Billy Joel’s apocalyptic “Miami 2017 (Seen the Lights Go Out on Broadway)” appeared on his 1976 album Turnstiles. The album rose to #122 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart. The track was recorded at Ultra Sonic Studio in Hempstead, New York and produced by Billy Joel.
INSTRUMENTAL (PIANO/SYNTHESIZERS: Billy Joel; GUITARS: Howie Emerson, Russell Javors; BASS: Doug Stegmeyer: DRUMS: Liberty DeVitto; SAX: Richie Cannata):
Elvis Costello and the Attractions released “Pump It Up” on the 1978 album This Year’s Model. The album charted as high as #30 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart, while reaching #4 in the UK. It was recorded at Eden Studios in London and was produced by Nick Lowe.
VOCAL only (Elvis Costello):
Green Day released “Basket Case” as its third single off 1994’s album Dookie. The track went to #1 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart and it was also nominated for a Grammy Award in the Best Rock Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group category. It was recorded at Fantasy Sound in Berkeley, California and produced by Rob Cavallo.
INSTRUMENTAL (GUITAR: Billie Joe Armstrong; BASS: Mike Dirnt; DRUMS: Tre Cool):
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VOCALS (Billie Joe Armstrong):
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VOCALS and GUITAR (Billie Joe Armstrong):
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From the Beatles 1967 masterpiece Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, “Fixing A Hole” was never released as a single but was part of the album that went to #1 the world over. It was recorded at Regent Sound Studios and later overdubs were done at the more typical EMI Studios in London with producer Goerge Martin and engineer Geoff Emerick.
VOCAL only (Paul McCartney):
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GUITARS (George Harrison, John Lennon); BASS (Paul McCartney) only:
It’s been hard to unearth isolated U2 tracks but here’s a bit of content for U2 fans. Here, from “Beautiful Day,” “Mysterious Ways,” “The Fly,” “Until The End Of The World,” “Pride (In The Name Of Love)” and other U2 tracks, The Edge talks about and demonstrates various guitars and amp/effects combos.
GUITAR only (The Edge)–Part 1:
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GUITAR only (The Edge)–Part 2:
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GUITAR only (The Edge)–Part 3:
The Beatles “I Want You (She’s So Heavy)” appeared on the 1969 album Abbey Road. Going to #1 virtually worldwide, the album is another of the group’s classics. It was recorded at EMI, Trident and Olympic Studios in London and produced by George Martin. This special mix highlights the somewhat buried organ work of oft-appearing Beatles sideman Billy Preston.
ORGAN: Billy Preston, BASS: Paul McCartney, DRUMS: Ringo Starr– focused mix:
Released in 2009 on Owl City’s Ocean Eyes album, “Fireflies” charted at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and also in numerous other territories including the U.K., Australia, Denmark, Sweden, and the Netherlands. Owl City is chiefly the project of Adam Young, however Reliant K’s Matthew Thiesen sang on and co-produced this track with Young.
VOCAL only (LEAD: Adam Young; BACKGROUND: Matthew Thiessen):
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INSTRUMENTAL (KEYS/PROGRAMMING: Adam Young; CELLO: Phil Peterson):
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From Lana Del Rey’s 2012 album Born to Die, the track “Summertime Sadness” became a top 20 hit in many countries although it wasn’t until the Grammy Award-winning remix done by Cedric Gervais that that the tune gained larger popularity in the U.S. The recording was produced by Del Rey and Rick Nowels.
VOCAL only (Lana Del Rey):
“The Final Countdown” was released in 1986 by Europe and was the title track of the album. It went to #1 in 25 countries and established the band worldwide. The track was recorded at Powerplay Studios in Zürich, Switzerland and Soundtrade Studios in Stockholm, Sweden and produced by John Elson, who had also worked with Journey and Lynyrd Skynyrd. The track stands out well as an instrumental as well as you can hear here.
INSTRUMENTAL (GUITAR: John Norum, KEYS: Mic Michaeli, BASS: John Leven, DRUMS: Ian Haugland):
Click here to view the video on YouTube.
VOCALS only (Joey Tempest)–starts at :40 mark but enjoy the “countdown” at the beginning:
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GUITAR only (John Norum):
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KEYS only (Mic Michaeli):
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BASS only (John Leven)–starts with key bass, bass guitar starts at :40 mark):
Click here to view the video on YouTube.
