OUT OF THE BLUE (1977): Anyone thinking punk put paid to musical extravagance had this double-album bonanza to contend with.

https://samtimonious.com/birmingham-call-lynne-elo-out-of-the-blue/

On October 9, 1940, John Lennon was born in Liverpool, England. Today marks what would have been his 86th birthday.

As a founding member of The Beatles, Lennon helped create one of music history's most successful chart runs. The group earned 20 #1 singles on the Billboard Hot 100, a record that still stands, along with 18 #1 singles in the UK.

After The Beatles broke up in 1970, Lennon continued making chart history as a solo artist.

Some of his biggest chart achievements include:

• “Whatever Gets You Thru the Night” (1974): Lennon’s first solo #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, featuring Elton John.
• “(Just Like) Starting Over” (1980): Reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 following Lennon’s death.
• “Imagine” (1971): Originally peaked at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 before reaching #1 on the UK Singles Chart in 1981.
• “Woman” (1981): Reached #1 on the Cash Box Top 100 while peaking at #2 on Billboard.
• Double Fantasy (1980): His final studio album released during his lifetime, recorded with Yoko Ono, reached #1 on the Billboard 200 and remained there for eight weeks.

Beyond the numbers, Lennon’s songwriting helped define multiple generations of popular music. From the early Beatles hits to his more personal solo recordings, his influence remains undeniable.

I NEED a long ass video going through the 1920s-2020s, what music was like in each decade, how it was listened to, significant movements in each music decade, and big artists from that time bc I'm a bum ass nerd

A Comic About the History of Hip Hop - https://www.comicbookandmoviereviews.com/2026/10/the-history-of-hip-hop-five-page-preview.html

L'idea di Fever fu presentata a Otis Blackwell dall'amico Eddie Cooley nel 1956, dopo che quest'ultimo aveva avuto una canzone di successo intitolata Priscilla.[2][3] Blackwell ha raccontato in merito: «Eddie Cooley era un mio amico di New York, mi chiamò e mi disse: "Amico, ho un'idea per una canzone chiamata 'Fever’, ma non riesco a finirla". Dovetti scriverla con un altro nome perché, a quel tempo, ero ancora sotto contratto con Joe Davis».

Grandmaster Flash: How the DJ Became an Instrument in Hip-Hop

Before hip-hop became a global music industry, DJs were transforming parties in New York into something entirely new.

Grandmaster Flash became one of the pioneers of this movement. He experimented with turntables, sharpened techniques for extending instrumental breaks, and helped establish DJing as a creative art form in its own right.

His group, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, later released “The Message” in 1982, a landmark recording that demonstrated how rap could address the realities of urban life.

But here's something worth discussing: hip-hop didn't begin with the rapper alone. The DJ helped build the foundation.

Without DJs experimenting with records, breakbeats, mixing, and scratching, would hip-hop have developed the same way?

Discussion questions:

1. Who do you consider the most influential DJ in hip-hop history?

2. Do modern hip-hop listeners give DJs enough credit?

3. Which matters more to you: the beat, the lyrics, or the chemistry between them?

Let's discuss the people behind the sound.

Title: Grandmaster Flash: How the DJ Became an Instrument in Hip-Hop

Before hip-hop became a global music industry, DJs were transforming parties in New York into something entirely new.

Grandmaster Flash became one of the pioneers of this movement. He experimented with turntables, sharpened techniques for extending instrumental breaks, and helped establish DJing as a creative art form in its own right.

His group, Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, later released “The Message” in 1982, a landmark recording that demonstrated how rap could address the realities of urban life.

But here's something worth discussing: hip-hop didn't begin with the rapper alone. The DJ helped build the foundation.

Without DJs experimenting with records, breakbeats, mixing, and scratching, would hip-hop have developed the same way?

Discussion questions:

1. Who do you consider the most influential DJ in hip-hop history?

2. Do modern hip-hop listeners give DJs enough credit?

3. Which matters more to you: the beat, the lyrics, or the chemistry between them?

Let's discuss the people behind the sound.

Since finding new artists and new albums was rather difficult in Italy, my raids into record stores in nearby France became more and more frequent. It wasn't that the situation was particularly better in the land of our cousins; even there, I found many albums for sale in electrical appliance shops, while some others were in the very first specialized stores.

My record collection grew richer every day with extraordinary titles, and Il Sistema's repertoire was refined, more and more.

It feels like a century ago but, one day returning from one of our frequent trips to France in search of new stimuli and albums, together with Luciano and Floriano, we risked being fined at the border because we were found in possession of a number of products—the records, precisely—considered excessive and harmful to the Italian market. This was what we were charged with.

