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Do you remember this top-selling song?
Hard to forget.
This on stage performance is from Burt Sugarman's Midnight Special. Most rock 'n' roll / pop bands of the day played on the late-night Friday show.
As you can hear, this song sounds different live than it does on the successful 45 single. Vocalist Bruce Blackman was known to be an expert in the studio, and with recording the song, Blackman tweaked his vocals masterfully in the studio.
"Moonlight Feels Right" came off as a definite memorable hit that would last for years after. Co-founder Bo Wagner is truly magic hitting the keys on that wild marimba instrument. Hard to imagine the song without the superb solo.
The recorded history behind "Moonlight Feels Right" goes something like this. Sometime during the summer of 1975, a New York based recording company agreed to release the one song upon hearing it. They believed it was a hit. "Moonlight Feels Right" was brought out September of that year, but it never got noticed by disc jockeys and was quickly forgotten about. Original band members went their seperated ways during this time, while guitarist Johnny Walker still accompanied himself with Bo and Bruce.
Then, something good finally happened for the remaining band members. A disc jockey in Birmingham, Alabama picked up the tune on his show, which got a lot of feedback from the stations listeners. Soon afterwards, the revived record got played nationwide and eventually went international. The summer of 1976, "Moonlight feels Right" could be heard almost anywhere a radio played. It was the right song at the time of its re-release.
With this success, Starbuck went on the road touring with newly added musicians. Starbuck opened for Hall & Oates, Boston, KC & the Sunshine Band, Seals & Croft, ELO, from the years 1976 to 1980. Starbuck also appeared on television programs, Merv Griffin, Solid Gold, Dinah Shore, American Bandstand, and The Peter Marshall Show. Another single was released in 1977, "Everybody Be Dancin'" which also went on the record charts.
However, Starbuck's subsequent singles that were released failed to capture the distinctive pop sound of "Moonlight Feels Right."
The band members have mostly remained in Atlanta to this day.
Song composer Blackman is now known for being associated with an on-line retail service, as well as having his own production and publishing corporation.
He has also worked on movie soundtracks, and his daughters career. "Moonlight Feels Right" has since become a staple of nostalgia radio stations.
*E*
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Cool
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Added: 29th July 2009
Views: 4282
Rating: 
Posted By: Electricland |
 
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In 1973, Jack Palance was given the lead role in Dan Curtis's "Dracula". Curtis was known as being involved with the vampire soap opera "Dark Shadows." Jack Palance disliked the role of Count Dracula, this was once he got his teeth in the well-produced made-for-television film.
Over years, he would be often asked about portraying the vampire, but declined.
This early 70s version of the well-known Halloween tale was not broadcast til four months after the fact from its original October broadcast date. Dracula had been sidetracked by the vice-presidential nomination of Gerald Ford. This was due to the infamous mess that had been created at the time in the White House. The remake was finally shown mid-winter of 1974. For kids, this was one memorable vampire not to be forgotten.*E*
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Scary
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Vee
Added: 1st August 2009
Views: 776
Rating: 
Posted By: Electricland |
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"Bennie and the Jets" was a Bernie Taupin song from a now renowned album that spent two whole months at number one in America. The 70s vinyl masterpiece is still bought over and over on CD now. This is due to its extended re-issues. Originally intended to be recorded in Jamaica, but later cancelled over the lack of studio equipment and country unrest. The hired staff responsible for the entire album were without any doubt in their mind unsafe. Elton was relieved to be able to get outta the Jamaican surroundings. Elton and the band decided to take themselves back over the Atlantic to a better equipped studio. A top-line recording studio they previously recorded in without turmoil. The mansion-sized studio was famous for many recordings. Artists such as Pink Floyd, The Bee Gees, and David Bowie brought out what is universally accepted as great albums from weeks in there. The particular studio, just conveniently located outside the city of Paris, France, situated right in a white chateau, alike Jackson's Neverland; which was more relaxing for the band to create something better than they had ever done previously.
With being surrounded by island crime threats, Elton and Bernie accomplished absolutely nothing in Jamaica. As it turned out, the result the team had presented to their record company was something that had various songs. Elton and Bernie's compositions had really no real connection to each other when listened. The appearance of a new Elton LP anywhere at this time was an event. Tens of thousands of albums were bought monthly. Almost by mistake, music fans noticed the unique 45 "stand-out" single.
