�
A novel study published in the August 15th issue of Biological
Psychiatry finds that hippocampal neurogenesis (nerve cell birth
in the genus Hippocampus part of the brainpower) might be used by the
monoaminergic antidepressants (related to the secretion of monoamine
neurotransmitters such as dopamine and serotonin) to counteract the
effects of stress, whereas similar effects could be achieved by
directly targeting the
Monday, 8 September 2008
Tuesday, 19 August 2008
Cassie's Single With Lil Wayne, 'Official Girl,' Shows Personality, Sensuality Of Singer's Sophomore LP
As Cassie braces to release her yet-untitled soph album, she revealed to MTV News that she is ready to let loose and find unexampled ways to use her voice.
"You're decidedly going to see more independence. On [this record album], I got to exercise with different people and [learn] what their habits were and what whole shebang well with me," she said. "So you'll view a dispute in vocals, a short bit more personality. And it's unquestionably a sensual album."
This personality comes through on her latest single, "Official Girl," featuring Lil Wayne, a song dedicated to independent-spirited ladies everywhere.
"I definitely think that when I first heard the song, from the start of the record you kind of feel like, you know, 'I'm leaving it up to you. I left it to you,' " she aforementioned. "And by the time it gets to the second verse and makes it to the ending of the song, it just feels like I'm saying, 'I don't desire to put up with it anymore. It's non fair.' "
Cassie hopes that the song can spread the message of girl powerfulness and authorize girls to stand up and take control of their amorous relationships.
"It was a nifty first single for me because it said something. I fell in beloved with records like [Beyonc�s] 'Irreplaceable,' where you could emotionally attach yourself to the record book as presently as you heard it," she added. "I didn't want something so vague and so clubby, because I wanted people to see me as a woman with something to say."
For those of you who are still indecipherable as to what precisely an "official girl" is, the vocaliser defines the song's title this way: "I would say that an 'official girl' is someone in a relationship," she aforementioned. "You're attentive, you're honest, but at the same time you can rent go a little bit.
"To be an official girl, you just have to ride for your significant other and support them 100 percent."
More info
Saturday, 9 August 2008
Memories Of Apocalypse
Artist: Memories Of Apocalypse
Genre(s):
Metal
Discography:
Bleeding Through The Past
Year: 2004
Tracks: 8
Anne Heche Switch Hits with TMZ
Tuesday, 1 July 2008
Tuesday, 24 June 2008
Bob Marley and Wailers
Artist: Bob Marley and Wailers
Genre(s):
Reggae
Discography:
Remix Revolution Greats
Year: 1999
Tracks: 14
Naomi Campbell - Campbell Settles Discrimination Case
Friday, 6 June 2008
Earle Hagen, Emmy-winning TV music composer, dies
Earle H. Hagen, the Emmy Award-winning television composer who wrote the memorable theme music for “The Andy Griffith Show,” "The Dick Van Dyke Show," "I Spy" and other classic TV programs, has died. He was 88.
Hagen, who composed the jazz standard "Harlem Nocturne" and was a former big-band trombonist for Tommy Dorsey, Benny Goodman and Ray Noble, died Monday night at his home in Rancho Mirage, said his wife, Laura. He had been ill for several months.
After spending seven years at 20th Century Fox as an arranger and orchestrator, Hagen moved into television in 1953 after the studio cut back on its music department.
Over the next 33 years, he composed music for some 3,000 TV-series episodes, pilots and TV movies -- as well as composing the themes for popular shows, including "That Girl," "Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.," "The Mod Squad" and "Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer."
Hagen also wrote a jazz arrangement of the traditional Irish tune "Londonderry Air," which served as the theme for Danny Thomas' popular situation comedy, "Make Room for Daddy." The Thomas show, which debuted in 1953, launched Hagen's longtime professional relationship with director-producer Sheldon Leonard.
"There is no question in my mind that Earle Hagen is one of the most important composers in the history of television, if not the most important," said Jon Burlingame, author of the 1996 book "TV's Biggest Hits," a chronicle of American television scoring.
When Hagen started his television career, Burlingame said, "there was very little original music being composed for television. He was one of the very few people who took the leap and saw the potential of music for television in terms of what could be accomplished dramatically and comedically."
The themes that Hagen wrote, Burlingame said, "are among the most iconic in television history.
"Just think about the sort of country, folksy feel of 'The Andy Griffith Show' theme, and think about the big-band theme of 'The Dick Van Dyke Show.' Who doesn't know those things?
"Even themes for shows like 'That Girl' and 'I Spy' and 'The Mod Squad,' which perhaps don't re-run today as much as they should but at the time were huge television hits, were memorable. Hagen had an ability to capture the tone of any show he worked on."
The happy-go-lucky theme for "The Andy Griffith Show" may be Hagen's most recognizable tune. It's certainly the most beloved.
