Sophie Xeon, the influential Scottish musician and producer who reshaped pop music with her blend of avant-garde electronica, has sadly passed away today at the age of thirty-four following a tragic accident. The Grammy-nominated artist, who created her own music and worked on production for Charli XCX, Kim Petras, Vince Staples, Nicki Minaj and Madonna, died in the early morning after a fall off a balcony in her home in Athens, Greece.
After receiving a keyboard as a birthday gift, Sophie began to create new music as a child, realizing at that time she wanted to become a producer. As a young adult, she joined the band, Motherland and worked with the record label and art collective, PC Music. Deciding to remain fairly anonymous early in her career by concealing her identity in interviews, Sophie came forward as a trans woman, appearing publicly for the first time in the music video of her song, "It's Okay To Cry" in 2017. This was followed by the release her debut album, "Oil of Every Pearl's Un-Insides", a critically acclaimed work that earned a Grammy nomination for Best Dance/Electronic Album and ignited a passionate fanbase. Sophie's career was just beginning and the world has sadly lost a bold musical visionary far too soon.
5 Star were a British pop-soul group who were largely popular in their native country during the mid 1980's. This family act began as teens, comprised of siblings Stedman, Lorraine, Denise, Doris and Delroy Pearson, that was clearly modeled after the Jackson 5 with their father, Buster Pearson, a former session musician, managing them. Although I didn't really hear their music on the radio in this country, I became familiar with 5 Star from their music videos I caught on the Canadian version of MTV, MuchMusic.
Their breakout single, "All Fall Down" reached the UK top-twenty in 1985 and that was followed by the hits, "System Addict", "Can't Wait Another Minute", "Rain or Shine", "Love Take Over" and "Let Me Be the One" which would be their biggest success in the US, peaking at number two on the Hot R&B chart. 5 Star went on to win the BRIT Award for Best British Group in 1987. But by 1989, 5 Star saw their songs failing to chart and after getting dropped by their record label, the group informally disbanded in 1995. If you are a fan or have never heard of their music, here's a small sample of the catchy songs and slick moves from 5 Star for your enjoyment:
Here are a few recent releases I'm enjoying at the moment:
I was surprised to hear a cover of "Put Your Records On", first performed by singer/songwriter, Corinne Bailey Rae back in 2006, from Ritt Momney. This Utah-based act (which is a play on the Republican Senator's name) was an indie-rock band but is now just Jack Rutter after the other members left to become Mormon missionaries. Feeling depressed while stuck in quarantine at his parents' house, Rutter decided to record Bailey's joyous hit as a way create some sense of happiness for himself. TikTok helped this unlikely cover get some attention, becoming a viral hit and eventually helped this re-imagined song chart across the globe.
And Ms Rae gave her blessing to Rutter's version of her song. Here is a bonus of Corrine Bailey Rae performing "Put Your Records On" live:
And to close this out, here are two of the biggest names of 1960's British soul, Tom Jones and Dusty Springfield, teaming up together on his 1970 television variety show with a cover of "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me", originally recorded by Diana Ross & the Supremes and The Temptations.
The English musician, Joe Jackson first found fame early in the brief new-wave rock era before venturing in to jazz-infused pop. The singer/songwriter's eclectic work features an adventurous spirit, biting wit and bold experimentation. Known for an unpredictable temperament, the enigmatic artist aggressively objected to the ban on smoking in public places, even writing a well-researched pamphlet on the subject in 2005.
Born David Jackson in Burton-upon-Trent, Staffordshire, he joined a violin class at eleven in order to avoid having to play sports in school. Jackson later switched to the piano and took to studying it seriously, with the goal of becoming a classical composer. However, he soon drifted towards pop music, making his first professional gig playing at a pub at sixteen. He later earned a scholarship to study at London's Royal Academy of Music where he was further exposed to jazz and classical. But Jackson kept his toes in pop music, eventually joining several rock bands.
After deciding to use a nickname "Joe" professionally, he formed his own band and made a demo that got him signed to A&M Records in 1978. Jackson's debut in 1979, "Look Sharp!" was an exciting mix of rock, jazz and new wave that was well-received due to the singles, "Sunday Papers", the title track and "Is She Really Going Out with Him?" which reached number thirteen on the UK pop chart and number twenty-one in the US. The follow-up album, "I'm The Man" was released later that year and was also a success with the single, "It's Different for Girls" peaking at number five in Britain.
Jackson's major breakthrough came with his fifth album, "Night and Day" in 1982 which serves as tribute to the spirit of Cole Porter and New York City. The single, "Stepping Out", about the excitement of a night out on the town, would become his biggest hit, reaching number six on the US and British charts. The song would earn Jackson Grammy nominations for Record of the Year and Best Male Pop Vocal Performance.
The prolific Jackson has released nineteen studio albums to date which includes a 1987 instrumental album, "Will Power" that featured heavy classical and jazz influences; a foray in to progressive rock with "Symphony No. 1" in 1999; a Duke Ellington tribute album "The Duke" and "Big World", a collection of new songs performed live before an audience except they were instructed to remain silent while the band played. The now sixty-six year old musician's latest album, "Fool" from 2019 was a return to jazz-flavored rock that was recorded with his touring band immediately at the end of their time on the road. Here are two of my favorite songs from Joe Jackson:
Phil Spector, a highly influential producer and songwriter known for the creation of "the wall of sound" which brought a dense orchestral aesthetic to rock music, has passed away at the age of eighty-one. He died on January 16th from complications of COVID-19 as an inmate at the California Health Care Facility in Stockton, CA. after being convicted for the 2003 murder of actress, Lana Clarkson and sentenced to nineteen years to life in prison. This is not a warm tribute to this unstable and deeply troubled man but simply acknowledging his important contributions to pop music.
