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James Blunt


Umma

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This is such a great bio... I had to paste it all :lol:

James Blunt

James Blunt’s family have served in one kind of army or another since 995A.D. A long line of warriors. Savages really. Not a musical bone in any one of their bodies. The only music he heard growing up was “Happy Birthday” and “Silent Night”. His father considered all music, even classical, to be unnecessary noise. Although James was not one to rock the family boat, he didn’t really think he was going to join the army – it sort of crept up on him. Plus his family didn’t have a boat. Aged fourteen he just held the teenage conviction that he would have an interesting life – maybe that’s why he picked the guitar? Then again, maybe if he hadn’t, he would have tripped over it. He went to University and studied Aerospace Manufacturing Engineering and Sociology, spending most lectures asleep on the floor at the back. In much the same way, he ended up in the army. In essence, one day he was sleeping off a hangover at the back of a sociology lecture hall and the next thing he knew he was in Kosovo with a gun and a guitar strapped to the side of a tank, wondering who he could possibly sleep with to get out of this war. To break up the super attenuated monotony, James would sometimes stroll through Serb villages wearing an East German cap singing, “All we are saying is give peace a chance”. “We were peace-keepers at that point,” he explained, shrugging helplessly.

So how did the music get into him, you might ask? Well if you were sent to boarding school aged seven, studied Engineering by mistake (“I thought we were going to fly planes, but we just pulled metals apart – the brochure was very misleading.”), joined the army by default, guarded The Queen, buried The Queen Mother and pranced around London like a tit for Japanese tourists to photograph, what you’re going to want to do very much after that, besides getting stoned and laid, is put your gun down, pick up a guitar and make an album in America with Linda Perry. So James came to Los Angeles in September 2003 to record with Tom Rothrock et al. At night he’d go to bars, bringing with him his valuable British accent (in the U.K., too posh for some people – in LA, the best thing she’d heard all night) and the fact that like 50 Cent he’d been shot at numerous times, but unlike the Cent, had dodged the bullets. One song, “Goodbye My Lover”, was recorded in his landladies’ bathroom (“She was a frequenter of mental hospitals and in general, a freak – but pleasant”) where, naturally, she kept a piano.

From birth in a military hospital in Tidworth, to Harrow School, to Aerospace Manufacturing Engineering, to the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, to The Household Cavalry, to Kosovo, to Buckingham Palace, to a recording studio in Los Angeles. How did James get from there to here? Only James Blunt’s hairdresser knows for certain, and either he isn’t talking or James cuts his own hair, and it’s up to you to join the dots – there are ten of them on the album.

Written by The Landlady

http://www.jamesblunt.com/profile_biog.html

'Wisemen' is getting a lot of airplay .... catchy tune. Check out the video

http://www.jamesblunt.com/video.html

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From birth in a military hospital in Tidworth, to Harrow School, to Aerospace Manufacturing Engineering, to the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, to The Household Cavalry, to Kosovo, to Buckingham Palace, to a recording studio in Los Angeles...

How did James get from there to here?

Only in LA :lol: It's the city of re-invention...

Not bad, Umma.

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nice wallpaper kiwibank ... and such a tidy desktop  :o

cheers umma......i think that it`s a hangover from the days when i didn`t have much RAM...and techies kept reminding us that too many shortcuts on your (my) desktop consumed too much memory....i`ve got heaps of RAM now of course...but i still obssess over the number of shortcuts that i keep on there...i know...i`m sick..... :wha':

Edited by kiwibank
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  • 4 months later...

SINGLES

James Blunt 51,671

Daniel Powter 22,409

Eminem 16,434

Bananarama 7,571

Tony Christie 4,579

Madness 2,845

ALBUMS

James Blunt 122,827

Kasier Chiefs 35,538

Crazy Frog 32,637

Alanis Morrissette 17,740

Editors 17,627

Tony Christie 7,369

NOW 61 310,230

Blunt continues to dominate UK charts

01 August 2005 - 10:52:26

From Music Week

James Blunt continues to dominate the charts with You're Beautiful spending a third week as the number one single, and Back To Bedlam topping the artist album chart for a fourth straight week, writes Alan Jones.

Sales of both records reached another new peak last week, with You're Beautiful enjoying an 11.3% expansion and an eighth straight week of growth, with sales of 51,671. Meanwhile, Blunt's Back To Bedlam album improved its sales for the 14th time in 15 weeks, selling 122,827 copies - a 10.7% increase week-on-week.

Blunt is the first artist to be number one on singles and albums charts simultaneously for more than a fortnight since Robbie Williams topped with the single Somethin' Stupid - a duet with Nicole Kidman - and the album Swing When You're Winning in December 2001/January 2002.

