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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seal_(musician)
According to Wikipedia, Seal will be releasing a new live performance on DVD, Live in Hattiesburg. I’m not sure how much truth there is behind this, but I’d love to know if it will come out. If anybody knows, please let me know.
Prince Rogers Nelson (born June 7, 1958, in Minneapolis, Minnesota) is an Academy Award, Golden Globe and Grammy Award-winning American Pop , Hard Rock , Funk, Rock, R&B musician. He performs simply as Prince, but has also been known by various other names, among them an unpronounceable symbol (
) “The Artist (Formerly Known As Prince)” and “The Prince Of Pop” (actually “disputing” this title among the critic with Justin Timberlake.
His career has spanned several styles: from his early material, rooted in R&B, soul and funk, he has consistently expanded his musical palette throughout his career, absorbing many other genres including New Wave, pop, rock, jazz, and hip hop. The distinctive characteristics of the early-to-mid 1980s work that brought him to super-stardom–including sparse and industrial-sounding drum machine arrangements, and the use of synthesizer riffs to serve the role traditionally occupied by horn riffs in earlier R&B, funk and soul music–was called the “Minneapolis sound” and has proved very influential.
Prince is a prolific artist, having released several hundred songs both under his own name and with other artists. Well known as a perfectionist, Prince is highly protective of his music. He produces, composes, arranges and performs nearly all of the songs on his albums. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004.
I couldn’t have Michael Jackson in the Hall of Fame without adding his arch rival, Prince, as well. While both are legends in their own right, Prince has the advantage of having a more rounded sound, genre-wise, with his music being able to be categorised in a myriad of styles. One thing I feel is sometimes neglected about Prince, is his amazing guitaring, almost Hendrixesque. He’s rarely seen without his famous Love Symbol guitar, whether it be in yellow or purple. A truly immense talent in the music world for the past 30 years and never short of controversy, Prince deserves to hold a place in any music Hall of Fame, and has certainly warranted his place in this one.
Madonna Louise Ciccone Ritchie (born August 16, 1958), known artistically as Madonna, is an American singer-songwriter, dancer, musician, record producer, and actress. Regarded as “one of the greatest pop acts of all time”, she has been dubbed the “Queen of Pop” by the media. In her youth, Madonna aspired to become a ballet dancer and studied dance under the tutelage of choreographer Alvin Ailey. Following her debut in the entertainment industry as a member of Patrick Hernandez’s dance team, Madonna formed a pop duo with Dan Gilroy known as the Breakfast Club. While initially performing as the band’s drummer, Madonna also served as lead singer until her departure from the group. She joined a second music group—Emmy—with drummer Stephen Bray, though both performers eventually left the group to focus on the launch of Madonna’s solo career as a recording artist.
Beginning with the release of her self-titled debut album in 1983, Madonna rose to stardom producing three consecutive number one studio albums on the Billboard 200; Like a Virgin (1984), True Blue (1986), and Like a Prayer (1989). Though the entertainer faced colder critical reception and more modest sales on subsequent albums Erotica (1992) and Bedtime Stories (1994), she garnered critical acclaim with the release of her seventh studio album Ray of Light (1998), which opened at number two. Madonna continued to remain in the forefront of pop music with four more consecutive number one studio albums; Music (2000) American Life (2003) Confessions on a Dance Floor (2005) and Hard Candy (2008).
Madonna is ranked by the Recording Industry Association of America as the “Best Selling Female Rock Artist of the Twentieth Century” and the second top-selling female artist in the United States (behind Barbra Streisand) with 63 million certified albums. According to Guinness World Records she is the “World’s most-successful female musician” and the top earning female singer in the world with an estimated net worth of over $400 million, having sold over 200 million albums worldwide. Billboard reported that her 2006 Confessions Tour holds the record for the highest grossing concert tour by a female artist. On March 10, 2008, she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Madonna made her acting debut with the low-budget feature film A Certain Sacrifice (1979) and went on to star in the 1985 box office hit Desperately Seeking Susan, her first starring role. She then starred in the relatively unsuccessful Shanghai Surprise (1986), Body of Evidence (1993), The Next Best Thing (2000) and Swept Away (2002) — in addition to numerous supporting roles and cameo appearances. She also starred in the box office hits Dick Tracy (1990), A League of Their Own (1992) and Evita (1996) — based on the musical of the same name, which earned her a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy.
The classic and one of the most famous “reinventers” of music, Madonna has done for the female side of the music industry, what Michael Jackson has done for the male side. She has been at the forefront of pop culture and her controversial outlooks on her life and works will never be forgotten. Never one to shy away from a battle, Madonna made her millions, not from heritage, or a lucky break, but through sheer determination and hard work, not to mention a beautiful singing voice. Her versatilty is something to be desired, having graced the genres of pop, dance, rock, country, electronica, techno, R&B and hip-hop, and without looking out of place. Some see her as an arrogant alpha-female pop star who produces mediocre pop music, but people who know her best and know of her acclaimed status know her as one of the greatest artists the world has ever known.
