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Buckeye Randy Sparks Guru
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Joined: 21 Aug 2013 Posts: 4681 Location: Rock n Roll Capital
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Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2017 11:38 am Post subject: |
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RIP - John Wetton
Probably most famous for his work with Asia but he did allot of other stuff (King Crimson, Roxy Music among others). I saw him twice with the band UK, nice shows. _________________ Billy, Don't Be A Porter |
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miss sparks Sparks Guru
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Joined: 16 Sep 2010 Posts: 20397 Location: England
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Posted: Wed Feb 01, 2017 7:09 pm Post subject: |
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Depeche Mode new single Where's the revolution out on 3rd Feb. New album Spirit out on 7th March. |
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Buckeye Randy Sparks Guru
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Joined: 21 Aug 2013 Posts: 4681 Location: Rock n Roll Capital
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Posted: Thu Feb 02, 2017 2:28 am Post subject: |
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In addition to that is the tour...
May 5 - Stockholm, Sweden - Friends Arena
May 7 - Amsterdam, Netherlands - Ziggo Dome
May 9 - Antwerp, Belgium - Sportpaleis
May 12 - Nice, France - Stade Charles-Ehrmann
May 14- Ljubljana, Slovenia - Dvorana Stožice
May 17 - Athens, Greece - Terra Vibe Park
May 20 - Bratislava, Slovakia - Štadión Pasienky
May 22 - Budapest, Hungary - Groupama Aréna
May 24 - Prague, Czech Republic - Eden Aréna
May 27 - Leipzig, Germany - Festwiese
May 29 - Lille, France - Stade Pierre-Mauroy
May 31 - Copenhagen, Denmark - Telia Parken
June 3 - London, United Kingdom - London Stadium
June 5 - Cologne, Germany - RheinEnergieStadion
June 9 - Munich, Germany - Olympiastadion
June 11 - Hannover, Germany - HDI Arena
June 18 - Zurich, Switzerland - Letzigrund Stadion
June 20 - Frankfurt, Germany - Commerzbank-Arena
June 22 - Berlin, Germany - Olympiastadion
June 25 - Rome, Italy - Stadio Olimpico
June 27 - Milan, Italy - Stadio San Siro
June 29 - Bologna, Italy - Stadio Rentao Dall'Ara
July 1 - Paris, France - Stade de France
July 4 - Gelsenkirchen, Germany - Veltins-Arena
July 6 - Bilbao, Spain - BBK Live Festival
July 8 - Lisbon, Portugal - NOS Alive Festival
July 13 - St. Petersburg, Russia - SKK
July 15 - Moscow, Russia - Otkritie Arena
July 17 - Minsk, Belarus - Minsk-Arena
July 19 - Kiev, Ukraine - Olimpiyskiy National Sports Complex
July 21 - Warsaw, Poland - PGE Narodowy
July 23 - Cluj-Napoca, Romania - Cluj Arena
Following the European tour dates in Summer 2017, the Global Spirit Tour will continue with shows in North and South America.
Anybody have comments about past live shows? _________________ Billy, Don't Be A Porter |
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Buckeye Randy Sparks Guru
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Joined: 21 Aug 2013 Posts: 4681 Location: Rock n Roll Capital
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Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2017 2:11 am Post subject: |
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The summer tour announcements are rolling in.
Queen + Adam Lambert 2017 North American Tour
6/23 — Phoenix, AZ — Gila River Arena
6/24 — Las Vegas, NV — T-Mobile Arena
6/26 — Los Angeles, CA — Hollywood Bowl
6/29 — San Jose, CA — SAP Center
7/01 — Seattle, WA — Key Arena
7/02 — Vancouver, BC — Pepsi Live at Rogers Arena
7/04 — Edmonton, AB — Rogers Place
7/06 — Denver, CO — Pepsi Center Arena
7/08 — Omaha, NE — CenturyLink Center
7/09 — Kansas City, MO — Sprint Center
7/13 — Chicago, IL — United Center
7/14 — St. Paul, MN — Xcel Energy Center
7/17 — Montreal, QC — Bell Centre
7/18 — Toronto, ON — Air Canada Centre
7/20 — Detroit, MI — The Palace of Auburn Hills
7/21 — Cleveland, OH — Quicken Loans Arena
7/23 — Uncasville, CT — Mohegan Sun Arena
7/25 — Boston, MA — TD Garden
7/26 — Newark, NJ — Prudential Center
7/28 — New York, NY — Barclays Center
7/30 — Philadelphia, PA — Wells Fargo Center
7/31 — Washington D.C. — Verizon Center
8/02 — Nashville, TN — Bridgestone Arena
8/04 — Dallas, TX — American Airlines Center
8/05 — Houston, TX — Toyota Center
I saw Queen four times in the '70's and I saw one of the Queen + PR shows. I can't say I'm a fan at this point but I'll be there.
