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All The Single Ladies: Anthems Of Independence
For every anthem and romantic ballad, female artists have also asserted their independence through empowering lyrics, challenging the constraints of gender stereotypes, bad relationships or the music industry itself.
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Spreading The Disease: An Oral History Of Thrash Metal
With an emphasis on precision and speed, thrash metal emerged in the early 80s to become the dominant form of heavy metal throughout the decade.
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Leaders Of The Pack: A History Of Girl Groups
Girl groups go all the way back to the birth of pop, and their long and honorable dedication to delighting the ears deserves far more recognition than it gets.
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Riot Girls: The Female Musicians Who Changed The World
It wasn’t easy for musicians to be openly feminist – or, indeed, to be openly women. But right from the start, they’ve been there...
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Blue Note Records: A Short History Of A Jazz Institution
Founded in 1939 by Alfred Lion, Blue Note is loved, respected, and revered as one of the most important record labels in the history of music.
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How Modern R&B Revitalized Pop Music
Steeped in tradition while pushing music into new frontiers, modern R&B has infiltrated the mainstream and become the go-to sound for pop music.
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Cover Story: A History Of Album Artwork
Music and art will always go together, as artwork can be as much a part of a record as the sound. Music fans have always taken pleasure from looking again and again at old album covers.
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The History Of Recorded Jazz
The history of recorded jazz is hard to pin down. So many conflicting stories make up a rich patchwork that guides us towards the truth of how jazz began.
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New Orleans Music: From Mardi Gras To The Meters… And All That Jazz
New Orleans music has a rich history. Whether you’re in town for Mardi Gras, or seeking authentic jazz performances, it’s the gift that keeps on giving.
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From Masochism To Obsession: 17 Ways To Subvert The Love Song
The love song: some of these songs celebrate love and some dump on it, but they all have one thing in common... that love is the highest of human emotions.
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Let’s Get It On: The Best Love Songs Ever
Love makes the world go round, but love also goes round itself, in the grooves of the majority of the greatest pop songs ever made.
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Deconstructing The Love Song: How And Why Love Songs Work
From the first flushes of romance, to heartbreak, loss and lust, the love song puts emotions to words – and music – remaining a core part of our lives.
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Roll Over, Beethoven: Chess Records And The Rock’n’Roll Revolution
One of the greatest independent labels in history, the music of Chess Records still sounds revolutionary.
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Grand Designs: What Makes Epic Music?
How (and why) did musicians make epic music? There's no one answer, as this race through the history of popular music shows.
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I Write The Songs: The Brightest Minds Behind The Biggest Hits
Some songwriters have a greater ability to pluck classic songs from the ether than others, so what sets the great ones apart from the rest?
