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In Memoriam: Those We Have Lost from the Music Industry


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I got this tribute album of Fats covers mostly because of Robert Plant, but the whole album is quite good.  It was done to help Fats after Hurricane Katrina.  It's called Goin' Home, A Tribute to Fats Domino.  (Sorry the first video I posted didn't take...)

 

Edited by ebk57
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The rhythm guitarist - and brother of fellow bandmate, Angus Young - has died. He was 64. It does not clarify how, but he was diagnosed with dementia in 2014.

Not a huge fan, but I did like "You Shook Me [All Night Long]", "It's A Long Way To The Top [If You Wanna Rock & Roll]", and a few other songs.

May he RIP.

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I was a fan, though, I only saw them once in concert.  OMG, it's just unreal how my favorite artists are passing away so often now.  I's just so depressing.  And I just read that David Cassidy is near death.  It never seems to stop.  

RIP Malcolm.  Dementia is a very cruel thing.  I have a loved one who is suffering right now in her mid 60's.  He gave us so many great songs and awesome memories. 

Edited by SunnyBeBe
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I was watching her amazing performance of The Greatest Love Of All from the 1990 Radio City Music Hall Arista Records/AIDS Benefit concert and then stumbled upon her singing I Wanna Dance With Somebody from what seems to be the same night. How many songs did she sing that evening? She was on fire

This isn't about a current death or anything, but:

I was watching a PBS show about the Mamas and the Papas (a vocal group in the '60s), and I was rather stunned to learn that three of the four members are dead, Michelle Phillips being the only survivor.  Now I'm not a huge fan of the Mamas and the Papas, but I do think they made some lovely music, and there was a statement on the show that I found interesting, and can't disagree with.  They said that Brian Wilson (of the Beach Boys) and John Phillips were probably the best vocal arrangers of the last 50 years (you'd probably have to say 60 years now - this was an older documentary).

Anyway, I am such a sentimental sap when it comes to music, especially music that was around when I was growing up.  Like I said, I don't consider myself a huge fan of the Mamas and Papas, but here I was crying like a little girl over the death of Mama Cass in 1974 due to a heart attack (no drugs in her system either).  Poor girl was only 32.  Treasure every day, folks.

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Swedish DJ Avicii Dies. I'm more surprised than I thought I would be since I realize now how much more I appreciate his work. I don't listen to a lot of electronic or house music, but he was definitely one of the couple mainstream DJs whose worked I liked. He curated a great remix podcast every month which was ad-free and without pretension or too much talking. I will really miss those mixes. 

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On 3/12/2018 at 7:45 AM, rmontro said:

This isn't about a current death or anything, but:

I was watching a PBS show about the Mamas and the Papas (a vocal group in the '60s), and I was rather stunned to learn that three of the four members are dead, Michelle Phillips being the only survivor.  Now I'm not a huge fan of the Mamas and the Papas, but I do think they made some lovely music, and there was a statement on the show that I found interesting, and can't disagree with.  They said that Brian Wilson (of the Beach Boys) and John Phillips were probably the best vocal arrangers of the last 50 years (you'd probably have to say 60 years now - this was an older documentary).

Anyway, I am such a sentimental sap when it comes to music, especially music that was around when I was growing up.  Like I said, I don't consider myself a huge fan of the Mamas and Papas, but here I was crying like a little girl over the death of Mama Cass in 1974 due to a heart attack (no drugs in her system either).  Poor girl was only 32.  Treasure every day, folks.

I love the Mamas and Papas too!  I didn't appreciate them as a child, as much as I did after I grew up, though. I hadn't heard that about Philips high ranking, but, I have read and heard that Brian Wilson is known in the industry as a musical genius.  The Beach Boys, though, I was never a huge fan, were the real leaders of modern music and that their inspiration is immeasurable. Specifically, their album Pet Sounds. I've never fully understood, but, I still try. 

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19 minutes ago, SunnyBeBe said:

I love the Mamas and Papas too!  I didn't appreciate them as a child, as much as I did after I grew up, though. I hadn't heard that about Philips high ranking, but, I have read and heard that Brian Wilson is known in the industry as a musical genius.  The Beach Boys, though, I was never a huge fan, were the real leaders of modern music and that their inspiration is immeasurable. Specifically, their album Pet Sounds. I've never fully understood, but, I still try. 

I was never a huge Mamas and Papas fan either, but I admit that when I hear their songs today, especially the vocal arrangements, I am impressed.

As for the Beach Boys, it's always stood out for me that The Beatles had two acknowledged geniuses in Lennon and McCartney (that's the biggest secret of their appeal IMO).  But Brian Wilson had to accomplish what he did basically on his own.  Not that the other Beach Boys weren't talented, but Brian didn't have the strong counterpart like there was in the Beatles.

