ๅฐค้ (Yu Yar) is a pioneering figure of the Mandopop and Hokkien music scenes. Rendering her name variously as Yu Ya, Yu Yar, Yลซya, or Yuyar; international audiences recognize her as a foundational 'idol' singer. Her 1970 mega-hit, ๅพไบๅช่ฝๅๅณ, ("The Past Can Only Be Remembered") defined an era and paved the way for the image-conscious … Continue reading Introduction to the Music of ๅฐค้ (Yu Yar) for the Use of the English-Speaking World
Tag: music
Music Biographies โ Spade Cooley
In the 2000s, Amoeba Music enlisted an army of writers and data entry people to work on an ambitious website that was meant to be a sort of combination of Allmusic, Apple Music, Discogs, Wikipedia, and more. Despite investing a tremendous amount of time, labor and money, the site, as envisioned, never got off the ground. In 2020 โ without so … Continue reading Music Biographies โ Spade Cooley
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Music Biographies — Jobriath
In the 2000s, Amoeba Music enlisted an army of writers and data entry people to work on an ambitious website that was meant to be a sort of combination of Allmusic, Apple Music, Discogs, Wikipedia, and more. Despite investing a tremendous amount of time, labor and money, the site, as envisioned, never got off the … Continue reading Music Biographies — Jobriath
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Ask Silver Lake — Live Music Venues of Silver Lake, Present and Past
This piece was originally written for โAsk Silver Lake.โ โAsk Silver Lakeโ is dedicated to exploring the history and insights of our community. If you have questions or ideas youโd like us to consider, please drop a comment or send them to outreach@silverlakenc.org. When you think of Los Angeles communities known for their famous music … Continue reading Ask Silver Lake — Live Music Venues of Silver Lake, Present and Past
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Ask Silver Lake — Radio Silver Lake
This piece was originally written for โAsk Silver Lake.โ โAsk Silver Lakeโ is dedicated to exploring the history and insights of our community. If you have questions or ideas youโd like us to consider, please drop a comment or send them to outreach@silverlakenc.org. Silver Lake's connection to music runs almost as deep as its well-known ties … Continue reading Ask Silver Lake — Radio Silver Lake
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The Most Popular Spotify Playlists
Although I have my issues with Spotify -- namely, it's run by two billionaires who enrich themselves off both musician's recordings and ads that feel like extortion -- I use it a lot. It has to be said, it's a pretty great product for consumers if not at all especially helpful for creators -- especially … Continue reading The Most Popular Spotify Playlists
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Pan-Asian Metropolis — Q&A with filmmaker Elizabeth Ai about her latest project, NEW WAVE
If you're American and you recognize names like "Bad Boys Blue," "C.C. Catch," "Sandra," or "Modern Talking," there's a good chance that you, or someone close to you, is Vietnamese. For the uninitiated non-Viet Americans, those are the names of three German (and one German-Dutch) pop bands whose songs have been compiled, covered, and claimed … Continue reading Pan-Asian Metropolis — Q&A with filmmaker Elizabeth Ai about her latest project, NEW WAVE
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Pan-Asian Metropolis — Teresa Teng (้ง้บๅ)
Teresa Teng (้ง้บๅ) was a Taiwanese singer and Asian superstar who officially sold 22 million albums -- and an estimated 50-75 million bootlegs) during her tragically short life. Despite her death at the age of 42, her career traversed four decades. With her covers of Japanese songs in Chinese (including Cantonese, Hokkein, and Mandarin), she … Continue reading Pan-Asian Metropolis — Teresa Teng (้ง้บๅ)
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The Ultimate Directory of All-Female Bands
INTRODUCTION Back when I worked at Amoeba Music, I wrote posts about all-female bands from the 1910s-1950s, all-female bands of the 1960s, and all-female bands of the 1970s. This year, for Women's History Month, I had what I thought was the bright idea to combine them into one piece and update them. Then the COVID-19 pandemic … Continue reading The Ultimate Directory of All-Female Bands
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Yao Su Rong (ๅง่่)
Yao Su Rong ("ๅง่่") is a Taiwanese singer and actress born on this day, 5 December, in 1946. Today she's still best-known for her 1969 hit recording of "ไปๅคฉไธๅๅฎถ" ("Today I Won't Come Home"), the title track of a film of the same name. Her career was cut short at its peak by Kuomintang (KMT) … Continue reading Yao Su Rong (ๅง่่)
Eric Brightwell 