Sales of the Back To Bedlam album since its release 42 weeks ago are 887,369, while You're Beautiful tallies 268,059 in nine weeks.

Their continued growth last week was all the more remarkable given that You're Beautiful also helped Now That's What I Call Music! 61 to a sparkling first week sale of 310,230. The tally is the second highest in the Now! series' 21 year history, being surpassed only by the 334,435 opening of Now! 57 at Easter 2004.

Now! 61 claimed a 36.25% share of the compilation market last week, and outsold the rest of the Top 50 compilations added together, while enjoying a 9-1 sales advantage over the number two compilation, Gatecrasher Classics. Although, as noted above, Warner Music's James Blunt single is among seven number ones on Now! 61, the compilation is again dominated by Now! partners EMI, Virgin, Universal and their indie friends, with Warner Music providing just two of the 2CD set's 43 tracks, and Sony BMG surrendering six.

With Blunt and Now! helping to stimulate a market which also benefited from end of month salary payments and the start of the school summer holiday, the overall album market rocketed by 22.6% to 3,082,023 - its highest level for six weeks, and its fourth highest level in 30 weeks so far this year. With Now! 61's help, the multi-artist compilation sector's contribution of 856,180 was its highest for 18 weeks, while compilations' share of the market - 27.8% - was at its highest level for 49 weeks.

Although Now! 61 was one of five new entries on the Top 20 of the compilation chart, new entries were harder to find on the artist album chart, with one debut in the Top 10 and two more in the Top 20.

Winning full marks for stretching a thin formula to its limit, the Crazy Frog phenomenon spawns a hit album Crazy Hits, to follow the number one single Axel F. This week's highest new entry, it hops onto the chart at number five with sales of 32,637. It includes covers of Popcorn (the next single), Pump Up The Jam and the themes to TV's Dallas and The Pink Panther. Released on Gut Records' Gusto imprint, it provides the company with its first Top 10 album since Space's Tin Planet reached number three in 1998.

10 years after she exploded onto the scene with Jagged Little Pill, Alanis Morissette returns with an acoustic interpretation of the same album, entitled, rather reasonably, Jagged Little Pill - Acoustic. The original album was the biggest success ever for Madonna's Maverick label, selling over 2.5m copies in the UK, to become the 29th biggest seller of all-time...but that's small beer compared to its US sales, which stood at 14,410,920 as of last week. Jagged Little Pill...Acoustic sold 17,740 copies last week, and debuts at number 12.

Drawung comparisons with Joy Division, Echo & The Bunnymen, Interpol and even U2, The Editors provide the last new entry to this week's Top 20 artist album chart, debuting at number 13 with their much acclaimed introductory set The Back Room. Containing their singles Bullets, Munich and Blood, which peaked at 54, 22 and 18 respectively, the album sold 17,627 copies last week. The band - formed in 2000 as The Pride after meeting at university in Stafford - are currently on a UK tour, and play a sold out gig at the Eden Project in Cornwall tonight (1st).

Back at the sharp end of the chart, the favourites for the Mercury Music Prize, the Kaiser Chiefs, see renewed interest in their Employment album, which is just one place shy of its highest chart position. climbing 5-4 . Sales of 35,538 increase its cume to more than 500,000.

The album houses the hits I Predict A Riot (number 22), Oh My God (number six) and Everyday I Love You Less And Less (number 10). I Predict A Riot was their first hit last November, and re-enters the chart at number 46 this week, entirely on the strength of downloads, three weeks ahead of its physical reissue.

The singles market enjoyed a smaller boost than the album sector last week, with combined physical and download sales of 793,829 lifting it to a three week high, with James Blunt secured the first sale of more than 50,000 in the sector for four weeks. His continued popularity denied Daniel Powter, another new singer/songwriter signed to Warner Music, the opportunity of a number one debut

Already a Top 10 hit in France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Australia and Denmark and Top 20 in German but only just beginning to pick up airplay in his native Canada, Powter's introductory single Bad Day - or, Bad Hair Day, according to the hilariously miscast Jeremy Clarkson on last week's TOTP - debuts at number two here with first week sales of 22,409. The 34 year old from British Columbia, who counts his influences as the Beatles and Elton John, issues his self-titled debut album next Monday (8th August).

The only other new entry to make the Top 10 came from Eminem, who registers his 15th straight Top 10 hit with Ass Like That, from the album Encore.

Encore became Eminem's third million-selling album last week, and Ass Like That is the fourth Top 5 hit from it, debuting this week at number four on sales of 16,434. The first two singles from Encore - Just Lose It and Like Toy Soldiers - reached number one, and third single Mockingbird got to number four. The album, which was released last November, has climbed 107-80-79-67-29-20 in the last five weeks to reach its highest position in 25 weeks thanks to airplay for the new single, TV advertising and discounting as low as £7.99.

