Do you know of any musical facts that more people should be aware of?

Irish Guitarist

I think it's sad that Danny Whitten (from Neil Youngs backing band Crazy Horse and inspiration for the song The Needle And The Damage Done) wrote and performed a song as beautiful as I Don't Want To Talk About It but that most people are more familiar with Rod Stewarts cover version. The original is far superior. It has some slide guitar that sounds like it's crying and the words are really beautiful when sung by the right person. I think it's a travesty that more people aren't aware of who wrote it.

Does anyone else have any facts about music that they think should be more widely known?

karaokeman

Jimmy MacCarthy has paved the way for the successes of Tommy Fleming, Christy Moore, Mary Black and others in trad music.

Wonderwall by Oasis was originally meant to be a B-Side with Noel Gallagher on lead vocals.

The sound range of a piano covers more than the whole range of an Orchestra.

40 billion songs are illegally downloaded every year.

Queen released the first pop video that was Bohemian Rhapsody in 1975.

Robbie Williams is the biggest selling solo artist in the UK and the best selling non-Latino artist in Latin America.

The US holds 31.3% of the world's total music share.

Spirit In The Sky has reached #1 in the UK on three different occasions by three different artists

Martha My Dear by The Beatles was about Macca's sheepdog Martha.

At 29 singles, AC/DC hold the record for the greatest number of singles without ever reaching the top 10 in the UK.

cloptrop

Freddie Mercury used to have a clothes stall that sold somewhat flamboyant clothes before he was famous. Noddy Holder was a customer and Freddie would always be telling him about Queen and how he should come and check them out. Noddy used to just think he was another wannabe and never bothered.
Noddy Holder used to poop into glass dishes for a richman who liked to watch for money before he was famous.

Rigsby

karaokeman wrote: »

Martha My Dear by The Beatles was about Macca's sheepdog Martha.

I actually knew about this, but was always puzzled by the lyric...."hold your hand out you silly girl..."


I'll contribute one fact : The album "Kind of Blue" by Miles Davis, is the biggest selling jazz album of all time.

Welsh Megaman

Due to an error at the recording plant, Billy Joel's first solo album 'Cold Spring Harbor' made his vocals sound 'chipmunk'.

And, oh yeah...ZEPPELIN RULES!

Malice

karaokeman wrote: »

40 billion songs are illegally downloaded every year.

How did whoever calculated it arrive at that conclusion?

Stripey Cat

Mike Nesmith (of the Monkees)- his mother invented Tippex.

http://www.snopes.com/music/artists/nesmith.asp

odonopenmic

As people with perfect pitch get older, their internal pitch can sharpen by up to one semi tone. So instead of hearing a G as a G, they'll hear it as a G sharp.

larchielads

Oasis are better than blur!

odonopenmic

When Warren Zevon was a kid he used to go down to Stravinsky's house to study classical music.

Herb Powell

odonopenmic wrote: »

As people with perfect pitch get older, their internal pitch can sharpen by up to one semi tone. So instead of hearing a G as a G, they'll hear it as a G sharp.

WTF
That is crazy

Irish Guitarist

Bob Dylan is a fan of rap music (Public Enemy and Ice-T for instance) and appeared on a record in 1986 with rapper Kurtis Blow. His grandson Pablo Dylan has also 'launched a rap career' and thinks Bob Dylan was "the Jay-Z of his time".

cloptrop

The WISH YOU WERE HERE album was done as a **** you to their record company. The artwork on the cover and the songs welcome to the machine and have a cigar all signified this.
They were being rushed into churning out an album and felt they werent ready.

Rigsby

odonopenmic wrote: »

As people with perfect pitch get older, their internal pitch can sharpen by up to one semi tone. So instead of hearing a G as a G, they'll hear it as a G sharp.

So that's why some older bands tune down a half step !!!

SilverScreen

The longest piece of music ever recorded, and still being recorded, is 'Longplayer' by Jem Finer. Recording started 12 years ago and isn't due to end until 2999!

http://longplayer.org/what/overview.php

Rothko

Johnny Depp played guitar on Oasis' song Fade In-Out from Be Here Now.

