Sunday 16 August 2015

Cilla Black. Pt 1.

  Cilla Black. Pt 1.

Priscilla Maria Veronica White,
                                                   Born on the 27 of may 1943 was known by her performance name
Cilla Black,  firstly an english pop singer, then actress and entertainer.
Championed by her good friends The Beatles, and signed to NEMS Enterprises under the wing of
the Beatles manager  Brian Epstein.
Her professional singing career started in 1963. Brian Epstein introduced Cilla Black to  George Martin who signed her to  Parlophone Records and produced her first single, a track written by
Lennon and McCartney "Love of the Loved" which was released only three weeks after she joined
Brian Epstein. Reaching a modest No. 35 in the UK.



Cilla Black's second single, released at the beginning of 1964, was a cover of the Burt BacharachHal David composition "Anyone Who Had a Heart", which had been written for Dionne Warwick. The single beat Warwick's recording into the UK charts and rose to No. 1 in Britain in February 1964 (spending three weeks there), selling 800,000 UK copies in the process. Her second UK No. 1 success, "You're My World", was an English-language rendition of the Italian popular song "Il Mio Mondo" by composer Umberto Bindi. She also enjoyed chart success with the song in AustraliaNew ZealandEuropeSouth Africa and Canada. Both songs sold over one million copies worldwide, and were awarded gold discs.
Cilla Black's two No. 1 successes were followed by the release of another Lennon–McCartney composition, "It's for You", as her fourth UK single. Paul McCartney played piano at the recording session and the song proved to be another success for Black, peaking at No. 7 on the UK charts.
Cilla Black belonged to a generation of British female singers which included Dusty SpringfieldHelen ShapiroPetula ClarkSandie Shaw and Lulu. These artists (other than Petula Clark) were not singer-songwriters but interpreters of 1960s contemporary popular music by song writers and producers.Cilla Black recorded much material during this time, including songs written by Phil SpectorRandy NewmanTim Hardin and Burt Bacharach. All were produced by George Martin at Abbey Road Studios.
              Brian Epstein and Cilla Black.

              The Single Alfie by Cilla Black.

                                            Cilla Black

                                 Cilla Black.

                                                  Cilla Black.

      Paul McCartney and John Lennon.                            Cilla Black.

                                               






Monday 1 June 2015

Subscribe to The Oompah Roundabouts YouTube Channel.

                           Subscribe to The Oompah Roundabouts YouTube Channel.


The Oompah Roundabout have hit 90 Subscribers on their YouTube Channel and want to hit their
First 100 Subscribers by the end of June!
Help the band out by Subscribing and sharing their videos, Also liking and commenting would put big smiles on their face holes as they would love to hear from you and reply back.
Work on song number 6 starts this Friday, ( 5-6-2015 ) and hormone has started a vlog called Chat time with the Horm, and also he has started a comedy sketch and has just posted part 2 of that!
So support The Oompah Roundabout and Subscribe, Like and comment on their videos on their Youtube channel.

                                      https://www.youtube.com/user/TheOompahRoundabout





Saturday 23 May 2015

New song and video for The Oompah Roundabout!

                                          New song and video for The Oompah Roundabout!




Australian unsigned #indieband The Oompah Roundabout has released their 5th single and accompanying video clip entitled "I Know You".
A mid paced psychedelic rock song written by Hormone Howe.
It's the first song of theirs that Hormone has mixed and mastered as well, which Hormone say's "was a challenge" that he had a great time with!
Looking at lifting the pace of their song releases, work will start on the next single in a weeks time!   ( from the date of this publication! )
The video clip is their most progressive yet, with lots of 1960s pop art pictures and old pictures of perth ( The capital city of Western Australia where they live )
Hormone has also put in pictures of the ship he immigrated to Australia on in late 1968, The fairsea!
Can't believe they came all that way on that old tub!
Yes he and his family are what Australians call 10 pound poms! hahaha
Anyway, it's a catchy song with a good hook and a fast paced clip designed to keep peoples interest.
The new song "I Know You" is available everywhere for download and you can Subscribe to Their uTube channel from any of the video links posted below!
Check out The Oompah Roundabouts uTube channel and support this Australian unsigned #indieband !
















Tuesday 14 April 2015

Some video's from The Oompah Roundabout!

                                       Some video's from The Oompah Roundabout! 

