Nicki Minaj is the new face of Roberto Cavalli for the Spring/Summer 2015 campaign – and she looks stunning! It seems that everyone is talking about hip hop’s current leading lady – turn on the radio or TV, pick up a magazine and there she is. The Italians seem to be the most obsessed though – she appeared on the cover of L’Uomo Vogue in October followed by an editorial shoot in this months Vogue Italia. Check out the images below.
The news broke yesterday (December 18) that Minaj is the face of the Roberto Cavalli Spring/Summer 2015 campaign. The campaign images were shot in LA by Italian photographer Francesco Carrozzini.
Minaj was the only woman to make it into the Forbes Hip-Hop Cash Kings 2014 list – earning an estimated $14 million this year – and now the 32-year old is cashing in on the high-fashion stakes. In addition to the ready-to-wear collection she is also endorsing the eyewear and accessory line.
Roberto Cavalli commented “I chose Nicki Minaj because she embodies the exuberant and modern femininity of the Cavalli woman. In recent years we have become accustomed to women castigated in clothes that hide their body shapes. With this campaign, I wanted to send a strong countertrend message. I wanted a sensual woman who is aware of her body – who is not afraid to show her curves. Instead, she makes them her strength.”
We agree with Cavalli – we can’t think of a better person to show off the brand’s bold designs. As I’m sure you’ll agree the the Trinidad and Tobago-born hip hop star looks absolutely vibrant in the campaign images and her confidence is defintely her best accessory.
Here is Nicki on The Tonight Show talking to Jimmy Fallon about her birthday, old school photos and her new album The Pink Print. (To watch this video in Creation 5, just tap here.)
Santa season last year here at Creation 5 was kept classy with the classics. This year we’re still keeping it classy, but slightly more contemporary. We hope you enjoy our 2014 Christmas Holiday playlist, we wish you all a very Merry Christmas!
If you are already using Creation 5, you will find this playlist inside the app. (If you don’t have Creation 5 you can find download links at the bottom of the this page.)
Coming up is our list of worst Christmas Music Videos from some of the biggest names in the business that will leave you cringing in your Christmas Stockings. If I were a family member or friend of any of the following I would organize a huge screening each year as punishment for these truly terrible works of shame.
This one is just embarrassing, and it doesn’t even have the longevity behind it like some other bad videos (Wham! For example are excused for having a long lasting success story Christmas tune and can blame the 80’s for their video!). Justin Timberlake will be hiding behind the tree this Christmas if this one gets played.
The fake sets and ridiculous words, plus some pretty ludicrous looking elf in a shell suit who decides whether Run DMC are naughty or nice, give this video an award for being really, really not cool.
This is basically a lucid depiction of festive shallowness by the Destiny’s Child girls…a list of material (expensive) things that they got for Christmas this year, them piling mountains of random toys into trolleys in the shop and no, the sexy santa outfits do not make up for any of the awfulness this video has to deliver. Ice, bling and a Mercedes are not things to teach kids to want for Christmas girls!
This has got to be a winner of worst video by Billy Idol ever, it’s so awful. It’s not a real rock song Billy no matter how many buttons you undo. We have one word for you…why?
This one is pretty much vomit-worthy. Although Harry’s voice is undeniably good, this video just sucks the life out of any respect we may have had for it.
Somebody should have put a stop to this as it has to be one of the worst filmed music videos of all time. There’s a Christmas tree backdrop and Jessica Simpson holding a red umbrella…and that’s pretty much it. That wouldn’t be SO bad if the camera didn’t keep randomly zooming in on bits of her face and making us totally dizzy by the end of this seriously bad rendition of Let It Snow!
This is an act of sheer defiance. Defiance against tradition, against fashion, against good music, against humanity and all the while they thought they were defying conformity. I don’t know why No Doubt did this but it should never have happened. I feel sorry for the people who got roped into being in this video, who are now no doubt (sorry) cringing for having been involved.
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Bond, James Bond; our favourite swarthy, smooth, lady-loving secret agent has always been accompanied by more than just beautiful Bond girls. The scores and theme tunes to so many of the 007 movies have become popular in their own right, some even having been awarded Golden Globes and Academy Awards…the following is a list of the best, most successful and celebrated James Bond songs ever written.
The relationship between Bond and composer John Barry began with his work on Dr. No in 1962. Following the success of this he was asked to compose the score for the sequel plus arrange the title song, thus inspiring one of the most symbiotic musical partnerships in screen history. From Russia with Love was written by Lionel Bart and powerfully sung by Matt Monro. It differs from the rest on this winners list by being played over the closing credits in the movie as opposed to the typical opening song.
The film that perfected the 007 formula and sound and maintains the classic voice of Bond theme tunes, Goldfinger marked Barry’s first top-to-bottom Bond score, but the title song alongside Shirley Bassey’s delivery provide the greatest Bond theme tune to date. Leslie Bricusse and Anthony Newley supplied roaringly melodramatic lyrics for Barry’s brassy, classy music which gave Bassey her only US Top 10 hit.
