William "Holly" Johnson is an English artist, musician, and writer, best known as the lead vocalist of Frankie Goes to Hollywood, who achieved huge commercial success in the mid-1980s. Prior to that, in the late 1970s he was a bassist for the band Big in Japan. In 1989, Johnson's debut solo album, Blast, reached number one in the UK albums chart. Two singles from the album – "Love Train" and "Americanos" – reached the top 5 of the UK Singles Chart. In the 1990s, he also embarked on writing, painting, and printmaking careers.
Tears for Fears are an English pop rock band formed in Bath in 1981 by Curt Smith and Roland Orzabal. Founded after the dissolution of their first band, the mod-influenced Graduate, Tears for Fears were associated with the synth-pop bands of the 1980s, and attained international chart success as part of the Second British Invasion.
Monster is the ninth studio album by American rock band R.E.M., released by Warner Bros. Records in the UK on September 26, 1994, and in the United States the following day. It was produced by the band and Scott Litt and recorded at four studios. The album was an intentional shift from the style of the band's previous two albums, Out of Time (1991) and Automatic for the People (1992), by introducing loud, distorted guitar tones and simpler lyrics.
"Fools Gold" is a song by British rock band the Stone Roses. It was released as a double A-side single with "What the World Is Waiting For" on 13 November 1989 through Silvertone Records. "Fools Gold" would go on to appear on certain non-UK versions of their self-titled debut studio album (1989). "Fools Gold" became the band's biggest commercial hit at the time. It was their first single to reach the top ten of the UK Singles Chart and stayed in the top-75 for fourteen weeks, peaking at number eight.
Thunder are an English hard rock band from London. Formed in 1989, the group was founded by former Terraplane members Danny Bowes, Luke Morley and Gary "Harry" James (drums), along with second guitarist and keyboardist Ben Matthews and bassist Mark "Snake" Luckhurst. Originally signed to EMI Records in the UK, the band released their debut album Backstreet Symphony in 1990, which reached number 21 on the UK Albums Chart and number 114 on the US Billboard 200. The 1992 follow-up Laughing on Judgement Day reached number 2, while both albums were certified gold by the British Phonographic Industry (BPI). All nine singles released from the two albums reached the UK Singles Chart top 40.
"Red Red Wine" is a song originally written, performed and recorded by American singer Neil Diamond in 1967 that appears on his second studio album, Just for You. The lyrics are written from the perspective of a person who finds that drinking red wine is the only way to forget his woes.
Wild! is the fourth studio album by English synth-pop duo Erasure. Released in October 1989, the album was produced by the band, along with Gareth Jones and Mark Saunders, and released by Mute Records in the UK and Sire Records in the U.S.
"Lovesong" is a song by English rock band the Cure, released as the third single from their eighth studio album, Disintegration (1989), on 21 August 1989. The song saw considerable success in the United States, where it reached the number-two position in October 1989 and became the band's only top-10 entry on the Billboard Hot 100. In the United Kingdom, the single charted at number 18, and it peaked within the top 20 in Canada and Ireland.
"Wonderful Tonight" is a ballad written by Eric Clapton. It was included on Clapton's 1977 album Slowhand. Clapton wrote the song on his 1974 Martin D-28 guitar about Pattie Boyd. The female vocal harmonies on the song are provided by Marcella Detroit and Yvonne Elliman. The song is his most popular download on Spotify with more than 480,000,000 streams.
We've Got a Fuzzbox and We're Gonna Use It!!, often shortened to Fuzzbox, are a British alternative rock group. Formed in Birmingham in 1985, the all-female quartet originally consisted of Vix, Magz, Jo Dunne and Tina O'Neill. The band's name was shortened to Fuzzbox for the US release of their debut studio album. They disbanded in 1990 after releasing two studio albums and reunited in 2010 for a series of concerts. A second reunion was confirmed in 2015.
