SomValvulado 2.0

Sunday, November 13, 2011

Flower Travellin' Band - Psych Heavy Progressive Rock (Japan)

Flower Travellin' Band were a Japanese rock band that was formed in 1967. They were connected to Japan's counterculture movement and noted for their mixture of early heavy metal with psychedelic and progressive rock. They received wide acclaim from critics but failed to achieve commercial success and separated in 1973 to pursue individual careers. The band reunited in late 2007, but permanently disbanded after the 2011 death of vocalist Joe Yamanaka.

While the band's releases have never sold well they continue to be held in high regard by the music industry. Their albums have never been out of print and they continue to be made available on new audiophile formats such as SHM-CDs. Former members of the Flower Travellin' Band continue to perform FTB songs live together under the name Flower Power with other musicians.

Yuya Uchida & The Flowers - Challenge! 1969

(Kuni Kawachi)

Atomic Rooster - Hard Rock

Atomic Rooster are a British rock band, originally formed by members of the Crazy World of Arthur Brown, organist Vincent Crane and drummer Carl Palmer. Throughout their history, keyboardist Vincent Crane was the only constant member and wrote the majority of their material. Their history is defined by two periods: the early-mid-1970s and the early 1980s. The band went through radical style changes, but they are best known for the hard, progressive rock sound of their hit singles, "Tomorrow Night" (UK No. 11) and "Devil's Answer" (UK No. 4), both in 1971.

In 2016, Atomic Rooster reformed with permission from Crane's widow, with the new line-up featuring two members from the various 1970s incarnations of the band.

Atomic Roooster 1970

Death Walks Behind You 1970

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Michael Jackson - The King of Pop

Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, and dancer. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century and one of the greatest entertainers. Jackson's contributions to music, dance, and fashion, along with his publicized personal life, made him a global figure in popular culture for over four decades.

The eighth child of the Jackson family, Michael made his professional debut in 1964 with his elder brothers Jackie, Tito, Jermaine, and Marlon as a member of the Jackson 5. He began his solo career in 1971 while at Motown Records, and in the early 1980s, became a dominant figure in popular music. His music videos, including those for "Beat It", "Billie Jean", and "Thriller" from his 1982 album Thriller, are credited with breaking racial barriers and transforming the medium into an art form and promotional tool. Their popularity helped bring the television channel MTV to fame. Bad (1987) was the first album to produce five US Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles.[nb 1] He continued to innovate throughout the 1990s with videos such as "Black or White" and "Scream", and forged a reputation as a touring artist. Through stage and video performances, Jackson popularized complicated dance techniques such as the moonwalk, to which he gave the name. His sound and style have influenced artists of various genres.

Jackson is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, with estimated sales of over 350 million records worldwide; Thriller is the best-selling album of all time, with estimated sales of 66 million copies worldwide. His other albums, including Off the Wall (1979), Bad (1987), Dangerous (1991), and HIStory (1995), also rank among the world's best-selling. He won hundreds of awards (more than any other artist in the history of popular music), has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame twice, and is the only pop or rock artist to have been inducted into the Dance Hall of Fame. His other achievements include Guinness world records (including the Most Successful Entertainer of All Time), 15 Grammy Awards (including the Legend and Lifetime Achievement awards), 26 American Music Awards (more than any other artist), and 13 number-one US singles (more than any other male artist in the Hot 100 era). Jackson was the first artist to have a top ten single in the Billboard Hot 100 in five different decades. In 2016, his estate earned $825 million, the highest yearly amount for a celebrity ever recorded by Forbes.

In the late 1980s, Jackson became a figure of controversy for his changing appearance, relationships, behavior and lifestyle. In 1993, he was accused of sexually abusing the child of a family friend. The lawsuit was settled out of court, and Jackson was not indicted. In 2005, he was tried and acquitted of further child sexual abuse allegations and several other charges. In 2009, while preparing for a series of comeback concerts, This Is It, Jackson died from an overdose of sedatives administered by his personal physician, Conrad Murray. Jackson's fans around the world expressed their grief, and his public memorial service was broadcast live. The 2019 documentary Leaving Neverland details child sexual abuse allegations from two former child friends of Jackson, which led to an international backlash against him and drew criticism from his fans and associates.

