Rock History

2005 – The Magic Numbers walked out of an appearance on UK music show Top of the Pops after presenter Richard Bacon said the band had been put in a “fat melting pot of talent.” The band left the studio in protest at the “derogatory, unfunny remarks”.

2003 – Ashanti and Ja Rule headline Hot 97′s Hot Summer Night show on a New York pier. Newcomer Loon and Fat Joe also perform.

2003 – Ja Rule becomes the first high-profile international artist to tour South Africa.

Jeffrey Atkins (born February 29, 1976), better known by his stage name Ja Rule, is an American rapper and actor signed to The Inc. and Universal Records formerly of Def Jam Recordings. A Hollis, New York native best-known for hits such as “Put It On Me,” “Between Me And You,” “I’m Real” and “Wonderful,” Ja Rule has released seven albums to date and sold over 20 million albums worldwide.

Biography

Early years

Born and raised in a Hollis, Queens, New York housing project, he attended Junior High School in Floral Park where he met his future wife Aisha Murray, graduating with her in 1991. They attended Martin Van Buren High School together, but he did not graduate.

When Atkins was five years old, his sister died from respiratory problems. His parents were Jehovah’s Witnesses. Growing up in a strict religious home, Atkin’s family did not celebrate birthdays and Christmas, and as a child, was not allowed to listen to rap music. When he first heard it, he decided to be a rapper. He would sneak the music into his house and played it on his CD player when his mother wasn’t around. Ja Rule allegedly stated that although he had previously attended a school in Queens, he transferred to a private school in Manhattan because of bullying about his small height. During his interview with Louis Farrakahn, he stated that he was the only black student at the school and said that because of his race, the other kids didn’t bother him.

At age 15, Atkins appeared with 0-1 and Chris Black as part of Cash Money Click which would lead to him being signed by TVT Records. Atkins was heard by a young DJ who called himself DJ Irv, and later Irv Gotti. Gotti was a friend of Jay-Z and a DJ for Def Jam Recordings . During the mid 90′s, Gotti was intent on meeting Ja Rule and helping him land a solo deal, eventually scoring one at Def Jam. Shortly after Def Jam decided to launch his career through the success of Jay-Z. Ja would appear on Jay-Z’s hit single Can I Get A… alongside Amil . Soon after we would quickly become one of the more popular rappers in the game as well as one of Def Jam’s premier acts.

Music career

Venni Vetti Vecci (1999)

On June 1, 1999, Ja Rule released his debut album, Venni Vetti Vecci. The album marked not only Ja’s debut, but the debut album from his label, Murder Inc. Records. Venni Vetti Vecci instantly launched Ja Rule’s career as he became a staple on hip hop and pop networks like MTV, VH1, and BET. The album featured “Holla Holla” along with “Its Murda” with Jay-Z and DMX. The final single was “Daddy’s Little Baby,” a duet with Ronald Isley. These three singles and the production coming from Irv Gotti along with performances from Memphis Bleek, Erick Sermon, Case, Black Child, Nemesis, and Caddillac Tah, then known as Tah Murdah, along with a notable performance from his mentor, Jay-Z led to the album going platinum.

Rule 3:36 (2000)

Ja Rule would return during the summer of 2000, with his new single “Between Me and You,” which featured Def Soul act Christina Milian. The single was quickly followed by Ja’s second effort, Rule 3:36, which was released on October 10, 2000. 3:36 also featured singles “Put It On Me,” and “I Cry.” The album featured guest appearances from Lil Mo, Vita, Christina Milian, label mates Jayo Felony, and Black Child. The album received mixed responses from critics due to its more commercial sound, abandoning a bit the darker street sound of his debut. Despite this, the album fared extremely well and debuted at #1 on the Billboard Charts, eventually going 3x Platinum. The release of this album marked a huge turn in Ja Rule’s style of music from a more hardcore edge to a pop crossover oriented sound.

Pain Is Love (2001)

Soon after the release of Rule 3:36, Irv Gotti would sign R&B singer Ashanti to the label, which led to Lil Mo ending her collaborations with the label. During the late summer of 2001, Ja Rule released the lead single from his third studio album, Pain Is Love, which was “Livin’ It Up.” The second single was the “I’m Real (remix),” and the third was “Always On Time,” and the last was “Down Ass Bitch.” This album is noted for two things the first is introducing a young Ashanti to the music business and the second is bringing Charli Baltimore back to the music business. Pain Is Love featured guest appearances from Case, The Murder Inc. Family, Missy Elliott, Jodie Mack, Tweet, Jennifer Lopez and a recording from the late Tupac Shakur. Along with its critical success it was also a commercial success it, like its predecessor went 3x Platinum.

The Last Temptation (2002)

Ja Rule would shave his head during the promotion of his fourth studio album, The Last Temptation. His fourth album was released on November 19, 2002. Although the album was fairly successful, certified platinum, it failed to carry the momentum brought by his previous album, criticized for being too commercial. It seemed that Ja’s popularity was starting to fade, due to many fan’s perceived notion that he was now catering exclusively to pop audiences.

Blood In My Eye (2003)

Blood In My Eye is the fifth album from Ja Rule. The content of this album led to a dramatic fall in his popularity. This album is also noted as the last Ja Rule album released by The Inc. Records under the moniker Murder Inc. This was partially due to Ja’s disses and death threats to adversaries, 50 Cent, Busta Rhymes (a former associate), Eminem, Dr. Dre, DMX, and G-Unit. The album was originally planned to be a mixtape, but former label Def Jam Recordings forced him to release an album in 2003 to honor the contract, where he released an album every year. Blood In My Eye peaked at #6, but became his first album not to go gold or platinum, making it his lowest selling to date. On this album, Ja sparked rivalries with many artists on the Interscope Records roster. In October 2003, Ja Rule met with Minster Louis Farrakhan, who wanted to intervene and prevent escalating violence in the feud between 50 Cent and Ja Rule.

R.U.L.E. (2004)

Ja Rule returned to form on his sixth studio album, R.U.L.E. released on November 9, 2004. This album was considered a comeback of sorts for Ja as he attempted a return to mainstream success. The lead single was “Wonderful” which was followed by the street anthem, “New York,” the third and last single was “Caught Up”. The album featured guest appearances from Ashanti, Lloyd, Trick Daddy, R. Kelly, Fat Joe, Jadakiss, Claudette Ortiz, Black Child, Caddillac Tah and many more. Despite not having the staying power of his earlier albums R.U.L.E. still managed to go gold, a feat he hadn’t accomplished since 2002 with The Last Temptation.

Exodus (2005)

On December 6, 2005, Ja Rule released his seventh album, which is nothing more than a greatest hits album. It featured only one new song “Exodus (Intro)” which was produced by Irv Gotti. The album was released to honor the contract with Def Jam so that The Inc. could get a fresh start with a new distributor. After the release of this compilation, Ja Rule took a hiatus from recording music.

Departure from Def Jam (2005-2006)

In 2005, The Inc. Records would come under investigation because of the drug trades by Kenneth “Supreme” Mc Griff, who is associated with Irv Gotti. This would all lead to Def Jam Recordings refusing to renew The Inc.’s contract. From 2005 to 2006, Irv would search for other labels, until finally reaching a deal with Universal Records.

The Mirror (2008)
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In March, 2008, Ja Rule planned to release his Universal Records debut and eighth studio album, The Mirror. The first single, “Uh Oh” was released on July 31, 2007 and premiered on music video shows the following day. This second single, “Body” was released in September. The album contains a collaboration with former G-Unit artist, The Game , whom he had once had a lyrical altercation with, called “Sunset.” The album was originally supposed to be titled Love Is Pain as a sequel to his album Pain Is Love. The album eventually was pushed back a second time with no definitive release date.

Personal life

Criminal charges

In 1999, he along with the rest of Murder Inc. were brought up on charges for assaulting 50 Cent, which led to a restraining order against them for 50. Also in 2003, he punched a man in Toronto for shouting at him in a crowd because of the 50 Cent feud. He would end up suing Ja Rule, but they settled out of court. In 2004, police investigated whether a feud involving The Inc. led to fatal shooting outside a nightclub party hosted by Ja Rule. In July 2007, Ja Rule was arrested for gun and drug possession charges along with Lil Wayne.

Romantic life

Ja Rule met his future wife, Aisha while attending middle school and they married when they were eighteen.

Homophobia

In the September 2007 issue of Complex magazine, Ja Rule was mistakenly reported to have expressed that homosexuals are to be blamed for the problems and destruction in the United States, and was disgusted at MTV’s promotion of LGBT television shows. He also spoke out about how hip hop is being blamed for more issues than homosexuality, and perpetuated the belief that gays are evil and corrupting music and television.
“     “And if it is, then we need to go step to Paramount, and fucking MGM, and all of these other motherfuckers that’s making all of these movies and we need to go step to MTV and Viacom, and lets talk about all these fucking shows that they have on MTV that is promoting homosexuality, that my kids can’t watch this shit,” he continued. “Dating shows that’s showing two guys or two girls in mid-afternoon. Let’s talk about shit like that! If that’s not fucking up America, I don’t know what is.”     ”

His comments prompted a strong rebuke from GLAAD, who issued a public statement stating, “No fair-minded person can look at Ja Rule’s interview with Complex Magazine and believe for one second that his children could be more harmed by what they might see on television than by the vulgarity and prejudice that comes out of their father’s mouth. Now that media have seen Ja Rule’s intolerance unmasked by his own words, they have a responsibility not to provide in the future a platform for his ugly, vulgar displays of prejudice.”

It was later revealed that GLAAD had been mistaken and that he was actually mis-quoted in an interview with online MySpace interview channel The Hook Up on October 24, 2007. He went on in a January 2008 issue of XXL Magazine to state his words were taken out of context. He is quote as stating:
“     “What I was saying in that article is everyone has that same responsibility. They’re absolutely right: Rappers have a responsibility to the kids. But don’t just pin it on the hip-hop. If I gotta curb my lyrics or censor what I say, no problem. But if you gonna show sexual images during the daytime for children, that should be censored as well … And I’m not just talking about homosexuality. I’m talking about any sexuality. If it’s too sexy for kids, its too sexy for kids …”     ”

Hip Hop entrepreneur

Aside from being president of The Inc. Records, Ja Rule is the owner and founder of Rule Global Media. This consists of Mpire Records, ErvingGeoffrey, and Stars On Poker.net.