Nancy Sinatra provided the appropriately haunting vocals on this most bewitching of Bond theme songs. With lyrics, written by Leslie Bricusse and now veteran at Bond music, John Barry in control of the rest (his best score yet), this could not fail to become one of the most recognized and successful of the Bond title songs.
One of Barry’s main assets as a composer has always been his dramatic nous, and never more so than on this introduction to Sean Connery’s sixth and last Eon-produced Bond movie, which won him an Ivor Novello award. From the sinister, sparkling opening to the punchy climax, all his hallmarks are there: lyrical melodies, gently propulsive dotted bass figure, rich orchestration and bold theatricality. It saw Bassey return for her second 007 venture, belting out Don Black’s brazenly materialistic words with typical gusto.
Paul McCartney turned his musical skills to Bond and what a masterpiece he constructed; and it only took him a few hours one afternoon apparently. This continues to be one of McCartney’s favourites in his live performances. A British agent dies by snakebite, and composer (and former “fifth Beatle”) George Martin’s strings slither mercilessly down and melt into the opening of this melodious punchy number. This combined with Maurice Binder’s superb flaming-skull visuals make Live and Let Die’s opening credits the most exciting of the lot.
This became Carly Simon’s biggest and best known hit. Her vocals perfectly matched the Bond sound alongside the talents of Marvin Hamlisch whose arrangements made Nobody Does it Better a huge success. This was the first 007 opening theme song not to be named after its film (the Spy Who Loved Me), and also the first to be nominated for an Oscar.
Moonraker saw James Barry, back on the Bond team as he delivered a superlative score and a title track that’s not his most celebrated, but definitely among his most beautiful. Returning to Bond for a third and final time, Bassey injects considerable passion into this yearning love song (lyrics again by Hal David), while Barry’s strings ripple into infinity.
There’s no way there could be a best Bond theme list without this being on it. It’s classic, it’s upbeat and it’s very, very eighties (see mullets, trench coats and very outdated graphics for reference). What more could you want? Hey presto, A View To a Kill makes it to the top of the 007 theme tune success stories. This was the first time a band had ever collaborated to make a Bond song but the successes and sounds of Duran Duran at the time made them a natural choice. And, Simon Le Bon looks very comfortable acting the Bond part (perhaps he saw it as a semi-audition?).
In true Adele style she has captured the essence of all that is Bond, James Bond, with the Skyfall theme tune. She gave her first performance of the song at the Academy Awards where it became the first Bond theme tune to win an award for best and at the Golden Globes and Brit Awards. Skyfall achieved impressive statistics by getting to number two on the UK charts, eight on the Billboard Hot 100 and skyrocketing to the top of the iTunes chart. Aside from that, in our opinion, it is the first modern 007 track that represents the original stylings of the traditional Bond while managing to incorporate a contemporary edge. Nice work Adele.
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Music is one of the most powerful genres in the media industry as it is truly a place where people can voice their opinions and be heard without (much) censorship. Some of the most poignant political moments have been affected by or captured within songs containing and delivering powerful messages.
There have been thousands of songs that managed to epitomize a cultural situation and shape historical moments but the following is an example from a selection of decades (in chronological order) of some of the top success stories in fusing music culture and political activism which have/will transcend time.
Originally a poem by Abel Meerpol, Strange Fruit outlines the severity of the American racist issues of the time; lynching being one of the main topics covered within the powerful lyrics of this tune released by Billie Holiday in 1939. Her version of the song, despite having been covered and performed by many other artists, was entered into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1978. The lyrics of the song/poem became the inspiration for many novels, poems, and other creative works. In 1999, Time magazine called it the song of the century and in 2010, the New Statesman listed it as one of the ‘Top 20 Political Songs’.
Southern trees bear strange fruit, Blood on the leaves and blood at the root, Black bodies swinging in the southern breeze, Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees.
Pastoral scene of the gallant south, The bulging eyes and the twisted mouth, Scent of magnolias, sweet and fresh, Then the sudden smell of burning flesh.
Here is fruit for the crows to pluck, For the rain to gather, for the wind to suck, For the sun to rot, for the trees to drop, Here is a strange and bitter crop.
Bob Dylan is one of the most prominent writers of anti-war and protest songs in the 20th century. His commentary style prose has led to many a story revolving around war, racism, social injustice being told as he rages against “The Man” as only Dylan can. There are many songs to choose from by Bob Dylan which fall into this category, in fact a top ten could have been written by him alone. However, the most prominent, popular and effective of his protest songs has to be The Times They Are A Changin’. Dylan went all out with this one combining the folk protest movement of the 1960’s with the civil rights movement. The shorter, punchier verses pile upon one another in such a powerful way with lyrics such as, “There’s a battle outside and it is ragin’ / It’ll soon shake your windows and rattle your walls / For the times they are a-changin’,” – iconic Dylan statements that manage to transcend the times and capture the spirit of social and political upheaval that characterized the 1960s.
