked what we wrote. He respected us. We came to know what a great talent he was very quickly after starting to work with him. The other thing is there was a creative rapport, and we were told numerous times after Jailhouse Rock that he considered us his good luck charms. He always wanted us in the studio. That was one of the things also that we got into a hassle with the Colonel about. The Colonel said, 'You have to come out to California'. Jerry was ill and I wasn't gonna go out anyway I don't know what songs were done on those sessions 'cause we weren't there. Elvis wanted us to be in the studio with him, and they were willing to fly us anywhere in order to please him. Of course we'd been functioning as unpaid producers on the records of our songs [laughs]. Somewhere between five and 10 years ago, Jerry and I went to Memphis for the first time. George Klein, a long time friend of Elvis' from Memphis, who we first met in the '50s, gave us a special tour of Graceland. While we were doing that he said, 'You know what really killed Elvis? He really wanted to do something important as an actor. He wanted to do something like a Marlon Brando or a James Dean'. And of course that's what we brought to them with A Walk on the Wild Side and the Colonel killed it. Writing For The King FTD Book + 2 CD'sThis interview by Ken Sharp - © Copyright Ken Sharp.
Ken Sharp- is the author of the FTD book; Writing For The King a 400 page Book with more than 140 interviews with songwriters like Paul McCartney, Leiber & Stoller, Pomus & Shuman, Red West, Mark James and Tony Joe White. Included are two CDs, the first contains previously unreleased RCA recordings of Elvis performing live in Las Vegas (1969 through 1972), the second a selection of the original demos submitted to Elvis.
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Rammstein

"Rammstein" live in Sidney


From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Rammstein (German pronunciation: [ˈʀamʃtaɪ̯n]) is a German Neue Deutsche Härte band from Berlin, formed in 1994.[2] The band consists of members Till Lindemann (lead vocals), Richard Z. Kruspe (lead guitar and backing vocals), Paul H. Landers (rhythm guitar, backing vocals), Oliver "Ollie" Riedel (bass guitar), Christoph "Doom" Schneider (drums and electronic percussion) and Christian "Flake" Lorenz (keyboards). They are widely accepted as part of the Neue Deutsche Härte scene, alongside bands such as Oomph!, Eisbrecher, and Die Krupps. Their songs are usually in German, but they have also performed songs entirely or partially in other languages such as English, Spanish, French and Russian.[3] As of 2009, they have sold over 15 million records worldwide.[4] Rammstein's entire catalogue is published by Universal Music Group. Since their formation in 1994, Rammstein has had no changes in their band line-up nor have any members left the band.

Rammstein takes their name indirectly from the German town of Ramstein-Miesenbach, the site of the flight show disaster on 28 August 1988. The band's signature song, "Rammstein", is a commemoration of the disaster. In a short period before the band became well known, they performed using the name "Rammstein-Flugschau" (literally meaning "Rammstein-Flightshow").

Sex Pistols

"Anarchy in the UK" (Broadcast Debut)



From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Sex Pistols were an English punk rock band that formed in London in 1975. They were responsible for initiating the punk movement in the United Kingdom and inspiring many later punk and alternative rock musicians. Although their initial career lasted just two-and-a-half years and produced only four singles and one studio album, Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols, they are regarded as one of the most influential acts in the history of popular music.[1][2]

The Sex Pistols originally comprised vocalist Johnny Rotten, guitarist Steve Jones, drummer Paul Cook and bassist Glen Matlock. Matlock was replaced by Sid Vicious in early 1977. Under the management of impresario Malcolm McLaren, the band provoked controversies that captivated Britain. Their concerts repeatedly faced difficulties with organizers and authorities, and public appearances often ended in mayhem. Their 1977 single "God Save the Queen", attacking Britons' social conformity and deference to the Crown, precipitated the "last and greatest outbreak of pop-based moral pandemonium".[3]

In January 1978, at the end of a turbulent tour of the United States, Rotten left the band and announced its break-up. Over the next several months, the three other band members recorded songs for McLaren's film version of the Sex Pistols' story, The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle. Vicious died of a heroin overdose in February 1979. In 1996, Rotten, Jones, Cook and Matlock reunited for the Filthy Lucre Tour; since 2002, they have staged further reunion shows and tours. On 24 February 2006, the Sex Pistols—the four original members plus Vicious—were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, but they refused to attend the ceremony, calling the museum "a piss stain".[4]

Los Saicos

"Demolición

Διαβάζοντας σχόλια σε αναρτημένο video των "Sex Pistols", εστίασα σε κάποιο που υποστήριζε πως το punk γεννήθηκε στο Περού, και πως υπεύθυνοι για αυτό ήταν τα μέλη του συγκρότηματος των "Los Saicos". 

