Star Insight

Rock and Roll

Shane Ortiz — Mon, 18 Sep 2017 14:05:44 +0000

Rock music, originally called rock and roll, is one of the most popular forms of music. Originating during the 1950s in the United States, it encompasses a wide range of styles and techniques. Drawing on a number of other musical techniques, it actually has elements of blues, country and electric within it. Centring primarily on the electric guitar, a typical rock band will contain other electronic instruments but always at least one vocalist.As the movement continued, there were a number of sub-genres such as psychedelic, raga, fold and country. Each of these played up the various aspects that gave them their names. As rock became more varied, it began itself to inspire further artistic movements such as punk, grunge and even rap. When it comes to which bands are the most iconic and influential, there is of course a lot of argument, so we will just run through a couple of those that paved the way for other bands to follow.

Led Zeppelin

Formed in 1968, this English band leaned rather towards the blues and psychedelic sound with their strong guitar base. They soon achieved critical success with their song ‘Stairway to Heaven’, still considered one of the most influential rock songs of all time. In 1980, drummer John Bonham passed away, causing the band to cease playing, apart from the occasional reunion.

The Beatles

Another British band, The Beatles formed in 1960. A little more poppy than other rock bands, they took their ideas from 1950s rock and roll, forming a strange mix of pop, Indian and even hard rock into their sound. Producing music that was always varied and different with each album, they won ten Grammy Awards and even an Oscar for their work. Only two members of the group survive.

Moonwalking Jackson

Shane Ortiz — Sat, 09 Sep 2017 14:04:46 +0000

From the Jackson 5 to being one of the most recognizable names in the world, Michael Jackson is without doubt a musical icon. Born in 1958 he became one of the most popular artists in the world and even earned himself the title “King of Pop”, such was his influence.

Reaching for Fame

MJ, as he became affectionately known, started his musical career at just six years old when he became part of the family group – the Jackson 5. It wasn’t until 1971 that he began his solo career at Motown Records. By the early 80s, MJ had become hugely popular in popular music with songs such as Beat It, Billie Jean and, of course, Thriller – which made him hugely successful and garnered him a lot of awards. The Thriller album was the highest selling record in history with 65 million copies being sold. It was through his music that he was able to break down prevailing racial barriers and be instrumental in turning pop music into an art form and elevating it to higher levels. An innovator as well, he created a series of dance moves such as the robot and moonwalk, the latter an iconic move that many people try to replicate to this day. Hugely influential in his style, he has influenced many artists to this day even after his death.

Passing of a Legend

Whilst this may seem like a tale of unremitting success, there is a sad undertone. Being in the spotlight for his entire life clearly took its toll. In his later life, MJ was suffering financial problems as well as a number of drug-related problems. Things got worse, and by 2008 his Neverland Ranch was up for foreclosure. In an effort to remedy his financial problems, he signed a deal in March 2009 for a set of comeback concerts to be performed around the world, entitled “This Is It”. He planned to retire after this tour, but sadly no-one could foresee what came next. The world reeled in shock on June 25th 2009 when it was reported that Michael Jackson had died of a heart attack, mere weeks before the shows were to commence.Despite his sudden departure from this world, he remains a legend in the music industry, continuing to inspire long after his death.

Waxing Lyrical

Shane Ortiz — Sat, 02 Sep 2017 14:04:18 +0000

Welcome to star-insight.net! Here we offer our readers a full and comprehensive look into the world of music. Music is all encompassing and comes in a huge variety of forms, techniques and genres. It can make friends and it can break them, but whatever your choice, style and taste, we have room for it here.We cover all genres of music. Nothing is too small or too strange or too mainstream for us to tackle. From pop to rock, indie to Goth, experimental to electronica, we have it all. And who knows? Maybe you will find something new as well. In conjunction with this, we specifically outline various different genres of music in order to expose them to a wider audience. We bring both new and old artists into focus so that our readers (or should we say listeners!) can get to know more about their favourite artists and bands, or just simply learn something about an artist they’ve never heard of.We also will be bringing you the latest information on album releases and tour dates, so that everyone can be up-to-date in all aspects of the musical world no matter which country you are in. And don’t forget, you can join in too! If there is a band or artist we’ve missed or who you would like us to write about, simply give us a shout. After all, we want to create a musical community together, combining our love of music to create new friendships and hopefully come across something new and exciting in the music world.