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Beat The Clock (Sparks Song)
"Beat the Clock" is a disco single by the American rock duo Sparks, which was released in 1979. It is named after the game show, ''Beat the Clock''. The song peaked at number 10 in August 1979 and spent six weeks in the UK Singles Chart. It was their third and final top ten single in the UK. Background The song was taken from the album '' No. 1 In Heaven'' and produced by Giorgio Moroder for Mellow B.V. During the late 1970s he was one of the premier producers, his working relationship grew from Sparks' appreciation of Donna Summer's dynamic "I Feel Love" which Moroder co-wrote and co-produced. The 12" remix was the first of the group's extended remixes. The remix utilized the drum pattern from the songs midsection and added a new keyboard melody line during the chorus. The "long version" as it was dubbed was edited to three and a half minutes and released as the B-side to the 7" single. Long versions of " The Number One Song in Heaven" and "Tryouts for the Human Race" - both ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sparks (band)
Sparks is an American pop and rock duo formed by brothers Ron (keyboards) and Russell Mael (vocals) in Los Angeles. The duo is noted for their quirky approach to songwriting; their music is often accompanied by sophisticated and acerbic lyrics—often about women, and sometimes containing literary or cinematic references-- and an idiosyncratic, theatrical stage presence, typified by the contrast between Russell's animated, hyperactive frontman antics and Ron's deadpan scowling. Russell Mael has a distinctive wide-ranging voice, while Ron Mael plays keyboards in an intricate and rhythmic style. They have been much more successful in Europe than in their native U.S., though they maintain a loyal cult following in the States. Career highlights include "This Town Ain't Big Enough for Both of Us", which reached No. 2 on the UK Singles Chart in 1974; the disco hit "The Number One Song in Heaven" in 1979, resulting from a collaboration with Giorgio Moroder and marking a stylistic shift ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Donna Summer
LaDonna Adrian Gaines (December 31, 1948May 17, 2012), known professionally as Donna Summer, was an American singer and songwriter. She gained prominence during the disco era of the 1970s and became known as the " Queen of Disco", while her music gained a global following. Influenced by the counterculture of the 1960s, Summer became the lead singer of a psychedelic rock band named Crow and moved to New York City. In 1968, she joined a German adaptation of the musical ''Hair'' in Munich, where she spent several years living, acting, and singing. There, she met music producers Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte, and they went on to record influential disco hits together such as " Love to Love You Baby" and "I Feel Love", marking Summer's breakthrough into international music markets. Summer returned to the United States in 1976, and more hits such as " Last Dance", her version of "MacArthur Park", " Heaven Knows", " Hot Stuff", " Bad Girls", "Dim All the Lights", "No More Tears (E ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Songs Written By Ron Mael
A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetition and variation of sections. Written words created specifically for music, or for which music is specifically created, are called lyrics. If a pre-existing poem is set to composed music in classical music it is an art song. Songs that are sung on repeated pitches without distinct contours and patterns that rise and fall are called chants. Songs composed in a simple style that are learned informally "by ear" are often referred to as folk songs. Songs that are composed for professional singers who sell their recordings or live shows to the mass market are called popular songs. These songs, which have broad appeal, are often composed by professional songwriters, composers, and lyricists. Art songs are composed by trained classical composers fo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Songs Written By Russell Mael
A song is a musical composition intended to be performed by the human voice. This is often done at distinct and fixed pitches (melodies) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs contain various forms, such as those including the repetition and variation of sections. Written words created specifically for music, or for which music is specifically created, are called lyrics. If a pre-existing poem is set to composed music in classical music it is an art song. Songs that are sung on repeated pitches without distinct contours and patterns that rise and fall are called chants. Songs composed in a simple style that are learned informally "by ear" are often referred to as folk songs. Songs that are composed for professional singers who sell their recordings or live shows to the mass market are called popular songs. These songs, which have broad appeal, are often composed by professional songwriters, composers, and lyricists. Art songs are composed by trained classical compos ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Disco Songs
Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric piano, synthesizers, and electric rhythm guitars. Disco started as a mixture of music from venues popular with Italian Americans, Hispanic and Latino Americans and Black Americans "'Broadly speaking, the typical New York discothèque DJ is young (between 18 and 30) and Italian,' journalist Vince Lettie declared in 1975. ..Remarkably, almost all of the important early DJs were of Italian extraction .. Italian Americans have played a significant role in America's dance music culture .. While Italian Americans mostly from Brooklyn largely created disco from scratch .." in Philadelphia and New York City during the late 1960s and early 1970s. Disco can be seen as a reaction by the 1960s counterculture to both the dominance of rock music ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
1979 Singles
Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the ''International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the ''Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the song ''Chiquitita'' to commemorate the event. ** The United States and the People's Republic of China establish full Sino-American relations, diplomatic relations. ** Following a deal agreed during 1978, France, French carmaker Peugeot completes a takeover of American manufacturer Chrysler's Chrysler Europe, European operations, which are based in United Kingdom, Britain's former Rootes Group factories, as well as the former Simca factories in France. * January 7 – Cambodian–Vietnamese War: The People's Army of Vietnam and Vietnamese-backed Kampuchean United Front for National Salvation, Cambodian insurgents announce the fall of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and the collapse of the Pol Pot regime. Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge retreat west to an area ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Keith Forsey
