The Buzzcocks were an English punk-rock band from Manchester that debuted with an EP on self-press New Hormones in January 1977, followed by eight singles and three albums on United Artists between October 1977 and September 1979. In 1978 alone, the band placed five songs on the UK singles chart. For its first eight months, […]
Curved Air are an English symphonic-psych band that released four albums on Warner Bros. between 1970 and 1973, followed by two mid-decade albums on RCA Victor. They formed around the creative core of violinist Darryl Way, guitarist–keyboardist Francis Monkman, and alto vocalist Sonja Kristina. With a fluctuating rhythm section, Curved Air released the 1970–72 albums […]
The Mahavishnu Orchestra was a multinational jazz-rock ensemble headed by English guitarist John McLaughlin, who led two lineups during their original six-album run. The first incarnation was a five-piece band with Czech keyboardist Jan Hammer, Irish bassist Rick Laird, and two Americans: violinist Jerry Goodman and drummer Billy Cobham. They released the 1971–73 Columbia albums […]
Siouxsie and the Banshees were an English rock band that released eleven studio albums and twenty-seven singles between 1978 and 1995 on Polydor. They charted with their debut single “Hong Kong Garden” and scored multiple UK hits, including the underground rock staples “Happy House,” “Spellbound,” “Arabian Knights,” “Cities In Dust,” “Peek-a-Boo,” and “Kiss Them for […]
Simple Minds are a Scottish rock band that released eleven studio albums between 1979 and 1995. They first achieved fame in the UK, Europe, and Australia with the 1981–83 hits “Love Song,” “Promised You a Miracle,” “Glittering Prize,” and “Waterfront.” In 1985, they scored a global hit with “Don’t You (Forget About Me).” Simple Minds […]
Brian Eno is an English art-rock/ambient musician and producer who first emerged as the original keyboardist for Roxy Music. Between 1973 and 1977, he released four solo albums under his surname on Island Records. From 1978 onward, he issued a series of ambient recordings on E.G. Records Ltd., including collaborative efforts with Harold Budd, Jon […]
Procol Harum was an English symphonic-rock band that released nine studio albums between 1967 and 1977. Functioning for most of its existence as a quintet with a non-performing lyricist, the band played a pivotal role in rock’s maximalist trajectory by recording the world’s first side-long multi-movement suite, “In Held ‘Twas in I,” in 1968. Members: […]
Soft Machine was an English jazz-rock band that was active between the late 1960s and early 1980s. They were among the first rock acts to make use of asymmetric and compound meters. Due to numerous lineup changes, the first and final Soft Machine albums feature none of the same members. Nonetheless, the nameplate was passed […]
Traffic was an English rock band fronted by singer–keyboardist Steve Winwood. They appeared with the 1967 psychedelic album Mr. Fantasy and the hits “Paper Sun,” “Hole In My Shoe,” and “Coloured Rain.” Songwriter Dave Mason, an on-off early member, contributed four songs to their 1968 second album Traffic, including the much-covered “Feeling Alright?” In 1969, […]
The Yardbirds were an English rock band that emerged in London’s R&B–beat boom and released twelve 1964–68 singles. Their sonic innovations include harpsichord riffing (“For Your Love”), sitar-guitar tones (“Heart Full of Soul”), and explosive reverb (“Happenings Ten Years Time Ago”). They launched the careers of three guitar legends: Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, and Jimmy […]
Charles Mingus (April 22, 1922 – January 5, 1979) was an American jazz double-bassist, composer, and bandleader, active from the 1940s to the 1970s. He worked with Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, and Max Roach while shaping a style that fused bebop, gospel, blues, hard bop, and classical form. His music balanced structure and improvisation across post-bop, […]