Some recent video's from The Oompah Roundabouts Hormone Howe! Part 4 of Hormone Howe's HardRock house is not to far away and the new single and video clip is also not too far away.
Also part 1 of Gap central Recording studio is planed for a May (ish) uTube appearance, so check out their uTube channel and be sure to subscribe and that will help to grow the channel.

Video 1.


Video 2.


Video 3.
                                     

Video 4.
                                     
Video 5.
                                   
                                     

Tuesday 10 March 2015

"Paul Mccartney" News.

                                             "Paul Mccartney" tours Europe this summer!

Because of exceptional interest, Paul McCartney is doing a second show at The O2 Arena in London this Summer.

London & Liverpool shows have sold out inside an hour.

Saturday 23rd May " The O2 Arena, London, Great Britain - SOLD OUT

Sunday 24th May " The O2 Arena, London, Great Britain

Wednesday 27th May " Barclaycard Arena, Birmingham, Great Britain

Thursday 28th May " Echo Arena, Liverpool, Great Britain - SOLD OUT

Friday fifth June - Nouveau Stade Velodrome, Marseille, France 

Thursday eleventh June - Stade De France, Paris, France 

Saturday fourth July " Roskilde Festival, Denmark 

Tuesday seventh July " Telenor Arena, Oslo, Norway 

Thursday ninth July " Tele2 Arena, Stockholm, Sweden 

Tickets for Paul's European visit went on sale today at 10am and because of the mind blowing reaction the first show selling out inside an hour a second show in London at The O2 Arena has been included. The extra show date is Sunday 24th May.

Paul's European tour will start in London.This will be his first shows in the UK in over three years. As well as London, the concert in Liverpool also sold out within an hour this morning. More UK dates will take place in Birmingham and Liverpool before Paul visits France, Holland, Denmark and Sweden.

In the first 18 months since it started, Paul's incredible 'Out There' tour has been seen by nearly two million people around the world. So far, the "Out There" tour has seen Paul and his exo, band perform a grand total of 64 shows in 12 different lucky countries in venues of all different shapes and sizesaround the world.

The 'Out There' tour features music from one of popular musics most enduring performers and the best loved catalogues in popular music. Paul performing songs that span his entire career - as a solo artist, member of Wings and of course as a member of The Beatle.

Before the tour arrives in Europe for these new dates in May, Paul will first play shows in Japan and South Korea.

Fingers crossed he will find his way back to Australia and New Zealand in the not to distant future.
Keep Rocking Paul.














Wednesday 4 March 2015

We are the mods!

                                    We Are The Mods!

Image result for british mods of the 1960s pictures

     















Mod culture was born from London's west end underground jazz clubs in the late 1950s.
The name "mod" came as a result from their taste in modernist jazz, this early incarnation of mods had very little impact outside of London.
This somewhat group of so called intellectual and elitist mods gave way to the next incarnation of mods, and it's in this second incarnation that the scooter boys on Brighton's beaches can be found! Mod culture, with it's symbols,fashion and music was very much a working class movement. It influenced the masses and infiltrated the high street at every level.
It was all encompassing, and it was very much a product of it's time!
In one of The Daily Mail editions of 1963 it was reported 'to be a mod... is more than a fashion. It is almost a way of life!

Looking at the mod culture for anyone who likes pop music and pop culture of yesteryear, is a great way to examine the British pop music and youth fashion explosion of the 1960s in general.
Partly as a result of no more military conscription and partly as a result of teenagers having jobs and a little more money to spend!


Image result for british mods of the 1960s pictures













Popular pop television show, Ready, steady, go! that was televised every friday night was clearly aimed at the the "mod" market!
Fashion boutiques across the country benefitted enormously from this with the programs bands, singers, male and female dancers alike wearing mod fashions and the latest styles and look being
freely advertised. Mod culture was changing the face of british life and challenging  politicians who were struggling with the horror of losing cultural control over the youth media with the `onslaught of pirate radio stations such as Radio Caroline and Radio London! Teenagers wanted more air time for their favourite pop groups! The Beatles, The Who, The small faces, The Kinks, The rolling stones ect
And back in the day The BBC only had 1 to 2 hours a day for this massive market! 
The British government of the day fought hard and aggressively to close those stations down.