In his autobiography, "Memoirs of a Famous Composer -- Nobody Ever Heard Of," Hagen wrote that while sitting at home "wracking my brain for an idea for a theme for the Griffith show, it finally occurred to me that it should be something simple, something you could whistle. With that in mind, it took me about an hour to write the Andy Griffith theme."
That night, he and several musicians recorded a demo of the theme for the opening of the show, with Hagen doing the whistling and his 11-year-old son Deane doing the finger-snapping. The next morning, Hagen took a copy of the demo to executive producer Leonard's home.
As Hagen recalled: "He listened and said, 'Great! I'll do [the show's opening] at Franklin Canyon Lake with Andy and Ronny [Howard] walking along the bank with a couple of fishing poles over their shoulders."
During his TV heyday, Hagen wrote music for as many as five weekly shows simultaneously, putting in "16-hour workdays, seven days a week, for 40 weeks a year," he told the online magazine Film Score Monthly in 2001.
"In the 12 weeks off between seasons, if anyone mentioned music to me, I would kill," he said.
Hagen considered "I Spy," the 1965-`68 adventure-espionage series starring Robert Culp and Bill Cosby and shot in exotic locales around the world, as his "first real challenge."
"The changing panoramas of countries and plot lines were extremely daunting," he told Film Score Monthly. Nevertheless, he said, "It was a fun show for music and adventure." Executive producer Leonard "gave me full rein, and we never looked back. I tried to write a self-contained score for each episode. It was like scoring an hour movie a week."
Before the series began filming, he and Leonard and their wives went on an around-the-world tour looking for locations, during which Hagen tape-recorded the indigenous music.
Most Eastern cultures, he said, "have their own scales. . . . Once you are familiar with what makes a particular country tick, it's not so hard to write in that style. I always chose to Westernize the music for the audience."
Hagen, who composed the jazz standard "Harlem Nocturne" and was a former big-band trombonist for Tommy Dorsey, Benny Goodman and Ray Noble, died Monday night at his home in Rancho Mirage, said his wife, Laura. He had been ill for several months.
After spending seven years at 20th Century Fox as an arranger and orchestrator, Hagen moved into television in 1953 after the studio cut back on its music department.
Over the next 33 years, he composed music for some 3,000 TV-series episodes, pilots and TV movies -- as well as composing the themes for popular shows, including "That Girl," "Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.," "The Mod Squad" and "Mickey Spillane's Mike Hammer."
Hagen also wrote a jazz arrangement of the traditional Irish tune "Londonderry Air," which served as the theme for Danny Thomas' popular situation comedy, "Make Room for Daddy." The Thomas show, which debuted in 1953, launched Hagen's longtime professional relationship with director-producer Sheldon Leonard.
"There is no question in my mind that Earle Hagen is one of the most important composers in the history of television, if not the most important," said Jon Burlingame, author of the 1996 book "TV's Biggest Hits," a chronicle of American television scoring.
When Hagen started his television career, Burlingame said, "there was very little original music being composed for television. He was one of the very few people who took the leap and saw the potential of music for television in terms of what could be accomplished dramatically and comedically."
The themes that Hagen wrote, Burlingame said, "are among the most iconic in television history.
"Just think about the sort of country, folksy feel of 'The Andy Griffith Show' theme, and think about the big-band theme of 'The Dick Van Dyke Show.' Who doesn't know those things?
"Even themes for shows like 'That Girl' and 'I Spy' and 'The Mod Squad,' which perhaps don't re-run today as much as they should but at the time were huge television hits, were memorable. Hagen had an ability to capture the tone of any show he worked on."
The happy-go-lucky theme for "The Andy Griffith Show" may be Hagen's most recognizable tune. It's certainly the most beloved.
In his autobiography, "Memoirs of a Famous Composer -- Nobody Ever Heard Of," Hagen wrote that while sitting at home "wracking my brain for an idea for a theme for the Griffith show, it finally occurred to me that it should be something simple, something you could whistle. With that in mind, it took me about an hour to write the Andy Griffith theme."
That night, he and several musicians recorded a demo of the theme for the opening of the show, with Hagen doing the whistling and his 11-year-old son Deane doing the finger-snapping. The next morning, Hagen took a copy of the demo to executive producer Leonard's home.
As Hagen recalled: "He listened and said, 'Great! I'll do [the show's opening] at Franklin Canyon Lake with Andy and Ronny [Howard] walking along the bank with a couple of fishing poles over their shoulders."
During his TV heyday, Hagen wrote music for as many as five weekly shows simultaneously, putting in "16-hour workdays, seven days a week, for 40 weeks a year," he told the online magazine Film Score Monthly in 2001.
"In the 12 weeks off between seasons, if anyone mentioned music to me, I would kill," he said.
