Back On The Chain Gang
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Back On The Chain Gang
"Back on the Chain Gang" is a song written by Chrissie Hynde and originally recorded by her band the Pretenders, and released as a single by Sire Records in September 1982. The song also was released on '' The King of Comedy'' soundtrack album in March 1983 and later was included on the Pretenders' next album, ''Learning to Crawl'', in January 1984. "Back on the Chain Gang" entered the ''Billboard'' charts in early October 1982, then reached No. 5 on the Hot 100, becoming the band's biggest hit in the U.S. It also got as high as No. 4 on ''Billboards Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart and No. 17 on the UK Singles Chart. The single's flip side, "My City Was Gone", later became a substantial hit in the U.S., with lyrics about Ohio. Recording "Back on the Chain Gang" was recorded after James Honeyman-Scott, the Pretenders guitarist, died of a drug overdose at the age of 25 on June 16, 1982. This came two days after the Pretenders fired their longtime bassist Pete Farndon because of his ...
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Pretenders (band)
Pretenders are an English–American rock band formed in March 1978. The original band consisted of founder and main songwriter Chrissie Hynde (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), James Honeyman-Scott (lead guitar, backing vocals, keyboards), Pete Farndon (bass guitar, backing vocals) and Martin Chambers (drums, backing vocals, percussion). Following the deaths of Honeyman-Scott in 1982 and Farndon in 1983, the band experienced numerous personnel changes; Hynde has been the band's only consistent member. The band's hit songs include "Kid" (1979), "Brass in Pocket" (1979), " Talk of the Town" (1980), "Message of Love" (1981), "My City Was Gone" (1982), "Back on the Chain Gang" (1982), " Middle of the Road" (1983) and " 2000 Miles" (1983), "Don't Get Me Wrong" (1986), " My Baby" (1986) and "I'll Stand by You" (1994). Pretenders were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2005. History Background Hynde, originally from Akron, Ohio, moved to London in 1973, working at the weekly ...
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James Honeyman-Scott
James Honeyman-Scott (4 November 1956 – 16 June 1982) was an English rock guitarist, songwriter and founding member of the band The Pretenders. With the band, Honeyman-Scott established a reputation, in the words of AllMusic, as "one of the most original and versatile guitarists of the early-'80s new wave movement." In addition to his role as lead guitarist, Honeyman-Scott co-wrote a number of songs for the band, sang back-up vocals and played keyboards on a few tracks. The song "2000 Miles" was written for him by Chrissie Hynde and released the year after his death. Early years and musical influences Honeyman-Scott, along with Pretenders bandmates Pete Farndon (bass guitar, vocals) and Martin Chambers (drums, vocals, percussion), came from Hereford. Before joining the Pretenders, Honeyman-Scott played in several bands, including a precursor to The Enid with Robert John Godfrey, the Hawks (Kelv Wilson, bass guitar & vocals; Dave Plowman, guitar; Stan Speke, drums), The Hot ...
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Overdubbing
Overdubbing (also known as layering) is a technique used in audio recording in which audio tracks that have been pre-recorded are then played back and monitored, while simultaneously recording new, doubled, or augmented tracks onto one or more available tracks of a digital audio workstation (DAW) or tape recorder. The overdub process can be repeated multiple times. This technique is often used with singers, as well as with instruments, or ensembles/orchestras. Overdubbing is typically done for the purpose of adding richness and complexity to the original recording. For example, if there are only one or two artists involved in the recording process, overdubbing can give the effect of sounding like many performers. In vocal performances, the performer usually listens to an existing recorded performance (usually through headphones in a recording studio) and simultaneously plays a new performance along with it, which is also recorded. The intention is that the final mix will contain ...
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Snare Drum
The snare (or side drum) is a percussion instrument that produces a sharp staccato sound when the head is struck with a drum stick, due to the use of a series of stiff wires held under tension against the lower skin. Snare drums are often used in orchestras, concert bands, marching bands, parades, drumlines, drum corps, and more. It is one of the central pieces in a drum set, a collection of percussion instruments designed to be played by a seated drummer and used in many genres of music. Snare drums are usually played with drum sticks, but other beaters such as the brush or the rute can be used to achieve different tones. The snare drum is a versatile and expressive percussion instrument due to its sensitivity and responsiveness. The sensitivity of the snare drum allows it to respond audibly to the softest strokes, even with a wire brush. It can be used for complex rhythmic patterns and engaging solos at moderate volumes. Its high dynamic range allows the player to produce po ...
