Tag Archives: History

Spotify Uses The New Facebook Timeline To Tell The History Of Music

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Music streaming Spotify shows the world how to put Facebook's new timeline to good use.

So what if Facebook has made its new timeline compulsory? Stop complaining, and make the best out of it. It’s not that hard – all it takes is some imagination. Just look at what these folks at Spotify have done.

They have taken advantage of how Facebook lets you present information year by year, and their page goes back not just to 2006 (the year in which Spotify was actually founded) but to 1001. It doesn’t matter what genre or artist you’re keen on. If it’s had any – any – kind of impact in the history of music, then you’ll find at least a good couple of entries on Spotify’s timeline.

While I don’t know the exact way you feel about the new timeline, the fact remains that complaining won’t make any diference. The new profile is here to stay. Make the best of what is there. Others are already doing it, and if you can’t seem to reinvent the wheel then you can at least at what they’re doing for inspiration.

Chalkhills and Children (Chris Twomey) – Book Review

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The Cover Of The Book. The Picture Comes From The "Nonsuch" Photo Shot.

The Cover Of The Book. The Picture Comes From The "Nonsuch" Photo Shot.

Named after one of Andy’s most ethereal compositions, this book (first released in 1992) stands as a moving portrait of a band that is incredibly cerebral, and yet has the ability to tug at your heartstrings like few bands in history. That contradiction comes as no surprise. The story of XTC involves the clash between ideals and reality, and that is something that comes across very vividly on this book.

The book has 188 pages. It includes 10 chapters, two sections of black & white photographs and a discography at the end. It begins out of chronological order (the first chapter deals with Andy’s breakdown) and then the story properly starts and it is run without detours or digressions. It is also an “authorized” biography – the book was compiled from interviews with the band members and their families. And most key figures like Todd Rundgren and Steve Lillywhite are also among the interviewees. Continue reading →

Critical Metrics – Finding Which Ones Are The Best Songs Ever

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CriticalMetrics

Name: Critical Metrics

URL: http://www.criticalmetrics.com

If we were to determine what the best songs ever are, how could we do it? Rather, is it even possible to approach such a task and ensure that the end results will be even slightly reliable and/or universal? That is, in which sense is a song “better” than other? Instrumentally? Due to some distinctive production trickery? Because the song had cultural and historical transcendence? In terms of how it performed in the charts? As you can see, it is an endless debate. Still, people being people we want to find a sort of answer to these questions. If we are a fan of a band, having such information at hand always has a sort of self-affirmative effect. And that is where a site like this one steps right in.

Critical Metrics aims to let you know which 40 songs rank among the best in history. It does so by collating a true wealth of information, including “rave reviews, playlists, year-end lists, awards, artist & celebrity picks, and other editorial superlatives” as they explain on the site. The idea, then, is to create a bibliographical database of these songs that have been recommended the most throughout history. This database goes as far as 1890, and over 60,000 songs are featured so far. They have made a deliberate effort to bypass no era or type of song, and that is where the eventual strength of Critical Metrics might truly lie. That is, if they can fire up the imagination and interest of users they could come up with an active community suggesting new songs to be added all the time, and recommending them so that they climb towards the top spots. Continue reading →