Written by Jon Williams
I was dreaming when I wrote this; forgive me if it goes astray.
Last week we
received yet another stark reminder that 2016 has been a terrible year in terms
of losing beloved entertainers far too soon. When news started coming through
on Thursday that Prince had died at age 57, it seemed like it had to be a hoax;
when that news was confirmed not long after, it seemed like a bad dream.
Born in 1958
in his beloved Minneapolis as the son of two musicians, Prince showed an early
aptitude for music. He parlayed that into a recording contract with Warner
Bros., and his first album, For You, was released two months before his 20th birthday.
Displaying the full range of his talent, he wrote all the songs on the album,
played all the instruments, and even produced it himself. It was with his
second album, 1979’s Prince, that he started to garner
the type of attention that would follow him for the rest of his life. It was
his first platinum album. The albums Dirty Mind (1980) and Controversy (1981) landed him his
first appearance on Saturday Night Live
and an opening spot for the Rolling Stones, as well as his own first headlining
tour.
Then came
the period that transformed Prince from a talented and popular musician into a
legend. The album 1999, released in late in 1982,
contained the party anthem title track, as well as the hit “Little Red
Corvette,” and achieved multi-platinum sales status. Then, in 1984, Prince
starred in the semi-autobiographical movie Purple Rain. The film itself was
only a minor hit; the resulting
soundtrack, on the other hand, became one of best albums of the decade and,
perhaps, of all time. Mixing pop and rock sensibilities, it contained the
classics “Let’s Go Crazy” and “When Doves Cry” in addition to the title track.
He would go on to release four more albums in the ‘80s, as well as the soundtrack
to the blockbuster Batman movie starring Michael
Keaton.
Because of
his immense success during this period, Prince will always be associated
primarily with the music of the 1980s, but he wasn’t done with movies, either.
In 1986 he made his directorial debut with Under the Cherry Moon, and in 1987
he put out a concert film to accompany his album Sign o’ the Times. His final film
role was in 1990’s Graffiti Bridge, a sequel to Purple Rain. And of course, he continued
to put out thought-provoking, envelope-pushing music. He released twelve albums
in the ‘90s, including nine after he changed his name to a symbol and could
only be referred to as “the artist formerly known as Prince.” He went back to
being Prince in 2000, and followed that up with twelve more albums from
2001-2010. There was a break in album releases after that point, which came to
an end with two albums released simultaneously in 2014: Plectrumelectrum, with the backing
band 3rdeyegirl, and the solo effort Art Official Age. Then last year
came HITnRUN Phase One; the follow-up, HITnRUN Phase Two, is available on
CD starting tomorrow.
Obviously,
an artist as dynamic and prolific as Prince can’t be adequately summarized in a
post like this. The best thing for patrons who aren’t familiar with his music,
or just know the hits, would be to check it out for themselves, to discover his
talent and why he had so much influence on a generation of musicians. See our
website to put his CDs and movies (as well as a
biography) on your shelves. If your library is like most, there’s probably
quite a high demand for his music right now, with a long list of holds for his
albums. Be sure to let your patrons know, if you participate in hoopla, that
many of his albums and
compilations are available there. hoopla is one of the only services to
offer his music for streaming, and it’s available to patrons immediately, with
no holds.
Written by Jon Williams
Rumours have been swirling for quite some time, but the news
finally became official earlier this week. Harrison Ford will once again don
the fedora and brandish the whip as Indiana Jones for the fifth film in the
series, set to hit theatres in 2019. Steven
Spielberg is back to direct, but George
Lucas, who shaped the stories of the first four installments, will not be
involved.
Ford’s portrayal of the adventurous archaeologist dates back
to 1981’s Raiders
of the Lost Ark, in which he must prevent the Nazis from seizing and
using the Ark of the Covenant to achieve world domination. It was followed in
1984 by Indiana Jones
and the Temple of Doom, which was actually set before the first film,
and the level of violence contributed to the creation of the PG13 rating in the U.S. by the
MPAA that same year. The third film, Indiana
Jones and the Last Crusade, came in 1989, and featured the addition of Sean
Connery to the cast as Indy’s father.
After The Last Crusade,
there was a nineteen-year break before the fourth film. Indiana
Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull moves the series ahead from
the 1930s to 1957 and replaces the Nazis with the Soviets as antagonists. It
seemed as though that movie was a chance for Ford and Jones to pass the torch to
Shia
LaBeouf and continue the series with a younger lead, but apparently that
was not the case. LaBeouf is unlikely to return for the new film, although it
is a possibility.
