When they appeared in the early '80s, Asia seemed to be a holdover from the '70s, when supergroups and self-important progressive rockers reigned supreme. Featuring members of such seminal art rock bands as King Crimson (John Wetton), Emerson, Lake & Palmer (Carl Palmer), and Yes (Steve Howe), as well as Geoff Downes from the Buggles, Asia did feature stretches of indulgent instrumentals on their records. However, they also could be surprisingly poppy, and that is what brought them to the top of the charts with their debut album, Asia, and its hit single, "Heat of the Moment." Alpha, their second album, also had a couple of hits ("Don't Cry" and "The Smile Has Left Your Eyes") but its follow-up, Astra, was a flop. The group disbanded in 1985, only to reunite in 1990 without John Wetton; John Payne took his place. After churning out a couple of new songs for a greatest-hits collection, the band hit the road, including two sold-out dates in front of 20,000 fans in Moscow, of all places. Thereafter, they toured sporadically and released the albums Aqua (in 1992) and Aria (in 1994).

Asia began with the apparent demise of Yes and Emerson, Lake & Palmer, two of the flagship bands of British progressive rock. After the break-up of King Crimson in 1974, various plans for a super group involving bassist John Wetton had been mooted, including the abortive British Bulldog project with Bill Bruford and Rick Wakeman in 1976. Wakeman left this project at the urging of management, according to Bill Bruford. In 1977, Bruford and Wetton were reunited in UK, augmented by guitarist Allan Holdsworth and keyboardist/violinist Eddie Jobson. Their eponymous debut was released in 1978. By January 1980, UK had folded after one lineup change and three recordings. A new supergroup project was then suggested involving Wetton, Wakeman, drummer Carl Palmer and (then little known) guitarist Trevor Rabin, but Wakeman left this project too shortly before they were due to sign to Geffen and before they had played together.Wetton's Caught in the Crossfire solo album (1980) did not fare very well in England.

In early 1981, Wetton and former Yes guitarist Steve Howe were brought together by A&R man John Kalodner and Geffen Records to start writing material for a new album. By this point, progressive rock bands such as Yes and Emerson, Lake and Palmer had folded, so many qualified musicians were available for this proposed group. They were eventually joined by drummer Carl Palmer, and finally by Howe's recent Yes cohort, keyboardist Geoff Downes. Two other players auditioned and considered during the band's formation were former The Move and ELO founder Roy Wood and South African guitarist/singer Trevor Rabin, who would go on to be part of a reformed Yes in 1983. Rabin, in a filmed 1984 interview included in the DVD 9012Live, said that his involvement with Asia never went anywhere because "there was no chemistry" among the participants.

The band's first recordings, under the auspices of Geffen record label head David Geffen and Kalodner, were considered disappointing by music critics and fans of traditional progressive rock, who found the music closer to radio-friendly Album-oriented rock. However, Asia clicked with fans of popular arena acts such as Journey, Boston and Styx. Indeed, Kalodner had once introduced Wetton to Journey's short-lived frontman Robert Fleischman, who had penned such Journey classics "Anytime" and "Wheel in the Sky," with a view to Fleischman becoming Asia's lead-singer. Fleischman was already known to bandmember Carl Palmer. However, as they worked on material together, Fleischman was impressed by Wetton's singing and felt the voice best suited to the new material was Wetton's own. Leaving Asia amicably, Fleischman returned to America eventually to work on several projects with ex-KISS guitarist Vinnie Vincent. Rolling Stone gave Asia an indifferent review, while still acknowledging the band's musicianship was a cut above the usual AOR expectations.

Source: Wikipedia

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Taking their name from the Anthony Burgess novel -A Clockwork Orange, the U.K. techno-pop trio Heaven 17 grew out of the experimental dance project the British Electric Foundation, itself an offshoot of the electro-pop outfit Human League.

The core of Heaven 17 was comprised of Martyn Ware and Ian Craig Marsh, a pair of onetime computer operators who first teamed in 1977 as the Dead Daughters, a duo which integrated synthesizer patterns with a heavy reliance on tape loops. Soon, Ware and Marsh were joined by Philip Oakey and Adi Newton and changed their name to the Human League, where they remained before exiting together in 1980.