The Move was an English rock band from Birmingham that achieved UK fame with the 1967–68 pop-psych singles “Night of Fear,” “I Can Hear the Grass Grow,” “Flowers In the Rain,” and “Fire Brigade,” all written by guitarist Roy Wood. After their long-awaited album Move, they charted with the non-album 1968–69 singles “Blackberry Way,” “Wild […]
George Duke (January 12, 1946 – August 5, 2013) was an American jazz-funk keyboardist, composer, arranger, and producer, active from the mid-1960s through the early 2010s. During the 1970s and ’80s, he released 21 studio albums. Duke began his career as a Bay Area post-bop bandleader. After a stint with Jean-Luc Ponty, he embraced jazz-rock […]
Uriah Heep are an English hard-rock band that released twenty-five albums between 1970 and 2023. They emerged in London’s post-psych boom with the 1970–71 Vertigo albums …Very ‘eavy…Very ‘umble and Salisbury, followed by thirteen studio albums through 1983 on Bronze Records. Guitarist mainstay Mick Box formed Uriah Heep in 1969 with singer David Byron and […]
Tears for Fears were an English New Wave/art-pop band that emerged with the 1983 Mercury album The Hurting, which spawned the hits “Pale Shelter,” “Mad World,” and “Change.” They achieved global success with their 1985 second album Songs From the Big Chair, topping charts with “Everybody Wants to Rule the World,” “Shout,” “Head Over Heels,” […]
The Temptations were an American soul group from Detroit, formed in 1961. They first charted in 1964 with “The Way You Do the Things You Do,” sung by tenor Eddie Kendricks. With baritone David Ruffin at the fore, they hit number-one with the evergreen ballad “My Girl,” co-written and produced by Smokey Robinson, who also […]
Devo are an American new wave band from Akron, Ohio, best known for the 1980 hit “Whip It” and their iconic red-dome stage costumes. Between 1978 and 1984, they released six albums on Virgin and Warner Bros. They emerged from the art department at Kent State University. By 1976, the lineup stabilized with brothers Mark […]
Billy Joel is an American pianist, singer, and songwriter from the Bronx who released the album Cold Spring Harbor on Family Productions Inc. in 1971, followed by eleven studio albums on Columbia between 1973 and 1993. Prior to his solo career, he recorded two albums with psych-rockers The Hassles, which splintered into the 1970 hard-rock […]
Squeeze is an English pop-rock band from London, formed in 1974 and active with multiple lineups in the decades since. Between 1978 and 1982, they released five albums on A&M Records. Their biggest hits include “Take Me I’m Yours,” “Cool for Cats,” “Up the Junction,” “Pulling Mussels (from the Shell),” “Tempted,” and “Hourglass.” The songwriting […]
Jefferson Airplane was an American rock band from San Francisco that rose to fame during the countercultural explosion of the late 1960s. Formed in 1965 by singer Marty Balin and guitarist Paul Kantner, the group solidified its classic lineup with the arrival of vocalist Grace Slick and guitarist Jorma Kaukonen, debuting nationally with Jefferson Airplane […]
Duran Duran are an English electro/art-pop band from Birmingham that released three albums on EMI between 1981 and 1983: Duran Duran, Rio, and Seven and the Ragged Tiger. They scored multiple transatlantic hits, including “Planet Earth,” “Girls on Film,” “Hungry Like the Wolf,” “Save a Prayer,” “Is There Something I Should Know,” “New Moon on […]
Sonny Rollins (born Sept. 7, 1930) is an American jazz tenor saxophonist whose seven-decade career spans bebop, hard bop, and post-bop, marking him as one of the music’s most influential improvisers and composers. Rollins began recording as a sideman in 1949 with pianist Bud Powell and singer Babs Gonzales. Between 1951 and 1953 he appeared […]
The Beat was an English new wave band that emerged on the Birmingham ska scene with a 1979 cover of The Miracles classic “Tears of a Clown” on The Specials‘ 2 Tone label. They formed their own label, Go-Feet Records, for the 1980–1982 albums I Just Can’t Stop It, Wha’ppen?, and Special Beat Service. The […]
