Early life.

A native of Edisto Island, South Carolina, he was born to James Jamerson Sr. and Elizabeth Bacon. He was raised in part by his grandmother who played piano, and his aunt who sang in church choir. As a youngster he was a competent piano player and performed in public. He briefly played the trombone. As a teenager he was a reserved person, and passionate about music. He listened to gospel, blues and jazz music on the radio.

Motown.

Jamerson moved with his mother to Detroit in 1954. He attended Northwestern High School; there he started on the upright bass. He began playing in Detroit area blues and jazz clubs and was influenced by jazz bassists Ray Brown, Paul Chambers and Percy Heath. He was offered a scholarship to study music at Wayne State University, and he declined. After graduating from high school, he continued performing in Detroit clubs. He joined blues singer Washboard Willie's band and later toured with Jackie Wilson. His increasingly solid reputation started providing him opportunities for sessions at various local recording studios. Starting in 1959, he found steady work at Berry Gordy's Hitsville U.S.A. studio, home of the Motown record label. He played bass on the Smokey Robinson single "Way Over There" (1959), John Lee Hooker album "Burnin"' (1962) and The Reflections' "(Just Like) Romeo and Juliet" (1964). There he became a member of a core of studio musicians who informally called themselves The Funk Brothers. This close-knit group of musicians performed on the vast majority of Motown recordings during most of the 1960s. Jamerson's earliest sessions were performed on double bass but, in the early 1960s, he switched to playing an electric Fender Precision Bass for the most part.  Like Jamerson, most of the Funk Brothers were jazz musicians who had been recruited by Gordy. For many years, they maintained a schedule of recording during the day at Motown's small basement "Studio A" (which they nicknamed "the Snakepit"), then playing gigs in jazz clubs at night. They also occasionally toured the U.S. with Motown artists. For most of their career, however, the Funk Brothers went uncredited on Motown singles and albums, and their pay was considerably less than that received by the main artists or the label, hence their occasional freelance work elsewhere. Eventually, Jamerson was put on retainer for $1,000 a week (US$ in dollars), which afforded him and his expanding family a comfortable lifestyle.  Jamerson's discography at Motown reads as a catalog of soul hits of the 1960s and early 1970s. His work includes hits such as, among hundreds of others, "You Can't Hurry Love" by The Supremes, "My Girl" by The Temptations, "Shotgun" by Jr. Walker & the All Stars, "For Once in My Life" and "I Was Made to Love Her" by Stevie Wonder, "Going to a Go-Go" by The Miracles, "Dancing in the Street" by Martha and the Vandellas, "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" by Gladys Knight and the Pips and later by Marvin Gaye, and most of the album "What's Going On" by Marvin Gaye, "Reach Out I'll Be There" and "Bernadette" by the Four Tops. He occasionally recorded for other labels, such as "Boom Boom" by John Lee Hooker in 1962 and "Higher and Higher" by Jackie Wilson in 1967. Motown released 537 singles in 1960s and over 200 albums. According to fellow Funk Brothers in the 2002 documentary "Standing in the Shadows of Motown", Gaye was desperate to have Jamerson play on "What's Going On", and went to several bars to find the bassist. When he did, he brought Jamerson to the studio, but Jamerson was too intoxicated to stay upright, so James played the classic line while lying flat on his back. Jamerson had stopped touring in 1964 and did studio work on a full-time basis. He is reported to have played on nearly every Motown recording between 1963 and 1968, which includes over 60 top fifteen pop singles. Jamerson performed on 23 number one hits on the pop charts, a record narrowly surpassed only by Paul McCartney of The Beatles who cites Jamerson as an influence, and he performed on 56 number one hits on the R&B charts.

Style and influence.

Jamerson is noted for expanding the musical style and role of bass playing in popular music of the time, which, (in 1950s and '60s R&B, rock and roll, and country), largely consisted of root notes, fifths and simple, repetitive patterns. By contrast, many of Jamerson's basslines relied heavily on chromatic runs, syncopation, ghost notes and inversions, with frequent use of open strings. His nimble bass playing was considered an integral part of the "Motown Sound". He created melodic lines that were nonetheless locked to the drum groove.  Jamerson's transition from upright to electric bass was at a time when electric bass was a relatively new instrument, and its use and style of play was not well established. Jamerson's background as a jazz musician and upright bassist informed his playing style, and over time his technique and improvisational approach became more nuanced. By mid-1960s, his style became an indispensable part of the Motown sound and in turn impacted pop music. Early examples of Jamerson's impact are "Rescue Me" by Fontella Bass and "You Won't See Me" and "Nowhere Man" by the Beatles.  Bassists who have noted Jamerson's contribution or been influenced by him include Rocco Prestia, Anthony Jackson, Pino Palladino, Paul McCartney, Bob Babbitt, Nathan Watts, Will Lee, Geddy Lee, Chuck Rainey, Marcus Miller, Mike Mills, Phil Chen, John Entwistle, Michael League, Mike Watt, Sting, John Paul Jones, Bernard Odum, Victor Wooten, Robert DeLeo, Glenn Hughes, Tommy Shannon, Suzi Quatro, Ron Asheton, Tony Sales, Peter Cetera, Robert Kool Bell, Bootsy Collins, Michael "Flea" Balzary, Jaco Pastorius, Stanley Clarke, Jack Bruce, John Patitucci, Jason Newsted, Rick Danko, Garry Tallent, Alan Gorrie, Jerry Jemmott, Andy Fraser, Matt Noveskey, Brian Wilson and others.

Post-Motown career.

Shortly after Motown moved their headquarters to Los Angeles, California in 1972, Jamerson moved there himself and found occasional studio work, but his relationship with Motown officially ended in 1973. He went on to perform on such 1970s hits as "Neither One of Us" by Gladys Knight & The Pips (1973), "Boogie Down" (Eddie Kendricks, 1974), "Boogie Fever" (The Sylvers, 1976), "You Don't Have to Be a Star (To Be in My Show)" (Marilyn McCoo and Billy Davis, Jr., 1976), and "Heaven Must Have Sent You" (Bonnie Pointer, 1979). He also played on recordings by Robert Palmer ("Pressure Drop", 1975), Dennis Coffey ("Instant Coffey", 1974), Wah Wah Watson ("Elementary", 1976), Rhythm Heritage (1976), Al Wilson (1977), Dennis Wilson ("Pacific Ocean Blue", 1977), Eloise Laws (1977), Smokey Robinson (1978), Ben E. King (1978), Hubert Laws (1979), Tavares (1980), Joe Sample/David T. Walker ("Swing Street Cafe", 1981), and Bloodstone (1982). However, in Los Angeles Jamerson was not working with a steady group of musicians, and he was not as free to improvise. He felt out of place and over time his increased dependence on alcohol affected his work. As other musicians went on to use high-tech amplifiers, round-wound strings, and simpler, more repetitive bass lines incorporating new techniques like slapping, Jamerson's style fell out of favor with local producers as he was reluctant to try new things. By the 1980s he was unable to get any serious gigs working as a session musician.

Personal life and death.

Jamerson married Annie Wells shortly before graduating from high school. They had four children. His son, James Jamerson Jr., (1957–2016), was a professional session bassist and a member of the disco band Chanson. He had two other sons, Joey and Derek, and a daughter Dorene (Penny).  Long troubled by alcoholism, Jamerson died of complications from cirrhosis of the liver, heart failure and pneumonia on August 2, 1983, in Los Angeles. He is interred at Detroit's historic Woodlawn Cemetery.

Recognition.

Jamerson (as is the case with the other Funk Brothers) received little formal recognition for his lifetime contributions. His work was uncredited until later in his career, and he remained largely anonymous, even to bassists who emulated his style. The first time he was credited on a major Motown release was in 1971 for his performance on Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On". He was noted as "the incomparable James Jamerson" on the record's sleeve.  Jamerson was the subject of a book by Allan Slutsky in 1989 titled "Standing in the Shadows of Motown". The book includes a biography of Jamerson, transcriptions of his bass lines, two CDs in which 26 bassists such as Pino Palladino, John Entwistle, Chuck Rainey, and Geddy Lee speak about Jamerson and play the transcriptions. His story was featured in the subsequent 2002 documentary film of the same title. Jamerson's work has continued to be the subject of various publications.  Jamerson was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000, among the first-ever group of "sidemen" to be inducted. He received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2004, and he was inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame in 2007 both as a member of the Funk Brothers. In 2009 he was inducted into the Fender Hall of Fame by fellow Motown session bassist and friend, Bob Babbitt. He received the "Bass Player" magazine's Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011. He received the and Zoom International Bassist Award in 2012. He was awarded a bust at the Hollywood Guitar Center's Rock Walk, and in 2013 the Funk Brothers received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 2015 songwriter Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys named Jamerson as his favorite bassist.  Jamerson has received several accolades in his home state of South Carolina. These include a two-day tribute hosted by the Charleston Jazz Initiative and the College of Charleston's Avery Research Center (2003), the Gullah/GeeChee Anointed Spirit Award (2008), the Independent Tone Award for lifetime achievement (2016), the Dr. Martin Luther King Dream Keeper Award (2018), induction to the Lowcountry Music Hall of Fame (2018), induction to the Carolina Beach Music Hall of Fame (2018). Also, the South Carolina Senate, the House of Representatives and the town of Edisto Island have passed resolutions in recognition of his contribution and in support of his induction into the South Carolina Hall of Fame.

Jamerson's equipment.