Mod culture brightened up dreary and finically crushed post war Briton and also with the international success of bands like The Beatles opening the flood gates for other Brit pop outfits sending mod culture all over the world!
The British Taxman had a huge mod smile on His or Her face!
Piagio whom make vespa scooters and lambretta scooters the two most popular brands of motor scooters amongst mods also did very nicely out of the mod explosion! 
My 1996 PX 200 Vespa is a pleasure to ride! Motor bike riders just don't get it! They still feel the need to ride up along side me and the drag me off! As if i don't know a motor 10 times the size of mine has more power...
But hey.... They can't understand can they? It's a way of life!
Image result for british mods of the 1960s pictures







Image result for british mods of the 1960s pictures









Image result for british mods of the 1960s pictures
 


Friday 27 February 2015

The Oompah Roundabout news.

                                                The Oompah Roundabout news.
The Oompah Roundabout are planning to go back into the studio (Gap Central recording studio)
to record their new song!
This will be their 5th single release. They are also planning a higher output this year (2015) with plenty of material to choose from they tell me they basically pull a song name out of a hat and that becomes the next release! Their new song is entitaled "Big Knob"! A catchy medium paced song with lots of lalalala's as Windy and Hormone put it in the song for everyone to sing a long to.
Hormone has just returned from a Holiday to Bali where he got two new tattoo's, a new cymbal and cow bell for The Oompah Roundabout studio drum kit and a nice new canon lense to use on future film clips at Halfanacker film studio.
Hormone has just put up a video of his tattoo session on The Oompah Roundabout uTube channel!
I'll put the link here. http://youtu.be/9jXFyU8Qxdw
They have also just bought a new old vintage YC-20 Yamaha organ that they will use on future songs and they have a video of that on The Oompah Roundabout uTube channel as well, With Hormone showing off his brilliant playing skills! George wobble, Hormone's much love shitzu just loves his playing! Poor Dog! hahahahaha
I'll put that link here. http://youtu.be/e_GtCjXONA0
So if you are into truly indie rock then check out The Oompah Roundabout! They write, Record,and produce all their music, using real instruments. Basically it's old school recording using digital instead of tape. They also film and edit their own video's with a 0 budget and learning as they go philosophy.
They have as they say loads of fun.
Support this Australian indie band and like,subscribe and comment on their video's!
They tell me they will reply to all comments good and bad.
I'll put their uTube channel link here.  https://m.youtube.com/user/TheOompahRoundabout
The following links are some of the places where you can download The Oompah Roundabout songs!










Some of Hormones guitar's.




Tuesday 7 October 2014

The Oompah Roundabouts 4th video out now!

                                      The Oompah Roundabout's 4th video, out now!

The Oompah Roundabout's 4th music video is out and up on their uTube channel!
It's to their latest record entitled "Breed with you".
A fast paced song recorded in their Home recording studio ( gap central recording studio ) and once
again sent over to the USA to be mixed and mastered by their good friend Mark S at the Wave Shop.
This is the first song to be recorded in the studio live room since the boy's revamp accoustic treatment
was carried out.
The video was shot in their home film studio ( Halfanacker film studio ) with editting being carried out at 
Drummer Windy Wobbles edditting studio and also at Guitarist, Hormones Howe's Halfanacker film studio.
The boy's had some fun adding a bit of 1960s psychodalia to the clip and took an anything go's approach, using layer's of colour and visuals!
The video is a big jump forward as the oompah's learn more and more of what can be done and are 
already planning their next 2 video's to their next 2 releases before christmas.
They are planning a steady release of records in the new year and also hope to take the Oompah
beat on the road.
All their records are available for download at :
 

                                         
















Friday 3 October 2014

Ingrid Michaelson,"Be OK"

Ingrid Michaelson,"Be OK"


Album Notes
As the Hotel Café became a nationally recognized launching pad for songwriters in 2008, Ingrid Michaelson stood out amongst the venue\'s native artists, having already established her credibility through licensing deals and MySpace playbacks. Her second independent release, Girls and Boys, made waves one year prior when it toppled the iTunes charts, eventually selling over 740,000 digital copies of its lead single thanks to promotional help from Old Navy commercials and Grey\'s Anatomy episodes. Arriving in 2008, Be OK furthers her Norah Jones-gone-pop approach with 11 tracks. This isn\'t a proper studio effort -- rather, it\'s a benefit project (with proceeds going to cancer research) that takes its material from live performances, rarities, and several new tracks. Filled with handclaps and breezy guitar chords, \"Be OK\" is the album\'s flagship song as it bookends the set list with two different versions -- one filled with harmonies, keyboards, and percussion, and the other sticking close to the acoustic formula. Michaelson\'s voice is strong enough to carry such tracks alone, but her melodies sound strongest when flanked by buoyant harmonies, whether they\'re provided by the singer\'s own double-tracked voice or contributions from her touring bandmates. \"The Chain,\" a longtime live favorite and perhaps the best song on this disc, even careens into an emotional three-person round, utilizing the harmony approach better than any Michaelson track since \"The Way I Am.\" She leads the pack, advising her estranged lover to \"glide away on soapy heels\" while her melodies are echoed by Bess Rogers and Allie Moss. It\'s a simple song, but its passion and presentation make all the difference -- a telltale sign of a songwriter who knows how to breathe new life into a veteran genre.