Gary Numan is an English keyboardist, vocalist, composer, and pilot who has been musically active since the late-1970s. He emerged as the frontman of synth-punks Tubeway Army, which issued two standalone singles and a self-titled album in 1978. After placing his name in front on their 1979 breakthrough release Replicas, he became a solo artist […]
Patrice Rushen is an American keyboardist, composer, and singer who started as a sidewoman on mid-Seventies jazz albums by Alphonso Johnson, Azar Lawrence, Donald Byrd, Eddie Henderson, Harvey Mason, Jean-Luc Ponty, and Luis Gasca. As a solo artist, she made three post-bop/jazz-funk albums (1974–77) on Prestige, then transitioned to soul-funk for a five-album run (1978–84) […]
The Groundhogs were an English blues and rock band that made four albums on Liberty, including the popular 1970/71 titles Thank Christ for the Bomb and Split. On United Artists, they made the experimental 1972 albums Who Will Save the World? The Mighty Groundhogs and Hogwash. After their 1974 effort Solid on the short-lived WWA […]
The Ohio Players were an American soul-funk band that emerged from Dayton, Ohio, in 1959 under the name The Ohio Untouchables. During their early years, they released six singles between 1962 and 1964 on the Lu Pine and Thelma labels. This formative period established their foundation in rhythm and blues with a lean, guitar-led style […]
Echo & the Bunnymen are an English rock band that released five albums between 1980 and 1987 on Korova and Sire. They formed amid the post-punk explosion in Liverpool, where singer–guitarist Ian McCulloch, guitarist Will Sergeant, and bassist Les Pattinson performed as a trio with a drum machine dubbed “echo.” After one single, drummer Pete […]
Elvis Costello is an English musician, vocalist, songwriter, and producer from Paddington who debuted with the album My Aim Is True on Stiff/Columbia in 1977. After assembling his backing band The Attractions, he issued the popular Radar titles This Year’s Model (1978) and Armed Forces (1979), followed by seven albums on F-Beat between 1980 and […]
Art Blakey (October 11, 1919 — October 16, 1990) was an American jazz drummer and bandleader from Pittsburgh. For 35 years, he led the Jazz Messengers, a revolving-door band with some of the leading names in post-bop. Blakey co-founded the Jazz Messengers in 1954 with pianist Horace Silver, trumpeter Kenny Dorham, saxophonist Hank Mobley, and […]
Wire are an English post-punk band from London that released the 1977–79 albums Pink Flag, Chairs Missing, and 154 on Harvest. They disbanded in 1980 when singer–guitarist Colin Newman went solo (backed by drummer Robert Gotobed) and bassist Graham Lewis launched Dome with guitarist Bruce Gilbert. Wire reformed mid-decade and released four albums and two […]
Be-Bop Deluxe was an English rock band led by guitarist and songwriter Bill Nelson. The first lineup released the glam-inspired Axe Victim on Harvest in 1974. Nelson reconfigured the band as a three-piece for the 1975 album Futurama, comprised of lavish, theatrical rock epics. With keyboardist Andy Clark, they made the 1976 albums Sunburst Finish […]
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark — also known by the acronym OMD — are an English electronic band that released seven albums between 1980 and 1986 on DinDisc and Virgin. Singer–bassist Andy McCluskey and keyboardist–singer Paul Humphreys are the mainstays of the band; joined on successive releases by drummer Malcolm Holmes and saxophonist–keyboardist Martin Cooper. […]
Madness are an English new wave band that released five albums between 1979 and 1984 on Stiff Records. They emerged as part of the late-Seventies 2 Tone ska revival and expanded their sound with R&B and music hall. During their original run, Madness placed sixteen singles in the UK Top 10, including the 1982 No. […]
Billy Preston (1946–2006) was an American R&B singer and keyboardist who released 24 albums between 1963 and 1986. After multiple teen-prodigy soul-jazz albums, his profile soared as a fifth Beatle on their 1969 hit “Get Back.” His fame peaked with the 1972–74 R&B crossover hits “Outa-Space,” “Will It Go Round in Circles,” “Space Race,” and […]