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As a means of establishing the synthesizer as an expressive, human instrument, Marsh and Ware formed the British Electric Foundation, a production project which employed a variety of musicians and singers including Tina Turner, Sandie Shaw, and Gary Glitter. The B.E.F.'s debut, 1980's Music of Quality and Distinction, Vol. 1, also included vocalist Glenn Gregory, a former photographer whom Ware and Marsh met at a Sheffield drama center; in 1981, the duo enlisted Gregory for Heaven 17, the first and most successful B.E.F. alter ego, and debuted with the single "(We Don't Need This) Fascist Groove Thang," a minor hit banned by the BBC over its title. An album, Penthouse and Pavement, followed the same year.

By the release of 1983's The Luxury Gap, the B.E.F. had fallen by the wayside, and Heaven 17 had become Ware and Marsh's primary focus; the LP proved highly successful, spawning the hit singles "Temptation," "Come Live With Me," "Crushed by the Wheels of Industry," and "Let Me Go." The follow-up, How Men Are, was another British hit, but the group receded from view after its release; when they returned in 1986 with the album Pleasure One, it was with a number of guest musicians and vocalists.

After the commerical failure of 1988's Teddy Bear, Duke & Psycho, Heaven 17 officially disbanded; Ware focused on production chores and worked on Terence Trent D'Arby's debut Introducing the Hardline According to Terence Trent D'Arby. In 1990, he and Marsh resurrected the B.E.F. aegis, releasing Music of Quality and Distinction, Vol. 2 the following year. In 1996, a reformed Heaven 17 returned with Bigger Than America.

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Sonic Youth were one of the most unlikely success stories of underground American rock in the '80s. Where contemporaries artists such as Hüsker Dü and R.E.M. were fairly conventional in terms of song structure and melody, Sonic Youth began their career by abandoning any pretense of traditional rock & roll conventions. Borrowing heavily from the free-form noise experimentalism of the Velvet Underground and The Stooges, and melding it with a performance art aesthetic borrowed from the New York post-punk avant-garde, Sonic Youth redefined what noise meant within rock & roll. Sonic Youth rarely rocked, though they were inspired directly by hardcore punk, post-punk, and no wave. Instead, their dissonance, feedback, and alternate tunings created a new sonic landscape, one that redefined what rock guitar could do.

The band's trio of independent late-'80s records, EVOL, Sister, Daydream Nation, became touchstones for a generation of indie rockers who either replicated the noise or reinterpreted it in a more palatable setting. As their career progressed, Sonic Youth grew more palatable as well, as their more free-form songs began to feel like compositions and their shorter works began to rock harder. During the '90s, most American indie bands, and many British underground bands, displayed a heavy debt to Sonic Youth, and the group itself had become a popular cult band, with each of its albums charting in the Top 100.

Such success was unthinkable when guitarists Thurston Moore and Lee Ranaldo formed Sonic Youth with bassist Kim Gordon in 1981. Moore had spent his childhood in Bethel, CT; Ranaldo was from Long Island. Both guitarists arrived in Manhattan during the height of the New York-based post-punk no wave movement, and began performing with the avant-garde composer Glenn Branca, whose dissonant, guitar-based music provided the basis for much of Sonic Youth's early music. Moore's girlfriend Gordon had been active in the avant and no wave scenes for some time, and the pair helped stage the Noise Festival, in which the band made its live debut during the summer of 1981. At the time, Sonic Youth also featured keyboardist Anne DeMarinis and drummer Richard Edson. DeMarinis left the band shortly afterward, and the quartet recorded its eponymous debut EP, which was released on Branca's Neutral Records the following year. During 1983, Edson left the band to pursue an acting career and he was replaced by Bob Bert, who drummed on the group's debut album, Confusion Is Sex (1983). The band supported the album with its first European tour. Later that year, the group released the EP Kill Yr Idols on the German Zensor label.

Early in 1984, Moore attempted to land the band a contract with the British indie label Doublevision, but the label rejected the demos. Paul Smith, one of the owners of Doublevision, decided to form Blast First Records in order to release Sonic Youth records. Soon, he received a distribution deal from the hip U.K. indie label Rough Trade, and the band had its first label with strong distribution. During all these record label negotiations in 1984, the cassette-only live album Sonic Death: Sonic Youth Live was released on Ecstatic Peace. Bad Moon Rising, the group's first album for Blast First, was released in 1985 to strong reviews throughout the underground music press. The album was markedly different from their earlier releases, it was the first record they made that incorporated their dissonant, feedback-drenched experimentations within relatively straightforward pop song structures. Following the release of the Death Valley '69 EP, Bert was replaced by Steve Shelley, who became the group's permanent drummer.