Of course, fans who were “jonesing” for more Indy didn’t
have to wait out that whole nineteen-year period without a fix. The
Young Indiana Jones Chronicles was a television series that ran for two
seasons starting in 1992, and then was revived for four TV movies from
1994-1996. (Please note: for the DVD release, the movies were edited into
episodes, and the episodes from both seasons and the movies appear
chronologically by when they were set, rather than in the order they originally
aired.)
By the time the next film releases in 2009, that will be an
eleven-year gap between movies, and Ford will be 77 years old. Of course, he’s
certainly no stranger to reprising iconic roles after many years away. Star
Wars: The Force Awakens, one of the biggest blockbusters of all time,
starred Ford in a central role as Han Solo, a character he hadn’t played since Return
of the Jedi in 1983. Also, coming in 2018, Ford will appear as
replicant/hunter Rick Deckard in the sequel to the 1982 sci-fi classic Blade
Runner, directed by Ridley
Scott and based on a novel
by Philip K. Dick.
Ford has been a big name in Hollywood ever since his first
starring role in the original Star Wars
in 1977. Over the course of his long career he’s put together a very impressive
filmography. So, are there any other characters you’d like to see him
resurrect? A return to Jack
Ryan, perhaps? Let us know in the comments section below, or tell us about
favourite Ford movies or fun Indy memories.
Written by Jon Williams
The Academy
Awards, honouring the year’s best movies and performances, were handed out last
Sunday night. As the ceremony wound toward its conclusion and the most
high-profile awards started being given away, you could feel the anticipation
building. Would this finally be the year that Leonardo diCaprio, widely
considered one of the biggest talents in cinema today, finally walked away with
a coveted acting award with this, his fifth nomination?
It was. When Julianne Moore read out his name as the
year’s Best Actor, a wave of jubilation swept through the actor’s fans all
across the country and around the world. He won for his role in The
Revenant, a gritty portrayal of a man left for dead in the wilderness
of the American frontier. The film itself was up for a whopping total of twelve
Academy Awards, winning three—aside from Best Actor, it also won for Best
Cinematography and Best Director for Alejandro G. I ñárritu (who won the same award last year for Birdman).
The film is based on a historical novel
of the same name by Michael Punke, whose position within the U.S.
government prevents him from even talking
about his book.
DiCaprio has
been in the acting game for a long time. He got his start in 1990 at the age of
15 in the short-lived TV series Parenthood, based on the Steve Martin movie
of the year before. He also appeared in an episode of Roseanne,
and had a recurring role on Growing
Pains. He was working his way into film around the same time, getting
his break in 1993’s This
Boy’s Life (which was also the film debut of Tobey
Maguire). Then, later that year, he played the role of Arnie in What’s
Eating Gilbert Grape, earning his first Oscar nomination for Best
Supporting Actor (losing out to Tommy Lee Jones for The
Fugitive).
His star
would only rise from there as he would go on to participate in a number of
high-profile projects. In 1996 he headlined (alongside Claire
Danes) Baz Luhrmann’s modern-day adaptation of Shakespeare’s Romeo
+ Juliet. The following year came perhaps his best-known role, as Jack
Dawson in James Cameron’s Titanic.
The tale of doomed romance between DiCaprio and Kate Winslet propelled Titanic to a new all-time box office
record at the time. From there he went on to work with such famous names as
Woody Allen (Celebrity), Martin
Scorsese (Gangs
of New York), and Steven Spielberg (Catch Me
if You Can).
In 2005,
eleven years after his first nomination, DiCaprio finally scored a second Oscar
nomination, this time for Best Actor, for another Scorsese-helmed feature: The
Aviator, a biopic of the eccentric genius Howard Hughes. This time he
lost to Jamie Foxx for Ray.
He wouldn’t have to wait as long for the next one, as he was nominated again in
2007 for Blood
Diamond—that award went to Forest Whitaker for The
Last King of Scotland. He wasn’t nominated again until 2014, when he
was recognized for The
Wolf of Wall Street, and the award went to Matthew McConaughey for Dallas
Buyers Club.
And all this
is to say nothing of the incredible roles he played that weren’t nominated by
the Academy. Leonardo DiCaprio has had quite a varied and interesting acting
career, and at just 41, it’s safe to say that moviegoers still have quite a lot
to look forward to. SmartBrowse his name on our website for more of his movies,
and while you’re there, don’t miss our collection of all this year’s other Academy
Award winners.
Written by Jon Williams
The Grammy
Awards ceremony on Monday night produced some incredible musical moments. From Taylor
Swift’s opening number to Kendrick
Lamar’s fiery performance (literally), the taste of Broadway’s Hamilton,
Little
Big Town’s haunting rendition of their hit “Girl Crush,” and more, there
was something for fans all across the spectrum to enjoy. And then there were
the tributes—the Eagles
taking the stage with Jackson
Browne to perform “Take It Easy” in honour of Glenn
Frey, and Lady
Gaga’s medley of David
Bowie hits.