Otis Redding (Sept. 9, 1941 — Dec. 10, 1967) was an American soul singer who issued a string of singles on Stax-subsidiary Volt between 1962 and 1965, including “These Arms of Mine” and the original “Respect” (later made famous by Aretha Franklin). Over the ensuing two-year period, he recorded multiple albums for the label, charting […]
Gong was a French–Anglo musical collective that existed through numerous iterations over a four-decade period, starting in 1969. During the first half of the 1970s, the band operated as a space-rock performance act under the leadership of Australian-born guitarist–vocalist Daevid Allen. Later in the decade, Gong steered toward jazz-rock with drummer–percussionist Pierre Moerlen affixed to […]
Eric Dolphy (June 20, 1928 – June 29, 1964) was an American jazz saxophonist, flautist, and clarinetist from Los Angeles. He gained national attention in 1958 as a member of Chico Hamilton’s quintet. Dolphy launched his career as a leader in 1960 with Outward Bound on Prestige Records, the first of thirteen albums he recorded for […]
The Teardrop Explodes were an English new wave band that released three 1979–80 singles on Liverpool indie Zoo, followed by the 1980–81 Mercury albums Kilimanjaro and Wilder. They gained US airplay with the neo-psych evergreen “When I Dream” and scored UK hits with the 1981 singles “Reward,” “Treason (It’s Just a Story),” and “Passionate Friend.” […]
Hatfield and the North were an English jazz-rock band that released the 1974/75 Virgin albums Hatfield and the North and The Rotter’s Club. They were formed by ex-members of Caravan, Delivery, and Matching Mole. Keyboardist Dave Stewart (Arzachel, Egg, Khan) completed the band. Their backing vocalists, The Northettes, included singer Barbara Gaskin (Spirogyra). Three-fourths of Hatfield […]
Television was an American art-rock band from N.Y.C. that released the single “Little Johnny Jewel” on Ork in 1975, followed by two albums on Elektra: Marquee Moon (1977) and Adventure (1978). They were the first rock band to play the Bowery dive bar CBGB, which became the epicenter of the Lower East Side band boom […]
Spooky Tooth was an English rock band that was active for two separate periods during the late 1960s and early 1970s. The band released four albums on Island between 1968 and 1970 before their initial breakup. A reformed lineup of the band released three further albums during 1973 and 1974. Due to numerous changes in […]
Joy Division was an English post-punk band from Manchester, formed as Warsaw by guitarist Bernard Sumner and bassist Peter Hook with drummer Stephen Morris and singer Ian Curtis. They co-headed the Northern DIY boom with their 1978 EP An Ideal for Living. On Tony Wilson’s Factory label, Joy Division made their 1979 debut, Unknown Pleasures, […]
Dee Dee Bridgewater is an American soul and jazz singer from Memphis. After numerous sessions for noted jazz artists, she made her solo debut with the 1974 album Afro Blue, followed by a self-titled 1976 Atlantic release and the 1977–79 Elektra titles Just Family and Bad for Me. Background Bridgewater was born Denise Eileen Garrett […]
Kraftwerk are a German electronic group formed in Düsseldorf by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider, who steered the band from avant-garde krautrock to streamlined machine music. Their early albums (Kraftwerk, Kraftwerk 2, Ralf & Florian) fused analog electronics with flute, violin, and organ in longform instrumental passages. With Autobahn (1974), Kraftwerk embraced motorik rhythm and […]
Rare Bird was an English organ-rock quartet that released two albums on Charisma in 1969 and 1970, followed by three further titles on Polydor between 1972 and 1974. They are best known for the songs “Beautiful Scarlet,” “Sympathy,” the side-long suite “Flight,” and their 1972 maxi-album Epic Forest. Along with contemporaries ELP, Atomic Rooster, Quatermass, […]