Hagen considered "I Spy," the 1965-`68 adventure-espionage series starring Robert Culp and Bill Cosby and shot in exotic locales around the world, as his "first real challenge."
"The changing panoramas of countries and plot lines were extremely daunting," he told Film Score Monthly. Nevertheless, he said, "It was a fun show for music and adventure." Executive producer Leonard "gave me full rein, and we never looked back. I tried to write a self-contained score for each episode. It was like scoring an hour movie a week."
Before the series began filming, he and Leonard and their wives went on an around-the-world tour looking for locations, during which Hagen tape-recorded the indigenous music.
Most Eastern cultures, he said, "have their own scales. . . . Once you are familiar with what makes a particular country tick, it's not so hard to write in that style. I always chose to Westernize the music for the audience."
Thursday, 5 June 2008
Model Bruni marries French president
Former international model Carla Bruni married French president Nicolas Sarkozy on Saturday in Paris.
The couple walked down the aisle at the presidential Elysee Palace, less than three months after they reportedly first met.
In a short statement, the couple said that they "were married... in the presence of their families in the strictest privacy."
The official who had performed the ceremony, Francois Lebel, mayor of Paris' eighth arrondissement said, "The bride wore white; she was ravishing, as usual and the groom wasn't bad either."
53-years-old Sarkozy married Bruni, thirteen years his junior, in the presence of 20 close family and friends, Lebel said.
He called the ceremony "a moment of family intimacy for the young newlyweds, of great simplicity and apparently a lot of affection between the spouses."
"I wished them a lot of happiness," he said.
At a news conference in January, Sarkozy revealed that the relationship was "serious" and hinted that wedding plans were in the works.
However he refused to reveal the date for a wedding, saying only that France might learn about the nuptials once they had already taken place.
The couple walked down the aisle at the presidential Elysee Palace, less than three months after they reportedly first met.
In a short statement, the couple said that they "were married... in the presence of their families in the strictest privacy."
The official who had performed the ceremony, Francois Lebel, mayor of Paris' eighth arrondissement said, "The bride wore white; she was ravishing, as usual and the groom wasn't bad either."
53-years-old Sarkozy married Bruni, thirteen years his junior, in the presence of 20 close family and friends, Lebel said.
He called the ceremony "a moment of family intimacy for the young newlyweds, of great simplicity and apparently a lot of affection between the spouses."
"I wished them a lot of happiness," he said.
At a news conference in January, Sarkozy revealed that the relationship was "serious" and hinted that wedding plans were in the works.
However he refused to reveal the date for a wedding, saying only that France might learn about the nuptials once they had already taken place.
Kerry Katona reveals she's expecting a boy
Kerry Katona has revealed she is expecting a baby boy and she has already decided on a name.
The star, who has three daughters, has made no secret of the fact she and husband Mark Croft have been hoping for a boy.
She told OK!: "I'm so excited that I'm having a boy after all this time. I can't stop smiling.
"He's going to be called Maxwell Mark Croft. Mark loves Max but I prefer Maxwell, but he'll get shortened to Max so we are both happy."
"Mark's over the moon because we had a bet ages ago that if it was a boy, I'd buy him whatever car he wanted."
According to the Daily Mail, the coupled were spotted buying a navy blue Ferrari over the weekend.
The former 'I'm A Celebrity...' star says her daughters with ex-husband Brian Mc Fadden, Molly, aged six, and Lilly, aged four, are thrilled with the baby news.
She also has a one-year-old toddler, Heidi, with Croft.
Katona said the new baby, who is due in May, would be her last.
She said: "That's it now, I really mean it. We're having no more kids!"
The star, who has three daughters, has made no secret of the fact she and husband Mark Croft have been hoping for a boy.
She told OK!: "I'm so excited that I'm having a boy after all this time. I can't stop smiling.
"He's going to be called Maxwell Mark Croft. Mark loves Max but I prefer Maxwell, but he'll get shortened to Max so we are both happy."
"Mark's over the moon because we had a bet ages ago that if it was a boy, I'd buy him whatever car he wanted."
According to the Daily Mail, the coupled were spotted buying a navy blue Ferrari over the weekend.
The former 'I'm A Celebrity...' star says her daughters with ex-husband Brian Mc Fadden, Molly, aged six, and Lilly, aged four, are thrilled with the baby news.
She also has a one-year-old toddler, Heidi, with Croft.
Katona said the new baby, who is due in May, would be her last.
She said: "That's it now, I really mean it. We're having no more kids!"