Born Harvey Phillip Spector in the Bronx, he began his career as a musician, performing with the group, The Teddy Bears as a guitarist and vocalist. He wrote their number one hit, "To Know Him Is to Love Him" in 1958, inspired by words on his father's tombstone. He soon moved to forming his own record label, Philles Records, at the age of twenty-one in 1960 and focusing on production. Spector had an ear for talent and went on to sign and produce The Crystals ("He's a Rebel", "Da Doo Ron Ron", "Then He Kissed Me"), The Righteous Brothers ("You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'", "(You're My) Soul and Inspiration"), Darlene Love ("(Today I Met) The Boy I'm Gonna Marry", "Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home)") and The Ronettes ("Be My Baby", "Baby, I Love You", "(The Best Part of) Breakin' Up"). One of the last artists he signed to his label were Ike & Tina Turner and Spector produced the single, "River Deep, Mountain High" in 1966. While the song reached number three in the UK, it did not even come close to the top-forty in the US, disappointing him greatly since he considered it his greatest work.
Spector slowly began withdrawing from recording after this, living largely like a recluse. He was lured out in 1970 by Allen Klein, the manager of the Beatles, to help work on completing their abandoned project which would ultimately become the group's final album, "Let It Be". The album was a major hit with Spector later producing solo work for John Lennon ("Instant Karma! (We All Shine On)", "Imagine", "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)") and George Harrison ("My Sweet Lord", "What Is Life"). Spector went on to produced the albums, "Death of a Ladies' Man" for Leonard Cohen in 1977 and "End of the Century" for the punk-rock band, The Ramones in 1979. In both of these cases, fans were unhappy with the results as they found the records too commercial and strayed too far from their musical roots.
While married to his first wife, Annette Merar, a lead vocalist of the Spectors Three, Spector began an affair with Veronica Bennett, (later known as Ronnie Spector), the lead singer of The Ronettes and married her in 1968. Ronnie went on to later describe being psychologically terrorized by him and in forced isolation in their home for years before escaping from Spector in 1972.
I finally got around to watching the HBO documentary on the Gibb brothers, "Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart" and it's truly wonderful. The film by director Frank Marshall explores this Australian musical family trio from their early beginning singing tight harmonies as children before venturing to Britain to become considered the second coming of The Beatles and then making a name for themselves in the 1970's with their unique falsetto driven dance music.
There is a new interview with Barry, the last surviving member of the group that was made-up with the twins, Maurice (who died in 2003) and Robin (who passed away in 2012), who discusses in the film how they struggled with their fame and success which also put a great strain on their relationships with each other.
With archival footage and vintage interviews, the documentary covers the young brothers initially singing for pocket money before attracting enough attention to become professional. A planned move to Britain lead to Brian Epstein, who managed the Beatles, passing their demos on to Robert Stigwood in 1967. The flamboyant, Australian-born manager/producer took on Bee Gees as clients and helped guide them to charting success in the UK and America with the songs, "New York Mining Disaster 1941", "Holiday", "Massachusetts", "Words" and "To Love Somebody" which had been originally written by the brothers for Otis Redding.
In 1975, Stigwood encouraged Bee Gees to move towards the hot new sound in music, disco. During recording in Miami, Barry discovered his falsetto which would create the distinctive sound heard on the songs, "Jive Talkin'", "Nights on Broadway" and "You Should Be Dancing". Stigwood, who had moved in to film production, got Bee Gees to do work on the soundtrack for an upcoming John Travolta movie, "Saturday Night Fever". Although they were only supposed to do one song, Bee Gees ended up working on the entire album. The soundtrack became one of the best-selling albums of all-time with forty million copies sold and the singles written by the Gibb brothers, "Stayin' Alive", "Night Fever", "How Deep Is Your Love" and "If I Can't Have You" (performed by Yvonne Elliman) all reaching number one in the US. And while Bee Gees became one of the major performers riding the disco wave, finding incredible acclaim and pop chart success, they were stunned by the extreme backlash to their music and rapid decline in popularity near the beginning of the 1980's.
"How Can You Mend A Broken Heart" is a fascinating film (which also touches on the brief yet substantial music career of their younger brother, Andy who died in 1988 at the age of thirty after years of substance abuse) that covers the brilliant highs and tragic lows of a group that I don't believe has ever been fully appreciated for their contributions to popular music. While watching the doc, you listen to one amazing song after another that highlights the astonishing songwriting craft of the Gibb brothers, leaving no doubt about the importance and enduring legacy of the Bee Gees.
And the now seventy-four year old, Barry Gibb has released a new album, "Greenfields: The Gibb Brothers Songbook, Vol. 1". This first collection features elevenclassic Bee Gees songs that have been reimagined as country numbers. Gibb has recruited several musicians to join him for duets of these tunes like Dolly Parton, Sheryl Crow, Little Big Town, Jason Isbell and fellow Aussies, Keith Urban and Olivia Newton-John. Have a listen to a few of the tracks:
I know I'm not the only one glad to see 2020 come to an end. It was a rough and difficult year in many ways but thankfully we had music to help us get through.
And to bring an official end to 2020, here are a few songs that I loved from last year that I didn't get a chance to highlight:
