80s Music | Music Vixen Blog

New Bryan Adams Stamp Issued in Canada. Pink Floyd Excited, Sex Pistols Not.

Published June 25th, 2009 by Karen

ABOVE: Bryan Adams performs a classic track from the Wall with Pink Floyd’s Roger Waters.
BELOW: Adams performs one of his classic hits.

The Canadian post office (Canada Post) is issuing a series of stamps honoring famous Canadian musicians and composers. While Canadian pop monstrosities like Nickelback, Celine Dion, Alanis Morissette and Rush won’t be showing up in your mailbox any time soon, ’80s superstar Bryan Adams might.

Known for hits such as “Summer of ‘69,” “Run to You,” and sappy prom/wedding favorite “Everything I Do, I Do it for You,” Adams is among the first Canadian music stars to receive this, um, honor.

Oddly enough, this probably is quite an honor for the singer, since Adams seems to be something of a postage enthusiast: In 2004 the Canada Post issued a stamp featuring one of his photographs of Queen Elizabeth II. The Sex Pistols would not be impressed.

In addition to Continue reading »

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80s Music Trivia Quiz: This Day in Music History June 22

Published June 22nd, 2009 by Karen

ABOVE: Which ’80s popstar performed the Pee Wee’s Playhouse theme song using the alias “Ellen Shaw”?

Today is an important day in pop music history, because it marks the birthday of one of the biggest stars of the ’80s. In 1989, this singer released an album called A Night to Remember, but do you remember this ’80s music star who celebrates her birthday today? Let’s find out.

Take a look at the clues, then check out the answer below!

1. In 1980, this singer debuted with a new wave band called Blue Angel.

2. When she released her solo debut album in 1983, she became the first artist to have four top-five singles released from one album.

3. In 1985 she was the musical director for the movie the Goonies.

4. In 1986 she recorded the theme song for Pee Wee’s Playhouse.

5. In 2008, she recorded a very strange “Christmas Duel” with Swedish garage-rockers, the Hives.

Answer: Continue reading »

"[...] Best Place to Gawk at Bret Michaels’ Broken Nose and/or Count Mullets: Friday 7/3 @ Saratoga Performing Arts Center (Saratoga Springs, NY)..."

Top 10 Concerts for 4th of July Weekend: ‘80s Rock, Afro-Punk, Free Shows, Beatles and More! | Music Vixen Blog

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Bret Michaels Injured at Tony Awards (video)

Published June 8th, 2009 by Wendy

Rock singer Bret Michaels had a collision with some stage scenery during last night’s Tony Awards show, according to an Associated Press report.

According to the AP, Michaels, who is the star of the reality show “Rock of Love,” went onstage with his hair-metal band Poison during the telecast’s opening production number, which featured performances from the season’s Broadway musicals.

They performed “Nothin’ But a Good Time” with the cast of “Rock of Ages,” and as Michaels exited the stage, a falling set piece smacked him on the head and knocked him to the ground. Though it looked like the scenery broke his nose, it did not, according to a Tony spokesperson, who said the incident happened because Michaels “missed his mark.”

The musical Rock of Ages celebrates 1980s hair music and features songs by Journey and other classic rock bands. It stars Constantine Maroulis as an aspiring rock star.

"I remember thir songs, they were a little wird but it was something new (I think). I was born in 1988 but I heard one of their songs on VH1 I think. It..."

Zuly

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Depeche Mode Lead Singer Hospitalized in Greece

Published May 13th, 2009 by Wendy

photo credit: mrmatt

Depeche Mode lead singer David Gahan was rushed to the hospital just moments before he was to go onstage in Athens, Greece, yesterday, leaving thousands of fans in the lurch, according to an Associated Press report.

Tuesday night’s concert north of the Greek capital was canceled after Gahan, who turned 47 last month, fell ill and was hospitalized overnight. Neither organizers nor the hospital would say what he was suffering from.

About 20,000-30,000 fans that had turned up to hear the British band were told to retain their tickets in case the singer was well enough to reschedule the concert for tonight. A spokesperson for the concert organizers, said the concert might also be rescheduled for another day or definitively canceled. Future European dates were also called into question.

Depeche Mode first surfaced in the 80s, and since then has released 46 singles and a dozen albums.

"F--- theyre not playing Florida"

Smoke Bluntas

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Free Mp3: Meat Puppets New Album, 2009 Tour Dates

Published May 11th, 2009 by Karen

Above: Don’t hold this ’90s pop and creepy clown against ‘em, the new Meat Puppets LP is much better.

It is easy to get caught in a trap of trying to one-up your friends by touting the newest band on your iPod, but sometimes it’s nice to take a breath and see what your old favorites are up to.

Today, we’re happy to announce that the Meat Puppets are back on the scene and reportedly rockin’ the stage harder than ever (a fact we hope to confirm for ourselves at one of the band’s upcoming shows).

Together for nearly 30 years (with a few scattered break-ups in between), you may know these psychedelic country trailblazers as the band behind influential albums such as 1980’s Meat Puppets (SST), or you may recognize the band as one of Kurt Cobain’s favorites (Nirvana famously covered “Lake of Fire” during its Unplugged performance).

Or, perhaps you remember the band’s ill-fated stint in the majors and semi-hit grunge songs like “Backwater.”

In any case, the group is worth remembering.

The band is back with a new LP, Sewn Together, a solid, energetic disc that blends melody and experimentation, country twang and rock noise, happily skipping ’90s gloss in favor of vintage grit, thereby restoking the musical fire of the band, and hopefully its fans, in the process.

