The AnswerBank Articles

Sensational

Q. What can you tell me about opera singer Lesley Garrett A. Lesley Garrett is a respected opera singer around the world, and she's built her career on the belief that musical snobbery,00:00 Mon 25th Mar 2002

Good as gold

Q. What was the most experimental album The Beatles ever made A. That would have to be The Beatles, known to everyone as The White Album. Q. What is experimental about it A. This is an album00:00 Mon 25th Mar 2002

Deep deep trouble

Q. I keep hearing reference to a rapper named Tupac. Who is he A. It's actually who was he. Tupac died after a drive-by shooting in 1996, at the height of his fame, and in his mid-twenties. Q. 00:00 Mon 25th Mar 2002

Single life

Q. Is the pop single dead A. Dead no, but decidedly unhealthy these days! Q. Why A. Because record companies are scaling down the release of singles in the belief that customers will buy00:00 Mon 18th Mar 2002

Kinky reggae now

Q. I fancy getting into reggae, where should I begin A. Not for nothing is Bob Marley the biggest star reggae music has ever produced. His mix of reggae history and culture, married to a00:00 Mon 18th Mar 2002

At the edge

Q. I hear that Arthur Lee has been released from prison. A. That's correct. The legendary psychedelic musician and founder of seminal Sixties band Love has served half a 12-year sentence for00:00 Mon 25th Mar 2002

Top ranking ...

Q. I fancy getting into reggae. Where should I begin A. Not for nothing is Bob Marley the biggest star reggae music has ever produced. His mix of reggae history and culture, married to a00:00 Mon 18th Mar 2002

You can't do that ...

Q. Is the pop single dead A. Dead no, but decidedly unhealthy these days. Q. Why A. Because record companies are scaling down the release of singles in the belief that customers will buy00:00 Mon 18th Mar 2002

I hope you're feelin' better

Q. I've been listening to Supernatural by Santana, and I'm told they are not the new band I thought they were, is that true 00:00 Mon 11th Mar 2002

It goes to show you never can tell

Q. How important is Chuck Berry in the evolution of rock and roll A. Without Chuck Berry, rock and roll would not exist. Sure Elvis brought the whole thing to a mass audience, defined its visual00:00 Mon 11th Mar 2002

The public wants what the public gets

Q. Are shows like Pop Idol good for pop music A. That's not really a simple question, but if you are looking at pop in its purist terms - as music, then the answer is no. If you want to look at pop00:00 Mon 11th Mar 2002

Girl I'm just a vampire for your love

Q. Which was the first Glam Rock album A. Those who analyse such historical aspects would probably point to Electric Warrior by T Rex, an album which as easily stood the test of time,00:00 Mon 04th Mar 2002

Put on your high-heeled sneakers

Q. What exactly is a 'Mod' A. The Mod - it's short for 'Modernist' - is a member of one of the first youth cults that have characterised teenage rebellion over the last forty years. Q. So what00:00 Mon 04th Mar 2002

You ain't seen nuthin' yet!

Q. Why did a musical about Al Jolson appear in London a few years ago A. Al Jolson was a massively popular American showman, possibly the original 'superstar' entertainer. The idea of recreating00:00 Mon 04th Mar 2002

Ow-wow-wow unbelievable!

Q. When did Kate Bush begin recording A. The debut album by Kate Bush, The Kick Inside, is approaching its quarter-century; it was released in February 1978. Q. So Kate wasn't very old when00:00 Mon 25th Feb 2002

Country boy

Q. Why is country star Waylon Jennings known as 'the outlaw' A. Country legend Waylon Jennings, who died last week from complications caused by diabetes, was one of the first country artists to00:00 Mon 25th Feb 2002

From the Beatles to Jedi music

Q. Are the famous Abbey Road Studios going to be sold A. It's a possibility. Record company EMI, which owns the studios and the building in which they are housed, are suffering from severe00:00 Mon 25th Feb 2002

One for the money, two for the show

Q. What do rock stars do when they're too old to rock A. It appears from an increasing trend, that they turn to the stage, and compose musicals. Q. Musicals as in Annie Get Your Gun, that kind00:00 Tue 19th Feb 2002

It's been a long time

Q. How has Cliff Richard remained a major star for so long A. It's a question of knowing the market, picking the right material, staying out of trouble, and staying alive - all items Cliff00:00 Tue 19th Feb 2002