Come gather ’round people Wherever you roam And admit that the waters Around you have grown And accept it that soon You’ll be drenched to the bone If your time to you Is worth savin’ Then you better start swimmin’ Or you’ll sink like a stone For the times they are a-changin’.
A Change is Gonna Come is a single by the R&B singer-songwriter Sam Cooke; the song was written in 1963 and was released as a single shortly after his death in late 1964. This song soon came to represent the 1960s Civil Rights Movement. Over the years, the song has gained popularity and even made it to #12 on Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. The song is often thought to have been a reaction to an incident in Shreveport, Louisiana where Cooke and his band tried to register at a ‘whites-only’ motel and were arrested for disturbing the peace. Cooke is commonly known as the ‘King of Soul;’ his contributions to the genre paved the way for many other prominent figures such as Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye, and Stevie Wonder.
I was born by the river in a little tent Oh and just like the river I’ve been running ever since It’s been a long, a long time coming But I know a change gonna come, oh yes it will It’s been too hard living but I’m afraid to die ‘Cause I don’t know what’s up there beyond the sky It’s been a long, a long time coming But I know a change gonna come, oh yes it will I go to the movie and I go downtown Somebody keep telling me, “Don’t hang around” It’s been a long, a long time coming But I know a change gonna come, oh yes it will
War is a counterculture anti-Vietnam War protest song written by Norman Whitfield and Barrett Strong in 1969. Whitfield first produced the song with The Temptations, but later re-recorded it with Edwin Starr after the label decided to withhold the Temptations version so as not to alienate conservative fans. Starr’s version of the song quickly became a Nº1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in 1970, and became one of the most popular protest songs ever recorded. Big names like Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, and Joan Osborne have since covered the song, which has proven applicable in any era.
Peace love and understanding tell me Is there no place for them today They say we must fight to keep our freedom But Lord knows there’s got to be a better way War, huh, good God y’all What is it good for? You tell ’em, say it, say it, say it, say it War, good Lord, huh What is it good for? Stand up and shout it, nothing War, it ain’t nothin’ but a heartbreaker
This incredibly famous song was written and performed by John Lennon on his solo album Working Class Hero. His poetic lyrics depict the idea that the world could be a most wonderful place if we lost the greed and attachment to material things, a world without a class system and political boundaries; a world without religion. It is ultimately a call for world peace. One month after the release of his LP, Lennon released Imagine as a single in the United States; the song hit Nº3 on the Billboard Hot 100, and the LP reached the top spot on the UK charts only a few months afterward. Lennon himself once said of the song that it is “virtually the Communist manifesto, even though I’m not particularly a Communist.” It was written in 1971 during the Vietnam War, though its message encouraging tolerance and equality is no less relevant today.
Imagine no possessions I wonder if you can No need for greed or hunger A brotherhood of man Imagine all the people Sharing all the world…
You may say I’m a dreamer But I’m not the only one I hope someday you’ll join us And the world will live as one
This iconic reggae song written by Bob Marley and Peter Tosh originally appeared on The Wailers’ 1973 album Burnin’ and was played live in many versions by Bob Marley & The Wailers. While touring Haiti, Marley was extremely moved both by the lives of the Haitians and the extreme poverty they faced; according to his then-girlfriend Esther Anderson, this is what inspired him to write this song. As with many of these songs, Get Up Stand Up still holds relevance in the modern world where inequality and human rights violations still abound. It has been covered by a myriad of other artists and remains legendary within the Bob Marley classics.
Preacher man don’t tell me heaven is under the earth I know you don’t know what life is really worth Is not all that glitters in gold and Half the story has never been told So now you see the light, aay Stand up for your right.
Get up, stand up, stand up for your right Get up, stand up, don’t give up the fight
Most people think great God will come from the sky Take away ev’rything, and make ev’rybody feel high But if you know what life is worth You would look for yours on earth And now you see the light You stand up for your right, yeah!
Sunday Bloody Sunday is the opening track from U2’s album War, and is one of the rock group’s most overtly political songs. Its lyrics relate to the troubles in Northern Ireland, focusing on the Bloody Sunday incident in the county of Derry where British troops shot and killed many unarmed civil rights protesters who were there to rally against internment. The song has remained one of the band’s staples in concert and is considered one of U2’s signature songs.
And the battle’s just begun There’s many lost, but tell me who has won The trench is dug within our hearts And mothers, children, brothers, sisters Torn apart
Fight the Power was brilliantly used as Radio Raheem’s musical motif to the classic Spike Lee film Do the Right Thing. It was Public Enemy’s breakthrough song incorporating references to many parts of African-American culture; civil rights samples, black church services sounds plus the music of James Brown. A few attacks on Elvis Presley & John Wayne for their on-the-record white supremacist views later provide the cherry on top of this political protest tirade of a track which encourages us all not to “believe the hype”.
