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Last Exit (British Band)
Last Exit was a British jazz fusion band formed in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, in 1974. It is best remembered as the group Sting was in before finding stardom with The Police. Biography Keyboardist Gerry Richardson and bassist Sting originally were members of the Newcastle Big Band. Frustrated by the band's lack of ambition and conservative repertoire, and influenced by more modern jazz ensembles like Weather Report and Return to Forever, they decided to form their own group. The band's name came from Hubert Selby Jr.'s novel ''Last Exit to Brooklyn''. The original line-up was drummer Ronnie Pearson (also of the Phoenix Jazzmen), guitarist John Hedley (later replaced by Terry Ellis), Richardson and Sting. The band was a leading act around Newcastle for several years. They released a single in 1975, "Whispering Voices/Evensong" (two Richardson compositions) on the Wudwink label, and later a tape called ''First from Last Exit'' featuring nine original songs. In 1976, Carol Wilso ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jazz Fusion
Jazz fusion (also known as fusion and progressive jazz) is a music genre that developed in the late 1960s when musicians combined jazz harmony and improvisation with rock music, funk, and rhythm and blues. Electric guitars, amplifiers, and keyboards that were popular in rock and roll started to be used by jazz musicians, particularly those who had grown up listening to rock and roll. Jazz fusion arrangements vary in complexity. Some employ groove-based vamps fixed to a single key or a single chord with a simple, repeated melody. Others use elaborate chord progressions, unconventional time signatures, or melodies with counter-melodies. These arrangements, whether simple or complex, typically include improvised sections that can vary in length, much like in other forms of jazz. As with jazz, jazz fusion can employ brass and woodwind instruments such as trumpet and saxophone, but other instruments often substitute for these. A jazz fusion band is less likely to use piano and dou ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stewart Copeland
Stewart Armstrong Copeland (born July 16, 1952) is a Scottish-American musician and composer. He is best known for his work as the drummer of the English rock band the Police from 1977 to 1986, and again from 2007 to 2008. Before playing with the Police, he played drums with English rock band Curved Air from 1975 to 1976. As a composer, his work includes the films ''Wall Street'' (1987), ''Men At Work'' (1990), '' Good Burger'' (1997), and '' We Are Your Friends'' (2015); the television shows ''The Equalizer'' (1985–1989), '' The Amanda Show'' (1999–2002), and '' Dead Like Me'' (2003–2004); and video games such as the '' Spyro'' series (1998–present) and '' Alone in the Dark: The New Nightmare'' (2001). He has also written various pieces of ballet, opera, and orchestral music. According to MusicRadar, Copeland's "distinctive drum sound and uniqueness of style has made him one of the most popular drummers to ever get behind a drumset". He was ranked the 10th best drumme ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
British Jazz Ensembles
British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, the English language as spoken and written in the United Kingdom or, more broadly, throughout the British Isles * Celtic Britons, an ancient ethno-linguistic group * Brittonic languages, a branch of the Insular Celtic language family (formerly called British) ** Common Brittonic, an ancient language Other uses *''Brit(ish)'', a 2018 memoir by Afua Hirsch *People or things associated with: ** Great Britain, an island ** United Kingdom, a sovereign state ** Kingdom of Great Britain (1707–1800) ** United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (1801–1922) See also * Terminology of the British Isles * Alternative names for the British * English (other) * Britannic (other) * British Isles * Brit (other) * Bri ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mercury Falling