DRUMS only (Ian Haugland):
Here’s a treat for Pearl Jam fans: Guitars-only from the entire Ten album in the original track order. The album was released in 1991 and rose as high as #2 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart en route to over 15 million copies sold. The album was produced by Pearl Jam and Rick Parashar and recorded at London Bridge Studios in Seattle, Washington. Included are Stone Gossard and Mike McCready’s parts from (time/track): 0:00:09 “Once” 0:03:24 “Even Flow” 0:08:19 “Alive” 0:14:04 “Why Go” 0:17:26,”Black” 0:23:22 “Jeremy” 0:28:44 “Oceans” 0:31:26 “Porch” 0:35:00 “Garden” 0:40:12 “Deep” and 0:44:38 “Release.”
GUITARS only (Stone Gossard, Mike McCready):
“Sledgehammer” became a huge hit along with its accompanying music video in MTV’s 80s heyday. It was released on the 1986 album So and went to #1 in Canada and the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart, also topping out at #4 on the UK chart. Gabriel was nominated for three Grammy Awards on the release and the widely acclaimed video won MTV and Brit Awards. It was recorded at Ashcombe House in Bath, England and produced by Daniel Lanois, who also worked with U2, The Killers and others.
VOCAL only (Peter Gabriel)–starts at :50 mark:
“Owner Of A Lonely Heart” became the lead-off hit for Yes from their 90125 album, released in 1983. The track went to #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and drove the album to over 5 million in sales. The album was produced by Trevor Horn and recorded at SARM Studios and AIR Studios in London, England.
VOCAL only (Jon Anderson):
Beatles track “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da” appeared on 1968’s The Beatles album, commonly referred to as The White Album. The album went to #1 in most world music markets. It was recorded at EMI and Trident Studios in London, England and produced by George Martin, although Martin’s contributions on this track are unclear since he resigned from the sessions part way in. Listen on the track for interesting chatter and “sound effects” from the band in addition to Paul McCartney’s lead vocal.
VOCALS only (Paul McCartney, plus misc. Beatles on vocal sound effects):
The Who’s “Going Mobile” is a track from their 1971 album Who’s Next. The track helped drive the album, which also contained the classics “Baba O’Riley” “Behind Blue Eyes” and “Won’t Get Fooled Again,” to #1 in the UK and #4 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums charts. It was recorded at Olympic Studios in London and produced by The Who with Glyn Johns.
DRUMS only (Keith Moon R.I.P.):
The classic AC/DC track “Back In Black” appeared on their same-titled album in 1980 although we’re pretty sure this is a version from the 1992 Live At Donington release given the crowd noise at the end. While the original was produced by Robert John “Mutt” Lang, this Donington version was produced by Bruce Fairbairn.
VOCAL (Brian Johnson); GUITARS (Angus Young, Malcolm Young); BASS (Cliff Williams) only:
Released originally on Stevie Wonder’s 1972 album Talking Book, “Superstition” topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart and performed well in many other markets including the UK, where it hit #11. The track also helped the album hit #1 on the Billboard Top R&B Albums chart. It was produced by Stevie Wonder, Robert Margouleff and Malcolm Cecil.
VOCAL (Stevie Wonder):
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CLAVINET (Stevie Wonder):
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HORNS (TENOR SAX: Trevor Laurence, TRUMPET: Steve Madaio):
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SYNTH BASS (Stevie Wonder):
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DRUMS (Stevie Wonder):
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CLAV ECHO TRACK:
Released on Ed Sheeran’s 2014 album x, “Thinking Out Loud” became a top hit, reaching #2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on the UK chart. On an album featuring numerous producers, this track was produced by Peter Gosling, who had worked with Sheeran on his first album.
VOCAL only (Ed Sheeran):
“Synchronicity II” was a track from The Police that appeared on the 1983 album release Synchronicity. It went to #16 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and #17 on the UK chart. The album was recorded at AIR Montserrat in Switzerland and Le Studio in Quebec and produced by The Police and Hugh Padgham.
(VOCALS/BASS: Sting; GUITAR/KEYBOARDS: Andy Summers):
Click here to view the video on YouTube.
DRUMS only (Stewart Copeland):
“Working For The Weekend” is an 80’s classic released by Loverboy on their 1981 album Get Lucky. One of the tunes that brought broader success in the U.S. market for the Canadian group, the song reached #29 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #2 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock charts. The track was produced by the group’s guitarist Paul Dean and Bruce Fairbairn.
VOCAL only (Mike Reno):
“Need You Now” is the title track of Lady Antebellum’s second album, released in 2009. The song rose to #2 on the Billboard Hot 100, drove the album to #1 on the Billboard Top 200 Albums chart and also garnered Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Country Song Grammy Awards. The track was produced by Lady Antebellum and Paul Worley.
VOCALS only (Dave Haywood, Charles Kelley, Hillary Scott):
Click here to view the video on YouTube.