review by Andrew Leahey, for AllMusic Guide
  
Ingrid Michaelson: Be OK

Friday 26 September 2014

Toe rag recording studio:

                                                        Toe rag recording studio:
Another truly cool studio producing a warm old school music sound! We at Gap central need a tape deck, it's now on the "stuff" to buy list!
to add to the studio! anyway, on with the show! Toe rag has the look, gear and sound!
The studio was established in 1991 by Liam Watson and Josh Collins in the Shoreditch area of London. In 1997, the business migrated to Hackney because of climbing overheads. Although the studio didn't open to only take care of the analogue side of recording, it was shaped to eventually use analogue gear (notwithstanding the expense), as "there were heaps of [cheap digital studios] opening up all the time and then shutting down each week on the grounds that they didn't generally offer anything different.
Not withstanding a CD and Dat recorder on hand, The emphasis is on analogue at Toe Rag!
The studio uses Studer tape machines, it has a 1-inch 8 Track, a 2-inch 16 Track and a 2 Track quarter inch.


For monitoring the control room has a set of 15"Tannoy Red load speakers,as shown on the above picture mounted above one of the two vintage mixing desks! This one being a calrec, the other being an "EMI RED 17". Out board processing with some vintage EQs, compression and Reverb racks. An assortment of vintage mics from Neumann,Reslo and STC.
This coupled with vintage guitar amps, from Vox, Fender, Selmer and a vintage Hammond organ and Ludwig and Gretsch Drum kits added to the fold makes for recorded bliss. A live room that producess that special sound! All the stuff needed to create analogue music at it's best.












Wednesday 24 September 2014

Japans CD market still reigns supreme with 85% of all music sales!

                                Japans CD market still reigns supreme with 85% of all music sales! 

It’s a well known fact that music CD sales have been going down, and fast, for some time now. Ever since people got the internet in their homes and learned what it could do, the downfall of the physical disc has been on it’s way, whether it be by piracy or iTunes. However, it appears that in an increasingly digital business, there is one place in the world where the physical still reigns supreme.
Japan, the world's second biggest music business sector, is totally fixated on Cds. Actually, of all music sales in the nation, 85% are Cds, whereas in most other countries, digital downloading is the leader, or in dynamic spots where streaming has now assumed lead, for example, Sweden. And surprisingly, digital downloading in the country have really been declining for years, which is the reverse for a significant part of the world (however not for the US, where digital downloading sales dropped surprisingly this previous year). Indeed, while online sales were at $1 billion in 2009, only after four years they raked in just $400 million—a huge fall in such a brief timeline.
While its odd seeing just about anybody purchasing a compact disc nowadays, it is especially bizarre that Japan would be heading the world in CD deals, as they are ordinarily an early adopter regarding new innovation. The nation is frequently years in front of different markets in the matter of new telephones, computers, and so forth. 

The New York Times reports that there are maybe two primary reasons why this wonder is occurring: a "protectionist business atmosphere" in the music business and a social affection of collecting stuff.
The Japanese people appears to be careful about digital download sales in terms of music, and its tricky to say totally why. It may originate from an absence of alternatives in the sphere, which are, no doubt kept down by big organisations. Not only is it's rights administration exceptionally confusing in the nation, making licensing arrangements troublesome, however companies additionally aren't excessively stressed over wandering into the digital sphere at the moment. Spotify and Rdio, two of the largest  streaming choices on the planet, don't have a presence in the nation yet.






Music's finest odd couple, Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga!

                                                                       

  Music's finest odd couple: Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga!

                                                                                                                                                         Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga's eagerly awaited colaboration Cheek to Cheek drops in on Tuesday.  The two are as doubtful a pair as it gets, but their first album together is most excellent: a cheeky return record that offers Tony Bennett the opportunity to connect with a more youthful fan base, and gives Lady Gaga the opportunity to showcase those fine pipes, that are normally covered under layers and layers of synths.
Said to have been Frank Sinatra's favourite singer Tony Bennett's voice is still in fine form and Lady Gaga is ammazing! A feast for fans of both.