...μοιράζομαι το αποτέλεσμα της αναζήτησης.


from Wikipedia the free encyclopedia

Οι “Los Saicos”  υπήρξαν μια μπάντα Rock & Roll, Proto-Punk και Garage Rock.
 Σχηματίστηκαν το 1964 στην Λίμα του Περού, και παρά τη σύντομη "διαδρομή" τους τους υπήρξαν ένα από τα πιο επιτυχημένα συγκροτήματα της εποχής του.
Ήταν το πρώτο συγκρότημα της Νότιας Αμερικής  που ηχογράφησε τις συνθέσεις του αποκλειστικά στην  Ισπανική γλώσσα. Από τα πιο γνωστά τους single είναι το "Demolición" (κατεδάφιση), το οποίο έγινε ο punk ύμνος του Περού.
Σημείωση: Το punk ως μουσικό είδος εμφανίστηκε δέκα χρόνια αργότερα.
Παρότι το σχήμα είχε αποκτήσει τη φήμη της μυστηριώδους και υπόγειας μπάντας εξαιτίας του τρόπου που συνέθετε, έγραφε στίχους, ενορχήστρωνε, και γενικότερα εξαιτίας όλων των παραμέτρων που εδραίωσαν αργότερα το punk ως μουσικό κίνημα, κατάφερε να εμφανιστεί σε πολλά τηλεοπτικά show και ραδιοφωνικές εκπομπές της εποχής και να αποκτήσει φανατικό κοινό.
Πολλοί λατινοαμερικανοί και μαζί τους η εφημερίδα ABC της Ισπανίας υποστηρίζουν την άποψη πως το punk γεννήθηκε στο Περού το 1964, την ημερομηνία ιδρύσεως της μπάντας.

Not Married

"Billie Jean"
A song of Michael Jackson as it adapted by Chris Cornell and presented by the duo of "Not Married" to "Radio Arvyla" TV show (a show of Ant1 television) on 29/3/2011.

Sanjuro

Live στο Club "Sfina" της Νάουσας.


Electrocutango

"Felino"



From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Electrocutango is an electrotango project founded by Sverre Indris Joner, based in Oslo, Norway. Their album Felino was originally music created for TanGhost, a tango/theater performance based on Henrik Ibsen's play Ghosts, directed by Per-Olav Sørensen (2004). The show was choreographed by famous Argentinian tango dancer Pablo Verón, who also acted in the performance. The music was awarded the prestigious Norwegian Edvard Award for "Best Music composed to stage/film/other art forms" in 2005. In 2006, the performance toured theaters worldwide, visiting Dramaten in Stockholm, Ivan Vazov National Theatre in Bulgaria, and also theaters in Prague, Helsinki, The Faeroe Islands, Shanghai and Beijing.

Their music is today used in tango clubs worldwide, and is popular with dancers who like neo-tango music like Tanghetto, Gotan Project, and Bajofondo Tango Club.
The project members include famous tango musicians Per Arne Glorvigen: bandoneón on tracks "Victoriosa" and "A Fuego Violento", and Julia Zenko: voice on "Renacere" and "Sin Piel".

Έυη Σιαμαντά

"Nature boy"
....is a song by eden ahbez, published in 1947. The song tells a fantasy of a "strange enchanted boy... who wandered very far" only to learn that "the greatest thing... was just to love and be loved in return". Nat King Cole's 1948 recording of the song was a major hit, and "Nature Boy" has since become a pop and jazz standard, with dozens of major artists interpreting the song.



Η Εύη Σιαμαντά είναι μια λαμπρή τραγουδίστρια που έχει συνεργαστεί με μεγάλους και αξιόλογους Έλληνες και ξένους καλλιτέχνες όπως ο συνθέτης Μίμης Πλέσσας, ο Μάριος Φραγκούλης, Goran Bregovic, ο Στέφανος Κορκολής, ο Αντωνης Ρέμος, οι Manhattan Vibes και πολλοί άλλοι. Έχει επίσης συνεργαστεί με τον βραβευμένο με Grammy, Donny Mc Caslin αλλά και των πολλαπλά βραβρυμένο με Grammy Mark Ledford.
Συμμετείχε στο ντοκυμαντέρ του Greg MacGillivray’s «Secrets of the Past soundtrack» σε μουσική του Steve Woods. Γεννήθηκε στη Θεσσαλονίκη και σπούδασε κλασσικό πιάνο και κλασσικό και σύγχρονο τραγούδι στο Εθνικό Ωδείο της Αθήνας.
Έχει σπουδάσει επίσης, θέατρο και τραγούδι για μιούζικαλ με τον Chris Pages στο College de Variete, στο Παρίσι, και τζαζ τραγούδι και αυτοσχεδιασμό με την Sheila Jordan. Πρόσφατα συνεργάστηκε με τον Μίμη Πλέσσα και τον Χρήστο Ραφαηλίδη για το άλμπουμ «Ηχώ» σε μουσική Μίμη Πλέσσα.