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Bad Moon Rising had attracted significant attention throughout the American underground, including some offers from major labels. Instead, Sonic Youth decided to sign with SST, home of Hüsker Dü and Black Flag, releasing EVOL in 1986. With EVOL, the group a became fixture on college radio, and its status grew significantly with 1987's Sister, which was heavily praised by mainstream publications like Rolling Stone. The group's profile increased further with the 1988 Ciccone Youth side project The Whitey Album, which was a tongue-in-cheek tribute to Madonna and other parts of mainstream pop culture. The band's true breakthrough was the double album Daydream Nation. Released on Enigma Records, Daydream Nation was a tour de force that was hailed as a masterpiece upon its fall 1988 release, and it generated a college radio hit with "Teenage Riot". Though the album was widely praised, Enigma suffered from poor distribution and eventually bankruptcy, which meant the album occasionally wasn't in stores. These factors contributed heavily to the band's decision to move to the major label DGC in 1990.

Signing a contract that gave them complete creative control, as well as letting them function as pseudo-A&R reps for the label, Sonic Youth established a precedent for alternative bands moving to majors during the '90s, proving that it was possible to preserve indie credibility on a major label. Released in the fall of 1990, Goo, the band's first major-label album, boasted a more focused sound, yet it didn't abandon the group's noise aesthetics. The result was a college radio hit, and the group's first album to crack the Top 100. Neil Young invited Sonic Youth to open for him on his arena tour for Ragged Glory, and though they failed to win over much of the rocker's audience, it represented their first major incursion into the mainstream; it also helped make Young a cult figure within the alternative circles during the '90s.

For their second major-label album, Dirty, Sonic Youth attempted to replicate the sloppy, straightforward sound of grunge rockers Mudhoney and Nirvana. The band had been supporting those two Seattle-based groups for several years (and had released a split single with Mudhoney and brought Nirvana to DGC Records), and while the songs on Dirty were hardly grunge, it was more pop-oriented and accessible than earlier Sonic Youth records. Produced by Butch Vig, who also produced Nirvana's Nevermind, Dirty became an alternative hit upon its summer 1992 release, generating the modern rock hits "100%", "Youth Against Fascism", and "Sugar Kane". Sonic Youth quickly became hailed as one of the godfathers of the alternative rock that had become the most popular form of rock music in the U.S., and Dirty became a hit along with the exposure, eventually going gold.

Sonic Youth again worked with Vig for 1994's Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star, which entered the U.S. charts at number 34 and the U.K. charts at number ten, making it their highest-charting album ever. The high chart position was proof of their popularity during the previous two years, as it received decidedly mixed reviews and quickly fell down the charts. Later in 1994, Moore and Gordon, who had married several years before, had their first child, a daughter named Coco Haley. Sonic Youth agreed to headline 1995's American Lollapalooza package tour, using the earnings to build a new studio. Following the completion of the tour, Sonic Youth released Washing Machine, which received their strongest reviews since Daydream Nation. After a series of experimental EPs issued on their own SYR label, they resurfaced in 1998 with the full-length A Thousand Leaves. NYC Ghosts & Flowers, which featured Jim O'Rourke as a producer and musician, followed in the spring of 2000. O'Rourke became a full member of the group, touring with the band and appearing on and producing 2002's Murray Street.

The five-piece Sonic Youth returned in 2004 with Sonic Nurse; one year later, however, O'Rourke departed the band to pursue a career as a film director. Late in 2005, the remaining bandmates issued SYR 6, a recording of a benefit concert for the Anthology Film Archives that Sonic Youth had played alongside percussionist Tim Barnes. Rather Ripped, a fusion of the mellow, sprawling feel of the band's previous two albums with a more stripped-down sound, was released in 2006. In 2008, the band resurrected the SYR series: J'Accuse Ted Hughes arrived that spring as a vinyl-only release, while Andre Sider Af Sonic Youth chronicled an improvised performance at 2005's Roskilde Festival. They also assembled a compilation album for Starbucks, Hits Are for Squares, featuring the previously unreleased track "Slow Revolution". Before the busy year concluded, Sonic Youth made additional headlines by leaving the Geffen label and signing with Matador, which prepared to issue the band's 16h album, The Eternal, during the following spring. artistdirect.com

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US heavy-rock band, Guns N’ Roses, formed in the mid-80s. Axl Rose (originally named William Bailey, but changed his name to an anagram of ‘Oral Sex’) and Izzy Stradlin met in 1984.

