Moby_Dick, Author at Lossless Music Archives

The Supremes – Albums Collection

The Supremes - Albums Collection

The most successful American performers of the 1960s, the Supremes for a time rivaled even the Beatles in terms of red-hot commercial appeal, reeling off five number one singles in a row at one point. Critical revisionism has tended to undervalue the Supremes’ accomplishments, categorizing their work as more lightweight than the best soul stars (or even the best Motown stars), and viewing them as a tool for Berry Gordy’s crossover aspirations. Continue reading “The Supremes – Albums Collection”

The Verve – Discography (1992 – 2008)

The Verve - Discography (1992 - 2008)

Long acclaimed as one of the most innovative and spellbinding bands on the contemporary British pop scene, the Verve finally broke through to a mass international audience in 1997 with the instant classic “Bittersweet Symphony.” By no stretch a study in overnight success, the group’s rise was instead the culmination of a long, arduous journey that began at the dawn of the decade and went on to encompass a major breakup, multiple lawsuits, and an extensive diet of narcotics. Continue reading “The Verve – Discography (1992 – 2008)”

J.J. Cale – Discography (1971 – 2009)

J.J. Cale - Discography (1971 - 2009)

With his laid-back rootsy style, J.J. Cale was best known for writing “After Midnight” and “Cocaine,” songs that Eric Clapton later made into hits. But Cale’s influence wasn’t only through songwriting — his distinctly loping sense of rhythm and shuffling boogie became the blueprint for the adult-oriented roots rock of Clapton and Mark Knopfler, among others. Cale’s refusal to vary the sound of his music over the course of his career caused some critics to label him as a one-trick pony, but he managed to build a dedicated cult following with his sporadically released recordings. Continue reading “J.J. Cale – Discography (1971 – 2009)”

Shocking Blue – Discography

Shocking Blue - Discography

Formed in 1967 by former Motions guitarist Robbie van Leeuwen, the Dutch quartet Shocking Blue originally had a lineup of VanLeeuwen on guitar, lead vocalist Fred DeWilde, bass player Klaasje Van der Wal, and drummer Cornelius Van der Beek, and the initial configuration of the band had a minor homeland hit with “Lucy Brown Is Back in Town” a year later in 1968. Things really got moving, though, when DeWilde was replaced by sultry singer Mariska Veres, whose sexy presence and solid singing brought the band a second Netherlands hit, “Send Me a Postcard,” and then a huge international smash with “Venus” Continue reading “Shocking Blue – Discography”

Barbra Streisand – Albums Collection (1963-2016)

Barbra Streisand - Albums Collection (1963-2016)

Barbra Streisand’s status as one of the most successful singers of her generation was remarkable not only because her popularity was achieved in the face of a dominant musical trend — rock & roll — which she did not follow, but also because she used her vocal skills as a mere stepping stone to other careers, as a stage and film actress and as a film director. Continue reading “Barbra Streisand – Albums Collection (1963-2016)”

Bee Gees – Discography

Bee Gees - Discography

Relying on their top-notch songwriting and impeccable vocals, the Bee Gees were able to craft a long-running career that began in the late ’50s in Australia. Along the way they became a hit-producing psychedelic pop group in England during the ’60s, the biggest disco band in the world in the ’70s, and had a late comeback as adult contemporary crooners in the ’90s. Their long-reaching influence extended past sales figures and saw their sound and style mirrored in acts as disparate as Justin Timberlake and of montreal. Continue reading “Bee Gees – Discography”

Led Zeppelin – Discography

Led Zeppelin - Discography

Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist and keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. The band’s heavy, guitar-driven sound, rooted in blues and psychedelia on their early albums, has earned them recognition as one of the progenitors of heavy metal, though their unique style drew from a wide variety of influences, including folk music. Continue reading “Led Zeppelin – Discography”

Genesis – Discography (1969-2014)

Genesis - Discography (1969-2014)

Genesis started life as a progressive rock band, in the manner of Yes and King Crimson, before a series of membership changes brought about a transformation in their sound, into one of the most successful pop/rock bands of the 1980s and 1990s. In addition, the group has provided a launching pad for the superstardom of members Peter Gabriel and Phil Collins, and star solo careers for members Tony Banks, Michael Rutherford, and Steve Hackett. Continue reading “Genesis – Discography (1969-2014)”

Kansas – Discography (1974 – 2016)

Kansas - Discography (1974 - 2016)