Elvis was a hero to most But he never meant shit to me you see Straight up racist that sucker was Simple and plain Mother fuck him and John Wayne Cause I’m Black and I’m proud I’m ready and hyped plus I’m amped Most of my heroes don’t appear on no stamps Sample a look back you look and find Nothing but rednecks for 400 years if you check Don’t worry be happy Was a number one jam Damn if I say it you can slap me right here (Get it) lets get this party started right Right on, c’mon What we got to say Power to the people no delay To make everybody see In order to fight the powers that be
Rage Against the Machine was one of the most politically active groups at a time when political protest songs weren’t very common. Killing in the Name is the quintessential Rage Against the Machine song, with its confronting vocals that link police to racism with the line “Some of those that work forces, are the same that burn crosses,” and with the ending refrain “Fuck You, I won’t do what you tell me.” Zach de la Rocha & Tom Morello almost inspired a riot at the Democratic National Convention in 2000. Then de la Rocha abruptly left the group, but Tom Morello has continued his political activity, most recently getting involved in the Occupy Wall Street movement.
Those who died are justified, for wearing the badge, they’re the chosen whites You justify those that died by wearing the badge, they’re the chosen whites Some of those that work forces, are the same that burn crosses Some of those that work forces, are the same that burn cross And now you do what they told ya, now you’re under control And now you do what they told ya! Fuck you, I won’t do what you tell me Fuck you, I won’t do what you tell me
An unlikely candidate but a nod to the modern day political activity within music…this punk rock anthem is the title track from Green Day’s album American Idiot was released in August of 2004 to mostly positive reviews by critics and four Grammy nominations. The song criticizes America circa 2004 in the midst of the Bush Administration and the growth of the “new media,” which comes under fire in this song. In a 2004 interview with Q magazine, members of Green Day even discussed flag desecration in relation to their song, saying that they would support it. American Idiot was ranked the Nº13 Single of the Decade by Rolling Stone in 2009; Stone also placed it at 432 of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time in 2010. The album American Idiot has since been adapted as a hit Broadway musical.
Don’t wanna be an American idiot Don’t want a nation under the new media And can you hear the sound of hysteria? The subliminal mind fuck America Welcome to a new kind of tension All across the alien nation Where everything isn’t meant to be okay Television dreams of tomorrow We’re not the ones who’re meant to follow For that’s enough to argue
Although Same Love is a recent addition, the song’s popularity and political message award it a position within the ranks of politically significant songs. The track is the fourth single released by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis from their 2012 album, The Heist. The track also features Mary Lambert and discusses the issue of gay and lesbian rights. It was recorded during the campaign for Washington Referendum 74, which legalized same sex marriage in Washington State. It was most recently nominated for a Grammy for Song of the Year at the 2014 Grammy Awards, its not hard to see why when you hear the sincerity and clarity of these lyrics. Spot on!
If I was gay, I would think hip-hop hates me Have you read the YouTube comments lately? “Man, that’s gay” gets dropped on the daily We become so numb to what we’re saying A culture founded from oppression Yet we don’t have acceptance for ’em Call each other faggots behind the keys of a message board A word rooted in hate, yet our genre still ignores it Gay is synonymous with the lesser It’s the same hate that’s caused wars from religion Gender to skin color, the complexion of your pigment The same fight that led people to walk outs and sit ins It’s human rights for everybody, there is no difference! Live on and be yourself When I was at church they taught me something else If you preach hate at the service those words aren’t anointed That holy water that you soak in has been poisoned When everyone else is more comfortable remaining voiceless Rather than fighting for humans that have had their rights stolen I might not be the same, but that’s not important No freedom ’til we’re equal, damn right I support it
(I don’t know)
And I can’t change Even if I tried Even if I wanted to My love My love My love She keeps me warm We press play, don’t press pause Progress, march on With the veil over our eyes We turn our back on the cause ‘Til the day that my uncles can be united by law When kids are walking ’round the hallway plagued by pain in their heart A world so hateful some would rather die than be who they are And a certificate on paper isn’t gonna solve it all But it’s a damn good place to start No law is gonna change us We have to change us Whatever God you believe in We come from the same one Strip away the fear Underneath it’s all the same love About time that we raised up… sex
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The very first BBC Music Awards were held last week (December 11) at Earls Court, hosted by DJs Fearne Cotton and Chris Evans. It was more like a celebration of music than your typical award show. There was no mind numbing clapping after the umpteenth award had been dished out – like the 93-category Grammy awards – quite the opposite in fact. There were just four awards – International Artist of the Year – won by Pharrell Williams, Song of the Year – Happy by Pharrrell Williams, British Artist of the Year won by Ed Sheeran and BBC Introducing Award won by Catfish and the Bottlemen. The Song of the Year Award was the only category that was decided upon by public vote, with the others decided upon by a panel of industry experts.