One of the
more unexpected moments came late in the show when Alice Cooper took the stage
with a band of familiar faces. Introduced by Dave Grohl of the Foo
Fighters, they first played an original song, then faded it into a cover of
“Ace of Spades” in tribute to Motorhead’s
Lemmy Kilmister. They did so with a brand of straightforward rock sound that
was absent from the rest of the show and, indeed, has seemingly gone missing
from the music world’s consciousness as other forms of pop music have come to
the forefront.
The band is
called the Hollywood Vampires, and this wasn’t just a one-off performance. A
tribute in themselves to Cooper’s famous drinking buddies of the ‘70s, they
formed in 2015 with principal members Joe Perry and Johnny Depp joining the
singer. Their debut
album featured contributions from such luminaries as Grohl,
Joe
Walsh, Sir
Paul McCartney, and the late Christopher
Lee. And while not technically full members of the band, they’ve frequently
been joined, as they were on Monday night, by Guns
N’ Roses associates Duff McKagan and Matt Sorum.
And of
course, to score such an incredible list of collaborators, the supergroup’s
actual members are pretty famous in their own right. Alice
Cooper, of course, just finished up a supporting stint on Motley
Crue’s final tour. He’s been at the forefront of the rock n’ roll business
for decades. The same can be said of Joe
Perry, lead guitarist for Aerosmith
since 1970. The third member is something of a surprise, as Johnny
Depp is known for his acting career, but it turns out he has some serious
musical chops as well.
The
Hollywood Vampires only have one album for now, but Cooper recently reported
that he’s working on a follow-up, as well as perhaps a live album, as the band
gets ready for its summer concert schedule. Make sure you have it on your
shelves, as well as music from the band’s members, collaborators, and other
similar acts to satisfy your rock-loving patrons as this style of music tries
to regain its foothold in popular culture.
Written by Jon Williams
The year
2016 has kicked off on a melancholy note for the entertainment industry,
particularly over the past couple of weeks. On the heels of David Bowie’s
passing last week came the news about actor Alan Rickman. Then, earlier this
week, we lost Eagles guitarist Glenn Frey. Both of these men were giants in
their particular fields, and will be sorely missed.
Alan Rickman
gained his acting stature relatively late in life. He was primarily a stage
actor with just a few small TV parts to his name when he landed the role of
Hans Gruber in the action movie staple Die Hard. Released in 1988, Rickman
was 42 when it came out, and he received acclaim for his portrayal, becoming
known as one of the best “bad guys” of all time. With his deep voice and
theatrical manner, he became known for playing villainous (or
quasi-villainous), authoritarian characters, such as the Sheriff of Nottingham
in 1991’s Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves,
Professor Severus Snape in the Harry Potter series, and Judge
Turpin in Tim Burton’s Sweeney Todd.
Glenn Frey,
on the other hand, began tasting success at a fairly early age. He was just 19
when he backed up Bob Seger on the single “Ramblin’ Gamblin’ Man.” Not long
after, he was hired for Linda Ronstadt’s backing band, along with a drummer
from Texas named Don Henley. In 1971, Henley and Frey (along with Bernie Leadon
and Randy Meisner) formed the Eagles; their debut
album, recorded and released in 1972, included the hit “Take It Easy,”
which Frey wrote with Jackson Browne. They would record and release (with some
lineup changes) six albums in the 1970s before their breakup in 1980 (their
volatility can be seen in the documentary History of the Eagles). Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975 would
be the top-selling album of the 20th century in the United States.
After the
Eagles, Frey would put together a solid solo catalog in the ‘80s, helped along
by soundtrack contributions. The songs “The Heat Is On” and “You Belong to the
City” (compiled on his Solo Collection) appeared in Beverly Hills Cop and Miami Vice, respectively. Then, in
1994, the Eagles got back together for an MTV special, which resulted in the
mostly live Hell Freezes Over album and tour. In
2007, they released the two-disc album Long Road Out of Eden, which would
be their last. Frey’s last solo album, After Hours, was released in 2012,
was a collection of covers.
Both of
these men had outstanding careers, each worthy of greater exploration on their
own; we just had the great misfortune to lose both of them within days of each
other. For more, SmartBrowse their names on our website, and share their
wonderful movies and music with your patrons for years to come.
Written by Jon Williams
Waking up on
Monday morning, the first thing I saw was news of David Bowie’s passing. It was
a rather unpleasant way to start the week, to say the least. It would have been
shocking enough by itself, but coming as it did on the heels of what seemed
like such a jubilant Friday for the superstar—a new album release on his 69th
birthday—made it particularly surreal.