They formed a band with Tracii Guns (guitar) and Rob Gardner (drums) and were named in turn, Rose, Hollywood Rose and L.A. Guns. Soon afterwards, Guns and Gardener left, replaced by drummer Steven Adler (drums) and guitarist Slash. With bassist, Duff McKagan, the band was renamed Guns N’ Roses and in 1986, the band signed to Geffen Records. During 1987 they toured extensively. In 1988, Rose was kicked out but was reinstated within three days. ‘Appetite For Destruction’ sold 20 million copies worldwide and reached US number 1 within a year. ‘Welcome To The Jungle’ was used on the soundtrack of the Clint Eastwood movie ‘Dead Pool’. It was the album that propelled them to stardom.

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The band toured regularly, but also controversially in the US and Europe and in 1989, ‘G N’ R Lies’ became a transatlantic hit. However, Guns N’ Roses’ career was littered with incidents involving drugs, drunkenness and public-disturbance offences. In 1990, Adler was replaced by Matt Sorum, followed by Dizzy Reed for a 1991 world tour. The band then released ‘Use Your Illusions I and II’ – reaching US numbers 1 and 2, preceded by a cover version of Bob Dylan’s ‘Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door’. Slash’s growing reputation led him to make guest appearances for Dylan and Michael Jackson.

At the end of 1993, the covers album ‘Spaghetti Incident’ was issued. Duff released his debut solo album and Stradlin was replaced by a number of guitarists including Zakk Wylde (ex-Ozzy Osbourne), who fell out irreconcilably with Axl before recording a note. Slash confirmed Rose’s departure in November 1996, reversed in February 1997 when Rose allegedly purchased the right to the Guns N’ Roses name.

Backed by new personnel, Axl embarked on ‘The Chinese Democracy’ tour and finished the bands long awaited new album. On November 13, 2008, ten days before the official release of the ‘Chinese Democracy’ album, the ‘Chinese Democracy’ single topped the general iTunes Music Store chart in Greece, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and Finland. In addition to being the No. 1 song and No. 1 rock song in these countries, it became the No. 1 rock song on iTunes in the U.S., Canada, France and the U.K.

Mathew Jones

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LA GUNS

Bad English were an American rock band in 1988 formed by Jonathan Cain (keyboards), John Waite (singer) and Ricky Philips (bass). The members decided on a name for the band while playing pool. John Waite missed a shot and Jonathan Cain made a comment on how bad his ‘English’ was (referring to the spin a player puts on the cue ball) and the band decided to use the phrase. Jonathan Cain and guitarist Neal Schon, who had enjoyed huge success in Journey, formed Bad English with Waite after Journey disbanded.

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The first album entitled, ‘Bad English’ was a big seller with hit singles, including the number one power ballad hit ‘When I See You Smile’ written by Diane Warren. The track "Best of What I Got", was featured in the soundtrack to 1989's ‘Tango and Cash’. The album enjoyed platinum status and rocketed the band to the top of the soft rock scene.

The band's second album in 1991, ‘Backlash’ was a flop and did not make much impression. The only single, ‘Straight To Your Heart,’ just missed the Top 40, peaking at number 42. Ricky Phillips claimed that the group had parted company before the second album had been finalized. Both Phillips and Schon expressed frustration with the ‘pop’ side of the band’s songs and wanted a harder edge. In the end, it proved to be the band's undoing as everyone left to pursue other projects.

Waite revealed that although he loved playing to stadium audiences, he was uncomfortable with the corporate rock image that he felt the band had presented and has been a solo artist ever since. The band released a compilation album, ‘The Lost Tapes’ in 2002, however it failed to make any serious impression, as it did not reach the top 40 by a long way.

Bad English drummer Deen Castronovo later went on to join a reformed Journey with singer Steve Augeri, Neal Schon, Jonathan Cain, and Ross Valory. Castrovono also featured on Ozzy Osbourne's album, ‘Ozzmosis’ in 1995.

Discography:

Bad English, 1989

Backlash, 1991

Source: Mathew Jones

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Anthrax were influential for the emergence of speed and thrash metal. Combining the speed and fury of hardcore punk with the prominent guitars and vocals of heavy metal, they helped create a new subgenre of heavy metal on their early albums and they were likening to bands such as Metallica and Megadeth. Original guitarists Scott Ian and Dan Spitz were a formidable pair, spitting out lightning-fast riffs and solos that shook the music industry.

