Moby_Dick, Author at Lossless Music Archives

Paul Mauriat – Albums Collection (1965-2017)

Paul Mauriat - Albums Collection (1965-2017)

French composer/conductor Paul Mauriat is a classically trained musician who decided to pursue a career in popular music. His first major success came in 1962, as a co-writer of the European hit “Chariot.” In 1963, the song was given English lyrics, renamed “I Will Follow Him,” and became a number one American hit for Little Peggy March. Mauriat is best remembered for his 1968 worldwide smash “Love Is Blue.” Continue reading “Paul Mauriat – Albums Collection (1965-2017)”

Mr. Big – Discography (1989 – 2018)

Mr. Big - Discography (1989 - 2018)

Mr. Big were one of the few “shredder” pop metal bands (translation: the bandmembers were highly proficient at their instruments) that prized songcraft as highly as virtuosity. The seeds for the group’s formation were sown when bass player extraordinaire Billy Sheehan, often called “the Eddie Van Halen of bass,” left David Lee Roth’s solo band in 1988. Shortly thereafter, he began piecing together a new outfit comprised of former Racer X guitarist Paul Gilbert, drummer Pat Torpey, and singer Eric Martin, the latter of whom had issued a pair of obscure solo releases in the mid-’80s. By 1989, the newly formed quartet had already inked a recording contract with Atlantic, resulting in the release of a self-titled debut the same year. Despite finding a warm reception among musicians, the album failed to cross over to a mainstream rock audience in America; however, Mr. Big was an immediate success overseas in Japan. Continue reading “Mr. Big – Discography (1989 – 2018)”

Nazareth – Discography (1971 – 2018)

Nazareth - Discography (1971 - 2018)

The Scottish hard rock quartet Nazareth had a handful of hard rock hits in the late ’70s, including the proto-power ballad “Love Hurts.” Formed in 1968, the band featured vocalist Dan McCafferty, guitarist Manny Charlton, bassist Pete Agnew, and drummer Darrell Sweet. The band had relocated to London by 1970, and they released their self-titled debut album in 1971. Both Nazareth and 1972’s Exercises received favorable attention by British hard rockers, but it was 1973’s Razamanaz that moved them into the U.K. Top Ten (both “Broken Down Angel” and “Bad Bad Boy” were hit singles). Loud ‘n’ Proud and Rampant (both 1974) followed the same formula, yet were slightly less successful. Continue reading “Nazareth – Discography (1971 – 2018)”

Arcade Fire – Studio Albums (2004 -2017)

Arcade Fire - Studio Albums (2004 -2017)

A combination of indie rock muscle and theatrical, unapologetic bombast turned Arcade Fire into indie royalty in the early 2000s. Originally comprised of Régine Chassagne, Richard Parry, Tim Kingsbury, and brothers William and Win Butler, the group formed during the summer of 2003, after Win spotted Chassagne singing jazz standards at a Montreal art exhibit. Continue reading “Arcade Fire – Studio Albums (2004 -2017)”

Oasis – Discography

Oasis - Discography

Oasis shot from obscurity to stardom in 1994, becoming one of Britain’s most popular and critically acclaimed bands of the decade in the process. Along with Blur and Suede, they were responsible for returning British guitar pop to the top of the charts. Led by guitarist/songwriter Noel Gallagher, the Manchester quintet adopted the rough, thuggish image of the Stones and the Who, crossed it with “Beatlesque” melodies and hooks, injected distinctly British lyrical themes and song structures like the Jam and the Kinks, and tied it all together with a massive guitar roar, as well as a defiant sneer that drew equally from the Sex Pistols’ rebelliousness and the Stone Roses’ cocksure arrogance. Continue reading “Oasis – Discography”

Judas Priest – Discography (1974 – 2014)

Judas Priest - Discography (1974 - 2014)

Judas Priest was one of the most influential heavy metal bands of the ’70s, spearheading the New Wave of British Heavy Metal late in the decade. Decked out in leather and chains, the band fused the gothic doom of Black Sabbath with the riffs and speed of Led Zeppelin, as well as adding a vicious two-lead guitar attack; in doing so, they set the pace for much popular heavy metal from 1975 until 1985, as well as laying the groundwork for the speed and death metal of the ’80s. Continue reading “Judas Priest – Discography (1974 – 2014)”

Céline Dion – Albums Collection

Céline Dion - Albums Collection

Rising from humble beginnings to become an international pop star selling more than 100 million albums worldwide, Celine Dion’s career spanned years of superstardom in the 1990s as well as more diverse output and touring in the 2000s and 2010s. Continue reading “Céline Dion – Albums Collection”

