Hard-Fi is an English indie rock band, formed in 2003 in Staines-upon-Thames, Surrey. The band consists of Richard Archer, Ross Phillips, Kai Stephens and Steve Kemp.
A CD single is a music single in the form of a compact disc (CD). Originally the CD single standard was an 8 cm (3-inch) "mini CD" (CD3); later on the term referred to any single recorded onto a CD of any size, particularly the 12 cm (5-inch) "full-size" disc (CD5). From a technical viewpoint, a CD single is identical to any other audio CD. The format started gaining popularity in the early 1990s, but quickly declined in the early and mid 2000s, in favor of digital downloaded singles and CD albums.
Stars of CCTV is the debut studio album by English indie rock band Hard-Fi. It was first released on 4 July 2005 through Necessary Records and Atlantic Records. It received positive reviews from critics and was nominated for the 2005 Mercury Music Prize.
A maxi single, or maxi-single, is a music single release with more than the usual two tracks of an A-side song and a B-side song.
"Home" is a song by English electronic music group Depeche Mode, released on 16 June 1997 as the third single from their ninth album, Ultra (1997). The song is sung by guitarist Martin Gore, rather than the band's main singer, Dave Gahan.
"I Feel Loved" is a song by English electronic music band Depeche Mode, released on 30 July 2001 as the second single from the band's tenth studio album, Exciter (2001). In 2002, the song was nominated for two Grammy Awards: one for Best Dance Recording and another for the Danny Tenaglia remix for Best Remixed Recording.
"House of Love" is a song by American drag queen, singer and songwriter RuPaul, released in 1993 by Tommy Boy Records as the singer's third major-label single, and fifth single overall from his debut album, Supermodel of the World (1993). The song did not chart in the US as it was previously released as a Double A-Side to the 1992 single "Supermodel ". It did however reach the Top 40 in the UK.
"Tied Up Too Tight" is the second single from English band Hard-Fi's debut album, Stars of CCTV (2005). It was released on 18 April 2005. The song reached number 15 in the UK charts and was set to follow the success of Hard-Fi's debut single "Cash Machine"—a track that received "single of the week" accolades from the likes of NME, Time Out and Radio 1's Zane Lowe, who tagged "Tied Up Too Tight" as "the hottest record in the world" while receiving great support from XFM and Jo Whiley.
"Blood" is a song by British post-punk revival band Editors from their 2005 debut album, The Back Room. It was released 11 July 2005 as the third single from the album and was re-released on 19 June 2006. It was in very limited release with the CD limited to 5000 copies whilst the 10-inch single was deleted on day of release and was only available through pre-ordering. Over the two formats, they contain two cover songs and two remixes of The Back Room track "Camera" from Jason Spaceman and Paul Oakenfold.
"Hard to Beat" is the third single from English indie rock group Hard-Fi, from their album Stars of CCTV. Despite being released as the third single, it was Hard-Fi's first of two top-10 singles, reaching number nine in the United Kingdom after being released on 20 June 2005. In the United States, the song was released as the second single from Stars of CCTV on 18 April 2006, following "Cash Machine". It gained the band some prominence in the US by entering the US Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart at number 39 a month after release. It later peaked at number 34.
"Breath of Life" is a song by English synth-pop duo Erasure, released as the fourth and final single from their fifth studio album, Chorus (1991), in March 1992. It was written by Erasure members Vince Clarke and Andy Bell with additional input from Pat O'Brien. An uptempo synth-pop song, its dance music elements were strongly accentuated for the club remixes. For the single release, it was remixed slightly, including a shortened intro. In the United States, it was the third single released from the album.
"Run to the Sun" is a song by English synth-pop duo Erasure, released in July 1994 by Mute and Elektra as the second single from the duo's sixth studio album, I Say I Say I Say (1994). The song is written by Vince Clarke with fellow Erasure member Andy Bell and is an uptempo dance music track that displays signature synthesizer programming by Clarke. The UK 7-inch single of "Run to the Sun" was issued on yellow-coloured vinyl and featured a fold-out poster of the single's cover artwork. The single's B-side, a ballad entitled "Tenderest Moments", was later re-recorded by Erasure in an acoustic version for their 2006 album Union Street.
"The Best" is a song by Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler from her seventh studio album, Hide Your Heart (1988). It was written by Mike Chapman and Holly Knight. Produced by Desmond Child, Tyler's version became a top-10 hit in Norway but was a minor hit elsewhere.
"From Here to Eternity" is a song by English heavy metal band Iron Maiden, released as the second single from their album Fear of the Dark, released in 1992.
"A Million Love Songs" is a song by English boy band Take That that appeared on their debut studio album, Take That & Party (1992). The song was written by lead vocalist Gary Barlow. It was released in the United Kingdom on 28 September 1992 by Sony Music and peaked at number seven on the UK Singles Chart that October. It also reached number 50 in the Netherlands.
"Candy" is a song by Ash, released as the fourth single from their album Free All Angels on 1 October 2001. It was released as a single CD as a 7-inch vinyl, as well as on DVD format. Candy performed only slightly better than previous single "Sometimes", reaching number 20 on the UK Singles Chart and number 25 in Ireland.
"Why Must We Wait Until Tonight" is a song performed by American recording artist and actress Tina Turner for her 1993 What's Love Got to Do with It soundtrack album. The track was written and produced by Bryan Adams and Robert John "Mutt" Lange. It was released in September 1993 by Virgin and Parlophone, peaking at number 16 in the United Kingdom and number 25 in Ireland. In the US, the song reached numbers 97 and 83 on the Billboard Hot 100 and Cash Box Top 100.
"So Hard" is a song by English synth-pop duo Pet Shop Boys, released in September 1990 as the lead single from their fourth studio album, Behaviour (1990). The song is about "two people living together; they are totally unfaithful to each other but they both pretend they are faithful and then catch each other out". It peaked at No. 4 in the United Kingdom and reached the top three in at least seven European countries, including Finland, where it reached No. 1.
"I Shall Overcome" is the third single from English indie rock band Hard-Fi's second album Once Upon a Time in the West. It was released on 29 February 2008. Written and co-produced by Richard Archer, it features a gospel choir and acoustic guitars along with a mariachi trumpet on the "Per un Pugno di Hard-Fi version". Tracy Ackerman contributes backing vocals on the song.
"Hard to Handle" is a 1968 song written by American soul singer Otis Redding along with Al Bell and Allen Jones. Originally recorded by Redding, it was released in 1968 as the B-side to "Amen". The song also appears on the 1968 album The Immortal Otis Redding. Redding's version reached number 38 on the Billboard R&B chart and number 51 on the pop chart.