"Bennie and the Jets," shot automatically up the crowded music charts the following year of '74. We all know, the early 70s was a "hot-bed" of fantastic music being ushered out monthly. Bernie Taupin's content filled song captured a generation successfully. With this classic song, if you carefully listen in on the studio version of "Bennie and the Jets" you will hear a series of enhancing sound effects that blended into it like water into a teabag. Elton was lucky to have hired an experienced, supportive album producer. Gus Dudgeon, who being aside him had a marvellous ear for making radio songs fuller and more ambient. And was known for being able to get the correct instruments in-line with the others to create an album of Bernie Taupin's lyrics flow into something long remembered. Gus Dudgeon wanted this LP to be uplifting considering the songs were quite gloomy in parts.
Bernie wrote down a visual-minded album for Elton to compose music with.
The producer created with the two an already hit-filled album of their combined songs. "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" has over the years become Elton John's top-selling album. In this seemingly live version, the Saturday TV program 'Soul Train' shows "Bennie and the Jets" found an audience with Black America. This was thanks to a bit of luck from a music insider who had an ear for cross-over hits. Elton had thought the song would never be able to capture radio as there were already so many songs he had thought were so much better. For some reason or another "Rhythm and Blues" stations were comfortable playing the 45 single instantaneously. The likely reason behind it was the continuance of the beat in the recording. It made it 'radio friendly,' that was really appealing in 1973/4 as it sounded fresh and new amongst all other songs at the time on the Billboard chart. Elton was composing music for Bernie without any effort. Both had created so much music that "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" was released as a double longplay release. This was chiefly responsible for getting it much airplay on FM radio stations. In this clip of the song, Elton kind of got carried away with the audience and dancers. Elton is known to really make different versions of certain sang from the heart songs during live sold-out concerts. He is a master showman, and carries a lot of musical history behind his career with writer Bernie Taupin.
*E*
Tags:
England
USA
Added: 3rd August 2009
Views: 1127
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Posted By: Electricland |
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What a crazed performance! This was one of the most controversial films of the 80s. "Scarface," a film by suspence director Brian De Palma. There had been a film previously released in the 1930s with the same title, but this updated 1983 version had only a few similarities with it.
The original 1932 movie actually was taken away for over 40 years by the director of the movie, the infamous Howard Hawks. Audiences were outraged that the film carried so much violence in its storyline. There was no movie like it then. The 1930s film had to be censored.
The brutal remake was no different. The violent-packed script was written by Oliver Stone, with a moody electronic soundtrack provided by Giorgio Moroder that caught the right atmosphere.
Al Pacino superbly made this character of Tony Montana, a man of vengence and fear a subject to talk of. The actor caused quite a stir of emotions with his wild actions on the screen. Audiences were appaled with its subject matter.
"Scarface" had in it some of the most shocking sequences ever put on theater screens at the time.
The film turned out to be quite a cimematic event when released in December of that year.
If you're conservative, well then, certainly this is not a movie made for you. Oliver Stone hit the nail with this one.
Did you know that most of it was shot in California, except the pool scene outside. That was filmed in Miami. There was a lot of negative press in Florida when word was spoken about the movie being made in Miami.
*E*
Tags:
Florida
Michelle
Pfeiffer
USA
Added: 5th August 2009
Views: 478
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Posted By: Electricland |
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A spokeswoman for John Hughes says the director of 1980s coming-of-age films like "Sixteen Candles" and "The Breakfast Club" has died in Manhattan.
Michelle Bega says the 59-year-old Hughes died of a heart attack during a morning walk. He was in Manhattan to visit family.
He made a teen star of Molly Ringwald with 1984's "Sixteen Candles" about a girl's nightmarish birthday on the eve of her sister's wedding.
Ringwald also starred in "The Breakfast Club," about a group of high school misfits during Saturday detention, and "Pretty in Pink."
Hughes also directed "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" and wrote "Home Alone." He lived in Illinois and set many of his films in the Chicago area.
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Added: 6th August 2009
Views: 441
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Posted By: Cliffy |
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This popular film came out at the right time in 1985. Teenagers and older moviegoers alike were attracted to the special effect ladened story through its television advertising campaign. Chris Sarandon and Roddy McDowall starred as rivals in the dark movies comedic monster premise.
The film spawned a sequel a few years later in the same scary comedy genre.
I read in one of the movie community publications that a new updated version of "Fright Night" is being planned for release in 2010-2011.*E*
Tags:
Film
80s
Horror
Added: 10th August 2009
Views: 497
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Posted By: Electricland |
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This one dark atmospheric song from Guns N' Roses can be found on the album 'Use Your Illusion 2.'
This was not your average album at all, nor was this your average clip. It played out like an everyday big budget movie you'd see in a cinema.
Back in the 80s and 90s, this iconic American rock band caused issues for parents and concert promoter alike. Both artist and business associates seemed to be at odds, which to this day has never been resolved fully.