Unlike Metallica or Megadeth, they had the good sense to temper their often serious music with a healthy dose of humor and realism. After their first album, ‘Fistful of Metal’, singer Joey Belladonna and bassist Frank Bello joined the lineup. Belladonna helped take the band farther away from conventional metal, and over the next five albums, Anthrax arguably became the leaders of speed metal.

As the '80s became the '90s, they also began to increase their experiments with hip-hop, culminating in a tour with Public Enemy in 1991 and a joint re-recording of PE's classic ‘Bring the Noise.’ After their peak period of the late '80s, Anthrax kicked Belladonna out of the band in 1992 and replaced him with ex-Armored Saint vocalist John Bush -- a singer that was gruffer and deeper, fitting most metal conventions perfectly. Subsequently, their sound became less unique and their audience shrank slightly as a consequence, and after signing to Elektra for 1993's ‘Sound of White Noise’, the group left the label after just one more album, 1995's ‘Stomp 442’.

At this point, Anthrax, now a four-piece consisting of Ian, Bush, Bello, and drummer Charlie Benante, built their own studio in Yonkers, NY, and after a three-year hiatus returned with their Ignition label debut ‘The Threat Is Real, Vol. 8’.

1999 saw the release of Anthrax's very first "hits" collection, titled ‘Return of the Killer A's: The Best Of’, also their first release for the Beyond label. The album included a cover of "Ball of Confusion," which featured a duet between current frontman Bush and former vocalist Belladonna. A proposed tour that was to include both vocalists was announced, but on the eve of its launch, Belladonna pulled out, reportedly for monetary reasons. The tour carried on as Anthrax signed on to participate in a package tour during the summer of 2000 with Mötley Crüe and Megadeth, but left the tour after only playing a handful of dates.

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Anthrax appeared on the Twisted Sister tribute album Twisted Forever in 2001 and began recording their next album the same year. In addition, guitarist Ian found time to regularly host the metal television program Rock Show on VH1, plus he appeared as part of the fictional metal band Titannica in the film Run, Ronnie, Run. VH1 programming heads eventually replaced Ian with Sebastian Bach, but the band was ready to head back into the studio anyway.

New guitarist Rob Caggiano joined in the spring of 2002, just in time for the recording. A year later, Anthrax made their Sanctuary debut with 'We've Come for You All'. The band's dynamic hadn't changed, and touring in support of that album was met with overwhelming success. The CD/DVD set 'Music of Mass Destruction: Live in Chicago', which arrived in spring 2004, celebrated Anthrax's two decades in the business. Then, in 2005, Anthrax's entire original lineup of Ian, Spitz, Belladonna, Benante, and Bello reunited for a tour and the CD/DVD retrospective 'Anthrology: No Hit Wonders [1985-1991]'. Anthrax also issued 'Alive 2', recorded during their summer 2005 reuninon tour.

For The Record:
Members include Frank Bello (born July 9, 1965; replaced Dan Lilker, 1984), bass; Charlie Benante (replaced Greg D'Angelo, early 1980s), drums; John Bush (replaced Joey Belladonna [born October 30, in Oswego, NY; replaced Neil Turbin, 1984], 1992), vocals; Scott Ian (born Scott Ian Rosenfeld), guitar; and Dan Spitz (replaced Greg Walls, early 1980s), guitar.

Band formed in New York, NY, 1981; signed with Megaforce Records, 1983, and released debut album, Fistful of Metal, 1984; signed with Island Records, and released Spreading the Disease, 1986; signed with Elektra Entertainment, 1992, and released Sound of White Noise, 1993.

Awards: Sound of White Noise named best metal album in Guitar Player's Readers Poll, 1994.

Addresses: Record company—Elektra Entertainment, 345 North Maple Dr., Ste. 123, Beverly Hills, CA 90210.

Euphoria included "Make Me Laugh," a tirade against television evangelism; a cover of the French rock band Trust's "Antisocial"; "Now It's Dark," inspired by the David Lynch film Blue Velvet; and "Misery Loves Company," penned in response to the Stephen King novel Misery.

Aside from the pantheon of popular culture, the band focused on social and political upheaval, while still managing to maintain the comic appeal they had begun to develop earlier. Ian outlined his personal agenda for social renewal to Melody Maker, venturing, "I think there should be a limited number of zombies in circulation, so that people could give vent to their frustrations by beating them up with bats. I think that could be socially useful."