Natural Black
Artist: Natural Black
Genre(s):
Reggae
Discography:
Jah Guide
Year: 2007
Tracks: 15
Far from Reality
Year: 2006
Tracks: 14
Never Gets Out Of My Head
Year: 2003
Tracks: 16
Spiritual Food
Year: 2002
Tracks: 13
New Releases, May 27: Usher, Cyndi Lauper, Return to Forever
Easy Mo Bee Grammy Winner/Platinum Producer of Platinum Ice Records Controls Film Soundtrack About Hip Hop History
Platinum Ice Records owner, 25 time platinum Easy Mo Bee is on board to manage the artist development of the entire Platinum Ice Roster including the hot new single "Bad Chick Whippin'" from Cheraw, SC native The Bossfather. The single has just been serviced to national radio, clubs and DJ's by Gazelle at Koch records. Easy Mo Bee will also oversee Platinum Ice's joint venture with hip-hop fashion line Sedgwick & Cedar Fashion and their new label Sedgwick & Cedar Records (a division of Platinum Ice Records). The joint companies will bring to life a blockbuster film about the history of hip-hop.
Platinum Ice Records will be releasing the soundtrack to the film which features music by The Bossfather, Jay Z, Lil Wayne, Kanye West, Akon, T-Pain, Snoop, Busta Rhymes, Alicia Keys, DJ Scratch, the Wu-Tang Clan and other popular artists. Check it on the big screen. Easy Mo Bee is also producing tracks for the upcoming CD from Platinum Ice Records artist Ms. Quick to be released later this year. "With Mo Bee on it, The Bossfather & Ms. Quick are sure to climb to the top of the charts. We are gonna bring the funk & soul back to the game. Period," exclaims Mo Bee.
Throughout his stellar career, Brooklyn's Easy Mo Bee 25 time platinum, (from the world famous Bee Hive Studios) has worked with a who's who of the R&B, jazz and Hip-hop world. He has produced, written and collaborated for artists as wide ranging as Miles Davis (on the Grammy award winning 1992 Warner Bros. release Doo-Bop), Tupac Shakur, The Notorious BIG, Alicia Keys, Busta Rhymes, LL Cool J, Mos Def, J Lo, Craig Mack and more. From his beginnings with RIF (Rappin' Is Fundamental) to his most recent work with the Wu Tang Clan on their recent SRC/Universal album 8 Diagrams which features the top selling track "Take It Back," Easy Mo Bee has left his mark on the hip-hop world. Easy Mo Bee produced nearly half of the songs on the Notorious BIG's Ready to Die album and was affiliated with Bad Boy Records as their staff producer during the company's formative years.
He produced the label's first major hit with Craig Mack's "Flava In Ya Ear." Easy Mo Bee was also one of the few producers to have worked with both BIG and Tupac Shakur at the same time. He left Bad Boy after declining an invite to join Puff Daddy's production team and decided to go solo. Not only is Easy Mo Bee a 25 x multi-platinum producer, but he's also one of the owners of Platinum Ice Records along with former RIF member AB Money (Mosley).
Platinum Ice Records is proud and honored to have Easy Mo Bee on board as a producer and owner as they gear up to release a number of new projects in the coming year. Easy Mo Bee's contributions to the music world are legendary and his influence and guidance will truly make Platinum Ice Records a go to destination for fans seeking the best in hip-hop. For more information, be sure to check out myspace.com/platinumicerecords or http://www.Rapweekly.com/www.platinumicerecords.com.
Platinum Ice Records will be releasing the soundtrack to the film which features music by The Bossfather, Jay Z, Lil Wayne, Kanye West, Akon, T-Pain, Snoop, Busta Rhymes, Alicia Keys, DJ Scratch, the Wu-Tang Clan and other popular artists. Check it on the big screen. Easy Mo Bee is also producing tracks for the upcoming CD from Platinum Ice Records artist Ms. Quick to be released later this year. "With Mo Bee on it, The Bossfather & Ms. Quick are sure to climb to the top of the charts. We are gonna bring the funk & soul back to the game. Period," exclaims Mo Bee.
Throughout his stellar career, Brooklyn's Easy Mo Bee 25 time platinum, (from the world famous Bee Hive Studios) has worked with a who's who of the R&B, jazz and Hip-hop world. He has produced, written and collaborated for artists as wide ranging as Miles Davis (on the Grammy award winning 1992 Warner Bros. release Doo-Bop), Tupac Shakur, The Notorious BIG, Alicia Keys, Busta Rhymes, LL Cool J, Mos Def, J Lo, Craig Mack and more. From his beginnings with RIF (Rappin' Is Fundamental) to his most recent work with the Wu Tang Clan on their recent SRC/Universal album 8 Diagrams which features the top selling track "Take It Back," Easy Mo Bee has left his mark on the hip-hop world. Easy Mo Bee produced nearly half of the songs on the Notorious BIG's Ready to Die album and was affiliated with Bad Boy Records as their staff producer during the company's formative years.
He produced the label's first major hit with Craig Mack's "Flava In Ya Ear." Easy Mo Bee was also one of the few producers to have worked with both BIG and Tupac Shakur at the same time. He left Bad Boy after declining an invite to join Puff Daddy's production team and decided to go solo. Not only is Easy Mo Bee a 25 x multi-platinum producer, but he's also one of the owners of Platinum Ice Records along with former RIF member AB Money (Mosley).