Blondie – Discography (1976 – 2014)

Blondie - Discography (1976 - 2014)

Embracing a broad range of pop music that encompassed British Invasion rock, garage rock, disco, reggae, Latin rhythms, and hip-hop, Blondie was the most commercially successful band to emerge from the New York punk/new wave community of the late ’70s. Continue reading “Blondie – Discography (1976 – 2014)”

Deep Purple – Discography (1968 – 2014) UPDATE

Deep Purple - Discography (1968 - 2014)

Deep Purple survived a seemingly endless series of lineup changes and a dramatic mid-career shift from grandiose progressive rock to ear-shattering heavy metal to emerge as a true institution of the British hard rock community; once credited in The Guinness Book of World Records as the globe’s loudest band, their revolving-door roster launched the careers of performers including Ritchie Blackmore, David Coverdale, and Ian Gillan. Continue reading “Deep Purple – Discography (1968 – 2014) UPDATE”

The Who – Discography (1965-2019)

The Who - Discography (1965-2019)

Few rock & roll bands were riddled with as many contradictions as the Who. All four members had wildly different personalities, as their notorious live performances demonstrated: Keith Moon fell over his drum kit while Pete Townshend leaped into the air with his guitar, spinning his right hand in exaggerated windmills. Vocalist Roger Daltrey prowled the stage as bassist John Entwistle stood silent, the eye of the hurricane. They clashed frequently, but these frictions resulted in a decade’s worth of remarkable music Continue reading “The Who – Discography (1965-2019)”

Roxy Music – Discography (1972 – 2015)

Roxy Music - Discography (1972 - 2015)

Evolving from the late-’60s art-rock movement, Roxy Music had a fascination with fashion, glamour, cinema, pop art, and the avant-garde, which separated the band from their contemporaries. Dressed in bizarre, stylish costumes, the group played a defiantly experimental variation of art rock which vacillated between avant-rock and sleek pop hooks. Continue reading “Roxy Music – Discography (1972 – 2015)”

Beck – Discography (1993 – 2014)

Beck - Discography (1993 - 2014)

Initially pegged as the voice of a generation when “Loser” turned into a smash crossover success, Beck wound up crystallizing much of the postmodern ruckus inherent in the ’90s alternative explosion, but in unexpected ways. Based in the underground anti-folk and noise-rock worlds, Beck encompassed all manner of modern music, drawing in hip-hop, blues, trash rock, pop, soul, lounge music — pretty much any found sound or vinyl dug up from a dusty crate — blurring boundaries and encapsulating how ’90s hipsters looked toward the future by foraging through the past. Continue reading “Beck – Discography (1993 – 2014)”

Ringo Starr – Discography (1970 – 2015)

Ringo Starr - Discography (1970 - 2015)

Ringo Starr, born Richard Starkey, was the drummer in the Beatles from 1962 to 1970 and thus became one of the most famous musicians of the ’60s. Though the least prominent member of the quartet, he distinguished himself as an occasional singer of good-natured material and as an actor. Upon the group’s split, Starr went solo with two novelty projects: the first, an album called Sentimental Journey, found him covering pre-rock standards, and the second, Beaucoups of Blues, was a country music collection. Starr then scored Top Ten hits with two non-album singles, “It Don’t Come Easy” in 1971 and “Back Off Boogaloo” in 1972. Continue reading “Ringo Starr – Discography (1970 – 2015)”

YES – Discography (1969 – 2014)

YES - Discography (1969 - 2014)

Far and away the longest lasting and the most successful of the ’70s progressive rock groups, Yes proved to be one of the lingering success stories from that musical genre. The band, founded in 1968, overcame a generational shift in its audience and the departure of its most visible members at key points in its history to reach the end of the century as the definitive progressive rock band. Continue reading “YES – Discography (1969 – 2014)”

Mike Oldfield – Discography (1973-2016)

Mike Oldfield - Discography (1973-2016)

Composer Mike Oldfield rose to fame on the success of Tubular Bells, an eerie, album-length conceptual piece employed to stunning effect in the film The Exorcist. Born May 15, 1953, in Reading, England, Oldfield began his professional career at the age of 14, forming the Sallyangie folk duo with his sister Sally; a year later, the siblings issued their debut LP, Children of the Sun. By the age of 16, he was playing bass with Soft Machine founder Kevin Ayers’ group the Whole World alongside experimental classical arranger David Bedford and avant-garde jazz saxophonist Lol Coxhill; within months, Oldfield was tapped to become the band’s lead guitarist prior to recording the 1971 LP Shooting at the Moon. Continue reading “Mike Oldfield – Discography (1973-2016)”