Jamerson started on a school owned upright bass. After graduating from high school, he bought a German upright acoustic bass which he later used on such Motown hits as "My Guy" by Mary Wells and "(Love Is Like a) Heat Wave" by Martha and the Vandellas. This instrument is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  In 1960 to 1961 he transitioned to electric bass. Jamerson played mainly the Fender Precision Bass, but is known to have briefly used a Fender Bass V and a Hagström eight-string later in his career. He continued to use the upright bass occasionally, as in 1964's "My Guy".  His first electric bass was a 1957 Precision Bass, refinished in black, with a gold-anodized pickguard and maple fretboard, nicknamed "Black Beauty". The bass was previously owned by his fellow bass player Horace "Chili" Ruth. But the instrument was soon stolen.  After his 1957 Precision Bass was stolen, he briefly replaced it with an early sixties sunburst Precision which was also stolen. He then acquired a stock 1962 Fender Precision Bass which was dubbed "The Funk Machine" by his fellow musicians. It had a three-tone sunburst finish, a tortoiseshell pickguard, rosewood fretboard and chrome pickup and bridge covers (the latter containing a piece of foam used to dampen sustain and some overtones). On the heel of the instrument he carved the word "FUNK" in blue ink. He typically set its volume and tone knobs on full. This instrument was also stolen, just days before Jamerson's death in 1983, and never recovered.  Jamerson used La Bella heavy-gauge (.052–.110) flatwound strings which were never replaced, unless a string broke. He did not particularly take care of the instrument, as he stated: "The dirt keeps the funk". The neck may have eventually warped, as many claimed it was impossible to play. While this made it more difficult to fret, Jamerson believed it improved the quality of the tone. In mid-1970s, a producer attempted to modernize Jamerson's sound by asking the bassist to switch to brighter-sounding roundwound bass strings, but Jamerson politely declined.  One aspect of Jamerson's upright playing that carried over to the electric bass guitar, was the fact that he generally used only his right index finger to pluck the strings while resting his third and fourth fingers on the chrome pickup cover. Jamerson's index finger even earned its own nickname: "The Hook". Another aspect of Jamerson's upright playing that carried over was his use of open strings, a technique long used by jazz bass players, to pivot around the fretboard which served to give his lines a fluid feeling. He played with a relaxed and light touch.  Jamerson's amplifier of choice at club performances was an Ampeg B-15; in larger venues, he used a blue Kustom with twin 15-inch speakers. On both, the bass knob was typically turned up full and the treble turned halfway up. On most of his studio recordings, his bass was plugged directly into the custom-made mixing console together with the guitars from Eddie Willis, Robert White and Joe Messina. He adjusted the console so that his sound was slightly overdriven and had a mild tube compression.  In 2017 it was reported that Jamerson gave a 1961 Fender Precision bass to bassist Billy Hayes in 1967 or 1968; the instrument was auctioned in 2017. In 1977 Jamerson was photographed with a 1965–1968 Precision bass (a line of instruments which had a transition logo). There is speculation that in mid to late-1960s Jamerson's then-primary instrument was parted with, and that he acquired and replaced it with a 1966 model.

Quotations.

In a 1983 interview with "Musician" magazine, Jamerson said about Motown's songwriting-production team: they "would give me the chord sheet, but they couldn't write for me. When they did, it didn't sound right. (...) When they gave me that chord sheet, I'd look at it, but then start doing what I felt and what I thought would fit. (...) I'd hear the melody line from the lyrics and I'd build the bass line around that."  Motown's founder Berry Gordy called Jamerson an "incredible improviser" and said "I, like some of the other producers, would not do a session unless at least two of the Funk Brothers were present – namely, Benny Benjamin and James Jamerson."

James Lee Jamerson (January 29, 1936 – August 2, 1983) was an American bass player. He was the uncredited bassist on most of the Motown Records hits in the 1960s and early 1970s (Motown did not list session musician credits on their releases until 1971), and is now regarded as one of the most influential bass players in modern music history. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. As a session musician he played on twenty-three "Billboard" Hot 100 number one hits, as well as fifty-six R&B number one hits.

James Jamerson (29. ledna 1936 Edisto Island − 2. srpna 1983 Los Angeles) byl americký baskytarista. Narodil se na ostrově Edisto Island poblíž města Charleston v Jižní Karolíně a v roce 1954 se přestěhoval do Detroitu, kde začal hrát po klubech. V letech 1959−1972 byl členem skupiny studiových hudebníků nazvané The Funk Brothers. V roce 2000 byl uveden do Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.


Biography.

Brown was born in Atlanta, in 1931. He joined the Army in 1953 and in 1956 went to Clark College to study music. In 1960 Brown left Atlanta and studied pre-law at Howard University for two years. He moved in 1962 to New York, where he befriended poet Amiri Baraka and musicians including Ornette Coleman, Archie Shepp, Sun Ra, Pharoah Sanders, Paul Bley, Clifford Thornton, and Rashied Ali. He appeared on several important albums from this period, such as Shepp's "Fire Music" and "Attica Blues", but most notably John Coltrane's "Ascension".  In 1967, Brown travelled to Paris, where he developed an interest in architecture, Impressionistic art, African music and the music of Erik Satie. In the late 1960s, he was an American Fellow in Music Composition and Performance at the Cité internationale des arts in Paris. Around 1970, he provided the soundtrack for Marcel Camus' film "Le temps fou", a soundtrack featuring Steve McCall, Barre Phillips, Ambrose Jackson and Gunter Hampel.  Brown returned to the US in 1970, where he felt a newfound sense of creative drive. He moved to New Haven, Connecticut, to serve as a resource teacher in a child study center in the city's public school system until 1971. He composed and performed incidental music for a Georg Büchner play, "Woyzeck". In 1971, Brown was an assistant professor of music at Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, a position he held until he attained his Bachelor's degree in 1974. In addition to this role, he held faculty positions at Brandeis University (1971–74), Colby College (1973–74), and Amherst College (1974–75), as well as a graduate assistant position at Wesleyan University (1974–76). Brown earned a Master's degree in ethnomusicology from Wesleyan in 1976. His master's thesis was entitled "Faces and Places: The Music and Travels of a Contemporary Jazz Musician".  Throughout his tenure as an educator, Brown continued to compose, perform and record. Notable recordings during this period included Afternoon of a Georgia Faun for the ECM label in 1970 and three albums for the Impulse! label between 1973 and 1975. He played alto saxophone on the composition "Bismillahi 'Rrahman 'Rrahim" from Harold Budd's 1976 release "The Pavilion of Dreams", a piece originally written by Budd for Brown's "Vista" LP, released the previous year.  In 1972 and 1976, Brown received grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, which he used to compose and publish several pieces for solo piano, one of which was based on the poetry of Jean Toomer in his book "Cane". He also transcribed some piano and organ music by Erik Satie including his "Messe des pauvres" and "Pages mysterieuses", and arranged the composer's "Le Fils des étoiles" for two guitars and violin.  In 1981, Brown began focusing on drawing and painting. His charcoal portrait of blues guitarist Blind Lemon Jefferson was included in a New York City Kenkeleba Gallery art show called "Jus' Jass", which also included works by artists such as Romare Bearden, Charles Searles and Joe Overstreet.  By the 2000s, Brown had fallen ill; due to a series of surgeries and a partial leg amputation, Brown resided for a time in a nursing home in New York. By 2005 he had moved to an assisted living facility in Hollywood, Florida, where he died in 2010, aged 79.  On June 25, 2019, "The New York Times Magazine" listed Marion Brown among hundreds of artists whose material was reportedly destroyed in the 2008 Universal fire.

Influence.

Pianist Amina Claudine Myers' debut album "" (Sweet Earth, 1979) featured Brown's compositions predominantly.  Aside from his influence in the jazz avant-garde, several other areas of music have taken interest in Brown's music. Indie rockers Superchunk included a song called "Song for Marion Brown" on their album "Indoor Living", and Savath and Savalas released a piece entitled "Two Blues for Marion Brown" as part of Hefty Records's Immediate Action series.  His Name Is Alive performed a tribute concert in 2004, performing solely Brown's music. In 2007, High Two released portions of the concert with studio versions as "Sweet Earth Flower: A Tribute to Marion Brown".

Discography.

As sideman.

With John Coltrane With Stanley Cowell With Archie Shepp With Harold Budd

Marion Brown (September 8, 1931 – October 18, 2010) was an American jazz alto saxophonist and ethnomusicologist. He is most well known as a member of the 1960s avant-garde jazz scene in New York City, playing alongside musicians such as John Coltrane, Archie Shepp, and John Tchicai. He performed on Coltrane's landmark 1965 album "Ascension".

Marion Brown (8. září 1931 − 18. října 2010) byl americký jazzový altsaxofonista. Profesionálně se hudbě věnoval od roku 1962, kdy se přestěhoval do New Yorku. Své první album jako leader nazvané "Three for Shepp" vydal v roce 1967 na značce Impulse! Records. Během své kariéry spolupracoval i s dalšími hudebníky, mezi které patří Archie Shepp, Harold Budd, John Coltrane, Paul Bley nebo Muhal Richard Abrams. Zemřel ve svých devětasedmdesáti letech po několikaleté neaktivitě v hudební oblasti.


Politics.

Historically, island countries have been less prone to political instability than their continental counterparts. The percentage of island countries that are democratic is higher than that of continental countries.

War.

Island countries have often been the basis of maritime conquest and historical rivalry between other countries. Island countries are more susceptible to attack by large, continental countries due to their size and dependence on sea and air lines of communication. Many island countries are also vulnerable to predation by mercenaries and other foreign invaders, although their isolation also makes them a difficult target.

Natural resources.

Many developing small island countries rely heavily on fish for their main supply of food. Some are turning to renewable energy—such as wind power, hydropower, geothermal power and biodiesel from copra oil—to defend against potential rises in oil prices.

Geography.

Some island countries are more affected than other countries by climate change, which produces problems such as reduced land use, water scarcity and sometimes even resettlement issues. Some low-lying island countries are slowly being submerged by the rising water levels of the Pacific Ocean. Climate change also impacts island countries by causing natural disasters such as tropical cyclones, hurricanes, flash floods and drought. In 2011, the Center for Climate Change Law (CCCL) held a conference attended by 272 registrants from 39 island nations titled "Legal Issues for Threatened Island Nations".

Economics.

Many island countries rely heavily on imports and are greatly affected by changes in the global economy. Due to the nature of island countries their economies are often characterised by being smaller, relatively isolated from world trade and economy, more vulnerable to shipping costs, and more likely to suffer environmental damage to infrastructure; exceptions include Japan and the United Kingdom. The dominant industry for many island countries is tourism.

Composition.

Island countries are typically small with low populations, although some, like Indonesia and Japan are notable exceptions.  Some island countries are centred on one or two major islands, such as the United Kingdom, Trinidad and Tobago, New Zealand, Cuba, Bahrain, Singapore, Iceland, Malta, and Taiwan. Others are spread out over hundreds or thousands of smaller islands, such as Indonesia, the Philippines, The Bahamas, Seychelles, and the Maldives. Some island countries share one or more of their islands with other countries, such as the United Kingdom and Ireland; Haiti and the Dominican Republic; and Indonesia, which shares islands with Papua New Guinea, Brunei, East Timor, and Malaysia. Bahrain, Singapore and the United Kingdom have fixed links such as bridges and tunnels to the continental landmass: Bahrain is linked to Saudi Arabia by the King Fahd Causeway, Singapore to Malaysia by the Johor–Singapore Causeway and Second Link, and the United Kingdom has a railway connection to France through the Channel Tunnel.  Geographically, the country of Australia is considered a continental landmass rather than an island, covering the largest landmass of the Australian continent. In the past, however, it was considered an island country for tourism purposes (among others) and is sometimes referred to as such.

An island country is a country whose primary territory consists of one or more islands or parts of islands. As of 1996, 25.2% of all independent countries were island countries.