Γέρων Παΐσιος ο Αγιορείτης

Γέροντος Παϊσίου πρόχειρη ηχογράφηση κατά την διάρκεια αγρυπνίας στο κελί του στην Παναγούδα



Ο γέροντας Παΐσιος υπήρξε μια από τις πιο φωτισμένες αγίες μορφές της Εκκλησίας μας, των τελευταίων δεκαετιών. Γεννήθηκε στα Φάρασα της Καππαδοκίας, που βρίσκεται στη Μικρά Ασία, στις 25 Ιουλίου του 1924 και προτού γίνει μοναχός ονομαζόταν Αρσένιος. Οι γονείς του, Πρόδρομος και Ευλαμπία Ενζεπίδη, ήταν πολύ ευσεβείς, ενώ ο Αρσένιος είχε άλλα 9 αδέλφια. Ο Αρσένιος από τη βρεφική κιόλας ηλικία, δέχτηκε την ευλογία από το Θεό να βαπτισθεί από έναν Αγιο που ζούσε στην περιοχή του, τον Αγιο Αρσένιο τον Καππαδόκη. Ο Αγιος Αρσένιος προβλέποντας τον μελλοντικό αγιασμένο βίο του παιδιού, ζήτησε από την νονά του να το βαφτίσει Αρσένιο λέγοντας χαρακτηριστικά ότι ήθελε να αφήσει και αυτός καλόγερο στο πόδι του, δηλαδή που να έχει το όνομά του. Έναν μήνα σχεδόν μετά τη βάπτιση του Αρσενίου η οικογένεια του ακολούθησε το δρόμο της προσφυγιάς για την Ελλάδα, όπου και τελικά εγκαταστάθηκε στη Κόνιτσα. Ο μικρός Αρσένιος ζούσε έχοντας μεγάλη αγάπη στο Χριστό και την Παναγία μας και είχε πολύ μεγάλο πόθο να γίνει μοναχός. Πολύ του άρεσε να πηγαίνει στο δάσος όπου, κρατώντας έναν ξύλινο σταυρό, που είχε φτιάξει μόνος του, προσευχόταν. Σε ηλικία 21 ετών κατατάσσεται στο στρατό, όπου διακρίνεται για το ήθος και τη γενναιότητα του. Πάντα ζητούσε να πηγαίνει στην πρώτη γραμμή και στις πιο επικίνδυνες θέσεις, προτιμώντας έτσι να βρίσκεται εκείνος σε κίνδυνο και όχι κάποιος άλλος. Πάρα πολλές φορές κινδύνευσε να σκοτωθεί ο ίδιος, να γλυτώσει κάποιος άλλος συστρατιώτης του. Αφού τελείωσε το στρατό πήγε στο Αγιο Όρος γιατί είχε αποφασίσει να μονάσει εκεί.
Το 1954 γίνεται μοναχός με το όνομα Αβέρκιος και έπειτα Παΐσιος, όπου και μόνασε στην Ιερά Μονή Εσφιγμένου και κατόπιν στην Ιερά Μονή Φιλοθέου. Ως μοναχός είχε υποδειγματική υπακοή ενώ προσπαθούσε να βοηθήσει τους αδελφούς του μοναχούς όποτε και όπως μπορούσε. Από το έτος 1958 έως το 1964 ο Παΐσιος βρίσκεται εκτός του Αγίου Όρους, στην περιοχή της Κόνιτσας αρχικά για να στηρίξει χιλιάδες ψυχές, και να τις βοηθήσει να ξεφύγουν από την πλάνη των αιρετικών, ενώ αργότερα πηγαίνει στο ερημικό και δύσβατο Σινά στο κελί των Αγίων Γαλακτίωνος και Επιστήμης. Το 1964 επιστρέφει στο Αγιο Όρος. Εκεί μόνασε δίπλα σε χαρισματούχους γέροντες όπως ο παπά-Τύχωνας ο οποίος πολλές φορές έβλεπε την ώρα της Θείας Λειτουργίας, όπως ο ίδιος ομολογούσε, τα Χερουβείμ και τα Σεραφείμ να δοξολογούν το Θεό. Ο γέροντας πια Παΐσιος το 1979 μόνασε σε ένα κελάκι μόνος του στην περιοχή «Παναγούδα». Σιγά σιγά αρχίζει να γίνεται γνωστή η αγία μορφή του σε όλο και περισσότερους προσκυνητές. Όλη την ημέρα, από την ανατολή μέχρι την δύση, συμβουλεύει, παρηγορεί, διώχνει κάθε στενοχώρια, γεμίζει τις ψυχές με πίστη, ελπίδα και αγάπη για τον Θεό, ενώ τις νύχτες διαβάζει επιστολές που κατά δεκάδες του έστελναν καθημερινά και προσεύχεται στον Θεό επί ώρες για τους ανθρώπους που του ζητούν βοήθεια.
Σε όλη αυτήν την καθημερινή κούραση του γέροντος Παϊσίου έρχονται να προστεθούν και τα προβλήματα υγείας που τον ταλαιπωρούσαν από το 1966. Τα τελευταία χρόνια της ζωής του οι πόνοι από τις διάφορες αρρώστιες και κυρίως από τον καρκίνο που του είχε διαγνωσθεί λίγα χρόνια πριν, γίνονταν όλο και περισσότεροι. Παρ' όλ' αυτα όμως αυτός ήταν ήρεμος και υπέμενε χωρίς να διαμαρτύρεται καθόλου. Αντιθέτως συνέχιζε να προσεύχεται για όλους.Οι τελευταίες του ημέρες ήταν οδυνηρές, γεμάτες αφόρητους πόνους, που ξεπερνούσε χάρη στην βαθιά πίστη και αγάπη του στο Θεό. Στις 12 Ιουλίου 1994 ο γέροντας Παΐσιος παρέδωσε την όσια ψυχή του ήρεμα και ταπεινά στον Κύριο, τον Οποίο τόσο αγάπησε και υπηρέτησε από τη νεαρή του ηλικία.