Bauhaus was an English post-punk band that sparked goth-rock with their 1979 debut single “Bela Lugosi’s Dead,” performed in David Bowie‘s 1983 film The Hunger. As the banner act on 4AD, Bauhaus made the 1980–83 albums In the Flat Field, Mask, The Sky’s Gone Out, and Burning From the Inside. Popular Bauhaus songs include “Dark […]
Ornette Coleman (March 9, 1930 — June 11, 2015) was an American jazz saxophonist, violinist, trumpeter, and composer. He was a chief proponent of avant-garde free jazz, as heralded on his popular 1959 Atlantic release The Shape of Jazz to Come. On this and the 1960/61 albums Change of the Century and This Is Our […]
The Creation was an English rock band that released the 1966 singles “Making Time” and “Painter Man” on Shel Talmy’s Planet label. Guitarist Eddie Phillips played solo passages with a violin bow. Their recorded work is now revered among devotees of “freakbeat.” Members: Bob Garner (bass, vocals, 1966-68, 1993-2000), Kenny Pickett (vocals, 1966-67, 1968, 1985, […]
Manfred Mann’s Earth Band was an English symphonic/art-rock band that released a pair of albums on Philips in 1972, followed by nine studio albums on Bronze between 1973 and 1983, plus a further pair of titles on Virgin/10 Records in the late 1980s. They are best known for the 1973 UK hit “Joybringer” (from Solar […]
Isotope was an English jazz-rock band that released three albums on Gull between 1974 and 1976. Guitarist Gary Boyle formed the band with veteran jazz bassist Jeff Clyne, who left after the first album and formed Turning Point. The second album, Illusion, features the signature fuzz bass of Hugh Hopper (ex-Soft Machine). Members: Gary Boyle […]
Isaac Hayes (Aug. 20, 1942 – Aug. 10, 2008) was an American R&B musician, singer, composer, producer, and actor with a 50-year career in entertainment. The lavish orchestration and elongated arrangements of his 1969 second album, Hot Buttered Soul, spearheaded the transformation of soul music into a maximalist form. Background Isaac Hayes was born Isaac […]
Caravan are an English rock band from Canterbury that released ten studio albums between 1968 and 1982. They debuted with Caravan, a jam-oriented psych release on the American jazz label Verve. On Decca/Deram, Caravan released five studio albums, including In the Land of Grey and Pink and For Girls Who Grow Plump in the Night. […]
The Sound was an English post-punk band that made the 1980/81 Korova albums Jeopardy and From the Lions Mouth, followed by the 1982–87 titles All Fall Down, Shock of Daylight (EP), Heads and Hearts, and Thunder Up. They evolved from The Outsiders, a punk trio headed by guitarist/singer Adrian Borland, who also led the coldwave […]
The Idle Race was an English pop-psych band from Birmingham, best known for the 1967 single “Imposters of Life’s Magazine” and the 1968/69 albums The Birthday Party and Idle Race. Singer Jeff Lynne joined Roy Wood in The Move, which morphed into the Electric Light Orchestra. Members: Greg Masters (bass, vocals, 1966-72), Roger Spencer (drums, […]
Aztec Camera was a Scottish new wave band led by guitarist–singer and songwriter Roddy Frame. They released two 1981 Postcard singles and the 1983 Rough Trade album High Land, Hard Rain, an acclaimed set with the underground hits “Oblivious,” “Pillar to Post,” and “Walk Out to Winter.” Dire Straits frontman Mark Knopfler produced Aztec Camera’s […]
Mike Oldfield is an English composer, arranger, and multi-instrumentalist with a career in music dating back to the late 1960s. Musically, his output is comprised of lengthy (often side-length or album-length) instrumental works with the occasional vocal track. Stylistically, his music has evolved from the classical/Celt-tinged angle of his early recordings to the broadened, modernized […]
Pharoah Sanders (1940–2022) was an American jazz saxophonist who cut eleven albums between 1967 and 1974 on Impulse!, including the popular 1969 release Karma, recorded with singer–percussionist Leon Thomas and pianist Lonnie Liston Smith. In 1980, Sanders reemerged with Journey to the One, his first of six albums on the jazz-specialty label Theresa. Background He […]