Ostrovní stát je takový stát, který se nachází na pevnině menší než kontinent obklopené vodní plochou. Některé ostrovní státy se rozkládají na rozlehlých souostrovích (např. Filipíny, Federativní státy Mikronésie či Indonésie), jiné jsou tvořeny jediným ostrovem (např. Nauru), jiné zabírají jen část ostrova (např. Haiti, Dominikánská republika či Východní Timor), další jsou tvořeny jedním hlavním ostrovem s menšími ostrůvky kolem něj (Kuba, Island, Jamajka).


Geography.

The Taebaek mountains are located along the eastern edge of the peninsula and run along the eastern coast of the Korean Peninsula. The Hwangnyong Mountain in North Korea (1268 meters) forms the northern end of the range. Busan lies at the southern end of this mountain range, thus making the mountain range a total length of over 500 kilometers, averaging about 1000 meters in height.  Prominent peaks of the range include Mount Seoraksan (1,708 m), Mount Kumgangsan (1,638 m), Mount Taebaeksan (1,566.7 m) and Mount Odaesan (1,563 m). To the east, the mountain range falls steeply into the sea, but to the west, there are more gentle slopes. Many spurs stretch southwest. The most important rivers of South Korea, the Han River and the Nakdong River, both originate in the Taebaek Mountains.

Ecology.

Many of the slopes are extensively covered in forests.

Industry.

Economically the Taebaek mountains are important for the mining of iron, coal, tungsten, fluorite, and limestone.

Attractions.

Manggyeongsa Temple in Hyeol-dong Taebaek, Gangwon-do Province at an altitude of 1,460 meters on Mount Taebaeksan, is a temple built to enshrine the statue of the Bodhisattva of wisdom. It was built by Jajang, a Silla Dynasty monk. The "Dragon Spring" at the entrance of the temple is known as the highest spring in Korea.  The 2018 Winter Olympics took place in Pyeongchang, Gangwon-do, located in the mountains.

Trivia.

Taebaek is also a name of a poomsae that is performed by the 3rd Dan black belts in Tae Kwon Do. Taebaek is mostly practised in Southern Korea.

The Taebaek Mountains are a mountain range that stretches across North Korea and South Korea. They form the main ridge of the Korean peninsula.

Pohoří Tchebek (korejsky – "Tchäbäk Sanmäk") je největší pohoří na Korejském poloostrově. Nachází se na východě u pobřeží Japonského moře, z větší části v Jižní Koreji, ale zasahuje i do jihovýchodní části Severní Koreje – část severokorejského Tchebeku přiléhající ke korejskému demilitarizovanému pásmu se nazývá Diamantové hory a patří mezi významné turistické cíle v Severní Koreji.


System 7 Live.

Early 1990s.

System 7 were one of the first techno groups to play live, and have developed a live performance approach that is a bit more extreme than their records, with tougher beats and hypnotic live echo loops. The first System 7 live show was in December 1990 at Linford Studios in Battersea, London, consisting of Steve playing guitar and Alex Paterson playing samples and DJing pre-release versions of the upcoming first System 7 and Orb albums. In 1991 there were some more shows and a tour to support the System 7 album release, with Miquette's synthesisers incorporated into the live sound. In 1993 System 7, now playing as a duo, developed a new live technical format and joined Orbital, The Drum Club, and Aphex Twin on the Midi Circus tour of the UK with Megadog party crew.

Festivals.

Partly through their extended involvement with Megadog, by 1994 System 7 had become an established live act, in particular playing at many music festivals. In 1995, through his previous association with Michael Eavis, Steve Hillage was asked to oversee the putting together of the first official dance music stage at Glastonbury Festival. In subsequent years System 7 played at Glastonbury a further 15 times, often at the open-air Glade stage, a further dance music development at the festival that started in 2000. The crew from the Glastonbury Glade stage created their own spin-off festival, the Glade Festival, starting in 2004, with System 7 playing there 5 times.  Other major festivals where they have played include Phoenix Festival, Beach Festival, Wickerman, Willowman, Womad, Sunrise Celebration, Waveform, Whirl-Y-Gig, Guilfest, and Eden Festival (UK) : Printemps de Bourges, Borealis and Francofolies (France) : Lovefield and Burg Herzberg (Germany) : Pink Pop and Lowlands (Netherlands) : Dour Festival and I Love Techno (Belgium) : Sonica (Italy) : Open Air Field (Czech Republic) : Odinstown and Roskilde (Denmark) : Hultsfred and Arvika (Sweden) : Konemetsa (Finland) : Indigo Festival (Israel) : Ozora (Hungary) : Reverence Valada and Boom Festival (Portugal).  Outside of Europe they have played at Juggernaut Festival and the Big Top tour (USA) : Fuji Rock, Summersonic, Star Festival, Amami Eclipse 2009, Hotaka, Asagiri Jam, Nagisa Festival, Solstice Music Festival and the World Festival of Sacred Music (Japan) : Earthcore (Australia) : Universo Paralello (Brazil) : Tribal Gathering (Panama).

Recent shows.

System 7 co-headlined at Matsuri Digital's Timeless event at AgeHa, Tokyo on March 14, 2015, and at the Megadog 30th anniversary event at Manchester Academy on Nov 21st 2015. They continue to play their own club shows and at parties and festivals, including Glastonbury, Ozora and Boom. They have also been involved in some notable live collaborations with The Orb, Japanese progressive space rock jam band Rovo (Phoenix Rising), Japanese rock guitarist and Juno Reactor collaborator Sugizo, leading psy-trance artist Ajja (Novelty Engine), and Merv Pepler of Eat Static (System Static).

Mirror System Live.

System 7's chill-out and downtempo sister project Mirror System made its live debut on the ID Spiral chill-out stage at the UK Sunrise Celebration festival in 2006, followed closely by a set also with ID Spiral at the Glade Festival of that year. In 2007 ID Spiral opened the InSpiral Lounge in Camden. London, and Mirror System played at the opening party on 16 December 2007. They became one of the resident artists at the InSpiral Lounge playing there 2 or 3 times a year, including most of the inSpiral New Year's Eve parties. Mirror System live also became popular in Japan, and at European trance festivals where they have been booked as the chill-out stage closing act at Sonica (twice), Ozora (three times) and Boom Festival, where in 2016 they followed their closing set with a full-length live rendition of Rainbow Dome Musick. With the Reflector DJ mix album (release in 2009) the Mirror System sound expanded to incorporate a soft techno dance groove element, and this element has been further developed in their most recent album N-Port. This ability to seamlessly move from deep chill to danceable grooves that still retain the chill element has been an important factor in the Mirror System live approach.

System 7 in Japan.

Since their first show, at the closing party for Tokyo's On Air club on May 4, 1994 with Orbital and Alex Paterson, System 7 have toured in Japan on twenty-eight further occasions. In addition Steve Hillage went to Japan to play with Manuel Göttsching at Metamorphose Festival (2010) and to play with Tomita at Free Dommune Festival in 2013, plus an additional visit to mix the Phoenix Rising album in February 2013. System 7 have a special relationship with Japan, and have been closely associated with the development of live dance music there. As an extension to this special spiritual connection, System 7 played as the only electronic dance music act at the World Festival of Sacred Music at Itsukujima shrine on Miyajima in 2001, and also offered a "hōnō" (dedicatory) performance at Tenkawa-Daibenzaiten-sha (Tenkawa shrine) in Nara in 2013. In 2006 they were approached by Rumiko Tezuka, the daughter of famed manga pioneer Osamu Tezuka, to see if they were interested in making musical interpretations of her father's seminal Phoenix manga graphic novels. Rumiko had first become interested in System 7 after seeing them perform at the Miyajima festival. This project excited System 7 and it led directly to their album Phoenix (released in Japan in 2007), which became their biggest selling album in Japan and also produced their successful Japanese single Hinotori (which means bird of fire). The phoenix theme, with Rumiko Tezuka's endorsement, continued with System 7's album and tour collaboration with Japanese band Rovo, which was titled Phoenix Rising, and also featured Rovo's live rock re-interpretation of the track Hinotori. Other System 7 recording and remixing collaborations in Japan have been with Mito (of the group Clammbon), Sugizo, and Joujouka, the group founded by noted Japanese psychedelic trance DJ Tsuyoshi Suzuki.

Discography.

Studio albums.

As Mirror System

U.S. albums.

As 777

System 7 are a UK-based electronic dance music band. Due to the existence of another band called System Seven they were initially billed as 777 in North America. System 7 was also the name of the current version of the Macintosh operating system at the time, although this was not the reason for the temporary name change.

System 7 je britská ambientní hudební skupina, založená v roce 1991. Členy skupiny jsou kytarista Steve Hillage a hráčka na klávesové nástroje Miquette Giraudy; oba spolu již v sedmdesátých letech a znovu od roku 1994 působili ve skupině Gong. První album neslo název skupiny a vyšlo v září 1991 a do roku 2011 jich vydala dalších devět. V roce 2006 rovněž duo vydalo eponymní album pod názvem Mirror System.


Historiography.

The concept of a renaissance was first applied to the Ottonian period by the German historian Hans Naumann - more precisely, his work published in 1927 grouped the Carolingian and Ottonian periods together under the title "Karolingische und ottonische Renaissance" ("The Carolingian and Ottonian Renaissance"). This was only two years after Erna Patzelt's coining of the term 'Carolingian Renaissance' ("Die Karolingische Renaissance: Beiträge zur Geschichte der Kultur des frühen Mittelalters", Vienna, 1924), and the same year as Charles H. Haskins published "The Renaissance of the Twelfth Century" (Cambridge Mass., 1927)  One of three medieval renaissances, the Ottonian Renaissance began after King Otto's marriage to Adelaide of Italy (951) united the Italian and German kingdoms, and thus brought the West closer to Byzantium. He furthered the cause of Christian (political) unity with his Imperial coronation in 962 by the Pope at St. Peter's Basilica in Rome.  The period is sometimes extended to cover the reign of Emperor Henry II (1014-1024) as well, and, rarely, his Salian successors. The term is generally confined to Imperial court culture conducted in Latin in Germany. - it is sometimes also known as the Renaissance of the 10th Century, or 10th Century Renaissance, so as to include developments outside Germania, or as the Year 1000 Renewal, due to coming right at the end of the 10th century. It was shorter than the preceding Carolingian Renaissance and to a large extent a continuation of it - this has led historians such as Pierre Riché to prefer evoking it as a 'third Carolingian renaissance', covering the 10th century and running over into the 11th century, with the 'first Carolingian renaissance' occurring during Charlemagne's own reign and the'second Carolingian renaissance' happening under his successors.