That shock
was felt throughout the entertainment industry, upon which Bowie had made an
indelible mark over the course of his decades-long career. Born David Jones, he
showed an early interest and aptitude for music, he formed his first band at
fifteen. He took his stage name in 1967 to avoid confusion with Davy Jones of
the Monkees, and would then release his
eponymous debut album later that year.
That album
made few waves, but Bowie would make his big break two years later in 1969 when
the single “Space Oddity” made its way onto the charts. The album on which it
appeared was originally titled David
Bowie, just like his debut, but was eventually renamed
after the single. He capitalized on that success by following up with the
albums The
Man Who Sold the World in 1970 and Hunky
Dory in 1971. However, the legend of David Bowie really began in 1972,
with the release of The
Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars. Introducing
his theatrical persona, the album features such classic hits as “Starman” and “Suffragette
City,” as well as “Ziggy Stardust.” Bowie himself described his next album, Aladdin
Sane, as “Ziggy goes to America.”
From there,
Bowie would perform one of his musical reinventions, partially in an effort to
distance himself from the Ziggy Stardust persona. This began with his 1974
album Diamond
Dogs and continued through Young
Americans (1975), which featured a contribution from John Lennon on “Fame.”
Then, in 1976, a new persona, that of the Thin White Duke, emerged from Station
to Station (related to the character he played in the movie The Man Who Fell to Earth (currently
unavailable on video), the character also inspired, much later, a fun Bowie origin
story, “The Return of the Thin White Duke,” from
Neil Gaiman). He then finished off the decade with a three-album cycle: Low,
Heroes,
and Lodger.
While the
1980s were less prolific for Bowie, he once again proved himself capable of
changing up his style. Scary
Monsters (and Super Creeps) in 1980 built upon the sound of his late ‘70s
albums, but the two that followed— Let’s
Dance and Tonight (currently
unavailable on CD)—were more in line with ‘80s dance/pop (with Bowie’s unique
personality mixed in, of course) and served him well in the MTV-dominated music
world of the time. It was around this time that I experienced my first real
encounter with Bowie, starring as Jareth the Goblin King in the 1986 fantasy movie
Labyrinth.
A year later, he returned to a more straight-ahead rock sound with Never Let Me Down
(currently unavailable on CD).
From there,
Bowie attempted to form a band with which to share the spotlight, with only limited
success. It was, therefore, a six-year gap before his next solo album, Black Tie White Noise
(currently unavailable on CD). He would release seven albums in a ten-year
period, culminating with Reality
in 2003, and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996. After
2003, however, health problems forced Bowie to slow down, and there were no new
solo albums for ten years, leading to speculation that he had retired. However,
he returned with a vengeance in 2013 with The Next
Day, which garnered a Grammy nomination for Best Rock Album. Then, just
last week came Blackstar,
an immediately acclaimed album that Bowie planned as a parting gift to his
fans.
While David
Bowie’s death has sent ripples of sadness throughout the music world and
beyond, there is no doubt that he leaves behind an incredible legacy and catalog.
This post sums up his musical career, but cannot begin to describe the lasting
impact created by his songs, style, and personality. For more on his life and
work, check out the biography Bowie
by Wendy Leigh, and SmartBrowse his name on our website for the rest of his
discography, his movies, concert films, and more; patrons can also find a wide
selection of his music on
hoopla.
Written by Jon Williams
For years,
Monday was the standard day of the week for music album releases in North America. Because so much commerce is shut down on Sundays, however, many outlets
received their shipments too late to offer new albums at the start of business
on Monday. That’s why, in 1989, the music industry agreed to move their release
day to Tuesday, which it has been ever since.
That has not
been the case around the world, though, as various countries have their own
release schedules that haven’t always coincided with those in North America. The
U.K., for instance, held onto Monday for their releases, while Germany and
Australia saw new music come out on Friday. This non-uniformity caused angst
for fans (who were upset when listeners in other countries got new tunes before
they did) and the industry (with piracy concerns) alike.
That angst
is about to go by the wayside. The music industry and music retailers have
agreed to a new release day that will be the same around the globe. Beginning
on July 10, new music everywhere will drop as 12:01 a.m. local time on Friday.
Fans all around the world will be able to get the music they crave at
approximately the same time as everyone else.
For
libraries, the only difference is that new albums can be made available to your
patrons on Fridays instead of Tuesdays. The last Tuesday release date for new
music will be June 30. The following week , there will be no music releases on
Tuesday (July 7). The releases will instead be on Friday (July 10), which will
then be the standard.
If you have
any questions about New Music Fridays and what they mean for your library,
please contact our Customer Service department at 1.866.698.2231 or
info@cvsmidwesttapes.ca. You can also click here for a printable flyer to let your patrons know about the change.
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