The Monochrome Set was an English post-punk band that released three 1978–79 singles on Rough Trade, followed by the 1980 Dindisc albums Strange Boutique and Love Zombies. They resurfaced with the 1982 Cherry Red disc Eligible Bachelors and again with the 1985 Blanco Y Negro release The Lost Weekend. Guitarist Lester Square and bassist Andy […]
Hawkwind are an English space-rock band, originally led by guitarist Dave Brock and reedist Nik Turner. They released six albums on United Artists, including the popular 1971–75 titles In Search of Space, Doremi Fasol Latido, Hall of the Mountain Grill, Warrior on the Edge of Time, and the singles “Silver Machine” and “Urban Guerrilla.” Their […]
Man was a Welsh jam-rock band that released twelve albums between 1969 and 1977. On Pye, they made the 1969 psych-rock albums Revelation and 2 Ozs of Plastic With a Hole in the Middle. A revised lineup signed to United Artists for the 1971 albums Man and Do You Like It Here Now, Are You […]
New Order are an English electro-pop band that made five albums and twenty singles between 1981 and 1990 on Factory Records. They formed in late 1980 when three/fourths of Joy Division — guitarist Bernard Sumner, bassist Peter Hook, and drummer Stephen Morris — carried on after the death of singer Ian Curtis. With added keyboardist/guitarist […]
McDonald and Giles were an English symphonic-rock duo that released a self-titled album on Island in January 1971. The duo consisted of multi-instrumentalist Ian McDonald and drummer–percussionist Michael Giles, who commenced the project fresh off their one-album stint in King Crimson. Michael cut an earlier album in Giles Giles and Fripp, a pop-psych trio with […]
Crosby, Stills and Nash (CSN) were an English–American folk-rock/harmony super-trio comprised of three established guitarist/vocalists: David Crosby (The Byrds), Stephen Stills (Buffalo Springfield), and Graham Nash (The Hollies). In 1969, the trio released a self-titled album to global fanfare on Atlantic. The following year, they were joined by Canadian guitarist/vocalist Neil Young for the album […]
The Comsat Angels were an English post-punk band that co-developed the ethereal neo-psych subgenre with their 1980–82 Polydor albums Waiting for a Miracle, Sleep No More, and Fiction. On Jive Records, they made the 1983–85 albums Land and 7 Day Weekend, followed by the 1986 Island release Chasing Shadows. Members: Stephen Fellows (guitar, vocals), Kevin […]
The Associates were the Scottish new wave duo of singer Billy MacKenzie and multi-instrumentalist Alan Rankine. They made the 1980 Fiction album The Affectionate Punch and scored 1981 indie hits with “Tell Me Easters On Friday,” “Q Quarters,” “Kitchen Person,” and “White Car In Germany,” compiled on the Situation Two release Fourth Drawer Down. In 1982, […]
Chic was an American soul-funk band from New York, best known for the disco-era hits “Everybody Dance,” “Le Freak,” “I Want Your Love,” “Good Times,” and “Dance, Dance, Dance (Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah).” They released seven albums between 1977 and 1983 on Atlantic. Guitarist Nile Rodgers and bassist Bernard Edwards also wrote and produced albums for […]
Family was an English rock band that released six albums on Reprise between 1968 and 1972, followed by a seventh on Raft in 1973. Their music ranged from cinematic psych on early albums (Music in a Doll’s House, Family Entertainment) to folksy barroom rock on later releases (Bandstand, It’s Only a Movie). Frontman Roger Chapman […]
The Graham Bond Organization was an English R&B–beat combo that released the 1965 Columbia albums The Sound of ’65 and There’s a Bond Between Us. The members, distinguished by their jazz-crossover pedigrees, achieved virtuoso status on their respective instruments. Bassist Jack Bruce went over to Manfred Mann and relinked with drummer Ginger Baker in the […]
