Tag Archives: Bettye Lavette

Heartbreaker

What’s in a name? Last Saturday in Azerbaijan, Gerry Dorsey returned to the international stage to represent England at this year’s Eurovision Song Contest. Of course, he performed under the more familiar moniker of Engelbert Humperdinck and did just enough to finish second last. Even though it sounds completely fabricated, there was a 19th century German composer who actually had that name. Perhaps Engelbert would never have become as famous if he’d remained as just plain old Gerry, but he’s one of numerous entertainers who have decided to use a pseudonym instead of their given name. It’s not as common for music fans to use an alias, but this week I read about one who did just that

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Velvet Goldmine

This summer sees the 40th anniversary of the release of one of rock music’s most iconic albums. The Rise & Fall of Ziggy Stardust & the Spiders From Mars was David Bowie‘s fifth studio album and it made it into record shops in June, 1972. It’s basically a concept album that draws upon science fiction and rock mythology to tell the story of a musician named Ziggy Stardust and his band, The Spiders From Mars. The concept is a loose one as not all the songs on the album relate to the overall concept and one of them (It Ain’t Easy) is a cover of a song by a guy called Ron Davies. Nevertheless, the album’s packaging, marketing, sequencing and overall sound certainly made it seem like all the songs were connected and it also helped that Bowie and the band adopted the fictional band’s persona in concert and television appearances. Of course, the decision to wear the group’s “futuristic” costumes during this period was a big factor in maintaining the illusion. The album contains some of Bowie’s best songs (Starman and Ziggy Stardust) but, like all great records, its strength lies in the consistency of the work and that it can be enjoyed from beginning to end

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