Libraries.

Libraries were created and enriched during the Renaissance through the intense activity of the monastic scriptoria were the subject of further developments in 10th century, as evidenced by the catalogs that have survived. The catalog of Bobbio Abbey lists almost 600 works, that of Fleury Abbey nearly the same count. Gerbert (the future Pope Sylvester II) played an important role in the acquisition and inventory of the library of Bobbio, and spent his wealth to fund his collection. Adso of Montier-en-Der's book chest included a large number of books such as those of Porphyry, Aristotle, Terence, Cicero, and Virgil.

Logic.

The "Logica vetus" (consisting of translations of Aristotle by Boethius and Porphyry and the "Topica" of Cicero) remained the basis of dialectic education; Gerbert, the future Pope Sylvester II was familiar with these books and was noted for his mastery of dialectics during the dispute of Ravenna against Otric in 980, and in his treatise "De rationalis et ratione uti" ( Of the rational and the use of reason ), composed in 997 and dedicated to Otto III, Holy Roman Emperor. Abbo of Fleury wrote commentaries on these works through two treatises.  An anthology of dialectical works dating from Fulbert of Chartres probably from his library, contains the "Isagoge" of Porphyry, the "Categories" of Aristotle, the distinction between rhetoric and dialectic of Fulbert himself, the "Topica" of Cicero, the "De Interpretatione" of Aristotle, Boethius three comments and "de Ratione" written by Gerbert in 997. The development of dialectics was furthered by Majolus of Cluny.

Sciences.

The growing interest in the disciplines of the quadrivium (arithmetic, geometry, music and astronomy) was translated to the teachings of the leading scholars of their time, such as Abbo of Fleury who wrote many treatises on the calculation of the computus, astronomical subjects such as the trajectories of the sun, moon and planets, and a star catalogue.  The future Pope Sylvester II, introduced the use of wooden terrestrial spheres for the astronomical study of the movement of the earth, planets and constellations, the use of the monochord for musical study, and construction of the abacus for arithmetic studies. Fulbert of Chartres introduced the use of Arabic numerals.  Hermann of Reichenau, of the school of Reichenau, was famed for his treatises on the astrolabe, calculus and music.

Arts.

The Ottonian Renaissance is recognized especially in the arts and architecture, invigorated by renewed contact with Constantinople, in some revived cathedral schools, such as that of Archbishop Bruno of Cologne, in the production of illuminated manuscripts from a handful of elite scriptoria, such as Quedlinburg Abbey, founded by Otto in 936, and in political ideology. The Imperial court became the center of religious and spiritual life, led by the example of women of the royal family: Matilda the literate mother of Otto I, his sister Gerberga of Saxony, or his consort Adelaide. The Byzantine influence further increased with the marriage of Otto II with Princess Theophanu, who upon her husband's death in 983 ruled as Empress dowager for her minor son Otto III until 991.  After Otto I's Imperial coronation, there emerged a renewed faith in the idea of Empire in Otto's immediate circle and a reformed church, creating a period of heightened cultural and artistic fervor. Ottonian art was a court art, created to confirm a direct Holy and Imperial lineage as a source of legitimized power linked from Constantine and Justinian. In this atmosphere the masterpieces that were created fused the traditions which the new art was based on: paintings from Late Antiquity, the Carolingian period, and Byzantium. In this way, the term is used as an analogue to the Carolingian Renaissance which accompanied Charlemagne's coronation in 800.  A small group of Ottonian monasteries received direct sponsorship from the Emperor and bishops and produced some magnificent medieval illuminated manuscripts, the premier art form of the time. Corvey produced some of the first manuscripts, followed by the scriptorium at Hildesheim after 1000. The most famous Ottonian scriptorium was at the island monastery of Reichenau on Lake Constance: hardly any other works have formed the image of Ottonian art as much as the miniatures which originated there. One of the greatest Reichenau works was the "Codex Egberti", containing narrative miniatures of the life of Christ, the earliest such cycle, in a fusion of styles including Carolingian traditions as well as traces of insular and Byzantine influences. Other well known manuscripts included the Reichenau Evangeliary, the Liuther Codex, the Pericopes of Henry II, the Bamberg Apocalypse and the Hitda Codex.  Hroswitha of Gandersheim characterises the changes which took place during the time. She was a nun who composed verse and drama, based on the classical works of Terence. The architecture of the period was also innovative and represents a predecessor to the later Romanesque.  Politically, theories of Christian unity and empire thrived, as well as revived classical notions of Imperial grandeur in the West. By Otto II's Greek wife Theophanu, Byzantine iconography entered the West. The globus cruciger became a symbol of kingly power and the Holy Roman Emperors were represented as crowned by Christ in the Byzantine fashion. It was in trying to revive the "glory that was Rome" that Otto III made the Eternal City his capital and increased in Greco-Roman fashion the ceremony of the court.  Schools also revived under the influence of the Dukes of Naples and Capua where the illustrious Bishop St Alfanus I, an imitator of ancient writers, was closely involved in music, astronomy and medicine.

The Ottonian Renaissance was a renaissance of Byzantine and Late Antique art in Central and Southern Europe that accompanied the reigns of the first three Holy Roman Emperors of the Ottonian (or Saxon) dynasty: Otto I (936–973), Otto II (973–983), and Otto III (983–1002), and which in large part depended upon their patronage. The leading figures in this movement were Pope Sylvester II and Abbo of Fleury.

Otonská renesance je pokračování, resp. poslední fáze renesance karolinské, časově se vymezuje od druhé poloviny 10. století po jeho konec. Plynule na ni navazuje epocha a sloh románský.


Plot.

In 1987, 16-year-old Precious (Gabourey Sidibe) lives in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City with her unemployed mother Mary (Mo'Nique), who has long subjected her to physical, verbal, and sexual abuse. Precious has also been raped by her now-absent father, Carl (Rodney "Bear" Jackson), resulting in two pregnancies. The family resides in a Section 8 tenement and survives on welfare. Her first child, daughter Mongo (short for Mongoloid), has Down syndrome and is being cared for by Precious' grandmother, though Mary forces the family to pretend that Mongo lives with her and Precious so she can receive extra money from the government. When Precious' second pregnancy is discovered, her high-school principal arranges for her to attend an alternative school, where she hopes Precious can change her life's direction. Precious finds a way out of her traumatic daily life by escaping into daydreams in which she is loved and appreciated.  Inspired by her new teacher, Blu Rain (Paula Patton), Precious finally learns to read and write. She meets sporadically with a new social worker Ms. Weiss (Mariah Carey), who learns about the sexual assault in the household when Precious reveals who fathered her children. While Precious is in the hospital giving birth to her second child Abdul, she meets John McFadden (Lenny Kravitz), a nursing assistant who shows her kindness, and develops a crush on him. Upon returning home, Mary asks to hold Abdul. When Precious's back is turned, her mother tosses the baby aside and attacks her, angrily declaring that Precious' revelation about the abuse has resulted in them being cut off from welfare. Precious fights back and runs away with Abdul, while Mary tries to drop the television set on them; she eventually breaks into her school classroom for shelter. When Ms. Rain discovers them the next morning, she frantically calls local shelters looking for a safe place for Precious and Abdul to stay, but they end up staying with Ms. Rain and her live-in girlfriend. The next morning, Ms. Rain takes her and Abdul to find assistance for them; Precious will be able to continue her schooling while she raises Abdul in a halfway house.  Mary soon returns to inform Precious of her father's death from AIDS. Precious later learns that she is HIV-positive, though Abdul is not. Feeling dejected, she steals her case file from Ms. Weiss's office. As she shares the details of her file with her fellow students, she begins to hope for the future. Later, Precious meets with her mother, who brings Mongo, at Ms. Weiss's office. Ms. Weiss confronts Mary about her and Carl's abuse of Precious, going back to when Precious was 3 years old. Mary tearfully confesses that she's always hated Precious for "stealing her man" by "letting him" abuse her, and for eventually "making him leave." Precious tells Mary that she finally sees her for what she is, and tells her mother that she will never see her or the children again, leaving with Mongo and Abdul. Mary begs Ms. Weiss to retrieve her daughter, but Ms. Weiss silently rejects her and walks away.  Precious plans to complete a GED test to receive a high-school diploma equivalency. She walks out into the city with both children in tow, ready to start a new life and have a brighter future.

Cast.

Ramona "Sapphire" Lofton (the author of the novel) makes a cameo appearance as a woman at a daycare center near the film's end.  Susan L. Taylor as the Unknown character in the film. At the beginning of the film, she's walking to Precious wearing an orange gown and hands Precious an orange scarf.

Production.

Daniels had said that he was attracted to the initial novel based on how "raw and honest" it felt. In an interview with AMC he noted that reading the book brought back a memory from his childhood of a young abused girl who knocked on his family's door, claiming that her mom was going to kill her. Daniels recalls that the incident was the first time he saw his mother frightened, specifically noting the helplessness of the situation, and stating "she knew that she’d have to send this little girl home, and that was what disturbed her — that she couldn’t save her. She tried to make it easier for her. That’s all she could do." In creating the movie Daniels hoped that the experience would be cathartic and that "maybe I could heal. And maybe I could heal other people, too." Another stated goal Daniels had was to challenge the general public's perception of incest.  The film was co-produced by Daniels's company, Lee Daniels Entertainment, and the Sarah Siegel-Magness and Gary Magness-owned Smokewood Entertainment Group. The two production companies had previously collaborated with Daniels on "Tennessee" (2008). "Precious" had, in total, thirteen producers: Daniels, Oprah Winfrey, Tom Heller, Tyler Perry, Lisa Cortes, Gary Magness, Valerie Hoffman, Asger Hussain, Mark G. Mathis, Andrew Sforzini, Bergen Swason, Simone Sheffield and Sarah Siegel-Magness. Initially, Daniels did not expect the movie to generate much buzz, expecting the movie to go straight to video, stating "That it made it to the big screen says there was an angel looking after me." Principal photography (filming) for the film took place on location in various parts of New York City. Despite the dark subject matter, Sidibe has stated that the mood on the set was lighthearted, that "Every day was a party" and that the cast would frequently sing and tell jokes to "lighten the atmosphere." The production budget was $10 million.  After "Precious" was screened at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival in January, it was picked up for distribution by Lions Gate Entertainment and received promotional assistance from Oprah Winfrey's Harpo Productions and Tyler Perry's 34th Street Films. "Precious" was the first theatrical film to be affiliated with Perry's company. In February 2009, Lionsgate and The Weinstein Company filed lawsuits contesting ownership of the rights to release "Precious". Both companies claim that they had purchased distribution rights to "Precious": The Weinstein Company claimed that they had "secured" their rights while Lionsgate stated that they owned the rights to the film's distribution in North America. "Precious" sales agent Cinetic Media denied Weinstein's claims, stating that they failed to finalize the deal.