Platinum Ice Records is proud and honored to have Easy Mo Bee on board as a producer and owner as they gear up to release a number of new projects in the coming year. Easy Mo Bee's contributions to the music world are legendary and his influence and guidance will truly make Platinum Ice Records a go to destination for fans seeking the best in hip-hop. For more information, be sure to check out myspace.com/platinumicerecords or http://www.Rapweekly.com/www.platinumicerecords.com.
For Hall and Oates, a new appreciation
Daryl Hall and John Oates, the Hugo Boss-clad kingpins of Reagan-era pop, seemed destined for the casino-circuit dotage most pop stars eventually face -- their new music largely ignored, their fan base fading to nothingness. But then, around 2005, something strange happened. A real H&O revival began.
This reassessment of the most commercially successful duo in pop history hits a peak Tuesday, when H&O receives the Icon award during BMI's 56th annual Pop Awards, joining the likes of Paul Simon, Van Morrison and the Bee Gees. They'll follow this honor Thursday and Friday with two rare nights at the Troubadour, the site of their first Los Angeles shows some 35 years ago.
Like many megastars who've survived past their commercial peak, H&O have been embraced by a new generation, though it hasn't always been clear if the new fans' motives are totally sincere. What began in the early 2000s as fond satire -- a hairy Oates and swanlike Hall were parodied on "Yacht Rock," the popular Internet series poking fun at the turn-of-the-'80s soft-rock scene -- progressed into the widespread acceptance of H&O's music as a guilty pleasure, still critically questionable, perhaps, but hard to resist.
At that point, along with artists like Journey and Phil Collins, Hall and Oates became part of an emerging category: Call them the indefensible greats.
If Daryl Hall and John Oates had merely resurfaced as characters in comedic confrontations with the recent past, their return would mean little musically. But the surge in interest has gone further than a wallow in questionable nostalgia. A couple of years ago, younger artists began to temper the jokey tone of those "Yacht Rock" references with sincere declarations of love for the group. Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie published a playlist of his favorite H&O songs in the Internet indie bible Pitchfork.com. Brandon Flowers of the Killers declared "Rich Girl" the most instructive pop single ever written.
Praise flowed from hip-hop artists too -- Chicago crew Gym Class Heroes even went so far as to record a "matchup" album, combining their songs with H&O classics, though a legal notice from Atlantic Records (not from H&O, who fully endorse the project) has put it on hold for now. This overflow of love for H&O has been taken up by music writers, who’ve dug into the group’s deep catalog and discovered that its merits extend beyond the forced frivolity of camp.
The H&O revival is deserved on artistic terms, but there's a deeper story here. In particular, two qualities that characterize the hits of this long-lived band resonate with younger listeners: their truly equal footing in both rock and R&B and their belief that accessible and artistically adventurous music could be one and the same.
During the height of their success, pop music tastemakers regularly expressed contempt for overt commercialism. A few hugely influential artists, like Michael Jackson and (eventually) Madonna, demanded universal respect. But in general, the cultivation of accessible pleasure in pop was a mark of shame. Integrity came from rawness, independence from trends and an undying allegiance to the personal muse. To be smooth, chic and eager to reach as many ears as possible made you a sellout, or an airhead.
Embracing innovation
Also, the war between album-oriented rockers and disco fans fed the rift between "white" and "black" music that had been building throughout the 1970s. Many rock enthusiasts clung to an idea of what "real" black music should be -- basically blues, reggae and gritty soul.
Given these restrictions, how could Hall and Oates have been considered cool in their prime? They'd cut their chops working with soul greats Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, but they were white, and like their mentors, favored rich arrangements that gave their songs an upper-middle class sheen.
Complicating matters, not only was Hall, the duo's main soul man, not black -- he looked (still looks!) as refined and ruthlessly handsome as an Ivy League scion in his "Less Than Zero" phase. Never mind that his pals included August Darnell, the postmodern Creole whose music set the stage for Prince, and Arthur Baker, who produced Afrika Bambaataa's "Planet Rock." To most people, this working-class veteran of the Philly soul scene looked like a rich boy who'd gone too far.
Like early 1980s R&B, the best-known songs of Hall and Oates embraced innovation while aiming for mainstream acceptance. They were among the first major artists to use drum machines and synthesizers, and their 1984 album "Big Bam Boom," a collaboration with Baker, pioneered rock's fusion with hip-hop.
Dedicated hit makers
Yet even though Hall explored art rock in side projects with King Crimson guitarist Robert Fripp, the pair remained dedicated hit makers. This was another legacy of Gamble and Huff, whose production was always experimental and seductive. Oates, whom Hall acknowledges as the "finisher" on many of the pair's biggest songs, is a master of catchy choruses. Hall's early years as a soul session man helped him develop one of the pop's most gorgeous singing styles.