The magnificent BBC Concert Orchestra were there to accompany the performing artists which gave the show a real grandeur and sense of occasion. The bottom line of the show and main message was the fact that the BBC supports and promotes new music. Many a star has been ‘found’ by BBC Introducing. “The BBC started playing me before anyone else did,” said Ed Sheeran. “Mistajam played me in 2008 and 1Xtra named me one of their top picks for 2011. It was the first place to champion me. The best thing about the BBC being funded by the government is that they have to play all types of music. They have to play songs you wouldn’t necessarily play on commercial stations.”
Judging by the reactions from the artists themselves this inaugural ceremony was a resounding success. Labrinth said “There aren’t as many awards – but I think people want to see their favourite artists do their thing, instead of going ‘thank you for loving me.'”
This sentiment was echoed by many other performers, “The awards are almost a sideshow,” said Grace Chatto, cellist with chart-topping dance act Clean Bandit. “There’s a focus on the actual music as opposed to the pomp.” An award show without pomp? At last! Calvin Harris thought the same: “It’s not a whole drawn-out thing, it’s more like a celebration.”
Radio 1 DJ Greg James said the BBC ceremony was not really just about the awards. “The whole point of it is to celebrate a brilliant year of music and go ‘Do you know what? We play a lot of music across the whole of the BBC.’ You don’t get this eclectic a line-up at any other awards ceremony.”
Ed Sheeran argued that the fact that there was only 4 awards made the show more trustworthy: “Most awards shows, you don’t really know… whether it’s rigged or not,” he told the press before the ceremony. “I won an award in the summer for a very big show, and I won it because Pharrell didn’t turn up. They just said, ‘he didn’t turn up so you can have it.'” Fittingly, when he won the trophy for British Artist of the Year, Sheeran seemed genuinely surprised. “I’m absolutely chuffed,” he said. “But I think everyone knew but me – because my name’s on it!”
Chris Martin opened the ceremony, performing the opening lines of A Sky Full of Stars whilst still backstage amongst all the assembled artists of the show – who apparently were told to ignore him during this part.
(To watch any video in Creation 5, just tap on the title)
Once called “the most lovable punk band on the planet” by MTV, Shonen Knife have come a long way since 1981, when sisters Naoko and Atsuko Yamano teamed up with Michie Nakatani to play Ramones-inspired pop punk. In the meantime they’ve gone through various line-up shifts, played with the alt-rock elite, survived the death of a former bandmate and generally persevered through all the ups and downs of a 33 year long career in punk rock. They released Overdrive, their 20th studio album earlier this year and just played their first ever gig in India at the New Wave Music Festival. We talk to guitarist, vocalist and the only remaining founding member Naoko Yamano about food, cats and The Ramones.
Overdrive is your 20th studio album. How difficult or easy is it to keep writing songs for so long? I can create melody lines easily but it’s a little difficult to write the whole song. It’s always difficult to write lyrics. Since I’m not a native English speaker, writing lyrics in English is particularly difficult.
Food is a recurring theme in Shonen Knife’s music. How would you describe your relationship with food? People have to eat to live and I like to eat delicious food. It’s an important and global topic.
Cats are another of your favourite muses. Could you tell me a little about your new music video for Like A Cat? I’ve [always] had cats as pets. I like their faces, it’s so cute. Cat’s eyes are beautiful and cats are selfish. It’s attract[ive] for me. A woman from our English label made a suggestion that we should collect cats’ videos from all over the world through the internet and make a music video for Like a Cat song. She edited it by herself. It was a very fun project.
You’ve been touring for over 25 years now. Any tips for new musicians on how to survive the grueling experience? When I started overseas touring, everything was a big adventure. There was no Internet. I exchanged postal mail. Now I am used to tour[ing] and I know how survive. [My advice is to]… take it easy and keep yourself healthy.
I know Ramones and the Beatles are major influences for the band. What else are you listening to these days? Buzzcocks, Jam, XTC, KISS, Nick Lowe, Black Sabbath, Deep Purple, Judas Priest, Boston, Chicago etc. There are too many but I especially love 70s rock music.
You released a Ramones cover album called Osaka Ramones a few years ago. Any plans on playing any live shows as Osaka Ramones? We’ll be playing an Osaka Ramones set in Hobart, Australia in January 2015.
What is the best, and worst, show you’ve ever played? All shows are the best. Playing in front of our fans are always fun. I don’t have a good memory. I always forget the details. I just remember the vague images for the tours. Anyway, the Lollapalooza tour in 1994 was fun. I could enjoy other bands on stage. The headliner was Smashing Pumpkins and the opening band was Green Day.
What do you think is your best album that you’ve made so far and why? Overdrive. It’s the latest one, of course.
You just played a headlining set at the New Wave Music Festival in India. How was the experience? Were you surprised to find out you have fans in India? I was so happy to find out we have fans in India. The New Wave Music Fest was great. The atmosphere was peaceful, happy, artistic and fun. It became a precious experience for us.