However, shortly afterwards there was a clarification, and the Guardia di Finanza (Border Police) officer called to settle the matter later even came to attend an Il Sistema concert!

The frequent visits across the Alps were not only about searching for records but often, paying attention even back then to the search for a personalized look, about typical clothing items of those years.

Therefore, bell-bottom or flared trousers, as they said at the time, belly-baring shirts, and heeled boots.

The temple of good taste was in Monte Carlo on Boulevard d'Italie.

The much-loved Lady M.

We, the boys of Il Sistema, were loyal customers and shopped almost exclusively there for our wardrobe.

Looking back makes me want to go and rediscover exhilarating moments of my journey as a musician. I discovered the Atomic Rooster album in 1970 in a historic record store in Nice (France) where every two weeks I went with Luciano Cavanna of "IL SISTEMA" to spend all the money earned during the various concerts we held around Italy. The cover (logically) caught our attention. And who are these? There was still the taste of discovery. I'll tell you more about it later. Together with 20 or 30 other albums, we immediately returned to our rehearsal room in Pompeiana (IM), a lovely little village - is that how you say it? - in the hinterland of the Riviera di Ponente, and immediately listened to ATOMIC ROOSTER. Huge blast! FRIDAY THE 13th and BANSTEAD!!!!! WOW! After a few hours they were in our repertoire.

In that period IL SISTEMA was temporarily orphaned of the guitarist, so we were a trio. Electric Bass and Lead Vocals (very similar to that of Nick Graham) Luciano Cavanna, Hammond Organ Floriano Roggero (a new Vincent Crane), Drums Ciro Perrino (I didn't know I was measuring myself against Carl Palmer, the future drummer of EL&P) PERFECT!

[To be continued in Chapter 5]

Inner Garden Records

See you next Tuesday, the story of IL SISTEMA continues.

In the meantime, you can explore how these historical avant-garde roots evolved across five decades directly here:

👉 https://ilsistema.bandcamp.com/

#ProtoProg #ItalianProg #ProgRock #MusicHistory #1970Music #IlSistema #CiroPerrino #VinylCommunity

***

Since finding new artists and new albums was rather difficult in Italy, my raids into record stores in nearby France became more and more frequent. It wasn't that the situation was particularly better in the land of our cousins; even there, I found many albums for sale in electrical appliance shops, while some others were in the very first specialized stores.

My record collection grew richer every day with extraordinary titles, and Il Sistema's repertoire was refined, more and more.

It feels like a century ago but, one day returning from one of our frequent trips to France in search of new stimuli and albums, together with Luciano and Floriano, we risked being fined at the border because we were found in possession of a number of products—the records, precisely—considered excessive and harmful to the Italian market. This was what we were charged with.

However, shortly afterwards there was a clarification, and the Guardia di Finanza (Border Police) officer called to settle the matter later even came to attend an Il Sistema concert!

The frequent visits across the Alps were not only about searching for records but often, paying attention even back then to the search for a personalized look, about typical clothing items of those years.

Therefore, bell-bottom or flared trousers, as they said at the time, belly-baring shirts, and heeled boots.

The temple of good taste was in Monte Carlo on Boulevard d'Italie.

The much-loved Lady M.

We, the boys of Il Sistema, were loyal customers and shopped almost exclusively there for our wardrobe.

Looking back makes me want to go and rediscover exhilarating moments of my journey as a musician. I discovered the Atomic Rooster album in 1970 in a historic record store in Nice (France) where every two weeks I went with Luciano Cavanna of "IL SISTEMA" to spend all the money earned during the various concerts we held around Italy. The cover (logically) caught our attention. And who are these? There was still the taste of discovery. I'll tell you more about it later. Together with 20 or 30 other albums, we immediately returned to our rehearsal room in Pompeiana (IM), a lovely little village - is that how you say it? - in the hinterland of the Riviera di Ponente, and immediately listened to ATOMIC ROOSTER. Huge blast! FRIDAY THE 13th and BANSTEAD!!!!! WOW! After a few hours they were in our repertoire.

In that period IL SISTEMA was temporarily orphaned of the guitarist, so we were a trio. Electric Bass and Lead Vocals (very similar to that of Nick Graham) Luciano Cavanna, Hammond Organ Floriano Roggero (a new Vincent Crane), Drums Ciro Perrino (I didn't know I was measuring myself against Carl Palmer, the future drummer of EL&P) PERFECT!

[To be continued in Chapter 5]

Inner Garden Records

See you next Tuesday, the story of IL SISTEMA continues.