Any good stories of Queen shows? _________________ Billy, Don't Be A Porter |
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Deano Sub-Deity
Joined: 17 Mar 2002 Posts: 1030 Location: East Yorkshire England
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Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2017 3:09 pm Post subject: |
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Buckeye I was fortunate and lucky enough to see Queen 3 times on their last ever tour in 1986 with Freddie. OK Freddie's voice was not the same voice he had until say 1982 but he could still sing and mesmerise the crowd for sure.The last show of the tour was at Knebworth Park UK on a piping hot August day.There was a lot happening including from memory a big fence getting knocked down.This led to thousands of extra fans entering for free.The crowd was really huge that day.A plastic bottle free for all/fight in the crowd with people throwing thousands of empty and half full plastic bottles flying through the air criss crossing each other-an amazing spectacle.Then of course Freddie holding that massive crowd like it was a pub gig for him.Little did we know that a few short months later he would be diagnosed with a condition that robbed him of his young talented life.Lastly the house lights went down after the show and we all had to try and find our cars in the near dark.Took us about 2 hours to find the damn car.Still miss this bloke and always will. |
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allydodd Sub-Deity
Joined: 12 Dec 2004 Posts: 766 Location: Scotland
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Posted: Sun Feb 05, 2017 11:28 am Post subject: |
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Just seen Scottish Opera's production of the Trial, Philip Glass' opera based on Franz Kafka's dystopian nightmare. Its absurdist plot of mounting frustration makes it uncomfortable viewing but the voices and music were captivating and impressive.
Indeed, in the agitated anticipation of Sparks new album, I've been making ravenous forays into the music of Philip Glass. I can detect similarities to L'il Beethoven. However, this doesn't dilute the uniqueness of Sparks' groundbreaking pop album. Rather, it affirms its distinction. Previously, I've encountered bits and pieces of his work fleetingly. Now I'm wishful that an earlier exploration of this excellent and important composer had been seized. |
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Buckeye Randy Sparks Guru
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Joined: 21 Aug 2013 Posts: 4681 Location: Rock n Roll Capital
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Posted: Fri Feb 10, 2017 3:57 pm Post subject: |
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Artist: Black Joe Lewis
Album: Backlash
Release: February 10, 2017
I’m not sure what constitutes a musical revival but I know that there have been a ton of great R&B acts the last ten years. Some get main stream mentions like Fitz and the Tantrums or Sharon Jones while others just put out kick ass music in relative anonymity.
I’m not even sure what constitutes total anonymity anymore. Ask 10 people about Black Joe Lewis and you’ll be fortunate find one person who knows what you’re talking about. The name might not be known but it isn’t for lack of effort. Appearances on TV with David Letterman, Craig Ferguson, Jools Holland and Austin City Limits. Appeared on NPR radio and at countless live festivals including Bonaroo and Coachella Valley. The guy is doing his job.
Backlash is the fifth release by Black Joe (with or without the Honeybears). The musical style is not new but not exactly the same either. Maybe a few more distorted guitars and vocals, ‘Shadow People’ sounds like it could be from The Black Keys or even Clutch. ‘Maroon’ is a six minute psychedelic funk that’s sounds like a tribute to Parliament. Those two are exceptions and not the rule, most the songs have the familiar horn section and groove. The catchiest is probably the single ‘PTP’ which was released late last year.
I read once (I wish I could remember where) that Black Joe Lewis is a cross between James Brown and Sly Stone. This album will do a good job of keeping people repeating that quote.