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Wessex Sound Studios
Wessex Sound Studios was a recording studio located at 106a Highbury New Park, London, England. Many renowned popular music artists recorded there, including Sex Pistols, King Crimson, the Clash, Theatre of Hate, XTC, the Sinceros, Queen, Talk Talk, the Rolling Stones, Pete Townshend, Team Dokus and The Damned. The property was sold to a residential development company in 2003. History The building that would become Wessex Studios was built in 1881 as a church hall of St. Augustine's Church. Like other buildings of the Victorian era, it featured Gothic design. From 1946 to 1949 the hall was the home of the Rank Organisation's 'Company of Youth' - more popularly known as the 'Rank Charm School' - where future stars of British films, such as Diana Dors, Christopher Lee, Barbara Murray and Pete Murray, were tutored and paid about £10/week. Rank had a film studio in the former Highbury Athenaeum building up the road at 96a Highbury Park where supporting features (B-movies) were ma ...
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Steve Churchyard
Steve Churchyard is an English record producer, recording engineer and mixer who began his career at Sir George Martin’s AIR Studios in London. He currently resides in the United States. He has been nominated for 15 Grammy awards. In 2008 he won a Latin Grammy for Juanes' album '' La Vida... Es Un Ratico''. In 2010, he won a Latin Grammy for the album '' Paraíso Express'' by Alejandro Sanz. In 2011, Steve Churchyard received a Grammy nomination for Katy Perry's album '' Teenage Dream'' and again in 2012 for Jason Mraz's album '' Love Is a Four Letter Word''. He has multiple previous nominations. He has worked on recordings by INXS, Eagles, Billy Joel, Sex Pistols, Meat Loaf, Keith Urban, Shakira, George Michael, Hanson, Faith Hill, The Darkness, Scorpions, Avril Lavigne, Kelly Clarkson, Joni Mitchell, Blinker the Star, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Dalis Car, The Pretenders, Warren Zevon, The Stranglers, and Adele Adele Laurie Blue Ad ...
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Bill Price (record Producer)
Bill Price (3 September 1944 – 22 December 2016) was an English record producer and audio engineer who worked with The Clash, The Sex Pistols, Guns N' Roses, Sparks, The Jesus and Mary Chain, The Nymphs, The Waterboys, Mott the Hoople and Simon Townshend (Pete Townshend's younger brother). He was chief engineer on the first three solo albums by Pete Townshend, including ''Empty Glass'' and '' White City: A Novel''. He contributed to documentaries about The Clash such as ''Westway To The World''. Price started his engineering career in the mid-1960s when he was an engineer at Decca Studios in West Hampstead, recording artists such as Tom Jones. One of the final recordings he helped engineer at Decca before departing to AIR Studios in November 1969 was the multi-million-selling "Reflections of My Life" by The Marmalade. Price helped build AIR Studios in Oxford Street, where he spent many years. During that time he engineered some of the major albums of the 1970s and 1980s S ...
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Big Country
Big Country are a Scottish rock band formed in Dunfermline, Fife, in 1981. The height of the band's popularity was in the early to mid 1980s, although it has retained a cult following for many years since. The band's music incorporated Scottish folk and martial music styles, and the band engineered their guitar-driven sound to evoke the sound of bagpipes, fiddles, and other traditional folk instruments. Career Formation Big Country comprised Stuart Adamson (formerly of Skids, vocals/guitar/ keyboards), Bruce Watson (guitar/ mandolin/sitar/vocals), Tony Butler (bass guitar/vocals) and Mark Brzezicki ( drums/percussion/vocals). Before the recruitment of Butler and Brzezicki an early incarnation of Big Country was a five-piece band, featuring Peter Wishart (later of Runrig and now a Scottish National Party MP) on keyboards, his brother Alan on bass, and Clive Parker, drummer from Spizz Energi/Athletico Spizz '80. Adamson auditioned Parker (1981) at The Members' rehea ...