Then between Brian's breakdown and their image not fitting well with the counterculture, the Beach Boys lost popularity in the US (although they remained very popular in the UK).  Which was a shame, IMO.  As much credit as Brian gets among educated musicians, I think he and the Beach Boys are very underrated.

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3 hours ago, Annber03 said:

Agreed. Some people just seem like they're meant to be around forever, and she's a perfect example of that. 

So true. I just can't imagine a world without Aretha Franklin in it. This is still my favorite song of hers - and just one of my all-time favorite songs.

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Rest in Peace to the Queen.

I've been thinking about that title, "the Queen of Soul". I feel like it fit Aretha in so many ways, both obvious and not. Aretha had a chip on her shoulder. She had a tough upbringing, she was a teen mother, she lost her mother at a very young age, she married young and was in a physically abusive relationship for awhile, and she's lost a lot of her family. Plus, in many ways Aretha was unappreciated in her heyday for her virtuosity. People knew she could sing, but a lot of people didn't respect her skills as a musician in terms of playing the piano (she learned by ear) and being able to arrange and interpret songs. In fact, much of her legacy at Columbia is unknown because those recordings weren't what we knew her for (Respect, Think, Natural Woman, Blues Bros, etc).

There's always been a slight sadness to her, not as palpable as say Billie Holliday, but not entirely unlike her, either. That inaccessibility made her Queen-like.

I hope I hear Fantasia doing a tribute to Aretha at some point in the next year...

While we're talking about Aretha's legacy, my favorite songs are her interpretations of songs by other artists: Night Life, Night Time Is The Right Time, Drown in My Own Tears, among others. Also good, at least in mourning, Sit Down and Cry, and Going Down Slow.

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12 hours ago, WendyCR72 said:

Saw this elsewhere, but it seems about right: With Aretha Franklin dying 41 years to the day that Elvis Presley did, it seems fitting that the King of Rock would welcome the Queen of Soul to heaven.

Ms. Franklin and her immense talent will be missed.

She also died on the Queen of Pop Madonna's 60th birthday. Talk about the ULTIMATE form of shade (and I say that as someone who LOVES Madonna)!

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Today marks 17 years since Aaliyah died in that awful plane crash.  Hard to believe it was that long ago. She would've been 40 this upcoming January.  I think its safe to say there would be no Rihanna or Ciara as household names, had she lived.

https://people.com/music/missy-elliott-aaliyah-death-17th-anniversary-tribute-video/

Edited by AgentRXS
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1 hour ago, AgentRXS said:

Today marks 17 years since Aaliyah died in that awful plane crash.  Hard to believe it was that long ago. She would've been 40 this upcoming January.  I think its safe to say there would be no Rihanna or Ciara as household names, had she lived.

https://people.com/music/missy-elliott-aaliyah-death-17th-anniversary-tribute-video/

I was a freshman in HS at the time, but I remember it like it was yesterday. She was getting edgier and more experimental with her sound and was beginning to take on more acting roles so it's a shame that she passed before she truly got to spread her wings. R.I.P.

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Man, I can't believe it's been that long. I remember my dad was on the computer and saw the news report about her death and mentioned it. Such a tragic end to such a young life. 

My mom and I got into a conversation a while back about musicians who've died in plane crashes, and we realized that list is disturbingly long. 

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Wow, almost 20 years.  It feels like that long, and then it doesn't; I know exactly who and where I was at the time, because I lost a colleague/acquaintance in that crash.  I never liked Aaliyah's music, but obviously I've always felt very sorry for the loss of her young life as well.  It was a tragedy that should not have happened, and there are so many what ifs as a result.

Edited by Bastet
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Aaliyah had a great dance track of The One I Gave My Heart To:

This would almost always be the last song played in the club before lights went on....used to dance my ass off to it with a former friend.  Even now it hurts to sing along to it, as I still miss my friend.

The nerd in me was watching Youtube this weekend and I came across a few Gerald Levert videos.  Man, he was sexy AF, I was real hurt when he passed away unexpectedly in 2006.

I watched his tribute songs to Aretha, Smokey Robinson and Patti Labelle:

Aretha - Dr. Feelgood (Aretha looked like she wanted to take him home!):

Patti - Somebody Loves You Baby (This fool actually ROLLED on the floor still singing, I hollered!!) 

Smokey - I Don't Like You But I Love You (OMFG, I'da thrown my draws on the stage had I been there!)

Damn, I miss him.

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Yesterday on Netflix I was watching this documentary (ReMastered: Who Killed Jam Master Jay?) https://www.netflix.com/title/80191044

Admittedly I'm not very familiar with Run-DMC's music. But as someone who is interested in true crime and also grew up in Queens not far from the area Run-DMC came from, I am finding this documentary very interesting. His murder is still unsolved. The studio where he was murdered is a block away from the library that I went to sometimes as a kid.

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