After several listens, I wouldn’t say it is better than ‘Scandalous’ or ‘Tell ‘Em What Your Name Is’. However…I plan on listening to it many, many times the next three weeks in preparation for seeing Black Joe Lewis supporting Backlash. Who knows, three weeks from now it might be a desert island disc…I could do worse. _________________ Billy, Don't Be A Porter |
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Eric Murray Sparks Guru
Joined: 12 Jan 2002 Posts: 9145 Location: Kirkcaldy,Scotland
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Posted: Wed Feb 22, 2017 6:38 pm Post subject: |
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Pet Shop Boys
Edinburgh Playhouse 22 Feb 2017
mmm
£66 a ticket on stage 1Hr 49min
It was the "Super Tour " but not many tracks from the latest album "Super"
Back lighting and lasers - excellent
Sound quality - So so
I have to admit I thought a fair bit was looped and pre recorded - I may be wrong ?
After about 20 mins - backing curtain lifted to reveal 2 drummers / backing vocalists plus another keyboard/ violinist/ backing vocalist
I have seen a number of good reviews on earlier shows - I would give about 7/10 - can do better |
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Buckeye Randy Sparks Guru
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Joined: 21 Aug 2013 Posts: 4681 Location: Rock n Roll Capital
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Posted: Sun Mar 05, 2017 7:25 am Post subject: |
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Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears
Grog Shop, Cleveland
March 2, 2017
Tickets $15
My East Side Getaway
I’ve been a fan of Black Joe Lewis a little over a month and Mrs. Buckeye probably about an hour less than that. We haven’t been fans for a long time but that doesn’t mean we weren’t stoked to have Joe Lewis be our first show of the year. We decided to make our first time the centerpiece of our cultural mini-tour of Cleveland’s East Side. A swanky hotel, museums, Little Italy, a stroll of the art district plus a concert at one of the best dives in Cleveland.
Black Joe Lewis is usually described by morphing several genres together. The most common descriptions include blues/garage/grunge/punk/soul/funk/R&B followed by mentioning one of the greatest screams in music. I usually like putting artists in a nice and neat genre box but I tend to agree with Joe’s own description on this one, “It’s all about putting on a good show and getting everyone having a good time. There’s no category for that other than rock’n’ roll, as far as I know”. I think Joe sums it up well there.
I haven’t seen a ton of shows at the Grog Shop but some of the memorable ones include Butch Walker, Fitz & The Tantrums plus I took my daughter to her very first concert here (Pink Spiders). A great club in the artsy Coventry District with standing capacity listed as 400 (wink, wink, nod, nod).
The seven piece band that took the stage included keys, drums, bass, two horns and two guitars one of which was manned by Joe. The band was able to quiet it down when needed but for the most part they are a thundering beast with Joe screaming in and around the wall of noise. It sounds simple but you realize just how few people do it when confronted with the real deal. Joe Lewis and the Honeybears are the real deal.
The show opened with the pumping funk of “PTP” from the latest album and that pretty much set the tone for the evening. I want to say congrats to the house sound for getting things under control. The sound was not ideal at the start but it steadily improved and was not an issue.
The sound and set list favored the soul/R&B material and not so much the grungy/garage material. This was perfect for me because it meant playing half of the new album (Backlash) plus tons of material from “Tell ‘Em What Your Name Is” and “Scandalous”. Even the more garage sounding songs took on a different persona with the horns beefing up the middle.
Toward the end of the show the band went into my personal favorite “Get Yo Shit” which was the launching pad as they took off on a ten minute medley. It was rapid fire pandemonium which was a wall of energy that Joe’s vocals could barely cut through. It almost felt historic, this stuff should be in a time capsule of what rock n roll is on a good night. This was followed by an encore that was more of the same. Great show, thanks Joe.
The night ended with a signed disc and a handshake for me and a pic of Mrs. Buckeye standing with Black Joe Lewis sharing smiles. A great night of rock n roll, can’t wait until next time around. _________________ Billy, Don't Be A Porter |
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DJ LX Sparkologist
Joined: 19 Jan 2014 Posts: 523 Location: Madison, WI
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Buckeye Randy Sparks Guru
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Joined: 21 Aug 2013 Posts: 4681 Location: Rock n Roll Capital
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Posted: Wed Mar 08, 2017 1:55 pm Post subject: |
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That's a fun way to start the day. Nice find!
