On This Day..
1957 Sun Records released “Great Balls Of Fire”, by Jerry Lee Lewis. The single went on to sell over five million copies worldwide, and was a No.1 hit in the UK and No.2 in the US.
1967 The filming for The Beatles Magical Mystery Tour was completed finishing with a sequence at Ringo’s country house in Weybridge, Surrey, BBC television bought the rights to broadcast the film twice, the first broadcast, in black-and-white was scheduled for December 26, 1967. The second showing, on the color channel BBC2, was not yet available to all Britons, was set for January 5, 1968.
1990 “Ice Ice Baby”, by Vanilla Ice became the first rap record to top the US singles chart, (and later also a UK No.1 single). The track was initially released as the B-side to the rapper’s cover of “Play That Funky Music”, and became the A-side after US DJ’s started playing the track.
1990 25 years after their version was recorded, The Righteous Brothers went to No.1 on the UK singles chart with “Unchained Melody”. The track had been featured in the Patrick Swayze film “Ghost.” Written by Alex North and Hy Zaret, “Unchained Melody” is one of the most recorded songs of the 20th century, with over 500 versions in hundreds of different languages.
———————————————————————————-
Brand New Music
Shamir | Revelations
Gone is the postmodern disco and in it’s place Shamir has placed a genuine and confident work that is somehow bigger. Mixing Pixies-type basslines and a sort of 60s-girl group pop sound. While it may be more slimmed down than Ratchet musically, with Revelations Shamir embraces his weirdness.
Sam Smith | Thrill of It All
Although he is only a mere 25, it feels like Sam Smith has already been releasing music for decades. With only his second LP Smith proves again that he can still sing the crap out of a love song, but The Thrill of It All shines brightest when he steps out of that comfort zone.
James Holden & The Animal Spirits | The Animal Spirits
This is a million miles away from the techno vibes from Holden’s earlier career. The rhythms, hooks and complexity is infectious. Totally immersive, colourful and dramatic, this is Holden’s fullest-sounding work to date and marks another musical evolution in his career.
