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Up The Hill Backwards
"Up the Hill Backwards" is a song by English musician David Bowie, released on his 1980 album '' Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)''. It was later issued by RCA Records as the fourth and final single from the album in March 1981. Originally written under the title "Cameras in Brooklyn", the song was recorded between February and April 1980 at the Power Station in New York City and Good Earth Studios in London. The recording features backing vocalists, guitar contributions from Robert Fripp and acoustic guitar played by co-producer Tony Visconti. Lyrically, the song concerns the struggles of facing a crisis, partially influenced by Bowie's divorce from his wife Angie. Musically, the song contains numerous time signature changes and a Bo Diddley-inspired beat. The song has received positive reviews from music critics and biographers, with most praising its unusual composition. Because of this, however, the song stalled as a single, peaking at No. 32 in the UK and No. 49 in Canad ...
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David Bowie
David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century. Bowie was acclaimed by critics and musicians, particularly for his innovative work during the 1970s. His career was marked by reinvention and visual presentation, and his music and stagecraft had a significant impact on popular music. Bowie developed an interest in music from an early age. He studied art, music and design before embarking on a professional career as a musician in 1963. "Space Oddity", released in 1969, was his first top-five entry on the UK Singles Chart. After a period of experimentation, he re-emerged in 1972 during the glam rock era with his flamboyant and androgynous alter ego Ziggy Stardust (character), Ziggy Stardust. The character was spearheaded by the success of Bowie's single "Starman (song), Starma ...
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Demo (music)
A demo (shortened from "demonstration") is a song or group of songs typically recorded for limited circulation or for reference use, rather than for general public release. A demo is a way for a musician to approximate their ideas in a fixed format, such as cassette tape, compact disc, or digital audio files, and to thereby pass along those ideas to record labels, producers, or other artists. Musicians often use demos as quick sketches to share with bandmates or arrangers, or simply for personal reference during the songwriting process; in other cases, a songwriter might make a demo to send to artists in hopes of having the song professionally recorded, or a publisher may need a simple recording for publishing or copyright purposes. Background Demos are typically recorded on relatively crude equipment such as "boom box" cassette recorders, small four- or eight-track machines, or on personal computers with audio recording software. Songwriters' and publishers' demos are recorded ...
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Ashes To Ashes (David Bowie Song)
"Ashes to Ashes" is a song by English singer-songwriter David Bowie, originally released on 1 August 1980 as the lead single from his 1980 album '' Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)''. Co-produced by Bowie and Tony Visconti, it was recorded from February to April 1980 in New York and London and features guitar synthesiser played by Chuck Hammer. An art rock, art pop and new wave song led by a flanged piano riff, the lyrics act as a sequel to Bowie's 1969 hit "Space Oddity", depicting the astronaut Major Tom as a "junkie" alone floating in space. Bowie partially based the lyrics on his own experiences with drug addiction throughout the 1970s. The song's music video, co-directed by Bowie and David Mallet, was at the time the most expensive music video ever made. The solarised video features Bowie as a clown, an astronaut and an asylum inmate, each representing variations on the song's themes, and four members of London's Blitz club, including Steve Strange. Influential ...
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Guitar Synthesizer
A guitar synthesizer is any one of a number of musical instrument systems that allow a guitarist to access synthesizer capabilities. Overview Today's guitar synths are direct descendants of 1970s devices from manufacturers (often in partnership) such as Hammond Innovex and Ovation, Ludwig, EMS, 360 Systems, Norlin Music and Maestro, Ampeg and Hagström, Arp, Roland Corporation and FujiGen ( GR-500 and GR-300), New England Digital, Electro-Harmonix, Casio, Terratec/Axon, Starr Labs, Ibanez, Holt Electro Acoustic Research, Zeta Systems, and Yamaha. In the early days, there were three main types of guitar-synthesizers: * Multi-effects type * Frequency-to-voltage converter type (using guitar with pickups) * Guitorgan type (using guitar with fretboard switches) Later, the multi-effects type evolved into modeling guitar, and the other two types evolved into current devices. Presently, there are two main groups: * Guitar-synth using guitars: regular guitars equipped with ...
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Chuck Hammer
Chuck Hammer is an American guitarist and soundtrack composer, known for textural guitar work with Lou Reed, David Bowie, and Guitarchitecture. As an artist, Hammer is best known for his Guitarchitecture recordings, though he is also widely regarded as a leading New York City based soundtrack composer, having scored approximately 300 documentary films. He is currently developing a series of improvisational textural guitar recordings. He attended University at Buffalo, studying classical guitar with Oswald Rantucci, jazz with Archie Shepp, and attended lectures presented by Karlheinz Stockhausen. As a guitarist Hammer was a central figure within the Lou Reed Band that hosted the June 1979 concerts at The Bottom Line in New York City that included Don Cherry. Early work He was born in New York City and raised in Harbor Isle, New York. Hammer toured extensively as a textural guitarist with Lou Reed from 1978 through 1980. During these concerts Hammer utilized new guitar technolo ...
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E Street Band
The E Street Band is an American rock band, and has been musician Bruce Springsteen's primary backing band since 1972. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014. For the bulk of Springsteen's recording and performing career, the band consisted of: guitarists Steven Van Zandt, Nils Lofgren, and Patti Scialfa, keyboardists Danny Federici and Roy Bittan, bassist Garry Tallent, drummer Max Weinberg, and saxophonist Clarence Clemons. When not working with Springsteen, members of the band have recorded solo material and have pursued successful careers as session musicians, record producers, songwriters, actors and other roles in entertainment. The most highly visible in their separate careers are drummer Max Weinberg, who has Jimmy Vivino and the Basic Cable Band, led his own band, first on ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' and then on ''the Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien'', from 1993 to 2010, and guitarist Steven Van Zandt, who starred as Silvio Dante in the HB ...
