Astra (album)
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Astra (album)
''Astra'' is the third studio album by British rock supergroup Asia, released on 30 November 1985 by Geffen Records. It was their last full-length studio album with co-founding vocalist and bassist John Wetton until ''Phoenix'' (2008), released after the original line-up reunited in 2006. ''Astra'' is the first of two albums from Asia—the other being '' Then & Now''—with Swiss guitarist Mandy Meyer, who replaced Steve Howe. Background Started in 1984, it marked the return of Wetton to the group after his firing in September 1983. He had been replaced by Emerson, Lake & Palmer co-founder Greg Lake, temporarily, for the concerts at the Nippon Budokan in Tokyo in December 1983. The opening night of these shows, highly advertised as ''Asia in Asia'', was the first in the history of MTV to be broadcast via satellite transmission. Following a two-month stint, Lake had left Asia and soon Wetton had been convinced to come back. The latter agreed, but made it a condition to his re ...
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Asia (band)
Asia are an English rock supergroup formed in London in 1981. The most commercially successful line-up was its original, which consisted of four members of different progressive rock bands that had enjoyed great success in the 1970s: lead vocalist and bassist John Wetton of King Crimson and U.K., guitarist Steve Howe of Yes, keyboardist Geoff Downes of Yes and the Buggles, and drummer Carl Palmer of Emerson, Lake & Palmer. Their debut album, ''Asia'', released in 1982, remains their bestselling album and went to number one in several countries. The lead single from the album, " Heat of the Moment", remains their top charting and best-known song, reaching the top 40 in over a dozen markets and peaking in the U.S. at #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart. The band underwent multiple line-up changes before the original four members reunited in 2006. As a result, a band called Asia Featuring John Payne exists as a continuation of John Payne' ...
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Steve Howe (musician)
Stephen James Howe (born 8 April 1947) is an English musician, best known as the guitarist in the progressive rock band Yes across three stints since 1970. Born in Holloway, North London, Howe developed an interest in the guitar and began to learn the instrument himself at age 12. He embarked on a music career in 1964, first playing in several London-based blues, covers, and psychedelic rock bands for six years, including the Syndicats, Tomorrow, and Bodast. Upon joining Yes in 1970, Howe helped to change the band's musical direction, leading to more commercial and critical success. His blend of acoustic and electric guitar helped shape the sound of the band. Many of their best-known songs were co-written by Howe, who remained with the band until they briefly disbanded in 1981. Howe returned to the group in 1990 for two years and has remained a full-time member since 1995. After Alan White's death in 2022, he is the longest-serving member of the band currently active. Howe a ...
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Billboard Hot 100
The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming in the United States. The weekly tracking period for sales was initially Monday to Sunday when Nielsen started tracking sales in 1991, but was changed to Friday to Thursday in July 2015. This tracking period also applies to compiling online streaming data. Radio airplay, which, unlike sales figures and streaming, is readily available on a real-time basis, is also tracked on a Friday to Thursday cycle effective with the chart dated July 17, 2021 (previously Monday to Sunday and before July 2015, Wednesday to Tuesday). A new chart is compiled and officially released to the public by ''Billboard'' on Tuesdays but post-dated to the following Saturday. The first number-one song of the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 was " Poor Little Fool" by Ricky Ne ...
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Billboard 200
The ''Billboard'' 200 is a record chart ranking the 200 most popular music albums and EPs in the United States. It is published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine and is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists. Often, a recording act will be remembered by its " number ones", those of their albums that outperformed all others during at least one week. The chart grew from a weekly top 10 list in 1956 to become a top 200 list in May 1967, and acquired its current name in March 1992. Its previous names include the ''Billboard'' Top LPs (1961–1972), ''Billboard'' Top LPs & Tape (1972–1984), ''Billboard'' Top 200 Albums (1984–1985) and ''Billboard'' Top Pop Albums (1985–1992). The chart is based mostly on sales – both at retail and digital – of albums in the United States. The weekly sales period was originally Monday to Sunday when Nielsen started tracking sales in 1991, but since July 2015, tracking week begins on Friday (to coinc ...
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Facebook
Facebook is an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin Moskovitz, and Chris Hughes, its name comes from the face book directories often given to American university students. Membership was initially limited to Harvard students, gradually expanding to other North American universities and, since 2006, anyone over 13 years old. As of July 2022, Facebook claimed 2.93 billion monthly active users, and ranked third worldwide among the most visited websites as of July 2022. It was the most downloaded mobile app of the 2010s. Facebook can be accessed from devices with Internet connectivity, such as personal computers, tablets and smartphones. After registering, users can create a profile revealing information about themselves. They can post text, photos and multimedia which are shared with any ...
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Roger Dean (artist)
William Roger Dean (born 31 August 1944), known as Roger Dean, is an English artist, designer, and publisher. He began painting posters and album covers for musicians in the late 1960s. The groups for whom he did the most art are the English rock bands Yes and Asia. The covers often feature exotic fantasy landscapes. His work has sold more than 150 million copies worldwide. Early life William Roger Dean was born on 31 August 1944 in Ashford, Kent. His mother studied dress design at Canterbury School of Art before her marriage and his father was an engineer in the British Army. He has three siblings, brother Martyn and sisters Penny and Philippa. Much of Dean's childhood was spent in Greece, Cyprus, and, from age 12 to 15, Hong Kong, so his father could carry out army duties. Dean was very keen on natural history as a child, and Chinese landscape art and feng shui became particular influences on him during his time in Hong Kong. He has cited landscape, "and the pathways thro ...