Neil Young was originally going to produce Love's Forever Changes album. However, he had back out due to commitments with Buffalo Springfield but he did help to arrange the song, The Daily Planet.

When Kate Bush topped the UK charts in 1978 with Wuthering Heights, it was the first time that a female artist had done so with a self-written song.

I Feel Fine by the Beatles is the first recording to purposely feature feedback from a guitar.

The Irish band, Eire Apparent released one studio album (Sunrise) which was produced by and also featured guitar work by Jimi Hendrix.

JerryHandbag

BellX1 lead singer Paul Noonan is a cousin of Michael Noonan TD minister for finance.

Not sure if people should actually be more aware of that! Just a useless nugget of info...

Scubadevils

Chris Martin of Coldplay collaborated with Kirk Degiorgio (highly regarded electronic music producer) on a great techno track credited to Beetlejuice and called 'Whatever Happened to the Cosmic Kid?'. Useless info really but thought I'd share it.. :pac:

http://www.discogs.com/artist/Beetlejuice+%282%29

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hA4oFrUMsI

bullpost

"You really got me" by the Kinks is credited as having invented heavy metal. The influential distortion sound of the guitar track was created after guitarist Dave Davies sliced the speaker cone of his guitar amplifier with a razor blade and poked it with a pin.

Rothko

According to the Guiness Book Of Records, Endtroducing by DJ Shadow is the first album to be created completely from samples.

rcaz

bullpost wrote: »

"You really got me" by the Kinks is credited as having invented heavy metal. The influential distortion sound of the guitar track was created after guitarist Dave Davies sliced the speaker cone of his guitar amplifier with a razor blade and poked it with a pin.

Didn't Link Wray do that first?

Herb Powell

Creedence Clearwater Revival were originally called The Golliwogs

cloptrop

Herb Powell wrote: »

Creedence Clearwater Revival were originally called The Golliwogs

There is a band n the musician section called the minstrells , they need a guitarist or something , their name doesnt need to be changed apparantly.

Sinfonia

cloptrop wrote: »

There is a band n the musician section called the minstrells , they need a guitarist or something , their name doesnt need to be changed apparantly.

Why would it?

cloptrop

Sinfonia wrote: »

Why would it?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minstrel_show

Im very liberal , I dont get annoyed when people are overly racist or overly pc, but I do know that some people find this **** very upsetting , some people look for a reason to fein upset, I think this is a subject best avoided for a new band .

sarahbro

rcaz wrote: »

bullpost wrote: »

"You really got me" by the Kinks is credited as having invented heavy metal. The influential distortion sound of the guitar track was created after guitarist Dave Davies sliced the speaker cone of his guitar amplifier with a razor blade and poked it with a pin.

Didn't Link Wray do that first?

Was it not the Beatle's Helter Skelter ?

Sinfonia

cloptrop wrote:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minstrel_show

Im very liberal , I dont get annoyed when people are overly racist or overly pc, but I do know that some people find this **** very upsetting , some people look for a reason to fein upset, I think this is a subject best avoided for a new band .

Minstrelsy predates nineteenth-century America (with no racial component), and even if a person took great, great offence to terminology that in any way serves as a reminder of racial insensitivity, a band called 'The Minstrels' would be very mild. I doubt a name like that is going to spell danger for a band's potential fanbase.

cloptrop

Sinfonia wrote: »

Minstrelsy predates nineteenth-century America (with no racial component), and even if a person took great, great offence to terminology that in any way serves as a reminder of racial insensitivity, a band called 'The Minstrels' would be very mild. I doubt a name like that is going to spell danger for a band's potential fanbase.

Everything is only a daily mail stampede of high horsery away , I personally wouldnt risk it.
I totally understand your arguement and feel you are right look at Kula Shakers fall from grace however and you will see when the press want to paint you as a baddy they can easily twist ****.

Sinfonia

cloptrop wrote: »

look at Kula Shakers fall from grace however and you will see when the press want to paint you as a baddy they can easily twist ****.

Didn't know about all that, just had a quick read on Wikipedia, reeeeediculous!

MrTrebus

cloptrop wrote: »

Noddy Holder used to poop into glass dishes for a richman who liked to watch for money before he was famous.

??????????

:eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:

cloptrop

MrTrebus wrote: »

??????????

:eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:

He wished it could be christmas every day but it wasnt so he had to resort to other ways to get paid . Sadly writing letters to santa is much easier than this , but a musician has gotta eat somehow. Didnt Pete Doherty admit to being a rent boy at some stage too. I think it was in the Libertines book .

Recognition Scene

karaokeman wrote: »

Jimmy MacCarthy has paved the way for the successes of Tommy Fleming, Christy Moore, Mary Black and others in trad music.

Grand Funk Railroad paved the way for Jefferson airplane, which cleared the way for Jefferson starship. The stage was now set for the Alan Parsons project, which I believe was some sort of hovercraft.

Welsh Megaman

Judas Priest recorded material for Stock, Aitken and Waterman :eek::eek::eek:

To this day, the material has never been released.

rcaz

Recognition Scene wrote: »

Grand Funk Railroad paved the way for Jefferson airplane, which cleared the way for Jefferson starship. The stage was now set for the Alan Parsons project, which I believe was some sort of hovercraft.

A++++++, would read again.

karaokeman

Recognition Scene wrote: »

Grand Funk Railroad paved the way for Jefferson airplane, which cleared the way for Jefferson starship. The stage was now set for the Alan Parsons project, which I believe was some sort of hovercraft.

Tbh I actually wouldn't be surprised if I was the only one posting in this thread that knows who Jimmy MacCarthy is.

Anyway weren't Grand Funk Railroad extremely mainstream in 1969 and then into the 70s after their performance at the Atlanta Pop Festival?

SilverScreen

Stiff Little Fingers' debut album Inflammable Material was the first indie album to break the UK top 20.

Ninap

Maybe everyone who would be potentially interested knows this, but Lawrence Donegan, ex-bassist with Lloyd Cole and the Commotions, is now the Guardian's golf correspondent.

Irish Guitarist

cloptrop wrote: »

There is a band n the musician section called the minstrells , they need a guitarist or something , their name doesnt need to be changed apparantly.

The word minstrel predates white Americans putting black make up on their faces and singing.

noun 1. a medieval poet and musician who sang or recited while accompanying himself on a stringed instrument, either as a member of a noble household or as an itinerant troubadour.

2. a musician, singer, or poet.

3. one of a troupe of comedians, usually white men made up as black performers, presenting songs, jokes, etc.

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/minstrel

mathepac

Irish Guitarist wrote: »

The word minstrel predates white Americans putting black make up on their faces and singing....

Wrong, wrong, wrong. Minstrels came in little packets and these uber-pc days they are called M&Ms and act in their own info-mercials during the Max Factor and other educational documentaries.

mathepac

On Topic head on: The Beatles' "Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" is the first record to have a gate-fold album cover and to have all the lyrics printed on it. The front cover was also the most expensive ever produced up to that time and for some considerable time afterwards, by a factor of about 90.

Latchy

Rod Stewart play's the harmonica solo on the hit song 'My Boy Lollipop '

Rick Wakeman play's the piano on David Bowies 'Life On Mars '

John Lennon sings the squeaky vocal ' fame' on David Bowies hit 'Fame '

Brian and Carl Wilson sing the high falsetto notes on Elton Johns original version of 'Don't Let The Sun Go Down On Me ' .

The Beach Boys song 'Warmth Of The Sun ' was written and recorded as a tribute ,shortly after the death of President Kennedy .

Apparently George Martin prefered a session drummer on 'Love Me Do ' as layed down on the track over Ringo Starr .

mathepac

Latchy wrote: »

... Apparently George Martin prefered a session drummer on 'Love Me Do ' as layed down on the track over Ringo Starr .

It's true Ringo didn't play but the reasons he didn't are a bit more complex.

Between the 'audition' recording, taken by one of Martin's engineers, and the commercial recording session, the Beatles changed drummers. This was engineered by Brian Epstein once he was solidly entrenched as the Beatles' manager and had begun to ring the changes.