In an effort to prevent exhaustion and their own frustrations, Anthrax took a three-month vacation from recording, touring, and each other to regain their creative energies—the first in three years. Then, just as they began their next project, a major setback hit the band: in January of 1990, Anthrax narrowly escaped injury in a serious fire at their studio. The bandmembers formed a human chain to try to save their equipment, but the conflagration ultimately caused more than $100,000 worth of damage to Anthrax's gear and destroyed the entire studio.

Source: Sonya Shelton

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Pat Benatar's polished mainstream pop/rock made her one of the more popular female vocalists of the early '80s. Although she came on like an arena rocker with her power chords, tough sexuality, and powerful vocals, her music was straight pop/rock underneath all the bluster. Born Patricia Andrzejewski on January 10, 1953, in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, the singer was raised in the nearby town of Lindenhurst on Long Island, NY. Benatar began singing regularly in the New York City area by the '70s, where she was discovered at the Catch a Rising Star club and signed by Chrysalis Records. Backed by a stellar band led by guitarist Neil Geraldo (who the singer would later marry) that provided the perfect accompaniment that was able to effortlessly alternate between rockers and ballads. Benatar quickly established herself as one of rock's top vocalists, scoring a hit right of the bat with her debut album, 1979's In the Heat of the Night, which spawned such radio favorites as "Heartbreaker" and "I Need a Lover" (the latter of which was written by a then-unknown John Mellencamp). 

Benator's sophomore effort, 1980's Crimes of Passion, more than delivered on the debut's promise and it's often considered to be the finest recording of her career. Spurred on by such classic rock radio standards as "Hit Me With Your Best Shot," "Treat Me Right," and "You Better Run," the album was certified platinum shortly after its release and Benatar became a certified arena headliner in the U.S. Benatar also became one of the most-played artists during MTV's early days, received several Grammy Awards around this time, and continued to enjoy massive hits and sold-out tours throughout the early to mid-'80s, including such albums as 1981's Precious Time, 1982's Get Nervous, 1983's Live from Earth, 1984's Tropico, 1985's Seven the Hard Way, and 1988's Wide Awake in Dreamland, plus the singles "Fire & Ice," "Promises in the Dark," "Shadows of the Night," "Love Is a Battlefield," "We Belong," and "Invincible." But by the end of the decade, it appeared as though Benatar had fallen of the face of the Earth as the hits seemed to dry up.

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Benatar opted to shift musical gears and issue an album of blues and R&B, 1991's True Love, which failed to return the singer back to the top of the charts. Benatar returned back to her patented arena rock sound with such further studio releases as 1993's Gravity's Rainbow and 1997's Innamorata (although the latter of which was largely acoustic-based) and while the albums didn't exactly measure up to her earlier releases, both were solid efforts. The late '90s saw a pair of live archival releases hit record store shelves, 1998's 8-15-80 and 1999's The King Biscuit Flower Hour Live, in addition to countless hits collections (although the best of the bunch proved to be 1989's Best Shots, which remains a steady seller to this day). The singer began touring again by the middle of the decade (after taking a five-year hiatus from the road), co-headlining shows with REO Speedwagon, Fleetwood Mac, the Steve Miller Band, and Styx. She also continued to dabble in acting, appearing in the ABC Afterschool Special Torn Between Two Fathers and on various sitcoms. In August 2003, Benatar returned to recording with Go (Vanguard), her first studio LP since 1997's Innamorata. The LP revisited the arena rock/MOR sound that had defined Benatar's career, and was accompanied by an extensive tour.

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The Bee Gees were an English band formed of a trio of brothers – Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb. The band are most famous for the work they did in the 1960s and 1970s initially as a harmonic soft rock group before becoming the foremost stars of the disco era. Their distinctive harmonies were instantly recognizable from Robin’s clear vibrato and Barry’s falsetto, during their disco days.

The majority of the Bee Gees hits were co-written by the brothers and they also wrote and produced hits for an array of other artists. They began their musical career in Australia where they achieved chart success before returning to the UK and gaining international fame under producer Roger Stigwood. It has been estimated that the band have sold in excess of 200 million records which makes them one of the best selling artists of all time. In 1997 they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame where their citation reads, “Only Elvis Presley, The Beatles, Michael Jackson, Garth Brooks and Paul McCartney have outsold the Bee Gees”.