All of these qualities -- the smart commercialism, the race-crossing sound, the prettiness -- turned off the punks and indie rockers who played guard over "good" music well into the 1990s. But the H&O paradigm suits the emerging values of the generation now dominating smart pop.
Growing up in the aftermath of Kurt Cobain's fatal inner conflict over "selling out," and inheriting a cultural playing field impossibly broadened by the Internet, musical tastemakers in their 20s and early 30s don't care much for the idea of purism. They're also essentially entrepreneurial; most desire commercial success.
And, crucially, these young H&O fans speak the language of hip-hop. The duo's songbook has always been a treasure trove for samplers: De La Soul, Heavy D, the Wu Tang Clan and Wyclef Jean have all dug in. Hall and Oates have embraced these borrowings, collaborating with their youthful admirers whenever possible -- Hall through his regular webcast, "Live From Daryl's House," and Oates by forging links with bluegrass innovators like Jerry Douglas.
Those 21st century dreamers might not realize that the suave guys behind "Private Eyes" went through their own struggles; they played around with art rock and folk-pop for years before hitting on their signature sound, and their more daring experiments never found the audience they deserved.
Hall and Oates have bequeathed the world a quarter-century's worth of songs, familiar and more obscure, made together and separately. Exploring their discography is a joy. But whatever dream these two friends embody right now, they're still focused on the day-to-day reality of making music. And beyond whatever values that music represents, it's still a spine-tingling experience to hear Daryl Hall sing "Sara Smile."
ann.powers@latimes.com
This reassessment of the most commercially successful duo in pop history hits a peak Tuesday, when H&O receives the Icon award during BMI's 56th annual Pop Awards, joining the likes of Paul Simon, Van Morrison and the Bee Gees. They'll follow this honor Thursday and Friday with two rare nights at the Troubadour, the site of their first Los Angeles shows some 35 years ago.
Like many megastars who've survived past their commercial peak, H&O have been embraced by a new generation, though it hasn't always been clear if the new fans' motives are totally sincere. What began in the early 2000s as fond satire -- a hairy Oates and swanlike Hall were parodied on "Yacht Rock," the popular Internet series poking fun at the turn-of-the-'80s soft-rock scene -- progressed into the widespread acceptance of H&O's music as a guilty pleasure, still critically questionable, perhaps, but hard to resist.
At that point, along with artists like Journey and Phil Collins, Hall and Oates became part of an emerging category: Call them the indefensible greats.
If Daryl Hall and John Oates had merely resurfaced as characters in comedic confrontations with the recent past, their return would mean little musically. But the surge in interest has gone further than a wallow in questionable nostalgia. A couple of years ago, younger artists began to temper the jokey tone of those "Yacht Rock" references with sincere declarations of love for the group. Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie published a playlist of his favorite H&O songs in the Internet indie bible Pitchfork.com. Brandon Flowers of the Killers declared "Rich Girl" the most instructive pop single ever written.
Praise flowed from hip-hop artists too -- Chicago crew Gym Class Heroes even went so far as to record a "matchup" album, combining their songs with H&O classics, though a legal notice from Atlantic Records (not from H&O, who fully endorse the project) has put it on hold for now. This overflow of love for H&O has been taken up by music writers, who’ve dug into the group’s deep catalog and discovered that its merits extend beyond the forced frivolity of camp.
The H&O revival is deserved on artistic terms, but there's a deeper story here. In particular, two qualities that characterize the hits of this long-lived band resonate with younger listeners: their truly equal footing in both rock and R&B and their belief that accessible and artistically adventurous music could be one and the same.
During the height of their success, pop music tastemakers regularly expressed contempt for overt commercialism. A few hugely influential artists, like Michael Jackson and (eventually) Madonna, demanded universal respect. But in general, the cultivation of accessible pleasure in pop was a mark of shame. Integrity came from rawness, independence from trends and an undying allegiance to the personal muse. To be smooth, chic and eager to reach as many ears as possible made you a sellout, or an airhead.
Embracing innovation
Also, the war between album-oriented rockers and disco fans fed the rift between "white" and "black" music that had been building throughout the 1970s. Many rock enthusiasts clung to an idea of what "real" black music should be -- basically blues, reggae and gritty soul.
Given these restrictions, how could Hall and Oates have been considered cool in their prime? They'd cut their chops working with soul greats Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff, but they were white, and like their mentors, favored rich arrangements that gave their songs an upper-middle class sheen.
Complicating matters, not only was Hall, the duo's main soul man, not black -- he looked (still looks!) as refined and ruthlessly handsome as an Ivy League scion in his "Less Than Zero" phase. Never mind that his pals included August Darnell, the postmodern Creole whose music set the stage for Prince, and Arthur Baker, who produced Afrika Bambaataa's "Planet Rock." To most people, this working-class veteran of the Philly soul scene looked like a rich boy who'd gone too far.