A Bigger Bang is the twenty-second studio album by the English rock band the Rolling Stones, released through Virgin Records on 5 September 2005. It was the band's last album of original material recorded entirely with Charlie Watts on drums before his death in 2021.
The Sonny Side of Chér is the second studio album by American singer-actress Cher, released on March 28, 1966, by Imperial. Cher again collaborated with Sonny Bono and Harold Battiste. The album is by-and-large a covers album and contains two songs written by Bono. The title of the album is a pun on the name of Cher's first husband Sonny Bono. Cher's second successful album of the sixties, it was released on CD in 1992 by EMI together with Cher's first album as a 2fer. In 1995 EMI re-released this 2fer with the album Chér. The last version of the album was released in 2005 only in UK by BGO Records. These editions feature a different track order than the original LP.
"Ferry Cross the Mersey" is a song written by Gerry Marsden. It was first recorded by his band Gerry and the Pacemakers and released in late 1964 in the UK and in 1965 in the United States. It was a hit on both sides of the Atlantic, reaching number six in the United States and number eight in the UK. The song is from the film of the same name and was released on its soundtrack album. In the mid-1990s, a musical theatre production, also titled Ferry Cross the Mersey, related Gerry Marsden's Merseybeat days; it premiered in Liverpool and played in the UK, Australia, and Canada.
Sacred Heart is the debut studio album by British pop-rock act Shakespear's Sister, released on 21 August 1989 by FFRR Records. The album was recorded after Siobhan Fahey decided to leave the girl group Bananarama. Initially intended as a solo act for Fahey, Shakespear's Sister became a partnership of Fahey and Marcella Detroit during the making of the album. The album spawned four singles, including "You're History", released in July 1989, which reached No. 7 on the UK singles chart and was the first release to present the act as a duo. The album peaked at No. 9 on the UK albums chart, and was certificated gold by the BPI.
"Big Bang Baby" is a song featured on Tiny Music... Songs from the Vatican Gift Shop, the third album by the band Stone Temple Pilots. It was the first single to be released from the album, which appeared on several Billboard record charts: No. 28 on the Hot 100 Airplay, No. 1 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks and No. 2 on the Modern Rock Tracks charts.
"Blame It on the Boogie" is a song released in 1978 by English singer-songwriter Mick Jackson. It has been covered by the Jacksons, Clock and Luis Miguel.
"Everybody's Got to Learn Sometime" is a 1980 single written by James Warren and first performed by British pop band the Korgis, with Warren as the lead singer. It has subsequently been covered by numerous other artists.
"Closer than Close" is a song by American musician Rosie Gaines, a former singer in Prince's band the New Power Generation. After being released in 1995 as a track on her fifth album by the same name (1995), bootlegs of garage mixes started appearing. Thus started a two-year mission by Glaswegian house and garage indie Big Bang Records to release the track properly in 1997. It peaked at number four in the UK and number six on the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart. "Closer than Close" is Gaines' most successful song to date, and widely considered as a club classic.
"Someday" is a song from Disney's 1996 animated feature film The Hunchback of Notre Dame. It was written by composer Alan Menken and lyricist Stephen Schwartz and originally recorded by American singer and actress Heidi Mollenhauer in her film role as the singing voice of Esmeralda. It was one of three recordings, along with "In a Place of Miracles" and "As Long as There's a Moon", that were discarded during the storyboarding process to be replaced by "God Help the Outcasts." The codirectors Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise both desired a quieter song for Esmeralda's scene inside the Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral.
The Cadillac Three, originally known as The Cadillac Black, is an American rock band consisting of Jaren Johnston, Kelby Ray, and Neil Mason. All three members were originally in the band American Bang. The group has released three albums through Big Machine Records, and has charted three singles on the Hot Country Songs and Country Airplay charts. In addition to their own work, Johnston has written singles for Keith Urban, Tim McGraw, Steven Tyler, Dallas Smith, and Jake Owen.