Did you check out any Indian bands at the festival? Were there any that you liked? I had no chance to see many bands and I can’t remember the names because I had to prepare for our show but all bands I saw there were great. Their music was ROCK!
Overdrive tracklist 1. Bad Luck Song 2. Black Crow 3. Dance to the Rock 4. Ramen Rock 5. Shopping 6. Fortune Cookie 7. Like A Cat 8. Green Tea 9. Robots from Hell 10. Jet Shot
So what do you buy for the audiophile that has everything? We’ve rounded up a selection of Christmas gift ideas for music lovers that’ll have them rocking around the Christmas tree.
Flexson VinylPlay
Not many people know that it’s possible to hook a turntable up to a Sonos system and have vinyl playing in every room of your house. Well you can. But you can’t use any old turntable; it needs to have a phono stage to provide the necessary power in the absence of a proper amp. Flexson’s VinylPlay has just that built in, plus an analogue-to-digital converter and all the cables required to plumb it into a multi-room system or a pair of powered speakers, so you can be up and running on Christmas morning. Just add records. Price: 450€ (available on Amazon)
The History of Rock ‘n’ Roll in Ten Songs by Greil Marcus
Unlike all previous versions of rock ’n’ roll history, this book omits almost every iconic performer and ignores the storied events and turning points that everyone knows. Instead, in a daring stroke, Greil Marcus selects ten songs recorded between 1956 and 2008, then proceeds to dramatize how each embodies rock ’n’ roll as a thing in itself. In Marcus’s hands these songs tell the story of the music, which is, at bottom, the story of the desire for freedom in all its unruly and liberating glory. Marcus braids together past and present, holding up to the light the ways that these striking songs fall through time and circumstance, gaining momentum and meaning, astonishing us by upending our presumptions and prejudices. This book, by a founder of contemporary rock criticism—and its most gifted and incisive practitioner—is destined to become an enduring classic.
Price: 25€ (available on Amazon)
Arcam MiniBlink
The mini Blink is a simple, pocket sized (and rather attractive) Bluetooth receiver designed to allow absolutely any Hi-Fi system to receive music from a Smartphone, Tablet, PC or Mac computer. The mini Blink uses the renowned aptX™ transmission system meaning a crystal clear sound with quick and simple pairing of devices. A mini-USB power socket, 3.5mm audio output jack and pairing button are all that is needed to get the mini Blink streaming music to any audio system with a ‘line level’ input. The mini Blink’s audio circuitry is engineered by Arcam to ensure real audiophile sound quality. The mini Blink even comes with a PSU and all required cables! This will make Here Comes Santa Claus literally bounce around the house on Christmas morning. Price: 90€ (available on Amazon)
The Art of McCartney
The Art Of McCartney is a very special project celebrating the songs of Sir Paul McCartney. It features songs such as Maybe I’m Amazed, My, Love, The Long And Winding Road, When I’m 64, Let It Be, Helter Skelter, Eleanor Rigby, Live And Let Die and many more recorded by some of the world’s greatest artists backed by McCartney’s long time band. The caliber of artists showing their respect to Paul’s songwriting genius is staggering with Bob Dylan, Billy Joel, The Cure, The Who’s Roger Daltrey, Brian Wilson, Alice Cooper, Dr John, Yusuf, Barry Gibb, Jamie Cullum, Kiss, Chrissie Hynde, ELO legend and Beatles producer Jeff Lynne and many more recording McCartney classics exclusively for this album.
What a great little Christmas gift solution for the orderly and ever-faithful music fan; these neat little frames are both a storage solution and a great way to display your favourite record, these frames allow easy access to their 12in contents so you can show off your impeccable taste and keep the place nice and tidy. Price: 50€ (available from artvinyl.com)
Get On Up
Universal’s Get On Up is the story of James Brown through troubled childhood, a prison stint and into his music career. Starring Chadwick Boseman—who played Jackie Robinson in last year’s 42—as Brown, with Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer as his mother and aunt respectively, the movie is stacked with acting talent. It’s also directed by Tate Taylor, of The Help fame. And in terms of music we can relax because Mick Jagger is one of its producers. Price: 17€ (available on Amazon)
B&O BeoPlay A2
This has got to win the prize on this list for a sleek and chic stylish little contraption to play your music on. While many Bluetooth speakers are beige anonyboxes, you can always rely on Bang & Olufsen to put the effort in. The A2 has a hint of World War 2 field radio about it, it has that neat little leather strap for a bit of haute couture addition and its aptX Bluetooth is bang up to date, giving you top-notch streaming quality. It’s our chic and cheerful winner on the Christmas wish list. Price: 325€ (Available on Amazon or directly from Creation 5 – send us an email)
Kate Koeppel Design Record Dividers
Keeping your vinyl organised is part of the joy of owning it in the first place. Alphabetising your records has never been less nerdy or uncool. Let’s make geek into chic with these Kate Koeppel Record Dividers; available for 7” and 12” collections and a choice of typefaces; get sorted this Christmas, literally. Price: 150€ (available on katekoeppel.com)
Sony MDR-EX650AP
Little in-ear headphones were on the back burner for a while there since the Dr. Dre Beats came along and swiped them off the shelves. However…these little beauties are back with a vengeance; the Sony MDR-EX650AP (crazy long name though) have an excellent sound quality for the price, AND come with a remote and microphone to boot. They have more to offer than the price tag suggests which is always a winner in our book. Price: 60€ (available on Amazon)
Personalised Favourite Song Soundwaves Print
This is a perfect gift for the die hard fan who has all the memorabilia and every album going. Think of their favourite song and have it personalised. A framed soundwave version of their top tune hung on their wall this Christmas, the perfect gift for the muso with everything! This wins the personal touch gift award. Price: 33€ (available on notonthehighstreet.com – house of Yve).