Not Married

" Δεν θέλω να μιλάς" // "Μπλε" & "Get tin away" // "James" (Medley)


Medley του ντουέτου των "Not Married" από ζωντανή εμφάνιση τους στο ραδιόφωνο "Imagine 89.7" της Θεσσαλονίκης, στις 5 Μαρτίου του 2011.
Ακούγονται τα τραγούδια " Δεν θέλω να μιλάς" των "Μπλε" και "Get tin away" των "James".
Οι "Not Married" δημιουργήθηκαν στο τέλος του 2010 και αποτελούνται από τους : Annie Berka και Κώστα Θεοφανίδη.
Εμφανίζονται σε μικρούς χώρους της Θεσσαλονίκης και της Βορείου Ελλάδας ερμηνεύοντας τραγούδια της Brit Pop σκηνής. Συνεργάζονται με τον τραγουδοποιό Sanjuro στο επίπεδο δημιουργίας τραγουδιών και τον συνοδεύουν στις ζωντανές του εμφανίσεις. Σύντομα θα καταθέσουν προς κρίση και δικό τους υλικό.

Active Member

"Άκου μάνα"


Από τη Βικιπαίδεια, την ελεύθερη εγκυκλοπαίδεια

Οι Active Member (Άκτιβ Μέμμπερ) είναι ένα δημοφιλές ελληνικό hip-hop/low bap συγκρότημα γνωστό για την πολιτικού περιεχομένου στιχουργική του. Πρόκειται για το συγκρότημα που κυκλοφόρησε τον πρώτο ελληνικό hip-hop δίσκο (1993, Διαμαρτυρία). Σήμερα αποτελείται από τον B.D. Foxmoor (Μιχάλης Μυτακίδης) και την Sadahzinia (Γιολάντα Τσιαμπόκαλου).

Γιώργος Δολαπλής

"Γκιουρέσι χαβάς"



Αποτύπωμα αυθεντικότητας


Δύο ζουρνάδες κι ένα νταούλι. Ο ήχος της Μακεδονίας «ξεπηδάει» από το κέντρο της γης και σημαδεύει κατ` ευθείαν στην ψυχή μας.
Ο Γιώργος Δολαπλής, ο Κώστας Δολαπλής και ο Αντώνης Χαλάτσης από την περιοχή της Ηράκλειας Σερρών για πολλές δεκαετίες παίζουν τη μουσική τους παντού, από πλατείες πανηγύρια και γάμους μέχρι το μέγαρο μουσικής. Μεταφέρουν με μοναδικό και αξιόπιστο τρόπο τους παλμούς της καρδιάς της Μακεδονικής γης. Με αυτή την έννοια η συγκεκριμένη ηχογράφηση είναι ντοκουμέντο, αφού η τέχνη και ο ψυχισμός των τριών μουσικών καταγράφονται για πρώτη φορά οργανωμένα στη δισκογραφία.
Το αποτέλεσμα είναι συγκινητικό, και απολαυστικό. Οι τρεις μουσικοί, κυρίως ο σολίστας Γιώργος Δολαπλής – παίζουν για χάρη μας την μουσική που τους μεγάλωσε και ίδιοι τίμησαν και υπηρέτησαν. Χωρίς σκοπιμότητες, χωρίς δεύτερες σκέψεις για καριέρα ή άλλα ιδιοτελή και πονηρά. Ανήκουν σε αυτή τη μουσική, όπως ανήκουν στη γη της ιδιαίτερης πατρίδας τους. Και κατά κάποιο τρόπο –αυτή η μουσική τους ανήκει.
Ο συγκεκριμένος δίσκος συνιστά ένα βαθύ αποτύπωμα αυθεντικότητας, κόντρα στις πλαστογραφίες της εποχής.

