Although they began as an artsy prog rock band, Styx would eventually transform into the virtual arena rock prototype by the late '70s and early '80s, due to a fondness for bombastic rockers and soaring power ballads. The seeds for the band were planted in another Chicago band during the late '60s, the Tradewinds, which featured brothers Chuck and John Panozzo (who played bass and drums, respectively), as well as acquaintance Dennis DeYoung (vocals, keyboards).
Hugely positive and sometimes crushingly sentimental, Germany's Mark 'Oh (Marko Albrecht) is part of a long line of German musicians who threw down the mantle of rock amateurism in order to embrace his country's post-rave mainstream dance. After disbanding his first guitar outfit, Line Up, 'Oh began as a DJ in 1990 and worked his way up to production with the 1993 limited release of "Randy – Never Stop That Feeling," a cheery, helium-sampled single that found its way to the top of Germany's charts for half a year after its re-release. Subsequent singles furthered 'Oh's light Super Mario Brothers trance style and his three albums – 1995's Never Stop That Feeling, 1996's Magic Power, and 1999's Rebirth – showed an increase in guest appearances and unusual covers, such as reworkings of Visage's "Fade to Grey" and Nick Kamen's "I Promised Myself." A premature Best Of collection was released in 2001.
The defiance inherent in this collection's title suggests that, after all these years, The Knack still have to prove themselves. Branded as Beatle rip-offs, sexist beasts, and one-hit wonders, it's a wonder the band had the will to plug its guitars in let alone continue releasing albums. As the title suggests, PROOF is a telling document. Normally, when taken out of context, nearly every overnight sensation sounds like a quaint time capsule reminder of an era gone by. Not so with The Knack. The band's brand of power pop has aged not a whit.
Edward Raymond "Eddie" Cochran was an American musician. Cochran's rockabilly songs, such as "C'mon Everybody", "Somethin' Else", and "Summertime Blues", captured teenage frustration and desire in the late 1950s and early 1960s. He experimented with multitrack recording and overdubbing even on his earliest singles, and was also able to play piano, bass and drums. His image as a sharply dressed and good-looking young man with a rebellious attitude epitomized the stance of the 50s rocker, and in death he achieved an iconic status. Cochran died aged 21 after a road accident, while travelling in a taxi in Chippenham, Wiltshire, during his British tour in April 1960. In 1987, Cochran was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. His songs have been covered by a wide variety of recording artists.