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THE
WHITE STRIPES |
Along
with The Strokes and The Hives, The
White Stripes were at the forefront
of rock's revival at the turn of the
century. Formed in 1997 in by Detroit
natives guitarist Jack White and his
drumming ex-wife Meg, The White Stripes
swan-dived into rock's primordial past
and successfully fused the blues with
country and punk to create a new blend
of minimalist rock.
The White Stripes first gained attention in their homeland
after touring with alt.rockers Pavement and Sleater-Kinney
in 1999 and their second album "De
Stijl", released in 2000, gained them wider
exposure but it was with the release of their third album, "White
Blood Cells" in 2001 that things started moving
for the band.
Their early UK appearnces were instant sell-outs and word
of mouth soon spread. Among their supporters was the influential
DJ, the late John Peel who declared them "...the best since
Hendrix". The video for "Fell
In Love With A Girl" - featuring the band as
portrayed by Lego bricks - was nominated for four MTV Video
Awards and helped the band reach a wider audience.
The follow-up album, 2003's "Elephant" was
recorded in two weeks in London's Toerag studios and begat
the smash-hit single "Seven Nation Army". Relentless touring
followed - including two sell-out concerts at London's Alexandra
Palace - though Jack White managed to find time to appear
in and record songs for the movie "Cold Mountain" as well
as romancing co-star Renee Zellwegger.
The White Stripes returned in 2005 with the album
"Get
Behind Me Satan", an album that saw the band
experimenting with marimbas and pianos instead of their trademark
guitar-led sound. Scoring a hit with "Blue
Orchid", The White Stripes headlined Friday
night at the Glastonbury festival.
Download The
White Stripes now or subscribe
to Wippit.
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ECHO & THE
BUNNYMEN |
It
must be something they put in the
water up in Liverpool but if any
one band came to define the sound
of post-punk psychedelia then it
was Echo & The Bunnymen. Originally
formed in 1978 by vocalist Ian McCulloch,
guitarist Will Sergeant and their
drum machine Echo, the nascent band
were soon joined by bassist Les Pattinson
and, after playing several gigs as
a trio, completed their line-up with
the addition of drummer Pete de Freitas.
Their debut album, "Crocodiles", was released in 1980 and
was followed up a year later by the swirling psychedelic
tones of "Heaven Up Here". Even better was "Porcupine". Released
in 1983, the album spawned the Top 10 hit "The Cutter" and
saw the band headline the prestigious Royal Albert Hall.
Following the release of the band's second Top 10 single, "The
Killing Moon", Echo & The Bunnymen released their fourth
album "Ocean Rain" in 1984. Proclaimed by the band as "...the
greatest record ever released", the album reached Number
Four.
Band problems saw drummer De Freitas briefly leave the group
before rejoining them at the end of 1986 and the single "Bring
On The Dancing Horses" was their only release that year.
1987's eponymous album gave Echo & The Bunnymen their
biggest U.S. hit but McCulloch left a year later to persue
a solo career. The band decided to carry on without him but
tragedy struck when De Freitas was killed in a motorcyle
accident.
Echo & The
Bunnymen's first post-McCulloch
album Reverberation failed chart through
the singer fared better with his debut
solo effort "Candleland".
However, as the years progressed, it became apparant that
McCulloch and Sergeant needed each other and formed the short-lived
Electrafiction. In 1997, the pair re-united with Pattison
and released the acclaimed album "Evergreen" album.
Echo & The
Bunnymen -
albeit with a truncated line-up since
the departure of Pattison - still continue
to tour and release albums in the 21st
Century.
Download Echo & The
Bunnymen now or subscribe
to Wippit. . :
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