The Inc. Records

Ja Rule co-founded The Inc. Records along with Irv Gotti in 1997. When it was formed, because of it being a vanity label, Def Jam owned a 50% stake in the label.

In 2002, Irv Gotti granted Ja Rule 50% of his share of the label due to his recent success on the charts. The next year, Ja Rule was named label president while Irv is the primary owner and the label CEO.

Mpire Records

In 2006, Ja Rule formed his own label to be distributed by The Inc., Mpire Records. To the label, he has signed Young Merc, Ashley Joi, D. Gift, Boxie, Tre, Newz, and Thunderkatz. He owns 100 percent of this label, which is a subsidiary of The Inc. Also signed to the label are his group Cash Money Click.

ErvingGeoffrey

In 2004, Ja Rule teamed up with Irv Gotti to create their own clothing line, ErvingGeoffrey, which is an urban wear clothing line. It is prominently featured in various Inc-associated videos and on their artists various albums.

Philanthropy

Atkins teamed up with associates of Tupac Shakur’s organization and founded L.I.F.E Foundation, which opens its doors to underprivileged kids. The foundation has various programs which include art, music, poetry and sports.

Discography

Main article: Ja Rule discography

* 1999: Venni Vetti Vecci
* 2000: The Murderers
* 2000: Rule 3:36
* 2001: Pain Is Love
* 2002: The Inc.
* 2002: The Remixes
* 2002: The Last Temptation
* 2003: Blood in My Eye
* 2004: R.U.L.E.
* 2005: Exodus
* 2008: The Mirror

Awards history
Award     Category     Genre     Song/Album     Year     Result
Source Hip-Hop Music Award     Single of the Year     Rap/Hip-Hop     “Put It On Me”     2001     Won
Source Award     R&B/Rap Collboration of the Year     R&B/Rap     “Thug Lovin’”     2003     Won
Source Award     Fat Tape Song of the Year     Rap/Hip-Hop     “Clap Back”     2004     Won
MTV Video Music Award     Best Rap Video     Rap     “Put It On Me”     2001     Nominated
MTV Video Music Award     Best Hip-Hop Video     Hip-Hop     “Im Real (Murder Remix)”     2002     Won
MTV Video Music Award     Best Hip-Hop Video     Hip-Hop     “Always On Time”     2002     Nominated
American Music Award     Favorite Rap/Hip-Hop Artist     Rap/Hip-Hop     –     2002     Nominated
American Music Award     Favorite Hip-Hop/R&B Male Artist     Hip-Hop/R&B     –     2003     Nominated
Grammy Award     Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group     Rap/Hip-Hop     “Put It On Me”     2002     Nominated
Grammy Award     Best Rap Album     Rap     “Pain Is Love”     2002     Nominated
Grammy Award     Best Rap/Sung Collaboration     Rap/Sung     “Livin’ It Up”     2002     Nominated
Grammy Award     Best Rap/Sung Collaboration     Rap/Sung     “Always On Time”     2003     Nominated
World Music Award     World’s Best-Selling Rap Artist     Rap/Hip-Hop     –     2002     Won
BET Award     Best Male Hip-Hop Artist Artist     Hip-Hop     –     2002     Won
GQ Men of the Year Award     Musician of the Year     Rap/Hip-Hop     –     2002     Won
Teen Choice Award     Male Artist of the Year     Rap/Hip-Hop     –     2002     Won
NAACP Image Award     Best Rap/Hip-Hop Artist     Rap/Hip-Hop     –     2002     Won
Soul Train Award     Best Rap/Soul or Rap Album of the Year     Rap     “Pain Is Love”     2002     Nominated

Acting career

During his break from rapping, Ja Rule co-starred in the movie The Fast and the Furious with Vin Diesel. He appeared on the 2004 movie Back in The Day along with Ving Rhames and Pam Grier. He was also starred in the movie The Cookout with Queen Latifah. He is working on his bio-pic and on Saw IV.

Filmography
Year     Title     Role     Notes
2000     Da Hip Hop Witch     Himself
2000     Turn it Up     David ‘Gage’ Williams
2001     Crime Partners 2000
2001     The Fast and the Furious     Edwin
2002     Half Past Dead     Nicolas ‘Nick’ Frazier
2003     Scary Movie 3     Agent Thompson
2003     Pauly Shore Is Dead     Himself
2004     The Cookout     Bling Bling
2004     Shall We Dance?     Hip Hop Bar Performer
2005     Back in the Day     Reggie Cooper
2005     Assault on Precinct 13     Smiley
2007     Kenny     TBA     post-production
2007     Furnace     TBA     post-production
2007     Don’t Fade Away     TBA     post-production

2002 – Rapper Fat Joe (Joseph Cartagena) is booked for assault after turning himself in to New York police. The rapper and members of his entourage were involved in a May 12 altercation at B.B. King’s Blues Club & Grill in New York’s Times Square in which the victim was suffered a fractured jaw, multiple bruises, cuts, and contusions.

1999 – Eric Clapton parts with 100 of his guitars and generates over $5 million for his Crossroads Centre at Antigua, and alcohol and drug-dependency treatment center in the West Indies. Among the stringed beauties auctioned off is “Brownie,” a 1956 sunburst Fender upon which he recorded his hit “Layla”; the instrument goes for a record-breaking $450,000.

FEATURED

from: http://www.xs4all.nl/~slowhand/ecfaq/guitars.html

Q: What was Clapton’s first guitar?
A: His first guitar was an acoustic Spanish Hoya. His first electric guitar was a double cutaway Kay.

Q: Where did “Blackie” come from?
A: In 1970, Clapton bought a handful of Stratocasters, Telecasters, and various other Fenders for $100.00 each at the Sho-Bud shop in Nashville, Tennessee. He took them back to England and gave one to George Harrison, one to Steve Winwood, and one to Pete Townshend. Clapton disassembled the remaining three and constructed “Blackie” out of the best components from each of them.

Q: Where is “Blackie” now?
A: “Blackie” was retired in 1985 after 15 years of faithful service. According to Clapton: “It’s at home. It’s off the road completely. I play it at home occasionally, but it is too precious for me to take out for fear of loss or breakage or something like that.”

Q: What is the Eric Clapton Signature Strat?
A: Dan Smith, the head of Fender guitars, approached Clapton to discuss a plan to create a guitar to Clapton’s specifications and market it under his name. Clapton told them to make an exact copy of “Blackie” (his favorite Strat), especially the shape of the neck. Clapton’s favorite neck was the “V” neck, like the early Martins. Fender made up a neck and put it on a Strat Elite guitar body for Clapton to try.  In the meantime, Fender made another prototype with a less V’ed neck that Clapton liked even more. Among the Elite’s features was a “mid boost” control, which on the Elite was meant to mimic the output and sound of a Gibson Les Paul. Clapton loved the boost (which he calls a “compressor”) and told Fender to keep it, but he wanted “more of the compressor”. The original prototype had 14 db of boost but Clapton wanted more than that. So, they put the guitar together with Lace Sensor pick-ups and a circuit that had a 25 db boost in the midrange at around 500 Hz [Guitar World, Dec 1989]  The guitar can be seen in an interview with Lee Dickson that ran in a 1985 issue of Guitar Player magazine. It’s a black Elite body with a different neck attached (quite easy to tell). The fact that Clapton’s favorite guitar was a Fender, apparently had nothing to do with the fact that his signature guitar is marketed by that company. The original production guitar was available in three colors — charcoal gray, Torino red, and 7-Up green. Per Clapton’s request, the color black was not offered initially, but was added as an option around 1991. Alpine white was also added about the time of the “Nothing But the Blues” tour.

Q: Where is Clapton’s famous psychedelic SG guitar from his days with the band Cream?
A: . The design on Clapton’s 1961 SG/Les Paul was done by The Fool, the Dutch group of artists (Simon and Marijke) that designed the album sleeve for the first pressing of the Beatles “Sgt. Peppers” album. Clapton first purchased this guitar in 1966/67, and was used on the first two Cream albums (Fresh Cream and Disraeli Gears), and on the Wheels of Fire live recordings.
The guitar is now in the collection of Todd Rundgren and the paint has been touched up.

Q: What kind of strings does Clapton use?
A: At least on his Strats, he uses Ernie Ball Regular Slinkies (.010) or Super Slinkies (.009).

Q: How did he do that?
A: Tabs of many of Clapton’s songs are available at The Slowhand Blues World tab archive. The tone and feeling is up to you, but the notes are here! In printed form, Hal Leonard (check in your local music store) sells many Clapton songbooks and stylebooks — some even contain a CD for easy playing.

Q: Has Clapton always played Fender guitars?
A: No. From about June 1965 until around 1970, Clapton played Gibson electric guitars almost exclusively. His reputation as a guitarist (i.e. “Clapton is God”) was developed with a Gibson guitar. In June 1965, when Clapton bought a second-hand, cherry sunburst Gibson Les Paul guitar, little did anyone know that he was about to change the history of the electric guitar. Clapton created a new electric guitar sound and employed an overdriven Marshall amplifier that provided the distortion, feedback, and sustain he needed for his trademark sound. Although not the first to use these electrical “by-products” to his advantage, he refined their use and combined them with his virtuoso abilities and, most importantly, angst-driven passion. Clapton’s blues solos during his days with John Mayall’s Blues Breakers could send shivers down the spine while bringing tears to the eyes.

The Gibson Les Paul model guitar that Clapton played, however, was a discontinued model, having been produced from 1952-1960. He subsequently purchased several more, but his favorite one was stolen during early Cream rehearsals in the summer of 1966. Clapton’s popularizing of the Les Paul model guitar affected the electric guitar world so much that Gibson decided to re-introduce and reissue the guitar in 1968.

If Clapton had not popularized the Gibson Les Paul guitar, it would have been consigned to the dust-bin of history. Today, vintage Gibson Les Paul sunburst guitars from the 1958-1960 are collector’s items.