Music.

Lionsgate, in association with Matriarch/Geffen Records released the soundtrack online as a digital download on November 3, 2009, and in stores on November 23. Daniels confirmed that there are plans to release Blige's "I Can See in Color" as a single from the soundtrack. The song was written by Blige, Raphael Saadiq and LaNeah Menzies and is produced by Raphael Saadiq. The soundtrack consists of various artists (Labelle, Donna Allen, Jean Carn, Sunny Gale, and MFSB); with some artists having recorded songs that were covers and other songs that were recorded specifically for the album. The album received positive praise; mainly the song "I Can See In Color" – which was released as a single – that was recorded and co-written by Blige. The trailer features the song "Destiny" taken from Blige's 2001 album "No More Drama". A song titled "My Good Lovin' (Back Like That Remix)", featuring Da Brat and Lil' Mo, was featured in the film but exempted from the soundtrack.  Composer Robin Thicke, then married to the film's costar Paula Patton, wrote and produced "Push", the film's original main theme music. Later announcements confirmed that the song would be replaced by Mary J. Blige's "I Can See In Color". Leona Lewis' song, "Happy" (from her album "Echo") is featured in the film's trailer. Daniels stated that the artists featured on the film's soundtrack were selected because they "resonate not only in Precious's world, but speak to your soul no matter who you are." Two other songs, performed decades earlier by Queen Latifah and Mahalia Jackson, were also chosen for the film's soundtrack. The soundtrack features LaBelle (Nona Hendryx, Sarah Dash, and Patti LaBelle), Donna Allen, Jean Carn, Sunny Gale, and MFSB.  "People Magazine Daily" noted that the film "mainly had a music supervised soundtrack, but not much of a score, so there were popular songs placed in the movie." Peter Travers, of "Rolling Stone", described "I Can See In Color" as being "a knockout song...expressing the goal of "Precious" to see the world in color."

Reception.

"Rolling Stone" praised the album, and described the song, "I Can See In Color" as being "...a knockout song...expressing the goal of "Precious" to see the world in color." Allmusic a majority of the album and its artists. Allmusic described the album as featuring "solid offerings from both contemporary and classic", crediting the contributions from Latifah, Hightower, Jackson and LaBelle, and stated that the album resulted "in a solid and empowering collection that (in the words of [the film's director Lee] Daniels) "resonate not only in Precious' world, but speak to your soul no matter who you are."

Release.

Marketing.

"Precious" was screened during the 2009 Sundance Film Festival from January 15, 2009, until January 25 in Park City, Utah. At Sundance, "Precious" was listed under its original title of "Push: Based On The Novel By Sapphire;" however, the title was later altered to avoid confusion with another 2009 film entitled "Push". "Precious" appeared in the Un Certain Regard, an award section recognising unique and innovative films, at the 62nd Cannes Film Festival in May 2009. At Cannes, the film received a fifteen-minute standing ovation from the audience after the film was screened. Daniels commented that, at first he was "embarrassed" to show "Precious" at Cannes because he did not want "to exploit black people" and wasn't sure if he "wanted white French people to see our world". After the success at "Precious"' screenings at Sundance, reporters took note that the film could mirror the success of other films that had been screened and praised at the festival. S. James Snyder, of "Time", compared "Precious's" success at Sundance to that of 2008's "The Wrestler" and "Slumdog Millionaire"; both films later were nominated for multiple Academy Awards, and "Slumdog" itself won Best Picture at the 81st Annual Academy Awards.  Winfrey used her status as both a celebrity and a media personality to give the film what was described by Ben Child of "The Guardian", as a "high-profile promotional push." At a press conference Winfrey announced her intention to lead a promotional campaign on behalf of "Precious" along with her other various platforms, hoping to be able to "bring in different audiences" by promoting the film on her show, in her magazine and on her satellite-radio channel. Katie Walmsley of CNN remarked, based on the film's positive reception at the Toronto Film Festival, that the film "at the very least, the [Toronto] award will guarantee "Precious" substantial distribution, as well as exposure for two-time director Daniels." The trailer for "Precious" was shown during previews of the film's producer Perry's film "I Can Do Bad All By Myself" in September 2009.

Box office.

"Precious" was given a limited-theatrical release on November 6, 2009, and was originally scheduled to appear on screens only in North America. During its opening weekend, the film earned $1,872,458, which placed twelfth on that weekend's box office list, despite being in only 18 theaters. The film saw a 214 percent increase in its second week of release, earning $5,874,628 at 174 theaters, which catapulted it up to third place in that weekend's box office, with a per-theater average of $33,762. On November 20, 2009, the film received a wider release, showing at 629 theaters (thus tripling the number of theaters showing the film). In its third week, "Precious", as studios had previously estimated, placed sixth at the box office, with the revenues estimated $11,008,000an 87.4% increase from the previous week.  After riding that three-week wave of success, "Precious" began to see a decrease in box office earnings. However, the film holds the record as the highest grossing picture to open in fewer than 100 theaters, and holds the record for the highest grossing average per screen for films shown in fewer than 50 theaters. Brandon Grey of Box Office Mojo described "Precious" as having had a "robust expansion" in its second week of release, and he confirmed that the film holds the record for having the second-highest grossing weekend for a movie playing at fewer than 200 sites, behind only "Paranormal Activity". "Precious" grossed a total of $40,320,285 in over six weeks of release. The film opened at ninth place in the United Kingdom, with revenues totaling £259,000 in its opening weekend from a limited release of 47 cinemas, generating a £5,552 screen average.

Home media.

The film was released on DVD-Video and Blu-ray Disc formats on March 9, 2010, reaching number one on the top DVD sales chart in the United States with 1.5 million DVDs sold in its first week of release. It also reached the top position on the rental charts for iTunes and Amazon.com.

Reception.

Critical response.

"Precious" received favorable reviews from film critics, particularly for Sidibe's and Mo'Nique's performances. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that 91% of 233 critics gave the film a positive review, with a rating average of 7.8/10. The site's consensus is that ""Precious" is a grim yet ultimately triumphant film about abuse and inner-city life, largely bolstered by exceptional performances from its cast." Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from film critics, gave the film a rating score of 79 based on 36 reviews, indicating "Generally favorable reviews."  John Anderson, of "Variety", said "to simply call it harrowing or unsparing doesn’t quite cut it," having felt that the film is "courageous and uncompromising, a shaken cocktail of debasement and elation, despair and hope." Anderson cited Carey's performance as "pitch perfect" and Patton's role as Ms. Blu Rain as "disarming." Owen Gleiberman of "Entertainment Weekly", praised Carey's performance, describing it as having been "an authentically deglammed compassion" and praised the film for capturing "how a lost girl rouses herself from the dead" and for Daniels' showing "unflinching courage as a filmmaker by going this deep into the pathologies that may still linger in the closets of some impoverished inner-city lives." Gleiberman described the film as being a movie "that makes you think, 'There but for the grace of God go I.' [...] It's a potent and moving experience, because by the end you feel you've witnessed nothing less than the birth of a soul" and felt that the "final scene of revelation" between Sidibe's and Mo'Nique's characters was strong enough to be able to leave viewers "tearful, shaken, [and] dazed with pity and terror." He identifies how Daniels uses one of the rich scenes created by Fletcher to position Mo'Nique in a painful confrontation with Sidibe that results in a masterful and thought-provoking performance that delivers the final "push" needed by Sidibe: "The more Precious tries to get away from her mother, the more she's pulled back".  Roger Ebert, of the "Chicago Sun-Times", praised Mo'Nique and Sidibe's performances. Ebert described Mo'Nique's performance as being "frighteningly convincing" and felt that "the film is a tribute to Sidibe's ability to engage our empathy" because she "completely creates the Precious character." He noted that Carey and Patton "are equal with Sidibe in screen impact." Ebert praised Daniels because rather than casting the actors for their names, "he was able to see beneath the surface and trust that they had within the emotional resources to play these women, and he was right." Betsey Sharkey, of the "Los Angeles Times" describes the film as being a "rough-cut diamond... [A] rare blend of pure entertainment and dark social commentary, it is a shockingly raw, surprisingly irreverent and absolutely unforgettable story." Claudia Puig, of "USA Today" says that while there are "melodramatic moments" in the film, the cast gives "remarkable performances" to show the audiences the film's "inspiring message." Peter Travers, of "Rolling Stone" called Mo'Nique "dynamite," a performance that "tears at your heart."  Mary Pols of "Time" praised the film's fantasy sequences for being able to show the audience a "joyous Wizard of Oz energy" that is able to "open the door into Precious's mind in a way even [the author] Sapphire couldn't." Pols felt that, while not implying that the film has "a lack of compelling emotional material" but that the film's "few weak moments" are the "ones that dovetail with typical inspirational stories." Marshall Fine, of "The Huffington Post", praised the film as being "a film that doesn't shy away from the depths to which human beings can sink, but it also shows the strength and resilience of which we are capable, even at our lowest moments." Scott Mendelson, also of "The Huffington Post", felt that when you put the "glaring issues aside," the film "still works as a potent character study and a glimpse inside a world we'd rather pretend does not exist in America." But while the film "succeeds as a powerful acting treat and a potent character study, there are some major narrative issues that prevent the film from being an accidental masterpiece." Mendelson described the film as being "an acting powerhouse" based on its many emotional themes.  Critic Jack Mathews wrote: "Without being familiar with the source material, you really have no idea how much work went into the adaptation or how well it was done... 'Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire'... First-time screenwriter Geoffrey Fletcher did yeoman's work turning Sapphire's graphic, idiomatic novel into a coherent and inspiring story about the journey of an abused Harlem teenager."  Erin Aubry Kaplan writes on Salon.com that the question posed by the film is how to assess the "hopeless story of a ghetto teen... in the Age of Obama." She goes on to say that "'Precious' proves you don't always have to choose between artistic and commercial success; the film's first opening weekend was record-breaking. It's a sign how much we needed to tell this story. And, perhaps, how many stories there are left to tell."  A. O. Scott identifies the script's precise use of force and adept use of language, including a memorable line created by Fletcher for the adaptation: a "risky, remarkable film adaptation, written by Geoffrey Fletcher, the facts of Precious's life are also laid out with unsparing force (though not in overly graphic detail). But just as "Push" achieves an eloquence that makes it far more than a fictional diary of extreme dysfunction, so too does "Precious" avoid the traps of well-meaning, preachy lower-depths realism. It howls and stammers, but it also sings...Inarticulate and emotionally shut down, her massive body at once a prison and a hiding place, Precious is also perceptive and shrewd, possessed of talents visible only to those who bother to look. At its plainest and most persuasive, her story is that of a writer discovering a voice. 'These people talked like TV stations I didn't even watch,' she remarks of Ms. Rain and her lover (Kimberly Russell), displaying her awakening literary intelligence even as she marvels at the discovery of her ignorance."  Conversely, reflecting the transformation from script to screen, Dana Stevens of Slate disagrees with Gleiberman's suggestion that the "film makes you think" and argues that the film's "eagerness" to "drag" the audience "through the lower depths of human experience" leaves little space for independent "conclusions". Stevens noted that while the film is about improvement and self-actualization, "it wields an awfully large cudgel" in contrast to Scott's view of balance: "unsparing force (though not in overly graphic detail)". Perhaps sharing Mathews' view regarding the daunting challenge of adapting the harsh story of "Push", Stevens' observes that "Daniels and Fletcher no doubt intended for their film to lend a voice to the kind of protagonist too often excluded from American movie screens: a poor, black, overweight single mother from the inner city."  "Precious" has also received some negative responses from critics. Writing for the "New York Press", Armond White compared the film to the landmark but controversial "The Birth of a Nation" (1915) as "demeaning the idea of black American life," calling it "an orgy of prurience" and the "con job of the year." He further characterized the source novel as a relic of 1990s identity politics and noted the film "casts light-skinned actors as kind [...] and dark-skinned actors as terrors." In two separate articles, writers for "The New York Times" cited White's article as the most powerful negative review of "Precious", adding that in a recent interview he had remarked that the film's popularity is a result of the "fact" that "black pathology sells." Courtland Milloy, of "The Washington Post" said "Precious" was "a film of prurient interest that has about as much redeeming social value as a porn flick." David Edelstein, of "New York Magazine", commented that while the film has "elements" that are "powerful and shocking," he felt the movie was "programmed" and that the film had "its own study guide." Keith Uhlich, of "Time Out New York", felt that the film did not live up to its "long hype," and felt that it was "bewildering" to discover the film's praise at the Sundance Film Festival because Uhlich characterized the film as having "shrug-worthiness." Peter Bradshaw wrote in "The Guardian" that the film catalogues a "horrendous, unending nightmare of abuse" and then abruptly turns into something resembling the 1980s musical "Fame". Bradshaw commended the film's acting and energy but said it was not quite the "transcendent masterpiece" some had made it out to be. Sukhdev Sandhu wrote in "The Daily Telegraph" that he found the film "a dispiriting mix of cliché and melodrama," although he acknowledged that "Precious" does feature some superb acting.  Noting Daniels' admiration of the work of John Waters and Pedro Almodóvar and the joking attitude he and the actors sometimes took towards their material while making the movie, Jim Emerson argued that "Precious" is best understood as a deliberately over-the-top piece of camp in the vein of Waters's "Female Trouble".