Thriller 1982

Bad 1987

History Past, Present and Future (1995)

Saturday, November 5, 2011

Angra - Progressive/Heavy Metal (Brazil)

Angra is a Brazilian heavy metal band formed in 1991 that has gone through some line-up changes since its foundation. They have released eight regular studio albums, five EPs and three live CD/DVDs to date. Led by Rafael Bittencourt, the band has gained a degree of popularity in Japan and Europe.

Angra was formed in November 1991 by Santa Marcelina Music College students vocalist Andre Matos and guitarists Rafael Bittencourt and André Linhares. They were joined by Bittencourt's former bandmate Marcos Antunes (drums) and bassist Luís Mariutti (ex-Firebox).

This line-up composed a number of the earliest songs, with Rafael Bittencourt and Andre Matos emerging as the main songwriters. Two of the first songs written were "Time" and "Angels Cry", which both featured on the band's first album. The song "Queen of the Night", composed by Matos and Bittencourt, was originally titled "Rainha" ("Queen") and had been one of the songs from Bittencourt and Antunes previous band. The song "Carry On" was composed by Andre Matos and brought to the band. In the beginning of 1992, André Linhares was replaced by André Hernandes. His stay was equally brief and Kiko Loureiro joined the band in late 1992. It was during Hernandes' time in the band that the song "Evil Warning" was written. Finally they added "Reaching Horizons" by Bittencourt. These six songs resulted in a demo-tape Reaching Horizons that was released in 1993 through Limb Music in Germany.

Current members:

Rafael Bittencourt – rhythm guitar (1991–present), backing vocals (1991–2012, 2012–present), co-lead vocals (2012–present), keyboards, piano (2015–present)

Felipe Andreoli – bass, keyboards, piano, backing vocals (2001–present)

Fabio Lione – lead vocals (2012–present)

Bruno Valverde – drums (2014–present)

Marcelo Barbosa – lead guitar (2015–present)

Former members:

Marcos Antunes – drums (1991–1993)

André Linhares – lead guitar, backing vocals (1991–1992)

André Hernandes – lead guitar, backing vocals (1992)

Kiko Loureiro – lead guitar, keyboards, piano, backing vocals (1992–2015)

Luís Mariutti – bass (1991–2000)

Andre Matos – lead vocals, keyboards, piano (1991–2000)

Aquiles Priester – drums (2001–2008)

Eduardo Falaschi – lead vocals, acoustic guitar (in unplugged shows) (2000–2012)

Ricardo Confessori – drums (1993–2000, 2009–2014)

Former touring members:

Fábio Laguna – keyboards, backing vocals (2001-2007)

Hunters And Prey 2002

Friday, November 4, 2011

T. Rex - Glam Psych Folk Rock (UK)

T. Rex were an English rock band, formed in 1967 by singer-songwriter and guitarist Marc Bolan. The band was initially called Tyrannosaurus Rex, and released four psychedelic folk albums under this name. In 1969, Bolan began to shift from the band's early acoustic sound to an electric one. The following year, he shortened their name to T. Rex. The 1970 release of the single "Ride a White Swan" marked the culmination of this development, and the group soon became a commercial success as part of the emerging glam rock scene.

From 1970 until 1973, T. Rex encountered a popularity in the UK comparable to that of the Beatles, with a run of eleven singles in the UK top ten. One of the most prominent acts in British popular culture, they scored four UK number one hits, "Hot Love", "Get It On", "Telegram Sam" and "Metal Guru". The band's 1971 album Electric Warrior received critical acclaim as a pioneering glam rock album. It reached number 1 in the UK. The 1972 follow-up, The Slider, entered the top 20 in the US. Following the release of "20th Century Boy" in 1973, which reached number three in the UK, T. Rex began to experience less commercial success but continued recording one album per year.

In 1977, Bolan died in a car crash several months after the release of the band's final studio album Dandy in the Underworld. Since then, T. Rex have continued to exert a vast influence on a variety of subsequent artists.

T.Rex 1970