The Selecter was an English ska band that released the 1980 2 Tone album Too Much Pressure, followed by the 1981 Chrysalis release Celebrate the Bullet. The former spawned the UK Top 20 hits “On My Radio” and “Three Minute Hero.” Members: Neol Davies (guitar, 1977-92), John Bradbury (drums, 1977-79), Barry Jones (trombone, 1977-?), Desmond […]
The Housemartins were an English pop and rock band that released the 1986/87 albums London 0 Hull 4 and The People Who Grinned Themselves to Death. They scored UK hits with “Flag Day,” “Happy Hour,” “Think For a Minute,” and “Caravan of Love,” an a cappella Christmas No. 1. Their sound combined sophisti-pop and C86 […]
The Passage was an English post-punk band assembled by drummer, keyboardist, and songwriter Dick Witts. They released two 1978–79 EPs on Manchester indie Object, followed by the 1980 album Pindrop. In 1981, a revised lineup issued For All and None on Virgin-subsidiary Night & Day, followed by the 1982–83 releases Degenerates and Enflame on Cherry […]
Metallica is an American metal band that spearheaded the US thrash scene with the 1983–84 albums Kill ‘Em All and Ride the Lightning. They shot to fame with their 1986 Elektra release Master of Puppets and its 1988 two-record followup …And Justice for All. Members: Lars Ulrich (drums), James Hetfield (guitar, vocals), Hugh Tanner (guitar, […]
Minnie Riperton (Nov. 8, 1947 — July 12, 1979) was an American soul singer from Chicago, best known for the R&B hits “Lovin’ You,” “Inside My Love,” and “Memory Lane.” Riperton first recorded with The Gems, a mid-Sixties Chess singles act. In 1967, she joined the soul-psych band Rotary Connection, which made six albums through […]
Supersister was a Dutch avant-garde/jazz-rock band that issued five albums between 1970 and 1974 on Polydor. Emerging from the Hague scene, they drew on Zappa-inspired absurdism, Canterbury-style whimsy, and extended jazz passages shaped by keyboardist Robert Jan Stips. Their debut Present from Nancy balanced satirical vocal numbers with intricate instrumentals, followed by the darker, more […]
Nirvana was an English orchestral-pop duo comprised of Patrick Campbell-Lyons and Alex Spyropoulos. They debuted with the 1967 rock opera, The Story of Simon Simopath, recorded with the four-piece Nirvana Ensemble. After their 1968 psych hit “Rainbow Chaser,” they released All of Us and the string-laden opus Dedicated to Markos III. Campbell-Lyons continued the name […]
The Boomtown Rats are an Irish rock band that released six albums between 1977 and 1984 on Ensign and Mercury. Singer Bob Geldof was an outspoken figurehead who later marshaled the all-star charitable projects Band Aid and Live Aid. In 1977, the Boomtown Rats joined London’s new wave with their self-titled album and the uptempo […]
Paul McCartney (born June 18, 1942) is an English pop-rock singer, bassist, and songwriter from Liverpool who rose to fame as one-fourth of The Beatles, which he co-founded in 1959 with songwriting partner John Lennon. Between 1963 and 1969, they recorded eleven proper studio albums and spearheaded the British beat and psychedelic booms. McCartney debuted […]
ABC are an English new wave and soul-pop band that co-headed the Second British Invasion with their 1982 album The Lexicon of Love and the singles “Poison Arrow” and “The Look of Love,” both staples of MTV’s golden age. In 1983, ABC took an edgier turn with Beauty Stab and the songs “That Was Then […]
ABBA was a Swedish male/female pop-vocal quartet that released eight albums between 1973 and 1981 on Polar Records. Globally, they were the alltime biggest-selling act from a non-English-speaking country. They grew from a songwriting partnership between keyboardist Benny Andersson and guitarist Björn Ulvaeus, who involved their respective singing partners Frida Lyngstad and Agnetha Fältskog for […]
Stackridge was an English art-pop band from Bristol, noted for their comical lyrics and vaudevillian stage act. During their initial 1971–76 run, they released three albums on MCA — Stackridge, Friendliness, and The Man in the Bowler Hat (aka Pinafore Days) — and two on Elton John‘s Rocket label: Extravaganza and Mr. Mick. The band’s […]