Q: How did Clapton get the famous “woman-tone” in Cream?
A: According to Clapton, the “woman-tone” is achieved by rolling the tone control all the way off on either the neck or the bridge pickup of a guitar with humbucking pickups and the volume all the way up. Heavy strings and a bassy-sounding amp at high volume also helps to achieve that wooing, whooshing tone. In fact, a lot of Clapton’s “woman tone” was achieved this way [with a wah-wah pedal], with the pedal about three-quarters back from the forward position. (from Guitar Player magazine, Gear Guru, March 1993)

Q: What equipment set-up did Clapton use during [fill-in band name/date/tour here] ?
A: During his tenure with the Yardbirds, Clapton used a Vox AC-30 amplifier and a Fender Telecaster guitar.

In John Mayall’s Blues Breakers, Clapton used a 1960 model Les Paul Standard through a 45-watt, model-1962 Marshall 2-12 combo. The amp was stock except that the output tubes were replaced with KT66′s (which have a more refined mid-range and clearer top end than either EL34s or 6L6s). The amp was almost always turned up full volume, even in the studio. When the engineer complained that Clapton’s amp was too loud, Eric replied “That’s the way I play.” Clapton-fan and researcher, DeltaNick, has extensively researched the history of the Clapton Les Paul and contributed the following article, Clapton’s Bluesbreakers 1960 Gibson Les Paul Standard Guitar.

In Cream, Clapton switched to 100-watt Marshall heads (JTM 45) and 4-12 cabinets (two full stacks). He also used a Vox wah-wah and occasionally a fuzz. After his Blues Breakers-era Les Paul was stolen, Clapton had several more Les Paul model guitars (presumably 1960 models because the neck on the 1960 model was significantly thinner than on previous models). He used Les Paul guitars exclusively until 1967, having used at least three different Les Paul Standard model guitars in 1966 (the latter two — one of which was borrowed — with Cream). Sometime in 1967, Clapton started using the 1961 Gibson SG-style Les Paul (the famous psychedelic guitar). He switched to a single pick-up Gibson Firebird I during the Spring of 1968 and then switched between the Firebird and a Gibson ES-335 “block” guitar for the remainder of Cream and for Cream’s farewell concert.

In Blind Faith, Clapton used a Gibson Firebird through either Fender Dual Showman or Marshall amps; and at the debut performance played a Fender Telecaster with a Stratocaster neck (supposedly Clapton didn’t like the Tele neck). [Guitar World, Dec 1989]

During Derek and the Dominoes, Clapton switched to maple neck Fender Stratocasters and Fender tweed Champ amps for recording the “Layla” album.[Guitar Player January 1999]. On stage, he used either Marshalls or a Fender Showman.

From 1972 to 1987, Clapton used his famous “Blackie” guitar as his basic stage guitar.

In 1976, Clapton used a Gibson ES-335 for slide playing. It was strung with Ernie Ball Super Slinky’s .009-.042 and an Isis medium slide. He utilized Modified Music Man amps (HD 130 Reverb) with the bias up all the way and special open-back cabinets. He also used a Leslie cabinet with JBL components and had a special foot switch with fast/slow and on/off positions so that the guitar could go either through the amp, through both the amp and the Leslie, or just through the Leslie at either fast or slow speeds (as in the song “Badge”). He also used a Cry Baby Wah-wah pedal.

On the Journeyman album, Clapton used the Eric Clapton Signature Strat and the Gibson ES-335 on “Hard Times”.

On the song “Forever Man” from the Journeyman album, Clapton achieved that “fat” tone by using a different Strat with heavy strings and tuned the guitar down to “D” — not a “D” tuning, but down a whole step down from concert (normal) pitch.

On the Behind the Sun tour, Clapton used an effects board similiar to the one used by Jeff Pocaro. The effects board from right to left ; Jim Dunlop Cry baby re-issue, the Bradshaw foot controller, a Roland 700 synthesizer bank. The rack is controlled by a pedal board consisting of an Ibanez Harmonics/Delay, a DBX 160 compressor, a Roland SDE-3000 delay, a Tri Stereo CVhorus [Dyno-My-Piano], a Boss CE-1 chorus, and a Boss Heavy Metal pedal but actually only uses the one chorus and then a deeper chorus. Clapton switched from Music Man amps to Marshall 800 series heads (50 watts) during this time. The amp settings were: presence 3; bass and middle 1 o’clock; treble 8; and volume just under 9. The strings he used were Ernie Balls .010-.046. He used his usual array of Strats, including Blackie and Brownie. He also used a Dean Markely head— possibly a 130 with Marshall cabinets. Ernie Ball strings (.009), Picks: Ernie Ball heavys.

On the ARMS tour, Clapton used a ’57 blonde Fender Twin, Blackie, a Gibson Explorer, a Martin acoustic, and other Fender Strats.

In recording the album From The Cradle, Clapton used approximately 50 guitars from his collection, including a dot-neck Gibson ES-335 (a tobacco sunburst model from the early 60s), and his famous cherry-red model from Cream. He also used his white Eric Clapton Model Strat from the Fender Custom Shop, several different Gibson L-5′s, Byrdlands, and some Super 400′s. He also played straight through a Soldano head. The acoustic guitars he used included several Martins, a Tony Zemaitis 12-string, and several Dobros in different tunings. He used an old Fender Twin with no effects and occasionally an old Fender Champ amp [Guitar World, Dec 1994], plus a Silverface Fender Deluxe and a Blonde Showman head.

Jason Richlar was a Clapton fanatic. He spent hours assembling this guitar list. He waited anxiously for it to go onto the site and then wrote in with corrections. Jason passed away sometime in 1996. Most Slowhanders never met Jason, but his memory lives here. This list was contributed by Jason and is dedicated to his memory.

Lot # DescriptionNote:Photos of the guitars can be seen on the Shun & Lisa Eric Clapton Fan Page Estimated ValueIn U.S. Dollars Final BidIn U.S. Dollars Purchased By
1 1994 Martin J12-40 (natural) 4 – 6,000 26,000 in person
2 1996 Fender Stratocaster Eric Clapton Signature Model (midnight blue) 6 – 8,000 35,000 in person
3 1951 Gibson J-185 (sunbrust) 6 – 8,000 14,000 in person
4 1998 Fender Stratocaster Eric Clapton Signature Model (sunburst) 5 – 7,000 22,000 in person
5 Gibson ES-335 DOT (natural) 6 – 8,000 38,000 by telephone
6 1996 Martin OM-28 VR (natural) 6 – 8,000 35,000 by telephone
7 1995 Gibson Les Paul Custom (sunburst) 6 – 8,000 28,000 in person
8 c. 1960′s Silvertone (sunburst) signed by Les Paul 1 – 2,000 24,000 in person
9 1995 Gibson B.B. King Lucille (black) signed by B.B. – bought at a charity auction 6 – 8,000 45,000 by telephone
10 1996 Gibson Explorer (black) bought at a Stevie Ray Vaughan Benefit Auction 2 – 3,000 24,000 in person
11 c. 1960 Harmony Stratotone Mars Model (sunburst) 1 – 2,000 16,000 ?
12 1985 Martin Shenandoah 000-2832 (natural) generally used by Andy Fairweather-Low 3 – 5,000 21,000 by telephone
13 1994 Fender Stratocaster Eric Clapton Signature Model (cream) 6 – 8,000 50,000 Mike D. of California
14 1991 Gibson Firebird (red) given to Clapton by a fan 2 – 3,000 34,000 in person
15 1970′s Gibson Les Paul Custom (cherry red) 5 – 7,000 26,000 in person
16 1999 Gibson Les Paul Standard (sunburst) 3 – 5,000 26,000 in person
17 c. 1962 Gibson SG Les Paul Standard (cherry red) 5 – 7,000 30,000 in person
18 1958 Gretsch Chet Atkins Tennessean (translucent red) 5 – 7,000 22,000 in person
19 1959 Martin 00-17 (natural) 4 – 6,000 17,000 in person
20 Late 1950′s Hofner Club 60 (natural) gift from Roger Forrester 2 – 3,000 24,000 in person
21 1959 Gibson ES-335TDN (natural) 20 – 30,000 45,000 in person
22 1990s Vicente Sanchis Flamenco Model 41 (cypress) 3 – 5,000 26,000 by telephone
23 1960s Coral Sitar (red/black crackle) 6 – 8,000 36,000 in person
24 1919 Martin 0-18 (ntaural) 4 – 6,000 44,000 by telephone
25 c. 1920 Gibson L-3 (red mahogany sunburst) 2 – 3,000 24,000 in person
26 1940 Gibson L-7 (sunburst) 5 – 7,000 22,000 Jeff Gale
27 1990s Beltona Tri-cone (nickel) 6 – 8,000 35,000 in person
28 1970s Gibson Les Paul Recording Model (walnut) signed by Les Paul 6 – 8,000 40,000 by telephone
29 c. 1962 Gibson SG Les Paul Junior (cherry red) 3 – 5,000 30,000 in person
30 c. 1928 Gibson L-3 (sunburst) 2 -3,000 16,000 in person
31 c.1940s Gibson L-50 (sunburst) 4 – 6,000 20,000 ?
32 c. 1949 Gibson ES-125 (sunburst) used on Motherless Child video 6 – 8,000 32,000 Michael J. Fox
33 c. Late 1930s Kalamazoo (sunburst) 1 – 2,000 l 7,000 Steve & Anna Fern, England
34 1960 Gibson ES-330TD (sunburst) 3 – 5,000 24,000 in person
35 1994 Fender Stratocaster Eric Clapton Signature Model (cream) used on film score of The Van 6 – 8,000 50,000 in person
36 1959 Gibson ES-225TD (sunburst) 2 – 3,000 18,000 in person
37 1953 Gibson ES-295 (sunburst) 6 – 8,000 21,000 by telephone
38 Fender/Versace Guitar Strap 800 – 1,200 14,000 in person
39 1996 Fender Stratocaster Eric Clapton Signature Model (black/green) 6 – 8,000 52,000 by telephone
40 c.1940 Gibson ES-100 (sunburst) 4 – 6,000 17,000 Debra Berg-McCarthy
41 1960 Gibson ES-330T (sunburst) 3 – 5,000 22,000 in person
42 1956 Gibson Byrdland (sunburst) 15 – 20,000 52,000 in person
43 Fender/Versace Guitar Strap 800 – 1,200 9,000 in person
44 1996 Fender Stratocaster Eric Clapton Signature Model (black/green) 6 – 8,000 50,000 in person
45 Late c. 1930s Kalamazoo (sunburst) 1 -2,000 24,000 in person
46 1959 Gibson ES-335TD (sunburst) 20 – 30,000 70,000 Gill Southworth, who owns Southworth Vintage guitars in Bethesda, Maryland
47 1993 Fender Stratocaster Eric Clapton Signature Model (ivory shite) 6 – 8,000 42,000 in person
48 1957 Gibson Byrdland (sunburst) 10 – 15,000 38,000 in person
49 1947 Fender Broadcaster Relic (blonde) 5 – 7,000 19,000 in person
50 1994 Fender Stratocaster 40th Anniversary Concert Edition Model (wine red) 5 – 7,000 28,000 by telephone
51 1941 Martin 00-18G (natural) 5 -7,000 24,000 in person
52 Late 1950s Fender Twin Amplifier 2 – 3,000 12,000 by telephone
53 1958 Fender Stratocaster (Mary Kay – translucent blonde) 20 – 40,000 55,000 in person
54 c. 1952 Gibson Super 400C (sunburst) 12 – 18,000 26,000 in person
55 1956 Gibson Super 300C (sunburst) 10 – 15,000 26,000 in person
56 1990 National Reso-phonic Model M-1 (sunburst) used on film Rush 6 – 8,000 42,000 Peter Morton’s Hard Rock Hotel and Casino (Las Vegas)
57 Fender D’Aquisto (natural) used on Retail Therapy 5 – 7,000 22,000 by telephone
58 1991 Fender Stratocaster Eric Clapton “Blackie” Signature Model (smoker’s model) 5 – 7,000 68,000 in person
59 1987 Guild GF-60NT (natural) on the 25 Years tour programme 2 – 3,000 20,000 in person
60 1989 Guild F-46NT (sunburst) 3 – 5,000 16,000 in person
61 1982 Gibson Chet Atkins Standard (natural) 5 – 7,000 35,000 in person
62 1986 Fender Stratocaster Eric Clapton Signature Model (pewter) 10 – 15,000 95,000 in person
63 1987 Fender Stratocaster Eric Clapton Signature Model (Torino red) 6 – 8,000 60,000 in person
64 1987 Fender Stratocaster Eric Clapton Signature Model (7-Up green) 6 – 8,000 50,000 in person
65 1988 Guild G-60NT (natural) 2 – 3,000 18,000 by telephone
66 1988 Guild F-61RNT (natural) 2 – 3,000 17,000 in person.
67 1987 Fender Stratocaster Eric Clapton Signature Model (Torino red) 3 – 5,000 50,000 by telephone.
68 Late 19th Century Salvador Ibanez (natural) 3 – 5,000 42,000 Jeff Gale
69 1990 James Trussart Steel Deville (chrome) 3 – 5,000 35,000 in person
70 1990s Fender Stratocaster Eric Clapton Model (gold with snow leopard) 5 – 7,000 42,000 in person
71 1982 Fender Stratocaster ’57 Re-issue model (sunburst) 5 – 7,000 28,000 by telephone
72 1992 Fender Telecaster 40th Anniversary model (sunburst) custom made for Clapton 5 – 7,000 62,000 in person
73 1988 Pensa-Suhr (honey) gift from Mark Knopfler 5 – 7,000 45,000 in person
74 1982 Roland G-505 (candy apple red) with two synthesizers – used during Edge of Darkness period 3 – 5,000 29,000 in person
75 1986 Guild Nightbird (green metallic) 3 – 5,000 26,000 Jonathan Mikos (VH1 contest winner)
76 1980s Fender Stratocaster XII (sunburst) 6 – 8,000 42,000 ?
77 1991 Taylor 955-C (natural) gift from Richie Sambora 5 – 7,000 30,000 by telephone
78 1987 Fender Stratocaster Eric Clapton Signature Model (7-Up green) 6 – 8,000 55,000 by telephone
79 1990 Gibson Chet Atkins Standard 5 – 7,000 35,000 in person
80 Fender/Versace Guitar Strap 800 – 1,200 15,000 in person
81 1990 Fender Stratocaster Eric Clapton Signature ‘Blackie’ Model 5 – 7,000 48,000 ?
82 Late 1950s Fender Twin Amplifier 2 – 3,000 16,000 ?
83 1956 Gibson ES-350TN (natural) played at Chuck Berry tribute 15 – 20,000 62,000 ?
84 1959 Gibson J-200 (sunburst) 8 – 12,000 78,000 ?
85 c.1964 Gibson ES-345TD (sunburst) 15 – 20,000 32,000 ?
86 c.1980 Santa Cruz F-13 (sunburst) pictured with cat 4 – 6,000 35,000 ?
87 c.1980 Santa Cruz FTC-15 (natural) 3 – 5,000 35,000 ?
88 1960s National Studio 66 Model (black) used on film Water 1 – 2,000 28,000 ?
89 1980s Fender Stratocaster Elite (cream) 5 – 7,000 30,000 ?
90 1980s Roger Giffin (blue metallic) 5 – 7,000 42,000 Jeff Gale
91 1980s Fender Stratocaster Elite (black) 5 – 7,000 26,000 ?
92 1958 Gibson Explorer (natural) used in ARMS concert unknown 120,000 ?
93 1979 Fender Stratocaster Anniversary Model (silver metallic) 5 – 7,000 35,000 ?
94 c. 1930s National Duolian (nickel) 6 – 8,000 35,000 Michael J. Fox
95 1978 Guild D-55NT (natural) 5 – 7,000 32,000 ?
96 1974 Martin 000-28 (natural) rodeo man sticker 12 – 18,000 155,000 ?
97 c.1975 Telecaster (translucent blonde) 6 – 8,000 42,000 ?
98 1956 Fender Stratocaster (sunburst ) 20 – 30,000 80,000 ?
99 Dobro Electric 12-string (natural) 2 – 3,000 28,000 ?
100 c.1930 Gibson L-4 (sunburst ) 6 – 8,000 50,000 ?
101 1930s D’Angelico (sunburst ) 20 – 25,000 55,000 ?
102 1930s D’Angelico Excel (sunburst ) 20 – 30,000 42,000 ?
103 1954 Fender Stratocaster (sunburst ) 20 – 30,000 190,000 ?
104 1952 Fender Telecaster (natural) gift from Carl Radle 15 – 20,000 90,000 ?
105 ‘Brownie’ – 1956 Fender Stratocaster (used on Layla album) 80 – 100,000 450,000 by telephone
These prices were confirmed by Christie’s TOTAL $4,452,000 Total (including premium) $5,072,350

1998 – President Clinton announces that Fats Domino, folk singer Ramblin’ Jack Elliot, and opera singer Roberta Peters are to be among the dozen 1998 winners of the National Medal of Arts.

Sammy Hagar with Van HalenSammy Hagar with Van Halen

1995 -Van Halen, scored their first US No.1 album with ‘Balance.’

Balance is the tenth studio album by the American hard rock band Van Halen. It was released in 1995 and, to date, is the final Van Halen album featuring lead singer Sammy Hagar. It is the fourth full length studio album with Sammy Hagar. Considering it came at time when classic hard rock was not in the limelight it sold very well.

“Don’t Tell Me (What Love Can Do)” was originally, “What Love Can Do”. The song was written about the power of universal love. Somewhere along the way, the band decided they didn’t want to hear about the healing power of love, and the song took on a new direction including an indirect reference to the death of Kurt Cobain.

The song “Can’t Stop Lovin’ You” pays homage to Ray Charles, who had his own hit song entitled “I Can’t Stop Loving You”. The Van Halen song references this with the lyric: “Hey, Ray, what you said is true, I can’t stop lovin’ you”.

The Japanese Import also includes the bonus track “Crossing Over”, which was the B-side to “Can’t Stop Lovin’ You”.

During the Balance tour show in Pensacola, Florida 1995, Sammy Hagar stated that “Take Me Back (Deja Vu)” was “a true story”. The song itself features a then almost 20 year old riff Eddie had previously used on a song entitled “No More Waiting” which the band played on occasion in the pre-Van Halen I era.

The instrumental “Strung Out” was actually recorded in 1983, prior to the recording of 1984. The actual recording is Eddie “playing” the strings of a Grand Piano with various objects including ping pong balls, D-cell batteries, knives and forks.

It was this 1983 session that Eddie had rented a house that belonged to Marvin Hamlish. There was a piano in the house that Eddie destroyed while recording himself using the aforementioned objects on the piano’s strings. The piece actually comes from 6 hours of recorded noise. Eddie was forced to pay around $15,000 for the damage and Balance producer, Bruce Fairbairn said that a recording that expensive shouldn’t go to waste.

The third instrumental, “Baluchitherium”, was named after a large extinct land mammal by Eddie’s then-wife, Valerie Bertinelli. The song originally had lyrics; the vocal melody which Sammy Hagar later developed for guitar.

The album’s cover art was provided by Glen Wexler, which was based on a concept that Alex Van Halen described to him.
Contents

* 1 Track listing
* 2 Personnel
o 2.1 Band
o 2.2 Additional personnel
o 2.3 Production
* 3 Charts
o 3.1 Album
o 3.2 Singles
* 4 Notes

Track listing

All songs by Michael Anthony, Sammy Hagar, Alex Van Halen and Edward Van Halen.

1. “The Seventh Seal” – 5:18†
2. “Can’t Stop Lovin’ You” – 4:07†
3. “Don’t Tell Me (What Love Can Do)” – 5:56†
4. “Amsterdam” – 4:45†
5. “Big Fat Money” – 3:57
6. “Strung Out” (instrumental) – 1:29
7. “Not Enough” – 5:13†
8. “Aftershock” – 5:29
9. “Doin’ Time” (instrumental) – 1:41
10. “Baluchitherium” (instrumental) – 4:05
11. “Take Me Back (Deja Vu)” – 4:43
12. “Feelin’” – 6:36
13. “Crossing Over” (Japanese bonus track) – 4:49

† denotes a single

Personnel

Band

* Sammy Hagar – lead vocals, background vocals, rhythm guitar
* Eddie Van Halen – lead guitar, keyboards, background vocals
* Michael Anthony – bass, background vocals
* Alex Van Halen – drums, percussion

Additional personnel

* The Monks of Gyuro Tantric University – chants on “The Seventh Seal”

Production

* Bruce Fairbairn – production
* Erwin Musper, Mike Plotnikoff – engineering
* Mike Fraser – mixing
* George Marino – mastering
* Jeri Heiden – art direction
* Randee Saint Nicholas, Glen Wexler (front cover) – photography

Charts

Album
Year     Chart     Position
1995     The Billboard 200     1

Singles
Year     Single     Chart     Position
1995     “Amsterdam”     Mainstream Rock Tracks     9
1995     “Can’t Stop Lovin’ You”     Mainstream Rock Tracks     2
1995     “Can’t Stop Lovin’ You”     The Billboard Hot 100     30
1995     “Can’t Stop Lovin’ You”     Top 40 Mainstream     11
1995     “Don’t Tell Me (What Love Can Do)”     Mainstream Rock Tracks     1
1995     “Not Enough”     Mainstream Rock Tracks     27
1995     “Not Enough”     The Billboard Hot 100     97
1995     “Not Enough”     Top 40 Mainstream     39
1995     “The Seventh Seal”     Mainstream Rock Tracks     36

1992 – “Sex,” a book of erotic photographs of Madonna, is released.

Sex is a highly-designed coffee table book written by Madonna with photographs by Steven Meisel and film frames taken from film shot by Fabien Baron. Sex was released on October 21, 1992 by Warner Books. The book was released by Madonna as an accompaniment to her fifth studio album Erotica, which was released a day earlier (October 20, 1992).

The extremely controversial book featured strong adult content and softcore pornographic photographs depicting simulations of sexual acts, which included homosexuality, sadomasochism and anilingus. Madonna wrote the book as a character named Mistress Dita, inspired by the silent film actress Dita Parlo.

Featured in the book, aside from unknown models, are actress Isabella Rossellini, rappers Big Daddy Kane and Vanilla Ice, model Naomi Campbell, gay porn star Joey Stefano, actor Udo Kier, the European socialite Tatiana von Furstenberg, and nightclub owner Ingrid Casares.

For the release of Sex Madonna gave a party at New York City’s Industria Superstudio, which she attended dressed as Little Bo Peep with a stuffed toy lamb.

Aside from Steven Meisel himself, photographers from his studio were also employed. The book credits Michael Stratton, Darren Lew, Line Barzudkas, Stephen Callaghan and Chris Hobson. Fabien Baron, one of the book’s designers, also shot many of the photo sessions on film (mostly on Super 8 mm). Many stills from Baron’s film were used in the book. Filming was done entirely on Super 8mm, and the filmmakers were Fabien Baron, Stephen Callaghan and Darren Lew.

History

Warner Bros. Records and Time Warner executives were reluctant to allow Madonna to make such a book, and though they eventually gave her permission, they remained greatly opposed to the idea. Madonna was made to sign an agreement that forbade her from including any photographs depicting religious imagery, bestiality, or child pornography.

Not long after signing this agreement Madonna founded Maverick, a multi-media entertainment company. Since by contract she had total artistic control over any of the work released by Maverick, the agreement she signed with Time Warner concerning what not to do in Sex became obsolete. As a “tongue-in-cheek” way of demonstrating her power to the executives who had so vehemently opposed the book, Madonna included two photographs that “broke the rules”—a photo where she is tied à la S&M on a low cross-shaped table surrounded by candles with a large crucifix displayed on the wall behind her, and another photo of her kneeling on the ground with a dog underneath her on its back, creating the impression that she is straddling the animal while it is giving her oral sex. However, should one look closely at the photograph, one will see that Madonna is not straddling the dog’s head at all, but rather kneeling on both knees beside the dog.

Warner Bros. commented that Sex was very difficult to produce, requiring contributions from many different printing and publishing companies, with Mighty Dimension Inc. coordinating the project—LTI, Bishop Studio, Master Eagle Graphic Design, and Shorewood Packaging, all based in New York City; as well as Laserscan Inc. in Phoenix, Arizona; Benson and Palmer in Newport, Rhode Island; Mohawk Papermills in Cohoes, New York; C&H Packaging Company Inc. in Merrill, Wisconsin; and Nicholstone in Nashville, Tennessee. At some point while the book was being produced some of the photographs were stolen, prompting an FBI investigation that quickly recovered the photos. In the credits of the book Madonna thanks the FBI for ” … rescuing photographs that would have made J. Edgar Hoover roll over.”

Madonna had originally intended to call the book X but changed her mind when Spike Lee’s upcoming film Malcolm X began to be promoted—the film was released three weeks after the book, and inspired the fashion trend of wearing hats and shirts with a large X in honor of Malcolm X. Madonna wanted the book to be of an oval shape, but the printing and manufacturing of such a book would have been too expensive. In the end, the original design for the X title and shape of the book were only retained on the back cover (see below) and on the accompanying CD and its packaging.

Design and printing

Sex was designed by Madonna and Baron & Baron Inc. (consisting of Fabien Baron and the photographer Siung Fat Tjia), who also designed the packaging for Madonna’s Erotica album and single. The book is largely presented in a style not far off from Andy Warhol’s works, namely the famous shot on the metallized plastic cover of the book (a colored reverse negative), which Madonna also used for the cover of her Erotica album.

Certain pages include images that are collages of ripped and pasted prints, proof sheets, entire pages in monochromes and full color, and other collages of photos that look as though they were stapled together. The text of the book varies from handwritten to printed, with eye-bending styles of typefaces and colors. In the French, Italian and Japanese versions of the book any printed text that was not printed in these complex typefaces had the French, Italian or Japanese translation printed over it, and any text that could not have the translated text printed over it was included at the back of the book on additional pages. In the Japanese version, Madonna had any photos that included visible genitalia “scribbled out”.

Included with the book is a CD single. It contains a more subdued version of the song “Erotica”, titled “Erotic”, which was only released via the book (this version of the song was also released in an edited version on a promotional-only 12″ picture-disc released in the UK of the song “Erotica”). The song includes alternate spoken verse taken from the book’s opening pages.

There is a small photonovella-style comic bound into the back of the book titled Dita in “The Chelsea Girl” which depicts a party at the Hotel Chelsea in New York City. Allegedly Madonna created the dialogue of the comic book when photographer Steven Meisel placed a stack of randomly ordered photos from one of the book’s photo sessions on her desk. He suggested she conjure up a story while maintaining the random order of the photos.

The English language release of Sex was printed in 1.5 million copies in its first edition and another 1.5 million in its second (Madonna herself is said to own the very first printed copy of the first edition.) Warner Books only allowed Sex to be printed in the English, French, Italian, and Japanese languages. The Japanese, French, and Italian language releases all received a 1 million copy printing each for the first edition, and since the Japanese version was banned shortly after its release, it did not receive a second edition printing as the French and Italian versions did. The English version was the only version printed in the United States, while the French, Italian, and Japanese versions were printed in their respective countries, and aside from the translated text and differences in paper quality, they are identical to the English language version. The Japanese version was printed on art paper of far higher quality than that of the English, French and Italian versions.

The Japanese version was the only release of Sex to be put into a special box. Although all of the other official releases of the book include the title on the metallized plastic cover as “Madonna Sex”, the Japanese language release had the title printed as “Sex by Madonna” on the metallized plastic cover.

Books that were printed in languages such as Spanish, Thai, or Russian are all unofficial and were manufactured without the consent of Madonna or Warner Bros. These versions of the book were printed in a variety of styles, with varying covers and quality.

Release
Prototype edition mylar cover of Madonna’s book Sex
Prototype edition mylar cover of Madonna’s book Sex
Packaging for the promotional CD of the song Erotica, which was included with the book and seems to represent a condom packet.
Packaging for the promotional CD of the song Erotica, which was included with the book and seems to represent a condom packet.

A huge public “buzz” preceded the book’s release, which took place on October 21, 1992, generating massive publicity. Several organizations tried to boycott the sale of the book, while many book stores refused to carry it. There were many negative essays by critics that considered Sex to be a calculated controversy timed to boost sales of Madonna’s new album. Soon after the release of the book there came a phenomenon which was considered to be a “Madonna backlash”, with many people feeling that the singer had finally “gone too far”.

In spite of the controversy and negative reviews, Sex sold 150,000 copies on the day of its release in the USA alone. Three days later all 1.5 million copies of the first edition were sold out worldwide, making Sex the most successful coffee table book ever released. The bookstore chain Waldenbooks sold 22,000 copies of the book on the day of its release, and commented to MTV that they had never once seen a book sell out so quickly.

The day after the release of the book MTV aired a special called The Day In Madonna hosted by Kurt Loder (the title of this special was a pun of the title of the channel’s daily show The Day In Rock), which profiled the release of Madonna’s Sex and her new album Erotica, even taking the book to the streets to allow people, including a sex therapist and group of real-life New York City Dominatrices, to view it. MTV also interviewed many people who had viewed the book on the day of its release at the HMV music store in New York City. In celebration of the release of the book, the store held a Madonna look-alike contest and set up a booth where people could view the book for $1.00 a minute, with all of the proceeds going to Lifebeat, the music industry organization founded to help fund AIDS research.

Since all of the first edition copies of the book sold out so quickly, there was a huge demand for additional copies, with Warner Books deciding to print a second edition of the book.

The Japanese version of the book was released on December 1, 1992, and after a week of being for sale in Japan the book was banned, leaving many book and music chains that purchased copies of the book unable to sell them, prompting these chains to sell the books via the internet. In mint condition, this version of the book is today very valuable.

Now long out of print, Sex is very valuable—prices for a brand-new unopened first edition can start at USD200 on Amazon.com or eBay.com. As a result of the Japanese version of the book only being printed in 1,000,000 copies and being banned shortly after its release, an unopened edition can start at prices as high as USD400.

Madonna later responded to the negative publicity and controversy with her 1994 song “Human Nature”, which was included on her album Bedtime Stories. The song is considered one of Madonna’s most personal. Powerful in its message, the song contains the repeated phrase “express yourself, don’t repress yourself”, while in the chorus Madonna sings to her critics, “I’m not sorry. It’s human nature. I’m not your bitch. Don’t hang your shit on me.”