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Tony Butler (musician)
Anthony Earle Peter Butler (born 13 February 1957) is a British bassist, best known for his work with Scottish rock band Big Country. He has also worked with On the Air, The Pretenders, Roger Daltrey, and Pete Townshend, among others. Early life Butler was born at Hammersmith Hospital in White City, London, England. His parents had emigrated to England from the Caribbean island of Dominica. Career In the late 1970s Butler joined the short-lived band On the Air which also included drummer Mark Brzezicki and Simon Townshend (the younger brother of The Who's guitarist Pete Townshend). On the Air released two singles in 1980 and toured with the Scottish band The Skids, which was where Butler met Stuart Adamson. In 1982 Butler joined Adamson's new band Big Country with his drumming partner Mark Brzezicki, which went on to enjoy success internationally during the 1980s and 1990s, he remained in the band until the end of 2000. He also did session work with other artists including P ...
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Robbie McIntosh
Robbie McIntosh (born 25 October 1957) is an English guitarist. McIntosh is well known as a session guitarist and member of The Pretenders from 1982 until 1987. In 1988 he began doing session guitar work for Paul McCartney joining his band full-time until early 1994. He continues to do session work and has performed both as a sideman with John Mayer and with his own band, The Robbie McIntosh Band. McIntosh has done session guitar work for many artists throughout his career including: Winter Mountain, Aynsley Lister, Kevin Ayers, Boyzone, Cher, Diane Tell, Eric Bibb, George Martin, Gordon Haskell, Heather Small, Joe Cocker, Daryl Hall, John Mayer, Kirsty McColl, Luz Casal, Mike + The Mechanics, Nine Below Zero, Paul Carrack, Paul Young, Mark Knopfler, John Illsley, Roger Daltrey, Russell Watson, Mark Hollis, Talk Talk, Tasmin Archer, Tears for Fears, Eros Ramazzotti, Thea Gilmore, Tina Arena, Tori Amos, Vin Garbutt, and Norah Jones. Career Early influences McIntosh was ...
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Rockpile
Rockpile was a British rock and roll band of the late 1970s and early 1980s, noted for their strong pub rock, rockabilly and power pop influences, and as a foundational influence on new wave. The band consisted of Dave Edmunds (vocals, guitar), Nick Lowe (vocals, bass guitar), Billy Bremner (vocals, guitar) and Terry Williams (drums). Rockpile recorded almost enough material for five studio albums, though only one (''Seconds of Pleasure'') was released under the Rockpile banner. Three other albums (''Tracks on Wax 4'', ''Repeat When Necessary'', and '' Twangin...'') were released as Dave Edmunds solo albums, and one more ('' Labour of Lust'') was released as a Nick Lowe solo album. Scattered Rockpile tracks can also be found on a few other Lowe and Edmunds solo albums. Additionally, Rockpile served as backing group on tracks recorded by Mickey Jupp in 1978 and Carlene Carter in 1980. Band history Guitarist/vocalist Edmunds had recorded a 1972 solo album titled ''Rockpile ...
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Billy Bremner (musician)
William Murray Bremner (born 4 August 1946, in Aberdeen, Aberdeenshire, Scotland) is a Scottish guitarist, best known for his work in the band Rockpile and on many of Nick Lowe and Dave Edmunds' albums. He has also played with The Pretenders, Shakin' Stevens, Carlene Carter and The Coal Porters, as well as issuing four solo albums. Career overview Bremner first became known playing with The Luvvers, who served as Lulu's backing band. However, by the time Bremner joined the group in 1966, they were on the wane; Bremner did not play on any of Lulu's recorded material, and joined just after the group recorded their only single without Lulu ("The House on the Hill"/"Most Unlovely") for Parlophone in 1966. The Luvvers disbanded in 1967. In 1971, Bremner added some guitar work to ''March Hare'', the first solo album from ex-Honeybus member Colin Hare. He then became a member of the Neil Innes band Fatso, which went on to record the soundtrack for the original ''Rutland Weekend T ...
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