Upcoming releases the next few weeks by Jethro Tull, Depeche Mode and Bob Dylan. Looking forward to hearing thoughts on these. _________________ Billy, Don't Be A Porter |
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DJ LX Sparkologist
Joined: 19 Jan 2014 Posts: 523 Location: Madison, WI
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Posted: Thu Mar 09, 2017 5:27 pm Post subject: |
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Buckeye Randy wrote: |
That's a fun way to start the day. Nice find!
Upcoming releases the next few weeks by Jethro Tull, Depeche Mode and Bob Dylan. Looking forward to hearing thoughts on these. |
The Dancing Did only released one album, And Did Those Feet in 1982, but everything on it is great (and on YouTube, which is important as the album's currently out of print).
I'd heard about Depeche Mode coming out with a new album, and Bob Dylan always seems to be releasing albums, but I wasn't aware Jethro Tull. Is it an archival release? Or have they reformed?
The next release I get will be the R. Stevie Moore/Jason Falkner collaboration Make it Be, which comes out tomorrow and hopefully appears in my mail box. _________________ I like clubs
I like girls
I like music
And that's it |
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Buckeye Randy Sparks Guru
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Joined: 21 Aug 2013 Posts: 4681 Location: Rock n Roll Capital
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Posted: Fri Mar 10, 2017 2:44 am Post subject: |
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DJ LX wrote: | I wasn't aware Jethro Tull. Is it an archival release? Or have they reformed? |
From the website..."The String Quartets is a new album by Jethro Tull’s Ian Anderson and the Carducci Quartet featuring the classic songs of Jethro Tull, arranged and orchestrated by John O’Hara. Ian plays flute on most of the tracks and even sings a few lines here and there to provide his trademark sounds in the context of classical music traditions. Living In The Past, Aqualung, Locomotive Breath and Bungle In The Jungle are amongst the album track listing but appear, along with their fellow musical travelers, under more cryptic titles to differentiate them from the original recordings and arrangements."
It sounds like it is soft background music for a candlelight dinner. Crap!
Jethro Tull is very interesting to me for a couple reasons. Many 'big' acts from the '70's have turned into 'mega big' acts thanks to corp classic radio. Jethro Tull is not one of them!
A long time ago in a time when the the sales of albums were beginning to surpass that of singles, Jethro Tull was on the front of FM programming's new AOR (Album Orinated Rock) format.
This band was a beast in the '70's. In the U.S between '71 - '77. they had 6 of their 7 albums reach top 10 including back to back #1s and a number 2. (info wiki)
In a '70's comparison...you can't go a single day without hearing songs from Journey's 'Infinity' and 'Evolution' which peaked at 21 and 20 on Billboard's album charts. (info wiki)
That might be apples to oranges but even Yes and ELP get more love from the current corp rock than Jethro Tull.
I'm a fan of Queen (w/Freddie), four great shows and a fan club membership back in the day. However...less top ten albums in the U.S. than Jethro Tull. (It really blows my mind that Queen's last seven albums were all top 10 in the U.K. with three coming in at #1 while none were top 10 in U.S..)
Another head scratcher is AC/DC. Since 1990, all five of their releases have been top ten. Before that? Only 3 of 12 were top 10 albums. BTW, I think 'High Voltage' is a kick ass album and loved it even though it only peaked at 146 in the U.S..
OK...I'm done ranting. I would like to add that I've seen Jethro Tull three times live and '79's Stormawatch show was one of the finest I've seen by any band ever. _________________ Billy, Don't Be A Porter |
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DJ LX Sparkologist
Joined: 19 Jan 2014 Posts: 523 Location: Madison, WI
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Posted: Fri Mar 10, 2017 7:35 pm Post subject: |
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Buckeye Randy wrote: | Jethro Tull is very interesting to me for a couple reasons. Many 'big' acts from the '70's have turned into 'mega big' acts thanks to corp classic radio. Jethro Tull is not one of them!