Γιώργος Μητράκης Δημοσιογράφος
Θεσσαλονίκη Φεβρουάριος 2006

Νικος Ξυλούρης

 "Έβαλε ο θεός σημάδι"
Στίχοι: Νίκος Γκάτσος.  Μουσική: Σταύρος Ξαρχάκος



Ο Νίκος Ξυλούρης γεννήθηκε στα Ανώγεια Ηρακλείου στις 7 Ιουλίου κάπου στο τέλος της δεκαετίας του 30. Η ημερομηνία γέννησης του δεν είναι ακριβής γιατί το φθινόπωρο του 1941 το χωριό Ανώγεια καταστράφηκε και μαζί του καταστράφηκαν και τα χαρτιά όλων των κατοίκων του χωριού. Ετσι χάθηκαν και χαρτιά του Νίκου Ξυλούρη με αποτέλεσμα να αμφισβητείται η ημερομηνία γέννησης του.
Η οικογένεια του Ξυλούρη ήταν φτωχή και γενικά τα χρόνια εκείνα του 1930 ήταν δύσκολα για τους Ανωγιανούς. Λίγο το λάδι, λίγο το ψωμί, ο τόπος ξερός για να φυτέψεις, να ποτίσεις και το χωριό εντελώς κατεστραμμένο. Σ  αυτή τη γωνιά της γης ο Νίκος Ξυλούρης κάνει τα πρώτα του βήματα.
Σε νεαρή ηλικία , στην τρίτη μόλις τάξη, παρακαλεί τους γονείς του να του πάρουν μια λύρα και να τον αφήσουν να συνεχίσει την δουλειά του παππού του. Αλλά ο πατέρας του, Γιώργος Ξυλούρης, είναι ανένδοτος, θέλει ο γιος του να μάθει γράμματα και να σπουδάσει. Τελικά όμως ο Νίκος, με τη βοήθεια του δασκάλου του, ο οποίος πίστεψε στο ταλέντο του, καταφέρνει να πείσει τον πατέρα του. Ετσι ένα πρωινό αγοράζει από το Ηράκλειο την πιο όμορφη λύρα. Τα όνειρα του Νίκου παίρνουν σάρκα και οστά. Το τραγούδι γίνεται από εκείνη τη στιγμή ο σκοπός της ζωής του. Κανείς πια δεν μπορεί να τον εμποδίσει. Αλλά ούτε και ο ίδιος θα μπορούσε να φανταστεί πως με το τραγούδι του θα έφερνε μια μέρα μηνύματα αγάπης και λευτεριάς και θα ξεσήκωνε ολόκληρη την Ελλάδα.
Στα 17 με όπλα τη λύρα και η φωνή του ζητά την ευχή της μάνας του, χαιρετά τα αγρίμια και το Ψηλορείτη και κατεβαίνει στο Ηράκλειο. Εκεί πιάνει δουλειά στο κέντρο "Κάστρο" και με τα λεφτά που παίρνει πληρώνει ίσα ίσα την κάμαρα που είχε νοικιάσει. Ο Ξυλούρης την περίοδο αυτή είχε να αντιμετωπίσει τη μουσική εκείνης της εποχής (ευρωπαϊκά βαλς, ταγκό κ.λ.π) καθώς επίσης και τους μεγάλους λυράρηδες που δεν τον έβλεπαν με καλό μάτι. Τα οικονομικά του δεν πήγαιναν καλά, οι καλοί φίλοι όμως που είχε αποκτήσει στο Ηράκλειο τον βοηθούν οργανώνοντας γλέντια. Ετσι ο Νίκος σιγά -σιγά άρχισε να γίνεται γνωστός στο ευρύ κοινό και να κερδίζει όλο και πιο πολλά χρήματα, βέβαια δεν δούλευε μόνο για τα χρήματα και όπου δεν είχαν να τον πληρώσουν καθόταν με το παραπάνω λέγοντας : "Αυτοί έχουν περισσότερη ανάγκη για να γλεντήσουν".