Like early 1980s R&B, the best-known songs of Hall and Oates embraced innovation while aiming for mainstream acceptance. They were among the first major artists to use drum machines and synthesizers, and their 1984 album "Big Bam Boom," a collaboration with Baker, pioneered rock's fusion with hip-hop.
Dedicated hit makers
Yet even though Hall explored art rock in side projects with King Crimson guitarist Robert Fripp, the pair remained dedicated hit makers. This was another legacy of Gamble and Huff, whose production was always experimental and seductive. Oates, whom Hall acknowledges as the "finisher" on many of the pair's biggest songs, is a master of catchy choruses. Hall's early years as a soul session man helped him develop one of the pop's most gorgeous singing styles.
All of these qualities -- the smart commercialism, the race-crossing sound, the prettiness -- turned off the punks and indie rockers who played guard over "good" music well into the 1990s. But the H&O paradigm suits the emerging values of the generation now dominating smart pop.
Growing up in the aftermath of Kurt Cobain's fatal inner conflict over "selling out," and inheriting a cultural playing field impossibly broadened by the Internet, musical tastemakers in their 20s and early 30s don't care much for the idea of purism. They're also essentially entrepreneurial; most desire commercial success.
And, crucially, these young H&O fans speak the language of hip-hop. The duo's songbook has always been a treasure trove for samplers: De La Soul, Heavy D, the Wu Tang Clan and Wyclef Jean have all dug in. Hall and Oates have embraced these borrowings, collaborating with their youthful admirers whenever possible -- Hall through his regular webcast, "Live From Daryl's House," and Oates by forging links with bluegrass innovators like Jerry Douglas.
Those 21st century dreamers might not realize that the suave guys behind "Private Eyes" went through their own struggles; they played around with art rock and folk-pop for years before hitting on their signature sound, and their more daring experiments never found the audience they deserved.
Hall and Oates have bequeathed the world a quarter-century's worth of songs, familiar and more obscure, made together and separately. Exploring their discography is a joy. But whatever dream these two friends embody right now, they're still focused on the day-to-day reality of making music. And beyond whatever values that music represents, it's still a spine-tingling experience to hear Daryl Hall sing "Sara Smile."
ann.powers@latimes.com
Yoko Ono loses bid to bar use of "Imagine" in film
NEW YORK (Reuters) - John Lennon's sons and widow, Yoko Ono, on Monday lost a battle to block the use of the song "Imagine" in the documentary "Expelled: No Intelligence allowed."
Ono, her son Sean Ono Lennon, and Julian Lennon, John Lennon's son from his first marriage, along with privately held publisher EMI Blackwood Music Inc filed suit in April in Manhattan federal court seeking to bar the filmmakers and their distributors from continuing to use "Imagine" in the movie.
They said the film, which looks at alleged discrimination against scientists and teachers who support so-called intelligent design as an alternative to Darwin's theory of evolution, used the song without their permission.
But on Monday U.S. District Judge Sidney Stein found in favor of the filmmakers based on a "fair use" doctrine. "That doctrine provides that the fair use of a copyrighted work for purposes of criticism and commentary is not an infringement of copyright," the judge said.
The documentary features Ben Stein, an actor, comedian and former speechwriter for President Richard Nixon.
The suit, which sought unspecified damages, named the film's producers and distributors -- Premise Media Corporation, C&S Production LP and Rocky Mountain Pictures.
Lennon recorded "Imagine" in 1971 and in 2004, Rolling Stone magazine ranked it No. 3 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, according to the lawsuit.
(Reporting by Christine Kearney; Editing by Michelle Nichols and Cynthia Osterman)
Ono, her son Sean Ono Lennon, and Julian Lennon, John Lennon's son from his first marriage, along with privately held publisher EMI Blackwood Music Inc filed suit in April in Manhattan federal court seeking to bar the filmmakers and their distributors from continuing to use "Imagine" in the movie.
They said the film, which looks at alleged discrimination against scientists and teachers who support so-called intelligent design as an alternative to Darwin's theory of evolution, used the song without their permission.
But on Monday U.S. District Judge Sidney Stein found in favor of the filmmakers based on a "fair use" doctrine. "That doctrine provides that the fair use of a copyrighted work for purposes of criticism and commentary is not an infringement of copyright," the judge said.
The documentary features Ben Stein, an actor, comedian and former speechwriter for President Richard Nixon.
The suit, which sought unspecified damages, named the film's producers and distributors -- Premise Media Corporation, C&S Production LP and Rocky Mountain Pictures.
Lennon recorded "Imagine" in 1971 and in 2004, Rolling Stone magazine ranked it No. 3 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, according to the lawsuit.