Tuesday 23 September 2014

Vox musical instruments:

                                                            Vox musical instruments:
The Vox amplifier is famous around the world, leaping into prominence in the early 1960s when The beatles burst onto the world scene, followed by all the other British Invasion bands and solo performers!
It's not widely known that vox also made musical instruments, Electric Guitars, Bass Guitars, Guitar foot peddles and Organs!






                                                          Vox Organs:

The Vox Continental from the year 1962 had a distinctive sound that is now synominous with the sixties Pop and psychedelic era!
Groups such as The Animals , The Beatles, The Dave Clark Five, The Zombies, The Monkees, and many more made these organs popular! The vox range of organs had the colour of the keys reversed being the white keys black and the black keys white which gave them a very groovy look to match their very groovy sound. The Continental and other Vox organs such as the Jaguar, the Continental II, Super Continental, and the Continental 300 share characteristic visual features including orange and black vinyl coverings, stands made of chromed steel tubing, and reversed black and white keys.
  



                                                                Vox Guitars:

The first electric guitars vox produced were The Apache, Stroller and Clubman! Modelled after solid-body, bolt-neck Fenders, which wern't available in the UK at the time. A Clubman Bass followed these models shortly after!
 Vox president Tom Jennings commissioned the London Design Centre to create a unique new electric guitar, and in 1962 Vox introduced the pentagonal Phantom, originally made in England but soon after made by EKO of Italy. Aside from the unusual body and headstock shapes, Phantoms featured copies of the Fender Stratocaster neck and its attachment,
It was followed after a year by the teardrop-molded Mark VI, the model of which had just two pick-ups (instead of three) and was made particularly for Brian Jones of The Rolling Stones, again utilizing a Bigsby-like "Hank Marvin" bridge. Before the decade's end, Stones bassist Bill Wyman was demonstrated in Vox promotions playing a teardrop  hollow bodied bass made for him by the organization, consequently showcased as the Wyman Bass. Numerous guitar gear powers question that he ever really utilized the instrument for recording or live work. Vox explored different avenues regarding built affects and electronics, with guitars, for example, the Cheetah, Ultrasonic, and Invader offering various built in effects. Ian Curtis of Joy Division is known to have claimed two white Vox Phantom VI Special effects guitars which had push button effects switches on the scratch plate. Amongst numerous advancements were the Guitar Organ, which emphasized scaled down VOX organ hardware initiated by the contact of strings with fret contacts, delivering organ tones in key with guitar harmonies. This instrument was overwhelming and awkward with its steel neck and outer circuit boxes, and infrequently worked accurately, yet was a sign of the inventiveness of this organization.
In the mid-1960s, as the sound of electric 12-string guitars got to be prominent, Vox presented the Phantom XII, which has been utilized by Tony Hicks of The Hollies, Captain Sensible of early English punk band The Damned and Greg Kihn, and Mark XII electric 12-string guitars and additionally the Tempest XII, likewise made in Italy, which offered a more traditional body style. The Phantom XII and Mark XII both offered an extraordinary Bigsby style 12-string vibrato tailpiece, which made them, alongside Semie Moseley's "Wanders" show 12-string Mosrite, the main 12 string electric guitars to gimmick such a vibrato. The Stereo Phantom XII had split pickups looking like the Fender precision bass, each half of which could be sent to a different amp utilizing an installed blend control. Vox delivered various different models of 6 and 12 string electric guitars in both England and Italy. 

                                 

                                                      Effects Pedals:

Guitar effects pedals, including an early version of the wah-wah pedal used by Jimi Hendrix and the Tone Bender fuzzbox pedal used by Jimmy Page of the Yardbirdswere also manufactured. In 1967 Vox introduced a series of guitars which featured built in effects such as Distortion (fuzz tone), Repeat Percussion (percussive tremolo), Treble/Bass Booster and a wah-wah operated by the heel of the picking hand pushing on a spring-loaded lever over the bridge. The Delta phantom style guitar and bass, the Starstream teardrop 6-string, and Constellation teardrop bass had such effects.

Vox also pioneered the first radio microphone system, which freed singers from being connected by a microphone cable to their amplifier or PA.



http://youtu.be/J4sC_0kmHxs