According to the American Library Association, Sex was the eighteenth-most challenged book in libraries in the 1990s.

1970 – Emerson, Lake & Palmer give their debut performance in Plymouth, England.

Progressive rock can be a very disreputable subject. No other musical style has been so vilified by the critics and became a synonym for ‘pompous’ and ‘bombastic.’ Almost every music critic in the early ’70′s had something unflattering to write about it. None of them seem to have noticed that the genre combined the old with the new and brought things to popular music that simply wasn’t there before. Prog rock flourished during the early ’70′s but was wiped out almost completely by 1976- each of the bands who played it had to undergo changes in order to ensure their survival or else evaporate during the late ’70′s and the ’80′s.

It’s hard to decide which band best represents the genre. King Crimson’s debut In The Court Of The Crimson King (1969) might be considered one of the first pure prog rock album while Genesis’s Selling England By The Pound was the best prog album to my mind and Yes and Pink Floyd made a huge splashes on both sides of the Atlantic, but none of these bands was never really identified with the genre as closely as Emerson, Lake and Palmer (Johnny Rotten’s hatred of Floyd to the contrary). ELP shared prog rock’s great paramount and deep chasms, reflecting all that was good and bad in that time, which is known the age of the rock dinosaurs.

ELP, like many early prog bands, was an English group. Keith Emerson, its founder and keyboard player, began to take formal piano lessons when he was eight years old. He started to learn classical music but was fed up with “playing like Bach.” Later, he discovered jazz and started to perform in little clubs while he was in college. It was during that time that Emerson, searching for a new sound, purchased with the benevolent help of his father a new Hammond L100 electric piano. Later, Emerson would delve into the world of keyboards even further.

After playing in several bands, Emerson heard that P. P Arnold (then a successful solo singer and today a back up singer for ex-Floyd Roger Waters) was looking for players. He then formed The Nice, with the group playing behind Arnold. But after six months, they began performing by themselves. During late 1967 and early 1968, the band traveled in Britain with such names as Pink Floyd and Jimi Hendrix. In January 1968, they traveled in the U. S and came back to Britain just in time to see the release of their first album The Thoughts of Emerlist Davjack (a pun on the band members’ names). They later recorded “America,” a work that combined Leonard Bernstein’s famous piece from the West Side Story with Dvorak’s New World Symphony and protest lyrics, making for a complex political statement (as well as a controversial once since Bernstein didn’t approve of it). During that time, Emerson began to use knives when playing. He nailed them to his keyboard in order to help him hold certain keys while he was playing. This was just one of his yet-to-come stage tricks.

The Nice recorded another two albums during the next couple of years, but in April 1970, Emerson decided that he had enough and the band ceased to exist. Nevertheless, their manager was able to piece together more albums based on live shows and out-takes and eventually try to piggyback ELP’s success to get some sales.

During a King Crimson/Nice show in 1969, Emerson met Crimson’s young bass player Greg Lake backstage. After a small chat, they have decided to form a new band in several months. Now with The Nice project finished, Emerson was ready to move on.

Greg Lake started his musical career when he was given a guitar by his mother. When he was just a school boy, he wrote the song that will later become one of ELP’s greatest hits, “Lucky Man.” During the late ’60′s, Lake played in several bands. One of these bands, The Shy Limbs, nearly got him killed. The band used to sleep in a van and eat from the hand to mouth. Eventually, Lake developed pneumonia and had nearly died before his mother sent him to a doctor.

When he played with another band, The Gods, he caught the attention of Robert Fripp who was searching a bass player for King Crimson. Lake sang and played bass on the band’s first album, In The Court Of The Crimson King. But Fripp’s tyranny made the members of the band bitter and Lake was searching for a way out. Eve after meeting Emerson and making plans with him, Lake still helped Fripp with recording the next King Crimson’s album In The Wake Of Poseidon (retained as lead singer but not bassist) and then went of to start his own new group.

But the duo was searching for a drummer. They met Mitch Mitchell, Hendrix’s drummer who didn’t want to join but tried to get Hendrix into the new band. After the couple decided to join Carl Palmer as their drummer, the British Press fantasized about a new band with two virtuosos such as Hendrix and Emerson and speculated that the band will be called Hendrix, Emerson, Lake and Palmer or HELP (which would have surely made for some hilarious headlines). But Hendrix died in September 1970, before this idea came to fruition.

Emerson and Lake found Carl Palmer after he was recommended to them. They bought an album of his band Atomic Rooster and liked what they heard so they asked him to join them. But Palmer said no at first; he has been working hard, along with Vincent Crane, to get his band running and didn’t want to throw it all away. He was playing professionally since he was 15 years old and just recently toured with The Crazy World Of Arthur Brown which had a U.K. number one hit chart single, “Fire.”

But after continuing persuasion by Greg Lake, he decided to join them for a jam session. He enjoyed it very much and the trio began to practice until May 1970, when Palmer finished his work with Atomic Rooster and thus, ELP was born. Like another then-recent supergroup, Crosby, Stills and Nash, the English trio took the audacious move of using the group members’ names as the name of the group itself.

During 1970, ELP recorded its debut album, which was called, appropriately enough, Emerson, Lake and Palmer. They drew attention from the beginning because every one of its members played in a famous group before ELP. They were a super group, a term that was given to Cream in 1967 and was quite common during the late ’60′s and early ’70′s when music world was managed like the NBA. The first album included a modern version of a Bela Bartok piece called “The Barbarian.” It also included one of their greatest radio hits, “Lucky Man”. Lake was also responsible for the recording and it gave the album a very unique final sound. Another instrument which was innovatively used was the Moog Synthesizer. Although the Monkeys played it in 1967, no other musician has gained control over it as did Emerson. He was the first musician to use it on stage and managed to get amazing sounds out of this analog multi-switched instrument., becoming one of the earliest pioneers of the synthesizer (inventor Bob Moog himself though of Emerson as one of the great exponents of his Moog synthesizer).

The band gained wide public interest at the 1970 Isle of Wight Festival, during which Keith Emerson, dressed in shiny robe, fired two cannons (thus slightly injuring an Italian camera man) and played his keyboard like a madman.

In early 1971, they released their second album, Tarkus- their first concept album – which was recorded in only two weeks. The main theme of the album (the first side of the vinyl album) is, unsurprisingly, “Tarkus.” Tarkus is a bionic armadillo who fights other bionic creatures until it is convinced by the Manticore (a mythical hybrid creature that’s part human, part lion) to cease from its deviant ways. You may say that the story is a parable about wars and the ill-necessity of machines, but ELP claimed that it didn’t have any such exalted intentions. Significantly though, ELP later named its record label Manticore Records.

Tarkus was very popular in Britain and reached 9 on the U.S. Billboard charts. Six months after Tarkus, the band released Pictures At An Exhibition (1972), a newly rearranged version of the famous piece by Mussorgsky which was recorded during a live show in Newcastle City Hall. The band had already played it before at the Isle of Wight Festival (with the shooting cannons). Pictures was a very controversial album. Some people thought that it was a great achievement in rock while some classical fans thought that it was a disgrace to the original composer and some classic rock fans thought that it was self indulgent, masterbative crap that had nothing to do with rock itself. While I might understand some of the detractors’ opinions, I still think that they have ignored the most important thing in this album- the fact that these players combined two completely different types of music into a wholly amazing piece. Instead of classical masters like Liszt or Rachmaninoff who run in a raging fury on a classical keyboard, we had a new one who combines an amazing technique with amazing technicality and creating amazing, weird and feel accentuating sounds. We can get a great sense of pace from the rhythm section as well, which combines a deep electric bass with excellent drum work. And isn’t it true that many times, great art initially faces controversy when it first appears? If one is listening to this piece without comparing it to its antecedents, one can hear that Picture At An Exhibition is a very innovative work like no other.

Another anecdote about this album is that during a 1993 show in Budapest, Lake saw a man crying on the front row. After the show he asked the man why he was crying, and he told him that 15 years earlier he spend three months in jail because the Communist regime found out that he had had a copy of the album. That was the power of such music and how it was both loved and despised so strongly.

In 1972, the band released their third studio album, Trilogy. This was another eclectic album which drew on classical sources, combining the works of Ravel with the works of Aaron Copland and, of course, highly skilled playing by the members of the band. The album also contained ELP’s best selling single, “From The Beginning.”

From 1972 to 1974, ELP were one of the most popular bands in the world. With the exception maybe of other great showmen like Alice Cooper and Kiss, their shows were the most extravagant seen. Emerson was breaking keyboards like Pete Townsend use to break guitars while he also used a special remote which allowed him to play without even touching the instrument. Carl Palmer modified his drum battery by adding all kinds of bells, tubes and percussions. Capitalizing on their success, the band started its own label in 1973 to manage their music and to help new prog bands to achieve exposure, including Crimson lyricist Pete Sinfield and Italian band PFM.

In 1973, ELP recorded another studio album, Brain Salad Surgery. The cover was designed by H. R Giger, which became one of the first high-profile gigs for the artists who later designed the set and creatures for the movie series Alien as well as David Lynch’s Dune and album covers for the Dead Kennedys and Debbie Harry of Blondie. The first side of BSS contains, like every ELP album before, a new version of previous works, this time William Blake’s “Jerusalem” and Alberto Ginstera’s “Toccata” (along with the stamp of approval from the composer himself). The rest of the first side contains two other short songs, including Lake’s lovely “Still… You Turn Me On” and a collaboration with Pete Sinfield. The end of the first side and entire second side of the album contained a 30 minute piece called “Karn Evil 9″ (a pun with carnival). The piece is divided into three parts and talks about the battle between men and technology (recalling Tarkus).

