Dean Kelly

Dean Kelly
Released in 1997, Whatever and Ever Amen
was pure pop perfection -- easily one of the year's best releases and perhaps
the best power pop release of the '90s. The band's songwriting and sound had
improved even further, as evidenced by such gems as "One Angry Dwarf and 200
Solemn Faces," "Fair," "Kate," and "Battle of Who Could Care Less," plus their
whimsical tribute to breakups, "Song for the Dumped." But it was the ballad
"Brick" that broke the band commercially -- unlike the majority of their
material, which was upbeat, the song contained melancholic music and vocals, as
the lyrics told the story of a teenage couple who decides to get an abortion (it
has been speculated that the tale was autobiographical for Folds). The single
didn't hit until several months after the album was released, which meant that
the band stayed on the road for well over a year, playing with such notables as
Dave Matthews, Beck, and as part of the 1997 H.O.R.D.E. festival -- earning
Whatever platinum status.

Biohazard next signed to Mercury Records and
released New World Disorder in 1999. The guys left the label following its
merger with Universal and harkened back to their D.I.Y. days with a tour of
Europe and Japan without label or managerial support. The rarities collection
Tales from the B-Side followed in 2001, along with their next full-length,
Uncivilization. Guitarist Leo Curley exited the group following the album's
release. Kill or Be Killed appeared two years later and featured new axeman
Carmine Vincent (ex-Nucleus), who had previously roadied for the band. Means to
an End, Biohazard's eighth and final album, was issued in August 2005 on SPV.
Graziadei went on to form Suicide City with ex-members of Groovenics and Kittie.
Meanwhile, Seinfeld appeared on the 2006 VH1 reality show Supergroup with Ted
Nugent, Sebastian Bach, Scott Ian, and Jason Bonham. In December of 2007, a live
double-disc CD and accompanying DVD titled Live in San Francisco was released,
documenting one of their last shows together as a band. ~ Steve Huey, All Music
Guide

Dean Kelly

Master of Reality, the third album, followed
in August 1971, reaching the Top Ten on both sides of the Atlantic and selling
over a million copies. Black Sabbath, Vol. 4 (September 1972) was another Top
Ten million-seller. For Sabbath Bloody Sabbath (November 1973), the band brought
in Yes keyboard player Rick Wakeman on one track, signaling a slight change in
musical direction; it was Black Sabbath's fifth straight Top Ten hit and
million-seller. In 1974, the group went through managerial disputes that idled
them for an extended period. When they returned to action in July 1975 with
their sixth album, Sabotage, they were welcomed back at home, but in the U.S.
the musical climate had changed, making things more difficult for an
album-oriented band with a heavy style, and though the LP reached the Top 20, it
did not match previous sales levels. Black Sabbath's record labels quickly
responded with a million-selling double-LP compilation, We Sold Our Soul for
Rock 'n' Roll (December 1975), and the band contemplated a more pronounced
change of musical style. This brought about disagreement, with guitarist Iommi
wanting to add elements to the sound, including horns, and singer Osbourne
resisting any variation in the formula. Technical Ecstasy (October 1976), which
adopted some of Iommi's innovations, was another good -- but not great --
seller, and Osbourne's frustration eventually led to his quitting the band in
November 1977. He was replaced for some live dates by former Savoy Brown singer
Dave Walker, then returned in January 1978. Black Sabbath recorded its eighth
album, Never Say Die! (September 1978), the title track becoming a U.K. Top 40
hit before the LP's release and "Hard Road" making the Top 40 afterwards. But
the singles did not improve the album's commercial success, which was again
modest, and Osbourne left Black Sabbath for a solo career, replaced in June 1979
by former Rainbow singer Ronnie James Dio (b. June 10, 1949). (Also during this
period, keyboardist Geoff Nichols became a regular part of the band's performing
and recording efforts, though he was not officially considered a band member
until later.)

Britney Jean Spears was born December 2, 1981, in the
small town of Kentwood, LA, and began performing as a singer and dancer at a
young age. With a nationally televised appearance on Star Search already under
her belt, Spears auditioned for the Disney Channel's The New Mickey Mouse Club
at age eight. The producers turned her down as too young, but one of them took
an interest and introduced her to an agent in New York. Spears spent the next
three years studying at the Professional Performing Arts School, and also
appeared in several television commercials and off-Broadway plays. At 11, she
returned to The New Mickey Mouse Club for a second audition, and this time made
the cut. Although her fellow Mouseketeers included an impressive array of future
stars -- *NSYNC's Justin Timberlake and JC Chasez, Christina Aguilera, and
Felicity actress Keri Russell -- the show was canceled after Spears' second
season. She returned to New York at age 15 and set about auditioning for pop
bands and recording demo tapes, one of which eventually landed her a deal with
Jive Records.

Dean Kelly
Profile Though the title of Debut implied that it was Björk's first-ever
solo project, she had actually been a professional vocalist since she was a
child. When she was in elementary school in Reykjavik, she studied classical
piano and, eventually, her teachers submitted a tape of her singing Tina
Charles' "I Love to Love" to Iceland's Radio One. After "I Love to Love" was
aired, a record label called Falkkin offered Björk a record contract. At the age
of 11, her eponymous first album was released; the record contained covers of
several pop songs, including the Beatles' "Fool on the Hill," and boasted
artwork from her mother and guitar work from her stepfather. Björk became a hit
within Iceland and was not released in any other country.

During 1994,
Björk was relatively quiet as she recorded her second album with Nellee Hooper,
Tricky, 808 State's Graham Massey, and Howie B of Mo' Wax Records; she also
released a remix EP, co-wrote the title track for Madonna's Bedtime Stories, and
performed on MTV Unplugged that same year. "Army of Me," the first single from
Björk's forthcoming album, was released as a teaser single in the spring of
1995; it debuted at number ten in the U.K. and became a moderate alternative
rock hit in the U.S. Post, her second album, was released in June of 1995 to
positive reviews; it peaked at number two in the U.K. and number 32 in the U.S.
Post matched its predecessor in terms of sales and praise, going gold in the
U.S. and helping her earn her second BRIT Award for Best International Female
Artist. Post yielded the British hit singles "Isobel" (number 23), "It's Oh So
Quiet" (number four), and "Hyperballad" (number eight), yet her singles failed
to make much headway on American radio or MTV. Late in 1996, Björk released
Telegram, an album comprised of radical remixes of the entire Post album, in the
U.K.; Telegram was released in America in January 1997.

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