Further down the chart, two veteran acts at their peak in the 1980s return to the Top 40 for the first time in the 21st century. Bananarama register their 24th Top 40 entry with Move In My Direction, while Madness go one better, chalking up their 25th Top 40 hit with Shame & Scandal. Ending respective absences of 12 years and six years, Bananarama debut at number 14 with sales of 7,571, while Madness enter at 38 on sales of 2,845. Madness' principal members are still all on board, while 'nanas comprise two of the original trio, namely Keren Woodward and Sarah Dallin.

Meanwhile, Tony Christie's million-selling seven week chart-topper (Is This The Way To) Amarillo is in the Top 40 for the 20th week in a row, and is joined this week - just as it was in 1973 - by follow-up Avenues & Alleyways. A powerful song which served as the theme to the cult TV series The Protectors, Avenues & Alleyways was nevertheless only a minor hit 32 years ago, peaking at number 37. It tops that this week, debuting at number 26 on 4,579 sales. With the veteran singer appearing on numerous radio and TV shows last week to promote Avenues & Alleyways, Christie's Definitive Collection album rebounds strongly, jumping 86-47 with sales up 165.4% week-on-week at 7,369.

No.1s (Singles) so far...

WEEK DATE SALES ARTIST SONG

53 08-Jan 26,000 Steve Brookstein Against All Odds

1 15-Jan 21,262 Elvis Presley Jailhouse Rock

2 23-Jan 20,463 Elvis Presley One Night / I Got Stung

3 30-Jan 21,128 Ciara feat. Petey Pablo Goodies

4 05-Feb 21,887 Elvis Presley It’s Now Or Never

5 12-Feb 29,496 Eminem Like Toy Soldiers

6 19-Feb 30,359 U2 Sometimes You Can Make It On Your Own

7 26-Feb 49,928 Jennifer Lopez Get Right

8 05-Mar 41,528 Nelly ft. Tim McGraw Over And Over

9 12-Mar 40,378 Stereophonics Dakota

10 19-Mar 158,013 McFly All About You / You’ve Got A Friend

11 26 Mar 266,844 Tony Christie feat. Peter Kay (Is This The Way To) Amarillo

12 02 Apr 261,031 Tony Christie feat. Peter Kay (Is This The Way To) Amarillo

13 09 Apr 130,700 Tony Christie feat. Peter Kay (Is This The Way To) Amarillo

14 16 Apr 99,636 Tony Christie feat. Peter Kay (Is This The Way To) Amarillo

15 23 Apr 69,000 Tony Christie feat. Peter Kay (Is This The Way To) Amarillo

16 30 Apr 57,810 Tony Christie feat. Peter Kay (Is This The Way To) Amarillo

17 07 May 47,945 Tony Christie feat. Peter Kay (Is This The Way To) Amarillo

18 14 May 87,695 Akon Lonely

19 21 May 59,772 Akon Lonely

20 28 May 75,124 Oasis Lyla

21 04 Jun 149,466 Crazy Frog Axel F

22 11 Jun 120,246 Crazy Frog Axel F

23 18 Jun 72,281 Crazy Frog Axel F

24 25 Jun 52,084 Crazy Frog Axel F

25 02 Jul 56,016 2Pac feat. Elton John Ghetto Gospel

26 09 Jul 54,820 2Pac feat. Elton John Ghetto Gospel

27 16 Jul 39,627 2Pac feat. Elton John Ghetto Gospel

28 23 Jul 38,951 James Blunt You’re Beautiful

29 30 Jul 46,443 James Blunt You’re Beautiful

30 06 Aug 51,671 James Blunt You’re Beautiful

No.2s (Singles) so far...

52 22,000 Band Aid – Do They Know It’s Christmas

01 17,000 Steve Brookstein – Against All Odds

02 12,753 Manic Street Preachers – Empty Souls NEW

03 20,002 Elvis Presley – A Fool Such As I NEW

04 20,324 Ashanti – Only U NEW

05 28,500 Elvis Presley – Are You Lonesome Tonight NEW

06 28,377 Elvis Presley – Wooden Heart NEW

07 24,439 Elvis Presley – Surrender NEW

08 29,406 Jennifer Lopez – Get Right

09 33,778 Nelly ft. Tim McGraw – Over & Over

10 28,000 Elvis Presley – Good Luck Charm NEW

11 73,770 McFly – All About You / You’ve Got A Friend

12 54,193 Mario – Let Me Love You NEW

13 26,729 Elvis Presley – (You’re The) Devil In Disguise NEW

14 26,008 Elvis Presley – Crying In The Chapel NEW

15 28,537 Razorlight – Somewhere Else / Keep The Right Profile NEW

16 26,783 Elvis Presley – Way Down NEW

17 46,596 Snoop Dogg feat. Charlie Wilson & Justin Timberlake – Signs NEW

18 35,223 Tony Christie feat. Peter Kay – (Is This The Way To) Amarillo

19 37,737 Gorillaz – Feel Good Inc.