Keith Forsey (born 2 January 1948) is an English pop musician and record producer. Early life Forsey began his career as a percussionist in the mid-late 1960s as the drummer for The SpectrumCaptain Scarlet and the Mysterons - The Vault - Chris Bentley - Signum Books - 2017 and as the drummer in Udo Lindenberg's Panik Orchester until 1976, during which he also played percussion for Amon Düül II. By late 1970s, he was a pioneer of disco, working with artists such as Lipstique, Claudja Barry, La Bionda, the Italo Disco Inventors and Boney M. He became Giorgio Moroder's drummer and played on records by Donna Summer, including '' Bad Girls'', and Sparks' " No. 1 in Heaven." However Forsey's own band, Trax, a collaboration with Pete Bellotte, was not as popular. Forsey was influenced by Moroder and began experimenting with electronics and European dance rhythms. Production career Like Moroder, Forsey started producing albums himself, and in 1982 produced Billy Idol's solo debut ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Now That I Own The BBC
"Now That I Own the BBC" is a song by American pop and rock duo Sparks, which was released in Europe in 1995 and the UK in 1996 as the third and final single from their sixteenth studio album '' Gratuitous Sax & Senseless Violins'' (1994). The song was written and produced by Ron Mael and Russell Mael, with additional production by Linus Burdick. Background Sparks originally envisioned recording the song using different broadcasting company names in the title and lyrics, and releasing them as singles in their respective countries. In a 1996 interview with VH1, Ron Mael revealed, "We were actually thinking at one point of making this a song that would be different in every single country. It would be NBC for America and BBC for Britain, but at a certain point it got just too overwhelming and RTL doesn't rhyme with anything, so we just kept it as the BBC." Music video The song's music video features Sparks on board an animated 'BBC ship'. It was directed by Olivier Kuntzel and Fl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
A-side And B-side
The A-side and B-side are the two sides of phonograph records and cassettes; these terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or record company intends to be the initial focus of promotional efforts and radio airplay and hopefully become a hit record. The B-side (or "flip-side") is a secondary recording that typically receives less attention, although some B-sides have been as successful as, or more so than, their A-sides. Use of this language has largely declined in the 21st century as the music industry has transitioned away from analog recordings towards digital formats without physical sides, such as CDs, downloads and streaming. Nevertheless, some artists and labels continue to employ the terms ''A-side'' and ''B-side'' metaphorically to describe the type of content a particular release features, with ''B-side'' sometimes representing a "bonus" track or other material. The ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Plagiarism (album)
''Plagiarism'' is the 17th album by American rock band Sparks. It is a tribute album of sorts featuring new alternate versions of some of their best known songs. Release ''Plagiarism'' was not successful across Europe like its predecessor '' Gratuitous Sax & Senseless Violins'', and did not chart significantly in any territory. The two singles performed well enough to register in the lower regions of the UK Singles Chart. The first single from the album, "The Number One Song in Heaven", included the vocals of Jimmy Somerville and reached #70 in October 1997. Remixes of the single reached the US ''Billboard'' Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart (and currently their final entry) in 1999 at #28. The second single; "This Town Ain't Big Enough for Both of Us" did better, and was buoyed by the presence of Faith No More, it peaked at #40 (and remains Sparks last UK top 40 entry) in December 1997. Track listing Personnel * Russell Mael – vocals, production, mixing * Ron Mael – keyboard ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Peter Cook
Peter Edward Cook (17 November 1937 – 9 January 1995) was an English actor, comedian, satirist, playwright and screenwriter. He was the leading figure of the British satire boom of the 1960s, and he was associated with the anti-establishment comedic movement that emerged in the United Kingdom in the late 1950s. Born in Torquay, he was educated at the University of Cambridge. There he became involved with the Footlights Club, of which he later became president. After graduating he created the comedy stage revue '' Beyond the Fringe'', beginning a long-running partnership with Dudley Moore. In 1961, Cook opened the comedy club The Establishment in Soho, Central London. In 1965, Cook and Moore began a television career, beginning with '' Not Only... But Also''. Cook’s deadpan monologues contrasted with Moore’s buffoonery. They received the 1966 British Academy Television Award for Best Entertainment Performance. Following the success of the show, the duo appeared together ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
I Feel Love
"I Feel Love" is a song by American singer and songwriter Donna Summer. Produced and co-written by Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte, it was recorded for Summer's fifth studio album, ''I Remember Yesterday'' (1977). The album concept was to have each track evoke a different musical decade; for "I Feel Love", the team aimed to create a futuristic mood, employing a Moog synthesizer. The song was released just before the album on May 1, 1977, as the B-side to the single " Can't We Just Sit Down (And Talk It Over)", which rose to number 20 on the US ''Billboard'' R&B chart. Two months later, the sides were flipped and the single was reissued. "I Feel Love" reached number one in Australia, Austria, Belgium, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, number three in West Germany, and number six on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in the United States, and topped the charts in many other countries. "I Feel Love" became popular during the disco era, influencing acts such as David Bowie, Brian Eno ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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