On This Day…
1955 Elvis Presley attended the fourth Country Music Disc Jockey Convention in Nashville Tennessee. Back at his hotel Mae Boren Axton played him a demo of a new song she had written with Tommy Durden called ‘Heartbreak Hotel’. Presley released the track as a single on January 27, 1956, his first on his new record label RCA Victor. The song gave him his his first No.1 one pop record.
1975 David Bowie was at No.1 on the UK singles chart with ‘Space Oddity’ the track was first released in 1969 to tie in with the Apollo 11 moon landing. Rick Wakeman (former keyboard player with Yes) provided synthesizer backing. Bowie would later revisit his Major Tom character in the songs ‘Ashes to Ashes’, ‘Hallo Spaceboy’ and ‘Blackstar’.
1984 After setting a new record for advanced orders, 1,099,500 copies, Frankie Goes To Hollywood went to No.1 on the UK album chart with their debut LP ‘Welcome To The Pleasure Dome.’ Also on this day Frankie Goes To Hollywood made their debut TV appearance on Saturday Night Live performing ‘Two Tribes’ and ‘Born To Run’.
1997 American session guitarist Tommy Tedesco died of lung cancer aged 67. Described by “Guitar Player” magazine as the most recorded guitarist in history recording with The Beach Boys, Everly Brothers, The Supremes, The Monkees, The Association, Barbra Streisand, Elvis Presley, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Zappa, Sam Cooke, Cher, and Nancy and Frank Sinatra. And played on many TV themes including Bonanza, The Twilight Zone, M*A*S*H and Batman.
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Brand New Music
Taylor Swift | Reputation
If you’re the kind of person who love “The Big Bang Theory” or “Two and a Half Men” and you’re looking for an introduction to Taylor Swift, you might find your match in this record. Reputation from start to finish is the bland CBS sitcom of Pop music. Horribly over produced group of tracks that meander from the harshness of being a celebrity and dealing with an ex-boyfriend or two.. holy god, who the hell cares? Swift has portrayed herself as the girl next door, the romantic, the geek, the marketing genius, the snake, the victim, etc. over the years seemingly because she can’t find another subject matter other than, ‘life is tough; my ex-boyfriend was an asshole’. Instead of finding something else to talk about she changes the voice and transforms herself into whatever else is popular at the time – even if that ‘thing’ might be a voice for the alt-right.
Angel Olsen | Phases
Although suffering from being a little less than fully fleshed out in spots, this record is a testament to Angel Olsen’s ever-evolving artistic sensibilities. Without losing sight of the larger picture Phases fulfills it’s own purpose, swaying about a bit into a vast and emotionally compelling collection. It’s gentle and solid and channels a sort of ghostly past where musical arrangements was simpler but emotions felt harder.
