Music Category
Music news and reviews, music videos and tittle tattle, with a lingering look at the past from Anorak. A source for rock, pop, album and live music, new releases, artist interviews and features.
Vinyl Music Sales At A 10 Year High
VINYL bores are a terrible, terrible thing. However, some nice news is that vinyl sales are at a 10 year high. Driving demand are releases from Daft Punk, Arctic Monkeys and David Bowie (and a whole bunch of great compilations and reissues).
Figures are showing that records have crossed the half-million mark already in 2013, which is the first time that’s happened since 2003. Since last year, sales have doubled.
Naturally, the amount of records sold is rather modest, but still encouraging. Music fans have bought 550,000 records thus far, according to analysis of Official Charts Company data by recording industry body the BPI.
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Posted: 17th, October 2013 | In: Music, The Consumer | Comment
Peter Serafinowicz Sings The First Page Of Morrissey’s Autobiography
PETER Serafinowicz will now sing the first page of Morrissey’s autobiography:
James Taylor Is Backed By The Beatles In This 1970 TV Show
IN November 1970, James Taylor, 22,appeared on the BBC in James Taylor Sings James Taylor. The first American signed to The Beatles’ Apple label, Taylor sang Carolina in My Mind with Paul McCartney and George Harrison.
“I just heard his voice and his guitar,” said McCartney, “and I thought he was great.”
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Difficult Hits To Strip To – the album
ALBUM of the year is Difficult Hits To Strip To. We look forward to More Difficult Hits to Strip to, featuring The Birdie Song, Agadoo, anything by Miley Cyrus (irony there), Gangnam Style, Cliff Richard’s Summer Holiday, Does your chewing gum lose its flavour? by Lonnie Donegan, Who Let the Dogs Out? by Baha Men, There’s No-one Quite Like Grandma by St. Winired’s School Choir and many, many more…
HTC’s creates tacky golden bling to celebrate black music at the MOBO awards
I’M really not sure that this is all that appropriate you know. Is overpriced golden blong really the way to celebrate the best of black and urban music at the MOBO Awards?
Because that’s what they’re doing:
Still, HTC has just announced a new model that’ll put their scarcity to shame: an 18 carat gold HTC One priced at £2,750 (about $4,400). Only five copies will be made to commemorate the 18th anniversary of the MOBO awards, which honors black artists and urban music in the UK. It’s the “most exclusive and expensive smartphone every produced by HTC,” according to MOBO, and features a MOBO 18 logo laser etched on the back.
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Posted: 11th, October 2013 | In: Money, Music, Technology | Comment
Great records: Praise-R-Cise is your musical Christian Aerobics weight-loss plan
CHRISTIAN Aerobics was not like other aerobics (notably Muslim aerobics, Jewish aerobics and the Sikh aerobic, which is, as we know, glorified rhythmic gymnastics).
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Coolio sings Gangster’s Paradise in a Preston student flat
WHAT’S the saddest thing you’ve seen? How about Coolio sat in a flat of Media Tech College, Preston, students and singing Gangster’s Paradise?
Singing the song when you’re young and lean is cool-io. See the lyrics:
Death ain’t nothing but a heartbeat away,
I’m living life, do or die, what can I say
I’m 23 now, but will I live to see 24
The way things are going I don’t know
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Posted: 9th, October 2013 | In: Celebrities, Music | Comment
Morrissey loves This Charming Charlie: Peanuts does The Smiths
MORRISSEY may hate meat, but he doesn’t hate Peanuts. The professional pathos peddler has come out in support of Tumblr, ThisCharmingCharlie, saying that he’s “delighted and flattered” by reworkings of the Snoopy-starring comic strips that feature lyrics by his former band The Smiths.
In a statement released to fansite True To You, the singer swatted away claims that he had anything to do with record label attempts to take down the site.
“Morrissey would like to stress that he has not been consulted over any takedown request to remove the Tumblr blog named ‘This Charming Charlie’,” the message read.
“Morrissey is represented by Warner-Chappell Publishing, and not Universal Music Publishing, (who have allegedly demanded that the lyrics be removed). Morrissey is delighted and flattered by the Peanuts comic strip with its use of Morrissey-Smiths lyrics, and he hopes that the strips remain.”
The website has posted a letter sent to Tumblr from Lauren LoPrete’s legal representatives, outlining fair use to use the lyrics.
Posted: 7th, October 2013 | In: Celebrities, Music | Comment
James Brown teaches us to dance like Mr Bo Jangles’ Funky Chicken
WHO taught you how to dance? Clearly, no-one.
The aim of most dancers is to get into the middle of a large group already at it and hope no-one notices them. Either that or do The Madness dance. We cannot all be Yorkshire TV dancing champions. So. Where disco dancing Dick Blake failed, James Brown can only help. He’s here to teach us The Funky Chicken, The Boogaloo and The Camel Walk.
The trick is… Well, there is no tick. You either can do it well or you can’t do it well. But anyone can have fun trying. If you have no natural ability you just need lots of space, socks, good knees and a lack of self-awareness bordering on the criminal. James, of course, makes it look easy and fun:
Slavoj Žižek explains Gangnam Style
IS anyone still dancing Gangnam Style? Aren’t all the dancing dads now twerking at weddings and work Christmas parties? Slavoj Žižek is here to explain why you did the dance and now don’t at his University of Vermont talk on October 16th, 2012.