''Mercury Falling'' is the fifth studio album by Sting, released in 1996. The album begins and ends with the words "mercury falling." In 1997, the album earned Sting two Grammy nominations for Best Pop Vocal Album and Best Male Pop Vocal Performance for "Let Your Soul Be Your Pilot". Songs The track "Twenty Five to Midnight" was excluded from the American and Canadian releases. It was included in the CD-Maxi Single of "You Still Touch Me", as the 4th track. "Valparaiso" was used during the closing credits of the 1996 film '' White Squall''. Track listing All songs written by Sting except where noted. B-sides #"Lullaby to an Anxious Child" #"Giacomo's Blues" #"Beneath a Desert Moon" #"Moonlight" #"This Was Never Meant to Be" #"The Pirate's Bride" #"The Bed's Too Big without You" Personnel * Sting – vocals, bass, arrangements * Kenny Kirkland – keyboards * Gerry Richardson – Hammond organ (3) * Dominic Miller – guitars, arrangements (8) * B. J. Cole – pedal stee ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ghost In The Machine (The Police Album)
''Ghost in the Machine'' is the fourth studio album by English rock band the Police. The album was released on 2 October 1981 by A&M Records. The songs were recorded between January and September 1981 during sessions that took place at AIR Studios in Montserrat and Le Studio in Quebec, assisted by record producer Hugh Padgham. ''Ghost in the Machine'' topped the UK Albums Chart and peaked at number two on the US ''Billboard'' 200. The album produced the highly successful singles "Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic", " Invisible Sun", and "Spirits in the Material World", with a fourth single, " Secret Journey", also being released in the US. ''Ghost in the Machine'' was listed at number 322 on ''Rolling Stone''s list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. The album was reissued in 1983 on CD. Production and recording After having produced the previous album ''Zenyatta Mondatta'' within a tight deadline of four weeks under pressure from the record company to deliver an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
So Lonely
"So Lonely" is a song by English rock band The Police, released as the third and final single in November 1978 from their debut studio album '' Outlandos d'Amour'' (1978), and again in February 1980 as a re-release. The song uses a reggae style, and featured Sting on lead vocals. "So Lonely" has since been covered by a variety of artists, such as Limbeck and The Militia Group. Background Sting admitted that he used Bob Marley's " No Woman, No Cry" as the basis for this song: Sting recycled the lyrics in the song's verses from his earlier Last Exit song "Fool in Love". The lyrics themselves, about someone who is lonely after getting his heart broken, were thought to be "ironic" to large audiences. Sting denied this claim, however, saying, "No, there's no irony whatsoever. From the outside it might look a bit strange, being surrounded by all this attention and yet experiencing the worst lonely feeling...but I do. And then suddenly the attention is withdrawn a half an hour ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Dream Of The Blue Turtles
''The Dream of the Blue Turtles'' is the first solo album by English musician Sting, released in June 1985. The album reached number three on the UK Albums Chart and number two on the US ''Billboard'' 200. Five singles were released from the album: "If You Love Somebody Set Them Free," "Fortress Around Your Heart," " Russians," "Moon Over Bourbon Street," and "Love Is the Seventh Wave". The album earned Grammy nominations for Album of the Year, Best Male Pop Vocal Performance, Best Jazz Instrumental Performance and Best Engineered Recording. Background and release Sting initially worked on tracks for his debut solo album with producers Torch Song: William Orbit, Laurie Mayer and Grant Gilbert. These sessions were more synth-driven and 'electrofunk' in nature than what eventually was recorded and released; Sting eventually decided against this direction, and instead decided to pursue more jazz-oriented music. The initial 1984 Torch Song sessions remain unreleased. The alb ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Outlandos D'Amour
''Outlandos d'Amour'' is the debut studio album by English rock band the Police, released on 2 November 1978 by A&M Records. Elevated by the success of its lead single, " Roxanne", ''Outlandos d'Amour'' peaked at No. 6 on the UK Albums Chart and at No. 23 on the ''Billboard'' 200. The album spawned two additional hit singles: " Can't Stand Losing You" and "So Lonely". Although ''Outlandos d'Amour'' received mixed reviews upon its release, it has since been regarded as one of the strongest debut albums. ''Rolling Stone'' ranked it as the 38th best debut album of all time and the 428th greatest album of all time. Background and recording With a budget of £1,500 borrowed from their manager, Miles Copeland (brother of drummer Stewart), the Police recorded ''Outlandos d'Amour'' at Surrey Sound Studios in an intermittent fashion over six months, with the band recording whenever the studio had free time or another band's sessions were cancelled. Miles Copeland had promised to p ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Synchronicity (The Police Album)
