The 1989 album is 10 years old on October 27th 2014 - so we thought we'd take a deep dive into the story behind this iconic record.

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Joining us is writer Caroline Sullivan - her book 'Taylor Swift Era by Era' is out now on Michael O'Mara publishing - On her previous album Red, Taylor Swift had started to move into more of a pop direction & for her 5th album she decides to dive into the world of pop - what led her to this change of direction? Was it a gradual process? How did her fans & record label react?

Shortly before making 1989, Taylor Swift bought her house in Rhode Island - previously been owned by Standard Oil fortune heiress & socialite Rebekah Harkness & also relocates full time to New York City. This change of scenery leads to album opener 'Welcome To New York' which takes an 80s synth pop inflected sound which ends up running through the entire album.

The album features 7 songs produced by pop producers Max Martin & Shellback, as well as Ryan Tedder, British songwriter Imogen Heap but also marks one of the first contributions from Jack Antonoff who subsequently becomes a key collaborator on later releases.

1989 & lead single Shake It Off are announced via a livestream atop the Empire State Building in August of 2014 & Shake It Off becomes her biggest hit to date, spending 8 weeks at the top of the chart, shifting over 10 million units.

The album spawns 7 hit singles including a further 2 number 1s (Blank Space & Bad Blood) & crosses over in a way prior releases hadn't - going onto sell over 14 million copies.

The 1989 World Tour makes over $250m worldwide across 85 dates & becomes known for its many guest appearances including Mick Jagger, Joan Baez, The Weeknd, HAIM, Ed Sheeran, Lorde & dozens more.

Taylor Swift becomes the first woman to win 2 Grammy Awards with this album b ut also withholds her music from streaming services including Spotify & Apple Music & writes a strongly worded article in the Wall Street Journal making the case for music being paid for & not free.

Ryan Adams releases his version of the entire 1989 album in the autumn of 2015 & Bad Blood is re-released featuring Kendrick Lamar. Taylor also writes a song for Rihanna & Calvin Harris under the name Nils Sjöberg.

All this & more - join us to hear all about it.

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Hosted by Mark Hart & Simon Cardwell

Written & Produced by Simon Cardwell

Edited by Andy Maxwell

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Bella Union label founder Simon Raymonde joins us this week to talk us through his time with the Cocteau Twins.

Simon joined the band in 1983 having met Robin Guthrie & Elizabeth Fraser a couple of years prior while working at Beggars Banquet record shop in South Kensington. The first album he is involved with is 1984's self produced Treasure - although Brian Eno & Daniel Landis were briefly discussed as possible producers.

Find out about Cocteau Twin's unique way of working in the studio - going in with nothing prepared or written in advance - as well as how they created their unique sound.

A collaboration with legendary Harold Budd follows along with various EPs but the band turn down the chance to record the soundtrack to David Lynch's Blue Velvet.

Around this time the band move into an industrial unit in North Acton & this newfound creative freedom leads to the Blue Bell Knoll album which comes out on 4AD in 1988. But not long after Cocteau Twins relocate to what becomes their September Sound studio in Richmond (rented from Pete Townshend).

Not long after the classic Heaven Or Las Vegas album is recorded, coming out in 1990 & achieving the timeless sound the band had been striving for.

Prince samples '50-50 Clown' from the album not long after & was reported to be a fan of the band but the band leave 4AD not long after the tour ends at the Aladdin Casino in Las Vegas.

Signing with Fontana shortly after & the Four-Calendar Cafe album follows in 1993 along with their final album Milk & Kisses in 1996 - the band tour extensively & play festivals at Roskilde & Lollapalooza but their final gig comes at the Phoenix Festival in the summer of 1996.

You can see our upcoming live events here:

https://rocknrollbookclub.co.uk/live/

Hosted by Mark Hart & Simon Cardwell

Written & Produced by Simon Cardwell

Edited by Andy Maxwell

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Join us to take a deep dive into the life & career of LBGTQ icon Dusty Springfield - starting with her early life first in West Hampstead in London & then briefly in High Wycombe, Dusty attended a convent school but reinvented herself after leaving school into the glamorous blonde icon she became famous as.

When our guest biographer Lucy O'Brien first wrote about Dusty in the late 1980s little was known about her but her legend has grown exponentially since - we talk about her interest in Hollywood film stars & what might have triggered her transformation from the shy & slightly plain Mary O'Brien to the larger than life Dusty Springfield.

Dusty joined singing act the Lana Sisters in 1959 & they sign to Fontana - a year later she leaves to join The Springfields with her brother Tom Springfield. The band achieve success with hits in the UK & unusually for the time, the US.

Sun Records boss Shelby Singleton was among the first to identify her R&B potential & brought The Springfields to Nashville to record, but not long after a show at the London Palladium in late 1963 Dusty leaves the band.

Within a month her first solo release 'I Only Want To Be With You' reaches number 4 in the charts - her debut album A Girl Called Dusty follows in 1964. A track from the album 'You Don't Own Me' was recently used as the intro music for Taylor Swift's The Eras Tour - we talk about why we think it may have been used.

Dusty helped introduce Motown to the UK & attended the first UK tour & championed the label - we also talk about the influence of her key collaborators Bacharach & David, Goffin & King, Ivor Raymonde & more.

She was the foremost female of the British Invasion of 1964 & scored a huge hit with 'You Don't Have To Say You Love Me' in 1966 & a Dusty Springfield track became a Northern Soul classic under the name Patti Austin but remained unreleased until the 1970s.

By 1968 the hits weren't coming as easily as before which leads Dusty to turn to America to reinvent her sound.

You can see our upcoming live events here:

https://rocknrollbookclub.co.uk/live/

Hosted by Mark Hart & Simon Cardwell

Written & Produced by Simon Cardwell

Edited by Andy Maxwell

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.