Seal (Sealhenry) Olusegun Olumide Adeola Samuel (born February 19, 1963 in Paddington, London) is a two time Grammy Award winning British soul singer and songwriter of Nigerian ancestry. His name Olusegun means “God is victorious“. Known professionally by his first name, Seal is known for his numerous international hits and his marriage to supermodel Heidi Klum.
Seal was born Sealhenry Olumide Samuel in Paddington, a district of the City of Westminster in inner London. He graduated with a degree in architecture, and worked in various jobs in the London area. Seal got his characteristic facial scars as a result of discoid lupus, which in addition, has caused some hair loss.
While Seal is miles behind all the other inductees in terms of sales and general music stardom, I believe him to be one of the most underrated artists in Britain, if not one of the most underrated in the world, from the past 20 years. His velvet voice is often taken for granted with tracks such as Kiss from a Rose and Crazy, but it’s his album fillers that make him the artist he is today. From his first album, you can hear a certain “African” tinge to his voice, which I find somewhat refreshing in a British pop/soul record. However, his best record by far is Seal (1994). To date, it remains the only album I can listen through from start to finish without skipping any tracks. From Bring It On all the way to the exquisite Reprise at the end, Seal takes you on a relaxing soul journey. The album spawned most of his biggest hits: Kiss From A Rose, Prayer For The Dying and Don’t Cry.
From then on, however, his sales took a dip. Human Being wasn’t the hit it was intended to be. Dedicated to murdered rappers Biggie Smalls and Tupac Shakur, the album definitely had a dark tone, which seemed to be its downfall. His bad fortune continued when his next album, Togetherland, was cancelled, after Seal believed it wasn’t up to scratch. His next album wasn’t released until 2003, but it was worth the wait. Seal IV was a return to his soul and contemporary R&B tunes, which gave him his original acclaim. His Greatest Hits and two live performances followed, before in 2008, he released his latest album, System. For me, it’s a brilliant dance record, and proves he still has what it takes to compete in the current music industry.
The Jackson 5 (also spelled The Jackson Five or The Jackson 5ive, abbreviated as J5, and later known as The Jacksons) was an American popular music quintet (and briefly a sextet and quartet) from Gary, Indiana. The group, fully active from 1966 to 1990, regularly played from a repertoire of R&B, soul, funk, and later disco. Considered “one of the biggest phenomenons in pop music”[1] during the early 1970s, the Jackson 5 are also notable for launching the careers of their lead singers Jermaine and Michael. Joseph Jackson formed the early incarnation of the band in 1964 and served as its manager, with Jackie, Tito, Jermaine and unrelated youths Reynaud Jones and Milford Hite comprising its original lineup. Within a year, however, Michael and Marlon joined the band forming the principal lineup of the group.
Signed to the Motown label from 1968 to 1975, and to Epic/CBS Records (as “The Jacksons”) from 1975 until their disbanding in 1990, the Jackson 5 were one of the most popular groups of the era and became the first recording act to have their first four major label singles (“I Want You Back”, “ABC”, “The Love You Save”, and “I’ll Be There”) reach the top of the American charts. Several future singles, among them “Mama’s Pearl”, “Never Can Say Goodbye” and “Dancing Machine”, were Top 5 pop hits and number-one hits on the R&B singles chart. Most of the early hits were written and produced by a specialized songwriting team known as The Corporation™; later Jackson 5 hits were crafted chiefly by Hal Davis.
Significantly, they were the first black teen idols to appeal equally to white audiences. Upon their departure from Motown for CBS in 1975, the Jacksons were forced to change their name and replace Jermaine (who remained at Motown) with younger brother Randy. The group took control of their songwriting, production, and image, and their success continued into the 1980s with hits such as “Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground)” and “State of Shock”, and the highly successful Victory Tour. The Jacksons officially disbanded in 1990, after the commercial underperformance of their 1989 album 2300 Jackson Street, recorded mostly without Michael and Marlon.
Just recently, I’ve really got into their music and I absolutely love it. While Michael’s voice is spectacular as lead, the backing music deserves a lot of credit. The guitar riffs in each song are different and yet ultimately catchy and in later albums, the introduction of other instruments and special sound effects added a further element to their sound. The magnificent thing about their music was that no matter when they released their albums, whether it was in the 60s, 70s or 80s, their sound was always fresh and with the times; just listening to Victory was enough to tell you it was made in the mid 1980s. If you’re a fan of Motown, or just a funk, dance or soul kinda guy/gal, I compell you to get hold of their music.
Albums worth acquiring are:
I’ve added a link to the feed of this blog, so if you want to subscribe (please subscribe!), then click on the link. I’m very grateful for the 1000+ hits, as I didn’t expect that many in the first place. Don’t hesitate in leaving comments or suggestions as to who you’d like to see in the L&U Hall of Fame.