''Synchronicity'' is the fifth and final studio album by English rock band the Police, released on 17 June 1983 by A&M Records. The band's most successful release, the album includes the hit singles "Every Breath You Take", " King of Pain", " Wrapped Around Your Finger", and "Synchronicity II". The album's title and much of the material for the songs were inspired by Arthur Koestler's '' The Roots of Coincidence''. At the 1984 Grammy Awards the album was nominated for a total of five awards, including Album of the Year, and won three. At the time of its release and following its tour, the Police's popularity was at such a high that they were arguably, according to BBC and ''The Guardian'', the "biggest band in the world". ''Synchronicity'' reached number one on both the UK Albums Chart and the US ''Billboard'' 200, and sold over eight million copies in the US. The album was widely acclaimed by critics. Praise centred on its cohesive merging of disparate genres and sonic exp ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Reggatta De Blanc
''Reggatta de Blanc'' is the second studio album by British rock band the Police, released on 2 October 1979 by A&M Records. It was the band's first release to top the UK Albums Chart and features their first two UK number-one singles: " Message in a Bottle" and "Walking on the Moon". In early 1980, the album was reissued in the United States on two 10" discs, one album side per disc, and as a collector's edition with a poster of the band. The music features the Police's distinctive appropriation of reggae and frontman Sting's Caribbean vocal inflections. The album's title loosely translates in French to "White Reggae". It was the band's second album to bear a Franglais title, after their 1978 debut album '' Outlandos d'Amour''. ''Reggatta de Blanc'' proved more popular and successful than its predecessor. The title track earned the band their first Grammy Award for Best Rock Instrumental Performance. In 2003, ''Reggatta de Blanc'' was ranked at number 369 on ''Rolling Sto ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brimstone & Treacle (soundtrack)
''Brimstone & Treacle'' is the soundtrack for the 1982 film adaptation of the play ''Brimstone and Treacle'' directed by Richard Loncraine and starring Denholm Elliott, Joan Plowright and Sting. Sting and The Police wrote most of the original material on the album. The rest of the soundtrack was made of songs by other acts signed to A&M like The Go-Go's and Squeeze and a couple of traditional songs performed by the Finchley Children's Music Group and the ad-hoc formed Brimstone Chorale. The Police's "I Burn for You" is a song Sting originally wrote for the band Last Exit in the mid-1970s; he later offered it to The Police for ''Zenyatta Mondatta'' in 1980, but it was deemed "too sentimental" for their musical direction. The band eventually chose to record it for their fourth album ''Ghost In The Machine'' the following year, but it did not make the cut. Stewart Copeland's roadie Jeff Seitz played drums on "Only You" while the voice of actress Suzanna Hamilton can be heard on ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Bed's Too Big Without You
"The Bed's Too Big Without You" is a song by English rock band The Police, released as the final single from their second studio album '' Reggatta de Blanc'' (1979). It was written by lead vocalist and bassist Sting. An alternate version was released as a single in the UK in 1980 in the set '' Six Pack'' in conjunction with the re-release of the Police's earlier singles " Roxanne", " Can't Stand Losing You", " So Lonely", " Message in a Bottle" and "Walking on the Moon". It has been covered by a number of other artists, including Sting as a solo artist, Ranking Roger and Sheila Hylton. Background The themes of the song are loneliness and the pain of the end of a relationship. The lyrics were inspired by an incident in which Sting's first girlfriend, after being heartbroken upon their break-up, committed suicide. "The Bed's Too Big Without You" was first released on ''Reggatta de Blanc'' in 1979. However, the following year, the song saw a single release as a bonus single in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
