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Once upon a time in Seattle, a pair of siblings grew up idolizing Led Zeppelin, imagining themselves as Robert Plant and Jimmy Page, one minute pounding out blues-rock thunder, the next delving into pastoral harmonies and mandolins.  And then, their dream care true... sort of.  The twist came in the fact that the siblings were sisters, and they had the talent to back up their daydreams.  Heart's path forward would rarely be smooth, as the group would experience quick success, a lawsuit against its own label, personnel shifts, changing industry tastes and not one but two substantial comebacks.  Through it…

Contributing Writer Darren Paltrowitz, whose previous syndicated column Moving In Stereo covered the latest and greatest in live and recorded music happenings, returned in late 2008 with a new vehicle for exploring the wide vistas of modern multimedia.  Keeping Up responded to the reality of information overload with a concise look at the best of all that's new in the worlds of music, books, television and the Internet. As Darren put it,"Newspapers, magazines, TV, radio, YouTube, blogs, RSS feeds, viral marketing campaigns...it's nearly impossible to stay current nowadays. As soon as you think you're caught up on your reading and…

Another year, another massive musical history project for Professor Of Pop Michael R. Smith.  This time Michael has elected to take on the history of dance music, a subject he is well-qualified to tackle.  Every Sunday beginning January 4, 2009, and continuing for the following 40 weeks, Michael will review a key album from the genre from the time period 1977-2007.  So put on your dancing shoes and brace yourself for that pounding beat… it’s time to hit the floor. Table Of Contents 1/4/09 -- Donna Summer / Once Upon A Time1/11/09 -- Original Soundtrack / Saturday Night Fever1/18/09 --…

Depeche Mode and Tears For Fears are two bands that are almost synonymous with electronic new Wave music. With their unique individual styles, both these bands helped to shape the synth-pop music scene of the eighties, and have influenced countless acts in the decades following it. The year was 1980 when four young lads from Basildon England -- singer Dave Gahan and keyboardists Vince Clarke, Martin Gore, and Andrew Fletcher -- formed the group known as Depeche Mode after the band’s several initial short-lived incarnations in the late seventies. Their debut record Speak And Spell released in 1981 was a…