Pete Best's mother, who ran a cafe / coffee shop in Iiverpool, was actually the Beatles' unofficial booking agent. Brian had to change this in order to be in complete control of the Beatles' destiny. If he severed the connection with Mrs. Best, he was faced with having Pete, the disaffected son as a band member. So he did what any good entrepreneur would do and cleaned house, using the poor audition performance as his lever

Martin, having been briefed by his engineer about the nightmare audition Best had had, booked a session drummer without ever having heard Ringo play. When Ringo showed up Martin had no idea he was a different drummer to the one on the audition and having already booked and paid for a session drummer, he used him so Ringo sat on the sidelines.

Latchy

mathepac It's true Ringo didn't play but the reasons he didn't are a bit more complex.

Between the 'audition' recording, taken by one of Martin's engineers, and the commercial recording session, the Beatles changed drummers. This was engineered by Brian Epstein once he was solidly entrenched as the Beatles' manager and had begun to ring the changes.

Pete Best's mother, who ran a cafe / coffee shop in Iiverpool, was actually the Beatles' unofficial booking agent. Brian had to change this in order to be in complete control of the Beatles' destiny. If he severed the connection with Mrs. Best, he was faced with having Pete, the disaffected son as a band member. So he did what any good entrepreneur would do and cleaned house, using the poor audition performance as his lever

The Beatles press oficer at the time ,Tony Barrow in his book ' John Paul Geroge Ringo & me ' relates this story which makes more sense than all those other myths about Best's sacking from the group ie, he was to good looking ,to surley ,to serious etc which was not fair on Best but you couldn't have his mother calling the shots and was the best move for the group at the time .

Martin, having been briefed by his engineer about the nightmare audition Best had had, booked a session drummer without ever having heard Ringo play. When Ringo showed up Martin had no idea he was a different drummer to the one on the audition and having already booked and paid for a session drummer, he used him so Ringo sat on the sidelines

As Barrow also mentions in his book ,Ringo on seeing this session drummer thought his career with the Beatles over before it really began .

mathepac

The really good-looking Beatle was Stuart Sutcliffe whose only real job seemed to be to attract the young ladies. He was a pretty talentless bass-player by all accounts and when he quit the band to shack up with Klaus Voormann's girl-friend, the photographer and image-maker Astrid Kirchherr in Hamburg, the bass duties fell to Paul who up to then had been Mr Pianoman & rhythm guitarist. The Beatles went home and on the same day as their return to trip to Hamburg started, Stuart died, apparently of a brain haemorrhage; he never made it back to Liverpool alive and he and his best friend John Lennon never saw each other again.

Some of my sources are "The Beatles Anthology" by The Beatles and "The Beatles - 10 Years That Shook the World" edited by Paul Trynka and my own head so full of stuff that I can't even trace the origins or veracity of most of it.

Latchy

mathepac wrote: »

The really good-looking Beatle was Stuart Sutcliffe whose only real job seemed to be to attract the young ladies. He was a pretty talentless bass-player by all accounts and when he quit the band to shack up with Klaus Voormann's girl-friend, the photographer and image-maker Astrid Kirchherr in Hamburg, the bass duties fell to Paul who up to then had been Mr Pianoman & rhythm guitarist. The Beatles went home and on the same day as their return to trip to Hamburg started, Stuart died, apparently of a brain haemorrhage; he never made it back to Liverpool alive and he and his best friend John Lennon never saw each other again.

Paul resented Stuart because not only could he not play bass or any guitar but he was also much closer to John at the time .

There is also the rumor that Sturt had an argument with John one night which resulted in a beating from him ,which may have played it's part in Stuarts brain tumor but then it's all part of Beatle mythology ,depending on what source it came from and what some believe ( or want to believe )

Some of my sources are "The Beatles Anthology" by The Beatles and "The Beatles - 10 Years That Shook the World" edited by Paul Trynka and my own head so full of stuff that I can't even trace the origins or veracity of most of it.

Which like myself ,marks you out as a true Beatle anorack

Pintoplain

Doc Pomus, who wrote the lyrics to Save The Last Dance For Me, was a wheelchair user.
The Marriage of Ellie Greenwich and Jeff Barry, who wrote Chapel of Love, only lasted three years.

Latchy

When Brian Wilson stopped touring with the Beach Boys in the mid sixties Glen Campbell, who filled in for him on stage , was asked to become a full time Beach Boy but he refused instead to concentrate on his own solo career .