10 years after the release of Thriller, Janet Jackson said at the 1993 Grammy Awards, if someone was to write a manual of how to become a music legend, it would be based on Michael Jackson’s (her brother’s) music career. Similarly, if someone was to make a blueprint of a legendary album, Thriller would be the example to use. Musically, commercially and professionally, it ticked all the boxes; it spawned hits such as Billie Jean, Beat It, Thriller and Human Nature, it made Michael Jackson a household name, thanks largely to MTV and the Thriller video and, last but by no means least, it went on to sell more than 50 million copies worldwide, making it the biggest selling music album of all time.
After his first album, Off The Wall, much was expected of Michael. By 1983, he was 25 and had been away from The Jacksons for a while. If Off The Wall had been a disaster, it would have been attributed to the fact that he couldn’t perform as well as a solo artist. But Off The Wall went on to become, then, the biggest selling debut album. After such an accolade, many in the music industry were expecting big things, and they weren’t disappointed.
The album starts with from where Off The Wall left off, with Wanna Be Starting Something, a disco pop track, a song perfect for the time it was released. Not too 1970s discoesque but not too mature as to alienate his growing fanbase. With the use of African call and response in the outro and a mention of a certain Billie Jean, the track was a great starting point for the album. Thriller then mellowed out, with Baby Be Mine and Michael’s duet with ex-Beatle Paul McCartney, whom he also dueted with in the hit single Say Say Say. Many stumble when trying to change the mood so quickly in an album, but not Jackson. His loving lyrics almost make you forget the imagery he portrayed in Wanna Be Starting Something (“Someone’s always trying, to keep my baby crying”). After these two soothing love songs came his three biggest hits, coincidently placed consecutively in the track listing. The first up was Thriller, which {spawned} a pioneering music video, which set the benchmark for nearly every single dance video that was subsequently released after it. The choreography was second to none with dance moves million across the globe stayed up to watch and still remember to this day; videos on YouTube pay a testament to this. The beat itself has been remixed too many times to count and featured the famous rap by the late Vincent Price. Surely after Thriller, it couldn’t be topped? Low and behold, it was. The next song on the album was the gritty Beat It. Featuring a guitar solo from the one Eddie Van Halen and a chorus that has been parodied countlessly, Beat It was Jackson’s first foray into the rock scene and started what was to become a staple in his subsequent album releases (Dirty Diana, Give In To Me, D.S and being some of the others).
By now, the album was beginning to go back to the “scary world” image first conveyed at the start and Billie Jean continued this trend. Being arguably his greatest song ever released and the track that made the album sell 900,000 a week after its release, Billie Jean without a doubt will stay in the world’s memory, for more reasons than one. The legendary song has possibly one of the most recognizable pieces of music known to man: the bassline. Just playing 5 seconds of it would instantly have anyone dancing like he/she was Michael Jackson themselves. This then leads into the infamous lyrics, based on a stalker that claimed she was carrying Michael’s child; Billie Jean, of course, not to be mistaken by the former tennis star, Billie Jean King. The video was probably the first proper showing of just how good Michael’s dancing really was. The lighting up of the tiles beneath his feet were a perfct metaphor for his near perfect liquid movement. But it was his performance of Billie Jean at the Motown 25th Anniversary concert that the whole universe will remember, as it was the first time that he did his phenomenal Moonwalk. Even if you’ve never heard of Michael Jackson (near impossiblity, but still a chance) or heard his music, you’ll know about the Moonwalk. Millions watched as he appeared to be walking backwards without his feet leaving the floor, whilst giving the audience the illusion that he was supposed to be walking forwards. A move easily learnt but never mastered, only The King of Pop himself could do the move its true justice.
Towards the end of the album, however, and we glide back into the idyllic nature of the world we live in, with songs Human Nature, PYT (Pretty Young Thing) and Lady In My Life. Such a paradoxical mixture of emotions could only have been achieved by legends such as Michael Jackson. His lyrics are so poignant for the topic in question, nobody can really dispute them. And while his words are magnificent, the music that intermingles with them has been sampled, remixed and edited for years, with songs such as SWV’s Right Here and most recently Kanye West’s Good Life and Rihanna’s Don’t Stop The Music using Thriller’s mantle as their base. You may critise his behaviour, you may even dislike the man himself, but no person that has ever lived can say his music has not influenced nor benchmarked the music industry forever.
Hi, and welcome to Live and Unplugged, the music blog. The concept of this blog is to get everyone listening to music, whether it’s rock, pop, jazz, soul, classical, country or otherwise. My main aim is to compile a Hall of Fame of all the music I listen to, but in order for it to be completely unbiased, I’ll need some help with my choices, so if you have a suggestion, please feel free to leave a comment.
