My sad and memorable moments of 2008

2008 was tinted with a lot of sadness, too many great names in music were taken from us. On April 17, Danny Federici, keyboardist and founding member of Bruce Springsteen’s legendary E Street Band, passed away after a battle with melanoma.

Isaac Hayes passed away August 10 at the age of 65. The Soul Legend left behind a legacy that included everything from soul, funk, R&B, pop. Hayes was a pioneer in multiple genres, and paved the way for disco and rap.

Legendary producer and music businessman Jerry Wexler died at his Florida home on August 15. He was 91. Wexler coined the phrase “Rhythm and Blues,” headed Atlantic Records during some pretty cool years (1953-1975), and mentored Aretha Franklin and Led Zeppelin.

Founding Pink Floyd member Rick Wright died on September 15 at the age of 65 after a battle with cancer. He primarily worked as a keyboardist, though he also contributed vocals and had numerous songwriting credits on a number of Pink Floyd’s records, including “Dark Side of the Moon” and “Wish You Were Here”.

Still on the sad subject of death but in a different way, in July 2008 someone stole Ian Curtis’s headstone! The late Joy Division frontman’s headstone was stolen from the Macclesfield Cemetery in his hometown of Macclesfield, England.

The end of an era also came in 2008 when Jazz musician and broadcaster Humphrey Lyttelton announced his retirement from presenting BBC Radio 2’s jazz programme after forty years.

2008 also saw the return of some rock greats, Rage Against the Machine headlined the Big Day Out festivals in Australia and New Zealand, their first shows outside of the United States since reforming, and their first Australian shows in 12 years.
On 18 August 2008, Columbia Records announced the 18 October Australian release, and 20 October worldwide release, of AC/DC’s sixteenth studio album Black Ice. The 15-track album is the band’s first studio release in eight years.

Former Beatle Paul McCartney made a single concert in Israel at Tel Aviv park for the first time since The Beatles were banned from Israel in 1965.

And on the 21st December Leonard Cohen’s “Hallelujah” becomes the first song to simultaneously reach the first and second positions of the UK Singles Chart since 1957 with Alexandra Burke’s and Jeff Buckley’s covers.

My fav albums of the year….

Hot Chip – Made in the Dark

Coldplay – Viva La Vida

Kings of Leon – Only By the Night

Elbow – The Seldom Seen Kid

John Mellencamp – Life, Death, Love and Freedom