Accolades.

"Precious" received dozens of nominations in award categories, including six Academy Award nominations, not only for the film itself but for the cast's performances, the direction and cinematography, and the adaptation of the novel to the screenplay. Director Lee Daniels won the People's Choice Award, an award given by audience members at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival. Daniels won both awards for which he was nominated at the San Sebastián International Film Festival—the TVE Otra Mirada Award and the Audience Award. He was also nominated in the category of Bronze Horse at the Stockholm Film Festival, and won the Best Feature Film Award at the Hawaii International Film Festival.  "Precious" received five awards at the 2009 Independent Spirit Awards (ISA) in the categories for Best Film, Best First Screenplay, Best Direction, Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress.  "Precious" received nominations from the 67th Annual Golden Globes for the film and for the performances of Mo'Nique and Sidibe; Mo'Nique won Best Supporting Actress.  The film was nominated in all three major categories at the 2009 Screen Actor Guild Awards: Best Cast, Best Actress, and Best Supporting Actress (in which Mo'Nique won).  "Precious" was considered for the BAFTA awards in several categories, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Editing, Best Leading Actress (Sidibe), and Best Supporting Actress (Mo'Nique).  On February 2, 2010, the film received Academy Award nominations at the Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Actress (Sidibe), Best Supporting Actress (Mo'Nique), Best Director (Daniels), Best Adapted Screenplay (Fletcher), and Best Film Editing (Klotz). On March 7, 2010, Mo'Nique (Best Supporting Actress) and Fletcher (Best Adapted Screenplay) won Academy Awards in their respective categories. The film was also nominated for a GLAAD Media Award for "Outstanding Film – Wide Release" during the 21st GLAAD Media Awards.

Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire, or simply Precious, is a 2009 American drama film, directed and co-produced by Lee Daniels. The script was written by Geoffrey S. Fletcher, adapted from the 1996 novel "Push" by Sapphire. The film stars Gabourey Sidibe, Mo'Nique, Paula Patton, and Mariah Carey. This film marked the acting debut of Sidibe, who portrays a young woman struggling against poverty and abuse.

Precious (v anglickém originále "Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire") je americký dramatický film režiséra Lee Danielse z roku 2009. Scénář napsal Geoffrey S. Fletcher podle románu "Push" spisovatelky Sapphire z roku 1996. Ve filmu vystupuje mnoho ženských postav, které ztvárňují Gabourey Sidibe jako hlavní postava, dále Mo'Nique, Paula Pattonová, Mariah Carey, ale ve vedlejší roli i Lenny Kravitz.


History.

Early years and The Boys Next Door (1973–1978).

The nucleus of the band first met at the private boys school Caulfield Grammar School, in suburban Melbourne, in the early seventies. A rock group was formed in 1973, with Nick Cave (vocals), Mick Harvey (guitar), and Phill Calvert (drums), with other students John Cocivera, Brett Purcell and Chris Coyne (on guitar, bass and saxophone respectively). Most were also members of the school choir. The band played under various names at parties and school functions with a mixed repertoire of David Bowie, Lou Reed, Roxy Music, Alice Cooper and the Sensational Alex Harvey Band, among others. Saxophonist Chris Coyne went on to join the Paul Kelly Band in the 1980s.  After their final school year in 1975 the band decided to continue as a four-piece group, with friend Tracy Pew picking up the bass. Greatly affected by the punk explosion of 1976 which saw Australian bands The Saints and Radio Birdman making their first recordings and tours, The Boys Next Door, as they were now called, began performing punk and proto-punk cover versions, such as "Blitzkrieg Bop" and "Gloria", and a few original songs. By November 1977 their set was dominated by fast original new wave material, such as "Sex Crimes" and "Masturbation Generation".  The Boys' second guitarist, Rowland S. Howard, joined in 1978, and about this time, the group's sound changed dramatically. The addition of Howard's guitar was certainly a catalyst (his later use of audio feedback being a hallmark of the group) but there were other changes, as well: their sound drew upon punk, rockabilly, free jazz and the rawest blues, but defied concise categorization. Many songs were driven by prominent, repetitive basslines and frenetic, yet minimalist, drumming. Though the band was tightly rehearsed, the instrumentalists often sounded as if they were on the verge of collapse, this quality only emphasising the newfound mania of Cave's singing, and his expressionist lyrics. In producer/engineer Tony Cohen they found a willing accomplice to their experimentation and their refusal to repeat themselves; and in manager Keith Glass they found an enthusiastic financial backer. Glass' label Missing Link Records released all of the early Birthday Party records.

Name change and relocations (1978–1982).

The Boys Next Door's best known song, "Shivers", written by Howard, and first performed and recorded by his band The Young Charlatans, was banned by radio stations because of a reference to suicide. After recordings and moderate success in Australia (including hundreds of live shows) they headed for London in 1980, changed their name to The Birthday Party and launched into a period of innovative and aggressive music-making. Some sources say the band took its new name from the Harold Pinter play "The Birthday Party"; others (including Ian Johnston's Cave biography) state it was prompted by Cave misremembering, or intentionally misattributing, the name to a non-existent birthday party scene in the Dostoyevsky novel "Crime and Punishment". In a 2008 interview, Rowland S. Howard gave his own recollection: "The name The Birthday Party came up in conversation between Nick and myself. There's this apocryphal story about it coming from a Dostoyevsky novel. It may have had various connotations, but what he and I spoke about was a sense of celebration and making things into more an occasion and ritual". They resided in London, with trips back to Australia and tours through Europe and the U.S. before relocating to West Berlin in 1982.  Above the barely-controlled racket, Cave's vocals ranged from desperate to simply menacing and demented. Critics have written that "neither John Cale nor Alfred Hitchcock was ever this scary," and that Cave "doesn't so much sing his vocals as expel them from his gut". Though Cave drew on earlier rock and roll shriekers—especially Iggy Pop and Suicide's Alan Vega—his singing with the Birthday Party remains powerful and distinct. His lyrics also drew on Arthur Rimbaud and Charles Baudelaire.  The single "Release the Bats" came out during the emergence of the gothic scene. This song about "vampire sex" was promoted by an advertisement with the words "Dirtiness is next to antigodliness".  Their 1982 album "Junkyard" was inspired by American Southern Gothic imagery, dealing with extreme subjects like an evangelist's murdered daughter.

Final years (1982–1983).

For The Birthday Party, things had changed. Calvert was ejected in 1982; he was reportedly "unable to nail down the beats for 'Dead Joe' to everyone's satisfaction", and Harvey moved to drums. When Pew was jailed for drunk driving and petty theft early in 1982, Chris Walsh, Barry Adamson and Howard's brother Harry replaced him for live appearances and brief studio work. Pew rejoined the band in July.  The "Mutiny" EP contained lyrics evoking blasphemy, words which were as dark as the gothic poems of Lautréamont. The title track portrayed a dirty heaven with rats and trash.  In 1982 a spin-off group with Lydia Lunch, Honeymoon in Red, recorded an album which was eventually released in 1987. Harvey and Cave were reportedly so unhappy with the mixing and overdubbing done after their involvement that they requested their names be withheld from its liner notes. Howard and Pew apparently had no objections to being credited by name.  A tour in January 1983 found the group return to a five-piece, with Jeffrey Wegener playing drums and Harvey returning to second guitar. Wegener did not remain with the group, however, and they returned to a four-piece soon after. Later that year, Blixa Bargeld from the German group Einstürzende Neubauten recorded a guitar part in the studio on the track "Mutiny in Heaven". Tension between Cave and Howard soon came to a head, but it was Harvey who first left the group – their final tour saw Des Hefner on drums. The Birthday Party disbanded in late 1983, due in part to the split between Cave and Howard, as well as work and drug-related exhaustion.

Post-breakup, legacy and influence.