If you can’t watch it all, you can fast forward to Žižek’s Gangnam appraisal just after 35 minutes.
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10 great Halloween party songs that aren’t naff
HALLOWEEN is coming. You want to host a party. This is the music you need to play.
Tam Lin: Fairport Convention
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Desire Dubounet sings My Way (crying)
DESIRE Dubounet will now sing My Way. Look out for the cars…and the chopper…
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Miley Cyrus and Sinead O’Connor bury the hatchet and perform this duet
IT was all a put up job, a PR-inspired row to foment interest in the Miley Cyrus and Sinead O’Connor duet? No. Course not. O’Connor is the real deal. Cyrus is a stage school pillock. And if you really want to make Cyrus look bad, do this – stick her next to O’Connor:
Edinburgh and Leeds University ban on Robin Thicke’s Blurred Lines is racist
ROBIN Thicke’s hit has everyone’s knickers in a twist. The Universities of Kingston, Edinburgh, Leeds, Derby and West Scotland have banned their students unions from playing one of year’s biggest hits. The righteous students have censored the Top Ten, just like the BBC did in the unenlightened 1970s, when the likes of The Kinks, Paul McCartney, the Sex Pistols and Judge Dread were all banned.
Granted, Macca never did rap “ I’ll give you something big enough to tear your ass in two”, which it turns out is not a reference to a late-night Ultra Chilli Kebab from Big Ahmed’s Van but something illegal in Qatar. And Macca never did grope naked birds on his videos. Yes, he posed with dead babies. But naked women is so. well, offensive to “good girls” who don’t enjoy posing in the nude and being awakened to the magic of sex by Thicke’s dick.
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Sinead O’Connor’s open letter to Miley Cyrus: ‘don’t be a prostitute and save your tongue for your boyfriend’
SINEAD O’Connor, Anorak’s Woman of the Century, has penned an open letter to Miley Cyrus. Miley, of course, told Rolling Stone that Sinead is her “role model”. It is down to O’Connor and that Nothing Compares 2 U video that the world can gawp at Cyrus licking a hammer in her Wrecking Ball video.
O’Connor has no responded. and she is, as ever, a cracking read:
“I am happy to hear I am somewhat of a role model for you and I hope that because of that you will pay close attention to what I am telling you. The music business doesn’t give a shit about you, or any of us. They will prostitute you for all you are worth, and cleverly make you think it’s what YOU wanted.. and when you end up in rehab as a result of being prostituted, ‘they’ will be sunning themselves on their yachts in Antigua, which they bought by selling your body and you will find yourself very alone…
“Real empowerment of yourself as a woman would be to in future refuse to exploit your body or your sexuality in order for men to make money from you. I needn’t even ask the question.. I’ve been in the business long enough to know that men are making more money than you are from you getting naked. Its really not at all cool. And its sending dangerous signals to other young women.”
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Posted: 3rd, October 2013 | In: Celebrities, Music | Comments (6)
Lostprophets announce split as singer faces grim sex charges
IN a move that should be met with “No shit!” and “Urgh, what to do?”, Lostprophets have announced that they’re splitting up in the face of frontman Ian Watkins imminent trial for sex offences, which make for particularly grim reading.
The group, who have been making a racket since 1997, announced the news on their Facebook page, saying: “After nearly a year of coming to terms with our heartache, we finally feel ready to announce publicly what we have thought privately for some time. We can no longer continue making or performing music as Lostprophets.”
“Your love and support over the past 15 years has been tremendous, and we’ll be forever grateful for all you’ve given us. As we look forward to the next phase of our lives, we can only hope to be surrounded by people as devoted and inspiring as you guys have been.”
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Posted: 3rd, October 2013 | In: Celebrities, Music | Comment (1)
Paris Hilton and Lil Wayne have created the themes tune for the world’s designated drivers
“Yes, I’m having a good time and I might be a bit tipsy but that’s okay cuz you’re with me.”
1983: Macho George Michael loves The Sweet but hates the ‘effeminate one’
1991: Nirvana’s first televised performance of Smells Like Teen Spirit and Kurt is unplugged and contracted in a Radio Shack
TWENTY years ago, Nirvana released In Utero. Anorak bought it. And played it loud. In 1991, Nirvana appeared on MTV’s 120 Minutes to perform Smells Like Teen Spirit. Grunge went mainstream.
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Posted: 1st, October 2013 | In: Flashback, Music, TV & Radio | Comment
The 17 British sports legends and pop stars who owned their own shops
WHEN Huddersfield Giants star Danny Brough (seen here with his bestselling blueberry bonbons) revealed his other life as co-owner of the Hull confectionery shop Sweeet Shack (with an extra ‘e’) some people may have raised an eyebrow or two.
Once upon a time, however, there was nothing unusual about celebrities operating a sideline. Former footballers, boxers and cricketers opened newsagents, sports shops and pubs. And they weren’t the only ones. Even the Beatles got in on the act.
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Posted: 1st, October 2013 | In: Celebrities, Flashback, Key Posts, Music, Sports | Comment (1)