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What does it take to make a historically relevant rock song? The recipe seems to include an instantly recognizable guitar riff, a loud anthem backdrop and a kick ass band to perform it to a crowd of natural born rock lovers.
Listed as one of the greatest songs of all time, it ranks highly in all the relevant rock accolades, winning a Grammy Hall of Fame award among many others. When this single hit the charts it stayed there for an incredible 15 consecutive weeks, peaking at Nº4. It was the band’s only song to become a top 10 singles hit in the US.
This was their 3rd single off the ’87 debut studio album Appetite for Destruction. The bands then bassist, explains how the song came about: “The thing about ‘Sweet Child o’ Mine,’ it was written in five minutes. It was one of those songs, only three chords. You know that guitar lick Slash does at the beginning? It was kinda like a joke because we thought, ‘What is this song? It’s gonna be nothing, it’ll be filler on the record.’ And except that vocal-wise, it’s very sweet and sincere, Slash was just fuckin’ around when he first wrote that lick” – Duff McKagan, 1988
This 1965 mega hit written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards refers to sexual frustration and commercialism. That world famous three-note guitar riff was intended to be replaced by horns, good thing they kept the guitar in! The single held strong for 14 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, taking the Nº1 spot for four of those weeks. In an interview for Rolling Stones Magazine, Jagger states: “It sounded like a folk song when we first started working on it and Keith didn’t like it much, he didn’t want it to be a single, he didn’t think it would do very well. That’s the only time we have had a disagreement.”
As Cream’s only gold-selling single in the United States, this 1967 release was one of their proudest accomplishments. Jimi Hendrix performed an instrumental version as a setlist staple throughout his concerts in the late ’60s and the legacy lives on in the Rolling Stone magazine’s list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, as well as The Rock and Roll Hall of Fames’s 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll.
Written by Eric Clapton and Jim Gordon, it is considered one of rock music’s definitive love songs. Layla was inspired by the persian story of Layla and Majnun by 12th century poet Nizami Ganjavi. A tale of a moon princess who was married off by her father to someone who was not in love with her, resulting in her madness. This struck a deep chord with Clapton and the result was a chart peaking ”Greatest Ever” list surfer.
A two-week straight running Nº1 on the UK singles chart, it was the group’s breakthrough hit. Prior to this the group had released two singles which had flopped. As a result they were under tremendous pressure from their record company Pye. 14 years later, hard rock band Van Halen recorded a cover for their 1978 debut album. Safe to say the song helped jump-start the band’s success.
The video to this song was considered ground breaking as it was one of the first uses of computer-animated human characters back in 1986. Band member Mark Knopfler never wanted to use music videos of any kind. His opinion was that videos would destroy the purity of the songwriters. All he wanted to do was perform. However, after it won Video of the Year award (among many other nominations) at the MTV Video Music Awards, we are guessing Mark might have had a change of heart. The track dominated the charts across the globe, reaching Nº1 on the US Billboard Hot 100, US Billboard Top Rock Tracks, US Cash Box, and Canada Top Singles.
Off their 1972 album Machine Head, it made it to the Rolling Stone magazine’s famous list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. Perhaps the most epic use of the song has been recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records in 1994 – in Canada 1,322 guitarists gathered to play the world-famous riff all at the same time. Then in Kansas City 2007, the record was topped by 1,721 guitarists. Then again in Germany with over 1,800 people! It goes on… In 2009 Poland out numbered all the previous record holders when 6,346 guitar players, joined by current Deep Purple guitarist Steve Morse, performed the song during the Thanks Jimi Festival.
After Hendrix’s death in 1970, Voodoo Child, using the title Voodoo Chile was released in the UK, becoming his only Nº1 single in the British Record Charts. In an AllMusic song review the track was described as ‘The perfect example of how Hendrix took the Delta blues form and not only psychedelicized it, but cast an even more powerful spell by delivering the lyric in the voice of a voodoo priest’.