Several groups rose from The Birthday Party's ashes: Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds (featuring Cave, Harvey, Adamson, Bargeld and briefly Pew), Crime and the City Solution (featuring Harvey and Howard, later just Harvey) and These Immortal Souls (featuring Howard).  Pew died from injuries caused by an epileptic seizure in 1986.  On 1 September 1992, there was a brief Birthday Party reunion as Rowland S. Howard joined Nick Cave and Mick Harvey on stage at a Bad Seeds NME charity show at the Town and Country Club in London to play "Wild World", "Dead Joe" and "Nick the Stripper".  Due in part to their legendary status and to the continuing success of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, The Birthday Party's back catalogue has been re-released on CD several times. Mick Harvey has overseen releases of rare or previously unissued recordings ("Live" and "John Peel" CDs).  The Birthday Party's initial impact was on the gothic rock genre. According to "New Musical Express", "The Party have been indirectly held responsible for the rise of a visceral new hardcore, ranging from The Sex Gang Children, through Danse Macabre to March Violets." Rock acts that have cited The Birthday Party as an influence include My Bloody Valentine and LCD Soundsystem.  In October 2007, Cave alone was inducted into the ARIA Hall of Fame. During his acceptance speech, Cave took it upon himself to 'induct' the Australian members of the Bad Seeds (including Harvey), plus Howard and Pew from The Birthday Party.  Rowland S. Howard died on 30 December 2009 of liver cancer. In 2012 Howard's early songs were played live as a tribute in Melbourne: a four-piece band played consisting of Harvey, Calvert, Ron Rude and Rowland Howard's sister Angela.

The Birthday Party (originally known as The Boys Next Door) were an Australian post-punk band, active from 1978 to 1983. Despite limited commercial success, The Birthday Party's influence has been far-reaching, and they have been called "one of the darkest and most challenging post-punk groups to emerge in the early '80s." The group's "bleak and noisy soundscapes," which drew irreverently on blues, free jazz, and rockabilly, provided the setting for vocalist Nick Cave's disturbing tales of violence and perversion. Their music has been described by critic Simon Reynolds as gothic, and their single "Release the Bats" was particularly influential on the emerging gothic scene.

The Birthday Party byla australská post-punková skupina, která vznikla v roce 1978 jako The Boys Next Door. Původní sestavu tvořili Nick Cave (zpěv), Mick Harvey (kytara) a Phill Calvert (bicí). V roce 1975 se k ní přidal baskytarista Tracy Pew a v roce 1978 druhý kytarista Rowland S. Howard. První album nazvané "Door, Door" vyšlo v roce 1979, v následujícím roce pak "The Birthday Party" a v roce 1981 první album pod názvem The Birthday Party nazvané "Prayers on Fire". Skupina se rozpadla v roce 1983 a Cave s Harveyem založili skupinu Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds.


History.

History to 1939.

Sarny at its outset was a small village on the Polesia-Wolhyn border, located between forests and swamps. Its name is derived from the word "serna", referring to the wild goats that roamed freely in the area at the time.  Sarny was a part of the Kingdom of Halych-Volhynia. It was later annexed by the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, followed by the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. From 1795 it was considered a part of the Russian Empire, as part of the Volhynian Governorate. It later became part of the estate of General Felix Dzerzhinsky.  The railway reached Sarny in 1885, which was the same year that Sarny was formally constituted as a city. It became an important junction between railways of Rivne-Luninets and Kovel-Korosten, particularly after the construction of a railroad station in 1901, tied to the rail line linking Kiev to Kovel, which was known as "the southwest line" and which now joined "the Polesia line". Concurrently, a large locomotive depot was constructed and Sarny became a centre of railroad activity, resulting in a need for construction of new housing for railway employees.  Sarny was one of a series of towns and cities designated as railway station locations at key area boundaries. These municipalities were distinguished by the extent to which they were associated with manufacturing and markets, including being points for the concentration of agricultural produce for export. Lumber manufacturing also became an important and growing industry in Sarny, given that it was surrounded by forests.  Sarny became a focal point of the settlement of Russian Jews, commencing as of 1903, following the pogroms at Kishinev, when Sarny was under Russian rule. Russian Interior Minister Vyacheslav von Plehve published a list of villages in which Jews were given "permission" to live, one of which was Sarny. General Dzerzhinsky travelled to St. Petersburg and obtained a permit to constitute Sarny as a "permitted town" for Jewish residents. By royal decree, every 100 villages were entitled to build a town in which Jews were permitted to live. Once he had obtained the permit, General Dzerzhinsky commenced to lease his land to Jewish residents, who were only permitted to lease, rather than to buy his land.  In 1912, the first bank was established in Sarny—the Sarny Mutual Credit & Loan—in response to the financing requirements of forest products and textile merchants.  Prior to 1914, there was one private school and no public schools in Sarny. The private school was a Russian school with four grades, owned by management of the railroad and primarily for the benefit of the children of railroad employees. During this same period, there were no medical facilities in Sarny, and only one physician in the city.  Sarny became a focal point for a large number of orphans fleeing the Petlura pogroms in Ukraine between 1918 and 1920. The city was annexed to Poland, following the Polish-Soviet War of 1919–1921. Due to the city's proximity to the Russian border, it became a Polish military centre following the Polish-Soviet War. In addition, prior to the outbreak of World War II, an airfield was constructed beside Sarny.  The city's economic zenith occurred after World War I, particularly during the period of Polish rule between 1921 and 1939, involving close economic and social relationships with the neighbouring city of Rovno, which had been the previous provincial seat, prior to Polish rule.  In 1921, the city became part of the Second Polish Republic. Sarny also developed close economic ties with the metropolitan centres of Poland, such as Warsaw and Lodz. In Poland, it was the seat of a Sarny county (powiat), firstly in Polesie Voivodeship, then, since 1930 - in Wołyń Voivodeship. During this period, four hotels were constructed around the railway station, serving the needs of lumber merchants, in particular. In addition, Sarny had a ten-person police force, a functioning courthouse with permanent judge and secretary, a post office and, what was particularly important for the time, a government store selling hard liquor.  As of 1921, approximately 50% of the town was composed of persons primarily of Polish, Ukrainian and Russian backgrounds, who were also Jewish, amounting to approximately 2,800 individuals. The city was divided by the rail line, with Jewish residents predominantly on one side, and predominantly non-Jewish residents on the other: the "Polesia side". Parallel education systems developed for Jewish and non-Jewish residents, since there was a 10% quota limiting Jewish students from attending public secondary schools.  Despite Sarny being a county seat in Poland and under Polish legislative rule, the dominant social influence at the time was Ukrainian, including Ukrainian nationalist sentiments.  In the 1930s, Polish military authorities constructed a number of fortifications in the area of Sarny, known as the Sarny Fortified Area ("Sarnenski Rejon Umocniony"), along the Sluch river.

1939–1944; Sarny Massacre I (1939), Sarny Massacre II (1942), Volhynian Genocide (1943).

In 1939, Sarny was occupied by Russian forces following the Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact and the Soviet invasion of Poland. The Russian advance met with Polish resistance. Sarny became a concentration point for units under the command of Brigadier General Wilhelm Orlik-Rückemann. The "Sarny" regiment, commanded by Lieutenant Colonel Nikodem Sulik, provided cover. The regiment stemmed the attack of the Soviet 60th Rifle Division, based on the strong fortifications of the Sarny Fortified Area. A crew of a single bunker, under the command of Second Lieutenant Jan Bołbot, lasted out in its position until September 19, delaying the advance of Soviet units.  300 Polish policemen were killed by Soviet soldiers in 1939, just after Soviets attacked Poland.  The city was captured by Nazi Germany on July 8, 1941, following the repudiation by Germany of the Ribbentrop-Molotov Pact and the German attack on Russia on June 22, 1941.  At the time, Sarny had a Jewish population of approximately 5,000 persons. While Russian troops retreated, Ukrainian nationalists did not retreat with the Russian forces, but instead saw an opportunity to support the independence of Ukraine through alliances with the Nazis.  Subsequent to the German occupation, the Nazis commandeered Jews of Sarny as forced labour. In addition, the Jewish population was forced to turn over most of its assets to the Nazis, with orders largely enforced by Ukrainian police.  In April 1942, a ghetto was established in Sarny, into which were forced the Jews from Sarny and the surrounding towns.  In August 1942, Sarny was the scene of what came to be known as the Sarny Massacre. Over two days, on August 27–28, 1942, between 14,000 and 18,000 people, mostly Jews from Sarny and surrounding towns, including an estimated 100 Roma, were systematically executed in the ravines on the outskirts of the town, where pits had been prepared. The executions were carried out by German troops and Ukrainian Auxiliary Police, assisted by some 200 members of Organization Todt. A memorial book of the history of the Jewish community in Sarny was published in 1961, containing first person accounts by community survivors.  During the Volhynian Genocide, commencing in 1943, Sarny was a shelter for ethnic Polish population of Volhynian countryside, massacred by the Ukrainian Insurgent Army. In May 1943, German authorities created a Polish police unit, which defended the town from the Ukrainians. In 1944, most Poles were transported either to the General Government, or to the Third Reich as OST-Arbeiters.

1944-present.

Sarny was reclaimed by Soviet forces on January 11, 1944. Since 1944, it has been a part of Ukrainian SSR and later independent Ukraine, as of 1991.  In 1972, a Russian tank, the SU-76i, adapted from the Panzer, was discovered in the river around Sarny. It was determined that it was a tank that had attempted to cross the river on January 11, 1944, in support of the advance of the Russian 143rd Rifle Division on Sarny. The tank broke through the ice and sank with its crew. Upon its discovery in 1972, the tank was recovered, renovated and put on display at the then Lenin Prospekt Memorial in Sarny.  Contemporary Sarny has predominantly an agriculture-based economy. Through to the 1990s, it was considered to be an industrial and transportation centre, with its principal industries being machine building and metalworking, building materials, woodworking and flax processing. The city and its economy were affected by the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster, despite its distance from it. There is interest in renewed investment in the sawmill industry in Sarny.

Twin towns – sister cities.

Sarny is twinned with:

Sarny (, Russian and Belarusian: Сáрны, ), translated as "Does", is a small city in Rivne Oblast (province) of western Ukraine. It is the administrative center of Sarny Raion (district), and is a major railway node on the Sluch River. Population:

Sarny (, ) jsou město v Rovenské oblasti na Ukrajině. Leží na řece Sluči severně od Rovna, Berezného a Kostopilu. V roce 2004 žilo ve městě zhruba osmadvacet tisíc obyvatel.


Production.

Title.

