A Humble Music Blog - LIVENERGI

Let’s talk about a very interesting subject, sampling in music. If done well, it can take your song to a whole new level. When we talk about sampling, Rihanna’s “Don’t Stop The Music” (sampled Michael Jackson’s “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’”), Kanye West and Jamie Foxx’s “Gold Digger” (sampled Ray Charles’ “I Got A Woman”) and Eminem’s “Stan” (sampling of Dido’s “Thank You”) are some songs that come to mind. But let’s look at some unexpected, yet refreshing examples of sampling. Bone Thugs N Harmony – Wind Blow sampled Fleetwood Mac – The Chain This song features some amazing bass and guitar work. The chorus, as expected from all Fleetwood Mac songs, is filled with excellent harmonies. Bone Thugs N Harmony sampled the chorus and the brilliant bass line of John McVie. They also added an awesome guitar solo in the outro. Check it out. The Rhapsody feat Warren G – Prince Igor sampled Sissel – Prince Igor (Originally by Alexander Borodin) This song take...

Sting's  real name is  Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner . So how did he land up with a name like " Sting "? Well, during the early part of his musical career, he was the bassist for a jazz band called The Phoenix Jazzmen . One of his favourite outfits on stage was a black and yellow sweater with horizontal stripes on it. The other band members thought it made him look like a bee. So the band's frontman, Gordon Solomon , started calling him Sting , and would introduce him on stage as "Sting"... and the name stuck.

Rick Ruben Johnny Cash Nine Inch Nails

Picture this... The year is 1971. The place --- Ascot in England. Early in the morning, a legendary musician sits down at a white grand piano in his bedroom, and pens the lyrics of a new song --- at one go… effortlessly. He then proceeds to compose the melody and completes it in a single sitting. His wife (Yoko) later said that the song was already inside him, just waiting to come out. The legend referred to is the late John Lennon, and the song is, of course, Imagine, arguably the best song ever written by him --- a point personally acknowledged by Lennon himself. However, he never intended it to become an anthem. To him, it was a simple song --- 21 lines written in simple everyday English, expressing a simple idea: that we are one country… one world… one people. The divisions within us are caused by narrow concepts like money, politics and religion. In his imagination, Lennon even had a name for this country — he called it Nutopia. His Dakota residence...

Satchmo. Strange nickname, huh? The origin of this moniker is rather interesting. Like all trumpet players, the legendary Louis Armstrong had developed a large mouth with loose sagging lips. So some of his close buddies used to call him Satchmo --- short for "Satchel Mouth"! Remember that lovely Louis Armstrong song: Hello Dolly? Here's some interesting trivia related to the song. When it was released in 1964, The Beatles had been hogging the No. 1 position on the pop charts for 14 consecutive weeks. Hello Dolly knocked The Beatles off the charts (!!!)... and occupied the No. 1 slot. The song also set another record. At 63, Armstrong became the oldest artiste to occupy the No. 1 spot on the pop charts.

In an earlier post on my personal musical moments, I mentioned the live recording of Belafonte at Carnegie Hall. This triggered a huge response from many Belafonte fans who mentioned that reading the post gave them a chance to walk down Memory Lane after years. Let me share some of my special memories of this wonderful album. The last song of the concert, is Mathilda with which Belafonte brings the curtain (and the house) down. There's one bit, the part where the audience sing-along, doesn't sync with the orchestra...so Belafonte tells the orchestra not to play.  It's hard to pick favourites on this album. Every song is rendered brilliantly. In particular, I love the opening... the low, steady rhythm of the kettle drums... Belafonte comes onstage setting off a ripple of applause... and goes straight in Darling Cora. I also love the Carnegie Hall versions of Mama Look A Boo Boo, Hava Nagilah and Cu Cu Ru Cu Cu Paloma. Another aspect that I marvel a...

Ever so often, the opening notes of a song become its identity. For instance, the opening of Smoke On The Water (Deep Purple). You hear the Da-Da-Da Da-Da-Da-Da Da-Da-Da Da-Da...and you immediately know what the song is. In fact, it couldn't be any other song. Here are some more songs with definitive openers: ::Black Magic Woman (Santana) Santana's scintillating guitar intro backed by the pulsating percussion and bass guitar sets the tone for this brilliant track. ::Locomotive Breath (Jethro Tull) A distinctive yet deceptive beginning... the laid-back piano intro followed by a bluesy guitar piece gives no indication that the track is about to explode into a rocking song with driving drum beats. ::Sweet Caroline (Neil Diamond) The organ melody is what makes a difference here, more so because Neil Diamond's songs are predominantly guitar-based. ::Dancing In The Dark (Bruce Springsteen) A lively keyboard-based intro with a ...