What Was The First Chart Hit Andy Partridge Had With XTC?

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The First Top 20 Single Penned By Andy Was No Other Than The Much-reviled “Sgt. Rock (Is Going To Help Me)”

The First Top 20 Single Penned By Andy Was A Song He Really Hated: “Sgt. Rock (Is Going To Help Me)”

As you know, the song that gave the Swindon-based art rockers their first taste of success was “Making Plans For Nigel”. That was the first single culled from “Drums & Wires”, and it was a Top 17 hit. But it wasn’t penned by Andy Partridge. Rather, it had been composed by bassist Colin Moulding.

Andy would have to wait until the next album (Black Sea) to have a Top 20 hit of his own. Yet, fate dictated that his least-liked composition from the whole LP was to be the one putting him on the map. The song “Sgt. Rock (Is Going To Help Me)” got to number 16 on the charts.

Andy was to lament forever more that a song harking back to his puerile writing days became his first hit. Remember, at that time he was already penning stuff like “Living Through Another Cuba” and “Respectable Street”. Continue reading →

Cindy Lauper Performs “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” When Stranded In Argentina

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Something bizarre for the weekend… Cindy Lauper recently found herself stranded at Jorge Newbery Airport in Argentina, and when the wait became just too bloody long for everybody she did the only thing she could do: seize a microphone and entertain the crowd.

This is her performing her signature song, “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun”:

It is hard to watch this and not think of Kanye West’s recent stunt on a Delta flight in which he took over the PA and regaled passengers with performances of the songs “Gold Digger” and “Good Life.”

Which was not bad a move at all. Yet, the “Imma let you finish” incident is a hard bone to chew. He will have to exert himself even more…

Like.fm – Share The Songs You Like With Your Facebook Friends

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http://www.like.fm

Name: Like.fm
URL: http://www.like.fm

Like.fm is a new music discovery app. It has already been termed a shareable version of iTunes on some tech blogs, and that’s pretty accurate as Like.fm can track all the music that you are playing and generate a list with your favorite songs. This list will then be shared with all your friends.

And when I say “all your friends”, you should take that literally – Like.fm uses your Facebook account in order to work. All your social network friends who also have the app installed (and who choose to follow you) will receive this automatically-generated list, and learn first-hand which music you love best.

Still, it’s important to mention that not simply because you have played something that particular song will be part of your list. When using Like.fm, you are actually empowered to remove tracks manually from the finished list before it is sent to all the people who are following you. Continue reading →

Write A Song Live With Maroon 5

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A Live Session With Maroon 5 Will Be Streamed On March 22. The Band Will Have 24 Hours To Come Up With A Song, With The Help Of Its Fans.

A Live Session With Maroon 5 Will Be Streamed On March 22. The Band Will Have 24 Hours To Come Up With A Song, With The Help Of Its Fans.

On March 22, Coca Cola will make the dream of many a fan of Maroon 5 come true. A live studio session will be held on that day, and fans will be able to contribute lyrics, riffs and melodies for the band’s next single.

And the fans who take part of this session will be able not only to send their ideas in, but also to ask direct questions to the band.

This session is going to last 24 hours, and Coca Cola is promoting it on its Facebook page (it currently has more than 20 million fans).

Although I find Maroon 5 unbearable,  I thought this was worth sharing with you if only because it is one of the coolest social media strategies yet applied to the music industry. Let’s just see if more sessions are announced, and who are involved…

The First Video From “Angles” (The New Album By The Strokes) Is Released

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It Took The Strokes 5 Full Years To Release A New Album, But “Angles” Is Coming To Stores At The End Of March

It Took The Strokes 5 Full Years To Release A New Album, But “Angles” Is Coming To Stores At The End Of March

After a five-year hiatus, The Strokes are back in town with a new album (“Angles”), and a sparkling video to go with it.

The first song on the album (“Under Cover Of Darkness”) has been chosen as its first promotional side. The clip has already been watched more than 900,000 times. Here you have it:

Not bad. Not at all. Yet, whether “Angles” will make people forget “Is This It” (the band’s spotless debut from 2001) or just bring it to mind time and again is the question that the press has been asking incessantly.

“Angles” is slated to be released on March 22 in the US, and March 21 in the UK…

Jog.fm – Music To Listen To While Running, Walking & Cycling

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Jog.fm

Name: Jog.fm
URL: http://www.jog.fm

Jog.fm is a site where you can get music to listen to while you are exercising. So far, three different activities are supported: running, walking and cycling. In all three cases, music is found simply by specifying your actual kilometer time for Jog.fm to come up with a suitable playlist.

Alternatively, you can browse through these playlists that other people have favorited and download the ones which are more popular directly.

And in addition to providing you with music to enliven your trots up and down the city, the site features a route planning application. This will let you add points one by one until you have devised a route that will test your endurance to the limit. Or (if you are a bit like me) one that will take you through all the trendiest spots in town. As long as you are exercising as intended, I suppose that it makes no difference, right?

Right?

FTR Fanzine: Another Way To Learn About Uruguayan Bands

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I have been writing about unsigned and independent Uruguayan artists for over a year now, and the feedback I get makes it clear you enjoy the coverage. So, it’s only fair to assume you would like to know even more.

ftr for the retarded

Well, those of you who understand Spanish can check this new fanzine. It is named FTR (“For The Retarded” – talk about self-deprecating humor!), and it’s devoted to Uruguayan artists that are yet to achieve mass recognition. And the site is worth a try even if your understanding of Spanish is not spotless – you will still get to listen to all the MP3s that are featured.

I know, I know, that feels like going to the librarian and asking him for books that have big pictures only. Hey, but in the same way a picture paints a thousand words, the MP3s which are included on FTR convey all that is said on the actual posts. Just follow Bob Dylan’s immortal advice: “Don’t think twice, it’s alright”. Continue reading →

“Born This Way”, The Latest Video By Lady Gaga Premieres On Vevo

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Born This Way Is The Fastest Selling Song To Have Hit The iTunes Store

Born This Way Is The Fastest Selling Song Ever On iTunes

The newest video by Lady Gaga has just premiered on Vevo, and if it doesn’t shake the ground from beneath Justin Bieber’s feet (her main online competitor) then nothing will. “Born This Way” is already the fastest-selling single on iTunes, and the video has been viewed over 7 million times.

The battle for online supremacy rages on and on…

Month In Review – February 2011

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This month I published one of the better-received posts of the blog, both locally and internationally. I am talking about the review of Erika Chuwoki’s debut EP, “La Corporación”. Everybody remarked how enjoyable it was, but I felt bad afterwards for having slammed my beloved Badly Drawn Boy in the process, and I even wrote a post to counterbalance the criticisms I leveled at “Born In The UK” afterwards. Not that I sleep better at night or anything like that, but respect where it’s due. When taken as a whole with the music videos that were shot, the album certainly has its moments.

Also (and as announced in January) this month saw its fair share of interviews: two with entrepreneurs whose startups I have already reviewed (Josh Roberts from Bandhack and the whole TuneCrank team), and one with legendary Argentinean guitarist (and founding member of Uruguayan rock band Níquel) Pablo Faragó. You can read that interview both in English and in Spanish. Continue reading →

MTV’s Digital Show To Be Named The OMAs

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Get Ready For The OMAs

Get Ready For The OMAs

MTV has just announced the name for his upcoming digital music awards show.

The show will be called The O___Music Awards (OMAs), and it will begin airing on April 28.

As you already know, this show is focusing on digital music and social media. The exact categories and nominees are yet to be announced by MTV. Continue reading →