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Bruce Springsteen
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originator of heartland rock, combining mainstream rock musical styles with narrative songs about working class American life. Nicknamed "the Boss", his career has spanned six decades. Springsteen is known for his poetic, socially conscious lyrics and energetic stage performances, sometimes lasting up to four hours. In 1973, Springsteen released his first two albums, '' Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.'' and '' The Wild, the Innocent & the E Street Shuffle'', neither of which earned him a large audience. He changed his style and reached worldwide popularity with ''Born to Run'' in 1975. It was followed by ''Darkness on the Edge of Town'' (1978) and '' The River'' (1980), which topped the US ''Billboard'' 200 chart. After the solo recording, ''Neb ...
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Roy Bittan
Roy J. Bittan (born July 2, 1949) is an American musician best known as a long-time member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band. Nicknamed "The Professor", Bittan joined the E Street Band in 1974. He plays the piano, organ, accordion and synthesizers. Bittan was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014 as a member of the E Street Band. Aside from his membership in the E Street Band, Bittan has worked as a session musician for singer-songwriters and rock and pop artists. Life and career Bittan was born in Queens, New York. He is a longtime member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band and has performed on the majority of Springsteen's albums, beginning with ''Born to Run'' (1975). In Springsteen's band introductions, Bittan's "Professor" moniker was given because (supposedly) he was the only member of the group with a college degree. Bittan provided background vocals for most of the songs on ''Born to Run'', along with Steven Van Zandt. His voice is also featured sligh ...
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King Crimson
King Crimson are a progressive rock band formed in 1968 in London, England. The band draws inspiration from a wide variety of music, incorporating elements of classical, jazz, folk, heavy metal, gamelan, industrial, electronic, experimental music and new wave. They exerted a strong influence on the early 1970s progressive rock movement, including on contemporaries such as Yes and Genesis, and continue to inspire subsequent generations of artists across multiple genres. The band has earned a large cult following. Founded by Robert Fripp, Michael Giles, Greg Lake, Ian McDonald and lyricist Peter Sinfield, the band initially focused on a dramatic sound layered with Mellotron, McDonald's saxophone and flute, and Lake's powerful lead vocals. Their debut album, '' In the Court of the Crimson King'' (1969), remains their most commercially successful and influential release, with a potent mixture of jazz, classical and experimental music. Following the sudden simultaneous de ...
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George Murray (musician)
George Murray is an American bass guitarist best known for his work with David Bowie on a number of Bowie's albums released in the 1970s. Murray was part of Bowie's rhythm section, the D.A.M. Trio, for much of the decade, alongside drummer Dennis Davis and guitarist Carlos Alomar. He studied at Bronx Community College and had toured Europe, South America and Canada with George McCrae as well as touring and performing with the Broadway plays ''Don't Bother Me, I Can't Cope'' and ''Your Arms Too Short to Box with God'', prior to his work with Bowie. As of 2017 Murray works at a school district in California where he lives with his wife, Teresa Woo-Murray, and son, Marcus. Selective discography Weldon Irvine *''Cosmic Vortex (Justice Divine)'' (1974) *''In Harmony'' (1974) David Bowie *''Station to Station'' (1976) *''Live Nassau Coliseum '76'' (released 2010) *'' Low'' (1977) *'' "Heroes"'' (1977) *''Stage'' (1978) *''Welcome to the Blackout (Live London '78)'' (released 2018) * ...
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Carlos Alomar
Carlos Alomar (born 7 May 1951) is a Puerto Ricans, Puerto Rican guitarist. He is best known for his work with David Bowie from the mid-1970s to the early 2000s, having played on more Bowie albums than any musician other than pianist Mike Garson. He has also performed with Duran Duran side project Arcadia (band), Arcadia, on the album ''So Red the Rose''. History The son of a Pentecostal minister, Alomar was raised in New York. From the age of ten he taught himself to play the guitar, and started playing professionally at age sixteen. In the 1960s he performed during "Amateur Hour" at the Apollo Theater, eventually joining the house band, backing Chuck Berry and many leading soul music, soul artists. Around 1968–69 he toured for eight months in James Brown's live band, eventually quitting after being docked wages for missing a musical cue. In 1969 Alomar formed a group called Listen My Brother with vocalists Luther Vandross, Fonzi Thornton (later to work with Chic (band), Chic ...
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Dennis Davis
Dennis Davis (August 28, 1949 – April 6, 2016) was an American drummer and session musician best known for his work with David Bowie, playing on ten albums - including seven successive studio albums - during the singer's classic mid- and late- seventies period, and on many hit singles, starting with " Fame" (1975). Early life and military service Davis was born and raised in Manhattan, New York City, and studied with drummers Max Roach and Elvin Jones before joining the Clark Terry Big Band in 1967. He joined the U.S. Navy and served on the USS Rowan (DD-782) from 1969 to 1970 during the Vietnam War. He was discharged from the U.S Navy in 1970 in San Diego, California. He was wounded during his military service, but was able to hone his skills when he performed as part of the US Navy's Drum and Bugle Corps. Career Davis met guitarist Carlos Alomar when they were both playing with Roy Ayers. Davis was hired by David Bowie in 1974 for two tracks on ''Young Americans''. Alomar, ...
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