...
That might be apples to oranges but even Yes and ELP get more love from the current corp rock than Jethro Tull. |
Not necessarily a bad thing -- at least their songs haven't been played to death like so many Stones or Zep songs have... familiarity breeding contempt and all that.
But yeah, classic rock radio programming is odd, nary a song by Be Bop Deluxe and Roxy Music, but double servings of REO Speedwagon and Rush!
Needless to say, I don't listen to too much radio these days. _________________ I like clubs
I like girls
I like music
And that's it |
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miss sparks Sparks Guru
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Joined: 16 Sep 2010 Posts: 20397 Location: England
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Posted: Sat Mar 11, 2017 3:42 am Post subject: |
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Ed Sheeran just released a new album. Now he has 16 songs in the top 20 single charts. I hate the way the singles charts are now. Singles charts should be just for singles only not every song that is downloaded from a album. |
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Buckeye Randy Sparks Guru
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Joined: 21 Aug 2013 Posts: 4681 Location: Rock n Roll Capital
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Posted: Sat Mar 11, 2017 9:21 am Post subject: |
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miss sparks wrote: | Ed Sheeran just released a new album. Now he has 16 songs in the top 20 single charts. I hate the way the singles charts are now. Singles charts should be just for singles only not every song that is downloaded from a album. |
I haven't looked at a singles chart in years which is bad on me. Post a link to what you are looking at please. I was a fan of the VH1 Countdown shows before it was cancelled a couple years ago after a 20 year run.
I guess I understand how/why they are using sales to determine the chart but it certainly isn't in the spirit of the old charts where sales were just one component and balanced with airplay.
I loved travelling with my parents as a young teen if for no other reason than music (not the music they played on the radio). There would be promo cards from local radio stations at the checkout of gas stations and diners. These would have some local adds on one side and the weekly top 40 on the other. They were very regional based on the playlist and possibly local sales but definitely not national.
I'm not saying anything bad about the old countdown show by Casey Kasem, that was holy grail.
Any thoughts on how the singles charts should be done now? _________________ Billy, Don't Be A Porter |
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miss sparks Sparks Guru
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Joined: 16 Sep 2010 Posts: 20397 Location: England
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Posted: Sat Mar 11, 2017 10:06 am Post subject: |
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It's the BBC single charts top 100
www.officialcharts.com/charts/singles-chart/
Scroll down to read the comments people have left. I'm not the only one who's no happy about the singles charts. |
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Buckeye Randy Sparks Guru
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Joined: 21 Aug 2013 Posts: 4681 Location: Rock n Roll Capital
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Posted: Sat Mar 11, 2017 11:04 am Post subject: |
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This comment seems to sum up most the people, "I totally agree with you, this is a singles chart not a all songs on album chart as this week has proved. Its now a joke and is losing credibility when this happens."
Here is a chart that seems a little more like a radio playlist.
http://top40-charts.com/chart.php?cid=27
Very cool you can easily look at charts in different countries. Hey, how about that India top 20....nice to see Justin Bieber has world wide appeal (smiling) _________________ Billy, Don't Be A Porter |
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miss sparks Sparks Guru
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Joined: 16 Sep 2010 Posts: 20397 Location: England
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Posted: Sat Mar 11, 2017 2:06 pm Post subject: |
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Your single charts a lot better than ours, more variety of artists. But still got Ed Sheeran at the top :( |
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Buckeye Randy Sparks Guru
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Joined: 21 Aug 2013 Posts: 4681 Location: Rock n Roll Capital
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Posted: Sat Mar 11, 2017 2:36 pm Post subject: |
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miss sparks wrote: | Your single charts a lot better than ours, more variety of artists. But still got Ed Sheeran at the top :( |
it appears it is Ed's world and we are just passing through.
Did you look at the UK and US album charts? UK has five Michael Jackson albums in top 14.
The 'Airplay World Official Top 100' has no Ed listed toward the top of chart.
This is my Saturday, looking at charts with music I seldom listen too! Notice I said 'seldom' and not 'never'. When I'm at work there is a radio in part of the plant that only picks up one station, a top 40 station. _________________ Billy, Don't Be A Porter |
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