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The second British single the Bee Gees released, “New York Mining Disaster 1941”, was issued to radio stations with a white label and just the song title. Many DJs assumed it was a new Beatles track and began playing it on heavy rotation. This helped the track climb into the Top 20 of the UK and US charts. Their next single, “To Love Somebody” was also a Top 20 hit and has been covered by Gram Parsons, Janis Joplin, Nina Simone, Michael Bolton, The Animals and Rod Stewart.

Their first album, “Bee Gees 1st” peaked at No. 7 in the US and No. 8 in the UK and the follow up, “Horizontal” produced No.1 single “Massachusetts”. They released their third album, “Idea” in 1968 which was another Top 20 hit on both sides of the pond. 1969 saw Robin leave the band as he felt Barry was being favoured as the frontman. The band continued without him and released, “Cucumber Castle” but after poor sales Barry and Maurice split and it seemed like the end for the Bee Gees.

The band reunited in 1970 and after success with singles, “Lonely Days” and, “How Can You Mend A Broken Heart” the band faltered. They went to the US to work with soul music producer Arif Mardin who encouraged them to work with soul music and produced disco tracks, “Jive Talkin” and “Nights on Broadway” which featured Barry’s first attempts at singing falsetto.

Then came their work on the “Saturday Night Fever soundtrack” which came to be a major turning point in their career. They had worldwide No.1 singles with, “How Deep Is Your Love”, “Stayin’ Alive” and “Night Fever” and the album soundtrack became a best seller with over 40 million copies sold.

In 2003 Maurice died suddenly from a strangulated intestine and the remaining brothers decided to retire the name and have worked independently, releasing recordings with other artists, only sometimes coming together to record.

For The Record:

Group comprised of brothers Barry (given name, Douglas; born Isle of Man, England, September 1, 1947), and Robin and Maurice (twins; born Manchester, England, December 22, 1949) Gibb; sons of Hugh Gibb (a bandleader). Began performing in England in 1955 under various names, including the Rattlesnakes, the Bluecats, and Wee Johnny Hays and the Bluecats; family moved to Brisbane, Australia, 1958; began performing as the Bee Gees (for Brothers Gibb), 1958; signed first recording contract with Festival Records, 1962; hosted own TV show in Australia during 1960s; international recording artists, 1967—.

Awards: Grammy Award for best pop vocal performance by a group, for single "How Deep Is Your Love?," 1977, and for album of the year, best pop vocal performance by a group, best producer of the year, and best arrangement for voices, all 1978, all for album Saturday Night Fever.

Addresses: Office—Kragen, 1112 N. Sherbourne Dr., Los Angeles, CA 90069. Record company—Warner Bros. Records, 3300 Warner Blvd., Burbank, CA 91505.

Discography:

First, Atco, 1967.

Horizontal, Atco, 1968, Polydor, 1987.

Idea, Atco, 1968, Polydor, 1987.

Rare, Precious and Beautiful, Atco, 1968.

Best, Atco, 1969, RSO, 1987.

Odessa (double album), Atco, 1969.

Odessa (condensed), 1969.

Rare, Precious and Beautiful, Vol 2, Atco, 1970.

Cucumber Castle, Atco, 1970.

Two Years On, Atco, 1970, RSO, 1989.

Melody (soundtrack), Atco, 1971.

Trafalgar, Atco, 1971, RSO, 1989.

To Whom It May Concern, Atco, 1972.

Life in a Tin Can, RSO, 1973.

Best, Vol. 2, RSO, 1973, reissued, 1987.

Mister Natural, RSO, 1974.

Main Course, RSO, 1975, Polydor, 1988.

Children of the World, RSO, 1976, reissued, 1989.

Gold, Vol. 1, RSO, 1976.

Here at Last... Live (double album), RSO, 1977.

Saturday Night Fever (soundtrack), RSO, 1977.

Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (soundtrack; double album), RSO, 1978.

Spirits Having Flown, RSO, 1979, reissued, 1989.

Greatest Hits (double album), RSO, 1979.

Liviní Eyes, RSO, 1982.

E.S.P., Warner Bros., 1988.

One, Warner Bros., 1989.

This information is provided as a brief overview and not as a definitive guide, there are other sources on the net for that. If however you have a story or information that is not generally known we would love to hear from you. Content@rokpool.com

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Although she's only managed a few hits in the U.S. since her arrival as a singer in 1987, Kylie Minogue is both Australia's and Europe's biggest-selling female pop singer over that period and a pop culture icon in those areas. Her image on the cover of magazines is guaranteed to produce extra sales. But a singing career was never what Minogue had in mind for herself.