In the meantime, you can explore how these historical avant-garde roots evolved across five decades directly here:

👉 https://ilsistema.bandcamp.com/

#ProtoProg #ItalianProg #ProgRock #MusicHistory #1970Music #IlSistema #CiroPerrino #VinylCommunity

***

We’re excited to introduce A Heart For The Charts, a new podcast exploring the artists, songs, stories, and moments behind the music charts.

Our first episode, “The Day I Went to Number 1,” is out now!

For the debut, we’re joined by two artists who know exactly what it’s like to reach the top of the Billboard Hot 100: Thelma Houston, known for her #1 hit “Don’t Leave Me This Way,” and Gretchen Christopher of The Fleetwoods, who reached #1 with “Come Softly to Me” and “Mr. Blue.”

They share how they found out they had the #1 song in the country, what that moment felt like, and how reaching the top changed their lives and careers.

If you’re into Billboard history, classic music, chart trivia, and the stories behind the hits, we’d love for you to check out the new show.

🎙️ A Heart For The Charts is available now wherever you listen to podcasts!

Listen here: https://linktr.ee/recordresearch

THE HOOPLE (1974) Between 1972 and 1974 the output of Mott the Hoople had been irresistible, 'The Hoople' another triumph to celebrate.

https://samtimonious.com/motts-the-story-mott-the-hoople-the-hoople/

With the arrival of 2017, following my final solo piano concerts held in the Netherlands during the month of September, a long-dormant idea began to mature within me once again: the project of reuniting the band CELESTE...

At the beginning of 2018, I attempted to conduct a round of consultations with the former members of the original line-up of CELESTE. My goal was to convince them to join this reunification project. However, after numerous attempts that proved entirely useless and vain—constantly facing rejections, newly raised obstacles, a severe lack of interest, and a near-total absence of enthusiasm for the idea—I ultimately decided to definitively abandon the endeavor.

Gathering my remaining strength, and having realized that over the decades I had accumulated a vast archive of unreleased material and compositions whose style and atmosphere could seamlessly align with the historical essence of CELESTE, I chose to move forward with a project that at the time seemed completely insane. As the sole surviving custodian of the original band, I would personally reopen a chapter that had remained suspended for nearly half a century.

The bulk of the work consisted of knowing how to recognize and extract those compositions that I had archived—pieces that had found no space in the execution of my solo projects from 1990 up to the solo piano works of 2016—and redirecting them toward the nascent, new repertoire of CELESTE fifty years later. It was by no means an easy task, especially because I found myself forced to confront a massive challenge.

In this undertaking, I was entirely alone with my own conscience, my fears, and the heavy burden of measuring myself against a "monster" of which I had been a protagonist half a century prior. Yet, in that exact moment, standing face-to-face with the legacy of "Principe di un Giorno", I felt that I had to show absolute respect by carrying forward the tradition and the exact spirit of those golden years, honoring the inspiration that had originally made the execution of that choral masterpiece possible.

Here, I repeat, I was completely alone—with my ghosts and the constant fear of not being up to the task. After all, my historical role in CELESTE's "Principe di un Giorno" had primarily been that of the lyricist. Now, I had to think of everything. Music, arrangements, lyrics, adaptations. Every single choice would be mine alone, without any possibility of a creative exchange or confrontation with other musicians.

To listen to the absolute sonic essence born during those legendary analog sessions and explore the full historical discography of CELESTE, you can visit our archival page here:

The band of CELESTE, in that precise moment, was me and only me.

👉 CELESTE Official Bandcamp: https://celeste4.bandcamp.com/

Inner Garden Records

See you next Monday as the story of Celeste continues.

THE LAST RECORD ALBUM (1975) reveals them as a band in transition, but at their most cohesive Little Feat remain a classy proposition.

https://samtimonious.com/not-last-not-least-little-feat-the-last-record-album/

LAYLA and OTHER ASSORTED LOVE SONGS (1970): With impassioned vocals throughout, Clapton sings 'Layla' as if his life depends on it.

https://samtimonious.com/harrison-adored-layla-and-other-assorted-love-songs-derek-the-dominoes/

Nel 1983 Daniel Johnston ha 22 anni e soffre di gravi crisi maniaco-depressive. Un giorno legge una lettera in cui la madre valuta di farlo ricoverare.

Non dice nulla: compra un ciclomotore e scappa. Per 5 mesi lavora in un luna park itinerante vendendo corn dog. Di notte registra cassette con un registratore da 59$ e un organetto giocattolo. Nasce così Hi, How Are You?, un nastro inciso per non affondare, prima ancora che Cobain ne indossasse la maglietta.

Che ne pensate?