Την 21η Μαΐου του 1958, ο Νίκος Ξυλούρης παντρεύεται την Μελαμπιανάκη Ουρανία και το Σεπτέμβρη του ίδιου έτους αποφασίζουν να εγκατασταθούν μαζί στο Ηράκλειο. Ο Νίκος συνεχίζει την ανοδική του πορεία και τον Νοέμβριο του 1958 βγάζει τον πρώτο του δίσκο με την εταιρία "Οντεόν" που έχει τίτλο "Μια μαυροφόρα που περνά". Η αμοιβή του ; 150 δραχμές !! Ο δίσκος είχε επιτυχία και έτσι η εταιρία του τον βοηθάει να κάνει κι άλλους δίσκους, βγάζοντας τον από τις δύσκολες μέρες.
Το 1966 το κράτος επιλέγει και στέλνει τον Νίκο Ξυλούρη σε φολκλορικό διαγωνισμό στο Σαν Ρέμο οπού ανάμεσα από δεκάδες συγκροτήματα ο Ελληνας λυράρης παίρνει το πρώτο βραβείο για την ερμηνεία του στο συρτάκι που έπαιξε με την λύρα.
Το 1967, επί δικτατορίας, ανοίγει στο Ηράκλειο το πρώτο κρητικό κέντρο, τον "Ερωτόκριτο" και τον Απρίλη του 1969 κάνει την πρώτη του επίσημη δοκιμαστική εμφάνιση του στην Αθήνα, στο κέντρο "Κονάκι". Ο κόσμος τον αποθεώνει και ο Νίκος Ξυλούρης αποφασίζει να εγκατασταθεί στην Αθήνα. Κάποιο από τα βράδια ο Νίκος γνωρίζεται με τον σκηνοθέτη και ποιητή Ερρίκο Θαλασσινό και γίνονται αχώριστοι φίλοι. Μέσο του Θαλασσινού γνωρίζει τον μουσικοσυνθέτη Γιάννη Μαρκόπουλο με τον οποίο και συνεργάστηκε. Μετά από ένα χειμώνα επιτυχίας, το καλοκαίρι του 70 κατεβαίνει στο Ηράκλειο να εργαστεί. Εκείνο το καλοκαίρι γνωρίζεται με τον Τάκη Λαμπρόπουλο, τότε διευθυντή της "Κολούμπια", ο οποίος και του ζητά να συνεργαστούν. Αυτή η συνάντηση αποτέλεσε την αφετηρία για την καριέρα του Νίκου. Το έργο του με τίτλο τα "Ριζίτικα", που τόσο καιρό προσπαθούσε να εκδώσει, γίνεται δίσκος και φιγουράρει στις βιτρίνες των αθηναϊκών καταστημάτων. Αργότερα βραβεύεται για την ερμηνεία στο δίσκο αυτό από την Γαλλική Ακαδημία Σάρλ Κρός αλλά θα πάρει την πρώτη του καλλιτεχνική απογοήτευση αφού στο εξώφυλλο του ξένου δίσκου δεν αναφέρεται καν το όνομα του.
Μετά τα κέντρα και τις μπουάτ, έρχεται το θέατρο. Το καλοκαίρι του 1973 η αξέχαστη Τζένη Καρέζη και ο Κώστας Καζάκος ανεβάζουν το "Μεγάλο μας Τσίρκο". Ο Νίκος Ξυλούρης δίνει τον καλύτερο εαυτό του και τα ταμεία δεν προλαβαίνουν να κόβουν εισιτήρια. Η παράσταση μένει σταθμός στην καλλιτεχνική καριέρα του Νίκου.
Ο Νίκος Ξυλούρης ζούσε μεγάλες στιγμές δόξας, αλλά μέσα του ήξερε ότι όλα αυτά δεν θα τα ζούσε για πολύ ακόμα. Η ασθένεια του αιώνα μας (καρκίνος) είχε αναπτυχθεί μέσα του και μέρα με την ημέρα του αφαιρούσε τη ζωή. Τελικά μετά από πολλές προσπάθειες ο Νίκος Ξυλούρης χάνει την άνιση αυτή μάχη στο αντικαρκινικό Νοσοκομείο Πειραιώς.