(Reporting by Christine Kearney; Editing by Michelle Nichols and Cynthia Osterman)
Lindsay Lohan's Lawyer Blasts USA Today Over Use Of Star's Image In Drunk-Driving Ad
If you picked up a copy of USA Today on Friday (May 2), you might have been thrown off by a full-page ad with the big, bold headline, "Ignition interlocks — A good idea for," above the infamous post-DUI-arrest mug shot of Lindsay Lohan. The next line reads, "But a bad idea for us," over a series of pictures of a happy bride and groom toasting each other, some smiling young adults hoisting their brews and martinis, and three pals clinking beers over a meal.
The ad opposes the mandatory use of ignition interlocks, also known as in-car breathalyzers, which require drivers to breathe into a tube to test their blood-alcohol level, cutting off the ignition if the driver is above the legal limit. The ad argues that the devices "are a great tool for getting hard-core drunk drivers off our roads. However, activists now want to put one in every car in America. That means the end of moderate and responsible drinking prior to driving. No more champagne toasts at weddings, no more wine with dinner, no more beers at a ballgame."
Lohan's criminal lawyer Blair Berk reacted angrily to the use of her client's image in the ad and released a statement saying, "USA Today is idiotic to run such an irresponsible advertisement suggesting that drinking and driving is some kind of American 'tradition' we should protect. Not identifying that this ad was paid for by the liquor and restaurant industries is profoundly reckless. Drunk white businessmen, drunk housewives out for girls night out and drunk wedding parties should be kept off the roads of America. Lindsay Lohan fully endorses ignition interlock devices, which have been well-proven to save lives."
A spokesperson for the organization behind the campaign (which is not named in the ad), the American Beverage Institute, told MTV News that the ad pictures Lohan because of her recent high-profile DUIs. "We looked at many different celebrities who had repeat offenses or were convicted of DUI with high blood-alcohol levels," ABI managing director Sarah Longwell said, adding that the campaign will continue in the future, likely using images of other famous celebrities.
Berk would not comment on the report from TMZ.com that Lohan had contacted counsel to discuss the legality of the use of her image. Longwell said the mug shot is public information and therefore was fair game for use in the ad. "The fact is, what we're doing is making an example that people understand, of what a repeat offender looks like," she said. "The use of a celebrity image is helpful — this person has driven drunk multiple times — when you're finding the fine line between who should and should not have one of these devices."
The ABI is a trade group representing hundreds of American restaurants with the mission of protecting "responsible, on-premise consumption of adult beverages." According to Longwell, the organization is attempting to block multiple legislative and government efforts to make the interlocks mandatory in every vehicle.
The ad opposes the mandatory use of ignition interlocks, also known as in-car breathalyzers, which require drivers to breathe into a tube to test their blood-alcohol level, cutting off the ignition if the driver is above the legal limit. The ad argues that the devices "are a great tool for getting hard-core drunk drivers off our roads. However, activists now want to put one in every car in America. That means the end of moderate and responsible drinking prior to driving. No more champagne toasts at weddings, no more wine with dinner, no more beers at a ballgame."
Lohan's criminal lawyer Blair Berk reacted angrily to the use of her client's image in the ad and released a statement saying, "USA Today is idiotic to run such an irresponsible advertisement suggesting that drinking and driving is some kind of American 'tradition' we should protect. Not identifying that this ad was paid for by the liquor and restaurant industries is profoundly reckless. Drunk white businessmen, drunk housewives out for girls night out and drunk wedding parties should be kept off the roads of America. Lindsay Lohan fully endorses ignition interlock devices, which have been well-proven to save lives."
A spokesperson for the organization behind the campaign (which is not named in the ad), the American Beverage Institute, told MTV News that the ad pictures Lohan because of her recent high-profile DUIs. "We looked at many different celebrities who had repeat offenses or were convicted of DUI with high blood-alcohol levels," ABI managing director Sarah Longwell said, adding that the campaign will continue in the future, likely using images of other famous celebrities.
Berk would not comment on the report from TMZ.com that Lohan had contacted counsel to discuss the legality of the use of her image. Longwell said the mug shot is public information and therefore was fair game for use in the ad. "The fact is, what we're doing is making an example that people understand, of what a repeat offender looks like," she said. "The use of a celebrity image is helpful — this person has driven drunk multiple times — when you're finding the fine line between who should and should not have one of these devices."
The ABI is a trade group representing hundreds of American restaurants with the mission of protecting "responsible, on-premise consumption of adult beverages." According to Longwell, the organization is attempting to block multiple legislative and government efforts to make the interlocks mandatory in every vehicle.
Jack Lancaster and Robin Lumley
Artist: Jack Lancaster and Robin Lumley
Genre(s):
New Age
Discography:
Marscape
Year: 1975
Tracks: 13
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