On the plus-side, Guns N' Roses were known to have high quality compositions with their recordings, plus well-made television clips to promote their accompanied rock albums. This one clip "Estranged" cost a little less than 9 million dollars to put on film. An epic production considering the cost of the filming of it.
The 1991 double disc sold beyond 18 million copies, which was thanks to the well-established marketing from their recording company. The scheme of adding part one and two of 'Use Your Illusion' albums both together worked. It was in the mid-80s, when the band broke out of their Los Angeles roots to worldwide acclaim. Success came too fast for the members of the group. Sadly in the 1990s, much in-flightng followed with their personalities going at each other. It was then, the members walked off forever, from what it seems with their famous erupt indication at the time. Now, the newly formed band continues to connect with fans with the original singer only at the present time. *E*
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Tee
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Added: 10th August 2009
Views: 777
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Posted By: Electricland |
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Okay, here is a very cool extended theatrical preview. This was shown weeks before the outstanding science fiction film was released by studio Columbia Pictures to theatregoers. From 1973, Steven Spielberg wanted to make a movie with his childhood ideas. His story would be mixed and matched with a host of other writers, those who participated in creating a worthy motion picture that would grab the audiences attention. This was headed by the film studio's brass. Eventually, director Paul Schrader was brought in. He was going to make the movie go in the wrong direction from what Spielberg really wanted. Spielberg was seeing his idea being ruined with the writers the studio invited. With what he had to contend with, Spielberg was looking at a completely different movie from what he thought at first. The outcome to the movies screenplay, Spielberg won the writing credit with the filming. Over months, "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" was becoming a hurried project.
He was told the film was going to be released to the public in November of 1977. Now you can see why there have been two other versions of this movie released since 1977. Do you recall "The Special Edition" two years later? Columbia studios agreed to the directors wishes, and gave him the further financing of 2 million dollars or so to make it his own way. But the condition included adding shots of inside the massive ship at the conclusion of the movie. Spielberg really didn't want to do that, but agreed in the end. The director who had the biggest issues with "Jaws" on location shooting wasn't wanting to go through that again, but gave in to filming outside instead of a Hollywood soundstage setting. Members of Spielberg's production were really getting excited to be involved in the movie, this actually delayed the film. The production team were constantly adding new scenes to the script daily. Did you know the famous scene at the end was created in Alabama. As the production cost rose, Spielberg was still hoping that 1978 was the right time for the films release. But the film studio was losing money and really needed this movie out quickly, just before Christmas of that year. Despite the pressure already, during the on-location shooting in the deep south of the United States, there was a massive rain storm that added more delays to their filming schedule. With this, if it had not happened, "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" would of been released during the summer going against "Star Wars". In the end, the nervous film studio who were against the huge rising budget got their investment back at the box office. This happened practically in days. Just over nineteen million dollars the film cost to produce with the effects and advertising added. By now, the film has earned well over 300 million dollars worldwide. Recently, Spielberg has gone on record saying that if he was to make a movie like this now it would of been completely different. Thanks to the combined efforts, "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" has become a classic for all generations.
This is why The United States Library of Congress has preserved this sci-fi film within the National American Film Registry.
*E*
Tags:
Melinda
Dillon
70s
Star
Richard
Dreyfuss
Added: 16th August 2009
Views: 534
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Posted By: Electricland |
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Do you remember this ABC short-term series on Saturday in 1967? This was a sort of spoof on Tarzan who was still popular at the time.
The Jay Roach produced "George of the Jungle" looked a lot like "The Rocky and Bullwinkle Show" because it was made by the same animation team. Captain Crunch's commercials were being produced by them about the same time too.
Now, how is it that it only lasted a short while?
You saw it rebroadcast perhaps, right?
The answer: This animated series for various reasons went over its small budget and resulted in being cut-down. Jay Roach wanted more of George, which resulted in running out of money. This prompted a serious problem which was too bad. "George of the Jungle" was a more quality-oriented series than the other productions that the company was creating at the time. George was all-American. At that time, other cartoon shows the company was producing were made in nearby Mexico. With George, the producer got very excited about making George in their Hollywood facilities. This up'd the cost of the animation.
This is why "The Simpsons" and a few others are made overseas.
So with "George of the Jungle," the syndicated stations got a chance to air the stories in your local area.
I saw it on its original run. This song stuck in my head for too long.
This was memorable for many alike you and me.
*E*
Tags:
Cartoon
Lion
Monkey
Elephant
Added: 17th August 2009
Views: 1413
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Posted By: Electricland |
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