We like what we’ve heard so far, check out the “Rotten Shame” mp3 and see what the buzz is all about.

Free Mp3 Download and 2009 Meat Puppets Tour Dates, after the jump. Continue reading »

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Top 10 Phil Spector Hits: Beatles, Ramones and More!

Published April 17th, 2009 by Karen

Ok, so by now everyone has probably read that record producer Phil Spector has been found guilty of killing Lana Clarkson by shooting her in the face.

Obviously, we can’t defend that action.

But, we can take a look back at Spector’s pre-murder career-and an impressive career it was. Spector hit the big time producing everyone from the Ronettes and Righteous Brothers to the Beatles and the Ramones.

Do you know what the last song Phil produced was? Or which song was covered by a ’90s indie rock icon? Keep reading for the answers!

The following songs and videos are just a few highlights from Spector’s back pages, mostly songs he produced, but some he actually played on-maybe you have some Spector in your record collection right now

Check out our Top Phil Spector tunes and tell us which is your favorite.

Kicking things off is a video from Spector’s own band, the Teddy Bears.

1950s:
Teddy Bears-To Know Him is to Love Him

"I was listening to an interview with the director of this movie and he mentioned how they were getting overwhelmed with the amount of support other metal..."

JaredfromSubway

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Anvil: Heavy Metal vs Hannah Montana in Theaters

Published April 13th, 2009 by Karen

This weekend at movie theaters, music fans had two choices:

Hannah Montana: The Movie and its fictional story of a wealthy teenage popstar struggling to balance super-stardom and her private life, or

Anvil! The Story of Anvil, the true story of a group of 50-year-old men struggling in obscurity to succeed as a heavy metal band while working day-jobs in order to survive.

It’s disappointing, but not surprising, that Miley Cyrus’s Disney flick dominated the box office. However, the fact that underdog rock band Anvil is finally getting attention after all of these years is a victory nonetheless.

A bittersweet documentary, early reviews have painted Anvil! The Story of Anvil as something of a real-life version of This is Spinal Tap, Continue reading »

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Scott MacIntyre Not a “Survivor” on American Idol

Published April 9th, 2009 by Karen

Scott MacIntyre is the latest contestant to be sent home on American Idol. For some reason, the doomed singer chose to sing a Survivor song other than “Eye of the Tiger.” (Who knew Survivor had another song?)

Following a night of Idol hopefuls singing songs from the year they were born, Lil Rounds, Anoop Desai and MacIntyre found themselves in the bottom three, but it was MacIntyre’s rendition of Survivor’s “The Search is Over,” that earned the lowest number of votes.

The judges could have saved MacIntyre by using their newly declared power to rescue one contestant from elimination, but they didn’t.

With seven singers advancing to the next round, audience favorite Adam Lambert seems to be winning over the judges more and more each week with unusual performance selections such as this week’s pick: Tears for Fears’ “Mad World” (although, he actually covered Michael Andrews’s and Gary Jules’s melodramatic 2003 version of the song, not Tears for Fears’ original 1982 version).

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80s Flashback Friday: The Unnecessary Reunion of Spandau Ballet

Published March 27th, 2009 by Karen

Reunion tours are all the rage lately, with Jane’s Addiction patching things up and hitting the road with Nine Inch Nails, No Doubt luring Gwen Stefani back into the fold for a summer tour, and Phish getting back together (see, sometimes we can mention Phish without saying something mean).

Now you can add one more band to your reunion tour schedule: Spandau Ballet.

Wait. What?

Remember Spandau Ballet? They scored a hit all the way back in Margaret Thatcher-ruled 1983 with the song, “True.” And then they had another hit with, um, well, that was pretty much it, actually. A sample from the song was revived by positive ’90s hip-hop lite act, PM Dawn (see video, above for some ’90s nostalgia). Continue reading »

"All Summer Long Kid Rock Cover (with lyrics and chords!)... BITCH!!!!!..."

All Summer Long Kid Rock Cover (with lyrics and chords!)

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Rock of Love 3 Auditions PLUS Free Poison mp3 music downloads

Published July 18th, 2008 by Karen

Who wants to sleep with Bret Michaels? Get on the bus!

No, that’s not the follow-up to who wants to be a millionaire (well, not yet), it just a simple question—one that the ladies of the world should be asking themselves now that VH 1 has officially announced plans for a third round of the rock-themed dating show.

This time around, the line-up of faux blond ladies will compete for the love of the faux blond singer while traveling the country in a tour bus—just like real groupies! Being a rockstar may be the only profession that makes riding a bus sound cool.

Seriously, who is still into this guy? He hasn’t had a hit song in nearly 20 years and who knows how long he’s been wearing the wig (not to mention the eyeliner and pink lipgloss).

Sure, some ladies of the ‘80s may have grown up with crushes on the big-haired blond singer, making the first season of the Poison singer’s dating show, Rock of Love, something of a novel idea, but, after watching the show and realizing what a skank-a-thon it was and what a dope Michaels is (toupee and all), shouldn’t our fascination have passed?

The success of season two speaks for itself. But we have questions!

Where do these chicks come from?
What makes them go on TV for a chance at STDs, er, love, with a washed-up “star”?
Why didn’t their families/friends stop them from auditioning in the first place?
So many questions!

How long will people watch this garbage? We don’t know, but we’re certainly not going to tune in.

Now, Rock of Love 3 with Courtney Love instead of Bret Michaels? That might be interesting!

Free Bret Michaels Poison mp3 music downloads:

Poison—“Every Rose Has Its Thorn”
Poison—“Nothing But a Good Time”