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Duran Duran
Duran Duran () are an English Rock music, rock band formed in Birmingham in 1978 by singer and bassist Stephen Duffy, keyboardist Nick Rhodes and guitarist/bassist John Taylor (bass guitarist), John Taylor. With the addition of drummer Roger Taylor (Duran Duran drummer), Roger Taylor the following year the band went through numerous personnel changes before May 1980, when they settled on their most famous line-up by adding guitarist Andy Taylor (guitarist), Andy Taylor and lead vocalist Simon Le Bon. When Duran Duran emerged they were generally considered part of the New Romantic scene. Innovators of the music video, Duran Duran were catapulted into the mainstream with the introduction of the 24-hour music channel MTV. The group was a leading band in the MTV-driven Second British Invasion of the US in the 1980s. Photographer Denis O'Regan, who captured the band during their 1984 tour, commented "Duran Duran in America was like Beatlemania." The band's first major hit was "Gi ...
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Arcadia (band)
Arcadia were a new wave British group formed in 1985 by Simon Le Bon, Nick Rhodes, and Roger Taylor of Duran Duran as a side project during a break in the band's schedule. The project was active only during 1985 and 1986 and for just one album, ''So Red the Rose'', which was certified Platinum in the United States and included the singles "Election Day", " Goodbye Is Forever", " The Flame", and " The Promise" (featuring David Gilmour and Sting). Drummer Roger Taylor appeared in only a few band photographs and one music video ("Election Day"), and stated he was to be involved only in the recording side of the project (he also had minor involvement in The Power Station, the other Duran Duran splinter group, formed by Duran Duran's Andy and John Taylor alongside Robert Palmer and Tony Thompson of Chic). The name of the band reportedly was inspired by the Nicolas Poussin painting ''Et in Arcadia ego'' (also known as "The Arcadian Shepherds"). Music career ''So Red the Rose'' ( ...
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Eyes Of A Woman
''Eyes of a Woman'' is the second English-language solo studio album by Swedish singer and former ABBA member Agnetha Fältskog, and her eighth studio album overall. It was released in March 1985. Background The album was recorded in the Polar Music Studios in Stockholm. Sessions began in early October 1984 and lasted until the end of November. The album was produced by Eric Stewart of 10cc and features former 10cc members Rick Fenn and Vic Emerson as session musicians, as well as Stewart's longtime friend Justin Hayward of The Moody Blues. Notable songwriters who contributed to the album included Jeff Lynne, John Wetton and Geoff Downes as well as Justin Hayward and Eric Stewart himself. Long time ABBA fan Elvis Costello submitted a track "Shatterproof" for inclusion on the album, however Fältskog decided against recording it.Oldham, A, Calder, T & Irvin, C: "ABBA: The Name of the Game", page 209. Sidgwick & Jackson, 1995 Two of the songs recorded, "Turn the World Around" a ...
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Agnetha Fältskog
Agneta Åse Fältskog (born 5 April 1950), known as Agnetha Fältskog (), is a Swedish singer, songwriter, and musician. She first achieved success in Sweden with the release of her 1968 self-titled debut album. She later achieved international stardom in the 1970s as a member of the pop group ABBA. The group has sold over 380 million albums and singles worldwide, making it one of the best-selling music acts in history. She is the youngest member of ABBA, and the only one born in the 1950s. After the unofficial break-up of ABBA in December 1982, Fältskog found renewed success later in the decade as a solo artist with three albums and a leading role in a movie. She became reclusive in the 1990s, avoiding outside publicity and residing on the Stockholm County island of Ekerö. Fältskog stopped recording music for 16 years until she released a new album, '' My Colouring Book'', in 2004. She returned in 2013 with '' A'', her highest UK charting solo album to date. ABBA sin ...
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ABBA
ABBA ( , , formerly named Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Anni-Frid or Björn & Benny, Agnetha & Frida) are a Swedish supergroup formed in Stockholm in 1972 by Agnetha Fältskog, Björn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson, and Anni-Frid Lyngstad. The group's name is an acronym of the first letters of their first names arranged as a palindrome. One of the most popular and successful musical groups of all time, they became one of the List of best-selling music artists, best-selling music acts in the history of popular music, topping the charts worldwide from 1974 to 1982, and in 2022. In Eurovision Song Contest 1974, 1974, ABBA were Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest, Sweden's first winner of the Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Waterloo (ABBA song), Waterloo," which in 2005 was chosen as the best song in the competition's history as part of the Congratulations: 50 Years of the Eurovision Song Contest, 50th anniversary celebration of the contest. During the band's main active years, it ...
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Krokus (band)
Krokus is a hard rock/ heavy metal band from Switzerland. They enjoyed success in North America during the 1980s. Krokus was founded in Solothurn in 1975 by Chris von Rohr (vocals and multi-instruments) and Tommy Kiefer (guitar), both former members of Kaktus. Former TEA vocalist Marc Storace joined the band as frontman in time for their ''Metal Rendez-vous'' album in 1980. History Early career (1975–1982) Krokus was formed in 1975 as a primarily progressive rock act. The group's original lead singer, Peter Richard, left before the first album was recorded, leaving lead guitarist Tommy Kiefer to handle lead vocal duties for the band's self-titled debut album. However, Chris von Rohr, originally the drummer, would switch to lead vocals for the follow-up record, '' To You All'', remaining in this capacity into the late 1970s (along with playing keyboards and percussion). Rounding out the radically different new line-up were guitarist Fernando von Arb, bassist Jürg Naeg ...
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