1974 was the best year in ELP’s history. The road shows were unprecedentedly grandiose, featuring twenty tons of musical gear. Lake played while standing on a 5000 pound rug because he was afraid two get electrified (he nearly did during an earlier show). Emerson’s piano flew and spun in the air while he was playing. In April 6, 1974 the band played at the California Jam rock festival after Deep Purple. 350,000 viewers watch their best performance and the show was broadcasted nationwide. Later on, they released a triple album to commemorate the tour with a title taken from “Karn Evil 9″ (Welcome Back My Friends To The Show That Never Ends– Ladies and Gentlemen. Emerson, Lake and Palmer). ELP’s albums hit top of Billboard again and Melody Maker Magazine voted them as “Best Band” along with “Best Keyboard Player” and “Best Drummer” (leaving poor Lake in the lurch). But it was to be ELP’s, as well as the progressive rock’s, apex- from here the only way to go was down. Times began to change.

After the tour, the three had decided to take some much-deserved rest. During the next three years, they bought new homes, had some rest and worked on solo albums. When they came back, punk was the popular style of the day and one of the punk’s main targets were the progressive dinosaurs, who they painted as villains that were ruining rock and growing rich and fat from it.

During the next couple of years, the band recorded two “group solo albums” (1977′s Works) with a part for every member solo composition (and years before Outkast or Hella had the idea). A tour in 1977 was economically destructive for the band members, with a loss of nearly two million dollars. And then in 1978 came Love Beach, an album that was made because the trio was under contract and was forced to do the album. Even worse, from its Beach Boys title and sunny cover image, it’s the least convincing of all of their records. This was the end. In July 1979, ELP disbanded.

During the next 20 years the band reunited as Emerson, Lake and Powell (with Cozy Powell formerly of Whitesnake, Jeff Beck Group). Palmer was available as he was involved in the most commercial of all post-ELP projects- another supergroup called Asia (included former members of Yes and Crimson).Emerson, Lake and Powell disband in the late ’80′s but Emerson, Lake and Palmer reunited again. In the early 90′s, rthey ecording a new album (Black Moon) and embarked on a few tours during the 90′s, occasionally disrupted by Emerson’s problem with nerves in his right arm (no doubt brought on by years of his theatrical playing). ELP then ceased to exist once again in 1998.

The ELP phenomenon was not unique. Every prog rock band had to reinvent itself in order to survive the punk revolution and the shallow ’80′s. Of course, they had to do it because the bands members were accustomed to a certain living style they wanted to preserve, but the prog rock style itself became somewhat inadequate. In a world where punk could transfer the essence of a song in two minutes of guitar work, nobody needed a 15 minutes piece for the same task. The bright side is that today with the Internet revolution more and more bands can get exposure and the prog rock is more alive than ever, as witnessed by the subsequent math rock movement and groups like TV on the Radio and Radiohead who have picked up on prog’s threads.

But a parallel ELP can never exist. ELP symbolized progressive rock in all its glory, with thousands of fans, tons of technical music and a highly desired glamour. But here laid its weakness. ELP became literally too expensive to maintain. All the stage tricks, all the extra players and accessories led to a situation were the cancellation of one show could cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. The band’s pomposity was derided by almost many writers who instead of listening to the music as it was, tried to find the band’s faults. The fact is that few other bands has ever taught so many young men and women that classical music can correspond very well with modern rock and roll. No other band could have done it as good as ELP had.

Sure, you can say they were a bunch of self indulged hedonists and you might accuse them of plagiarism, but to me, ELP is one of the symbols of London during the ’70′s. Every time I am listening to one of ELP’s early records, all I have to do is close my eyes and I am there, walking from Oxford St. to Regent St. There you are, going through Soho, watching King Crimson perform in Hyde Park or David Bowie at the Hammersmith Apollo, or just wandering around in the streets of London at its peak; traveling in a time when dinosaurs ruled the earth.

1970 – Beck Hansen (born Bek David Campbell, July 8, 1970) is an American musician, singer-songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist known by the stage name Beck. With his pop art collage of musical styles, oblique and ironic lyrics, and postmodern arrangements incorporating samples, drum machines, live instrumentation and sound effects, Beck has been hailed by critics and the public throughout his musical career as being amongst the most idiosyncratic artists of 1990s and 2000s alternative rock.

He rose to underground popularity with his early works, which combined social criticism (as in “MTV Makes Me Want to Smoke Crack” and “Deep Fried Love”) with musical and lyrical experimentation. He first earned wider public attention for his breakthrough single “Loser,” a 1994 hit.

Beck has cited The Cars, Mantronix, Gary Wilson, Pussy Galore, Willie Dixon, Bill Broonzy, and Sonic Youth among his influences. Two of Beck’s most popular and acclaimed recordings were Odelay (1996) and Sea Change (2002). Odelay was awarded Album of the Year by American magazine Rolling Stone and by UK publications NME and Mojo. Odelay also received a Grammy nomination for Best Album.

Early life

Beck was born in Los Angeles, California to David Campbell, a Canadian musician, and Bibbe Hansen, a visual artist. His maternal grandfather was Al Hansen, a visual collage artist of the Fluxus school of art. His paternal grandfather was a Presbyterian minister, while his maternal grandmother was half Jewish; Beck himself is a Scientologist, as are his wife and his father. Beck’s mother also has Norwegian and Swedish ancestry. When his parents separated, Beck stayed with his mother and brother in Los Angeles, where he was influenced by the city’s diverse musical offerings—everything from hip hop to Latin music and his mother’s art scene—all of which would later reappear in his recorded and published work.

After dropping out of high school in the mid-1980s, Beck traveled to Europe and developed his musical talent by busking. In Germany, he spent time with his grandfather Al Hansen. The late 1980s found him in New York City, involved in the punk-influenced anti-folk music movement.

Career

Independent releases

In 1988, Beck recorded a cassette entitled Banjo Story, which has since become available in bootleg form. He returned to Los Angeles at the turn of the decade. To support himself, he took a variety of low-paying, dead-end jobs, and lived in a shed, all the while continuing to develop his music. Beck also sought out (or sneaked onto) stages at venues all over Los Angeles, from punk clubs to coffee shops and busking on the streets. During this time, he met Chris Ballew (founder of The Presidents of the United States of America). They performed on the streets as a duo for a while. Some of his earliest recordings were achieved by working with Tom Grimley at Poop Alley Studios, a part of WIN Records.

The founders of Bong Load Custom Records, Tom Rothrock, Rob Schnapf, and Bradshaw Lambert discovered Beck, signing him to their fledgling label. “Loser”, a collaboration between hip hop nuance producer Carl Stephenson and Beck, created a sensation when radio host Chris Douridas played the song on Morning Becomes Eclectic, the flagship music program from Santa Monica College radio station KCRW. That exposure and a subsequent live performance on the show July 23, 1993, led to a bidding war among labels to sign Beck. Eventually, he chose Geffen Records, who offered him terms that included an allowance for the release of independent albums while under contract. Of all the record labels to offer Beck a contract, Geffen offered him the least amount of money, but the greatest amount of creative freedom.

Mellow Gold and Odelay

Geffen’s official debut release in 1994 of Mellow Gold—culled from sessions with Rothrock, Schnapf, and Stephenson—made Beck a mainstream success. At the same time, he released Stereopathetic Soulmanure on Flipside Records and One Foot in the Grave on independent K Records. Beck took his act on the road in 1994 with a worldwide tour, followed by a spot on the main stage of the 1995 Lollapalooza tour. Some critics still panned him as a one-hit wonder, and audiences’ familiarity with “Loser” (especially at Lollapalooza), along with their apparent lack of interest in his other work, only reinforced his image as such.

When the time came to record his follow-up to Mellow Gold, Beck enlisted Rothrock and Schnapf as producers and began recording an album of moody, low-key acoustic numbers to showcase his songwriting. The melancholy musical mood has been attributed to the deaths of several people close to Beck, including his grandfather, one of his acknowledged greatest influences. Eventually, Beck shelved the album and pursued a more upbeat approach. Beck was introduced to the Dust Brothers, producers of the Beastie Boys’ album Paul’s Boutique, whose cut-and-paste, sample-heavy production suited Beck’s vision of a more fun, accessible album.

The result, 1996′s Odelay, would put the “one-hit wonder” criticisms to rest. The lead single, “Where It’s At,” received heavy airplay, and its video was in constant rotation on MTV. Within the year Odelay received praise from Rolling Stone magazine, appeared on countless “Best of” lists (it topped the Pazz & Jop Critics Poll for “Album of the Year”), received double-platinum status, and earned a number of industry awards, including two Grammys. Besides “Where It’s At” three other hit singles were released from the album: “Devils Haircut”, “Jack-Ass” and “The New Pollution”.

Beginning in 1993, “Loser” co-writer and Mellow Gold co-producer Carl Stephenson embarked on an experimental trip hop project which eventually resulted in Forest for the Trees, releasing a self-titled album in 1997 followed by an EP in 1999. Beck contributed to both records, providing spoken word, harmonica, and various other instruments.

Mutations and Midnite Vultures

Odelay was followed in 1998 by the release of Mutations. Though the album was originally slated for release by Bong Load Records, Geffen intervened and issued the record against Beck’s wishes. The artist then sought to void his contracts with both record labels, and in turn the labels sued him for breach of contract. The litigation went on for years and it remains unclear to this day if it has ever been completely resolved. Mutations was produced by Beck and Nigel Godrich (frequent producer and collaborator with Radiohead) and is believed to have been intended as a stopgap measure before the proper next album. Recorded over two weeks, during which Beck recorded one song a day, the sessions produced fourteen songs. Mutations was a departure from the electronic density of Odelay and shows heavy folk and blues influences. Songs on the album consisted of older tracks, some dating back as early as 1994.

During 1998, Beck’s art collaborations with his grandfather Al Hansen were featured in an exhibition entitled “Beck & Al Hansen: Playing With Matches”, which showcased solo and collaborative collage, assemblage, drawing and poetry works. The show toured from the Santa Monica Museum of Art to galleries in New York City and Winnipeg, Manitoba, in Canada. A catalog of the show was published by Plug In Editions/Smart Art Press.

In 1999, Beck was awarded Best Alternative Music Performance for Mutations at the 42nd Grammy Awards. In November, Geffen released the much-anticipated Midnite Vultures, which was supported by an extensive world tour. For Beck, it was a return to the high-energy performances that had been his trademark as far back as Lollapalooza. The live stage set included a red bed that descended from the ceiling for the song “Debra”, and the touring band was supplemented by a brass section. Midnite Vultures was nominated for Best Album at the 43rd Annual Grammy Awards.