Fusing the complexity of British prog rock with an American heartland sound representative of their name, Kansas were among the most popular bands of the late ’70s, with many of their hits becoming staples of AOR radio playlists. Formed in Topeka in 1970, the founding members of the group — guitarist Kerry Livgren, bassist Dave Hope, and drummer Phil Ehart — first played together while in high school; with the 1971 addition of classically trained violinist Robbie Steinhardt, they changed their name to White Clover, reverting back to the Kansas moniker for good upon the 1972 arrivals of vocalist/keyboardist Steve Walsh and guitarist Richard Williams. Continue reading “Kansas – Discography (1974 – 2016)”

Buffalo Springfield – Discography (1966 – 2001)

Buffalo Springfield - Discography (1966 - 2001)

Apart from the Byrds, no other American band had as great an impact on folk-rock and country-rock — really, the entire Californian rock sound — than Buffalo Springfield. The group’s formation is the stuff of legend: driving on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles, Stephen Stills and Richie Furay spotted a hearse that Stills was sure belonged to Neil Young, a Canadian he had crossed paths with earlier. Indeed it was, and with the addition of fellow hearse passenger and Canadian Bruce Palmer on bass and ex-Dillard Dewey Martin on drums, the cluster of ex-folkys determined, as the Byrds had just done, to become a rock & roll band. Continue reading “Buffalo Springfield – Discography (1966 – 2001)”

Chicago – Discography (1969-2015)

Chicago - Discography (1969-2015)

According to Billboard chart statistics, Chicago is second only to the Beach Boys as the most successful American rock band of all time, in terms of both albums and singles. Judged by album sales alone, as certified by the R.I.A.A., the band does not rank quite so high, but it is still among the Top Ten best-selling U.S. groups ever. If such statements of fact surprise, that’s because Chicago has been singularly underrated since the beginning of its long career, both because of its musical ambitions — to the musicians, rock is only one of several styles of music to be used and blended, along with classical, jazz, R&B, and pop — and because of its refusal to emphasize celebrity over the music. Continue reading “Chicago – Discography (1969-2015)”

Queen – Discography (1973-2015)

Queen - Discography (1973-2015)

Few bands embodied the pure excess of the ’70s like Queen. Embracing the exaggerated pomp of prog rock and heavy metal, as well as vaudevillian music hall, the British quartet delved deeply into camp and bombast, creating a huge, mock-operatic sound with layered guitars and overdubbed vocals. Queen’s music was a bizarre yet highly accessible fusion of the macho and the fey. For years, their albums boasted the motto “no synthesizers were used on this record,” signaling their allegiance with the legions of post-Led Zeppelin hard rock bands. Continue reading “Queen – Discography (1973-2015)”

The Rolling Stones – Discography (1964 – 2017)

The Rolling Stones - Discography (1964 - 2017)

By the time the Rolling Stones began calling themselves the World’s Greatest Rock & Roll Band in the late ’60s, they had already staked out an impressive claim on the title. As the self-consciously dangerous alternative to the bouncy Merseybeat of the Beatles in the British Invasion, the Stones had pioneered the gritty, hard-driving blues-based rock & roll that came to define hard rock. Continue reading “The Rolling Stones – Discography (1964 – 2017)”

Scorpions – Discography (1972 – 2015)

Scorpions - Discography (1972 - 2015)

Known best for their 1984 anthem “Rock You Like a Hurricane” and the 1990 ballad “Wind of Change,” German rockers Scorpions have sold over 22 million records, making them one of the most successful rock bands to ever come out of Continental Europe. Formed in 1969 by Rudolf Schenker, the original lineup consisted of rhythm guitarist/vocalist Schenker, lead guitarist Karl-Heinz Follmer, bassist Lothar Heimberg, and drummer Wolfgang Dziony. In 1971, Schenker’s younger brother Michael joined the band to play lead guitar and good friend Klaus Meine became the vocalist. Continue reading “Scorpions – Discography (1972 – 2015)”

Paul McCartney – Discography (1970 – 2016)

Paul McCartney - Discography (1970 - 2016)

Out of all the former Beatles, Paul McCartney by far had the most successful solo career, maintaining a constant presence in the British and American charts during the ’70s and ’80s. In America alone, he had nine number one singles and seven number one albums during the first 12 years of his solo career, and in his native United Kingdom, his record was nearly as impressive. McCartney’s hot streak began in 1970, when he became the first Beatle to leave the group. Continue reading “Paul McCartney – Discography (1970 – 2016)”