Perach Adom

"'Ώπα ώπα"




The Perach Adom band was established in 2001 by Tomer Katz, a graduate of the Rubin Academy for Music and Dance in Jerusalem. The band has six members – a singer and five instrumentalists, who play only on acoustic instruments. Perach Adom plays authentic Rembetiko music (a genre of Greek music) in a moving manner, singing Hebrew version of the songs as well as original Greek lyrics. The band specializes in the Rembetiko style which evolved in the period between 1880-1950.Following in the path of The well known jewish performer Roza Eskenazi. The name, Perach Adom, means Red Flower in English, symbolizing love (flower) and pain (red). The Hebrew lyrics were written by Tomer Katz in the spirit of the Greek lyrics, and they evoke memories of Rembetiko and the Greek landscape, as well as the Israeli experience.

The Cult

"Wild Flower"


From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Cult are a British rock band that was formed in 1983. They gained a dedicated following in Britain in the mid 1980s as a post-punk band with singles such as "She Sells Sanctuary", before breaking mainstream in the United States in the late 1980s as a hard rock band with singles such as "Love Removal Machine". The band fuses a "heavy metal revivalist" sound with the "pseudo-mysticism ... of The Doors [and] the guitar-orchestrations of Led Zeppelin ... while adding touches of post-punk goth rock".[1] Since their earliest form in Bradford during 1981, the band has had various line-ups, and the longest serving members are vocalist Ian Astbury and guitarist Billy Duffy, the band's two songwriters.
After moving to London, the band released the album Love in 1985, which charted at #4 in the United Kingdom, and which included singles such as "She Sells Sanctuary" and "Rain". In the late 1980s, the band dropped their post-punk sound in favour of hard rock with their third album, Electric; the polish on this new sound was facilitated by Rick Rubin, who produced the record. Their fourth album, Sonic Temple, proceeded in a similar vein, and these two LPs enabled them to break into the North American market. By the early 1990s, the band was fraying behind the scenes, due to alcohol abuse and off-stage tensions, leading to a split-up in 1995.[1] The band reunited in 1999 and recorded the album Beyond Good and Evil, and they reissued all of their albums in Asia and Eastern Europe in 2003 and Japan in 2004. In 2006, the band reformed again to perform a series of worldwide tours. In October 2007, the band released the album Born into This, on the Roadrunner Records label. According to a July 2009 interview with Astbury, The Cult has no plans to record or produce any more studio albums, focusing on LPs and Digital Releases instead for new material.[2]

Lou Reed

"Perfect day"
Music video to the 1997 BBC Children in Need charity single. A cover of Lou Reed's "Perfect Day".

Performed by (in order of appearance): Lou Reed, Bono, Skye Edwards (from Morcheeba), David Bowie, Suzanne Vega, Elton John, Sir Andrew Davis (conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra), Boyzone, Lesley Garrett, Burning Spear, Bono, Sir Thomas Allen, Brodsky Quartet, Heather Small (from M People), Emmylou Harris, Tammy Wynette, Shane MacGowan, Sheona White (BBC Young Brass Soloist of the Year 1996), Dr. John, Robert Cray, Hugh "Huey" Morgan (from Fun Lovin' Criminals), Ian Broudie (from The Lightning Seeds), Gabrielle, Evan Dando (from The Lemonheads), Courtney Pine, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Brett Anderson (from Suede), Visual Ministry Choir, Joan Armatrading, Laurie Anderson and Tom Jones.




From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Lewis Allan "Lou" Reed[1] (born on March 2, 1942) is an American rock musician, songwriter, and photographer. He is best known as guitarist, vocalist, and principal songwriter of The Velvet Underground, and for his successful solo career, which spans several decades and crosses multiple genres. The Velvet Underground gained little mainstream attention during their career, but became one of the most influential bands of their era.[2] As the Velvet Underground's main songwriter, Reed wrote about subjects of personal experience that rarely had been examined so openly in rock and roll, including a variety of sexual topics and drug culture.
After his departure from the group, Reed began a solo career in 1971. He had a hit the following year with "Walk on the Wild Side", although for more than a decade he evaded the mainstream commercial success its chart status offered him.[3] Reed's work as a solo artist has frustrated critics wishing for a return of The Velvet Underground. The most notable example is 1975's infamous double LP of recorded feedback loops, Metal Machine Music, upon which Reed later commented: "No one is supposed to be able to do a thing like that and survive." He is also responsible for the name and popularization of ostrich tuning.
By the late 1980s, however, he had garnered recognition by the music community as an elder statesman of rock.