In an interview with Zane Lowe on BBC Radio 1, Arctic Monkeys frontman Alex Turner said that the album title was inspired by the Velvet Underground's 1985 compilation album "VU": "I actually stole it from the Velvet Underground, I'll just confess that now and get it out of the way. The 'VU' record, obviously." He went on to say: "Did we cop out? Yeah! Summat about it feels like this record is exactly where we should be right now. So it felt right to just initial it."  Turner later revealed that the band had nearly titled the album "The New Black", after a guitar amp they used in the recording process: "I got this old Rickenbacker thing that we recorded a lot through. There's no knobs, just two holes. And this little black amp that became known as The New Black. Crossed me mind to call the album that."

Josh Homme contribution.

Speaking about Josh Homme's contribution to "AM" with Zane Lowe, Turner said: "The Josh thing was very much a case of one of us returning a back scratch to the other", referring to his appearance as a guest vocalist on the Queens of the Stone Age album "...Like Clockwork" earlier in 2013. Turner continued: "He came down and sort of got us out of a little rut. It's just fun, it's friends, extended family now – [they] came round, had a fun night. His contribution to our record is really exciting, it's probably my favourite. The 30 seconds that he's in there is just, I dunno, it's like something that I've never heard before. Not to blow my own trumpet or anything, but you know what I'm saying." In an interview with "24sata", Turner mentioned that Homme would appear in the song "Knee Socks".  On 4 July 2013, Homme mentioned "AM" at the Rock for People festival in the Czech Republic: "I sang on the new Arctic Monkeys record. It's a really cool, sexy after-midnight record. It's called "AM", so I guess that's really obvious. And it's really good. It's really good. It's not disco [as such], but it's like a modern, dancefloor sexy record. It's really good."

Musical style.

The album draws inspiration from various musical genres, including psychedelic rock, blues rock, hard rock, heavy metal, desert rock, R&B, soul, and hip hop. Alex Turner described the album as sounding "like a Dr. Dre beat, but we've given it an Ike Turner bowl-cut and sent it galloping across the desert on a Stratocaster", adding that it "sound less like four lads playing in a room this time. Essentially, that's what it is, but if you can find a way to manipulate the instruments or the sounds to the point where it sounds a bit like a hip-hop beat that'd be boss in your car, then I think there's something quite cool about that." Turner also cited Outkast, Aaliyah, and Black Sabbath as influences. Guitarist Jamie Cook also cited "The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars" as an inspiration for the album, saying that it was one of the only albums they listened to while recording "AM".  Arctic Monkeys took a different approach to recording "AM" in comparison to their previous album, "Suck It and See", with Alex Turner stating that it is much more a "studio album". The band incorporated new instruments to record the album; they used keyboards such as piano, organ, and celeste, a Hohner Guitaret, and a vintage drum machine. Recording was done differently as well; producer James Ford stated that, instead of the "live" recording technique of the previous album, this album was recorded mainly with bass guitar and drums laid down first with emphasis on groove. Helder's drum kit was often set up in unconventional ways to achieve different sounds. Guest musicians Josh Homme, Bill Ryder-Jones, and Pete Thomas were featured on the album.

Promotion.

AM Tour.

The AM Tour—with over 150 concert dates in Europe, North America, Australia, and New Zealand—was held to promote the album. It started on 22 May 2013 in Ventura, California. The next year, the band shared a short documentary film via their YouTube channel to mark the end of the tour in its South American leg, featuring a performance of "R U Mine?" at its final date on 15 November 2014, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Artwork.

On 15 July 2013, the album cover artwork was revealed. On 2 September 2013, Arctic Monkeys revealed a track titled "I Want It All" during a XFM radio show, and exclusively played "One for the Road" on Zane Lowe's BBC Radio 1 show.  The waveform depicted is characteristic of an amplitude modulated (AM) signal.

Other live performances.

Arctic Monkeys were scheduled to perform on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" on 9 October 2013, but had to cancel as Kimmel's guest, rapper Kanye West, talked for too long. The band performed "Do I Wanna Know?" and "R U Mine?" on the show's outdoor stage a week later, on 16 October 2013.

Singles.

The first single from the album, "R U Mine?", was released digitally on 27 February 2012. On 21 April 2012, it was released physically for the Record Store Day as a limited edition double A-side purple 7" vinyl. "R U Mine?" was released as a single on 2 March 2012.  "Do I Wanna Know?", the second single from the album, was released on 19 June 2013. The song received significant airplay, including joining BBC Radio 1's "B List", and later moving to the "A List". It was certified Silver in the UK, indicating an excess of 200,000 sales (becoming the fourth Arctic Monkeys single to do so), and has also been successful internationally.  The third single from "AM", "Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High?", was released on 11 August 2013 as a single, together with an accompanying music video. The song was leaked online on 29 July 2013, but quickly taken down. The song debuted at number eight in the UK Singles Chart, becoming Arctic Monkeys' first top 10 single since "Fluorescent Adolescent" (2007).  The fourth single to promote the album, "One for the Road", was released as a digital download and 7" vinyl on 9 December 2013.  On 28 January 2014, "Arabella" was released to radio in Italy; the same month, the band confirmed that it would be released as the fifth single on 10 March 2014 in the United Kingdom. It impacted contemporary hit radio on the scheduled date, though a planned 7" vinyl release was cancelled.  "Snap Out of It" impacted contemporary hit radio in the United Kingdom on 9 June 2014 as the album's sixth single.

Reception.

Critical reception.

"AM" has received critical acclaim from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 81, based on 36 reviews. Simon Harper of "Clash" magazine states: "Welding inspiration from hip-hop greats with rock's titans, "AM" is built upon portentous beats that are dark and intimidating, yet wickedly thrilling." Ray Rahman of "Entertainment Weekly" gave it an 'A-', and opined that ""AM" mixes Velvet Underground melodies, Black Sabbath riffs, and playful grooves, and has fun doing it." "Time Out" said of the album: "One of Britain's greatest bands just got greater in an unexpected but hugely welcome way. Single men, I urge you: put down "FHM" and pick up "AM"." In their 10/10 review, "NME" wrote that "AM" is "absolutely and unarguably the greatest record of their career." In his 8/10 review, J.C. Maçek III of "PopMatters" praised Turner for being "at his most poetic to date", and called the album "a wonderfully cohesive and diverse album that fits together incredibly well." Tim Jonze of "The Guardian" noted that the album "manages to connect those different directions – the muscular riffs of "Humbug" and the wistful pop of "Suck It and See" – with the bristling energy and sense of fun that propelled their initial recordings." "Pitchfork"s Ryan Dombal called "AM" "paranoid and haunted." In his review of the album, Matt Mason of "Q" gave it 4 out of 5 stars and wrote:  Not afraid to explore but never radical for the sake of it, the Arctic Monkeys have delivered another triumph. Some of their iridescent energy has been tempered by age, but it's been replaced by the craft and confidence that made their [2013's] Glastonbury set so compelling. Not for the first time, they sound like the best band in Britain.

Accolades.

At the 2013 NME Awards, Arctic Monkeys were nominated for Best British Band. "R U Mine?" was also nominated for Best Track, and won the award for Best Music Video. "AM" was nominated for the 2013 Mercury Prize for best album, becoming the third Arctic Monkeys album to receive the nomination, after their debut album "Whatever People Say I Am, That's What I'm Not", and its follow-up, "Favourite Worst Nightmare". The album's second single, "Do I Wanna Know?", won the Best Track award at the 2013 Q Awards. "Do I Wanna Know" was also nominated as the "Best Rock Performance" at the 2015 Grammy Awards. At the 2014 BRIT Awards, Arctic Monkeys won in the British Album of the Year and British Group categories, becoming the first band to ever "do the double" (that is, win in both categories) three times (Coldplay and Manic Street Preachers did it twice).  "NME" ranked "AM" number 449 on their list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time, after it only being out for a month. The magazine also announced its list of 50 Best Albums of 2013, with "AM" taking the top spot: ""AM" felt like a genuine evolution for the Monkeys, and one that wasn't without risk. Its success, however, rested on the two things that had always made them special: Alex Turner's wry way with words, and his way with a tune." "NME" classified "AM"s songs as "the tales of wasted phone calls, drunken lunges and late-night confessions." In 2019 the album was ranked number 1 on "NME"s list of Greatest Albums of the Decade.  "AM" boasted a great amount of riches on both counts, with "NME" writing ""AM" is the album against which everything else will now be measured." 17 music journalists of the Polish media company Agora SA ("Gazeta Wyborcza", Gazeta.pl, TOK FM) placed "AM" at number two in their ranking of 10 Best Foreign Albums of 2013, behind Arcade Fire's "Reflektor".  The album has been recognised as one of the bestselling vinyl albums of the decade, selling 27,000 units as of July 2015.

Commercial performance.

On 15 September 2013, the album charted at number one on the UK Albums Chart, having sold 157,329 copies, thus becoming the second fastest-selling album of the year, behind Daft Punk's "Random Access Memories". With the debut of "AM" on the chart, Arctic Monkeys also broke a record, becoming the first independent-label band to debut at number one in the UK with their first five albums. Following the band's win at the 2014 BRIT Awards, the album charted at number two on the chart, behind "Bad Blood" by Bastille, who also experienced the "BRITs effect". As of June 2019, "AM" has spent 300 weeks in the top 100 of the UK Albums Chart.  "AM" peaked at number one in Australia, Belgium (Flanders), Croatia, Slovenia, Denmark, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and Portugal, and reached top ten positions in several other countries. In the United States, the album sold 42,000 copies in its first week, and debuted at number six on the "Billboard" 200 chart, becoming the band's highest charting album in the United States. In August 2017, "AM" was certified platinum by the RIAA for combined sales and album-equivalent units over of a million units in the United States.

Personnel.

Adapted from the "AM" liner notes. Arctic Monkeys  Additional musicians Production  Design

AM is the fifth studio album by English indie rock band Arctic Monkeys. It was produced by James Ford and co-produced by Ross Orton at Sage & Sound Recording in Los Angeles and Rancho De La Luna in Joshua Tree, California, and released in September 2013 through Domino. The album was promoted by the singles "R U Mine?", "Do I Wanna Know?", "Why'd You Only Call Me When You're High?", "One for the Road", "Arabella", and "Snap Out of It". It features guest appearances by Josh Homme, Bill Ryder-Jones, and Pete Thomas.

AM je páté studiové album britské indierockové skupiny Arctic Monkeys. Album vydalo v září roku 2013 hudební vydavatelství Domino Records. Název alba byl inspirován titulem kompilace "VU" skupiny The Velvet Underground, která − stejně jako v tomto případě − je zkratkou názvu skupiny. Coby hosté se na albu podíleli například Josh Homme a Bill Ryder-Jones.