The song was written for AC/DCs former singer Bon Scott. Brian Johnson, his replacement, was asked by the band members to write a lyric for this song. The band had said to him ‘It can’t be morbid – it has to be for Bon and it has to be a celebration’. Brian recalls to Mojo magazine: “I just wrote what came into my head, which at the time seemed like mumbo, jumbo. ‘Nine lives. Cats eyes. Abusing every one of them and running wild.’ The boys got it though. They saw Bon’s life in that lyric.” The song got to Nº1 on the UK Singles Charts and US Hard Rock Digital Songs (Billboard). We won’t even begin to go into the explosive success of the album which was named after it.
The single achieved platinum certification for over 1 million copies which were shipped in the US. Sales of 30 million+ copies, slingshot the band into global popularity. AllMusic critics declared it ‘One of Metallica’s best moments. A burst of stadium level metal that, once away from the buildup intro, never let’s up’.
Certified double platinum, by September 2010 the song had sold over 1.75 million downloads. Rated 9th Greatest Guitar Solo ever by over 25 million readers of Guitar World magazine, also 9th on the list of the 40 Greatest Metal Songs by VH1. In 2009 it was named the 23rd Greatest Hard Rock Song of all time, also by VH1 which is the highest placement by a solo artist on the list.
Their 1970 release off their second studio album Paranoid turned out to be one of their greatest ever hits. It was the second Black Sabbath single in the US, getting very little radio play but that didn’t stop the development of a cult following, which led to enough sales to give it a chart position. Funnily enough, the track was originally named Iron Bloke by vocalist Ozzy Osbourne. Osbourne remarked that “It sounded like a big iron bloke walking about”. Later it was changed to Iron Man, with Geezer Butler writing the lyrics around the title.
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French electronic music producer, The Avener, is due to release his upcoming debut album The Wanderings of the Avener in January 2015 on the back of his hit single Fade Out Lines, released late 2013. After having made it to the No.1 spot on the iTunes electronic music charts in countries across Europe, The Avener’s big upcoming project promises an eclectic mix of genres, compelling and sophisticated rhythms that conjure up a mosaic of atmospheres. His music transcends the boundaries of genre, period and style, the commercial and the underground, the nostalgic and the energetic. Far from seeking to be defined or placed in one single category, The Avener meanders along the pathways of the intermediary. Embracing each aspect of his musical path, always seeking to enrich his sound with a touch of elegance, always seeking to dodge the norm through harmonic experimentation.
Congratulations on the success of your hit single Fade Out Lines, released late 2013, which went to No.1 on the iTunes electronic music charts. What’s the story behind the song? The track speaks about life in general, about the bad times and the feeling of desperation that follows, a feeling that takes a hold on you. It’s also about having to keep moving forward despite our struggles.
How did you come to know Phoebe Killdeer and the Short Straws? To be honest, I didn’t know her personally before working on the track; I was just a big fan of her work.
Why did you choose to sample this song instead of another? The melody particularly moved me and made certain things resonate with me that I hadn’t found elsewhere.
How did it all begin for you and how would you describe your journey so far? It all began on the 11th October 2013, when my label 96 Musique decided to go ahead with the single. At first, we were really happy to have reached 1000 views (hahaha)… today we’ve reached over 5 million views. We still can’t believe it… I’m living a true waking dream.
What does The Avener represent for you in terms of name, image and sound? The Avener is a name I came across in a book on the United Kingdom. ‘The Avener’ is the person who looks after the horses of the Royal Guard. Yes, I love horses…
The Wanderings of the Avener is your big upcoming project. What can you tell us about it? I’ve produced a lot over the past 5 months, finding inspiration in everything that I love: Deep House, Folk, Blues, Pop, Jazz, Soul… There’s something for everyone in this eclectic album, which is due to be released in January 2015.
What message do you seek to communicate through your music? In the most humble of ways, I’m looking to transmit the emotions that make me tremble.
What are your 3 main sources of inspiration as a producer? I really listen to everything! From Chopin to Daft Punk, I don’t restrict myself to one particular style.
Did you set yourself a deadline for the production of your album? If so, did this influence your creative process? Yes and no, I was quite free with regards to time, even if there was of course a ‘deadline’ to finish the album. But my creativity is constantly churning and so I was very productive in the studio.
Which is your favourite track on the album and why? I don’t really have a preference; I love them all! Each track represents a different aspect of my personality.
What has been the most unique experience for you throughout the production of your album? I was lucky enough to have been able to record real instruments in the studio, which makes a huge change from the Home Studio. It adds real emotion to the album.
What would be your dream collaboration and why? Moby and Nicolas Jaar – they represent an artistic freedom that I would like to attain.
When will The Wanderings of the Avener be released? Do you have any plans to go on tour? The 19th January! You can find all the info regarding tour dates on: www.theavener.com/tour