Beck released a number of B-sides and soundtrack-only songs as well, including “Deadweight” from the A Life Less Ordinary soundtrack, “Midnite Vultures” (curiously, not on the album of the same name), a cover of The Korgis’ “Everybody’s Got to Learn Sometime” which appeared in the 2004 movie Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and David Bowie’s “Diamond Dogs” from Moulin Rouge! He is also credited on the French band Air’s 2001 album 10 000 Hz Legend for vocals on the songs “Don’t Be Light” and “The Vagabond” (as well as harmonica on the latter). He duetted with Emmylou Harris on Return of the Grievous Angel: A Tribute to Gram Parsons, performing “Sin City”.

Sea Change

In 2001, the Beck EP, which consists of B-sides from the Midnite Vultures era, was released. The EP was only available from Beck’s website, and only 10,000 copies were printed.

In 2002, Beck released Sea Change, which, like Mutations, was produced by Nigel Godrich. It became Beck’s first US Top 10 album, reaching #8. The album also received critical acclaim, earning five stars from Rolling Stone (the magazine’s highest rating) and placing second in the Pazz & Jop Critics Poll for 2002. Sea Change was conceptualized around one unifying theme: the end of a relationship. The album featured string arrangements by Beck’s father, David Campbell, and a sonically dense mix reminiscent of Mutations. Although some radio singles were released, no commercial singles were made available to the public. In August 2002, prior to the release of Sea Change, Beck embarked on a solo acoustic tour of small theaters and halls, during which he played several songs from the forthcoming album. The post-release Sea Change tour featured The Flaming Lips as Beck’s opening and backing band. A song Beck co-wrote with William Orbit, “Feel Good Time”, was recorded by pop singer Pink for inclusion on the soundtrack of the 2003 film Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle.

Guero and The Information

In 2004, Beck returned to the studio to work on his sixth major-label studio album. The record, Guero, was produced by the Dust Brothers and Tony Hoffer and features a collaboration with Jack White of The White Stripes; it marked a return to Odelay-era sound. The album was released in March 2005 and enjoyed critical acclaim from most mainstream press, earning four of five stars from Rolling Stone, as well as a “Critic’s Choice” recognition from The New York Times. The album received a less enthusiastic response from Beck’s dedicated fan base; the album received a relatively low 6.6 (out of 10) score by Pitchfork alongside a lukewarm and disappointed review. Nonetheless, the album debuted at #2 on the Billboard charts, pushing 162,000 copies in the first week and giving Beck his best week ever in terms of commercial sales and chart position. Since the release of Guero, the album’s first single, “E-Pro” (which samples the drum track from the Beastie Boys hit “So What’cha Want”), has been well received by the mainstream rock community, receiving significant play time on mainstream radio. The second single, “Girl,” received decent play time on mainstream radio and heavy airplay on college and independent radio. The third and final single of the album was “Hell Yes”.

On February 1, 2005, Beck released an EP featuring four remixes of songs from Guero by independent artists who use sounds from various early 8-bit video game devices like the Nintendo Game Boy. The EP, GameBoy Variations, featured “Ghettochip Malfunction” [Hell Yes] and “GameBoy/Homeboy” [Que' Onda Guero], both remixed by the band 8-Bit, and also had “Bad Cartridge” [E-Pro] and “Bit Rate Variation in B-Flat” [Girl], the last two being remixed by Paza {The X-Dump}. The EP cover art shows a long-haired person headbanging to his Game Boy, which is plugged into an amplifier like an electric guitar. This EP was featured in an issue of Nintendo Power. A music video for “Gameboy/Homeboy” was made by Wyld File.
Beck plays at the Sasquatch Music Festival in George, Washington. The screens show puppets that emulated the band throughout the show.
Beck plays at the Sasquatch Music Festival in George, Washington. The screens show puppets that emulated the band throughout the show.

Beck performed at the music and arts festival Bonnaroo in Manchester, Tennessee on June 17, 2006, with a set that featured many songs from Guero. In addition to his band, Beck was accompanied by a group of puppets, dressed as him and members of his band. Live video feed of the puppets’ performance was broadcast on video screens to the audience. The puppet show was included throughout his 2006 world tour.

Beck’s seventh major-label studio album, The Information, which again reunited him with Nigel Godrich, was released on October 3, 2006. The release marked the first time in seven years that Beck released studio albums in consecutive years. The album reportedly took more than three years to make and has been described as “quasi hip-hop”. It came with a sheet of stickers, which were to be used to “make your own album cover.” Because of this, The Information was disqualified by the Official Chart Company from entering the UK albums chart, but in the US it gave Beck his third straight Top 10 studio album peak on the Billboard 200, reaching #7.  The lead US single, “Nausea”, officially went to radio on September 5, 2006. In the UK, the first single was “Cellphone’s Dead”. On September 27, 2006, Beck released a Yahoo! Music Unlimited exclusive track, “Think I’m in Love”, before the album was released. His latest single, “Timebomb”, was released on iTunes on August 21, 2007, and the limited edition vinyl 12″ was released on November 2, 2007, with an instrumental version of the song on the B-side. In December, 2007, it was announced that “Timebomb” had been nominated for a Grammy in the category of Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance.

Modern Guilt

In February 2008, Beck stated in an interview with Rolling Stone that he had been working on a new album “with an unnamed producer” and that he expected it to be released by the end of the year. In early March 2008, the unnamed producer was revealed to be Danger Mouse. On May 5, 2008, MTV.com revealed that Beck would release an as-yet untitled 10-song album within the next four to six weeks. It was also reported that singer Cat Power had contributed to the album. The new album will be released on Interscope in North America and on XL Records in the rest of the world, although no official street date has been announced. On May 12, 2008, the Rolling Stone website revealed that the new album is titled Modern Guilt. On May 19, Zane Lowe’s BBC Radio 1 show premiered single “Chemtrails”, and it was also made available on Beck’s MySpace and website. In early June, Beck performed several songs from the new album at The Echo in Los Angeles, backed by musicians including Jessica Dobson (also known as Deep Sea Diver). It was revealed on June 12 that Modern Guilt will be released on July 7, 2008, in the UK and Europe on XL Recordings, and on July 8, 2008, in North America on DGC.  “Chemtrails” has been uploaded onto Beck’s official iLike profile , along with “Orphans” and “Gamma Ray”.

Musical style

Beck’s musical style has been considered alternative and indie. He has been known to play many of the instruments in his music himself. Beck has been known to synthesize several musical elements together in his music, including hip-hop, robot funk, and blues. He has also taken music from Los Angeles as a reference point in his songs.

Pitchfork Media applauded Midnite Vultures, saying, “Beck wonderfully blends Prince, Talking Heads, Paul’s Boutique, ‘Shake Your Bon Bon’, and Mathlete on Midnite Vultures, his most consistent and playful album yet.” The review continued to comment on Beck, saying that his mix of goofy piety and ambiguous intent helped the album. Sea Change was called “evocative music”, with country rock roots. The songs on the album also had “a warm, enveloping sound” with the help of his acoustic guitar.

Personal life

From 1991 to 2000, Beck was in a relationship with designer Leigh Limon. Their breakup is said to have inspired his 2002 album, Sea Change. He wrote most of the songs for the album in one week after the breakup. Beck married actress Marissa Ribisi, the twin sister of actor Giovanni Ribisi, in April 2004, shortly before the birth of their son, Cosimo Henri Hansen. Ribisi gave birth to another child in 2007.

Beck has been involved in Scientology for most of his life; his wife is also a second-generation Scientologist. Marissa and her twin brother, Giovanni, were delivered by Beck’s mother, Bibbe. Beck publicly acknowledged his affiliation with the Church of Scientology for the first time in an interview published in the New York Times Magazine on March 6, 2005. Further confirmation came in an interview with the Irish Sunday Tribune’s i Magazine on June 11, 2005, where he was quoted as saying, “Yeah, I’m a Scientologist. My father has been a Scientologist for about 35 years, so I grew up in and around it.” When questioned by the interviewer about Scientology’s core beliefs, he replied,
“     “What it actually is is just sort of, uh, you know, I think it’s about philosophy and sort of, uh, all these kinds of, you know, ideals that are common to a lot of religions….There’s nothing fantastical… just a real deep grassroots concerted effort for humanitarian causes.I don’t know if you know the stuff they have. It’s unbelievable the stuff they are doing. Education… they have free centres all over the place for poor kids. They have the number one drug rehabilitation programme in the entire world (called Narconon). It has a 90-something percent success rate… When you look at the actual facts and not what’s conjured in people’s minds that’s all bullshit to me because I’ve actually seen stuff first hand.”     ”

Appearances in media

Beck has performed on Saturday Night Live six times; these shows were hosted by Kevin Spacey, Bill Paxton, Christina Ricci, Jennifer Garner, Tom Brady and Hugh Laurie. During his 2006 performance in the Hugh Laurie episode, Beck was accompanied by the famous on-stage puppets used during his world tour. He has made two cameo appearances as himself on Saturday Night Live: one in a sketch about medicinal marijuana, and one in a VH1 Behind the Music parody that featured “Fat Albert & the Junkyard Gang”. He has also performed on The Late Show with David Letterman alongside Borat in a 2006 episode.

Beck performed a guest voice as himself in Matt Groening’s animated show Futurama, in the episode “Bendin’ in the Wind”. He performed in episode 10 of the fourth season of The Larry Sanders Show, in which the producer character Artie (Rip Torn) referred to him as a “hillbilly from outer space”. He also made a very brief voice appearance in 1998 cartoon feature film, The Rugrats Movie, and guest-starred as himself in a 1997 episode of “Space Ghost Coast to Coast” entitled “Edelweiss”.

Discography

Main article: Beck discography

* Mellow Gold (1994)
* Odelay (1996)
* Mutations (1998)
* Midnite Vultures (1999)
* Sea Change (2002)
* Guero (2005)
* The Information (2006)
* Modern Guilt (2008)

1964 – John Lennon gives his permission for his drawing titled “The Fat Budgie” to be printed up on Christmas cards.

1963 – In England, Chuck Berry, Fats Domino, and Little Richard appear on the same bill for the first time.