Starting this year, the back catalogue of Mancunian indie figureheads New Order is getting the deluxe box-set re-issue treatment. It begins with their 1981 debut album Movement, the record that saw the band take its tentative first steps as an entity without singer and lyricist Ian Curtis, whose suicide in May the previous year had brought Joy Division to an untimely end.
With vinyl making an overwhelming comeback, the price and rarity of wax has skyrocketed. The more popular the artist, the heftier the price tag with first pressings of The Beatles, Led Zeppelin and Pink Floyd albums selling for astronomical prices. The more controversial the cover art and more limited the pressing can bump up the value even more, making some people wish they’d never thrown their vinyl collection out all those years ago.
If 2019 had a nickname, it would be 'The Comeback Kid', as a huge number of artists are making a comeback to the UK this year. From pop to classic rock, there’s something to please all music tastes. Below are some acts we’re super excited to see make a return this year.
Though it is a relatively well-known fact that vinyl sales have increased massively worldwide over the last decade or so (there’s been an 86.5% rise in record purchases since 2012 in the U.K.) there’s still a long way to go before records become the dominant music format again.
Of course, it is likely this may never happen at all. As is the norm nowadays we are presented with the ‘streaming’ argument- why would people want to spend £20 on one album, when they can pay half of that price per month and stream any number of albums they want, whenever they want?
Clapton rocketed to fame in the 1960s as the guitarist for the Yardbirds, John Mayall's Bluesbreakers, and Cream. Clapton eased into a solo career in 1970, but he was so reticent to step to the front of the stage he adopted the pseudonym Derek & the Dominos for the album, Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs. By the end of the '70s, he had finally embraced his role as the preeminent guitarist of his generation. That sensitive side shone on his biggest hit, 1992's MTV Unplugged, which also reconnected him with the blues roots upon which his entire career lay.
Duran Duran's reputation was built through music videos that accentuated their fashion-model looks and glam style. Without music videos, it's likely that their pop-funk -- described by the group as the Sex Pistols-meet-Chic -- would never have made them international pop stars. While early videos like "Girls on Film" and "The Chauffeur" sparked controversy in England over their sexual content, their best-known clips were often based on hit contemporary movies. The clever videos helped make Duran Duran's rise to popularity remarkably swift.
The Doors were formed in Los Angeles in 1965 by UCLA film students Ray Manzarek, keyboards, and Jim Morrison, vocals; with drummer John Densmore and guitarist Robby Krieger. They soon became one of the most influential and controversial rock bands of the 1960s. The group never added a bass player, and their sound was dominated by Manzarek's electric organ work and Morrison's deep, sonorous voice.
Regarded as one of the greatest singer-songwriters amongst her 80’s contemporaries, Tracy Chapman helped re-define and reinvigorate the genre with her honest, yet powerful self-biographical inspired lyrics, and further challenge the wider spread young demographic of America who were inspired by her liberal lyrics and sentiment.
Exploding onto the Rock and Roll scene as a performer with Ike Turner’s Kings Of Rhythm, Tina Turner encompassed the persona of an energised rock enigma. A natural performer, Turner went on to hone her craft and release top charting singles such as ‘Proud Mary’ and ‘River Deep- Mountain High’ with the later winning the duo a Grammy for the best R&B performance by a group or duo.
Widely regarded as one the pioneers and most successful New Romantic bands to date, Spandau Ballet characterised the British New Wave 80s era with their synth-pop hits which span chart toppers such as “To Cut A Long Story Short”, “Gold” and their top 10 American hit “True”. The band formed in London in the late 70’s and saw a line-up constituting of the Kemp Brothers, Gary and Martin who played Guitar and bass respectively, vocalist Tony Hadley, drummer John Keeble and Steve Norman who played rhythm and percussion.