Νικόλας Άσιμος

"Καταρρέω


Από τη Βικιπαίδεια, την ελεύθερη εγκυκλοπαίδεια

Ο Νικόλας Άσιμος (1949 - 1988) ήταν στιχουργός, συνθέτης και τραγουδιστής του ελληνικού ροκ και όχι μόνο. Τραγούδησε και πολλά άλλα τραγούδια σε λαϊκό ύφος. Το πραγματικό του επίθετο ήταν Ασημόπουλος. Ήταν περίπτωση ιδιαίτερα αντισυμβατικού καλλιτέχνη, κυρίως όσον αφορά τον τρόπο ζωής. Οι συμπεριφορές του και τα τραγούδια που έγραψε θεωρήθηκαν συχνά προκλητικά. Έντονα πολιτικοποιημένο άτομο, που ιδεολογικά δεν ανήκε σε κάποιο χώρο. O ίδιος ποτέ δεν αποδέχτηκε την "ταξινόμηση" σε κάποια ιδεολογία. Ο Άσιμος ήταν αρχικά αριστερός. Απέκτησε όμως αναρχική συνείδηση λίγο αργότερα και στην συνέχεια ξεπέρασε και τους αναρχικούς, καθώς δεν επιθυμούσε να του "κολλούν ταμπέλες".
Ο Νικόλας Άσιμος γεννήθηκε στη Θεσσαλονίκη στις 19 Αυγούστου του 1949 από γονείς Κοζανίτες. Μικρός υπήρξε αρκετά φιλομαθής. Το 1967 εγγράφεται στη Φιλοσοφική σχολή του Α.Π.Θ.. Τα χρόνια της φοιτητικής του ζωής ασχολήθηκε ενεργά με το θέατρο, ενώ παράλληλα έγραφε τραγούδια και τραγουδούσε σε μπουάτ. Συχνά είχε προβλήματα με την αστυνομία: ήταν η περίοδος της Χούντας και της λογοκρισίας που αυτή επιβάλλει.
Το 1973 φεύγει από τη Θεσσαλονίκη και πηγαίνει στην Αθήνα. Συνεχίζει να ασχολείται με το θέατρο και τελειώνει μια ιδιωτική σχολή Δραματικής Τέχνης. Γράφει τραγούδια τα οποία δε δισκογραφεί επίσημα, αλλά τα γράφει μόνος του σε κασέτες τις οποίες πουλάει σε διάφορους δρόμους της Αθήνας. Δίνει ακόμα μουσικές παραστάσεις σε μπουάτ της Πλάκας, και συνεργάζεται με καλλιτέχνες όπως ο Γιάννης Ζουγανέλης, ο Σάκης Μπουλάς, ο Θανάσης Γκαϊφύλλιας και η Κατερίνα Γώγου. Το 1976 απέκτησε μία κόρη από τη σχέση του με την Λίλιαν Χαριτάκη, εκτός γάμου.
Η πρώτη του συμμετοχή στη δισκογραφία ήταν το 1974 με το single Ρωμιός-Μηχανισμός σε ηλικία 25 χρόνων. Το 1977 φυλακίστηκε προσωρινά μαζί με άλλους 5 εκδότες και συγγραφείς. Αποφυλακίστηκαν και οι 5 μετά από πρωτοβουλία του Διονύση Σαββόπουλου. Το 1978 κατατάχτηκε στον στρατό. Ωστόσο δεν υπηρέτησε, αλλά πήρε απαλλαγή στράτευσης καταφέρνοντας να του αναγνωριστεί ότι πάσχει από Σχιζοειδή ψύχωση. Κάτι τέτοιο δεν είχε ωστόσο καμία σχέση με την πραγματικότητα γιατί, όπως αναφέρει χαρακτηριστικά στην αυτοβιογραφία του, υιοθέτησε αυτή την συμπεριφορά γιατί ήταν αντίθετος προς τη στράτευση και απλά ήταν ένα σχέδιο για να την αποφύγει. Την περίοδο 1980 - 1981 έγραψε το βιβλίο του Αναζητώντας Κροκάνθρωπους, το οποίο δεν εκδόθηκε επίσημα, αλλά κυκλοφόρησε από τον ίδιο σε φωτοτυπημένα αντίγραφα. Τα τελευταία χρόνια, και μετά τον θάνατό του, το βιβλίο αυτό έχει κυκλοφορήσει και από εκδοτικό οίκο.
Το 1982 κυκλοφόρησε το πρώτο του δίσκο μακράς διάρκειας με τίτλο Ο Ξαναπές. Μελοποίησε το "Ουλαλούμ" του Γιάννη Σκαρίμπα. Το 1987 κατηγορήθηκε άδικα για το βιασμό μίας κοπέλας και οδηγήθηκε για λίγο στο ψυχιατρείο. Το γεγονός αυτό είχε σημαντικές συνέπειες στη ψυχολογία του και στις 17 Μαρτίου του 1988 κρεμάστηκε στο σπίτι του, που ονόμαζε χώρο προετοιμασίας. Πέθανε σε ηλικία περίπου 39 ετών.
Επίσης, πληροφορίες λένε ότι είχε φτιάξει ένα είδους ημερολόγιο, στο οποίο κατέγραφε τις τελευταίες 15 ημέρες. Σε αυτές τις 15 ημέρες έψαχνε κάτι που θα του "έδινε" λόγο να ζει. Σε όλες τις ημέρες είχε σημειώσει Χ (δηλαδή ότι δεν έβρισκε) και στην 15η ημέρα σημείωσε επίσης X, οπότε και αυτοκτόνησε. Θα μπορούσε να ειπωθεί ότι ο θάνατός του, η αυτοκτονία του, ήταν σαν προγραμματισμένα.