20 42,409 Akon – Lonely

21 36,456 Coldplay – Speed Of Sound NEW

22 29,181 Akon – Lonely

23 24,709 U2 – City Of Blinding Lights NEW

24 16,488 James Blunt – You’re Beautiful

25 31,034 Crazy Frog – Axel F

26 32,692 Charlotte Church – Crazy NEW

27 39,235 Mariah Carey – We Belong Together NEW

28 28,699 2Pac - Ghetto Gospel

29 21,086 Mariah Carey – We Belong Together

30 22,409 Daniel Powter – Bad Day NEW

No.1s (Albums) so far....

53 08 Jan 43,000 Green Day – American Idiot

01 15 Jan 38,174 Scissor Sisters – Scissor Sisters

02 23 Jan 39,947 The Killers – Hot Fuss

03 30 Jan 49,433 The Killers – Hot Fuss

04 05 Feb 58,364 The Chemical Brothers – Push The Button *

05 12 Feb 83,370 Athlete – Tourist *

06 19 Feb 75,039 Keane – Hopes & Fears

07 26 Feb 75,213 Scissor Sisters – Scissor Sisters

08 05 Mar 59,819 The Doves – Some Cities *

09 12 Mar 244,671 G4 – G4*

10 19 Mar 94,117 50 Cent – The Massacre*

11 26 Mar 106,837 Stereophonics – Language, Sex, Violence, Other?*

12 02 Apr 82,686 Tony Christie – Definitive Collection

13 09 Apr 49,416 Tony Christie – Definitive Collection

14 16 Apr 41,290 Natalie Imbruglia – Counting Down The Days*

15 23 Apr 38,457 Basement Jaxx – Greatest Hits

16 30 Apr 39,954 Akon – Trouble

17 07 May 62,311 Bruce Springsteen – Devils And Dust*

18 14 May 38.003 Akon – Trouble

19 21 May 50,989 Steve Broosktein – Heart and Soul*

20 28 May 70,282 Faithless – Forever Faithless: Greatest Hits*

21 04 Jun 105,320 Gorillaz – Demon Days*

22 11 Jun 237,865 Oasis – Don’t Believe The Truth*

23 18 Jun 464,471 Coldplay – X&Y*

24 25 Jun 238,892 Coldplay – X&Y

25 02 Jun 100,198 Coldplay – X&Y

26 09 Jul 103,598 Coldplay – X&Y

27 16 Jul 97, 694 James Blunt – Back To Bedlam

28 23 Jul 109,735 James Blunt – Back To Bedlam

29 30 Jul 110,932 James Blunt – Back To Bedlam

30 06 Aug 122,827 James Blunt – Back To Bedlam

(* =Entered The Chart At No.1)

Wednesday's Update Top 20 ONLY

Singles Combined

01 (01) James Blunt - You're Beautiful (19k)

02 (02) Daniel Powter - Bad Day (11.8k)

03 (03) 2Pac - Ghetto Gospel

04 (NE) Texas - Getaway

05 (NE) Ciara feat. Ludacris - Oh

06 (06) Kelly Clarkson - Since U Been Gone

07 (05) Mariah Carey - We Belong Together

08 (04) Eminem - Ass Like That

09 (NE) The Game - Dreams

10 (07) Daddy Yankee - Gasolina

NO OTHER NEW ENTRIES IN THE TOP 20

====================================================

Albums

01 James Blunt (41k)

02 Coldplay (14k)

03 Kaiser Chiefs

04 Faithless

05 Lee Ryan (NEW)

09 Madness (NEW

12 Oasis

13 Magic Numbers

14 Mariah Carey

19 Kelly Clarkson

20 Gwen Stefani

Courtesy of Airboy^ @ Haven

James Blunt No.1 singles (4)

James Blunt No.1 album (5)

UK

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Fridays update

1 Blunt 30k (sale) cope

2 Powter 18k

3 2pac

4 ciara

5 texas 7.85k

6 Kelly 7.78k

7 Mariah

8 Game

9 Eminem

10 daddy

albums

1 Blunt 67k

2 Coldplay

3 cheifs

4 faithless

5 lee 16.8

10 madness

14-11 oasis

18-13 magic numbers

11-14 mariah

21-19 gwen

17-20 kelly

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