Minogue was born on May 28, 1968, in Melbourne. In 1979, she began her acting career in the Australian TV drama series Skyways, eventually gaining a starring role in a children's series, The Henderson Kids, before achieving national fame in the five-days-a-week soap opera Neighbours. Around the time Minogue joined, Neighbours also started airing in the U.K.

A major celebrity on the basis of her Neighbours popularity, Minogue had agreed to give a charity performance in the company of other personalities, choosing to sing Little Eva's "Loco-Motion." Someone hit on the idea of submitting a tape of the performance to local record company, Mushroom, who didn't think much of the demo but saw the potential in releasing a single by the extremely popular young TV star. In their wildest dreams no one imagined a national number one record with the recorded version of "Loco-Motion" (July 1987).

At that time, Mushroom Records had formed a business relationship with London hit factory Stock, Aitken & Waterman (Dead or Alive, Mel & Kim, Samantha Fox, Bananarama, Rick Astley), who also saw potential in working with the popular actress, but she wasn't a priority. In fact, when Minogue turned up at their London studios they had forgotten she was coming and quickly wrote her a song while she waited. The result, "I Should Be So Lucky," gave Minogue the second of her six Australian number one singles and the first of her five English number ones. Now she became a priority for Stock, Aitken & Waterman. As was their way, Stock, Aitken & Waterman wrote and produced her records and they controlled her video image. Their re-recorded "Loco-Motion" put Minogue in the Top Ten in the U.S. In Australia, the U.K., and Europe, Minogue was scoring hit after hit and quickly left Neighbours to meet the demand on her.

If she was ever just along for the ride, Minogue took her first step toward control over her career with her 1990 single "Better the Devil You Know," not letting Stock, Aitken & Waterman see the video she was making for the song until it was completed. SAW insisted on casting her in a girl-next-door mode, while Minogue opted for a saucier Madonna-like image. It ensured her continued success and reputation as a celebrity beyond the pop charts. With her fourth album, Let's Get to It (1991), the singer also insisted on lyrical input.

Kylie Minogue ended up leaving Stock, Aitken & Waterman and recorded two albums, Kylie Minogue and Impossible Princess, with London dance label Deconstruction. A romantic relationship with INXS singer Michael Hutchence had encouraged her to experiment musically. While the backbone of both albums was the Brothers in Rhythm team, Minogue was keen to work with a variety of people. One unlikely collaboration saw a duet with Nick Cave, especially written by Cave for his Murder Ballads album. "Where the Wild Roses Grow" featured a nude Minogue floating dead in the water for its video.

While Impossible Princess represented another major career turning point in Australia -- Minogue's transition to a concert performer -- in Europe the album was not considered a success. In 2000, she was encouraged by the Pet Shop Boys to switch to their label, Parlophone, and she re-emerged as the pop princess of old with the critical hit Light Years. The single "Spinning Around" went number one in both England and Australia. Her reign in music continued in 2001. Minogue issued Fever in October on the heels of the successful single "Can't Get You Out of My Head." Such hype around the song allowed it to become an global smash, earning Minogue two Brit Awards in February 2002 for Best International Female and Best International Album for Fever. Shortly thereafter, Fever was released in the U.S. on Capitol, landing Minogue her biggest U.S. hit in nearly 15 years with "Can't Get You Out of My Head." Spots on MTV's TRL and Saturday Night Live proved her power. Body Language appeared in 2004; Minogue won a Grammy that same year for Best Dance Recording.

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In March 2005, Minogue began Showgirl -- The Greatest Hits Tour in Glasgow, Scotland. Following 23 sold-out shows in the U.K. and 14 in Europe, she was forced to postpone her scheduled Australian dates due to a diagnosis of early-stage breast cancer. Minogue returned to the stage in November 2006 after a 12-month treatment and recovery period, playing shows in Australia as well as seven more dates in the U.K. She spent 2007 working on a number of projects, including her tenth studio album (X). Boombox followed in January 2009.

Without anything approaching Madonna's musical strength, like Madonna, Minogue ensured her survival with imaginative videos and by keeping fans guessing and intrigued with consistent changes of personal image. She also appeared in a number of movies over the years; 1999's Cut with Molly Ringwald was her eighth film appearance.

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